Welcoming 2012.

To talk about this year, and what it has been for me...where do I even begin?

I might dare to say that I have never been through so many changes in one year in my life. The girl that I am today hardly recognizes the girl that I was on this day in 2010. A lot more has changed than just the way I dress and the kind of music that I like.  God has absolutely turned my life around, and changed me from the inside out.

On December 19, 2010, I rededicated my life to the Lord.  I didn't tell many people- everyone already knew that I was a Christian.  I grew up in church, I've always loved God, and I knew what it was to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  But on that day, that relationship took on a new meaning.  The fact that His Grace had saved me finally hit home.  The Freedom I have in Him, and yet the duty that I have to Him as my Lord, meshed into something that I was, and am, completely in awe of.  I won't forget that night, when I silently bowed my head and told my God that I repented, and that I loved Him, and that from that moment on I would serve Him.

It was on that foot that I started the new year.  And for that reason, it started out well.  Judging from my journal entries, I'd say the spiritual high lasted until just after the new year.  Then, Satan's attacks started to affect me a bit more.

So began the roller coaster that we called 2011.  On January 1, 2011, I was about to enter my last semester of high school.  Tomorrow, January 1, 2012, I will be preparing for my second semester of college.  This year, I turned 18- finally an adult.  I discovered my love for writing, and embraced my passion for music even more.  I lost friends, made incredible new friends, and developed better relationships with some of the people that I have known for years.  I learned more about the person that God has chosen me to be.  I settled on a career decision that makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.  I started going to a new church that is such a blessing to me that it warms my heart to even think of it. 

My God never changed, not once.  Maybe what I learned more than anything this year is how constant He is.  He is the same loving, merciful, righteous, and powerful God today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow.  That truth never changes. 

This year has been one of the hardest of my life.  There have been times that I found myself in a mess that I had no clue how to clean up.  But, looking back, this year has also been one of the best.  It was this year that I found myself.  It was this year that I found what it truly is to have joy, freedom, and love in Jesus Christ my Lord.  I made a lot of mistakes this year, and did things I am not proud of.  God always forgave me, and never stopped loving me.  He has the power to make me new- to wash me clean of the filth that I am covered in by my sinful nature, and to create in me a clean and pure heart that is perfect in His sight.  And that is what He has done.  It is with the strength that He gives me that I face 2012 with open arms. 

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

-Ecclesiastes 3:11

New Year's Resolution for 2012:

Live my life in a way that pleases my God, and serve Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

"...a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people." -Romans 2:29

Merry Little Christmas.

This year more than any other, I have been reminded of Who it is we celebrate this season.  I could not begin to list all of the amazing things that God has done in my life in this year alone.  Today, December 25th, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ- the only One who came to this earth to be fully God and fully man, and to sacrifice Himself to wash us clean of our sins.  There is no greater joy than the salvation I have in Him.

May we never forget the reason for the season, and may we continue to celebrate who He is, was, and will be, all year 'round.

Merry Christmas, all.
-Sammie

Only for Him.

It's okay to be an artist.  It's okay to say what you are feeling in a way that no one seems to understand.  Who do you need to understand you, but the God who created you for His own purpose?  So be only who He wishes you to be.  Be artistic, capture beauty, and love without any conditions at all.  Accept that you are imperfect, and worship the One who is Perfection.  Follow in the footsteps of the One who saved you.  Let His hands move your feet, let your words glorify Him.  And if no one understands that, let it be.

Something Constant

Fall in Georgia is a funny thing.  Though the colors of the leaves are changing and falling in true autumn style, the weather is nowhere near what most would consider to be suitable for the season.  Every day is something different: chilly, freezing, or downright toasty, the great state of Georgia does not discriminate when it comes to weather, no matter what month it is.  It is always changing, every day.

In fact, a lot of things are changing for me right now.  I already mentioned my major, but that was just one of many things that are currently turning my world upside-down.  Obviously, my decision to change my major to English also greatly changed the direction of my career path, which affects my decision about which college I will transfer to, and when.  On top of that, I am growing and changing more every day into the person that God has chosen me to be- which, as awesome as that growth is, can be a very scary and overwhelming thing to deal with.  And, as I change, I am watching the people around me change as well.  Things are very different now than they were not so long ago.

Recently, God reminded me in His mysterious and awesome way that He is constant.  Despite all of the scary and thrilling changes that are happening in my life, He is the always the same. Such an overwhelming sense of peace comes with the knowledge that my God is the same loving, graceful, and righteous Lord today as He was yesterday, and will be tomorrow.  He is all-powerful, and He is willing and able to give me all that I need to be exactly what is pleasing to Him. 

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the Heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow."

-James 1:17 (NLT)

Chosen.

Oh, hello blog.  Did you think I had forgotten you?

I knew things would change when I started college, but never did I guess how much they would change, or in what ways.  My mind is still reeling from all of the new realities that I am adjusting to, which is much of why I have not written a post since the beginning of the semester. 

Much of college, for me, has been about realizing who God has chosen me to be.  As I was driving home from campus last week, the fact that I have been chosen by God hit me like a ton of bricks.  God chose me to be an artist.  No matter what I decide to do with my life, I cannot deny that I am an artist by nature.  When God formed me with His own hand, He created me with that artist's heart.  That may seem like a small realization to some, but for me it was huge.  And with that knowledge in my grasp, I knew that I was done trying to figure out who I was.  My goal is now to simply follow Christ and be what I know is pleasing to Him.

God chose you for something special, too.  If you will only walk with Him and read His Word, He will reveal to you exactly who He created you to be.  Believe me when I say that it is a beautiful thing to realize that you have been chosen by God.

My major changed to English shortly after midterms.  After half of a semester of Psychology, I realized that I didn't love it the way that I thought I did.  Even though Psychology fascinates me, I am simply not passionate about it- and it was killing me that I was in pursuing a career in something that I did not absolutely love.  Writing, on the other hand, I have a burning passion for.  I love it as much as I love music, and it is the way that I express that artistic nature that God gave me.  I have always dreamed of going to college and chasing my dreams- and I am doing that now.  I am going to be a writer and high school English teacher, and that makes me happier than I even know how to describe. 

Warrior

A lot of people think that my life is perfect. 

My life is a lot easier than most:  I have  a roof over my head.  I never have to worry about not having food to eat.  I have a car to drive.  I have great parents.  I never really struggled in school.  Even though my friends are few, they are wonderful. In all honesty, I've never even had my heart broken.  I don't really have any regrets.

Don't get me wrong.  My life isn't perfect, by any means.  I struggle with a lot of things that most people don't even know about.  But I know that I am truly blessed- far more blessed than I deserve. 

So how is that fair?  Why am I living the good life, while others suffer?  Where is the justice?

I've asked God those questions over and over again for years.  When I didn't get an answer, I was frustrated.  I was worried that people would think I was spoiled, and that they would resent me.  I love listening to people talk about themselves, and I was worried that people wouldn't want to confide in me if they thought I didn't understand.  I've tried being overly dramatic (I still am sometimes), and making things seem worse than they really are so that it looked like I was having just as hard of a time as anybody.  It was silly.  Really, why pretend to be sad, when I am so very happy?

The answer to the 3 questions that I asked before (about justice) hit me a couple of weeks ago:

I was born to be a fighter.

Everyone has their own challenges.  Some struggle with poverty. Some with grades.  People struggle with domestic abuse, self-harm, insecurity, family, drugs, etc.  It's all hard.  It all hurts.  I've been deeply hurt by a few of these things myself.  But I have watched people close to me be hit a lot harder, and they've been struck down. 

I haven't been hit hard enough to be knocked down quite yet.  My challenge is to fight for those who have.

So, what do I do now?  First, I need to remember that I am standing in the midst of a very real war.

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." ~Ephesians 6:12 (New Living Translation)

As soon as I start fighting, arrows are going to be flying straight at me....how do I stay standing?

"Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm." ~Ephesians 6:13

Just as the world that we are fighting is unseen, the armor that this verse talks about is invisible as well.  As listed in Ephesians 6:14-17, the armor of God is made up of the following:

• The Belt of Truth
• The Body Armor of God's Righteousness
• The Shoes of Peace (peace that comes from the Good News)
• The Shield of Faith
• The Helmet of Salvation
• The Sword of the Spirit (The Spirit is the Word of God)

Finally, in order to stay standing, I need a refuge. 

The LORD is my Rock, my Fortress and my Savior...He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety." ~Psalm 18:2

Staying under the wing of God, and the shelter He creates, is done by crying out to Him through prayer.

