I Can't Do It!

   “I can’t do it.” “My feet hurt.” “I have too much to do.” The list of complaints goes on and on. I feel like sometimes people complain more than they think. I mean it’s like every other comment out of their mouth is a complaint. And, I’m guilty of it too. But, I want to focus on one complaint: “I just can’t do it.” Honestly if you just take the apostrophe and the t out of can’t what does it become? Can.

   So when it comes to this specific complaint I want to lay out some ground rules. First off I want you to ask yourself: “Did I even try?” If the answer is no then get your butt out there and try! Next if you fail I want you to try again. Ooo shocker, right? If you fail again I want you to keep trying. If you are having doubts about why I am saying this read the next paragraph.

   Sometimes we feel like there are things that we just cannot do. But if God brings us into a situation we can do it because He never gives us more than we can handle. We need to believe that we can do whatever He is asking us to do. True, some people were just not made to do certain things. But, if it is God’s will, we will succeed at whatever challenges come our way.

   So I think we just need to stop saying, and thinking, that we are not good enough or capable enough to do certain things. It may be something outside of your comfort zone that God is calling you to do for a specific reason. He wants you to grow in Him. If God called you to it, He WILL get you through it. So stop thinking I can’t, or I’m not good enough as soon as you get a challenge. If you give it all you’ve got, and ask God for help, you CAN.
   Philippians 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 12:9

Opened and Closed Doors

    “Why is this happening to me!?” That’s a phrase I used to say a lot and I’m sure you have said it as well. Sometimes we just don’t understand why things happen. When I was younger my problems seemed huge at the time but they really were not. God opened and closed so many doors to things I wanted to do and to, what I considered to be, problems at the time. But these problems were nothing compared to what my family and I faced a few months ago. How did it start? It started with my dad’s trip to Haiti.

     I will not bore you with the whole story. Basically the week went like this: I got home late on Monday because of a meeting and ice, found out mom was at the emergency room with grandma because she had a fractured rib and fluid around her liver, the answering machine broke, I had to stay home to take messages, great aunt went to the hospital because she was not eating right, found out when the funeral was for an x-uncle, and a lady at our church was in the hospital. The lady from church died later the next week.

      Now, any sane person would probably be freaking out by this point. True, I did not have to take care of most of this stuff. My mom took care of it and I took care of my siblings and the house. When I was younger I may have freaked out but I am trying this new thing. It’s called not stressing out and trusting God.

     Throughout my life, and I’m sure throughout yours, God has opened and closed many doors. He has taken away people, things, and abilities I have. Rather than focusing on that, I focus on what he has given me. He gives me opportunities each day to make a difference and give him the glory. He opens doors to people who love me and who need to hear His word. He opened doors to a family who keeps me safe and who gives me what I need.

      True, God does close doors to some things. But, He closes those doors for a reason. He closes doors to, what we consider, good things; and he closes doors to bad things. Think about all the problems in your life. Has God taken those away? Maybe He hasn’t, but maybe what you think is a bad thing is actually a good thing. We can never understand what God is doing, but we know that He does what He does for our good.

       God opens and closes doors to many things in our lives. It may be difficult to walk through or past those doors; but, if we trust God then we will never walk alone.

       Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Sticks, Stones, and Opinions

WORDS

Words can be used to create (Genesis 1:1)

Words can be used to destroy (Genesis19:24)

Words can uplift (Isaiah 41:10)

Words can tear down (Jeremiah 1:10)

Words can change the world (Romans 12:2)

Words can stop progress (Genesis 11:7-8)

There are many words in this world.

Are you using them in hate or in love?

VOICES

Many voices are heard (1 Corinthians 14:11)

Many voices give opinions (Romans 14:1)

Many voices are blaspheming His name (Exodus 20:7)

Many voices are praising His name (Psalm 150:1-6)

Many voices don’t care (Proverbs 21:13)

Many voices do care (Galatians 6:2)

There are many voices in this world.

Which voices will you listen to?

Which voices matter?

