A Bright Green Tablecloth

 I walked into the crowded coffee shop and my eyes were instantly drawn to a single table in the middle of the room.
Under large, floppy, sunhats sat two old ladies, no younger than 80.
But what made their table stand out was the bright green table cloth decorated with matching tea cups and a teapot and a pot of pink lilies.
Though they sat in silence, there seemed to be a mutual communication between. 

They had known each other long enough to enjoy each others company even in silence.
And the thought struck me: these two old ladies have lived long lives.
Lives that are important. Lives that may be forgotten.
How many loved ones have they witnessed pass away? Friends, parents, siblings.
And as those loved ones have passed, so have stories that people will never know.
But here were these two ladies, having a tea party in the middle of a coffee shop, seemingly oblivious to those around them.
They have stories. They have precious lives.
They were once young adults, like me, filled with wonder and not knowing what life may hold.
But now they seemed so content. Taking time to appreciate a simple tea party.
Watching these ladies made me wonder where I would be in 60 years. Will I have accomplished all my goals? Fulfilled my life's wishes?
Would I have someone I could sit in silence with?
Life passes so slowly. And so often we get so wrapped up in out own lives that we fail to see the lives of those around us.
The lives that are so precious.
Lives you and I have the ability to influence.
The truth of God's amazing gift we can share.
When I'm in my 80's, will I be able to look back and say I influenced other's lives? Or will I have fulfilled all my selfish desires and leave behind absolutely nothing for further God's Kingdom and touch other's?

As these thoughts swam around my mind, one of the ladies stood up and began placing the teaparty supplies into a large gift bag hanging on the handle of the other lady's wheelchair.
Then she folded up the green tablecloth, stuck it into the bag, and pushed the wheelchair out the door.
And just like that, they were gone.
Two lives, momentarily crossing my own, leaving behind a impact on my life they will never know about.

What will your future hold?
Why so often in life are our desires so focused around ourselves?
Shouldn't we be focused on serving others? On spreading the amazing love of God with those around us?
What story will we leave behind?
Will we sit in a coffee shop and have nothing to say for the life we have lived?
Or will we sit in that very same coffee shop and know that we lived to the fullest? Lived for Christ and not ourselves.

I don't wanna change(myself)

     I don't like change.
     Wait, let me re-word that. I don't like changing myself.
     I'm very stubborn in my 'me-isms'. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's definitely not.
     I read an article the other day that really struck a chord. It was talking about how one huge thing that's really important as a wife, is to be an encouragement to your husband.
     Now, I'd really like to think of myself as someone who encourages people.
    And(I hope) I usually am. But not with everyone; not with my younger sisters.
     And it's simply because I grew up with them being 'my annoying little sibs'. And, as a little kid, that meant just sharing when I had to, being nice when I had to, etc...
     Things have definitely changed since then. I love them more than anything. And they know that. But I realized that I don't make much effort to be an encouragement to them. I'm so used to just...not...that it's like pulling out my own teeth to even try.
      And that's something I really need to change.  When/if I get married, I want to be a wife who doesn't get 'stuck' in the cycle of 'just being a good wife'. But who, on a daily basis, is there to encourage my husband in all he does(if it's honoring to Christ of course).
       But how can I expect to encourage someone I live with every day for the rest of my life(Lord willing) when I don't even encourage the family I have now?


     ....So I'm gonna try....no, let me re-phrase that. I'm gonna, by God's grace, change myself. Starting with (at least)one encouragement to my younger sisters each day. I don't just want to be a 'good' sister...I want to be an encouraging sister.

....Just my random thoughts for the day that's maybe a challenge to whoever may read this. :)

So I'm 21...

     I'm 21.
     I've never traveled farther than halfway across the US.
     I've never been out of the Country.
     I've never lived on my own.
     I've never kissed a guy.
     I've never really had a boyfriend.
     I've never gone into a post office by myself(shh, don't tell anyone that one).
     I've never gone sky-diving.
     I've never slept on a roof-top.
     I've never spent more than a week away from home.
     I've never stayed up through the entire night.

     These are all things I thought that I would have done by 21.
     These are all things I still wish to do.
   
