Using Your Gifts: Encanto Series

    The opening of the movie Encanto is a song called "The Family Madrigal." In the song, Mirabel tells village children about her family. See the Madrigal family is special because most of them have a special power. 

   These powers include healing, strength, the ability to talk to animals, control of the weather, and more. Each member of the family with powers has a job that helps the village thrive. And the village people are grateful for what this family does for them. 

   You may not have a special power like this family, but you do have a gift. Romans 12:6 talks about how we have spiritual gifts. It says: "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith." God created us all unique and gave us each a different mission field. He gives us gifts to use for that mission and to reflect his glory. 

   Think about it: you are so special to God that he gave you the opportunity to be a part of His story. He gave you unique gifts and a unique mission. Without you, someone may not be blessed. That's not to say that God will not bless that person if you choose not to use your gifts. But it is to say you have been given the opportunity. You are an important part of the body of Christ. You are unique. You are loved. It is amazing to think about.

   So, what are your gifts? Are you using them to reflect God's glory?

 

Write

    If you haven't guessed by now, I enjoy writing. Well, I should say there are times I enjoy writing and there are times I need to write. By need to write I mean that writing is how I express myself.

   I've kind of likened my writing expression to the song from the musical Hamilton. One of the lyrics says, "why do you write like you're running out of time?" That's how I feel when I need to write. If I don't get out that expression then, I will either forget that feeling or the words. Or I will explode depending on why I feel the need to write. Writing is one way I express not just my thoughts and feelings, but my creativity as well.

   That's why I usually ask people who I meet this question: "how do you express yourself?" Some people express themselves just by talking. Others express themselves through science, art, or many other things. But the key is to find some way to express your creativity and emotions.

   God created us. He CREATED us in his image. That means God is creative and the creator. Since we were created by him in his image that means we are creative as well. Even if you may not feel creative, you are because God made you. You just need to find what outlet you have for your creativity.

   Now, if you are good at expressing yourself with your words you may not need to find an outlet. You may not need a way to tell others how you are feeling. But, if you have trouble with letting people in, with telling people how you are feeling, you must find an outlet. You must find a healthy way to get those feelings out. There are many ways to do that. You could write, paint, draw, do science experiments, work on cars, or whatever to show others how you are feeling. Then, you can tell others, "I created this so I can express this feeling I have."

   So, do you have a healthy way of expressing yourself? What could you create for God today?

https://youtu.be/7v4r_jxVwo4

Who Are You Exalting?

   Have you ever thought about the gifts that God has given you? Everything you have from where you live to your talents was given to you by God. God is such a good father that he gives us these things. We have a choice in what we do with these things. We can choose to use them for ourselves or for God.

   We can choose to use our humor to be vulgar and crass, or we can make others laugh and share the gospel (God created laughter and has a sense of humor, look at the platypus). We can choose to use the car we have to transport only ourselves, or we can serve others by giving them a ride if they need it. We can use our gift of cooking to exalt ourselves and flaunt our talent, or we can make food for others less fortunate than us. We can use our bodies to be provocative and serve our desires, or we can glorify God with them by using them to serve others.

   1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." He says WHATEVER gift. That doesn't just mean we use what we have as extra. It means we sacrifice. We show the love of Christ who gave the greatest gift through his sacrifice by sacrificing as well. We take action to praise God for what he's given us and not ourselves. We take pride in who our God is by pointing to him through our actions.

   So, who are you exalting? Are you showing God's love daily by using the gifts he's given you to reflect his glory?