There are so many voices in this world that use different words. The words we use every day can mend a broken heart; or, they can destroy hope. So many times we walk through our lives only thinking about ourselves. We never pause to think about the words we are about to say. Sometimes we hurt the people we love the most without realizing it. Yeah, go figure the saying we used to say as a child is wrong. You know, “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Words do hurt so we need to be careful how we use them.

The voices in this world all seem to have different opinions. And that’s okay, because that’s the way that God made us. The problem with all these voices comes when we don’t know which voices to listen to. It was especially difficult for me when I was in middle school. I thought that the measure of who I was was whatever people thought, or said, about me. If that were the case I can tell you that I would be bad off. My self-esteem would be out the window; but that is not the case. I realized that I didn’t need self-esteem; I need God-esteem. The only opinion that should matter to us is God’s opinion. The only voice that we need to listen to is God’s. True sometimes it is hard to listen to Him, we don’t understand Him, or we can’t hear Him. But, it is still important that we do our best to follow Him. We will fail at times; but He will be with us and forgive us if we only ask.

Would You Betray Your Lord?

   All of those who have grown up in the church have heard the Easter story. We know that the disciples turned their backs on Jesus. I don’t know about you but I know that when I was younger, and I heard what people did to Jesus, I always thought that I would never do that to Jesus. How could I betray my Lord? What about you? Would you betray your Lord?

   Before you answer that, I want you to think about someone you love. Have you ever lied to or betrayed them? I am sure that you have, just as I have. So, what makes Jesus any different?

   The truth is that we have already betrayed Jesus. Whenever we sin we betray him and God. The great news is that, because of Jesus, we are forgiven. Because God sent His son to be the perfect sacrifice, we are saved. That is why we have hope. It does not matter how many times we betray him. So long as we are repentant God will forgive us.

   It’s amazing to think about the fact that God loves us so much He was willing to make such a big sacrifice in order to save us. Hope you all have a great Easter. 

   John 3:16, John 18:25, 1 John 4:9

"We See You Here We Feel Your Hand, Vast and Mysterious is Your Plan."

   For those of you who live in Lancaster County you probably have heard of Sight and Sound. If you have never heard of it, it is a place that creates and puts on these awesome musicals based off of Bible stories. Right now they are putting on Moses, which is an amazing show by the way. But soon, they will be putting Joseph on again. Joseph has been, and still is, one of my favorite Bible stories. There are plenty of lessons in this story; and I just love listening and learning new lessons from the story over and over again.

   One lesson that really hit me hard was when they began talking about loneliness. Joseph probably felt so alone many times. I mean he was sold into slavery in Egypt: the land that believed in many gods. Meanwhile, Joseph believed in only one God. It probably would have been easier for Joseph to give in and believe in many gods, especially since it seemed like God betrayed him. Another aspect of loneliness in this was the fact that Joseph was lonely. Lady Potiphar offered him some company. She offered him the world. Joseph could have easily given in and gained many earthly things. But, he would have lost so much more. He kept his respected name and his relationship with God.

   Another lesson is obviously forgiveness. Before I saw the production at Sight and Sound I always thought that Joseph forgave his brothers right away. I never thought about how difficult it must have been for Joseph to forgive his brothers. I mean they sold him into slavery thinking that he would die. Obviously Joseph figured out that it was part of God’s plan. But still Joseph’s wife, Azenath, has one of the most profound quotes in the whole show. She says “Who would really be in chains your brothers or you?” When we do not forgive others we are the ones in chains, not the person who wronged us. Forgiveness sets us free. Forgiveness is the reason why we are alive in Christ.

   Speaking of Christ the final lesson is that none will perish. Egypt was going to have seven years of famine. Joseph was put in charge of everything in Egypt and he saved everyone from famine. But, people had to choose to go to Egypt to get the food. They had to choose to get food to survive. Sounds like a pretty stupid thing to say considering everyone knows that we need food to survive. However, there are many who know they need to believe in Jesus to survive. He came so that none may perish. We just have to choose to believe in him.