     My life has been far from what I expected.
     Between the ages of 0 and 7 I lived in blissful ignorance.
     Between the ages of 8 and 13 lived in constant anger. Anger at the world. Anger at my family. Anger at myself.
     At age 13 God took ahold of my heart through a verse and brought me to Him.
     Between then and now more has elapsed in my life than what I could have ever imagined.
     Things that, in the moment, I wished wouldn't have.
     I've had my heart broken(mainly because of situations I placed myself in). Multiple times.
     I've felt 40 years older in regards to my health.
     I've lost a very close friend to accidental death.
     I've known someone who committed suicide.
     I've known someone who died from cancer.
     I've lost friends whom I thought I'd know forever.
     I've struggled with letting go.
     I've messed up. Over and over and over.


     These are the things that have happened instead of the things I planned.
     These are the things I am THANKFUL happened instead of the things I planned.
     And if I could go back in time...I wouldn't change a SINGLE thing.
     Those stupid mistakes I made, led me to not make them again.
     Those people I lost, helped me learn to place my dependance on Christ alone and not take for granted those who are currently in my life.
     Those times I got my heart broken, helped me learn to guard to safety for when the right guy does come along.
   
     My life isn't easy. And it never was. But my life is amazing. My life is a blessing. I have so SO SO much to be thankful for. And when I really sit back and think about it, I can't help but grin and praise the God who so graciously gifted me with this life.

     I'm 21. Where do I go from here? Try and make all my plans come about?
     What if instead I focused on following GOD'S will for my life?
     He's brought me this far and so often I've fought Him will.
     I have desires and wishes still. But I'm leaving the planning up to God. :)
   

Ecclesiastes 12:13, "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."

What if a question could change your life?

     I know all too well that it is incredibly easy to live life selfishly. To live life seeking our own happiness.
     But the Bible makes it so clear that those who have been born again are to live a life seeking to glorify Christ in all we do.
     Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
     There are so many other verses that talk about living for Christ, shining His light, seeking Him, etc...(Rom 12:2, 2 Cor 5:17, Matt 6:24, Matt 6:33, Phil 4:8, 1 Pet 1:13, James 1:22-27, Heb 13:5, the list goes on!).

     It's so simple. So point-blank. EVERYTHING thing we do should be in the name of the Lord Jesus.
     But yet, it's so hard. Hard to ignore our fleshly desires.
     But what if we changed our entire mindset with one simple question?
   
      A question I should be asking myself far more than I do.
      And not just asking this question, but responding with a heart fully desiring to seek Christ.
   
      Ready? Here is it:

     "Is what I'm doing right now ultimately glorifying to Christ?"


     What if you asked that question before you began any task, any project, hung out with anyone, listened to a song, read a book, spent time on social media? anything. And what if after you asked that question, you answered it honestly?

     What would happen?
   
 
     We so often let ourselves live a life so full of complacency and a desire for self-fulfillment. We seek the things of earth, where moth and rust destroy, rather than the things of God. But how would our lives change if we continually lived life with a mindset to glorify and serve Him in absolutely everything? If we stopped, looked at every situation in our life and asked ourselves, 'Is what I'm doing right now ultimately glorifying to Christ?"

     Can you ask yourself this question throughout the day and honestly answer it, "yes."?
     I pray you can and I pray the same for myself.
     
      Don't give into your own fleshly desires. Seek Christ. In EVERYTHING. 

Undeserving

      There's a line in a song that goes, "who am I to make demands of the God of Abraham"
      That line gets me every time.
      Who am I to be able to come before the feet of Jesus?
      Why would the God of the universe allow me, a wretched sinner, to continually come before him, time and time again after I fail, and yet still forgive me and give me abundant grace and mercy?
     What have I done to have the right to bring Him my requests?
     What have I done that He should listen to my cries for help after I turned my back on Him?
     What have I done to deserve abundant grace and mercy and love?
      Who am I to make demands?
      I am so incredibly undeserving of any of it.
      In fact, the only thing I do deserve for who I am, for my sins... is death.
      Think about that. What we deserve is death. Eternal death.
      But instead of death God sent His one and only son to DIE IN MY PLACE.
      Jesus Christ, the One without sin, God in flesh...bore my punishment upon the cross.
      And what did I do to deserve it? Nothing.
      What do I continue to do even after I know He has done this for me? Fail, sin...fall away.
      Each time we lay our requests before God, whether it be asking for forgiveness or seeking a request, maybe for a job-for health...whatever it may be... what are we thinking about?
      Are we thinking about how God should give us this or that or how we want this, need this...demand this?
      Or are we remembering what a privilege it is to come before Him?
      Because that's what it is. Us, in ourselves...we are nothing. Worthless, sinners, dirty, wretched...but in Christ...we have been made NEW! Our sin washed away! No longer worthless.
      We deserve death, but instead we have received the hope of eternal life and the ability to come before the Lord in prayer. Um... wow.
      So next time you pray...thank about that. Think about how undeserving we are to be able lay our requests before the Lord.


