Change is in the air

 

September is nearly over.  TheTruth365 documentary will be released tomorrow night.  By Monday morning – October 1st, the world could very well change for the better.  Maybe then, people will start putting the children first instead of last, looking to the future instead of worrying about the present.  I know what the Bible says – do not be anxious, do not worry about tomorrow, do not fear.  In fact, did you know that the words, “Do not fear” appear 365 times in the Bible.  That is one for every day of the year.  And yet, it’s so hard not to be afraid, especially since this world is big, and people are generally only looking out for themselves, not others (no offense, I do it too, less now, but I am human).

God could change the world just by opening his mouth, but in the long run, that will accomplish nothing.  In the moment, things would change, but eventually taper off as the excitement wore down.  I think God wants us to work some things out for ourselves – we will learn more that way.  If he does everything for us, then we won’t be as strong – we won’t be as willing to jump up and help.  How and what we learn is, of course, up to us, but the lesson remains the same.

It is estimated that, worldwide, approximately 600 children are diagnosed with some form of pediatric cancer, with approximately 200 children dying from it.  Every.  Single. Day.  Rare?  I think not.  If you multiply that by 365 days, the numbers are just appalling.  21,900 kids suffering per year on top of those still going through toxic treatments from being diagnosed in the previous year.  73,000 children gone, their lights permanently extinguished.  I think the souls of children are among the brightest stars in the night sky, but at the same time, this thought makes me unbelievably sad, because they shouldn’t be there, but here on earth with everyone else.  Children should not be dying.  Period.

Are we crazy to think we can change things?  Maybe, but that thought is no excuse for not trying.  After all, it’s the ones who are crazy enough to believe they can change things that actually do.

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 “No power in the ‘verse can stop me.” ~ Kaylee and River, Firefly (Joss Whedon)

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“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better, it’s not.” ~ from the Lorax, Dr. Suess

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Like The Truth365 page here and help the word get out:  Kids get cancer too, and they cannot fight alone.

Sign the petition here to “support an increase in pediatric cancer funding by the National Cancer Institute with the goal of eliminating cancer cancer as a threat to all children” (what the petition says and what you are signing and agreeing to).

Visit my Facebook page and “like” it to join the fight against this monster called childhood cancer that keeps stealing the lives of children.

Joshua 1:9: Courageous

I’ve always loved this Bible verse, ever since a friend wrote “Joshua 1:9″ after her signature in one of my high school yearbooks.  Back then, I hadn’t read the Bible cover to cover ( still haven’t, if I’m to be totally honest), so I had no idea what the verse actually said for the longest time.  But when I finally looked it up, I was like, “Whoa.”  It is encouragement at its purest.  How many times in my life had I felt totally alone?  And suddenly, there was this verse, telling me that God was and is always with me.  Courage has always sounded amazing to me, but I kept it at arm’s length for the longest time.  It was so much easier to break down than it was to be brave, so much easier to shut the world away and sit in darkness than it was to open the door and live.  I had so much to figure out when I was younger – I had to put the shattered pieces of who I was back together so that they’d fit and tell me who I was going to be.  It was quite the journey, and guess what?  I’m still on it because the journey is called “life.”

Now, I don’t have any choice.  I have to stand up.  No other child should have to go through what I did, and maybe that is part of the reason why things were the way they were for me.  So I can fight to change things.  God gave me the gift of writing for a reason, I know.  I had to be able to communicate in some way, right?  If I couldn’t write, I’d still be locked up in my own little world, unable to express myself.  I may not be free in many ways, but I am in the only way that really counts.

Lots of times, people take the good things in their lives for granted, and so I am asking you to take a step or two back and look at your blessings.  Which one is the most important one to you, and tell me why!

 

 

Jeremiah 29:11

It’s funny how certain verses of the Bible still ring true today, thousands of years after they first were written.  There are quite a few that I hold dear to my heart, and Jeremiah 29:11 is no exception:  “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  ”They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

In order for me to feel that truth, I had to let go of what I thought my life should be like, and just trust in God.  There was a time when I was scrambling around trying to make sense of things on my own, and it didn’t work out too well.  I ended up sinking in a quicksand of my own creation.  The more I struggled, the more I sank.

The quicksand was made up of all my disappointments and failures.  I wanted to become who I think I should be, regardless of God’s opinions.  After a time, I realized that it does not have to be like that.  I could be free.  My soul could fly if only I surrendered it to the light.  I may not be able to change the past, but I sure can make the most of the present.  That is why the right kind of attitude is so important.  Bitterness accomplishes nothing.

This is a new day.  My dreams may seem so far from coming true right now, but if I keep working, keep believing, they will come to fruition.  God has not and will never give up on me or you.  He planted his seed in us when we were born, and nothing can ever destroy what grows from that seed, unless we let it.  Each of us has something to offer the world – if we didn’t, then we wouldn’t be here.  And trust me on this – God has more in store for us in the future than what we lost in the past.  I am excited to see what that is for me and for the people around me.

