Tag Archives: children

The Fruit of the Spirit is: Faithfulness

Posted on May 22, 2013 by | Leave a comment

faithfulness_fruitsOSPBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ~Galatians 5:22-23

Psalms 36:5 says “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”

Faithfulness is both an attitude and an action shown toward God and toward others. God’s principles do not change and will never fade—they are eternal. This is true of His character as well, which means He is consistent, trustworthy, and committed to providing the very best for His children regardless of how our circumstances may look. He is faithful. Everything around us may seem as if it is falling apart; yet, God is still moving and working—and His purposes will be accomplished. He is faithful.

Time has no effect on God or on how He makes His plans and decisions. Nothing that happens to us in our lives or in this world will ever surprise Him or interrupt what He is achieving for us. This is why we can always count on Him being true to all of the promises He’s made to us. I want to share a few verses of God’s promises of faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22–23 “The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Psalm 16:11 “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

There is no doubt that God can and will keep His promises to us because He is absolutely faithful. The only question is whether we will commit to seeking Him, listening to His commands, watching for His help, and embracing His Word. God wants the very best for us and will never lead us astray. And if we stay in the center of His will, we will experience the very best He has to offer. I read in an article about faithfulness that it is both a passive and active word. The passive aspects include things like commitment, loyalty, steadfastness, endurance, and patience. The active aspects include service, charity, obedience, and walking the talk. I know that sometimes it can be overwhelming to think about it, but remember the law of stewardship. We become faithful in big things by being faithful in little things. Think of some small ways you can be faithful, do those, and as you make a habit of it, you will become faithful.

Karina Lopez

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Archive April: Say Instagram!

Posted on April 30, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Originally Posted on January 23, 2013.

teen_girlThis time last year, I noticed that I was struggling to have a solid daily quiet time with God. “Why is this so difficult?” I would ask myself. So I began to pray and ask God to show me what it was that I had been doing lately that distracted me from spending time with him. So then I noticed that I was spending a hefty amount of time (like 1-2 hours a day) on Instagram. And not just Instagram….Facebook and Twitter, too. (so that’s 1-2 hours on each app a day). But honestly, my problem, was Instragam. Let’s just say after praying about Instagram, God convicted me of the amount of time I was spending on there. In the beginning, I decided to just delete the app from my phone. This helped me not get distracted as easily. Especially if you are a digital person like me and use YouVersion’s devotional plans. After about 2 months, I felt that I could install Instagram again onto my phone. It hasn’t been as hard to get distracted by it. It’s a great app and can be used for the glory of God, but I think that a lot of us (me included) have been or are using it in the wrong manner.

One of the things I’ve woman_selfienoticed is that people tend to post a lot of pictures of themselves or what we know to be ‘selfies’. You probably know what I am talking about. You can agree or disagree with me but I just want to share with you what I’ve been thinking.

Just imagine if I walked up to you at church and held out my camera…took a picture of myself…then gave it you? Wouldn’t that seem weird? Not to mention awkward? And then to top it off, I told you to sign it with your signature of  approval…”Like”. We do things on social media that we would never do in real life. Here’s just a few Instagram Photo-Types:

- Kids Doing Lame Stuff.

- Cute Baby Photos in Rapid Succession.

- Delicious Food Photos.

- Disgusting Food Photos.

- Self Portraits.

- Landscapes, Cityscapes and Travel Photos.

- Fingers and Toes. (why oh why?!)

- Clocks and Weather.

We can post countless pictures of ourselves smiling or eating or whatever and feel totally normal about it. I’m not saying its wrong…(I have some up myself). What I am saying is…when you look at it from an different perspective, doesn’t this seem a bit strange to you? I came across this quote on gotquestions.org and thought they summarized it pretty well.

Christians should be aware of the danger of the narcissism (excessive self-love and preoccupation with self) inherent in self-oriented sites. Studies have shown that overuse or wrong motives in social media participation can breed narcissism. When we rely on social media sites primarily to promote ourselves or draw attention to ourselves, it is time to take a step back.

Narcissism is the term used in psychology to describe a preoccupation with self. It is a Greek term taken from the name of the mythological Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image and was doomed to die because he would not turn away from it. A narcissist is a person who displays a high level of selfishness, vanity, and pride. He sees everything from a “how does this affect me?” perspective. Empathy is impossible for the narcissist because his only perspective is the one centered on self.

