The Monster Inside

   One of my favorite bands is Skillet. They are a Christian rock group. They sing hard core songs that some people I know aren’t used to; but, normally, when I show those people the lyrics they say they enjoy them.

   One day my family and I were riding to my sister’s soccer game and the song “Monster” came on by Skillet. My sister started rocking out to that song; and, from then on, my dad started to play that song every time we went to one of my sister’s soccer games in order to get her pumped up. It has become one of my favorite songs.

   The song talks about feeling like a monster. How there is a part of you that you keep hidden because you don’t want anyone to know about it. But, eventually, that part of you comes out because you can no longer hide it. The monster is that part of us we don’t like. It is that one sin that we want to get rid of or hide but we cannot. We all have it; but not everyone knows what it is.

   This song really speaks to me personally. Not many people know this about me, because I’m not proud of it, but one of my nicknames is the Hulk. The reason was because when I got angry I used to yell and take my anger out on my family by yelling at them. I knew in my heart that it was wrong to yell at them; but I just couldn’t keep the monster inside. I know that I hurt my family because of the words I said in anger and I am truly sorry for that. But, I don’t regret saying those things because it happened for a reason. If I wouldn’t have realized that what I said in anger was wrong then I may still have that issue today.

   It is true that every once in a while that green monster inside me starts to rear its head. But, now I find more constructive ways to get the anger out; like writing about how I feel or spending time alone. Today I still use the nickname Hulk because it reminds me of what I used to be; and that I don’t want to go back to that.

   We are all sinners; and we all have at least one sin that keeps following us, or is difficult to get rid of. That is the monster inside us. We can try to keep it inside; but eventually it will come out. No matter how hard we try to keep it in. That is why we need to get the antidote for our monster. And, there is only one cure for our sin: faith in Jesus Christ. It is only through his help that we are washed clean of our sins. It is only through him that we can get rid of that one persistent sin. It is in him that we can be free from the monster.

   What is the monster in your life? Have you asked God to help you get rid of it?

   Romans 3:23, James 4:7, 2 Corinthians 5:17

   P.S. Here is the link to the music video of Monster by Skillet: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mjlM_RnsVE

   Here is the link to the lyrics of Monster by Skillet: 

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/skillet/monster.html

Blessings on this Thanksgiving Day

   So it’s thanksgiving! It’s a day where we get to travel to see family who ask us “how is school going?” And, they give us hugs and kisses. It’s a time where we sit down and watch football. And, a time where we think about our blessings. Well thinking about my blessings this year led me to a song called Blessings by Laura Story (lyrics at the bottom).

   The song talks about the things we pray for. Some lyrics are: “We pray for blessings, we pray for peace, Comfort for family, protection while we sleep, We pray for healing, for prosperity, We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering.” And, it’s true that a lot of Christians I know pray for those things. Being comfortable is important in our society. We can’t afford to not have a financial plan, can’t afford not to have a house, can’t afford not to have a nice car, and we can’t afford not to have the things we think we need. So, we pray for God to bless us.

   I’m not saying that being comfortable is a bad thing but think about the disciples. When Jesus called them did they ask him to bless them right away? Did they ask him for a house? Did they even think to ask him where they were going to get their next meal? No, these men were willing to trust God to provide for them. True, at times, they forgot to trust God; but they were still willing to follow Jesus even though there were so many uncertainties. And they were able to impact more people because they trusted God.

   So back to the song. Some other lyrics are: “'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops, What if Your healing comes through tears?, What if a thousand sleepless nights, Are what it takes to know You're near?, What if trials of this life, Are Your mercies in disguise?” We don’t know God’s plan for our lives. I’m certain that the disciples were not expecting to do what they did in their lifetime. I mean they were fishermen, tax collectors, and so on. But, because of the work of God, they became so much more. God had a plan for them and he has a plan for us. We just need to trust him.

   Finally, we may be praying for the wrong things. If we focus on praying for things that are to make us comfortable we may miss out on great opportunities to see God at work. It’s true that God doesn’t have to say yes to everything we pray about. But, I’m sure he would love for us to say that we trust him to provide for out needs. So, rather than praying for that promotion at work or a good grade on a test, why can’t we say “let your will be done?” Because either way God’s will will be done, but in saying this one little thing we are saying to God “I trust you.”

   So will you trust God to provide for you? Will you be thankful for whatever God has given you? Will you be willing to forgo comfort in order to make an impact on others?

    http://www.songlyrics.com/laura-story/blessings-lyrics/ 

Whatever Happened to Thanksgiving?!

   So, can I just say that I am a little ticked off? I don’t tend to get ticked off that often, I may get annoyed but I feel like that is a different thing. Why am I ticked off? It’s because of Christmas.

   I know what you’re thinking, why is a Christian ticked off because of Christmas? It’s because of the fact that Christmas has begun to overshadow Thanksgiving. There are Christmas advertisements up already, Christmas songs playing on the radio, and Christmas decorations being hung up. Worst of all some stores are opening up on Thanksgiving at 6 pm. Hello people! There’s a red flag there already! Because stores are opening up on Thursday (Thanksgiving), the American culture is basically saying that what we have is not good enough. I realize that it is good for the economy and that the stores make a lot of money on Black Friday; but it’s call Black Friday for a reason, it’s not called Black Thursday.