Take heart – no matter how badly life has treated you, God is still there, caring for you.  We need to do our part as well, though.  See the good things on the horizon?  Start making your way toward them.  Baby steps.  God has already done so much for us – who are we to deny Him the pleasure of seeing us flourishing in this world He made especially for us?  He has prepared us, and He has paved the way.  All we have to do is follow His lead, and rise up to become everything He has created us to be.

 

There’s Nothing Broken

I have potential.  So do you.  It is up to us whether or not we use it – either way, our potential affects our future.  What happened in any of your yesterdays does not lessen your potential.  How people treat you may affect your self-esteem but none of it will take away your potential.  And what they say about you to your face or behind your back doesn’t affect it either.  We may think it does, but really, that’s us belittling ourselves.  We do not have to tell ourselves that we can’t do something.  We’ll never know unless we try, right?

Our potential is cemented in us.  Society can feed us lies that we aren’t good enough or not strong enough, but that is all they are:  lies.  Who we are and we become has been predetermined by God.  And to tell you the truth, I would not have the strength or the courage to get up to face another day if I had to do everything on my own strength.  I would get absolutely nothing accomplished.  But because I know there are better things to come, better tomorrows, I go on.  I live and laugh and cry, and then I go to bed only to get up and do it over again.  And it’s never exactly the same.  Each day brings its own surprises – a sweet memory out of nowhere, an email from a dear friend, or an unprovoked encouraging comment from a perfect stranger.

I am capable of being so much more than I am now.  I hold this truth before me like a badge of honor.  I am creative.  I am talented.  I am valuable.  The future is so bright.  My best days are ahead.  I have to keep telling myself these things in order to begin to believe them.  If I don’t, if I let the day pass me by without so much as a single positive affirmation, then the day is wasted.  In the past, I didn’t really have the confidence and the self-esteem that I should have had because I was too busy dwelling on negative things about myself.  I can’t do this.  It’s too hard.  It’s impossible.  But slowly, I started to realize that there is no such thing as an impossibility.  One of my most favorite quotes ever is the one by Audrey Hepburn that goes, “There’s no such thing as impossible.  The word itself says ‘I’m possible.’”  The Bible even says it in Matthew 19:26 – “With God, all things are possible.”

In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they were ashamed and so they hid.  God called out to them, “Adam!  Eve!  Where are you?”  Adam answered for the both of them:  ”God, we are hiding because we’re naked.”  I love the way God answered them.  He said, “Adam, who told you you were naked?”  In other words, “Who told you that something was wrong with you?”  God immediately knew that the Enemy had been talking to them.

~  Joel Osteen

Who told you that there was something wrong with you?  Who told me that there was something wrong with me?  In God’s eyes, we are flawless, His perfect creations.  It is only by the world’s (Satan’s) view that we are not.  But what if there was no one telling us that we don’t have what it takes to succeed? What if there was no one telling us no?  Anything’s possible.  The world is yours if you’ll have it.

Me:  Well, I could write a novel, but I don’t think it will ever get published or even read.”

Who told me that?  God says, “No good thing will I withhold when you walk uprightly.”  (Psalm 84:11)  God also says, “When you delight yourself in me. I will give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalm 37:4)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).  The potential is inside of me.  Romans 11:29 says, “God’s gifts and his callings are irrevocable.”  That means that God is never going to take my potential away from me.  He’ll never take yours either.  He is never going to get tired of us.  We can try and fail as many times as it takes for us to get it right, and he will never lose patience with us.  There’s no limits with God.

I don’t know about you, but I am going to tap into my potential and use it to the best of my ability.  I’m taking this leap and I’m not closing my eyes or holding my breath.  I trust I’ll land where I am supposed to be.

300 days

Often in this life, we don’t spend nearly enough time with loved ones as we would like.  What if we had 300 days to spend exclusively with the people we love?  Work would not get in the way, or if it does, one person would go to work with the other.  There would be no scheduling conflicts.  In fact, people would not even consult their calendars before making plans.  They would be adventurous.

“That is not very realistic,” you say.

“What?” I say.  ”It could be.  If you wanted it enough, it could be realistic.  Anything is possible.”

Isn’t that written in the Bible?  ”With God, all things are possible?” Matthew 19:26.  Look it up.  Tell me what Jesus meant by that.  Did he mean that something was only possible if you think it is?  No.  Jesus literally meant WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.  Did he mean that without God, nothing was possible?  Looking at the state of the world today, I can see how that works.  People all over are fighting to eradicate God from their lives, from the world.  But as long as there is a tiny bit of faith, even as small as a mustard seed, it won’t work.  Belief has power.  It’s like Henry Ford said:  ”Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”

Don’t be so closed-minded to how you spend your time.  If you want something, even the tiniest bit, you have the power to make it happen.  You and God combined have the power to make it happen.

Would 300 days be enough?  Or would we, with our selfish human natures, want more?  One day, time won’t matter to us anymore, because we’ll have eternity.  Until then, it is up to us how we spend our time.  Is this how you want to spend it?