Hero

Why do we always look to imperfect humans as our heroes or heroines? I used to have heroes...all the time!! They would change a lot, but hey, at least I had someone to pattern my life after. Now, that's all changed. I'm "too old" to have a hero - what a load of crap!! No I'm not! Who spreads such lies (lol)? When I had a hero (or heroine), I would look to see what they did in situations. I would dress like him or her, I would try to look and think the way that person (or animal...or group of people...lol) would. You learn as much as you can about that person. Sometimes it would be just a movie character, and not a real person at all. Sometimes it was my current favorite animal (what a hero! lol), or one of my parents. But always, no matter who or what it was, my hero/heroine would become my role model, my friend...I wanted to be that person! Most likely my heroes were good people, awesome characters - like Robin Hood, the "good thief", or Cinderella, the charming young servant, who was obedient and faithful and thus became "promoted" to princess-dome - and so, consequentially, I would become a better (although slightly delusional :P haha) person. That's a good thing, right? Now, of course, there are some pretty bad role models out there...but let's not get into that :).

Now...I don't have heroes/heroines. Now...I don't pretend to be the person that I admire. I've hidden all of that. But that doesn't mean that those mirroring tendencies are gone. No, they're still there, hidden away....what a waste! Think about it: if we applied the hero theory to our most important - the only perfect - role model ever (Jesus Christ), we would be more apt to focus on Him!

Why can't we see that the longing, the hole in our hearts, the need to imitate, can only be filled by God?! God never changes, never sins, never lies, always keeps His promises, is totally perfect, wants to save us, offers eternal life with Him, and CAN DO EVERYTHING. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!!

So today, you have a choice before you: continue living as you always have, or chang the way you think and make Jesus your hero today. He became human so that he could die for us. He said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13) And that's what He did! You will never become as perfect as Him...but every day it should be our goal! We are commanded to follow Christ! What better way than to make Him our hero?

Visit to the State Capitol

I had a lot of fun going to the State Capitol. I wasn't there very long, but long enough to enjoy the view and the buildings. =) I actually went there a couple of weeks ago, in April...so I'm a little late with the posting of them ;) Oh well! I hope you enjoy looking at them. The visit was because of an event called Teen Pact, and we went to drop off the guys at the State Capitol So I got to tag along :)(and put my camera to good use).


This is me...not the best picture, but I love the background! It's part of the skyline of Columbus, Ohio!


The guys (from left to right): Nate, Josh, Wynnslo, Adam, and Caleb. It's sunny out - their eyes are all squinty!! LOL We are at the top of the parking garage...quite high up. =)


And there they are again...


From left to right: Caleb, Josh, Nate, Wynnslo, Adam. Josh looks huge - like he has a potbelly!! LOL He's really skinny though :P (j/k Josh!!)


The younger crew: Elliott, Nate, and William. (don't they look happy?)


Church spires...ah...for some reason I really liked looking at them :)



Looking down from above (a very awesome feeling)



The Riffe Building - 32 stories high!!



The view from the 32nd floor...awe-inspiring! Man, I like being up high :)


And one of my favs...looking up at the sun :) I just like the way the pic turned out.

Random Quote

"Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain." (by Helen Keller)

I have something to add to that: consideration for others is very good! But our main purpose in life is to glorify God. And He has a plan...so even when you are feeling out and down, remember: He loves you and desires you to live for Him and to find hope and fulfillment in Him!! So don't give up!!

Um. I don't know why I put that quote up there since I just kind of refuted it XD. Ahem. Oh well...but if I just delete this post, then you will never know my "quote dilemma"! :-o Shocking!! LOL

Fulfillment and Peace vs. Discontent and Worry

I'm always seeking more, more, more! As sinful humans, we all tend to do that: not letting God be all we need in our lives, and instead seeking the things that the world offers. But the more I try to get fun, money, recognition, affection, and success according to the world's standards, the more I feel like I'm grasping for the wind! I can't get enough of anything...and so I turn to God and yell at Him for not satisfying me! Imagine that - us getting disappointed with the world, and then getting upset at God for not letting us have our "fun".

Then, on top of all of that, I start to worry about things. Things like money, events, college, driving, taking tests, getting through life (huh...my biggest worry right now...LOL), and finding fulfillment. Life is full of traps! I start running around in circles, getting absolutely nothing done that matters eternally. I start to feel like I'm just "living", without really LIVING. Does that make sense? Have you ever felt that way? Like you can't get out of your box, your routine, like you're stuck in this life without hope of something more...even though I'm still a Christian, I have moments of doubt. Not about the existence of God, who loves me - that is quite true and clear for me. But about what my purpose in this world is, and what I'm supposed to do with the lifetime that I am given here on this earth.

Sometimes I feel like a black-and-white picture, stuck in an old frame. I want some color, warmth, activity, something to show that I really am alive! But how do I get there? How do I get my color back?

Oh, Lord, Please show me how to live...

Something that really triggered my heart and soul this week was this passage in Mark 6:25-34:
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Also, I listen to Adventures in Odyssey (it's free online!! :D), and this one brought some things to light. I believe it's called W-O-R-R-Y (how appropriate).

But more than just feeling like a lifeless picture, I've begun to realize how my feelings don't matter. My wants and little desires aren't important. I shouldn't be living for me! I should be living for God, and His glory. It's okay if I don't have the answers (even though not knowing bugs me to death!), it's okay if I don't feel "right" or "normal" - none of that is important! No matter what happens, no matter what I do, God still has a perfect plan, and He remains the same, and He still loves me. No matter what.

