Changing Seasons

    One day I was listening to a podcast and the speaker was talking about how God doesn't call us to be safe. I got to thinking about that and I thought about all the events of the Bible and the people who lived through those events. Most of the time those people were not safe in whatever situation they were in; at least they were not safe according to the way of the world.

   Then I thought about how sometimes I crave adventure. How I get tired of the mundaneness of life. And then I remember times when I was asked to do something new. When I was asked to do something uncomfortable, I got scared. I was scared because that new thing was unsafe. 

   Here's the thing: we are not called to be safe, but we are safe in what God calls us to do. It's an incredible balance where we need to not let the season of life, we are in get to us. There will be times where we are thrust into action and there will be times where we are bored. The choice we have is what we do in those seasons.

   If you are in a season of mundane, you can ask God if this is where he wants you. If he has something more for you, or if this is where you are meant to be. Sometimes God asks us to just be. To do the typical routine and that's enough because you are working for him in that season.

   If you are in a season of adventure, you can continue talking with God to ensure you are in his will. You can call on him for help. You can know that with him on your side, even if the adventure gets scary, he is with you and will not let you fall.

   So, what season are you in right now? How can you trust God no matter what season you are in?

Home: Encanto Series

    If I were to ask you where is the place where you are most comfortable in the whole world, what would you say? I am sure many of you would say: your home. Home is the place in the world where you have the most control. You decide what it looks like, what you eat, when you do things, etc. The writer of the song "Colombia, Mi Encanto" talks about how he loves his home in the last song in the movie Encanto.

   We probably love our homes too. We love how home reminds us of family, warmth, love, and so much more. Yet, for some, home doesn't bring up these feelings. For some people home brings up hurt feelings, pain, and sorrow. Others have never had a place where they call home.

   Whichever camp you land in, I have good news for you. Wherever you think of when you hear the word home on earth isn't your real home. In John 14:2 Jesus tells us "In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" Our home is not on this earth. Our home is in heaven.

   When we feel out of place, lonely sad, scared, etc. We can have hope in God. God loved us so much that he wanted to be with us. He sent his son to die for us so we could be home with him.

   So, as we close this series, I encourage you to remember that we can see God in all things on earth (whether in depravity or in creativity). I encourage you to think about where you are headed when you die. Where is your home? How can you help others get home?

 

We Are All Loved: Encanto Series

    There are times we feel like we are not special or unique. But God made us all different. He made us all for a purpose. This is what the song "All of You" is about in Encanto. Mirabel is the only member of her family without a special gift. Yet, she still works hard to help her family.

   Mirabel may not have a gift that seems like a superpower, but she does have a gift. Actually, she has multiple gifts. She is an encourager, she's creative, she's loving, caring, strong, and so much more. Without her, the family would have cracked under pressure and lost the miracle. She reminded them that they were all special and loved even without their gifts from the miracle.

   1 Peter 4:20 says: "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." Because of God's grace and love, we are saved. He wants none to perish and he lets us be a part of his story. He gives us unique gifts and missions so that all may come to know him. 

   This means that not only are we unique and have gifts but anyone we meet is as well. God loves everyone and that's what we are called to do as well. We are to celebrate our differences and love others no matter what they do or say. That's the serving part in 1 Peter 4:20. We are not given gifts to glorify ourselves. We are given gifts to reflect God's glory.

   So, are you showing love to others? Are you using your gifts to reflect God's glory? How can you show love today?

Change: Encanto Series

   One insect that is used as an example of change is a caterpillar. Caterpillars go through a transformation. They eat a lot, go into cocoons, and come out completely changed. This transformation is what the song "Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto is talking about.

   While the original lyrics are in Spanish, it does not change its profoundness. It talks about two caterpillars in love in a changing world. But, in order for these caterpillars to grow they had to leave one another. If they did not, they would not be able to be in cocoons and change into butterflies. So they went into cocoons, became butterflies, and realized that in order to grow more they needed to be apart.

The whole song is a metaphor for Abuela's life. She had to run from her home, and she did with her husband. But her husband died during their escape. That's a lot of change for a young mother of 3. Then she had to pick up, move on, and grow alone.

   That's actually a lot like our lives. Yes, we are to be in relationship with others because God created us as relational beings. But the most important relationship we can have is the one we have with God. If we are not in relationship with God, then we will not grow in him. 

   Colossians 1:10 says: "So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." We are to walk with God. We are to bear fruit. What fruit? The fruit of the spirit. We are to spread the good news of the Gospel. To do all of that, we must have relationship with God. We must be growing in him.

   Is growth easy? No, usually it is uncomfortable. Do you think it's all peaches and cream in that cocoon? A caterpillar changing completely and growing wings. That's probably a bit uncomfortable. But do you think that butterfly regrets going through that change and growth after its done? Probably not because they can fly! Imagine what God can do with us if we allow him to change us and help us grow!

