Favorite Quote of the Day

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

Dec 31, 2013

You Are Worth It; You Can Make A Difference.

Here's another letter from God, this time written to all His children. I like to imagine Him whispering these words; music to my little ears.

My Dearest Daughter, and my dearest Son.

You are worth it. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. I made you, my child, I made you with a talent and a worth uniquely your own. No one is like you; No one in the world. Each of my children, you included, was made with a purpose; the purpose of making a difference for me. And all of my children are very capable of making this difference, even if you think you are worth nothing. For to me, you are worth the world. You are worth more than the world; and obviously, my One True Son Jesus thinks you are to die for. My One True Son and I believe that you are worth the sacrifice we made for you. When you were turning away from me, I wanted you back. I was so jealous of the time and attention you were giving to other things, things besides me, and I desired to hold you in my arms again and claim you as my children. So, my Son and I came up with a plan, a plan that was sure to succeed, and win the war against the devil that stirs the heart of men towards evil things. You all fight your own individual battles with the demons the devil has sent; and I ask you to fight these. Battle the demons; it will make you stronger as you win each battle in my Name. But even if you lose a battle inside the depths of your heart; persevere, stay strong, stand up, be brave; for I have already won the war. 
My dear children...make a difference in the world that I have given you. Transform it, move it, see it in the way that my eyes see it. And I know that EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU can make a difference. Whether you are going pro- or a girl of many talents, whether you feel like you have no gifts or like you have to many choices, whether you've been serving me for six decades or only a month; make a difference in this world for me. Because you can. I have given you the capability to touch people, to bless them, to enter their lives and give them hope, peace, joy, or a sense of belonging. As my children, you have this capability! You are images of me, temples where I reside. 
I can use you. You. 
And I will use you. 
With Me on your side, you are more than strong enough. 

Your Maker;
God

Dec 21, 2013

Life and God.

Life can be hard.
Okay, let me rephrase that.
Life IS hard.
This world is corrupt, sinful, and honestly...
Life sucks.
The questions,
"God, where are you?"
"God, why?"
"Why have you abandoned us?"
Are frequently asked by His people.
I wonder...
How much pain does He go through as we ask these questions?
How many tears fall from His face as He watches us struggle, trying to make sense of ourselves.
When girls cry themselves to sleep,
When guys struggle to keep up their strong masks, though they're crumbling inside.
When spouses fight,
When families shout,
When yet another falls into the hands of the devil...
How many tears does He cry?
God had to watch His son die,
He allowed His son to be killed.
And Jesus obeyed.
Jesus suffered.
He trusted God to the very end.
He was tortured, cursed, mocked, flogged, spat upon, suffocated, and executed; yet he allowed God to control his fate.
And look what came out of that pain:
Peace,
Love,
Unconditional love,
And eternity with God in heaven.
Heaven.
So...
When pain strikes,
When there are sleepless nights,
And the end seems so, so far off.
As hope fades,
And peace shatters,
Know this;
God has a plan.
He knows what He is doing; He's been doing it for thousands of years with billions of people.
He allowed His son to die,
But then God raised him up higher than the galaxies can reach with their fingers.
Yes, your life might be hard.
Injuries,
Crushed dreams,
Broken sisters,
Hurting fathers,
Crying mothers,
Helpless nights,
Abandoned friends...
There is good in this.
God will bring good through this.
We just have to trust,
Pray,
Find inspiration from those who have risen from the ashes,
Get ourselves up from the ground; even if we're only on our knees,
Hold fast to hope,
Hope that God will raise you up,
and obey.

Dec 14, 2013

I Am A Star

The sky.
It's big.
Vast.
Eternal.
Vast....the vastness of the sky is like the deepness of the darkest seas.
Who knows what's down there?
Out there?
Up there?
It's a mystery...
But guess what.
I know.
There's stars.
More stars than I can count.
More stars than I can even begin to imagine counting.
They fill the universe.
Forever is full of stars.
Shining brightly, they are stunning everyone who greets them with a fiery brilliance that can only be achieved by those elite.
And greet them I shall.
Twinkling back at them, I will proclaim,
"I am a star. I have a name. There is a light inside of me that none of you could ever bear to gaze at for a moment. That light shines in me when all else is dark. I am my own star."
The stars will talk back. They will reply, and their voices will sound a mix of tinkling bells and the deep grumble of a volcano, for each and every burning ball of gas has its own voice, its own personality.
They will all say, all together...
"I am a star. God placed me here in this sky. He knows me by name and he knows all of my brothers and sisters by name and there are tens of thousands of us. See me? Yes, imagine that inside of me, yet farther back in space, yes, if you zoom in, are billions upon millions more stars. And then, inside of them, are billions more. And surrounding me are simply billions of stars. You can't count is, but He has. He named us."
All you have to say back is this.

"The God who came up with all this beauty and glory and foreverness is the same God who loves me and breathes life into me. This huge God, who is forever, who never ends and never started, loves me in a way that a father loves his children. I am blessed.”

Dec 3, 2013

Fellow Writers

Being a writer, I enjoy conversing with other writers about the pains, joys, and frustrations of writing. There is something about writing, something special, and it's always a blast to get together with someone who sees that "specialness" and is willing to discuss it. A good friend of mine, McKenzie, is one of these people. We could sit down for hours to talk about our books, discussing characters and plot twists, romances and hatreds, beginnings and endings. If you ever see us running together...well, you can almost always depend on us to have mentioned the concept of writing at least once. People love to talk about their passions, and if you get them going, it's really enjoyable to listen to. As a writer, I love it when people write about their passions, even if they wouldn't call themselves writers. One friend of mine is a poet in the making. Another is not a writer, but a biker. He recently wrote a short article for a magazine contest. Even though he didn't win the contest, he still created an inspiring masterpiece. You can find it here!
Honestly, I would take the time to check out all the blogs in my "Blogs I Follow" list. They are all extremely worth the read!
Thanks for taking the time to read this little post!