Besides the issue of social media in general being a time-waster, I think narcissism can be one of our biggest problems. We post pictures of ourselves and wait. For what? Wait for the compliments to flow in. Why? So that we feel good—(who doesn’t love it when people tell them how pretty or beautiful they look?) Just double-tap it and it adds another number next to the little heart. But could these selfies be another way we are focusing our attention and time on ourselves rather than focusing on God? I can’t help but think of this verse:

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

  • Do I spend more time on Instagram than I do in God’s word?
  • Is Instagram being used as a tool to promote God or just myself?
  • What is my goal within Instagram and posting a “selfie”?

I think Instagram is a great app. But I want to challenge you to take a step back and evaluate your time and what you post on Instagram, like I did. When I stepped back, I noticed there were definitely some things wrong with it in my own life. But don’t get me wrong…I still love Instagram!

So…what do you girls think about Instagram? Share your thoughts.

Karina Lopez

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Archive April: My Friend’s Kids

Posted on April 10, 2013 by | Leave a comment

archiveapril

Originally Posted on: July 30, 2012

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

myfriendskids

Not too long ago, I came home from work tired from a long day and probably looking pretty ragged.  The neighborhood kids were riding their bikes in the street in front of my house and they rode by me as I was checking my mail. And how was I greeted? “Miss Carrie! You’ve got grey hair!” …thank you, little missy. I tried to pretend like I didn’t hear her, but alas, she had to make sure I knew that I do, in fact, have some grey hair. So this time I playfully sneered at her that “I don’t even have kids to blame it on!” She just grinned and rode off—her mission of age awareness accomplished. The sun must have been shining just right on my silvery highlights for her to make such a fuss over my tresses.

I’ve had my share of fun with these kids. Last summer, I was stealthily ambushed with water guns as I was outside tending to my plants. Their little squirt guns were no match for my watering hose… I loved hearing their screams of glee as they retreated! There have been other various happenings where I’ve “ooh’d” and “ahh’d” over their ability to jump over the sidewalk or show me a little flower they’ve found or accept some homemade candles they’ve made for me. One evening, I had a knock on my door and opened to a couple of the little girls holding a fish bowl. Their mom told me that they wanted me to take care of their “fishy” while they were out of town because they thought I might be lonely and he could keep me company.  I must admit it was nice to have someone to come home to.

I must be a kind of anomaly to these youngsters—a woman around their mom’s age without any kids or a husband. They find me very intriguing. And I don’t mind. I love them. I enjoy all their questions…most of the time. Questions like: Can I water your plants? Why are you not married? Do you get lonely? Are you a grown up? Why do you have shoes on? Where are you going? Can I come?

Recently, I’ve been asking some questions, too, like “What’s next for me? Will this be the year that my prayers for a family of my own start to be answered? Will there be new friends or new adventures? Will I get to travel or have more ministry opportunities?” My life is so very different than the lives of my friends who have married and now have children. My days are full of work, ministry, study, research, and fellowship with friends. I’m really too busy to be lonely most of the time. But as each year goes by, it becomes a more noticeable reality that I have more grey highlights and I’m still not married.

I’m not complaining though. I enjoy my solitary life (though solitary may not be the right word, I have many wonderful friends and family who take care of me) and on most days, I truly see my singleness as a gift from the Lord. I am able to do many things that I would not be able to do if I had the responsibilities of a husband and kids. But I do get lonely sometimes, and dislike some of the consequences of not having a prince charming around, like trying to open tightly closed jars, having to take out the trash when it’s full and killing my own spiders (while, admittedly, screaming, throwing things and jumping up and down).

But if I had all the responsibilities of a family of my own I would not be the oddity that brings the neighborhood kids around nor would I have the time, or maybe even desire, to make friends with them. I’ve even had the chance to delve into some spiritual conversations with one of the little girls while she was “helping” me weed my flowers. Sometimes the ache for a son or daughter of my own takes over my heart, but it only lasts for a little while until I can remind myself of God’s goodness and grace to me in this season of life. And then I conveniently remember that the thought of being responsible for another human being actually scares me to death.  So I’m thankful for this chapter of life where I am able to give of my time and love to my friends and their kids. And then be able to retreat into my quiet, cozy, little home.

