May 25, 2011

UN-Tangled

Ever find yourself in this kind of mood? I know I have!





Do you feel tangled lately? No, I'm not talking about a bad hair day, but rather that inner conflict that we all deal with at some time or another. Sometimes circumstances confuse us, but sometimes we confuse ourselves!!  Or at least I do! Lol. This past weekend I had the privilege of going to a Beth Moore conference in Minneapolis with my sister, my mom, & 41 other ladies from my home church. If you have never heard of Beth Moore, I highly recommended that you check out her blog, Bible study materials, etc. She has a great gift of communicating God's truth in a very clear & profound way. This weekend's conference theme was "UN-Tangled." I'll tell you, I definitely needed to get some things un-tangled & rest in God's peace again. It was a huge blessing to sing praises to God with the 4300 other women that were in attendance & then be refreshed by God's word in the sessions that Beth Moore gave. I would just like to share with you the 9 points that Beth made in the sessions because they were such great reminders! 


1) God can UN-Tangle us when life is about to kills us!


Psalm 116:1-6
"I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.  The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me."


I don't know about you, but sometimes I try to put on a front before God....make that a LOT of times! We all do it with people; someone asks you how you're doing, & what do you always say? "I'm fine." Even when the whole world can tell, you are not fine. But why do we always try to tell God, "I'm fine." He knows everything & He's told us to come to him in times of distress; He is mighty to save!


2) God can UN-Tangle us when we are tangled up inside.


Hmmm....I am one tangled up girl on the inside. I feel just like Rapunzel in the clip I shared at the beginning. Especially when it comes to guys!! Haha! What if he likes me? But sometimes it seems like he just wants to be friends. But he took me for coffee! But he's just super nice, he would take a 90 year old grandma for coffee!! Lol! Ok, so maybe not quite THAT bad...but you get my point. I also get all tangled when it comes to more serious things, like, am I majoring in the right thing? Am I where God wants me to be? What will I do after college? How am I going to finish paying for school? 


SO many tangles! But God knows all of them & He has the solution to every tangle in our lives. Ask God for wisdom; ask Him to simplify the situation & make a solution clear to you.  SEEK wise, godly counsel. Also, ask Him for patience to wait on HIS timing in making everything clear to you. 


One of the most amazing passages to me is Romans 8:26-27. Sometimes I get so confused about what would be best, I don't even know how to pray anymore, but God made an amazing promise that we can rest in:


"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."


Even when we aren't sure of the will of God, the Holy Spirit makes intercession on our behalf, according to the will of God!! How amazing is that?


3) God can UN-Tangle us when our motives are in tangles.


...this one hit me. I LONG for the day when I will no longer have to battle my flesh & I will have 100% pure motives. Even when I am doing something for someone else, I always feel like there is a small part of me...sometimes even a big part of me, that is doing it for my own good. Pride, to make myself feel better, because I'm expected to...etc! 


God has commanded us to love HIM with ALL of our heart, soul, mind, & might. And, we are to love our neighbors as ourself. Only God & His Holy Spirit can take control of us & allow us to serve Him with pure motives. Walk in the Spirit, & you shall NOT fulfill the desire of the flesh!








Well, if I go through all 9 points, ya'll will have to be reading ALL day! So I'll leave you to ponder these three & I'll share the others soon! Hope that you have a wonderful day! 


"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." ~Philippians 1:6





May 19, 2011

Perception of Beauty

This is something I struggle with almost every day...what is true beauty? We are bombarded with images of unattainable beauty every where we look; airbrushed models, anorexic celebrities, etc. This video was an encouragement to me this week as I try to maintain a healthy perspective on what true beauty is: