For those of you who don't know...Activate Groups are small groups at our church that last about 3 months and meet once a week. There are several to choose from and several topics to learn about. This is what my AG has taught me in the past 3 months....
1. Trust God Completely- no matter what you are going through and how difficult or easy it may be, know that God is by your side every minute of it and will walk through it with you. God is the only for sure thing in our life today, and is the only for sure thing in our every single day ahead.
***God, I praise You that You are with me in this moment and You stand in my tomorrow as well.
2. Put God in Every Situation/Focus on Him- God is the reason for our being, for our whole existence. He knows what we need, when we need it and how we need it. We may not get what we want, when we want and how we want, but we will get what we need. Even when we don't understand, we need to put God into the situation, focus on Him and cling to Him with every action.
***God, I praise You for being the wisdom I can lean on when I have none of my own. Circumstances change, but I praise You because You never do.
3. Focus on Relationship, not Religion- Many people think religion is just a set of rules that we think we should follow in order to get to Heaven. Without a relationship with God, religion is nothing more than that. No earthly relationship can be maintained without time, communication and effort from all parties. God does the hard part for us. He longs for a relationship with us. He offers us His time, communication and effort at ANY time we want it....we just need to meet Him in the middle and do our part. A relationship with God is the most rewarding material possession you could ever have.
***God, I praise you for never leaving me and for Your love and Your compassion that never fails.
4. Be Intentional- Focus on your surroundings. Take the time to hold a door open for someone a few steps behind you. Take the time to listen to a friend when they are struggling or joyous. Give your time to help others in greater need than you. The best thing you can give to someone is yourself. Your thoughts, your beliefs, your actions, your material possessions that they have none of. We are all blessed way more than we deserve and we need to take time to be intentional and share those blessings with others.
***God, I praise You for blessing me and giving me the ability to share my blessings with others who are less fortunate and in need.
5. I Can be a World Changer- God has given me the life He has so that I can make a difference. He handpicked me, selected me. Out of all the other people in the world, He trusted me to be effective for Christ. That is a huge responsibility, and one I gladly accept with a humble, peaceful feeling in my heart. I may just be another person in this world, but to one person, I may be the world. Showing even one person the light of God is a magical, amazing, humbling, gratifying experience that cannot be topped.
***God, I praise and thank You for handpicking me to lead a life that is effective for Christ.
In the past 3 months my life has been turned upside down, rightside up, twisted in circles, and back again. It has been an amazing rollercoaster ride and has changed me more than my previous 24 years of life. I thank my AG girls and I thank my God from the bottom of my existence for bringing on this glorious change and I pray that the rollercoaster ride continues to do unspeakable changes in my life so that I may help create unspeakable changes in the lives of others.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wake Up and Smell the Roses!!!
I have been whining a lot lately. Whining about my job, and my financial situation, and my job, and my family, and my job, and not getting what I want, and did I mention....my job?? That's it. It's time for the whining to stop.
Last week I was frustrated about how long it had been since I had gotten a pedicure. I was acting disgusted that I hadn't gotten one in so long, as if getting a pedicure was the most important thing on this earth. All I could think was how incredibly self-centered, selfish and jerkish I was being. Really? all over a pedicure, when there are people out there who don't even know what a hot shower or a warm bed at night feels like??........Get over it, Crystal!!
I hate my job. It's safe to say and everyone knows it. It's not going to get any better, I signed a contract and I am in it for the long haul. Nothing I can do about it, nothing I can change. There are people out there barely surviving because they cannot ger a job to provide for their families.......Get over it, Crystal!
Anyone who knows us knows that we are beyond frustration with this whole baby situation. It' not happening, and we don't know why when we have done everything right. There are people who do not have the love for children in their hearts, and do not know how great a child's love is. There are people who cannot have children and never will be able to......Get over it, Crystal!!
The bills keep piling up and growing. The more money that comes in, the more it seems there is nothing there. There are people who are 110%, completely dependent upon others and could not survive on their own two feet.....Get over it, Crystal!!
There is a theme here that is incredibly hard for a focused, path driven, control freak like myself to swallow. Get over it. Three simple words will be the hardest words I have ever had to choke down in my life. God does everything for a reason, and He has put me where I am for a reason. Instead of being thankful and praising Him for all He has done, I am spending my time whining about all He hasn't. I know other people are getting sick of me whining (my poor husband has it worse than anyone), I am getting sick of me whining, and I KNOW God is getting sick of me whining.
God has given me exactly what I NEED and exactly what I can HANDLE at this point in time. My whining and focus on things I don't have are turning me into a person that cannot do the work that God has for me at this moment. I need to be a good wife and support my husband wholeheartedly, I need to be a good teacher and do the best I can no matter the situation, I need to be a witness for the way accepting Christ has turned my world upside down.
I got a call tonight that a child I taught in preschool last year was killed in a car accident today. She was 4. Her mom is my age. That..... I CAN'T handle.
God, I praise you for all you have done in my lfe in the past year. You have moved mountains in my life and I know this is just the beginning of a wonderful, amazing journey You have planned for me to take with You. You may not give me all I want or have asked for, but You have given me what You know I can handle, and what You want me to have. Lord God, You are wiser than me, and have the great ability to see the big picture that I do not. Give me the serenity to accept what You have entrusted me with wholeheartedly. God, I know You handpicked me for this journey for a secific reason. Lead me to the path You want me to take and give me strength to stay on that path and be a witness for Your amazing love and power. You are the way, the truth and the light in my life and I entrust all I have to You. I surrender to You. And I pray all of this in the powerful, loving beautiful name of Your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Last week I was frustrated about how long it had been since I had gotten a pedicure. I was acting disgusted that I hadn't gotten one in so long, as if getting a pedicure was the most important thing on this earth. All I could think was how incredibly self-centered, selfish and jerkish I was being. Really? all over a pedicure, when there are people out there who don't even know what a hot shower or a warm bed at night feels like??........Get over it, Crystal!!
I hate my job. It's safe to say and everyone knows it. It's not going to get any better, I signed a contract and I am in it for the long haul. Nothing I can do about it, nothing I can change. There are people out there barely surviving because they cannot ger a job to provide for their families.......Get over it, Crystal!
Anyone who knows us knows that we are beyond frustration with this whole baby situation. It' not happening, and we don't know why when we have done everything right. There are people who do not have the love for children in their hearts, and do not know how great a child's love is. There are people who cannot have children and never will be able to......Get over it, Crystal!!
The bills keep piling up and growing. The more money that comes in, the more it seems there is nothing there. There are people who are 110%, completely dependent upon others and could not survive on their own two feet.....Get over it, Crystal!!
There is a theme here that is incredibly hard for a focused, path driven, control freak like myself to swallow. Get over it. Three simple words will be the hardest words I have ever had to choke down in my life. God does everything for a reason, and He has put me where I am for a reason. Instead of being thankful and praising Him for all He has done, I am spending my time whining about all He hasn't. I know other people are getting sick of me whining (my poor husband has it worse than anyone), I am getting sick of me whining, and I KNOW God is getting sick of me whining.
God has given me exactly what I NEED and exactly what I can HANDLE at this point in time. My whining and focus on things I don't have are turning me into a person that cannot do the work that God has for me at this moment. I need to be a good wife and support my husband wholeheartedly, I need to be a good teacher and do the best I can no matter the situation, I need to be a witness for the way accepting Christ has turned my world upside down.
I got a call tonight that a child I taught in preschool last year was killed in a car accident today. She was 4. Her mom is my age. That..... I CAN'T handle.
God, I praise you for all you have done in my lfe in the past year. You have moved mountains in my life and I know this is just the beginning of a wonderful, amazing journey You have planned for me to take with You. You may not give me all I want or have asked for, but You have given me what You know I can handle, and what You want me to have. Lord God, You are wiser than me, and have the great ability to see the big picture that I do not. Give me the serenity to accept what You have entrusted me with wholeheartedly. God, I know You handpicked me for this journey for a secific reason. Lead me to the path You want me to take and give me strength to stay on that path and be a witness for Your amazing love and power. You are the way, the truth and the light in my life and I entrust all I have to You. I surrender to You. And I pray all of this in the powerful, loving beautiful name of Your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)