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home…” Psalm 68:5-6

(This post was previously posted on Surprised by Love | Neighborhood kids)

                                                                                         Carrie Pickelsimer

                                        

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Say Instagram!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by | 1 Comment

teen_girl

This time last year, I noticed that I was struggling to have a solid daily quiet time with God. “Why is this so difficult?” I would ask myself. So I began to pray and ask God to show me what it was that I had been doing lately that distracted me from spending time with him. So then I noticed that I was spending a hefty amount of time (like 1-2 hours a day) on Instagram. And not just Instagram….Facebook and Twitter, too (so that’s 1-2 hours on each app a day). But honestly, my problem, was Instragam. Let’s just say after praying about Instagram, God convicted me of the amount of time I was spending on there. In the beginning, I decided to just delete the app from my phone. This helped me not get distracted as easily. Especially if you are a digital person like me and use YouVersion’s devotional plans. After about 2 months, I felt that I could install Instagram again onto my phone. It hasn’t been as hard to get distracted by it. It’s a great app and can be used for the glory of God, but I think that a lot of us (me included) have been or are using it in the wrong way.

woman_selfieOne of the things I’ve noticed is that people tend to post a lot of pictures of themselves or what we know to be ‘selfies’. You probably know what I am talking about. You can agree or disagree with me but I just want to share with you what I’ve been thinking.

Just imagine if I walked up to you at church and held out my camera…took a picture of myself…then gave it you? Wouldn’t that seem weird? Not to mention awkward? And then to top it off, I told you to sign it with your signature of  approval…”Like”. We do things on social media that we would never do in real life. Here’s just a few Instagram Photo-Types:

- Kids Doing Lame Stuff.

- Cute Baby Photos in Rapid Succession.

- Delicious Food Photos.

- Disgusting Food Photos.

- Self Portraits.

- Landscapes, Cityscapes and Travel Photos.

- Fingers and Toes. (why oh why?!)

- Clocks and Weather.

We can post countless pictures of ourselves smiling or eating or whatever and feel totally normal about it. I’m not saying its wrong…(I have some up myself). What I am saying is…when you look at it from an different perspective, doesn’t this seem a bit strange to you? I came across this quote on gotquestions.org and thought they summarized it pretty well.

Christians should be aware of the danger of the narcissism (excessive self-love and preoccupation with self) inherent in self-oriented sites. Studies have shown that overuse or wrong motives in social media participation can breed narcissism. When we rely on social media sites primarily to promote ourselves or draw attention to ourselves, it is time to take a step back.

Narcissism is the term used in psychology to describe a preoccupation with self. It is a Greek term taken from the name of the mythological Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image and was doomed to die because he would not turn away from it. A narcissist is a person who displays a high level of selfishness, vanity, and pride. He sees everything from a “how does this affect me?” perspective. Empathy is impossible for the narcissist because his only perspective is the one centered on self.

Besides the issue of social media in general being a time-waster, I think narcissism can be one of our biggest problems. We post pictures of ourselves and wait. For what? Wait for the compliments to flow in. Why? So that we feel good—(who doesn’t love it when people tell them how pretty or beautiful they look?) Just double-tap it and it adds another number next to the little heart. But could these selfies be another way we are focusing our attention and time on ourselves rather than focusing on God? I can’t help but think of this verse:

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

  • Do I spend more time on Instagram than I do in God’s word?
  • Is Instagram being used as a tool to promote God or just myself?
  • What is my goal within Instagram and posting a “selfie”?

I think Instagram is a great app. But I want to challenge you to take a step back and evaluate your time and what you post on Instagram, like I did. When I stepped back, I noticed there were definitely some things wrong with it in my own life. But don’t get me wrong…I still love Instagram!

So…what do you girls think about Instagram? Share your thoughts.

Karina Lopez

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Who/What is your Ultimate?

