In first aid and CPR you learn the importance of three words that can mean life or death "Consent to treat." Consent to treat means that you cannot help an adult (even if they are dying) without their permission. If someone is choking and you say "Can I help you?" and they say no, you can call 911 but you cannot give care because they did not give you their permission.
As we think about the importance of Consent to treat physically, we need to realize the importance of consent to treat spiritually and emotionally.
Every day Christ, the Great physician, asks us for permission for treatment, for transformation, and for complete spiritual and emotional healing. Often when we are really struggling, it is easy for us to call out to our Father "heal me, heal me right now" but as Christ begins the healing process, we often say "Stop that hurts" or "Do I really need that treatment?" We say "I'm not ready" or "I like my life the way it is."
Because of Christ's love, He always, always offers us the gift of choice. God is not controlling. If we say stop, He stops. If we ask Him to slow down, He does. He is always gently asking us if He can help us. When we say He can't, He will wait until we are ready.
Often we think that spiritual transformation and emotional healing will be easy and quick. But even in medicine, overcoming diseases takes time and is a battle. Likewise, life transformation and healing sins and brokenness, overcoming scars- it's a process that takes time and can be painful.
Little by little, step by step, day by day, Christ asks us if He can heal us. He stitches our deep cuts and signs "It is finished" over our scars. He performs a blood transfusion showing us that we are no longer slaves under law but saved because of His perfect grace. He takes our bruises and paints over them "You're mine". He takes our hard heart and performs heart surgery putting in new hearts like His. He keeps surgically remaking us, so much so that we don't even look the same, and don't even act the same as our before "old" creation. Sometimes we look back in the mirror and stand amazed at His perfect healing work in our lives. He reminds us that His transformation is slow and that our new bodies- completely disease free- won't be complete until the day He comes again to take us home.
Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
What a loving God we serve- who is willing to heal us whenever we are ready!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
what money means
Money means that I can go to an Adventist university
But my friend around the world can't finish high school
Money means that I get to choose a career and what I would like to study
While others get what they can take: working out in the fields, janitorial work, or fast food for life, barely earning the means for survival
Money means that in the states if you are disabled you still have hope
In other countries, being paralyzed is life termination because nobody has money for that kind of treatment
Money means power- power over your own life.
And sadly enough, power over many others'.
You may not think you are rich. But if you are reading this blog, then you are richer than 3/4ths of the world. You are the wealthy, the privileged, the people who live in "dreamy America". Because you have money (even though you may be a college student that thinks you are in debt) you have a responsibility for how you will use that money.
I want to tell you about one of my friends *Rachel. I met Rachel when I was living in an orphanage in Peru. She was funny and smart and full of life and dreams. She wanted to be a lawyer so she could help bring justice to her country. One day Rachel told me her story. She was born in a little ghetto in Peru and raised in a shack without lighting. When she was about five years old her mom and dad got divorced and her mom told the court that she didn't want anything to do with Rachel. Rachel was left with her dad who didn't care much about Rachel either. Rachel grew up with no food, living in the dark, she would walk outside and beg for a bite to eat or sugar. She would collect the rain from the sky for water and would mix in sugar for food. She was extremely malnourished. Somehow God provided a way for her to enter the local school but life still wasn't good at home. Rachel's dad began abusing her. One day he beat her hard on the face with a belt. Rachel had to go to school that day and everybody saw her scars and asked what happened. After that social services sent Rachel to the orphanage for a couple months but eventually because of lack of orphanage funding they had to send her back to her home with her abusive father.
Rachel messaged me today. Rachel is one of my best friends, one of my little girls. Rachel told me she doesn't have money for school anymore. She told me she wants to get a career and be able to be something in the world but that because she doesn't have 300 pesos ($100) she doesn't know if she can. Rachel asked me for money. She begs me to help her because she doesn't know who she will ask. With only $100 I can help Rachel go to school.
I am torn. I don't know what I should do.
I want to help Rachel go to school but it's not that simple.