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." ~Ephesians 6:18

I won't stand still in this war.  I have been blessed, and I choose to take the joy that those blessings have given me, and use it to strengthen me in the fight. 

                       I am a warrior for the Lord of Heaven's armies.

So, how about you?  Will you join me, and fight on the winning side?

Not For Sale

I hope I lose my job one day.
Why?  Because I hope that one day I’ll be working at a place like Wellspring Living, as a counselor for girls rescued out of sex trafficking.  And I hope that one day after that, there will no longer be a need for me in that job.  I hope that one day, all of those girls are healed, and the trafficking of persons comes to an end.  I hope that I’ll have to find a new job, because that one won’t exist anymore. 

Over the weekend, I met a beautiful woman.  Her face shines with the love of Christ, and her smile is one of pure joy and kindness.  She is soft-spoken, and speaks mostly of God’s mercy.  She is amazed by that mercy, because, as she says, God rescued her out of a horrifying life.  He rescued her out of a life of forced prostitution. 

Her story was similar to one I wrote about a fictional girl named Kelsey.  As I said, that story is not a rare one.  It is based very heavily on the stories of far too many women today.  Those prostitutes that you see on the streets?  The girls you hear about that work in the "massage parlors"?  Do not be deceived by their smiling mask.  Most, if not all,  of those women are slaves.  The woman that I met, though, has a happier ending to her story- she was saved.  And today, she has a passion burning within her to fight for the freedom of the girls that she left behind.  She has found happiness in the salvation of Christ, but she will not rest until human trafficking is no more.  I am fighting with her.   Because before she was saved, this woman lived through terrors that I can hardly bear to think about for even a moment.  She was raped, beaten, and told that she was something to be purchased. 
This happens to women, children, and even men- every single day.

Human beings should always be known as "Not For Sale".  Every single human being was created as a precious and priceless treasure by the loving hand of God. 

Please join me in the fight against modern-day slavery.  I pray that one day, we see a world in which a price tag is never put on a woman, or a man, ever again.  Let us not stop at a prayer, though- let us take action. 

For more information, email Christine Watson at 24thingsucando@gmail.com.

Or, visit these websites:

A Future. Not a Past.

Love146

Not For Sale: End Human Trafficking and Slavery

Redeem The Shadows

International Justice Mission

Standing In The Eye of The Storm

In this day and age, peace seems to be harder to find than ever before.  Chaos, on the other hand, is seen everywhere one turns his head.  A couple of months ago, though, I discovered the peace that is found in Christ. 

The concept of peace extends to a lot more areas than just that of war.  It extends to each moment of one’s life.  It is so easy to worry about the little things, and even easier to worry about the big things.  I used to believe that worrying was what you were supposed to do.  After all, as a Christ-follower, surely I’m not supposed to be happy about the bad things going on in the world.  And so, I began to let myself worry and be unhappy about the destruction on the earth, which created a new chaos within me.  I shoved peace away, and convinced myself that I should not enjoy it again until I stepped through the pearly gates of Heaven. 

On a day when I was feeling particularly distraught (a racing heart, and an overwhelming desire to just curl up in a corner and hide from the world), I came upon these God-breathed words in 1 Corinthians.  

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” - 1 Corinthians 14:33

The Lord is not the King of Chaos- He is the Prince of Peace!  When I accepted salvation, and invited the Holy Spirit into my heart, peace became a beautiful part of my life- a part that I was not to push away.It is so important to remember that we worship the Prince of Peace.  Embracing this peace is how we are protected from the death and destruction that is beating on our doors, and it gives us a reason to live each moment with a satisfied smile upon our faces.  As Christians, we ought to live differently than the non-believers that are of this world.  We ought to live in this world, but not be of it.  We ought to act in a way that makes people ask what is different about our lives, and how they can be happy as we are.When that question arises, we may answer with this, from Romans 15:13-

“May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, do not worry.  Do not be anxious, holding peace at arm’s length.  For you worship the God of Love, Joy, and Peace, and He has saved us from the chaos.

"Kelsey."