"My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever." -Psalm 145:21

What would you say?

     A few years ago I first heard the song, What Would You Say by Trailor Choir.
     That song got me thinking-a lot. What would I say if I only had a few minutes and a piece of paper to write a few thoughts?
     (Maybe I've written a post about this song before, I honestly can't remember.)
     I have spent the years since trying to figure out what I would write. It just seems impossible to try to think of a few that I would I want to be my last.
     I thought of different ways I'd tell people I cared about them, who I cared about. I thought of different ways I would try to leave a note of encouragement, to encourage people to keep focused on Christ...but nothing seemed to satisfy that thought that I still really hadn't found what I would actually write.
     I was listening to this song again today, and it hit. I know what I would write.
     I wouldn't write to tell people how much they meant to me. If the first time they heard it came from a piece of paper, then I didn't live a life loving of Christ would. I should be living that out day to day.
     I wouldn't write an encouraging not to tell others to follow Christ, my life should be shining that out day to day. If the only way they knew how much I loved God and wanted them follow Him was from me writing it down, well I definitely hadn't been living life shining my light as a Christian in a dark world.
     I would want to write something to this effect, and mean it with all my heart: "I am ready. I have no regrets. Do not cry for me, rejoice! For I was a wretched sinner, but by the precious blood of Christ I have been saved. Rejoice. For God is faithful."

     "What would you say?"

Blink

Blink.

You just lost a second of your life.

      

     A second may not seem like much. But have you ever stopped to think how much can happen in a second?

     In a second, a life can be over.

    I was looking through some photos from a few years ago. I was thinking about how it seemed like those photos had been taken yesterday but how much had changed since then. Then a thought struck me; I could never how those moments back.

     Life 2 years ago for me was hard, as life always is...but some of my greatest memories were from 2 years ago. Moments I took for granted. Even the hard days. I took them all for granted, and now they are gone.

     A few days ago I was driving past the retirement home of some adopted grandparents of ours, the passing thought of stopping by and visiting them crossed my mind. It wasn't tell I got home that I remembered my adopted grandpa had died and they didn't live there anymore. It had become such a habit to go there and visit them, when I passed their home it looked as if nothing had changed. But it had all changed.

     You are in this moment right now. A moment you will never get back. 

     Don't take this moment for granted.

     Even if you're going through struggles in life and you 'just want to get through it'. Don't. Stop trying to get past the moment, and live in the moment.

     Don't be in a hurry to reach a point in life. God placed you in this moment for a reason.

     Take this moment to fix your eyes on Christ, to follow His leading.

     Take this moment to show the ones around you that you love them.

     Take this moment to shine the light of Christ to someone who might not otherwise see that light.

     Live this moment so that in the next moment you can look back and think, 'wow, I lived that moment to the fullest.'

     Because you can't have this moment back and you don't know how much you may miss it later. 

 

Each second

A gift.

Each breath.

A blessing.

Each blink of an eye.

Will pass.

     Only memories will be left.

You're in this moment.

Live it.

    Blink

What does it mean to you?

