I believe #5

Happy Thing of the Day: Super long naps

I believe #5! Here we go:

I believe that God can do the impossible, but doesn't have to.

This one strikes a nerve with most non-believers, and I would say, even some believers.  God does have the power to do all things.  Nothing can stop Him.  Nothing.

I see so often on social media, non-believers posting terrible stories about children locked in closets, children dying at the hands of people claiming their treatment of the children was "God's will".  They post these for two reasons: either to show us believers how terrible our God is, or as proof that one doesn't exist.  After all, how can a merciful and loving God put His children through such pain?  How can a loving Creator make things like tornadoes, hurricanes, or any natural disaster?  How can He kill so many people?  How can He let murderers and rapists commit crimes?

The answer to all of these is both simple and complicated at the same time.  He can stop all of these things, and I believe many of them are circumstantial.  I believe that when natural disasters happen (which scientists are pretty good at explaining how they happened, let's not jump to God being evil, alright?), it brings people so much closer together.  People of all beliefs reach out to help their fellow man, across cities, states, countries, the world.  He sees the love that comes from such devastation, how can He deny us the beauty of the aftermath? As awful and depressing as these things are to watch, watching what comes after is so glorious.  Did God send these storms to smite us? I sincerely doubt it.

As far as acts of mankind, this one is pretty easy.  He gave us free will.. End of story.  God created man, God gave man the ability to think, to make his own choices, and to act on them as they please.  Enter in super terrible human beings.  Why would God have given us the ability to make our own choices if He was going to interfere every time we make a wrong one?  That's just more paper work to do!  Obviously God doesn't have paper work, but you get where I'm going.  If Hew as going to stop every wrong decision, then why give us the ability to do so?  I have a few moments in my life story that get pretty dark and twisty.  Some of them I did to myself, some of them were done to me by other people.  I can honestly say I have hit rock bottom.  Could God have stopped some of these terrible things? Of course.  Am I glad that He didn't? Oh ya!

Had I not gone through some of these storms, had I not had to rely on God, to lean on Him to get through these dark and twisty moments, I wouldn't know His amazing grace, His incredible love, and His mercy.  I have learned through these crazy dark moments that I can overcome just about anything as long as I believe that my Lord and Savior is going to bring me out on the other side.

When a child dies at the hands of man, that man will pay the ultimate price.  Our actions have consequences that will play out both here on Earth and for eternity.  I believe that when these tragedies happen to any of God's children- rape, murder, starvation, abuse, and the list goes on- that His heart breaks.  That He weeps for our pain and seeks to comfort us.  I have felt the hug of God in scary times, and I mean scary.  I believe that it was His love and comfort that ended those terrible things, that healed my broken heart and brought me to a place of peace.  It brought me to the place where I needed to seek Him again, and start this blog and find out how amazing He could make my heart feel.  My soul is bursting with His love and I know that it was those trials that I went through that brought me to this place of happiness.

God has the power to do all things, but, if He can find a way to make His plans known, to change the
direction of the path with giant red blinking arrows pointing toward Him when we steer away, He will.  Man makes mistakes, and God has to find a way to fix them, not to interfere with them.

I believe #4

Happy Thing of the Day: sleeping until you can sleep no more

More I believes! I'm going for 10!

I believe Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven,

Since Easter was just a couple of days ago, I feel like with the general premise of this blog, it is important for me to to acknowledge a couple of things I believe about God.  So here we go...Easter.

I believe, to my very core, that God sent His one and only son to die for my sins.  I believe that His son died on the cross, and that 3 days later, He rose again.  I believe that He paid the ultimate price for my sins, to save me, and came back to show just how awesome our God is.

Many non-believers have a lot of problems with just about everything that happens in the Bible, and really just every day things that believers believe.  But we're going to focus on two very "impossible" things that they have the biggest problem with.

Jesus was conceived by immaculate conception.  He was born of a virgin. Impossible? Okay, biologically, sure that probably is "impossible".  With the exception of a virgin being artificially inseminated, this pretty much could never happen.  But since when does that stop God?  To be a believer means simply that, to believe.  If you do not have faith in God then yes, this is going to sound ridiculous, impossible, and makes all us Christians sound like we are cuckoo for cocoa puffs.  We believe in the impossible.  We believe that our God is so incredible, so amazing, so powerful that He can do ANYTHING.  He makes the impossible possible.  So yes, we believers truly believe that Jesus was born of a virgin to save us all.