She didn’t know where she was going, she only knew that she had to get away.
Run, run, just run.
The voices were beating inside of her head.  They were screaming at her that there was a better life, if she could only run far enough away from the life she was living then.  So she ran.  She ran up the driveway, down the road, out of the subdivision.
The neighbors didn’t stare.  It wasn’t strange for Kelsey to be running.  She loved to run.  She used to run with her dad, before he died when she was eleven.  He taught her that one could be passionate about running, that it could be more than sweat and aching legs.  He taught her that running could be flying, because it was forgetting all of your fears and burdens and leaving them behind you as you soared.  Kelsey loved sharing something so precious with her dad.  And when he died, she ran to remember him.  She ran to forget that he was gone and to remember times when he was there. 
Now, she ran to get away.  The boyfriend that her mother brought home last night was the last straw.  The way he looked at her….Kelsey had seen that look before.  She knew that the man, only one of the many that her mother had brought home over the last few years, meant to use her, to abuse her, to have his way.  But no, she wouldn’t have it. Not again.
Her speed had slowed, and now she was jogging.  She jogged to the bus stop, and boarded the bus that would take her to freedom.  She had enough money in her pocket to buy her what she would need for a while, at least until she decided what she wanted to do. 
Kelsey’s mind felt like mud.  She wasn’t sure what she was doing; she felt like a robot, going through the motions without thinking them through.  She just had to go, she had to get away.
The bus took her a few cities away from home.  She got off because she was hungry, and she saw a fast food restaurant that looked like a good place to rest. 
She sat down at a table with her order of a burger and French fries.  A guy was staring at her, she noticed.  He was cute.  Really cute.  Tall, muscular, tanned, nicely dressed, Hollister model cute.  He looked like he might be in his twenties…well, that was okay.  Kelsey was sixteen, after all.  The guy wasn’t so much older.
Kelsey made eye contact with him for a moment, then went back to eating her lunch.  She could feel him staring, still. 
A few minutes later, he walked up to her.  Kelsey looked up at him, wide-eyed.  Did he want to talk to her?
“Excuse me, miss…I’m sorry I’ve been staring, I guess it was kind of rude,” he laughed.  He looked a little nervous.  Kelsey was amazed.  This gorgeous man was nervous about talking to her?
 “It’s okay,” Kelsey smiled back at him.  Her eyes begged him to go on. 
He cleared his throat.  “You’re very beautiful.  I guess I just wanted you to know that.  I wanted to be the one to tell you.”  He was blushing. Blushing, for talking to her! 
“Thank you.  That’s very sweet,” Kelsey beamed.  Her heart was in her throat.  He was so handsome.  His smile was so genuine.  What a nice guy.
“Tell me if this is too forward…but could I buy you an ice cream?  There’s a cool place down the street.”
Goodness, he looked so timid.  He wanted to buy her an ice cream, not a beer.  Seemed like a good guy.
“Sure, I guess,” she said shyly.  She hopped up from the table, nearly knocking down her drink in the process.  This was so new for her.  Guys rarely saw her physical beauty, it seemed.  They only saw her pain since her dad died.  Guys were scared of that hurt.  This guy, though, had eyes for her beauty.  It was refreshing.

Over ice cream, the two had a light, fun conversation full of jokes and smiles.  He was so polite, a gentleman.  His name, Kelsey learned, was Jacob.  Jake, he told her to call him.  “That’s what people that I like call me,” he said with that smile that made her heart beat fast.  They continued talking long after the last drop of her milkshake was gone.  He was so easy to talk to.  Eventually, Jake’s delicate questions led to Kelsey telling him that she had run away from home.  She even told him a little bit of why.  He didn’t prod.  He smiled at her, though, and he told her he was sorry for what she was going through.  He told her that she was beautiful.  He told her he loved her red hair, her green eyes. 

“So you don’t have anywhere to stay?” he asked.

No, she didn’t.  How could she not have thought of that? She had been so blind, just running…

“You could stay at my apartment,” he offered. 

Kelsey looked at him.  “Nothing weird,” he assured her. “You could crash on the couch.  I’m just saying, it would probably be better than the streets.”

Kelsey glanced outside.  It was cold out there, and anything sounded better than spending a night on the streets in this part of town.  The ice cream shop had turned out to be, not down the street, but a few blocks into what looked to be the bad part of town. 

“I guess so,” Kelsey said cautiously.  This guy was safe.  He was a gentleman.  He said there would be nothing weird.  It was better than spending a night on the streets.

They went back to his apartment.  As Jake promised, there was nothing weird.  Kelsey hadn’t felt so safe in years.  He set her up in the living room with some pillows and a blanket on the couch.  They talked for a while longer, and then he left her alone to get some rest.