But my friend around the world can't finish high school
Money means that I get to choose a career and what I would like to study
While others get what they can take: working out in the fields, janitorial work, or fast food for life, barely earning the means for survival
Money means that in the states if you are disabled you still have hope
In other countries, being paralyzed is life termination because nobody has money for that kind of treatment
Money means power- power over your own life.
And sadly enough, power over many others'.
You may not think you are rich. But if you are reading this blog, then you are richer than 3/4ths of the world. You are the wealthy, the privileged, the people who live in "dreamy America". Because you have money (even though you may be a college student that thinks you are in debt) you have a responsibility for how you will use that money.
I want to tell you about one of my friends *Rachel. I met Rachel when I was living in an orphanage in Peru. She was funny and smart and full of life and dreams. She wanted to be a lawyer so she could help bring justice to her country. One day Rachel told me her story. She was born in a little ghetto in Peru and raised in a shack without lighting. When she was about five years old her mom and dad got divorced and her mom told the court that she didn't want anything to do with Rachel. Rachel was left with her dad who didn't care much about Rachel either. Rachel grew up with no food, living in the dark, she would walk outside and beg for a bite to eat or sugar. She would collect the rain from the sky for water and would mix in sugar for food. She was extremely malnourished. Somehow God provided a way for her to enter the local school but life still wasn't good at home. Rachel's dad began abusing her. One day he beat her hard on the face with a belt. Rachel had to go to school that day and everybody saw her scars and asked what happened. After that social services sent Rachel to the orphanage for a couple months but eventually because of lack of orphanage funding they had to send her back to her home with her abusive father.
Rachel messaged me today. Rachel is one of my best friends, one of my little girls. Rachel told me she doesn't have money for school anymore. She told me she wants to get a career and be able to be something in the world but that because she doesn't have 300 pesos ($100) she doesn't know if she can. Rachel asked me for money. She begs me to help her because she doesn't know who she will ask. With only $100 I can help Rachel go to school.
I am torn. I don't know what I should do.
I want to help Rachel go to school but it's not that simple.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
21 years
Yesterday was my birthday.
20 years of life complete.
As I look back in my life to 20 years?
I have to ask myself what matters?
What really matters in life?
What is the GOLD- the thing worth living for
Or is everything simply meaningless?
The grades I've made, the awards I've received- meaningless
All A's, salutatorian, leadership positions- meaningless
The fun I've had, the places I've visited- meaningless
The things I so often strive for and worry about- meaningless
Yet the relationships God has built
the love He has given me
The ways Christ has lead me
These are priceless
I'm a very type A, always running around, spontaneous, goal driven person and I think something I'm learning about God is that He doesn't care about our accomplishments. He doesn't want us to always be busy and working so much that we don't have time for Him and for relationships. Our life isn't about what we do or what dreams we accomplish. Our life is about relationships between God and with others.I think for me personally, I want to learn to be quieter, to be more still, to be more calm, and to take time to reach out to other people.
One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4
This verse is so simple but it is so difficult so often to stop living life in the chaos and confusion of this world, and to simply glorify God by dwelling in His house and by worshiping Him. I think for me, this is my prayer for my life: that God would help me to seek His face and to dwell in His house that I may be best friends with my Father.
20 years of life complete.
As I look back in my life to 20 years?
I have to ask myself what matters?
What really matters in life?
What is the GOLD- the thing worth living for
Or is everything simply meaningless?
The grades I've made, the awards I've received- meaningless
All A's, salutatorian, leadership positions- meaningless
The fun I've had, the places I've visited- meaningless
The things I so often strive for and worry about- meaningless
Yet the relationships God has built
the love He has given me
The ways Christ has lead me
These are priceless
I'm a very type A, always running around, spontaneous, goal driven person and I think something I'm learning about God is that He doesn't care about our accomplishments. He doesn't want us to always be busy and working so much that we don't have time for Him and for relationships. Our life isn't about what we do or what dreams we accomplish. Our life is about relationships between God and with others.I think for me personally, I want to learn to be quieter, to be more still, to be more calm, and to take time to reach out to other people.