https://youtu.be/SZTIZmH-3lw?si=qRHiycbtFOgyo5jC

Complaining when we are Blessed

   We are all blessed. We have homes, food, electricity, families, friends, etc. Oh! And let's not forget that we also have war, terrorists, abortions, and so many other problems in the world. At this point you are probably wondering where I am going with this but stay with me.
   Why aren't we happy when we have all of these things put together? That's right, because we have a lot of bad stuff. See, humans have a problem. We have a problem because we tend to look at the negative side rather than the positive side of things. We find one little thing that is wrong in something or someone and we complain about that, rather than look at all of the good things.
   Let me give you an example. Picture two friends walking down the street. We will call them Joe and Moe. Joe looks around and sees a child playing with a puppy. Joe says: "aw, isn't that so cute. The child gets to play with a puppy." Moe looks at the child and puppy and says: "where are the child's parents? I cannot believe someone would be so irresponsible and let their child run around on her own!"
   The two continue to walk down the street and they see a man give money to a homeless man who is sitting at the corner. Joe says: "How nice is it that people are willing to give up what they have to give to others." Moe says: "more than likely the homeless man is just going to use the money to buy alcohol."
   The men turn a corner and Joe looks up, "it is so great that we get nice weather to walk and talk together." Moe looks up, "there's a few clouds up there. It will probably rain soon and our day will be ruined."
   Which person would you rather spend your time with? Now, I'm not saying that we have to be like Snow White and be a ray of sunshine all the time. We do need to be realistic at times whenever a friend is having a problem or if we are having a problem. But, we should not be looking for the negative in everything and everyone. God has given us so much. Isn't it time we focus on what he has given us rather than what is wrong with what we have, or what is wrong in the world?
   So, do you look for the downfalls in everything and everyone? What can you do in order to look for the good? Will you be thankful for whatever you have?
   Ephesians 4:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, James 5:9

Can I Really Do This?

   Have you ever had a time where you were called to do something and you weren't sure you were ready for? I know I have. In fact I have recently gone through a time like this. I'm already someone who is not very assertive about certain things. I don't like "selling myself" and I don't like stepping on toes.

   To make matters worse the person who I replaced was there for one of the first events I was at. Now, I wasn't upset with this person. In fact, he was someone who taught me much of what I knew about this area. Yet, it was intimidating because I wanted to show everyone that I could do this.
   Part of my problem was I knew the personality of the person who I replaced. He was confident, a people person, and very demanding of those in his charge. Meanwhile, yes I had experience doing what I was doing but not at the level I was doing it at. I also knew there was no way I could be like the person I replaced without faking, putting on a mask, and in essence lying. Yes, I have confidence but it's a different kind of confidence. I'm not really a people person. I will talk to people and get to know them but I like to do it on a deeper level. I am not a big fan of small talk. I am demanding of those in my charge but in a different way than this person was.
   Long story short: when I saw this person I did things my way with those under my charge; and he did things his way with those under his charge. He won and we lost. Yes, I had to put things into perspective. I had only been working with those under my charge for less than a week. I was ironing out a lot of things and we were just getting started. However, it still hurt. I felt like I had failed those under me.
   Now I had a choice: I could wallow and accept that I wasn't going to be as good as the person I replaced or I could let it go and keep working hard. Before I tell you about my choice I want to point out a few other things. 1. I was focused on how the person I replaced did things. I was focused on his strengths, not mine. 2. I have been talking about this person's strengths and my weaknesses compared to him. But, I have not talked about God's strength. God called me to take that position. It was outside of my comfort zone because I knew I would be really busy. I also knew it would be an adjustment to those under me because I have a different style than the person I replaced. God called me to do this and I know he will bring me through it.
   You could probably guess what my choice was. I chose to keep working hard. However, I did not choose to do things the way the person I replaced did things. I chose to do things my way. I chose to do things according my strength. I chose to do things that way because that's the way God made me. He gave me those strengths. He wants me to use them to reflect his glory. He wants you to do that too.
   So, do you try to do things the way other people do them even if it's uncomfortable? Do you believe that God gave you strengths for a reason? What can you do to step out in faith today?

   Joshua 1:9, 1 Peter 4:10, and James 1:17
   Image from here. 

So Little Time: A Mother's Day Blog

   Imagine you wake up early, get dressed, eat breakfast, spend time with God, and relax for a bit in the morning. Then, you hear a bump. You begin to get goosebumps and you cringe. It is about to begin. Here they come: the children! They come running and bumping down the stairs. There is yelling, fighting, music blaring, and much more. This is the life of a mom.

   I’m kidding, sort of. Ha, I’m not a mom but I do have one. I am also a teacher so in a way I am like a mom to my students. And, if you are a mom, your house may not look like the one I just described. It may be better, or it may be worse. I know that no matter what your home life looks like you will probably be stressed at some point. It may even seem like there just is not enough time in the day.