Kelsey hung around for a few days.  Jake said he didn’t mind.  Actually, he said he was glad that she was there.  He said she was easy to talk to, and that he liked her a lot.  They started acting more like a couple.  He was so sweet, so polite, and so romantic.  He treated her the way that she had always wanted a guy to treat her.  He made her feel special and beautiful.  She felt like she could be herself around him without being judged or used or taken advantage of.  It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Days turned into weeks.  While Jake was at work, Kelsey tried to find a job.  She was realizing that job hunting was much harder than she had thought it would be- all of the applications needed parental consent.  She still had some money- Jake gave her meals for free- but she knew it would run out eventually.  Kelsey was feeling desperate.

But she couldn’t go back “home.”  Anything was better than going back to that house.

Jake had a lot of money.  He came from a wealthy family, and he said his job paid well.  He never said what he did, but then again, Kelsey never bothered to ask.  She didn’t really care.  She was so grateful for his generosity in providing her with somewhere to stay until she could figure out how to get her feet on the ground.  Although, how and when that would happen, she didn’t know.

When Jake started pushing Kelsey to do things that she wasn’t very comfortable with, she didn’t mind so much.  After all, he was her boyfriend, she guessed.  He was starting to act like he might have real, deep feelings for her.  

At first, it was okay, because he was so romantic and he made her feel so pretty and special.  Then, he got a little commanding.  He was starting to remind her of her mom’s boyfriends.  She felt so ashamed that she could be as stupid as her mom, to allow herself to get caught up with someone that could be like those terrible men.  She was ashamed that some of the things he did with her was not her first time doing them…because she had been abused.  Maybe she had been too weak…maybe she could have done something to fight them off…

But surely Jake wasn’t like that.  Jake loved her.  And she loved him as much as her young heart could.

Then, she found herself captured.  He threatened her.  She saw things that she never could have imagined.  Stunned and horrified, she watched what Jake did to the other girls that had fallen for him just like she had and who had ended up in the same prison with her.  Kelsey was forced to give herself to several different men every single day.  Forced to do whatever they wanted her to.  She did things that she hadn’t even allowed herself to think about before she met Jake.  She was so ashamed, and terrified beyond belief.  And she had nowhere to go.

With the innocence of a child, Kelsey had trusted that her father would stay alive to be her hero forever.  But since her superhero was only human, he died when she was still a child.
Then, Kelsey trusted her mother to protect her from any more hurt.  But her mother let her down over and over again, as she let men into their home that took advantage of Kelsey.
So Kelsey ran away, trying only to protect herself.  She was only sixteen, and she was still naïve. She thought that certainly nothing could be worse than what was already happening to her. 
Kelsey was wrong.  There was so much worse. There was so much more evil.  And when she allowed herself to trust just one more person, give it one more try…she found herself a prisoner, bound with invisible chains into the worst nightmare imaginable.

You’ve seen girls like Kelsey on the streets.  You’ve even seen characters like her in movies.  But you only see one side of them.  You see them smiling and “seducing” men.  You see the smiling mask that they put on in order to make more money for their pimps.  But do not be deceived.  These girls are slaves.  This story specifically is fictional, but it is based on the many horrifying and terribly true stories that I have read and heard.  In fact, I cannot bring myself to type the real stories, because they are too terrible. 

At a glance, it seems hopeless.  But if you do not have hope, you are so mistaken.  There is so much hope for these girls.  And that hope is found in doing even the smallest things.  It’s found in telling people about modern-day slavery, making everyone aware.  It’s found in recognizing where it’s happening and knowing who to call.  It’s found in something as simple and powerful as prayer.  I’ve not only read stories, I’ve personally spoken to women that have been rescued out of this life.  You can help.  There can be more survivors than sufferers.  And with work, there can be no more of this terrible tragedy.

The first step is done.  You know about it.  You can no longer say that you had no idea.  You know that there are helpless young girls being sold into the greedy and filthy hands of too many men.  And you know that you can do something to help, to make it all come to an end. 
And I pray that you know that you cannot just look away.

If you want to know what you can do, please contact Christine Watson at 24thingsucando@gmail.com.  She will email you a list of 24 simple things that you can do to save these girls.  You can do one thing, or you can do all of them.  Anything helps.  These girls are desperate.  You can help to save them.

