The Little Things

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

       Since about the age of 7, I have loved journaling my thoughts! As a young girl my journals were classic "Dear Diary" entries filled with emotional roller coasters of crushes, best friends, and family stories. As I grew up so did my entries (thank goodness)! In middle school my mom challenged me to begin writing down my prayers, and soon my journals were filled with thoughts, questions about life, and many prayer requests! This is when the incredible power of prayer became real to me. Sure, I had heard people say that before and I knew prayer was important, I just didn't realize how much my life could be changed through prayer. 

     As I started writing, I could physically see documented answers to the prayer requests I had written days and even months before. During my last few years of college I wrote very specific prayers for the beginning of life on my own, and over the last few years I continue to see those prayers answered in ways that I could never have thought of just a few years before. The entries have allowed me to see how far back God was piecing my life  together for my future. 

   My journals have always offered me the reassurance that God has his hand on my life and is constantly at work. However, they  have also shown the hesitations in my prayer life. Mentioning requests concerning cancer, death and salvation have always been a part of my prayers; but what I was excluding was the tiny details of my life. I used to feel that many things were too small to mention. God had so many other huge issues to deal with, I felt selfish mentioning the little things I was worried about.  However, when we read Philippians 4:6 again it says in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.  Philippians does not say, only present your biggest issues to God because God already has a lot on His plate. Instead, it says present EVERYTHING to Him details included. One of the beautiful things about our God, is that he can handle the biggest of situations and the smallest. He really does want us to come to Him with all that is worrying us. He cares about the details even if the world may consider them unimportant.

        The power of prayer is a very rea, awe inspiring gift. We have the ability to speak with God whenever and wherever we want no 4G LTE required. I wonder how many of us actually recognize the beautiful gift that we have. How many old testament characters would have loved to enter the Holy of Hollies and talk to our God whenever they wanted? I challenge you to fully embrace the ability we have to communicate with our God. Do not let Satan cause you to doubt God's ability to handle the even the smallest issues in your life.  Sometimes it is in the small details that we feel God work the most. I love this quote by Pastor Rick Warren,  "Satan tries to limit your prayers, because he knows your prayers will limit him." 

     Throughout your day take advantage of this incredible opportunity to PRAY about anything. Allow Him to show you that He is listening. It doesn't matter when or where, our God has made himself available to us at all times. He is listening and He cares about the details of your life, as well as the storms that are shaking the world. I will never understand how He can listen and answer every request  brought to Him, but that is why He is God and I am not! Isn't it amazing to know that the Ruler of the Heavens and Earth keeps the world spinning while also listening to the details of your life! 

Psalm 116:2 Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! 

"Comparison Kills Contenment"

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances

    If you came to visit my apartment about a year ago, you would have seen "Comparison kills Contentment" written on my bathroom mirror. I am sure my husband loves my "dry erase marker on our mirror" habit, but it was formed years ago by my wonderful mother! I usually change the verse out about every week; however, this quote from Karen Hunt stayed up on the mirror for almost 6 months, because I found it was something that I constantly needed to be reminded of each and every day.
       If we are honest, most of us have struggled with a comparison at some point in our lives.  It is one of the most difficult things to control, because most of the time we do not intend to compare ourselves to others, it just happens. Whether it is a magazine cover, a post on social media, or even a stranger in the mall, our mind does a quick comparison with just one glance. Before we realize what we are doing, we can identify all the things "she" has that we are missing.
       Comparison is a dangerous spiral to fall into because, we are either tearing ourselves down by wishing for something else, or we are tearing someone else down to boost our confidence. It doesn't matter which category you fall into, comparison is a mind battle that results in hurt and discontentment. If we long to be like or even look like someone else, then our focus is on that other person. If we pick apart someone else's flaws to make ourselves feel better, then we and have placed our focus on ourselves. In both of these situations our focus of life has shifted, even if only for a few moments, it has moved from God to someone else. How can we live for Christ when we shift our focus from Him?
      A few years ago someone told me that "Contentment isn't having what you want, it is wanting what you have." At the time, I wrote those words down because I liked the idea of wanting what I had. I thought that if  I could learn to always want the things I had, then maybe I would never fall into the trap of comparison again. However, I am learning now, that even though wanting what I have is a great thing, it still requires my focus to be on myself. Although, we should always be thankful for the blessings God has given us, He still longs for our focus and desire in life to be on Him and only Him! The key to true satisfaction in our lives is to focus on God.
     Don't waste your beautiful life comparing it to a friend's or even a celebrities life. Nothing they have will make you happy, or fill that longing for contentment. Instead shift your focus off of everything else and place it back on God. He has blessed you with your life and desires for you to spend it focusing on Him.  Find your peace in God, because searching elsewhere for contentment will only lead to a life of exhausting measurements and comparisons. Ask God to help you guard your mind from comparison, and shift your focus back on Him!

