Thankful for Perfect Love

I have had a very busy last few weeks.  Where to start, Hmmm… Well, I have been working at my full-time job (of course) and this past weekend I worked at my prn job.  I enjoy both of them, but right now we are trying to pay off student loans from my master’s degree.  So I am working a lot of hours to make some extra money.  I am not complaining, I was led to Union University for a reason so I know God will provide the funds.  I am just thankful for my two jobs that God has given me.  So that explains why I haven’t posted much since I started this blog.  Now let us get down to business. 

Me and Michael

I made this blog for several reasons.  First I made this blog for God; it allows me to open up to what God wants me to be.  I have always been a very private person, but have recently been shown that God has other plans for me and my family.  I was perfectly content in my little environment all by myself, but I am taking the plunge for God.  I have to admit, I am a little afraid of this journey because I am someone who strives for perfection.  If you get honest with yourself I am sure you have tried to be perfect sometime in your life as well.  I am slowly learning it’s not about being perfect but about being perfectly loved.  “Jesus loves me this I know.”  No matter what I do He still loves me.  I am never rejected by Him.  I have turned my back on Jesus, but He has never left my side.  It is amazing to know just how much He loves me.  I know that I will never be perfect on this side of heaven, but I will strive to be perfect in His eyes.  We are to love people, but we’re only asked to please God. 

“For do I now persuade men, or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10) 

We are called to care about others, to be kind and considerate, to try our best to bless them.  But guess what, we don’t have to make everyone happy.  And if we don’t have to make everyone happy, then we don’t have to be perfect.  God has already declared us good enough, worthy in his sight, valuable, and with much to offer the world.  

As long as I show love toward others and follow God’s will as best that I can and someone else talks negatively about me or rejects me, then they are responsible to God for that sin.  If I am doing my best to be loving, God says, then others are to come to me and tell me if I’ve offended them.  (This works both ways-others are not responsible for pleasing me either.)  And I am to guard my lips from gossip about them as well.  We are here to please God, not each other.

So I am NOT going to be afraid to put myself out there because I feel less than perfect.  I am going to be a servant of Christ.  I plan to please the One who has already declared me a delight to His heart!  I am very thankful for His Perfect Love!!  

                                                      Michael's camera practice

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Thanksgiving in My Heart

It is November!  This is the month of thanksgiving.  Today I am thankful for my salvation.  This is a free gift that no one can take away from me.  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God," Ephesians 2:8.  Before I met Jesus I was guilty and miserable, but His grace and mercy has saved me.  Grace has to do with it all being Him.  He does it, Not Us!  A definition of grace is the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.  I thank God daily for that wonderful free gift!  I thank God for his grace and mercy upon little ole me.  And because of His free gift I have forever Thanksgiving in My Heart! 

When I think of November, I think about spending time with family and friends, eating home cooked meals, reflecting on all of my blessing thus far, and giving thanks to my Lord and personal Savior.  I AM SO BLESSED!  We should give thanks all throughout the year, not just in November.  This should be a constant holiday.  Hey, I like that idea!  Okay, I am back in the real world.  But seriously, giving thanks should be a daily action.  We should sing praises to our Lord and rejoice always!  "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice," Philippians 4:4.  I will have to be honest this gets difficult when I am in the valley.  It is hard to shout thanksgivings to the Lord in the valley.  When I am in the valley I want to shout, but it isn't thanksgivings.  Have you ever tried to shout thanks to the Lord in the valley?  I have and oh how wonderful it was!  So today I say let us all get Happy and Rejoice.  Let us all give thanks every day, not just in November.  I pray today that you will find thanksgiving in your heart.