Christian Christmas Gift Guide – To Encourage Her
A Christian Christmas Gift Guide to Encourage HerThis gift guide is full of gift ideas designed to ENCOURAGE. Whether it's for your grandma, mom, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, daughter, niece, coworker, WHOEVER, these gifts for HER are focused on uplifting. I hope you...
Purpose in Trials
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Romans 8:18
This day five years ago was a Wednesday.
This day five years ago my life changed drastically.
It was the day my abuela was murdered.
It was the day that many doubts and questions flooded into my mind:
“Why did God allow such an amazing, God-fearing woman to be killed?”
“Why did God have to take her away so soon?”
“Why, God?”
But what I didn’t realize, for this time that I was so upset with God, was that He had His whole plan of her sweet life in His hands even before time began.
He knew she was going to live for Him.
What I didn’t realize was that this tragedy brought my whole family so much closer together.
He knew this death would help us lean on each other through hard times.
What I didn’t realize was that the Lord knows, even in the future, how her story might help so many others.
He knew from the beginning all of this was for a plan, a purpose.
What I didn’t realize was that my abuela had lived so purposefully that her life was most definitely not wasted.
God knew. God knows.
Constant Connection with God
Prayer is our connection to God. The connection between us, and the One who created us.
And partaking in that connection is vital for our soul. God never intended for us to live apart from Him. He created us to be in connection with Him and have relationship with Him.
And in a relationship communication is essential.
A few weeks ago, I heard Pastor Michael Todd use the analogy of a cell phone. We can do so much with our phone. We have the power to connect with people from across the world, learn all sorts of information, we can even order Starbucks straight from our phones (Praise the Lord!).
But if we go even a day without plugging our phones into the charger, how effective are they?
One Life, One Shot
One life to live. It can seem like such a cliché idea but the first thing that comes to my mind is not so much a thought but a feeling. A feeling of pressure, of an end.
It makes me think of the billions who have come and gone before us. The names we know and the names no one will remember.
Both of which could have used their one shot for better or for worse.
It makes me think that years from now, whether it’s decades, centuries or millenniums, will the things I have done mattered? Will I be remembered, and, if so, how? If not, will the way I have used my time been worthwhile or will it have been wasted? Will it be used the way the One who created time suggests I use it?
We can use it for good or for evil, to hurt or to benefit, to love or to hate, to grow or to coast.
What God Wants From You Today
What should I major in? Who should I marry? Should I take this job? Should I move to this place? What does my future hold? What passions should I pursue?
And these big purpose questions are VALID, but I believe that focusing on the little purpose is just as important – and even help us to find the answers or be led to our big purposes questions.
Stepping into the things that Jesus has for us in the day to day is a step by step map to the bigger things He has for us.
Let’s take a step in from your BIG overall purpose and zoom in, focus and capture what’s there for us today.
Nothing By Chance
Who you are is not an accident. Who you are by birth, experience, upbringing, training etc. is not an accident.
A few months ago, I heard David Guzik teach on purpose, and he spoke words similar to those.
These words are HUGE in relation to purpose. Who you are – YOU – does not just have this very general purpose that is insignificant. You are not insignificant. The details about you are not coincidental. YOU and the things about you are, in fact, very intentional.
You and those things were creatively created and exist for a reason.
Perfection: A Purpose Preventer
I struggle with imperfect. Perfection is something I’ve ALWAYS tried to attain. And I can’t do it. I overthink about what is wrong with my heart that I can’t perfectlymove forward. And then I panic because I know that not being able to MOVE FORWARD inhibits on my ability to continuing pursuing God’s purposes for me. But God doesn’t’ call me to be perfect or to perfectlymove forward but to move forward in grace, which I DAILY need.