Photography by Kimberly Wynn

What choice will you make?

      Mark 14: 72  Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.”And he broke down and wept.      

       I can not imagine the betrayal Jesus felt as He was denied by one of his closest friends. Being rejected by anyone hurts, but if you have ever felt betrayed by a family member or best friend, you know that the pain cuts deep.  
        When I read this story in Mark 14, I always find myself wondering how I would have handled Peter's situation.  Some days, I feel that I would be able to stand up for Christ. Other times when I truly put myself in Peter's place, I wonder if I would have also succumb to the fear of death and torture. Would I have caused Jesus that same pain? Thankfully, most of us living in the United States have not been pressed with this same life or death situation. However, we are all still faced with the choice to acknowledge or deny Christ.
         We are often asked the same question Peter was given; however it is masked in different forms. Like Peter, we have to option to identify with Christ, or choose to ignore that we know Him. Sometimes, the question is disguised as choosing to participate in underage drinking at a party.  Sometimes it comes in the form of a guy or even a boyfriend who wants to go a little too far. Other times the choice is a decision about what kind of language to use, or even what picture to post on Instagram. In each of these life situations we are asked the same question Peter was given, and we have a choice to deny Christ or to acknowledge Him. Even though we are not always giving a verbal answer, our actions answer just as loudly. 
     Think of the ways today that you are choosing to acknowledge or deny Christ in your own life. If the mask of the situation is taken off, what answer are your actions giving? Do you choose to acknowledge Christ? Or do you deny Him? Are you somewhere in between, acknowledging Him on Sundays and denying Him on Friday night? Do you reflect Him in your social media accounts, or does your Instagram look like the rest of the world's? It is easy to judge Peter in this passage of Scripture, because he was given a direct question, but if we are honest, we each face Peter's test in our own lives, and we too have the choice to either acknowledge or deny Christ. 
      Just like the servant girl was watching Peter, you are also being watched by those around you. They may not be directly asking you if you know Christ, but you can be sure that they are taking note of your actions. Be careful how you are living your life, and the choices you are making. They say more about you than know. You have a choice today and everyday to acknowledge Christ or Deny Him. What choice will you make? 


Photography by Sophie Brendle

From Once Upon a Time to Happily Ever After

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19     

         "Once upon a time......" These four words symbolize promise, hope, and the beginning of many fairy tales. We all have a "Once Upon A Time", because we all have a beginning. It is the end of the story that is a little more difficult to predict. Searching for "Happily Ever After" is a life long quest that is not always written like a fairy tale.
     This search for love is found in most aspects of life. Almost every movie, song, and book are focused on the journey to love. Let me clarify by saying, there is nothing wrong with Romantic comedies, fairy tales or wanting your love story to end with a handsome prince. However, many girls are often searching for an earthly love with heavenly expectations. God designed each one of us with a desire for love, but not a love that anyone on earth can satisfy. We crave an unconditional, never failing, enchanting type of love. God created us this way, because He wants us to turn to Him for ultimate fulfilment. He never meant for us to look to man to fill that void.
       Even though I became Christian at a young age, I spent many years thinking that if I just had a boyfriend, then I would feel complete. The world told me that, if I could find my one true love, then he would cure all of my insecurities, while simultaneously fulfilling every dream I ever had. I believed that a boyfriend would tell me that I was beautiful, so I would never be disappointed by a mirror. I believed that I would never be lonely, because I would have someone by my side. I believed the lie that I would feel valued and special at all times, because he would know my every want and need. The problem was, these expectations always left me disappointed. I could never find a boyfriend that could fix all of my flaws and imperfections with his love. What I didn't realize is, that the love I craved did exist, but not in the form of a boyfriend, fiance, or even husband. That one, and only, love is Jesus.