One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4
This verse is so simple but it is so difficult so often to stop living life in the chaos and confusion of this world, and to simply glorify God by dwelling in His house and by worshiping Him. I think for me, this is my prayer for my life: that God would help me to seek His face and to dwell in His house that I may be best friends with my Father.
Fit not fat
When I was younger, I was super athletic. I played varsity volleyball, basketball, and baseball (on a guys baseball team) and swam miles in the pool. Playing sports was so easy for me and it was always so easy to stay in shape.
A year ago in Peru, my best friend and I were at some of the lowest parts of our lives. We were depressed, lonely, and struggling with a binge-eating disorder. We were struggling with so much emotionally (grief of a lost friend, some of the kids heart breaking stories, missing our families) that we often gave in to letting emotions control our diets and forgetting to exercise. It was a terrible cycle of food and then shame and then trying to exercise but failing. We felt so disgusting and we hated ourselves for it.
So we decided to write our own program: FNF: Fit Not Fat. Oh my goodness, it was a total fail. But we tried to make ourselves swim and run and do Insanity. We tried to do pull ups and push ups in the hot summer sun and run in the humidity. But we would never reach our goals. The parasites that we developed that grew in our stomachs made us look even fatter and people at church would literally call us out in front of everyone and share how we were no longer "flackitas" (skinny girls) but now "gorditas"(fat girls). We gave up. We still tried to exercise occasionally but it was extremely difficult in Peru and eating white rice and loads of beans didn't help us out either. When we came back to the states, we had both gained over fifteen pounds. We were so mad and we felt so self-conscious and we had no idea how to lose the weight we had gained.
I started to understand the emotional roller coaster many people go through. They get depressed, eat terribly, and then finally don't want to work out. And I began to feel so bad for people with obesity because often they don't feel comfortable going into a gym because they don't know how to lift weights or what to do and they may look around and feel so discouraged when they see all the skinnier or more buff people. It's so easy to compare our bodies to other peoples but the thing is so much of what makes up a person (whether they are tall/ short/ built/ little) is determined by genetic influence. Anyways I decided that I would love to help people learn to exercise and feel better about their bodies and so I thought it would be super cool if I could become a personal trainer.
But I never thought I could!
So the past four months have been pretty interesting because God has shown me that He can help me do a lot more things than I thought I could do as I've been learning so much about exercise and the body and have been teaching boot camp which has actually turned out to be pretty fun. And today I went to take my ACE personal trainer exam and I was so freaked out because I didn't feel like I knew the materials well enough to pass. Yesterday was my birthday and I seriously prayed to God.. like that would be the best birthday present ever but I know I can't do it on my own. And somehow, He helped me pass! I'm so thankful.
Since being back in the states, I've lost about half the weight I gained in Peru and I know I still have a lot of things to improve on fitness-wise myself. But I think the thing I'm most excited about now that I'm a personal trainer is being able to help people now who are really out of shape and struggling with their identity to help them learn how they can lose weight and feel more confident. I empathize with people who are obese or who are struggling with emotional baggage or eating disorders, and I pray that God can use me as a personal trainer to help show people His love.
A year ago in Peru, my best friend and I were at some of the lowest parts of our lives. We were depressed, lonely, and struggling with a binge-eating disorder. We were struggling with so much emotionally (grief of a lost friend, some of the kids heart breaking stories, missing our families) that we often gave in to letting emotions control our diets and forgetting to exercise. It was a terrible cycle of food and then shame and then trying to exercise but failing. We felt so disgusting and we hated ourselves for it.
So we decided to write our own program: FNF: Fit Not Fat. Oh my goodness, it was a total fail. But we tried to make ourselves swim and run and do Insanity. We tried to do pull ups and push ups in the hot summer sun and run in the humidity. But we would never reach our goals. The parasites that we developed that grew in our stomachs made us look even fatter and people at church would literally call us out in front of everyone and share how we were no longer "flackitas" (skinny girls) but now "gorditas"(fat girls). We gave up. We still tried to exercise occasionally but it was extremely difficult in Peru and eating white rice and loads of beans didn't help us out either. When we came back to the states, we had both gained over fifteen pounds. We were so mad and we felt so self-conscious and we had no idea how to lose the weight we had gained.