Many non-believers have a very hard time grasping Easter as well.  A guy dies on a cross and comes back to life three days later...impossible? Sure.  For God, no big deal.  This is not the first time the dead has been brought back to life (in the Bible anyway). Both in the Old and New Testaments, people have been raised from the dead by miracles from God.  God can  do the impossible, but He is not required to do so,

we'll get to that in a later post.

I believe that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for us all.  Many of my Atheist friends have issues with this, mostly the parents. They claim that no one could give up a child for a sacrifice, that no loving parent can put their child through the torture that Jesus endured, send them to Hell, for the resurrection of all. Well, that's just it, the sacrifice had to be one of immense meaning.  This had to be a sacrifice from God, not from man.  The only thing God had to sacrifice was His own child.  The torture He endured was a product of man, not a product of God.  Jesus KNEW this was what He needed to do.  He knew that in order for no man to ever die again, a pure and true sacrifice must be paid, and it was done by God's own blood.  God paid for our sins.  Here is where some Christians debate.  Are God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit 3 in 1, or are the separ
ate entities.  I won't get into that debate, but if you believe the 3 in 1 doctrine, then really God sacrificed himself, I am not sure which is true, but that is one way to look at it.

I do not think this was an evil act of God, I think it is beyond the most incredible act of love.  I believe on the third day, He had gathered the souls and sent them to be with their Father, and then came back to show God's amazing power.  That not even death can stop Him, and that we no longer have to fear death, that we will spend eternity in paradise with Him.  I believe this to my very core.  I believe this regardless of the proofs you have that this is impossible, I believe this even if you think it makes me naive and crazy.  I am a believer, I believe that God's one and only son came and saved me because He loves me!

I believe #3

Happy Thing of the Day: Fiances that spoil you rotten (like by buying you a new car....yep, that's me!!)

Here's day three of "I believe".  Today is so close to my heart, and it will be extremely present in this post.

I believe there is nothing more important than friendship

I know that many of you will disagree with me on this one, at least at first.  I promise though, if you hang in with me until the end, you might not think that way anymore.

When I say that I believe nothing is more important than friendship, I mean that with my deepest most being.  Friendship is the thing of miracles, of life changing, life improving wonderfulness.  Absolutely nothing can change your life like friendship, NOTHING!

I know that many people will say, "but family is so much more important", or "wait, the Jesus girl isn't putting God in that sentence"....and both would be correct.

Why does "friendship" have to define only non-blood related human beings?  Why is that the definition of "friend" that so many of us use in our vocabulary.  Why can't a friend encompass so much more than that?  To me, there are so many categories of friendship that it cannot truly be defined at all.

Perfect example...this lady pictured to the right.  This lady is my grandma Judy.  Is is, if you don't mind my gloating, the world's most incredible grandma.  This woman lives and breathes her grandchildren, and I must say, I know I get a little bit of special treatment because I'm the only granddaughter.  She and I have a relationship that cannot be touched by ANYONE!  I have shared almost every secret I have with this woman.  I would say the vast majority of conversations we have start with the phrase "don't tell mom, but...".  I am incredibly lucky, because I can honestly say that my grandma is one of my best friends.  I can talk to her for hours without running out of topics of conversation.  She knows exactly what I need, at exactly the precise moment.  This is a friendship I could not imagine my life without!

Then we get to the part about God.  A "relationship" with God means nothing without having a friendship with Him first.  Yes, He is my Father, my Maker, and my Redeemer, but He is also my Friend.  I can have conversations with Him like I can my best friend.  I sarcastically look up to the sky and ask Him "was that really necessary?" or "okay, I get it!".  I can trust my Maker because I have a deeper relationship with Him than just simply He is the one that created me and watches over me. He is the friend I can go to in my darkest hour, when I am lost and on a path that scares the living day lights out of me.  That friend comes and rescues me where I'm at.  He finds me and holds my hand, telling me everything will be alright.  Following God without knowing Him as closely and as honestly as a friend does, means you are blindly following a master, rather than walking beside Him as a Guide and Friend.