Posted on November 26, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Contentment. This has been the theme that the Lord is working out in me over the past weeks, months, years of my life. At times, contentment is so hard for me. What I have been reminded of through the awesomeness of Kelly Minter’s study, No Other Gods is that sometimes discontent is a direct result of jealousy and bitterness.  I agree with Kelly in that, “I’m not sure I hate any feeling more than when I’ve overcome with jealousy.”  It’s a cycle that I often see in my life, I start to compare myself to those around me, which leads to jealousy, which makes me discontent with who I am and where God has me.

The story of Leah, Rachel and Jacob is one that screams jealousy and discontent. If you haven’t read that story take some time to do so in Genesis 29 and 30. I will try my best to summarize it for you. Jacob loved Rachel and Rachel was beautiful. Jacob worked 7 years in order to marry Rachel.  But instead of Rachel, Laban (Rachel’s dad) gave Jacob Leah, who was the older sister. Jacob still desired Rachel and did not love Leah,  so he agreed to work another 7 years in order to make Rachel his wife (this shows how much Jacob loved Rachel). As any woman can imagine this type of relationship was hard. Leah knew Jacob loved Rachel more and tried her hardest to make him pay her some sort of attention. Rachel on the other hand, had the love of Jacob but was not able to have children. However, Leah could have children. You can only imagine the jealousy that took place. Leah was jealous of Rachel because Jacob loved her and she was beautiful. Rachel was jealous of Leah because Leah was able to have children. Rachel’s jealousy led her to tell her maidservant to sleep with Jacob in order to provide offspring. Leah’s jealousy led her to barter for a night with her husand in hopes that she would feel loved. The story goes back and forth until the Lord decides to open the womb of Rachel and she has a son named Joseph. At this point, you think, Rachel is going to offer praise to the Lord, she finally has everything she ever longed for (exclusive love of her husband, son she always hoped for and beauty) however we read in Gen. 31:32-35 that this still didn’t satisfy her, as she was stealing household gods and hiding them in her pockets. Rachel was not content, even though she achieved what she thought would make her content.

This amazes me but also reasonates with my soul. I too have been like Rachel, saying to myself when I get ___________ or when I am _________, then I will be happy and content. And at times, like Rachel I did achieve those things I thought would make me happy and they did for a period of time. But those things, those people, they never have and never will satisfy my soul forever like the love and relationship of my Savior.  Because those things are fleeting and those people will dissapoint. It may sound cliche and simple, but the Lord is whispering in my ear daily, “But Holli my love for you will never fade away and I will never dissapoint.” Now there have been plenty of times in my life that I have been disappointed but like Kelly Minter said, “Yet when you encounter Him and begin to take Him at His words through obedience, His name doesn’t mean easy answers but power and love and life sustaining freedom.”

Another truth that Kelly stated (ya’ll you have to read her studies!) that I wanted to share is, “The point is that it doesn’t matter if you have it all and get everything your heart desires, or if you are left wanting and unloved. Neither works. The two women had vastly differnt circumstances, yet both were left hungy. Why? Because God was not their ultimate. Good things like husbands and children and social status were the ultimate things, and in the end they were not enough.”

they. were. not. enough. Jesus is enough! I have been challenged to dig deep and ask the Lord to reveal to me those things in my life that I am making the “ultimate” over Him (some may be good things even). I pray that I get those “idols” out of my life so I can  be content in the only One who will truly satisfy, by making Him The Ultimate in every aspect of  my life.

Holli Howard

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Get to Know – Kim

Posted on November 10, 2012 by | 1 Comment

1. What was your life and attitudes before following Christ?

I feel like I sound like a broken record, especially when sharing my testimony in front of most Christians.. I was raised in a Christian home.  I don’t remember much of life before I got saved, because I “prayed the prayer” – honestly believing now that I meant it – when I was 5.  I can tell you if I was anything like I was during my teenage years, I was a strong-willed child.

2. How did you come to know Christ as your Savior?

I came to know Christ through my preacher and my kindergarten teacher.  I went to a Christian school, Mrs. Crum was a good example of kindness to me.  I remember walking up front with my Dad after the sermon and telling Elder Gibbs that I wanted to trust in Jesus.  I got baptized a week later.  I don’t remember the day or the prayer or anything, but I know today that it isn’t a prayer or action that saves you, but grace through faith and shown by the indwelling of the Spirit and the works of the gospel in your life.  That is how I know I’m a believer today.      My life didn’t radically change then, but as I grew in my knowledge of the Bible,  of God, of my sin – the Spirit continued to transform me – and still has a great work on His hands!