   The truth is, we all desire someone who will love us unconditionally, but no matter how great of a guy your boyfriend is, he is still human. That perfect fulfillment can only come from a perfect love, and God is the ONLY one who can fill all of those longings. He created you and knows your desires better than you do, so He is the only one who can end your quest for true love. Let Him love you first!

        Please understand that I am not against an earthly love. God gave me one of the greatest gifts when he placed my husband in my life.  I love him with all my heart. He is a constant blessing in my life, and I often feel like I am living in my own fairy tale. However, even he can not fill all the longings of my heart, and I can not fill his because we are not God. Our marriage is not one based on each other, but instead on the Lord. Alone, we are not capable of loving someone perfectly because we are not perfect ourselves. I had to learn to be fulfilled in God before I could ever be loved by my husband.

      Whether you are single, married, or in a relationship, on your quest for "Happily Ever After" remember, a man can never fill your craving for God's perfect love. Unless you let God fill you, you will never find true fulfilment in your earthly relationships. Find Him and let Him love you first, then He will write your perfect fairy tale. "Happily Ever After" is found only in Christ.

"God is love. He didn’t need us. But he wanted us. And that is the most amazing thing."    ~ Rick Warren


Photography by: Aperture Vision http://www.aperturevision.com

Expect the Challenge

       It was about 3:30pm on a Tuesday afternoon in May. It was close to 80 degrees outside, and one of the last workouts I would complete as a sophomore on the Women's basketball team at Wofford College.
       A few months before, our young and energetic assistant coach announced that she would be handling our post-season conditioning that year. She warned us that we needed to be ready to work harder than we ever had before. I still love and admire her today, but she lived up to her warnings. It did not matter if it was 5:00am, 3:30pm, or 6:00pm, each and every workout pushed me to my physical limit. 
     Most of these workouts are blurred by sweat and exhaustion, but one day has always stood out in my mind as clearer than the rest. My teammates and I were each drenched in sweat, and the lack of air conditioning was not helping anyone. We were in the middle of the workout, and I honestly thought I was going to pass out before I finished the last circuit. My coach must have read my mind because she began yelling at us not to quit. She told us "It is going to be hard. If it was easy everyone would do it."  She did not say, if it gets hard, or it might be hard. She said the last circuit IS going to be hard. Those two sentences have stood out in my mind ever since that afternoon. They helped motivate me as I completed my career as a collegiate athlete, and have stayed with me through the many challenges of life. That day she taught me to expect a challenge rather than by surprised by one.
      Her words also remind me of the words in John 15: 19-20               
                 ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 
      In the same way my coach told me to expect the challenge, John is telling us to expect the persecution. If Jesus, God's perfect son, had to endure the hatred of the world, then we can also expect to face forms of persecution. This does not mean that we will necessarily find ourselves crucified to a tree, but we will suffer the pain of hurtful words, exclusion, and in some cases even physical abuse. This is not meant to discourage you, but instead to realistically prepare you for the persecution you will face in life. 
    Many Christians today, claim to be His followers, but they are conforming to the world because it is easier to live life of this world instead of a part of His world.  Jesus never promises us that our Christian walk will be easy, but he asks us to live for him anyway. He asks us to claim His promise that He will never leave us, no matter how hard life becomes. He asks us to find our hope and joy in Him and His gift of eternal life, instead of in the approval of the world.        
    Those four months of conditioning seemed to last for a year, but they made me a stronger basketball player, just like the trials and persecution will make you a stronger Christian. 
      I know that it is hard to be different from the crowd or left out of the group. I know all to well what it feels like to be an outside, but do not give in to this world. Do not quit on your relationship with God. Being a Christian is definitely not the easiest life to live, but you do not have to live it alone. Jesus warns us that this life is hard, but He is willing to walk through it with us.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

      Are you going to be one of the few that is determined enough not to quit? Are you willing to be strong and courageous, so that you may be made stronger in Him? 

Photography by Kimberly Wynn