Dandelions

One of my favorite things about spring is all of the flowers, green grass, and blossoming trees. But with all that comes the weeds that in turn cause the annoying allergies.

So I was driving down the road and randomly this thought hit me:

In our lives we have all have these different flowers. Blessings, friends, family, etc. Like our life is a garden. We produce fruit, or flowers... if you will, by having a right relationship with God. But sometimes we can let little excuses and compromise into our lives. These are the weeds. Weeds cause allergies, I know a lot of people are suffering with those right now. But the weeds we let into our hearts can cause us to be sick in spirit, if we don't do anything about them.

I'm sure everyone knows of the little yellow "flower" called a dandelion. I used to pick them all the time when I was younger. I thought it was a wild flower and when I found out it was a weed, I was bummed. The dandelion looks like a pretty flower but really when you get to the root of it, it's a weed that chokes out the tulips. If these dandelions aren't dealt with they can spread like wildfire and kill off the other flowers. Dandelions are much like sin. we can sometimes let the smallest thing like a single compromise to enter out lives. If this is not dealt with it can in turn spread and lead to other bad choices and poor attitudes. Sometimes the enemy will take these things and distort them to where it doesn't seem to be wrong. When you look at your life and see the dandelions, they can be mistaken as flowers, as the fruit of the spirit. But hang around long enough and people can figure out quickly that it's just a weed. a fake. an impostor. a replica of the real thing. For some people they wake up and stroll out on the porch to view their garden and see nothing but dandelions and a few flowers that haven't yet died off, and wonder what happened. We can sometimes be blind to these little weeds. Sometimes we don't want to take them out. They look ok with the other flowers, and besides its only one little dandelion weed. This kinda reminds me of the veggie tales movie, "the rumor weed" haha.

But anyways, I hope this makes since, and I hope it challenges you to take a step back and look at your garden. are there areas of your life that need weeding? Let the Holy Spirit help you and show you which one is the dandelion and which one is the tulip. and let me tell you, weeding isn't always an easy process. I hate picking weeds it hurts my knees, back, arms. it's uncomfortable. But let me tell you, its worth it in the end when we have a beautiful and plentiful garden!

What now?

Well, it's about a year or so later, since my last post on here. What do I have to show for it? Nothing. Thats right folks. Absolutely nothing. I have no idea what is wrong. I have no idea who I am anymore. Everyday I become more and more like a person I don't know, and further away from God it feels. I have no one else to blame but myself. I feel like I am losing all of my friends. It's not them its me. I feel like I'm pushing God away with one hand, and trying to pull him closer to me with the other. How does that work? It doesn't. I also feel like I have built a cage around myself and God is simply holding out the key to free me from my bondage, all I have to do is reach out and take it. There is no catch. But why do I sit in this cage I have built, accepting defeat and a low life when God has so much more to give? Thats a good question and I really wish I had the answer, but I don't. I came to school to get closer to God and I feel like it has ruined me. Why? How? I have no clue. I am tired of pretending so now I don't. Do I even have feelings anymore? It feels as though I have no feelings or emotion anymore and that scares me. Who I am now is a marathon away from who I was in Christ and who I want to be. I would rather run 1,000 marathons than begin to try to dig out this hole I have buried myself in. I just need God. I know he is trying to get my attention. What am I doing wrong? I can't seem to get to him...

random thought for today...don't live on snacks alone.

Today I have been thinking, and no I didn't strain anything. haha. but anywho, I was thinking about somethin.

I saw my suitmate,Anisha, today and I hadn't seen her about, 24 hours, give or take a few. But when we saw each other she told me that she felt like she hadn't seen my in days! and really, it did feel like it had been a few days.