For those of you who are not moms or do not work with children, here is a video describing everything a mom says in a 24 hour period but in 2 minutes and 55 seconds.

   Wow, that song was impressive. But, what is more impressive is all that mothers do in a short time. Time is a valuable thing. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Time has a way of changing things. Children are born, they grow, and they leave the nest. That’s just the way things tend to work. We never know how much time we will have with someone. That’s why we need to be thankful for the time we do get with them.

   Today, I encourage you to send a message to your mother thanking her for all she has done for you. Mothers I encourage you to be thankful for the time you have with your little ones. They grow up so fast.

You Are Gifted

   "Every child is gifted they just unwrap their packages at different times" (unknown).

   That is the quote I have on my resume. I am a teacher. It is my job to foster children's love of learning. But, it's not always easy. I connect with some students better than others for one reason or another. Some students like my teaching style while others like different styles. Some students are just not emotionally or cognitively ready to learn. They may not have the desire to learn, or the desire got crushed by a person or an event. I love all of my students but some are just not going to learn what I want them to.
   Do you have any idea how frustrating it is when you see such potential in someone, and yet that person does not reach his or her potential for one reason or another? You may, if you have kids or work with someone you see potential in. If you do see potential, and you do the right thing, you probably will try to push that person to get better. You may try to figure out what that person likes to do and cater projects toward that. You may find out what motivates that person and use that. Or, you may just mentor that person and walk with them. Sometimes this works and the person reaches his/her potential. Other times it doesn't work. If you are like me, then you know how much this disappoints you. You may even feel like a failure.
   Do you know who else works hard to get people to their full potential? God. He sees what we can become. He wants to help us grow in him. But, he knows we can be stubborn, annoying, and lazy. Yet, he still works with us. He loves us and knows we are gifted. He also knows that we will not reach our full spiritual potential until we are with him. He still works hard to help us grow in him on earth. He sends us teachers, mentors, and situations to help us grow. Then, when we reach one milestone, he celebrates. But he doesn't stop there, he helps us reach the next milestone. He sees the gifts that we have that he gave us. He knows we can use those gifts for good. We should want to grow and help others grow in their gifts.
   So, do you believe you are gifted? Have you tried to use your gifts for God, or help others grow in their gifts? Do you believe that God loves you and wants to see you grow in him?

   Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Peter 10-11
   Image from here. 

We Three Kings

   It is good to finally be back in the desert. I know that sounds odd but if you just dealt with what I dealt with you would know why I say that. It’s not that our journey didn’t have good things happen; actually the greatest thing happened in the world. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Who am I? I am one of the Magi.

   About two years ago I was looking up in the sky. You see, I enjoy watching the stars. I looked and I saw a new star had appeared. I conferred with my other Magi friends and we realized that this was the star of prophecy. The king of the Jews had been born. We set out immediately. We knew the journey would be long so we prepared our food and servants. We traveled at night and rested during the day. This helped us stay cool and helped us see where the star was.

   We arrived in Jerusalem. We decided to ask the ruler if he knew where the King of the Jews was. I thought that maybe the King would know where the child was. I was wrong. King Herod was a proud man. He talked like he actually cared about the child but my friends and I could see the greed and jealousy behind his eyes. But, who were we to judge this king? Herod asked us many questions and we answered him to the best of our ability. Then Herod told us that the child would be in Bethlehem. He asked us to come back to him after we found the child because he wanted to worship him too.

   We hastened our way to Bethlehem. The star went ahead of us. Finally, the star stopped. We were overjoyed. Then we saw the child. He looked about two years old now. We bowed down and worshiped him. This was the child of prophecy. This was the savior of the world. We were so amazed that we almost forgot our treasures for him. We opened the gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. Then we left the family. Our journey was accomplished (Mat.2.1-12).

   We found a place to stay. While I was sleeping a dream came to me. I was told not to go back to Herod. I knew that my fears back in his palace were right. We returned to our country a different way.

   Looking back at it, people may have thought we were crazy to travel so far. We gave up our time, money, and treasures just for one glimpse of this savior. To me, it was worth it. This was the king of kings born and I got to see him face to face. For that, I would give up any treasure.

