Teacups and Toasters

Your adornment must not be merely external–braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;  but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:3-4

Yesterday was a really good day. It just was. Partycake was exceptionally well behaved. Everything was smooth. Everything had a tinge of sweetness.  And LOST, well, perhaps that was the only downer to the day because it was so short of an episode.  Really, though, I found myself thinking throughout the day that there were certain qualities present that just aren’t always there. Rather, they are, but I’m not.

I’m not at all a fan of self-promotion-feel good- you are your own god books, but I do think the outlook you give to any given day, does help.

Yesterday easily could’ve been mundane. Grocery shopping. Laundry. Cooking. All that jazz. But waking up and giving it a,  let’s do this right, kind of mentality was really worthwhile. I love my family and am trying really hard to have a gentle and quiet spirit, the kind pleasing to God, on a daily basis. This is tough for me, but not as tough as it once was. Having this goal has really strengthened relationships. Quiet doesn’t mean that I let Partycake get away with whatever and that if I disagree with my beloved that I don’t tell him. It just means that I don’t freak and talk crazy smack. I suppose Gentle is the real key word.

Anyways, yesterday was a good day. Today was too. Tomorrow is yet to be seen, but the forecast is nice anyway.

I cannot refrain from saying within and without;

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty

Who Was and IS and IS to come!”

Revelation 4:8

This post is a little personal. However, I was reading a passage in 1 Corinthians recently and it re-enforced something that I already knew. It was something that I needed to hear again and I know that I’m not the only one that can directly benefit from it.

When I was in middle school and high school, I had some serious self-image issues. This is not an uncommon thing for girls and perhaps guys experience it in some ways too. Media bombards us with images of what is considered beautiful, attractive, sexy, etc. etc. And unfortunately, it seems that a lot of people base their opinions of others and of themselves on what the media says is hot. It’s hard not to. I never really based my opinions of others on what the media said, but it sure didn’t help me when I looked at myself in the mirror.

I’ve always been tiny. I think perhaps the Scottish based legends and myths on the appearance of my ancestors. People used to think I was about five years younger than I actually was. I remember specifically, an instance wherein, I went out to eat with my parents and one of my friends. When we were seated the waitress brought my parents and friend regular glasses and she gave me a kids cup with a lid. I was around fourteen.

(Embarassing, but true!)

The issue with being a tiny person never went away. I struggle to maintain a healthy weight even though I eat like a shark. I just have to deal with it and I’ve learned to deal with it. Yet, I didn’t learn to deal with it via some self-promotional, inner-awareness book. I didn’t learn to love me. I’ve learned to deal with me and work to make myself more like my Creator. In doing so, I’ve learned a very very glad thing.  One day my Creator, Jesus Christ, will give me a new body, that He has designed just for me. Certainly, He designed the one that I reside in now, but it’s only a temporal one. He’s got an eternal one for me and for all who call on Him.

“But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”

³⁶You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;

³⁷and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else.

³⁸But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.

³⁹All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.

⁴⁰There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.

⁴¹There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

⁴²So also is the resurrection of the dead It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;

⁴³it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;

⁴⁴it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

1 Corinthians 15

When we die, we will shed our earthly bodies, as if shedding a coat and with Christ we will reside. We have a spiritual body. Though it may resemble the former, it will be heavenly and is not the same one that we now wear.

***NOTE:  (DO NOT SEEK DEATH! If you are unhappy with your body image, death is not the answer. God holds the plans for our life here on Earth and He has given us our earthly bodies for a reason, whether, or not we like them. Believe it, or not God wants us to enjoy being in them. Check your five senses. He gave them for good reasons.)

We should take care of the bodies that we have because they are to be a temple to the living God, but don’t take care of it in vanity. Don’t spend much time worrying over the size and shape and complexion. Be content and know that your Creator has made you beautiful.

Seemingly, there are many articles about  New Year’s resolutions out and about this week, especially today. I’ve never liked New Year’s resolutions and have made very few of them. The ones I did make, I don’t remember triumphantly keeping. Perhaps a better way of handling things is to

A.) not wait for a new year

and

B.) realize what our weaknesses are daily- so that we can deal with them.

We all have weaknesses. Some serious and some silly, yet even the silliest can cause major problems. A couple of my silly weaknesses are Disney pins- look shiny!, random t-shirts, and decaf -soy- gingerbread- lattes. Yup. If I bought all three of those silly things on a regular basis, my bank account would be non-existent. I have to handle those weaknesses by only occasionally making purchases that satisfy my silliness.  By not drinking decaf- soy- gingerbread- lattes on a regular basis, I don’t need them on a regular basis. I don’t let myself get used to having them. I limit my Disney pin purchasing to one per trip. That might be a little extreme. Yet, that one pin will be something that will be a reminder of what was special about that particular trip.  And, by limiting my purchase to just one, if I happen to see another one online that I truly like during the year, I could potentially purchase it without feeling too guilty that I spent ten bucks on a little, tiny piece of metal.

I think that even if money were of no object, I’d have to be without a conscious to spend in silliness,while being aware of so many neighboring me who are struggling to get their next meal.

My point- don’t wait for New Year’s Eve to make a promise to yourself that will be near impossible to keep. Instead, search yourself; find your weaknesses both serious and silly. Figure out a way to sharpen yourself by overcoming those weaknesses. You may not be able to overcome a weakness in a year, but the only way to be true to yourself is to start trying. Silly promises made on a whim with a mere wish for a foundation, won’t get you very far. A prayer for a foundation will be of help, just remember that God gave you an awesome tool – your brain- and He’ll help you use it wisely if you seek to.