3. How has Christ changed your life and how are you developing that relationship with Him?

Christ changes my life daily.  To make it really personal now: I am relatively a newlywed, we have a 6 wk old newborn son, and we just moved to a new state to start a new ministry.  Talk about stressful.  Its been a while since I was in a daily habit of having a formal quiet time.  My quiet times comes in reading in between crying babies, hearing my husband read Deuteronomy aloud before we go to bed, listening to the songs and preached word in worship on Sunday morning, praying to keep myself from going crazy when my son cries all day or is awake all night.

4. Can you share with us your experience with singleness and how this has influenced your writing in OurSinglePurpose?

I was single for 34.5 years before marrying my wonderful husband.  The years taught me to be patient and to wait on God’s best.  I didn’t want to have a life of dating around, but let me tell you that ten years without even a handful of dates, definitely stings.  But, one of the last verses that was shared to me in my singleness still applies to me as a wife and mother today: He is a Sun and Shield, no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.  I knew that if God had marriage for me, then He would bring it.  If not, than marriage was not for my good.  I loved my single days for the most part – writing, traveling, hanging out with friends, living on my schedule, moving a few times, seminary, etc.  And I want to share with OSP writers that the Word is applicable to every part of our lives at every stage of our lives.

Kimberly Campbell

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My friend’s kids

Posted on July 30, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

Not too long ago, I came home from work tired from a long day and probably looking pretty ragged.  The neighborhood kids were riding their bikes in the street in front of my house and they rode by me as I was checking my mail. And how was I greeted? “Miss Carrie! You’ve got grey hair!” …thank you, little missy. I tried to pretend like I didn’t hear her, but alas, she had to make sure I knew that I do, in fact, have some grey hair. So this time I playfully sneered at her that “I don’t even have kids to blame it on!” She just grinned and rode off—her mission of age awareness accomplished. The sun must have been shining just right on my silvery highlights for her to make such a fuss over my tresses.

I’ve had my share of fun with these kids. Last summer, I was stealthily ambushed with water guns as I was outside tending to my plants. Their little squirt guns were no match for my watering hose… I loved hearing their screams of glee as they retreated! There have been other various happenings where I’ve “ooh’d” and “ahh’d” over their ability to jump over the sidewalk or show me a little flower they’ve found or accept some homemade candles they’ve made for me. One evening, I had a knock on my door and opened to a couple of the little girls holding a fish bowl. Their mom told me that they wanted me to take care of their “fishy” while they were out of town because they thought I might be lonely and he could keep me company.  I must admit it was nice to have someone to come home to.

I must be a kind of anomaly to these youngsters—a woman around their mom’s age without any kids or a husband. They find me very intriguing. And I don’t mind. I love them. I enjoy all their questions…most of the time. Questions like: Can I water your plants? Why are you not married? Do you get lonely? Are you a grown up? Why do you have shoes on? Where are you going? Can I come?

Recently, I’ve been asking some questions, too, like “What’s next for me? Will this be the year that my prayers for a family of my own start to be answered? Will there be new friends or new adventures? Will I get to travel or have more ministry opportunities?” My life is so very different than the lives of my friends who have married and now have children. My days are full of work, ministry, study, research, and fellowship with friends. I’m really too busy to be lonely most of the time. But as each year goes by, it becomes a more noticeable reality that I have more grey highlights and I’m still not married.

I’m not complaining though. I enjoy my solitary life (though solitary may not be the right word, I have many wonderful friends and family who take care of me) and on most days, I truly see my singleness as a gift from the Lord. I am able to do many things that I would not be able to do if I had the responsibilities of a husband and kids. But I do get lonely sometimes, and dislike some of the consequences of not having a prince charming around, like trying to open tightly closed jars, having to take out the trash when it’s full and killing my own spiders (while, admittedly, screaming, throwing things and jumping up and down).