I started to understand the emotional roller coaster many people go through. They get depressed, eat terribly, and then finally don't want to work out. And I began to feel so bad for people with obesity because often they don't feel comfortable going into a gym because they don't know how to lift weights or what to do and they may look around and feel so discouraged when they see all the skinnier or more buff people. It's so easy to compare our bodies to other peoples but the thing is so much of what makes up a person (whether they are tall/ short/ built/ little) is determined by genetic influence. Anyways I decided that I would love to help people learn to exercise and feel better about their bodies and so I thought it would be super cool if I could become a personal trainer.
But I never thought I could!
So the past four months have been pretty interesting because God has shown me that He can help me do a lot more things than I thought I could do as I've been learning so much about exercise and the body and have been teaching boot camp which has actually turned out to be pretty fun. And today I went to take my ACE personal trainer exam and I was so freaked out because I didn't feel like I knew the materials well enough to pass. Yesterday was my birthday and I seriously prayed to God.. like that would be the best birthday present ever but I know I can't do it on my own. And somehow, He helped me pass! I'm so thankful.
Since being back in the states, I've lost about half the weight I gained in Peru and I know I still have a lot of things to improve on fitness-wise myself. But I think the thing I'm most excited about now that I'm a personal trainer is being able to help people now who are really out of shape and struggling with their identity to help them learn how they can lose weight and feel more confident. I empathize with people who are obese or who are struggling with emotional baggage or eating disorders, and I pray that God can use me as a personal trainer to help show people His love.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Beauty
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 man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7
Beauty
It for sure isn't everything but it definitely is something. Just ask any girl how she feels about it. She will for sure have some deep thoughts about the matter whether or not she admits it or not. And then ask the guys. Despite what the nice ones care to say "I would rather date an ugly girl with a pretty hard then a pretty girl with an ugly one any day", just look at their faces when they see beauty. There's something beautiful about God, something about beauty that makes us humans long for more, and something beautiful about being a daughter of Christ that we can all learn to embrace.
We often have a hard time grasping the equilibrium on the spectrum- or God's thoughts on the matter. Are we supposed to wear dirty clothes, pony tails, and forget to shower? Or what about spending hours doing our hair and putting on layers of foundation so we can be flawless. Does God care about our looks or does he only look within?
Covered in dirt, grime, and sweat was how I spent every day in Peru, some grosser than others. I woke up, rolled out of bed, put my hair in a high pony tail and served God. By ten o clock I smelled and my face was covered in acne. By evening time, I was a muddy mess of crusted dirt, too many awful smells, and clothes that reiked. We were all total messes.
I remember on the plane ride to Peru sitting by one of my guy friends and he asked me "What are you girls gonna do?" And I was like well what do you mean by that? He specified are you gonna wear makeup, did you bring straightners and curling irons, what about mirrors? I laughed. I didn't bring my straightener I said and we won't wear makeup, secretly thinking to myself, I was glad I brought a little foundation. I glanced over to another girl who was going on the trip, embarking looking like jungle barbie 101. She definitely brought her makeup. How is she going to survive? I wondered.
How was I going to survive? What would people treat me like being raw naked me, nothing to look better?What would it be like? Secretly I feared. What would living in the same house as a bunch of guys be like? Would we really all get along and become friends or would we click up like most other co-gender groups do? What would they think of me without makeup, smelly, and dirty. Would I even have any friends? I was gonna look so ugly... oh my.. I thought-
Yet something amazing happened in Peru called we forgot to bring our mirrors. I praise the Lord for that fact- that it was three months into our journey- before a girl had a small four by six mirror mailed to us all the way in the jungle. When we forgot our mirrors us girls made a silent truce, if we all don't do our hair and makeup- we'll all rock this jungle look together. And rock it we did. Bandanas, crazy clothes that didn't match, crazy braids, high buns, multi colored and snowman scrubs, we wore whatever we wanted too and didn't give a second glance about our appearances. And honestly something amazing started to happen. We remembered to be ourselves and we started to shine from the insides instead of the outside.