Then we get to friendship.  Can you honestly picture a world in which you didn't have friends outside of your family....YIKES. Sounds scary. Friendship is so necessary to survive.  I have had some incredible friendships throughout my life.  Some that have lasted for years and years.  There are so many levels a friendship can reach if you put in the time and emotions that it requires.  Someone knowing the scariest, darkest, most broken parts of you, but also knowing the parts that shine with joy, that kind of person in your life is essential.  Friendships help us grow, help us live, and most importantly, help us love.  Life without friendship seems so pointless.  I cannot begin to fathom my life without these ladies, they are some of the most important people in my life, and I am honored to call them my friends.

Friendship is essential, it is required, it is by far, the most important thing you can have in your life.  Just don't let walls block in your definition of friendship, because it will leave you with the possibility of so many more friendships being able to enter into your heart and change you!

I believe #2

Happy Thing of the day: Snuggles with the most amazing man on the planet. Beyond perfection!

Here's #2 on the "I believe" journey, don't know how many there will be, but I hope they're good ones!

I believe you are meant to do something, but that something can change.

This one hits home for me pretty hard.  Let's start with the back story:

For as long as I can remember, the only thing I ever wanted to "be when I grew up" was a teacher.  I have always worked well with kids of all ages, am beyond obsessed with learning, and love when I can teach someone something I know. I love sharing knowledge!

For a while, the only thing that changed was the subject I wanted to teach.  When I was little, it was math (what in the world was I thinking?!).  Then it was English, then history, and finally by senior year it evolved to music.  I was so excited to start learning to be a music teacher.  I was so positively influenced by my music teachers over the years, I couldn't wait to join them!  Then I had a "mid-life crisis" at age 19 and realized the music thing was not going to happen.

So then I became an Elementary Ed major.  My love for teaching grew to an unimaginable passion.  And then life happened yet again and my GPA plummeted to the point of no return, and I had to switch majors yet again, but only temporarily, I still had a plan to become a teacher, it was just a route with a lot of detours.  But I knew I'd get there eventually.  Finally, college graduation seemed to become a pipe dream, and I decided not to finish college (or at least take some time off).  My dream of being a teacher was diminishing by the second.

Then the amazing happened, I got my job at WyoTech and I fell in love.  It was the world's best job.  I loved the instructors, the other staff, and especially the students.  I never had a morning where I didn't want to go to work. Flash forward a year, and corporate decided to get rid of my position.  Lame.  My fiance then got me a job where he worked, The Cathedral Home for Children.  Yet again, I was working with "kids", sure at WyoTech I was working mostly with 18-19 year old's or older, but still, I was working with students.  I finally realized, I didn't have to be a teacher to use my talents with "kids".

Now, to my point- using your talents is not defined by a specific career.  I thought for the longest time that I had to be a teacher, that being a teacher was what I was put on this Earth to do.  WRONG.  I was mereal job would eventually be becoming a mom.  I'm pretty excited for when that happens, though I am okay if that takes a few years.
ant to work with students.  With "kids" who need to learn something.  Whether I am actually teaching them, or helping them succeed in their current situation,  I was meant to be with kids.  This is also when I realized my

Just because your heart desires a specific thing to do with your life, doesn't mean that's exactly what it has to be.  Would I still be an amazing teacher? Of course.  Am I happy as long as I am working with students? YEP!  My passion is not only "teaching" but it's kids! That's where my heart needs to be to be full and happy.  That's what I need to be doing to use my potential.  And that gives me SO many options of what I can do with my life!  Working with kids is such an enormously broad topic it's incredible, and I have all of those options for what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.

I believe that you were meant to do something, but don't limit where that something can take you.  Don't be so focused on that one specific thing that you forget that your talents can be used in so many different ways.  If your thing is technology, you don't have to be a programmer.  If your thing is math, you don't have to be a mathematician.  If your thing is kids, you don't have to be a teacher.  Find the place that fills your passion, find the job that fills your heart with glee, THAT is where you belong.  Try different areas until you find your niche.  Being happy doing something that uses your talents is what God intended, but he didn't mean you had to have something specific to set your mind on.  Let your dreams take you on an adventure!  You'll be amazed where it can take you!

I believe...

Happy Thing of the Day: a hot cup of tea when you're sick! perfection!

Have you ever heard the song "Affirmation" by Savage Garden? If not, I highly recommend it.  It's actually quite the inspiring song, if you take the time to really listen to the lyrics. So that you can get the gist of it, here is the chorus:

I believe in Karma, what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

Essentially, the entire song is a bunch of "I believe" statements, some of which are so incredibly true, they almost strike you down and make you think deeply about life in general.  You've got to love songs that can impact you, it's just wonderful.