(Before I begin this post, I would just like to state that I have failed many many times in this area, and am continually, by God's grace, striving to do better. So don't think I'm saying that I never do this as well.) :)

     Quiet time with God. What does it mean to you?
If your response is, "Oh, it's awesome. I read my Bible and pray half an hour every day!"...that doesn't answer my question. What does it mean.to.you?
     Sure, maybe you take time aside each day to read the bible and pray. And that's good, really good! But what are you doing during that half hour?
     Are you watching the clock to see when half an hour is up? Are you seeing how many chapters you can 'squeeze' into that half hour just to say you read that much? Are you focusing on looking for a 'good' verse that you can post about it on facebook to make sure your friends know you're a 'good christian'? Are you checking your texts, fb or email every other verse? Do you the entire chapter and have you mind somewhere else the whole time? Do your prayers to God consist of asking God to give you things? The list goes on...
     If I were to ask you what you read about, what God showed you, would you be able to give me an answer?
     It is so easy to let 'quiet time' become 'distraction time'.
     What would happen if during 'quiet time with God' you sought to forget distractions, forget about posting that verse on facebook(side note: that's what the pharisees did, not with fb, but with praying in public places, etc)?
     Okay, here's a really crazy question: What if you made quiet time about God?
::mind bomb::
       I'll repeat it...in case you didn't catch it the first time: What.if.you.made.quiet.time.about.GOD?
     What if you treated EACH WORD rfom the Bible as God speaking to you? What if instead of praying for what you want, you prayed for God's will and praised Him for all He has done and for Him to teach you His ways?
     Crazy thought isn't it? It shouldn't be, but so often we forget why we read the Bible, why we pray.
It's not an 'okay, my half hour is up, I'm done!' thing - it's learning about God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Learning about what He did for us, learning about how to follow His will.

Psalm 119:10-17,

"I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.
¹² Praise be to you, O Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
¹³ With my lips I recount
    all the laws that come from your mouth.
¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes
    as one rejoices in great riches.
¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
¹⁶ I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word."

     Not only should we make quiet time soley about God - but we should take what we learn and apply to our lives each day. We should be meditating on God's word, living it through our lives.
   
     So I ask you again: Quiet time with God: What does it mean to you?

Rest.

Life is so short. 

So very very short.

Another life on this earth was ended today.

I didn't know him, but from what I see on his fb profile...he touched a lot of lives.

He died trying to save someone from drowning. (I don't know a lot of the details, but I think that the person he was trying to save also passed.)

This past year for me has been the first year where I have lost people close to me (Josh and my adopted grandpa). 

I never knew what the pain of losing someone was until this year.

I hurt for those who lost Brett today. But I also praise God that, from what I see, it was evident he shined the light of Christ. 

In a second. In a moment. Life can be gone.

Life on earth that is.

Next comes eternal life. 

Either suffering. Or joyously rejoicing with Christ in Heaven.

Forever.

That's a long time.

But right now...I am content to rest in God's grace.

To rest and trust in His timing and will for everything.

To rest in His will for how long I have left on earth.

To rest in His timing on taking those around me away from this world.

To rest in HIM. And Him alone.

The Bible verse that brought me to salvation at age 13 comes to mind:  "Find rest, O my Soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." (Psalm 62:5)

A Legacy

Josh was and is truly a testimony of shining the light of Christ.

I pray my life may be the same testimony and leave the same legacy when I go to my eternal home.

Quotes on the left are all things Josh has said.

 

(See photo larger here )

Life.

I've posted about life being gone before we know it before.
Life is oh so very short.
Yesterday my adopted grandpa died. I loved him so much. He was a role model of someone living a life fully serving Christ in everything.

Don't take for granted those who are in your life.
Don't forget to tell those around you that you love them.
What if it were their last day on earth?
Would you talk to them differently?
We don't know what tomorrow brings-today may be the last day you have to talk with that sister, brother, parent, friend.

Don't take it for granted.

Rock Bottom

My knees contacted with rocky ground.
I fell to my face. Blood oozed from cuts on my arms.
The fall had been a long one. Every bone in my body told me so.
I vaguely remembered things I had passed during my fall.
Memories.
Memories that hurt.
I tried to call for help, but my voice cracked and filled with dust.
I tried to lift myself to my feet, but no strength remained.
Why was I here? Could I get out?
Could it get worse?
A stench. My own body putting off an odor so bad I gagged.
A cry of anguish. My cry of anguish.
Alone.
Alone?
No.
Somewhere from below a voice called my name.
A sickening voice.
A voice of darkness.
Could I possibly fall father towards that voice?
I shuddered.
I tried to block out the voice, but how tempting it began to sound.
I wanted to resist.
But I had no strength.
A thought crossed my mind.
A silly thought.
Why would I ever look up?
I didn't even know if I had the strength to.
But somehow, I did.
Using every ounce of energy I had left, I lifted my head and looked up.
A hand.
A hand was reaching out.
For me.
Where had that come from?
I reached out and took hold of the hand.
The voice of darkness shrieked in pain below me.
The hand held my own firmly.
A new strength filled my bones.
The hand began to pull me out.
And with every moment that passed, my strength grew.
Memories began to fade.
The only thing that mattered now was the one who's hand had helped me.
My feet touched soft grass.
I looked at my arms.
My wounds had turned to scars.
Scars I knew would heal if only I kept reaching for that hand.
Reaching for Christ.
How long had that hand been there?
Somehow I knew it had been there all along.
Waiting.
Patiently waiting for me to look up.
A hand that is there right now.
Reaching out towards you.
Will you look up?