Freedom was experienced like never before. Especially for one of my best friends I made in Peru, who had always wore makeup back in the states because she felt pressured too. She loved being herself in Peru and not having to worry about who she had to look like or impress. Honestly, we all did. And we began to see ourselves differently too as well as the people around us. I began to see the hearts of love in the girls that accompanied me to Peru and honestly as I saw Jesus in them their faces and bodies became more and more beautiful to me.
The guys- now your probably wondering what they thought. Especially when some of us girls conveniently "forgot" to shave our legs multiple months at a time- I know I know it's disgusting. But when in Peru do what the jungle girls do. But honestly, the guys were awesome helpers to our insecurities and taught us to be ourselves. They encouraged us that we were beautiful even when we felt like sweaty messes and they challenged us to find our true identity in Christ.
BEAUTIFUL- The word brings many images to my mind. Pictures of girls who are anorexic and bullemic yet always seem to be looking perfect- that perfect I fear I can never achieve. Or images of girls with straightened hair, pink lip gloss, and scarves who never leave home without their bubblegum. Yet it also reminds me of children so precious and innocent- little girls who know their worth is not skin deep and their eyes radiate joy like a wildfire. Beautiful makes me think about salads, working out, running, spending time putting on makeup, straightening or curling my hair. When I say the word beautiful I find my eyes looking around the room to that girl that just seems to have it all together. I wonder how she keeps up that show.
In Peru we went on town trips a couple times a week and once in a while we would stop at a place in town that had really big mirrors. And like conceited missionary Americans we would run to the mirrors like they were lollipops and look ourselves up and down. It never made us feel any better. Instead we groaned and cried.. Oh my skin, oh my stomach, on my hair- why didn't you tell me I looked this terrible?
And I think we all looked at each other with understanding hearts and said "Would it have made a difference?" Our beauty was being real with one another, our beauty came from laughter, and hugging orphans, and giving Bible studies until the sweat was dripping down our faces and our smiles were contagious. The kind of beauty that Christ asks us to manifest first comes from within first and is manifested to the outside.
I think as girls we are faced with many temptations and pressures from the media and society as to how we should look all the time. When we begin to look at our appearances too often, we become self-absorbed. On the other side of the spectrum, God created us all beautiful in different ways and I believe as girls we should try to radiate that beauty from Him. Being beautiful is going to look and feel different for different people but we should pray that our beauty can reflect our King and our heavenly Creator.
1 Samuel 16:7
Beauty
It for sure isn't everything but it definitely is something. Just ask any girl how she feels about it. She will for sure have some deep thoughts about the matter whether or not she admits it or not. And then ask the guys. Despite what the nice ones care to say "I would rather date an ugly girl with a pretty hard then a pretty girl with an ugly one any day", just look at their faces when they see beauty. There's something beautiful about God, something about beauty that makes us humans long for more, and something beautiful about being a daughter of Christ that we can all learn to embrace.
We often have a hard time grasping the equilibrium on the spectrum- or God's thoughts on the matter. Are we supposed to wear dirty clothes, pony tails, and forget to shower? Or what about spending hours doing our hair and putting on layers of foundation so we can be flawless. Does God care about our looks or does he only look within?
Covered in dirt, grime, and sweat was how I spent every day in Peru, some grosser than others. I woke up, rolled out of bed, put my hair in a high pony tail and served God. By ten o clock I smelled and my face was covered in acne. By evening time, I was a muddy mess of crusted dirt, too many awful smells, and clothes that reiked. We were all total messes.