I have this song on a playlist I've been frequently playing in my car as of late, and it got me thinking, what do I believe? Other than the obvious, if you read my blog, that I believe in God, what do I value? What do I "believe"? How have these things shaped my life? When something hits you this hard, especially in what I must define as a hiccup point in life, it makes you evaluate where you stand and where that will lead you.  So here goes, just a couple of "I believe"s to get you thinking for the next couple of posts.  Here's the first one!

I believe that EVERYONE has the right to love whomever they choose in the way that they choose.

This is a big one for me.  Whether you are talking about marriage or not, what "rights" people have, or what is "social acceptable" or "religiously correct", no one should be told it is not "okay" to love someone else.  Regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and the like, if person A is in love with person B, LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE! Why does everyone feel the need to judge and pick apart the way people love.  Everyone has a "type", everyone has a laundry list, so to speak, of qualities that they desire in their person.  I say "their person" because I do NOT believe you need to be married to have a true and deep commitment of "forever".  Even though the path Wade and I have chosen is one that begins with "I Do", and yes, many things in life are easier if you have that one piece of paper that says you are legally bound to this person, "forever" does not require two rings and a piece of paper...it just doesn't.  Despite the fact that I cannot wait to call Wade my husband in conversation, I know that my feelings for him will not change once I put that ring on his finger.  I do not know if it's possible for me to love him more, but I know I wouldn't love him less if we weren't getting married.

I also know that when people say "It doesn't bother me if they're together, but I don't agree that they should be able to get legally married", it's okay. People have different opinions on different things, and you judging and criticizing them for their "closed mindedness" or "prejudice" is just as bad as when people say that it's "unnatural" to love ___________ if you're __________. I would just like to point out I didn't put a gender there, because people call LOTS of different combinations of people in love "unnatural", not just ones pertaining to sexual orientation.  Before I make this next statement let's make one thing clear; I am 100% behind gay marriage.  Hands down, totally has my support.  However, for all you LGBTQ folks out there reading this, you are NOT the only ones being told you shouldn't be together/ be able to get married.  Though legally I have always had the right to marry Wade, not everyone has always supported our choice in being together.  Once it got to the point where Wade was down on one knee asking me to marry him, everyone was pretty much on board.  But we both heard a lot of "you shouldn't be with that kind of person", we still, on occasion, hear this from certain people.  Though we are not being "persecuted" by the masses, we were by a small clump of people there for a while.  I have friends who still, in 2014, get called racial slurs for being an "oreo" baby (as most of my friends call themselves).  Really, didn't we get over this about 50 years ago? Oh, woops, not everyone got that memo.  This is a battle that is still continuously fought.  If EVERYONE was just a tiny bit more accepting of differing views, we would have a lot less issues in this wonderful country we live in.  Now, does that mean I think the government should be able to dictate who gets married? Of course not.  But let's just say gay marriage passed in all 50 states...in 50 years, there will still be those people who are not comfortable with that situation....and that should be okay as long as they are not judging your choice.  And no, those aren't the same thing!

To sum up, if you are a boy, and you like another boy, awesome, I couldn't be happier for you.  If you are not entirely comfortable with this type of relationship, but don't object to them holding hands and smooching as they walk down the street, THANK YOU.  Thank you for being honest, and for not judging others.  Again, just because they have a different opinion than you, does not mean they are bad people or that they are judging you. Do I think people can have their own opinion, regardless of if they agree with me? OF COURSE! Would I rather not get the judging eyes when people find out Wade and I will have lived together for over two years by the time we get married? Absolutely.  But there are those people out there who have looked me in the eye and said,"I don't really think you should live with someone before you get married, but honestly if that's what works for your relationship then do what makes your life happy and easy".  Those people, though they all have their own way of saying it, informed me that they disagree with my life choice, but are not going to think less or differently of me for that choice.  That is the very definition of having a differing opinion without judgement.  THAT'S what needs to happen.  The presence of a different opinion in conjunction with a statement of understanding and acceptance, and without a statement of judgement.


Go love whomever you want to love.  Go live with, marry, just BE with that person that completes you.  Forget the judgments and just be happy in love and accept people for their differences!