Profile Picture

My boss made a comment to me the other day that has made me think. He said, "Your [Facebook] profile picture is the picture you think you look the best in."

That made me think about my Facebook profile picture. In it I have no makeup on, an off-brand t-shirt and a long, modest skirt...both of which were bought at the thrift store. 

For some reason or another, I subconsciously thought that was my best picture. But why? I began going through other pictures on my profile and began to pick out some that I thought I looked good in. Keep in mind that I am a teenage girl...I am very critical of myself; meaning I only chose a few pictures that I thought I looked good in. I picked about 7 that I liked. Out of those 7 pictures, I tried to find a common ground. I found that in all 7 I was without makeup and in crappy clothes. If I were to take a picture right now without makeup on, I would find 1,267,506 things I disliked about the picture. So why were these 7 pictures (without makeup) so liked? I found another common ground...all 7 pictures were from one of my trips to Nicaragua. 

So, its not that I was dressed up, wearing tons of makeup and my hair done...it was a picture that in it I was genuinely happy. I had a huge, natural smile, and a natural look. I was where God wanted me; I was doing His will. I wasn't worried about what I had on, or what my hair looked like. I was serving His people. As much as I try, there is no way I can have a more genuine smile in a picture. That's what I want to portray in my profile picture...that I couldn't be happier doing His will. 

1 Samuel 16:7 says, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"

Time

Nowadays time is such an important resource. I wish there was more time in the day...but in reality, if there was, I'd just have more things I would have to get done. Time to me is more important than money. I would rather give you $5 than five minutes of my time. There are so many things I could get done in those five minutes. Maybe you are the same way with your time? My time is so precious to me and so often I forget to share that time with God. I'm so caught up with this paper I have to write (speaking of which I have a 10-pager due soon...any takers??) or this meeting I have to go to, or my friends I want to hang out with that I forget to spend a moment with God every day. I've slacked SO much on that lately, especially since school has started back. God isn't a priority in my life right now, and I need to make Him one. I need to remember to constantly be in prayer with Him, to ask for His guidance, to immerse myself in the Word, and to take a moment to count each of my blessings.
What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?   What would you have?


On a side note, I want to add a little story.
This week many iPhone's had a glitch that made the alarms go off an hour earlier and such. Mine was one of the lucky ones to do that. Let me tell you, I was TICKED to find out it was 5:50 and I was awake when I didn't have to be. But a friend kindly reminded me that I'm blessed to have an alarm clock, blessed to have a job/school to have to wake up for, and most importantly, blessed to wake up in general. We take so much for granted here in America. So, maybe work sucks, or you have this really sucky paper you have to write...but at least you have a job, and you are able to go to school.

Changing Times, Changing Plans

Proverbs 16:9 says:
A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

Naturally as humans we plan. We want to go to this college, get married at this age,  have kids at this age & so on. Our plans for our future are so detailed that we leave no room for God to step in and make adjustments. Quite frankly, we make no room for God in general.
And then, when we don't get accepted to that school we wanted, or we don't get married when we want, we blame God.
We blame God, when in reality he is directing us to better things. He has a plan for us...we just need to include Him in our plans.
So, stop. Stop worrying about the future and live in the present. If you're too busy living in the future, you'll miss out on ways to serve Him in the present.

Pesky People

Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito? They are so annoying and itch like crazy! I just hate them! I see no way that they add value to my life. I did some research and found out that they are the deadliest insect on earth. So why do we need them? What good are they? Actually, they are very important: they help pollinate plants and spread bacteria. Although that doesn't seem like much, without these pesky insects some animal populations would go extinct and there would be an enormous adverse affect on the ecosystem.

But what does this have to do with us? Have you had a person in your life that's like a mosquito? Someone that's annoying and seem like they add no value to your life? Anybody you wish would move away and never come back? Just like the mosquito, they do matter, and they are a part of His plan. In 1 Corinthians it says:

"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.  Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.  If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.  How strange a body would be if it had only one part!  Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.  The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.  And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,  while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.  This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.  If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. "
-1 Corinthians 12:12-28

We all have people in our life that we consider a mosquito. But consider that they are also a part of the body. The body for Christ.