     Philippians 3:12-14, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

His will. His will. His will. Not mine.

     Today is really not going well for me. At all.
     My computer crashed and we took it to the mac store - my harddrive is dead. My files aren't backed up. It's gunna cost at minimum $400 to retrieve the files.
     Our internet service is trash. It crashes sometimes literally ever 30 seconds... we've been on the phone twice with them...both phone calls over 3 hours and produced nothing. They aren't fully honest. Finally we have a service person coming out to look at our internet.
     But even in all this - God is in control. He knows what's going on.
     It's really hard to imagine why in the world he would let something like this happen.
     My files are a really big deal to me, specially since photography is what I do. All my photos-possibly gone.
     But I know I need to remember, God is in control. And these are just things of this world. They're going to burn up anyways. They aren't eternal.
     1 John 2:15, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
     Psalm has a lot of awesome verses about God always being with us. Psalm 136 is one of my favorite passages (post on it here) The same God who help David defeat Goliath - is in control of this situation. The same God who defeated armies with only a few men - is in control of this situation. Wow. I mean big WOW.
God gives, God takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. -In EVERY situation. Even losing files and internet. I mean those are NOTHING. Those are nothing.
     I've got Christ in my life. That's all I need.

The God of the Heavens and the Earth - made YOU!

So last night I was planning on getting to bed on time for once. ....It all worked out fine, until I looked out the window.
The clouds and the moon looked absolutely stunning. And try as I might, I couldn't resist getting my camera out and taking some video/photos.
I lay on my back in the dark, in the cold, on our rather wet porch holding my camera up towards the sky.
I was overwhelmed with how beautiful the sky was! Cold as I was, I stayed out there for at least fifteen minutes.
The thought that God created this. He formed each and every cloud...just took my breath away.
You can't look at the beauty of the rapidly moving clouds across the moon and not think about an omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God who created it.
I can't describe or even begin to describe how awesome God is. How amazing his creation is.
A God who created the sun, the moon and earth, how much more has he created you? Created you just as he wanted. No part of you is a mistake or a mess up. Frizzy hair? Hey! He gave you that! (As weird as it seems!) God created you specially and he loves you.
So don't blow it off by trying to make yourself something you aren't.
What if the sky wasn't happy with how it looked? What if it wanted to be green instead of blue? Ok, ya I know that's a little over the top idea...but do you see what I'm trying to say?
I am overwhelmed with God's power and love. Even this morning, as I look outside and see the snow falling. As much as I don't really care for snow, it's absolutely beautiful.
Psalm 139:13, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