Listen to that: God loves me no matter what.

Do you really believe that? Do you really believe that God has a perfect plan for you, one that's better than yours? If you do believe that, than it's time to start living it.

My Blond Role Model

Okay, I'm a blond; but I'm not dumb. Okay...so I have my moments. But hey, we all have our "dumb blond moments" - at least those of us who are human :P hehe. So, I got this dumb blond joke email, and I really like it (note: I do not take offense at dumb blond jokes - they're funny!). So, here it is:

There was a blonde who found herself sitting next to a Lawyer on an airplane. The lawyer just kept bugging the blonde wanting her to play a game of intelligence. Finally, the lawyer offered her 10 to 1 odds, and said every time the blonde could not answer one of his questions, she owed him $5, but every time he could not answer hers, he'd give her $50. The lawyer figured he could not lose, and the blonde reluctantly accepted.
The lawyer first asked, "What is the distance between the Earth and the nearest star?"
Without saying a word the blonde handed him $5. then the blonde asked, "What goes up a hill with 3 legs and comes back down the hill with 4 legs?"
Well, the lawyer looked puzzled. He took several hours, looking up everything he could on his laptop and even placing numerous air-to-ground phone calls trying to find the answer. Finally, angry and frustrated, he gave up and paid the blonde $50.00
The blonde put the $50 into her purse without comment, but the lawyer insisted, "What is the answer to your question?"
Without saying a word, the blonde handed him $5.

Isn't that AWESOME?? She's my role model!! Haha, just kidding ;). Jesus is my role model. Anyway, hope you had a good laugh...I sure did.

Broken - the Best Place To Be

Ever heard about being brokenhearted? There can be some different meanings of that; it can mean that you loved someone and they lied to you and "broke your heart". Okay, so here's the thing: no one can break your heart (and for you technical people, I mean in a figurative sense here, not physically...I sure hope no one out there is actually going around breaking peoples' physical hearts - ew gross! and also awful! anyway, back to what I was saying...) unless you give it to them. So, your reaction should be, to realize that if you keep getting your heart broken, it's because your giving it away! If you give your heart away to a sinful human being (and all humans are sinful) and you trust that human being, chances are you're going to get hurt because we all mess up and sin and lie, etc. I'm not saying don't trust anyone...I'm just saying be careful who you trust.

Now, back to my original point (I do have a point to all of this): There is one thing that you can put your trust in completely and without reserve! Isn't that good news? Guess who it is: God! He is holy, perfect, just, righteous, loving, and omnipotent. If you give Him your heart, He will keep it safe; not only that, but He will change it (if you let Him). We are all sinful and fallen. But God promises to take our hearts and minds and mold them to His will - to change us for the better and make us more like Him!

So the whole "broken thing" - what does that have to do with anything? Well...God doesn't force Himself on us. We have to come to Him of our own free will. And before He can change us, we must become broken; broken enough to let Him in. Broken enough to rely on Him completely for all of our needs. Everything that belongs to this world (people, pleasures, possessions) will let us down eventually, at one time or another. And when this happens, where do we turn? To what can we run for comfort, healing, and truth? We can go straight to God and put our trust in Him. He will heal our broken hearts. And we can trust securely in His love - He will not break our hearts if we follow Him.

Luke 4:16-19 (in the Bible) says, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.’ ”
(The "He" it's talking about, the man speaking, is Jesus, our Savior - God's holy and perfect Son.)

We have to surrender all to God, and come to Him humbly. Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." So come before God today, and pray as you've never prayed before; ask Him to break you until you are wholly His! And then you will be His!

Memories

Oh, how many times have I recalled doing things that I enjoyed, and thought, "Good Times!" with relish - and a small taint of regret that those good times are over...but they shall be replaced by new good times. But I can still relive events and thoughts that are gone, all by turning to my memory; there I can once more vividly experience things from my past. Of course, as time goes by, some memories fade away. And that is why living for today, and letting go of the past, is so important: we only have today! We only have this minute...the rest is either history or unknown future.

God created each of us with a wonderful mind so that we can think about, decide, create, and know many things. But one of the most special things about our minds is our memory. It is amazing all the things that are recorded there! Some of our most embarrassing and hurtful moments (which we'd rather forget...but then again, maybe that all adds to our conscience, and reminds us that we fail, and encourages us to try harder) are documented there, as are important events and actions that make us happy and remind us of our past life. We can remember sounds, sights, colors, actions, faces, places, words said to one another...So much we are able to remember! It is fantastic!

Not only events are noted by our minds, but also important information, like your friend's favorite color, your home phone number and address, what your friends and family look like (okay, so you probably take THAT for granted! LOL. But think about it: what if you had to re-acquaint yourself with all the people that you know? Well, than you really wouldn't know anyone, cause you couldn't remember who they are), what you own, what you do, what you are supposed to do (chores...blech), and just think of all the problems you would have if you couldn't remember the stuff you learn in school! hehe...yeah, well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad...just kidding! I love learning.

Anyway, my point is, God gave us one incredible gift when he endowed us with our memory. So thank Him for that today! Show your appreciation by REMEMBERING that He made you...or by MEMORIZING some scripture!!

{And as a note to all you out there who know me personally: Thank you so so much for creating memories with me! I enjoy looking back at times spent snowboarding with friends, playing cards and watching movies with my family...and just goofing off with all the crazy, AWESOME people that I know! God has truly blessed me by giving me all of you <3 Thank you! Thank you!}