   Now back to the Christmas songs and decorations. I realize that Christmas should be every day because we need to have good will toward everyone; and because we should be thanking God for his gift every day. However, as I stated in last year’s Christmas post  Christmas has become the season of getting. People are much too busy thinking about what they don’t have rather than what they do have.

   So, now you know why I’m ticked off. It’s like Thanksgiving doesn’t even exist anymore. We are told, in the American culture, that we don’t have enough. We need to have our own house, a few good cars, a dog, two children, and so on. And yet, we also celebrate Thanksgiving which is a national holiday. So, what do we have to be thankful for when we are told nothing we have, nothing we do, and nothing that we are is good enough?

   What can we do in our culture? We cannot fall into the trap of the American dream. We can remember what Christmas is really about. And, we can be thankful for what we do have. When people look at us they need to see that we are thankful for what we have. They need to see that we trust God to provide for our needs. They need to see that we are different, that we are set apart. That way they will wonder “what does she have that I don’t have?” Or, “why is he so content with what he has?”

   Once again, to clarify, I do love Christmas. I love Christmas time; and how people try to be kind and bring peace on earth. I love the decorations, the songs, and spending time with family. But, I think it’s important to remember the real reason for the season. I think we also need to remember that Thanksgiving still exists. We need to be Thankful for what we have, for what God has given us.

   I encourage you to think about how you have been viewing Thanksgiving this year. Have you been already getting into the Christmas season, thinking about plans and what you want/need to get for others? Or, have you been thinking about how thankful you are to have a home, family, food to eat, clothes to wear, and so on?

"DON'T DO IT"

   Did you ever hear one of your parents say “don’t do…” I know that I have. Funny thing though, every time I heard them say to not do something it just made me want to do it more. But, did you ever think about why you wanted to do what they told you not to do? Personally I blame two things: curiosity and temptation.

   When you tell a 2-3 year old to do something their typical answer is: why? Kids are generally curious. They want to know why they need to do certain things and why they are not to do other things. That is probably why someone came up with the phrase “curiosity killed the cat.” Curiosity can be a great thing because it helps us learn about our world. However, sometimes curiosity can lead to bad things.

   Temptation is the other problem in this “don’t do” situation. We usually want to do what we are told not to do. Why is this? Well it goes the whole way back to creation. Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. She knew she should not eat the fruit, but the temptation was just so great. At times I am tempted to think that I would not fall into that temptation; but, I cannot actually know that. I mean we cannot actually know in that exact situation. However, I do know that I have been tempted in other instances.

   The one situation that I remember the most is when my mom was baking cookies. They smelled so good and I went to touch one. Mom said I should not do that. So I did not touch the cookies but I went over to the pan. There was still a bit of cookie in the one area, so I decided I would pick that piece up (side note: technically I was still listening to my mom because I didn’t touch the cookie. I touched part of a cookie. You’ve gotta love loopholes). As I was grabbing the piece I didn’t understand why mom said: “don’t touch the cookie.” Well I learned. I left my finger on the pan too long and let’s just say there was a lot of screaming afterwards.
   One of the best parts about this situation was that, even though mom sort of told me not to touch the cookie/pan, after she heard me scream she came running over to help me. It didn't matter that I kind of disobeyed her. At that point, she just wanted to help me. Of course, later on I did get the lecture on did you learn your lesson? But, God also does that for us. When we are tempted, and we fail, we may feel like we need help. God gives us the help we need. If we ask, He is willing to forgive us.

   So basically, all that to say, curiosity can be a great thing if we use it as a learning experience. And, temptation is something that we are going to have to deal with in life. The question is: the next time you are tempted will you walk away or will you get burned? The choice is yours. 

   1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Peter 5:8, James 1:12, Genesis 3

"I'm Batman"

   My siblings have this tendency to say random things when people ask them questions if they do not know the answer, or they do not want to answer. My brother likes to say “I’m Batman.” The one day when he said that it got me thinking about identity. What is identity?

   According to Merriam-Webster dictionary identity is “who someone is: the name of a person.” I do not know about you but I don’t really feel like that’s a great definition. Identity is something we all struggle with. So when people ask me “who are you?” Obviously my first answer is Kaitlyn. But then it makes me think even deeper. I used to define myself by what I did. I was the soccer player, the oldest kid at church, the shy girl, and so on and so forth. But those things change. So does it make sense that our identities are always changing?

   There’s a quote in Batman that says “it’s not who you are underneath: it’s what you do that defines you.” This proves that, according to the world, our identity is always changing. I’m not always going to be a worker at Jimmy John’s or a soccer player. So then what stays consistent in our identity?

People have also said that you create your own identity. But, so many times it feels like the world creates our identity. If you are popular then you do things in order to keep being popular. Other people decide what is popular. So then you don’t define your own identity. Other people define who you are.

   SO then, what is our identity? The answer is actually quite simple. John 1:12 says “but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” We are all children of God. He created every single one of us. That is what we need to rest in. No matter what the world tells us that we are. We will always be children of God. If we know that then no other identity the world gives us matters.

   So, will you rest in the identity God gave you or the identity the world gives you?

   Genesis 1:27, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 2:9.