I remember on the plane ride to Peru sitting by one of my guy friends and he asked me "What are you girls gonna do?" And I was like well what do you mean by that? He specified are you gonna wear makeup, did you bring straightners and curling irons, what about mirrors? I laughed. I didn't bring my straightener I said and we won't wear makeup, secretly thinking to myself, I was glad I brought a little foundation. I glanced over to another girl who was going on the trip, embarking looking like jungle barbie 101. She definitely brought her makeup. How is she going to survive? I wondered.
How was I going to survive? What would people treat me like being raw naked me, nothing to look better?What would it be like? Secretly I feared. What would living in the same house as a bunch of guys be like? Would we really all get along and become friends or would we click up like most other co-gender groups do? What would they think of me without makeup, smelly, and dirty. Would I even have any friends? I was gonna look so ugly... oh my.. I thought-
Yet something amazing happened in Peru called we forgot to bring our mirrors. I praise the Lord for that fact- that it was three months into our journey- before a girl had a small four by six mirror mailed to us all the way in the jungle. When we forgot our mirrors us girls made a silent truce, if we all don't do our hair and makeup- we'll all rock this jungle look together. And rock it we did. Bandanas, crazy clothes that didn't match, crazy braids, high buns, multi colored and snowman scrubs, we wore whatever we wanted too and didn't give a second glance about our appearances. And honestly something amazing started to happen. We remembered to be ourselves and we started to shine from the insides instead of the outside.
Freedom was experienced like never before. Especially for one of my best friends I made in Peru, who had always wore makeup back in the states because she felt pressured too. She loved being herself in Peru and not having to worry about who she had to look like or impress. Honestly, we all did. And we began to see ourselves differently too as well as the people around us. I began to see the hearts of love in the girls that accompanied me to Peru and honestly as I saw Jesus in them their faces and bodies became more and more beautiful to me.
The guys- now your probably wondering what they thought. Especially when some of us girls conveniently "forgot" to shave our legs multiple months at a time- I know I know it's disgusting. But when in Peru do what the jungle girls do. But honestly, the guys were awesome helpers to our insecurities and taught us to be ourselves. They encouraged us that we were beautiful even when we felt like sweaty messes and they challenged us to find our true identity in Christ.
BEAUTIFUL- The word brings many images to my mind. Pictures of girls who are anorexic and bullemic yet always seem to be looking perfect- that perfect I fear I can never achieve. Or images of girls with straightened hair, pink lip gloss, and scarves who never leave home without their bubblegum. Yet it also reminds me of children so precious and innocent- little girls who know their worth is not skin deep and their eyes radiate joy like a wildfire. Beautiful makes me think about salads, working out, running, spending time putting on makeup, straightening or curling my hair. When I say the word beautiful I find my eyes looking around the room to that girl that just seems to have it all together. I wonder how she keeps up that show.
In Peru we went on town trips a couple times a week and once in a while we would stop at a place in town that had really big mirrors. And like conceited missionary Americans we would run to the mirrors like they were lollipops and look ourselves up and down. It never made us feel any better. Instead we groaned and cried.. Oh my skin, oh my stomach, on my hair- why didn't you tell me I looked this terrible?
And I think we all looked at each other with understanding hearts and said "Would it have made a difference?" Our beauty was being real with one another, our beauty came from laughter, and hugging orphans, and giving Bible studies until the sweat was dripping down our faces and our smiles were contagious. The kind of beauty that Christ asks us to manifest first comes from within first and is manifested to the outside.
I think as girls we are faced with many temptations and pressures from the media and society as to how we should look all the time. When we begin to look at our appearances too often, we become self-absorbed. On the other side of the spectrum, God created us all beautiful in different ways and I believe as girls we should try to radiate that beauty from Him. Being beautiful is going to look and feel different for different people but we should pray that our beauty can reflect our King and our heavenly Creator.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Chivalry is courage
Just a few more thoughts about chivalry ;)
Chivalry is more than opening doors and letting a girl go first. Chivalry is deciding to be a leader in a relationship. Chivalry is to stop playing around with girls hearts and flirting with every other girl you see. Chivalry is choosing to be intentional about relationships. Chivalry is being a man of God.