   So it just goes to show you that sometimes we forget the important lessons we learn from Bible stories. If you ever get the chance to go to a show at Sight and Sound I highly recommend it. It brings the stories to life, it helps us remember the lessons that God wants us to learn, and reminds us that we are a part of His story.

Isaiah 41:10, Ephesians 41:2, John 3:16

Let's Get Serious About Something... My Hair

   So by the title you probably are wondering what I am thinking. For anyone who knows me I do not like to mess with my hair. I just throw it up in a ponytail. It’s not that I don’t care about how I look. I do; it’s just easier to put my hair up. See my hair has this annoying tendency to be curly. It’s great; if the curls don’t go different ways so then I look uneven as I go throughout my day.

   Anyhow, I have begun to try different things with my hair like straightening it, using frizz control, and basically doing anything I can to get rid of the curls. As I was doing this the other day I began to think about how many people complain about their hair and how they look. If only I could be skinnier, if only my hair would curl, if only I could get rid of these break outs. We complain about everything we don’t have. We complain about the things we want.

   Now, I’m not saying it’s not okay to vent every once in a while. I mean if we didn’t we would probably explode and have a lot of anger issues. What I am saying is so many times we focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. God has given us so much and I think it is time we be thankful for what we do have. So how can we do this?

   Well, let’s go back to my hair. I still have problems with it. But now, I embrace the curl. I find ways to work with what I have rather than what I don’t have. It is the same way with other problems. God lets things happen to us to teach us; and to bring us closer to Him. He doesn’t just let it happen and say “there you go, figure it out yourself.” No, God gives us all the tools we need to get through our problems. And, He is there as our counselor and supportive father all the way.

   So the next time you are thinking “this would be so much easier if…” or “I just wish I had or it would be…” Remember that God gives us exactly what we need.

   P.S. I’m also not saying that we shouldn’t try and straighten our hair if we have curly hair. I’m just saying we shouldn’t complain about our hair. I mean, it's the hair God gave us. 
Psalm 139:14 
2 Peter 1:3

These are a few of "My Favorite Things"

   “The hills are alive with the sound of music With songs they have sung for a thousand years.” So this week I went to see The Sound of Music at Donegal High School. It’s a classic musical, and has always been one of my family’s favorite. By the way, one of the best songs in my opinion is "My Favorite Things." I mean who hasn't felt down and then tried to think of something that would cheer them up? Anyhow, seeing the musical last night reminded me how important the lessons are in it.

   One lesson in the musical is to stand up for what you believe in. Maria goes to the Captain’s home to care for his children. The Captain tells her the rules. Now, for those who have not seen the show, these rules are outrageous. She need to call for the children by using a whistle, she is called for with a whistle, the children are to do lessons all the time, and when they are not doing lessons they need to march. Maria believes that the children need to be children. She tells the Captain

this when he returns from a trip. He promptly fires her, and yet he sees a change in the children. So Maria stays. Later the Captain is offered a job in the German army. He does not like what the Germans are doing and tells those who ask what he believes.

   Christians need to learn to stand up for what we believe in. Now, I’m not saying go out and be rude to people. I am saying that there are certain times we need to let people know what we believe in a respectful way. You never know, something good may come out of it. And, if it doesn’t, we need to remember what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” We need to stand up for what we believe, what the bible says, and for our friend Jesus.

   Another lesson is that we need to love others even when it’s hard. Maria was telling the Captain things he did not want to hear about how he runs his household; and how he treats his children. She was not telling him because she thought she was better. She was telling him because she cared about him and his children. That is what good friends do. They tell the other person things they may not want to hear. Maria also loved the children, even when they didn’t seem to love her at first. Who knows? The love you show someone may just rub off on someone else. I mean, just look at the Captain. 

   So for those of you who have not seen the show it’s a great one. Hope you enjoy it, or have enjoyed it if you’ve seen it before. Shout out to all those in the Donegal High School performance. You are all doing great!