this alabaster jar

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The Little Things

Before I continue on with the Psalms, I just wanted to pause for a moment and reflect on something that I’ve kind of been re-learning recently: God is the God of the Little Things, too. 

John 14:13-14 says: “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (This was Jesus talking with his disciples and beginning to prepare them for His death and resurrection.)

For the past couple months, I was wrapped up in a situation with my future on-campus apartment and roommates. It’s a long story, but my roommate and I were trying to move out of the room we had chosen. It was a long a difficult process and I was getting kind of frustrated. 

Last week, I visited my aunt at her farm. My grandpa was there, too, as he has been recovering from multiple back surgeries. We all went out to eat and I was telling them about the frustrating situation I had found myself in. Before I had gotten too far into the story (or more like the monologue of complaint), my grandpa stops me and says: 

“Hey, you want to know some good news? God will give you that room.” I was a little confused by his statement. My heart wanted to challenge that, but my grandpa continued on: “He tells us in His word that when we ask for anything in His name, He will give it to us.” 

What hit me was not the verse, because I’ve quoted it and heard it so many times in my life, but it was the fact that my grandpa was reminding me that even this simple thing was something that God could take care of.  

I so often forget that fact. 

God isn’t a bottled genie that will do anything you wish for. But through everything - little and big - He is listening. And when we ask Him to take care of anything, He will.

God is the God of the Big Things and the Little Things. We just need to have faith and trust Him with it all.

Lord, I thank you that you love us so much that you've promised to take care of all our needs. God, daily remind me to surrender my will to yours because ultimately, you have the best plan. I praise you for who you are.

[this-alabaster-jar]

Psalms Chapter 1

There are three commands here in verse one that my eyes were drawn to: do not walk, do not stand, do not sit. Essentially, do not associate with sinners, the wicked, or those who are mockers. 

For a moment, my heart wanted to challenge this. Didn’t Jesus associate with tax collectors and prostitutes? Didn’t He hang out with those who are morally corrupt? And doesn’t He teach us that we are ALL sinners? 

I believe that the meaning here is not that we should isolate ourselves to avoid all contact with evil - because that is literally impossible - but that we should not be purposefully aligning ourselves with others who practice evil ways. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that “bad company corrupts good character.” Again in Romans 12, Paul says in verse 9 to “hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” 

In this context, the commands not to walk, sit, or stand with sinners is understood as a call to guard our intentions and to not delight ourselves in evil ways as such people do. The answer of “why” we should live this way is then explained in the next few verses. 

Blessed are those, verse two says, who instead delight and daily mediate in God’s ways. 

I don’t know about anyone else, but growing up, I always associated the word “meditating” with yoga and eastern pagan religious practices. However, it really just means to be still and to think deeply. I think verse two is reminding us that in order to be full and blessed, we need to daily spend one-on-one time with God and His word.

I like to relate it to a really awesome grandparent. As your grandparent, they are going to love you no matter what. When you visit, they tell you stories, give you advice (whether or not you asked for it) and they probably will give you something before you leave. It could be money or new clothes or some delicious pie, but whatever it is, it’s always awesome and beneficial to you in some way. When you leave your grandparent, you leave feeling like everything is all good. 

But sometimes, we don’t visit the grandparent enough. Maybe the calls become shorter, or the visits slowly become less and less frequent, but before we know it, we are no longer receiving all the great things that we used to receive. 

This is how I see verse two. It is just a small verse, but it tells us so much! The Almighty God desires for us to spend time with Him. And although He is the God who gave us life and that alone justifies the fact that He never had to promise us anything in return, He did. He promises that when we visit Him, He will bless us. Lord, I am in awe of You. 

Verse 3 then goes on to remind us why we spend time with Him. Like a tree who receives everything it needs, whose leaves flourish and whose roots are deep, just as the tree prospers near living water, so will we prosper by drawing near to the living God. 