Growing up as a Christian girl, I was taught to wait on guys to lead and not push them or manipulate them to do things they didn't want to do. Now at college, I often hear guys telling me, that if I like a guy, I should go flirt with them or invite them to hang out. I really have a problem with this. If a guy likes me and wants to date me, then he needs to have the courage to tell me or ask me out. Not by texting me at random times during the day or making weird excuses, but ultimately I would think that He would pray about it and if He felt peace in His heart then He could start getting to know me better or tell me.
If I start a relationship by being a manipulative girl, flirting, or trying to get a guy's attention then wouldn't I be the leader of the relationship? I don't believe that as a girl, it is my job to set myself up with potential guys. If I like a guy, I pray that if God wants me to like Him, He would give Him the courage to be a leader and that if God doesn't want the relationship to develop that He would remove the desire from my heart.
And if a guy does ask you out, I believe it's a girls job to respond with gentleness and honesty. If you don't like a guy, don't lead him on. Don't lavish in his attention even though you know you are not interested. Be aware that flirting is messing with a guys' heart if he really likes you.
I think chivalry is cool- chivalry is great- if it comes from the heart. Sure it can be a little embarrassing for us girls, but we appreciate it inside. But please don't fake it if you don't mean it. I've seen guys hold doors for girls and let go of them before she finishes walking through because he is in a hurry- awkward and unappreciated. Don't pretend to be someone your not- be real with us.
-- cool cool. That's just some scribble scrabble, random thoughts to add on to this chivalry discussion ;)
Chivalry is more than opening doors and letting a girl go first. Chivalry is deciding to be a leader in a relationship. Chivalry is to stop playing around with girls hearts and flirting with every other girl you see. Chivalry is choosing to be intentional about relationships. Chivalry is being a man of God.
Growing up as a Christian girl, I was taught to wait on guys to lead and not push them or manipulate them to do things they didn't want to do. Now at college, I often hear guys telling me, that if I like a guy, I should go flirt with them or invite them to hang out. I really have a problem with this. If a guy likes me and wants to date me, then he needs to have the courage to tell me or ask me out. Not by texting me at random times during the day or making weird excuses, but ultimately I would think that He would pray about it and if He felt peace in His heart then He could start getting to know me better or tell me.
If I start a relationship by being a manipulative girl, flirting, or trying to get a guy's attention then wouldn't I be the leader of the relationship? I don't believe that as a girl, it is my job to set myself up with potential guys. If I like a guy, I pray that if God wants me to like Him, He would give Him the courage to be a leader and that if God doesn't want the relationship to develop that He would remove the desire from my heart.
And if a guy does ask you out, I believe it's a girls job to respond with gentleness and honesty. If you don't like a guy, don't lead him on. Don't lavish in his attention even though you know you are not interested. Be aware that flirting is messing with a guys' heart if he really likes you.
I think chivalry is cool- chivalry is great- if it comes from the heart. Sure it can be a little embarrassing for us girls, but we appreciate it inside. But please don't fake it if you don't mean it. I've seen guys hold doors for girls and let go of them before she finishes walking through because he is in a hurry- awkward and unappreciated. Don't pretend to be someone your not- be real with us.
-- cool cool. That's just some scribble scrabble, random thoughts to add on to this chivalry discussion ;)
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Seeing the Light
"Pure appreciation for His presence emerges from the daily walk perhaps in the mundane more than the miraculous"- Beth Moore
Lord according to Your Word if my eyes are bad, my whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within me is darkness how great is that darkness. Matthew 6:23
"Lord this verse tells me that the focus of my gaze, where my eyes are fixed, has a monumental impact on whether light or darkness will be prevalent in my life" (Moore)
God change my eyes, change my perspective so that I can see things the way you want me too and not through my eyes of sin.
We each see things differently because we see as we are.
But Lord I am sinful and my sight is blind, so give me new eyes so I see people the way you see them and situations with your wisdom.
Help me see your light even when it seems there's only darkness all around me.
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