But if I had all the responsibilities of a family of my own I would not be the oddity that brings the neighborhood kids around nor would I have the time, or maybe even desire, to make friends with them. I’ve even had the chance to delve into some spiritual conversations with one of the little girls while she was “helping” me weed my flowers. Sometimes the ache for a son or daughter of my own takes over my heart, but it only lasts for a little while until I can remind myself of God’s goodness and grace to me in this season of life. And then I conveniently remember that the thought of being responsible for another human being actually scares me to death.  So I’m thankful for this chapter of life where I am able to give of my time and love to my friends and their kids. And then be able to retreat into my quiet, cozy, little home.

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home…” Psalm 68:5-6

(This post was previously posted on Surprised by Love | Neighborhood kids)

Carrie Pickelsimer

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No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern-Day Idols by Kelly Minter

Posted on July 26, 2012 by | 4 Comments
Image
When some people think of idols, they may think of the statue gods that are worshipped in the Old Testament. However, “No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern-Day Idols,” by Kelly Minter gives a fresh perspective to idolatry, and reveals what idols today could be hindering one’s relationship with the Lord.  This book is challenging for believers and non-believers alike. For the non-believer, it teaches about the one true God and how how there is no other god but Jesus Christ. For the believer, it helps remind us of what things in our life have been made more important than our relationship with God.

 

At the beginning of the book, Kelly describes a visit she had to a museum, and how one stone statue caught her eye. She immediately questioned how people could put trust and belief into a stone. That is when the Lord revealed to her that she does it all the time, just with different things.  Minter states, “If I could display the images that splashed through my mind, you would have seen that statue turn into familiar faces from my life, career paths, and dreams. Not necessarily bad things, just things that had become detrimental because I had exalted them as gods, things that I believed could bring me life.”

 

 One of my favorite parts in the book was when Kelly told the stories of Leah and Rachel who were two sisters from the Bible. Leah spent her life trying to gain the affections of Jacob because she continually felt unloved and wanted the kind of affection from him that Rachel had. However, Rachel spent her life discontent because she wanted lots of kids like Leah had, and lived her life jealous and unsatisfied because that desire was not fulfilled (to read more of Rachel and Leah’s story go to Genesis 29:31-30:24). The desire to be loved by a husband or a desire for children are not bad desires, and ones that all women can relate to. Although, when such desires are our primary source of satisfaction then they become false gods that never satisfy. Throughout the book, Minter helps readers recognize what these false gods are in their life and then draws them to the ultimate source of satisfaction which is Jesus Christ.

 

I highly enjoyed reading this book, and was challenged greatly. Kelly wrote in such a way that made me feel I was sitting and having coffee with her discussing God and life.  It was hard in parts because it convicted me of things in my life that I had made into idols, but helped grow my relationship with the Lord tremendously.  As mentioned earlier, our idols may not be bad in and of themselves, but anything that is elevated and made more important than Christ is considered a false god. Some examples in your life could be relationships, family, financial security, private hopes and dreams, etc; but as John Calvin states, “The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want, but that we want it too much.”  Take some time today and ask the Lord to show you what things in your life that you are putting before Him and allow your relationship with Him be the most important thing in your life above all else.

 

For more information on Kelly Minter and to purchase this book, visit her website here.

Amelia McNeilly

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I am gonna STOP

Posted on May 11, 2012 by | 5 Comments

I am writing this with tears in my eyes. Yep, it’s one of those nights. I am feeling sorry for myself. Why am I still single? What is wrong with me? Why is God seemingly withholding a blessing from me? Why do I feel so lonely and discontent?

BUT…Ya know what?…This is what I am gonna do about it:

I AM GONNA STOP.

STOP crying, STOP wondering if I am pretty enough, STOP wondering if I am too boring, STOP questioning God’s will for my life, STOP rerunning old relationships in my mind, STOP trying to figure out what I could be doing different, STOP looking for the man of my dreams, STOP focusing on myself, STOP trying to have my future planned, STOP comparing my life to my married friends, STOP fantasizing about my husband, STOP dreaming about my non-existent children, STOP allowing hurtful comments about my singlness get to me, STOP torturing myself with all this crazyness, and most importantly…

STOP ALLOWING SATAN TO HAVE THE UPPER HAND!

I AM GONNA STOP! Will you?

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”.

Colossians 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God”.

Marlana Kaye

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