But what happens to the wicked who deny His ways and His laws? Verse four tells us that they wither away and are scattered by the wind like hay (chaff). If we are not rooted where we need to be, how easily can we be picked up and tossed around by the winds of life! Without a firm foundation, there is nothing to cling to when life hits hard. 

Therefore, says verse five, those who do not practice God’s ways will not have the ability to stand before God’s judgement. The wicked ways are destroyed, but God dwells in those who dwell in Him. He fulfills His promises to those who love Him and His ways (verse six). 

Lord, I thank You for who You are. I thank You that You love me SO much that You want to offer me blessings in return for spending time with You. As this week continues, guide my heart to long to spend more time with You. Thank You in advance for the amazing things I know You’re going to do.

[this-alabaster-jar]

Speak Life

Hello internet! It’s been a while.

The last time I was here, I got rid of all of the old posts and “likes" that I had saved. I decided that if I was going to have the opportunity to put words out into the internet, I was going to speak nothing but Life and Truth. And that is what I intend to do!

I enjoy writing a lot. I think that there is something amazing about putting thoughts to paper and creating something unique. However, there is so much writing in this world (especially on the internet) that causes harm and expresses hateful feelings toward another. But God has called us to love one another, to encourage one another, and to speak life. 

In James chapter 3, it reminds us that we so often use our tongues to both praise God yet curse our brothers and sisters. It tells us that the words we speak can either cause destruction or construction, but not both. Part of changing my Tumblr was to make sure that I am watching my words carefully - even my reposts of others’ words. I can never be perfect (James 3:8 reminds me of that) but I felt like this was a practical step to take to continue to be mindful of the impact of my words.

However, the main reason I wanted to get back at the blog was because recently I have felt in my heart a strong pulling to the study of the Psalms. I’ll admit that I’ve never read the Bible in its entirety (yet), but as of this year my favorite things to read have been the Psalms. Each chapter has so much jam-packed inside of it and I always find myself torn between wanting to dwell on the chapter a little longer and wanting to forge ahead for more goodness.

It kind of reminds me of when I was in middle school reading the Percy Jackson series. Every book was rich with scenes that made my imagination wander. I would read an entire book in about a day. I can recall countless hours of my eyes glued to the pages and my hands clutching the covers. If I had the time, I would read it again before I moved on to the next book. When I finally got to the final book in the series, I just had to read them all once more! The most fun for me was that every time I read a book again, I would find new details that I hadn’t seen before. 

See where I’m going with this? 

So far, this is what the Psalms has been for me. I will reread a passage and discover new things about God that I hadn’t before. Sometimes, God will show me how a passage or a verse relates to what is going on in my life right now.

So after some consideration, I’ve decided to do something totally crazy and kind of out of my comfort zone. 

As a wonderful woman of God once told me: if it glorifies God and it scares you, then you need to do it. 

Approximately everyday, I am going to go through the book of Psalms one chapter at a time. I’m not quite sure how I am going to format it yet, but I want to share on this blog what God has showed me through that chapter. 

I believe that God shows each of us different things when we read His word because He knows exactly what we need. My thoughts are not the end-all-be-all interpretation of the Bible, and I will openly declare that I literally have zero theological background knowledge on the Psalms. But I know that God knows and I am trusting that He will speak what needs to be heard. 

Really, this is also a way to keep myself accountable about daily spending time in God’s word and listening to His voice. 

So there you have it! 

I’m praying that whatever happens, God’s name above all is glorified. 

Hasta luego! 

[this-alabaster-jar]

God is Good

I just want to put this here as a reminder. 

God is so good. It’s easy to forget that when we are facing challenges, but He has never left me. He has never forgotten me. He is constantly chasing after my heart and fighting for me. He is so amazing. 

[this-alabaster-jar]

Pardon the remodel...

I've decided to redo this blog just to write about my various ponderings in life, and to share life experiences- especially experiences through my walk with Christ.