   So, would you give up time and money to see the savior? Will you go tell others about the gift God has given us?

   We Three Kings-Go Fish video

   Image from here.

Why I'm NOT a Feminist

   When I was younger I used to watch the show Boy Meets World. As I grew up, I always remembered the episode called “Class Pre-Union.” That is when all the students dress up and present where they are going to be in 20 years from then. Topanga comes in in a toga and says she is going to be President. The reason she is wearing the toga is because they got rid of all other clothes so that no one feels insecure (or something like that). She also said that all men were put underground and only used for breeding purposes. Now anytime I get upset at my brother I say “I agree with Topanga.” And, my brother knows exactly what I am talking about. Some people may call me a Feminist because I say this, and other things as jokes, against the male population.

   However, I don’t consider myself a feminist. Merriam-Webster defines Feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” I’m all for equal opportunity; but I feel feminism has gone way too far. Feminists are starting to want inequality. What? I thought women wanted equality with men. No, actually Feminists want women to be higher than men. Women want to be President, join the army, want to be the head of the household, and call men cavemen when they say things like "you should not be wearing that" because they do not want to be tempted.

   So, let me say why this is wrong not by my opinion but by the facts. Where am I getting these facts? From the highest authority: the Bible. Genesis 3:16 talks about the curse Eve received for disobeying God’s command. Eve will want to rule over her husband but she will not be able to. 1 Peter 3:1-7 talks about how wives should accept the authority of their husbands. Then husbands should give honor to their wives. Finally, Ephesians 5:21-33 says that wives and husbands are to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” It goes on to say that for women this means they are to submit to their husbands. And, husbands are to love their wives.

   All of these passages point to one overlying idea: men and women are different. Men are more equipped for certain jobs. It does not mean women cannot do those jobs but men are better equipped for them. Just the same as women are more equipped for certain jobs than men are. But, above all, the Bible makes it clear that wives are to submit to their husbands. Men are just better at ruling over things than women are. That doesn’t mean that men should be pig heads and say “I know what I’m doing. You are a woman and I don’t have to listen to you.” Because, in those same passages, it says men are to respect women. This means, men should take women’s thoughts into account and love them.

   Finally, if women are not to rule over things what are they to do? Women are to be helpers for men (Genesis 2:18), to be energetic and strong (Proverbs 31:17), laugh without fear of the future (Proverbs 31:25), give instruction with kindness (Proverbs 31:26), encourage young women to be good workers (Titus 2:3-5), watch everything in the household (Proverbs 31:27), temperate and faithful (1 Timothy 3:11), and fear the Lord (Proverbs 31:30). Women are powerful in their own way. They are better suited for certain jobs than men are. Women and men are to be equals in marriage because having one without the other does not make the world better (1 Corinthians 11:11-12). That’s why God gave women certain abilities and men certain abilities and why he created both male and female. And, that’s why both men and women are to submit to God.

   So, how do you feel about the Feminist movement? Are you trying to do jobs that just are better suited for someone else? Are you doing jobs that are suited for you?

   Genesis 3, 1 Peter 3:1-7, Proverbs 31:10-31

   P.S. Here is a link to a video that talks a bit more about Feminism and how the movement isn’t really for equality between men and women. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNErQFmOwq0

Thanksgiving: Dare to Compare...

   So, it is that time of year again: Thanksgiving. A time where we go see family, watch football, and eat until we have to unbutton our pants. I am just joking about that last one :D kind of.

   Anyhow, around Thanksgiving what do we think about? I am betting that most of you said what we are thankful for. I do that as well; but it got me thinking about why we need to have one specific day to think about why we are thankful. That then led to me thinking about why we aren’t thankful for what we have most of the time.

   We could all blame different things for why we aren’t thankful: the American dream, we don’t have what we think we need, etc. But, I believe it all boils down to one thing: comparison. A while back I was driving home after night class and I saw a quote on a church sign. It said: “comparison is the thief of joy.” I got to thinking about that quote and I believe it is totally right.

   Think about it: when you were little and one of your friends got a really cool, new toy what did you automatically think. I’m betting you were thinking “I want that” or “my toy isn’t as cool as her new toy.” As humans, it is our automatic reaction to compare ourselves to others. We look at what possessions others have and want what they have. We watch commercials and see the latest thing that is so neat and we have to have it. We see the talents others have and we think “why don’t I have that?”

