Busy, busy, busy! and Small Choices

You know you're week's been busy when you've substituted brushing your teeth with an Altoid and skip a shower for four days straight. Well, I guess it means you could be really tired, too. But, seriously? My room looks like a junkyard, my {many} dirty clothes smell like one, and I feel like one! My goals of having a clean room and getting my laundry done and blogging and spending free time on more meaningful things crashed. And then, yesterday I had {not had, chose to get up late} to do my eye-shadow and such and read my Bible on the car ride to church.

And then I read that verse that pierces me every single time:

Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

yeah. ouch!

Innocently "forgetting" was no excuse to tell an omniscient God. He knew that I made the choice to get up late almost every day of the week. He knew that I made the choice to neglect putting on the armour of God. But I thought I was all set because I had read my Bible everyday. But I did it to keep my record straight, forgetting God for "days without number."

a small choice made with God's guidance is a beautiful thing.

I made the choice. That's something I've been learning: that my small choices add up to a larger result. My "small" choices of pressing snooze on the alarm clock added up to a week of sleeping in and quick Bible reading. I only got a sliver of what I could've gained from my time with God.

Please don't make the same mistake I did. It might not be pressing snooze on the alarm clock, but there's probably some small choice that adds up that you will be making this week. Make the right choice.

Rubber Bands

The other day I got a rubber band put in my mouth. It attaches my top braces to my bottom braces, in such a way that it will pull my bottom teeth to the left.

I've been thinking about it. I am actually starting to see a lot of analogies for my life from the rubber band in my mouth. :)

A rubber band is elastic-y. Even when it is stretched out, it will bounce right back to its original shape. {Too} many times I will become very angry when I am "stretched." My "stretching" can really be anything from a trial to my brother accidentally getting into my stuff to gossip that is spread about me. Too many times I react in a harsh way, such as yelling or what have you.

However, God's Word tells me to do things much differently. There is no need for my anger or harsh reaction; there is need for my forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and understanding.

Of course, I must forgive whoever has done me wrong.

Then came Peter unto him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

~Matthew 18:21-22

I must show love to that person.

This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.

~John 15:11

That's definitely a challenge. We have done so much to hurt Him, yet He shows love. Immense love. And He commands us to do the same to others, whether they hurt us or not.

I must show purity, peaceableness, gentleness, openness, mercy, and the fruits of the Spirit to that person with the right attitude.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of the righteous is sown in peace of them that make peace.

~James 3:16-18

I should try to relate to that person.

And as ye would do that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

~Luke 6:31

Well, that sums up a great challenge for my week. I personally am going to write these things down on an index card and keep it in my pocket, so that every time my tongue touches that rubber band, I will read it and remember. And ask God to fill me with His Spirit, 'cuz it's not gonna happen naturally. :)

When You Can't See God (or you just don't recognize Him)

Sometimes (like very recently), I get in a mode where I am either bored of God or I just don't see Him working. Or sometimes I just kinda ignore God.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This was one of our memory verses for Sunday School. Even when we don't see God working, our faith is evidence of His work, because He works through our faith.

The hard part, though, is having the faith when you don't see God.

Do you hope for a better relationship with God? Do you hope for better family relationships? And, by hope, I mean an earnest expectation. Do you earnestly expect a full life? I know I do, especially as a teenager.

And the substance of those things hoped for is faith.

The hard part, though, is having faith when the things you hoped for aren't turning out the way you wanted.

:D

The picture above ill because faith is the evidence of things not seen. When we look up into the sky, we are not actually looking at the sun, but the tremendous light produced by it. Even so, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen

So, what'll it be? For me, I want to have faith even when God seems boring, even when the things I hoped for aren't coming out the way I want them to. I will have faith that He is going to make something great out of my situation. I will have faith that He is doing something. By faith, I will allow God to use me, even when the use doesn't seem like a big deal. I want to live out my faith so that it is evident to those around me.

Prayer... Live It!

I was praying the other day... and I was being very frank with God. I told Him that I know how people say that prayer is supposed to change my life. But I wasn't seeing a change. I was falling back on my prayer life because it didn't seem to be changing my life. I would try to set aside a time every day to do it, but something would always get in the way. I was discouraged. Since last year I dedicated the next few years of my life to bettering my prayer life, this specific night {the first night of 2013} I was determined to get rid of bad habits and establish new, good habits. I decided that I would just have to deal with kneeling in my bedroom and reading that list up to God. Then, I thought, I might become this amazing spiritual person with beautiful prayers.

Ha! 

It almost seemed like God whispered in my heart, "Cosette, you don't get it!"

I interrupted. "Of course I don't get it! This prayer thing is supposed to change my life, right? Well, apparently I don't get it, because it's not!"

Patiently, He seemed to respond, "Cosette, prayer isn't just throwing words up at me. Prayer isn't all about you; you're praying for all those people on your list. You've got to live out that prayer!"

"yeah, I know, I've heard that before."

"But you don't get it."

"wait, what did you say again?"

"You have to live it."

"oh." "oh." "oh."

So this was it! Prayer isn't about me, although it affects me. I must live my prayer, affecting others! While I get down on my knees and pray for my family relationships to improve, I must live that prayer by willingness to put my part in. While I pray for my friend to be encouraged, I must live that prayer by encouraging them. Now,. I feel refreshed and ready to take this challenge head on- through the power of Christ!

A New Year...

A "new year" can be a "clean slate, " a "fresh start." Maybe that's why everyone gets so excited. Maybe sometimes we think that it's our chance- a rare chance that only comes around every 365 days.

But is this really the only chance we have for a whole 365 days?

While there is something different about the first day of a new year, and while it is a good opportunity to set resolutions, it's not the only time we get a fresh start. At least, that's not how it is with God.

Lamentations 3:22-24
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

God's mercies are new every morning. We don't have to wait to make new resolutions, or to stand back up from our failures. Through Christ, you can do that any day of the year. So, why get so excited about it? Here's why:

This whole cycle of "newness" is uncommonly common. 

Sounds weird at first, but think about it. Is it every day that you come across a God that loves you so much that He's willing to clear the slate of everything you've done to him, including crucifying His only Son?

Well, (hehe) it is every day! But it's uncommonly common in that all those other false gods are not so willing to clear the slate. However, our one, true God loves us plenty to do that!

Now this calls for celebration!