They Need to Feel Love

Imagine what it is to be thought of only as a product, a service. 

It’s typical for young girls going through adolescence to feel worthless.  Many girls spend days, weeks, even years in depression because they do not feel loved.  Many of these young women have no reason to feel such sadness other than being victim to raging hormones.  Others feel that way because of some sort of abuse or traumatic experience. 

The young women and children who are put into the horrific life of prostitution feel that way for a terrible, but very real, reason.  They feel worthless because they are told, everyday, that they can be bought.

                Sometimes, they are told that 20 times a day.  The money slipping through their fingers into the greedy hands of their pimps screams it at them, as they are sold into the complete control of their buyer, forced to smile and act happy to be with him, so that they might meet their quota for the night.

“They chose that life for themselves,” you may say.

                Is that so?

Could someone honestly believe that any 12-year-old girl chooses to be used by foul-smelling men old enough to be her grandfather?  Surely no one believes that a 24-year-old young woman chose to give up any chance of a career and nights on the town with the girls, to be instead lying in bed with a man who paid money to her pimp so that he could use her to fulfill his fantasies before beating her mercilessly and calling her names that no woman should ever be called.

“Well, maybe they didn’t choose that.  But they could get out.  They could go make something of themselves, get out of that life.  They’re not bound by chains.”

Some are bound by chains.  Some live in cages.

However, the young ladies that you probably picture when you think of a prostitute, indeed, are not bound by literal chains.  Many, though, come from broken homes that they fear returning to after doing the things that they have.  Others are deceived by their pimps, and brainwashed into believing that the men who have trafficked them into the most horrifying life imaginable actually love them dearly, and will show them a better life one day.  Whatever the circumstance is, the chains, whether physically or mentally binding, are there all the same.  And they need to be broken.

The Bible teaches us to have compassion on those who are hurting.  "So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." -1 Corinthians 12:25-26

Girls that are sold 15-20 times a day, as if they were objects, are hurting beyond our comprehension.  And we, as people that have an opportunity to do something, should be beyond concerned.  We should be taking action. 

This is a subject on which I am extremely passionate, and writing about it to raise awareness is a way that I am taking action.  Therefore, this is not the last you will read about the slaves of today, the girls who are being robbed of their dignity and innocence at this very moment, in every part of the world (and by every part, I do include the U.S.  Atlanta, in fact, is the eastern hub of the U.S. for sex trafficking).  I pray that you will not read these words without taking some kind of action yourself. 

There is hope.  "But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish."- Psalm 9:18.  The atrocity that is human trafficking can be put to a screeching halt, if only we realize what’s happening and do something about it.  God never leaves His loved ones behind; and I, for one, want to be used by Him to save the hurting. 

If you want to know something you can do, email Christine Watson at 24thingsucando@gmail.com, and ask for the list of 24 Things You Can do to stop Human Trafficking.  These 24 things are so simple, and by doing even one, you would change a life.  You would have a part in allowing a girl the opportunity to wear a real smile again someday.  I’m sure she would be grateful.

Love is the Greatest Thing

I wrote this a while ago, but its truth has not changed.  Enjoy.

I think we all know that love is intended to be a verb.  My argument is that love is also intended to be a noun.  

1 Corinthians 13 is often called the “love chapter”- the whole chapter defines love.  But let’s take a look at the last verse of chapter 12, which introduces this chapter.  “Now let me show you a way of life that is best of all,” Paul says.

This is why I say that love is a noun- because it is a chosen way of life. 

Now, the power of love is when we live in a way that turns love from a noun into a verb.  But how do we do that?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7:  “Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

At the beginning of this past summer, I had forgotten what it was to live with love.  And I will be the first to tell you that living without love does not leave one in a good place.  I was falling from God, losing hope, and letting grief and bitterness take over.  I had no idea who I was, except that I felt worthless and empty.  Surely every teenager has felt this way.  But I would encourage you, when you feel empty or worthless, or if you feel like you are searching for something that you cannot find- examine your life for love.  For this is what Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 13:2- “If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.”

Without love, we’re nothing.  What we should pursue, then, is to live love.

That’s not the real point, though.  Though we should strive to live with love, we all stumble in that.  My point is this- God is love.  This definition of love that we find in 1 Corinthians is the definition of the God that we worship!