Here comes the thinking and aplication part...

i thought: What if we were like that with God? If we didn't have time to read our Bible and spend time with him would we feel that same longing to be together again?
I know as a college student involved in so much ministry, classes, church, work, sports, etc. that its hard to find time to spend with God. Im just as guilty as anyone else. I know that I sometimes fail to dive into the word everyday because I get some of it in chapel. it's like being super hungary and only getting a little bit of something so amazing that we want seconds, and thirds. How are we to survive off of a snack? I know this is a cheesy analogy and I notice that all of my "little analogies" always have to do with food, for the most part. haha. But, I just want to encourage everyone to take time to spend with God, and I'm definately included in this. I'm challenging myself as well. I was thinking, if we don't get into the habit of getting into the word everyday, even when we don't feel like it or feel dry as a river, and when we don't have anything left to give, then how are we going to when we launch out into full time ministry? Sometimes its easy to forget that we are in ministry right now. I know I forget, and sometimes even toss it around lightly. Everyone goes through tough times, and struggles, and temptations, but we need to go to the word and spend time with God. We can't just live off of what happened in chapel. Don't misunderstand me, chapel is amazing, but it shouldn't stop there. We should be strong in our devos, having that full relationship with God. The Bible says to recieve the fullness of God, and I think that can be taken in the relationship aspect.
Our God is a jelous God. He cares so much for us!

lessons from a child...

So the other day I was sitting in my suit mate, Anisha's room, and we were discussing notes for A/G History and Polity. So we got about half way into them and then went off on this huge, 3 hour long Jesus rant! It was so awesome! We were diffinatly iron sharping iron. I loved it. But ok...to the point about the child....
Anisha was telliing me about this girl at her church back home, and this little girl looked up to her so much and wanted to be just like her that she even started to try to sneeze like Anisha. I guess she sneezes weird or somethin. I thought that was just the cutest thing, and I even remembered when I tried to do things exactly like the person that I had looked up to so many years ago.

But then I thought... what if we did that with Jesus? What if we truely tried to be just like Him? what would that even look like? I mean, in the Bible it tells us to "be holy for He is holy."

Holiness: it's nothing less than conforming to Jesus.

God is definately dealing with me on this issue. Every time I turn around someone is mentioning holiness in a sermon or in the classroom! I'm so baffled by it. Holiness. What a thought! Striving to be just like God, in every day situations. Wow.

I think sometimes people hear the word "holiness" and they know that it could be attainable, only if you're a pastor, or some amazingly spiritual missionary or something.
Holiness if for everyone! God created us to be holy! I just keep thinking.... what would that even look like if we went all out, and with every fiber of our being, strived to be holy? Oh how awesome!

So I encourage all of you to strive to be holy, in thought, action, and even the words you speak. Let God mold you into His likeness. Be willing for Him to mold you.

ok it's cheezy, but still, i like it!

ok so just go with me here:
i was passing a church on the waoy to ash grove to see my mom and the name of the church was evergreen bapstist, which got me thinking.... i want to be like the evergreen....
ever like Jesus
ever loving
ever compassionate
ever forgiving

etc.....
we should always be striving to be like Him, in everything that we do. standing tall just like.... an evergreen!

:)

summer.

so i really feel like i am doing nothing of value this summer. its driving me crazy that i am not somewhere doing something!!! i want to be overseas or at least out of state, even another city would be fine. i cant stand it anymore in springfield!!!! im going nuts! I dont like the thought of my bf out there living it up and i am stuck here! i want to work with my youth group and do ministry in my home church, yano poor back into the church that has poured quite a bit into me. i know this summer isnt useless, i know God has a plan. im just not sure what it is and its frusterating. sometimes it feels as though there wont be a "plan" for me to follow this summer. its gone by so fast, i dont want to waste it, i want to use it to get closer to God. i am going to youth camp in 2 weeks as an assistant dorm leader with my church i know God will do mighty things. i know ministry cant happen over night, it involves time to make strong relationships, establish trust, and so forth. ugh. i look to God he is my source of strength. its just frusterating sometimes.

situations shape who you are.

what has college done to me? is that really the question or is it what have i allowed college to do to me? im thinking its prolly the later. man, this has been a super rough year. i dont want to quit, but sometimes when i let my mind free to wander i can't help but think about this and be tempted. i don't think i would ever leave, i dont think i could.

but now after looking back on this year, i can't help but wonder who i am. when i came here i was so stinkin sure of who i was. i knew who i was in Christ. i still know i am a child of the king, but what i dont know, is who is that child of the king? im trying so hard to find myself in God. i guess you just have to go to source to find that out. i just need to get away for a weekend or something. i just need to get away from people here and just think and draw close to God. i miss those youth camp days b/c there was no one to bother you and God. it was so peaceful. im going to have to find the youth camp life again.