Lately, I’ve found myself accumulating bitty headaches and major heartaches. Both of which, can easily leave anyone feeling jaded. I’m sharing this minute personal information because there is a great need for restoration in the soul when this happens. If we don’t take time to be restored, we’ll become noticeably shabby.

In a little over a week, after being closed for most of the year, Space Mountain at Disney World will be officially open again. It has gone through a lengthy refurbishment that was long overdue. It’s been given new sequences, paint, in queue games to play, new cars, and a new, yet duplicate track.  It’s been brought to the 21st century, so to speak. From what I’ve heard through chatter on twitter and the blog realm, the soft openings have not been disappointing to the few  able to experience them. It’s the classic ride everyone loved – all shined up. And there are a lot of people that cannot wait to experience the roller-coasters restoration.

We as individuals, may not have a mass amount of people lining up at our doorstep to witness our restoration when it comes, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Actually, I think any persons restoration is far more significant than that of an old roller coaster (no matter how fun they say it is).

So, how do we go about restoring ourselves? Well, I like to sit down with a cup of coffee and a pumpkin muffin, which does leave my tummy feeling a bit warm and happy. Still, my soul can only be restored through God’s word. In one of the most quoted Psalms (Psalm 23) it says, “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.”  He, Christ, alone can restore our souls. All the headaches and heartaches will only sit at bay, waiting to return, if we do not seek full restoration through the risen Savior.  Grant it, you will still have troubles, perhaps even many more, once you accept Christ into your life, but you’ll be on that path for His namesake, and one day there will be rest, AND even better… your soul will feel restored. There may not be fireworks, or a glowing aura of light in the moment you find Him, but your soul will know it has been restored. The heaviness of headaches and heartaches will be lifted. He carried the weight of the cross, so that you don’t have to.

Restore and rest.

Explaining the Trinity is seriously tough. Very often in my work I am needing to explain this concept to children. It’s hard enough as an adult to wrap your mind around 3 beings in 1. For a child it’s even harder. Fortunately, I had the privilege of knowing someone who explained it to me as an adult in a way that made it a little easier to explain to children. If you have trouble with a 3 in 1 perhaps this will help you as well. Please note, I’m just attempting to explain the concept.

Think of an egg. An egg is one thing, yet it has three separate parts. You have the shell, the white, and the yolk. These three separate parts all work together as an egg, yet each have their own qualities.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God, though certainly each have Their own special qualities.

Hope that helps!

Lately, I’ve been reading a bit more than the norm. In a weeks time I read Twilight & The Shack, both of which I would recommend- even though neither are new favorites. The Shack caused me to analyze myself a little, which is in part the purpose it’s author intended and he did quite a nice job of succeeding in that goal. There’s actually a similar goal in a film called The Kingdom of Heaven. Basically, that particular goal is to smack Christians in the face and wake them up. I don’t agree with everything in the film, or even everything in the book, but I do agree on certain points.

The points that I agree on are as follows:

A.  We cannot delude ourselves with our versions of what God should be like.

B. We cannot ignore His presence.

C. We cannot ignore His Word.

D. If we do not do what His Word commands, we’re ignoring His Word.

E. ” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:1-3

Ignoring God’s Word equates to ignoring Christ. One who considers themselves a follower of Christ can’t just read the Word. They have to actually live it, if they are indeed actually following Him.

I’ve also been reading through 1 and 2 Samuel and am now in 1 Kings and it was completely mind boggling at first to wonder at how these kings could actually ignore God after the awesome things that they were witness to and the awesome things that God imparted to them.  Yet, that’s exactly what most followers do. We get so wrapped up in the things of this world and the influences that are just constantly bombarding us that we place the the awesome things that we have been witness to, into the back of our minds. We shut them off.

An awesome thing to witness doesn’t have to be a visual instance (think parting of the Red Sea type instance). It can be simple. Isn’t accepting Christ into your life simple and yet – awesome? Why then do we shut these witnessed moments off?

My theory is this:  We shut off the amazing because sometimes amazing involves frightening. We don’t like things that we can’t explain.  It may be the same with some of you, but I know that I’ve encountered things in my life that I could not explain and continued about my day and then when I would think back on those things I would wonder how it was possible for me to carry on normally. If I hadn’t carried on normally, I probably wouldn’t have known what to do with myself.

What am I getting at?  We should be careful about how we carry on normally. Our normal should involve living in and of His Word. We shouldn’t fear what we can’t explain and we shouldn’t try to explain it away. There is indeed a spiritual battle going on around us all the time. Sometimes we refer to it behind the veil and often we like to think of it as being behind something so that it doesn’t actually concern us, even though it does very much. It actually kind of comforts me though. When I witness something that I cannot explain I know that it’s just part of what is always occurring, yet is unseen. I’m glad to know that God is in control and His Word will guide me in how to deal with what would otherwise be frightening.

Live the Word. Love the Word. Be of the Word.

In the opening to the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament, the prophet is asking God why there are so many horrible things allowed in society. God’s answer beginning in verse 5 was this:

“Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days-  You would not believe if you were told.”

It is so easy to look at the world around us and wonder why so much chaos and so many horrors are allowed to persist. It is an ancient question, but the answer is not a remnant only of old, but is a living answer in our own society. God is doing something. We just may not be able to see it all of the time. After all, our own wisdom is finite and fallible. We may not even be able to process it, if we were told.

Remember:  “He is before all things and through Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

A short list of the things that made me smile most at Walt Disney World:

* The Magical Express driver actually said, “God bless.”

* Partycake meeting her friends and the way it made them so real

* The Crystal Palace experience

* Finding out that the Christmas parade, is still called the Christmas parade

* All the cast members calling Partycake, “Princess.”

* Feeling like a really big, little kid -all the time

* Finally, seeing Tinkerbell fly down from the castle

* Friendly people from all over the world giving up their seats on the bus for Partycake