 He never gives up.  He never loses faith.  He is always hopeful.  He endures through every circumstance.  1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

 Don’t forget who it is that we worship.  Let’s strive to know Him, by loving.

As unfathomable as it may seem, do not forget that God loves you no matter what you have done.  Romans 8:38-39 is my favorite passage of Scripture, because it confirms that.  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This love is beautifully inevitable.  We cannot escape it.  And isn’t that the greatest thing to be captured by?

Flawed are my dreams, but perfect is His purpose.

I have always admired John Mayer.  Though I am not an advocate of many of his actions, the musician within me cannot help but look up to the diligence and talent required to be the musical performer that John Mayer is.  While watching one of his live performances a couple of days ago, I experienced the jealousy and guilt that I feel whenever I see someone so gifted.  I feel the same way whenever I watch a child prodigy play the piano, or hear of a friend who excels in academics more than I do.  I become convinced that there is no excuse for me to be any less skilled than these gifted individuals.  And suddenly, my priorities are completely askew, and being as good as or better than the person that I feel inferior to becomes number one on my list of what’s important.

God has not commanded me to feel that way.  He does not want me to strive to be like another sinful man; instead, He commands me to follow in His footsteps, and be like His Son Jesus Christ.

 

Matthew 4:18-22 tells this story: “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ And they left their nets at once and followed him.  A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.  They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.”

 

Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John all left their lives as fishermen behind to follow Jesus.  Fishing was a way of life for these boys, but they left their nets at once to follow Jesus and be a part of His work on earth.  These boys were most likely quite young, and I imagine that they had dreams and goals that they had spent years pursuing.  However, these young men realized that Jesus had just offered them something bigger and better than they had ever dreamed, and their worldly dreams dropped out of their hands along with the nets as they ran to catch up with the man who would show them how to change the world. 

That is what God is waiting to show all of us.  God has created a purpose for our lives that we could never compete with by using our own desires; and so, we have to drop our nets.  I must drop my dream of living up to the legend that a fellow musician is leaving behind him, and choose instead to follow the God who created the music.  My goal must be not to be great in music, but to greatly glorify God with the gifts He has given me in music.  To be Christ-like is far better than any five minutes of fame that I might have by playing the guitar as well as John Mayer.  God has the most beautiful plan for my life.  All I have to do is drop my nets, and follow Him.

He never gives up, no, He never lets go.

How many times have you heard someone say that they have a good relationship with God? That their relationship with God is their priority?
How many times have you said that?

....Have you ever stopped and asked yourself if it's true?

I'm not saying that I'm not guilty of letting those words roll off my tongue without a thought. I certainly am, and in fact, I may be the very worst about it. But, I have to wonder, what would God be saying about that if we could hear Him speak? After all, He is always with us. He's always listening, watching.

What would you say?

Picture it. You have been following the one you love around for as long as you can remember. You love him/her with your whole heart, and you know that you are meant to be together. You've forgiven every fault they have and you just love them to their very core. Sometimes, they act like they love you, too. Those are the best times, because you get to be close to them, and hear them talk directly to you. They even listen to you sometimes, and get to know you. But then, they drop you once again, for the next "shiny" thing that they happen to find. It kills you to see them go off the right track, and you advise them against it, but they ignore you. Soon, it's been days, weeks, months, since they've talked to you. You stay right beside them, though, because you love them that much. Some people lead them further off track. Those people ask about you, but the one you love stands there and denies knowing you. Or maybe they don't deny you with their words, but their actions certainly deny any type of a relationship with you. Weeks later, a different group of people approaches your beloved. This group is a better influence, and they like you. When the group asks this person, the one that you've been following for years and years, about you, he says, "We have a wonderful relationship. I love her more than anything, she's beautiful and amazing. Let me tell you all about her, I know her so well."
    So? What would you say?

The thing is, we do that to God all the time. It's sad. I hate that I do it, but I do. You know what's amazing, though?
                There He is. Right beside me.

In spite of the fact that I run away from Him, deny Him, and even sometimes lie about the strength of my relationship with Him. …He still loves me.
It makes me want to know God more. To listen to what He has to say, and learn from His ultimate wisdom. I want to know His love as intimately as I possibly can. To follow in His very footsteps and never leave His warm embrace.
Would you like to come along with me?

"For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." -1 John 2:16-17