   So, are you spending time with God each day? How has God helped you grow in him? How can you grow in God today?

   Link to lyrics for "Dos Oruguitas" https://lyricstranslate.com/en/dos-oruguitas-two-little-caterpillars.html

What Else Can I Do But Wear A Mask: Encanto Series

    Have you ever felt like you were not allowed to make mistakes? Have you ever felt pressure to be perfect? Have you ever put a mask on because you felt like people wouldn't like the real you? That's exactly what Isabella is feeling like. She sings all about it in the song "What Else Can I Do?"

   Isabella is the eldest child in Mirabel's family. Her gift was she could make flowers. She is called the "golden child" by Mirabel. She was viewed as beautiful and perfect by many in the town. As the oldest, she was expected to marry and have more children who would also carry on with new gifts to help the town.

   That's a lot of pressure. It's no wonder she sings this song. She made a flower that wasn't perfect. It was sharp and different. There's a line in the song that says: "What could I do if I just knew it didn't need to be perfect? It just needed to be? And they'd let me be?" Isabella is crying out that she just wants to be herself. When I was a teacher, I used to tell my students all the time that they should be themselves because there's no one else like them. They are unique. I also tell them it's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes help us learn and grow.

   Psalm 139:14 says "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." We are wonderfully made. All different. All unique. All loved by God. God is so creative that he made each of us different. We have his creativity in us. 

   Why should we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect? We can never reach perfection. We will fail if we try. God doesn't ask for perfection. He asks for growth. He asks that we trust Jesus as our savior. He asks that we use the gifts he has given us to reflect his glory. Why should be try to be like someone else when God loves us just as we are?

   So, are you wearing a mask? Are you using your gifts to reflect God's glory? How can you use your gifts to reflect God's glory today?

 

We Don't Talk About Feeling Alone: Encanto Series

    We've all felt it at one point or another in our lives: loneliness. One character in Encanto felt loneliness a bit more than others: Bruno. Bruno's gift was that he could see into the future. You can imagine how this would not make him the most popular person as he sometimes had to deliver bad news. In fact, there's a whole song in the movie called "We Don't Talk About Bruno" which talks about how Bruno delivered bad news.

   There's a person in the Bible who reminds me a lot of Bruno. His name is Joseph. Joseph had dreams where he saw the future. A future that was good for him, but not so good for others. Because of these dreams, his family alienated him. In fact, his brothers sold him into slavery because of his dreams.

   Joseph was taken to a new country (Egypt), he didn't know the language, and he didn't believe in their gods. Talk about loneliness! To make matters worse, he was falsely accused and thrown in prison. 

   Like Joseph, Bruno was in a prison as well. He hid in the walls of the house that his family lived in. The reason? He didn't want to give bad news anymore. 

   You may feel like you are in a prison of some sort of your own. You may feel alone. Deuteronomy 31:6 says "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." This verse reminds us we are never alone. We can have courage because God is always with us. No matter how lonely we feel, God is there. He has a plan. We just need to trust in him.

   Joseph trusted in God, and he was rewarded. He saved Egypt and his whole family from famine. Things worked out for Bruno as well. He realized his family loved him for who he was. 

   So, no matter how lonely you feel, do you remember who you can lean on? When you do feel lonely what can you do to remember you aren't alone?

 

All the Pressure: Encanto Series

    Do you ever feel like you have so much going on in your life that it's too much? Do you ever feel pressure to be perfect all the time? Do you ever feel like showing emotion is weakness? Then you will relate to the song "Surface Pressure" from Encanto.

   This song is sung by Mirabel's older sister Luisa. Luisa's gift is strength. When someone in the village needed something moved, they would go to Luisa. There was a problem though. Luisa was strong physically, but she may have felt like she needed to be strong emotionally as well. She was the "rock" of the family. That is a lot of pressure. What happens to something if you put too much pressure on it? It breaks.

   See, like Luisa, sometimes we put too much on us. We are not perfect. We never were and we never were meant to be. There was only one perfect man and he walked on water. You can't do that. I can't do that. So why do we feel like we must be perfect all the time? 

   Maybe it is because we live in a world where an emphasis is put on success, money, having it all, etc. We feel if we fail, we are letting someone down. But in failing we learn. In failing we grow. In failing we see the need for a perfect savior. 

   Matthew 11:28-30 reminds us of this when it says: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." God wants us to come to him with our problems. He wants us to trust in him. He wants us to confess our sins to him so we can be with him in eternity. God doesn't expect perfection. He expects confession, love, and faith. He then gives us hope. We don't need to stress or feel pressure because God has taken that away with his Son's work on the cross.

   So, what are you stressing about today? How can you remember to trust in God instead of leaning on your own power?