   I am guilty of this too and it is a difficult habit to break. In our culture people tell us we need to have this and we will be happy. People tell us we are not good enough. However, that is not what God says. He loves us and created us for a purpose. We all have our own unique gifts. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we are all different. There is no one like you, and there will never be anyone like you. We need to be thankful for the way God made us and grow in our relationship with Him. That means trusting Him to provide for our needs. He will give us whatever we need, if we trust Him.

   So, this Thanksgiving I encourage you to think about your life. Do you compare yourself to others too much? Are you comparing what you have to what others have?

   I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. Remember to be thankful all year round.

   1 Timothy 6:6-8, Psalms 136:1-2, Hebrews 13:5

Special Edition: The Shutout

   For those of you who are questioning why I am writing this on a Wednesday and what a shutout is stay tuned. After a game of soccer at Lancaster Bible College my teammates came running onto the field and group hugged me. Not only did we win 5-0, but I also broke the record for the most shutouts in Lancaster Bible College Women’s Soccer history. If you do not know what a shutout is it is when one team wins the game and the losing team does not score.

   You may be wondering why I am writing this. I am not doing this to toot my own horn. In fact, it is quite the opposite. I want to thank all of those who I have played soccer with or who have coached me throughout the years. Soccer is a team sport. When I earn a shutout I don’t think that I earned it, even if I did make a few saves, I think that my team earned that shutout. Every time I look good on the field it is because my team helped make me look good.

   I also want to thank my coaches that I’ve had throughout my life. They helped shape me and mold me into a better player and goalkeeper. I specifically want to thank my goalie coaches Blaine Gorman and Jon Martin. Both of you have helped me so much by pushing me to be my best and encouraging me no matter what.

   Finally, and this thanking is not necessarily in a specific order, I want to thank God. He is the one who gave me the ability, passion, and talent to play soccer. For those of you who know my soccer story, and those of you who don’t here is the link to it, you know that the reason I am playing soccer is totally because of God. There have been a lot of ups and downs during my time on and off the field; but through it all God has been there helping me up when I am down.

   So, you may not be able to relate to this post. But, the next time you get honored whose glory will you be reflecting? Will you thank those who helped you get there?

   1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Colossians 3:17

The Second Anniversary of The Shoe Blog

   Today is the second year anniversary of my blog The Shoe! Which got me thinking about what I have wrote thus far. I look back at all the blogs I have written and it is neat to see the transformation of my writing. Also, I look back and see what I went through.

   Looking at my writing I can see that I have definitely changed over the years. God continued to shape me and mold me into who I am today. And, the neat thing is he continues to help me grow.

   An example of this would be when I am tempted to do something wrong, like think about how easy it would be to get revenge on someone who hurt me, my own words come back to me. In that specific case my words about how powerful the dark side is (The “Force” Within blog link). Not only do I keep myself accountable with my words but now I have other people who are keeping me accountable; because they read my blogs and remind me of the words I say.

   Also, if you do not know me, I actually used to be a very pessimistic person. There are times where I am still pessimistic. But, I have been taught to find the positive in everything. So, in my writing I try to look at the bright side. The reason I do that is because I have a hope in Christ. More and more during the day I find myself catching when I have a negative thought, then I try to turn my thoughts into positive ones. (Fixing My Eyes blog link).

   Finally, I’m not going to lie it is not easy to keep up with this blog sometimes. I know I only post once a week but I have times where I am super busy. Sometimes I do wonder if it is worth it because I do not get many people looking at my blog. But, a wise man once said that “God can use these posts in His time and way for His glory.” When I am tempted to stop blogging I remember that I’m not actually doing it for me, though writing does help me cope with the woes of life. I do what I do because God gave me a gift and I want to reflect his glory(The Character of Love blog link).

   So, are you following your own words? Do you have others keeping you accountable? Are you able to find hope in everything because of the hope you have in Christ? Finally, are you using your gifts to reflect God’s glory?

   Galatians 6:1-5, Matthew 6:34, Matthew 5:16