So It's February - And the mountains keep coming

 Wow. February 1st 2011.
Two years ago this date seemed so far ahead.
Now it's here.
It's crazy how fast life goes by. It's true what they say, life is over before you know it. I'm starting to see how fast it goes by...and I'm only 17! I can't imagine how it's gunna be when I'm like...old...like...30. haha ;)
So often we want so much just to get through with the day, but it feels like we're stuck. We're stuck staring at this huge mountain we have to overcome.
So often we find ourselves in conflict with family or friends.
And how often do we keep putting it off? Put it off for another day?
You don't want to deal with working out your issues with your sibling or parent. We don't want to do things that are hard. Things that aren't fun.
We just want to live for ourselves. To pack as much fun in as we can.
But where does that get us? That mountain is still there the next day. And the more you put it off, the more it seems to grow.
Life isn't about serving ourselves. It's about serving God. Doing His will. Trusting in Him.
Now I'm not saying that we aren't allowed to enjoy life. Nope, that's not what I'm saying at all!
I'm saying that we should find joy in honoring Christ. When we serve Him wholeheartedly we will be filled with an unbelievable joy.
When we leave conflict unresolved, it grows. We aren't serving Christ. We serving ourselves. Maybe you don't want to sort it out with that person, because you're afraid of what they'll think. Maybe you don't see any wrong in yourself. That when they are ready to talk it through, they'll come to you. No, Christ calls us to love one another. To serve others above ourselves. Part of that is not living with resentment or anger. If there's strife between someone, work it out. Pray about it. Don't let that mountain grow.
Ephesians 4:26-27, “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold" That verse says it so clearly. "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry" If you have unresolved conflict between someone, don't just put it off. If you can't work it out with that person, and if you're upset at them for some reason, don't let the bitterness. Forgive them. Pray about it. God will give you strength to let go of any anger. Don't let the devil sneak in. Don't let that mountain grow.
If you can work it out, DO IT! Go talk to that person. But with humility and love.
With God's help you can overcome that mountain. :)

(Btw isn't my bro adorable???) ^_^

This is my life

My life between the hours of 10am-2pm, Monday-Saturday.

It includes:
Coffee
Bible
CLEP book
Computer
Ipod
Sharpies
Reminder to eat lunch
and...ya that's about it. :)



^{Philippians 2:14-16, "}Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”^[a] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain."

I'll admit it...

I'm terrified of phones.

Little Moments

Sometimes life is a little odd.
I found the moments I treasure most i'n life aren't when I'm having a ton of fun. They aren't the moments when I find myself amongst a large group laughing and having a great time. They aren't crazy moments where I feel like maybe I had just a 'tad' too much coffee.
I found the moments I treasure most, the ones that remain i'n my heart, are those little moments.
Those quite moments alone with a best friend.
Those quiet moments playing a game with a sibling.
Those moments after a crazy-wild day, when you are absolutely exhausted, but to sit i'n silence with a friend, as you both try to stay awake.

I used to take for granted those moments.
But you never know when those moments will disappear.
So let's not forget what we have. Let's not forget the ones who love us.
Life isn't about seeing how many friends you can make. It's not about being popular.

I love the song Thankful by Josh Groban. Beautiful song with beautiful lyrics.
I feel like tearing up when I hear it for a number of reasons.
1. Just the lyrics themselves are powerful
2. The first time I heard the song, it was at a going-away party for a very dear friend of mine. How I treasure those moments we had together
3. Just yesterday, We were driving home from the annual Snow Trip. Everyone was exhausted and the car was pretty quiet. Aubrey and I were listening to that song. I had been feeling exhausted and a little depressed at how the day had turned out. But listening to that song, I realized I had been surrounded by people whom I love. That moment, there i'n the car, sitting next to a friend I am so incredibly grateful God placed i'n my life, was one of the best moments i'n my life.

God how blessed me i'n an amazing way.
Those little moments he's placed i'n my life
Those little moments I will never forget.
Those little moments, I will never again take for granted.

Every Little Detail

     For school this week, my job is to basically build, from scratch, new cabinets for our kitchen. This requires measuring, sketching, erasing, measuring again, sketching, perfecting.  Repeat. If you mess up on just one measurement, the whole project won't work.  I could have taken 1 hour to do all the measurements and drawings, but then it would've been a sloppy job and likely wouldn't have turned out well. Instead, I took 4 hours, 6 pieces of grid paper, pencils, a ruler, one p&j sandwhich and a tape measure to make sure everything will work before I begin cutting the wood. It wasn't exactly the funnest 4 hours either, it got boring and long. But one wrong measurement could mean a lot. 

      I know this idea my seem a little far-fetched, but in building these cabinets I was reminded that every little detail in our life counts. How we act, respond and treat others. What we do or say, even when we are alone. 

     Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

     It doesn't say, "some of the things you do" it says, "whatever you do". Whatever you do, every little detail of what you do. Don't do it sloppy, do it as unto the Lord. 

     When we begin to forget the little details, to just let a 'few' things slip by, that isn't honoring to God...before we know it, it becomes a habit. It ruins the whole project, it turns us away from what God wants us to do. 

     As I said before, relating those two things together, maybe seem a bit far-fetched, but...usually that's just the way I think. ;)