My heart

God brought this to my mind when I was driving to work this week. 

I know I am to give my heart to Him, to hand over my cares every day.  But do I hand my heart to Him, or toss it over my shoulder?  I think it makes a big difference.

Because He made me, He knows my heart.  He knows everything about me.  My failures, hurts, mistakes, longings, dreams, passions.  I am made in His image.  But sometimes I forget grace, and mercy, and His unconditional love.  I dishonor Him by thinking of myself as a piece of trash, tossing my heart over my shoulder like some disheveled valentine. 

Handing my heart to Jesus involves coming to Him with humility, knowing I am forgiven, yet also understanding that I am a sinner in need of grace, and constantly being made new by Him.  It hurts, sometimes.  Often I feel like Eustace, in the Voyage of The Dawn Treader, when Aslan must rip off his dragon scales in order to reveal the real Eustace.  It's horrible, at times, but so worth it when I appear more and more like Jesus after every trial. 

Here's to handing your heart to Jesus.

<3

Just You

Inspired by one of my professors at school, whom, though very unwilling, God spoke through today.

"Sometimes I am

Overwhelmed by

The voices

Of the world

Sometimes I

Wonder if

Your voice

Will ever

Break through

But then you

Astound me

As you use

The very lips

You created

To speak

Of you

Your creation

Your praise

Your love

Your passions

Your desires

Those lips

Are often unwilling

They often

Speak foul of you

But you use them

For Your glory

And they

Don’t even know

Vessels

That’s what we are

To be filled

With you

Your words

And you use us

Willing

Unwilling

For Your glory

The world

Suddenly seems

Brighter

Better

More beautiful

Holy

Worthy

Of you

Just

You"

By Chelsea copyright 2012

To The Ends Of The Earth...

I love musicals.  Mostly old musicals.  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of my favorites.  There is a hilarious scene when the brothers have all come to a barn raising, and one by one, some single ladies from the village walk by, each asking if she can help carry anything to the tables.  One by one, the brothers each take one girl up on her offer, and carry the food to the table, while escorting her.  My favorite line is when one of the ladies says, “If you’ll just follow me….”  The brother responds with, “To the ends of the earth.” 

            Now, that scene is a bit dramatic, and if someone said that to me in real life, I imagine that I would probably gag from the line’s cheesiness.  But, it makes an excellent point if you think about it in terms of the Christian life.

            Jesus has called us to follow him.  Not just when we want to, feel like it, or when it’s most convenient.  We are to follow him always, to the ends of the earth.  This sets an example for what our relationships with others should be like as well.  We should be willing to follow each other to the ends of the earth, whether we are in a romantic relationship, or a friendship.  We should be willing to go to great lengths to serve and help one another, just as Jesus has done for us.  So what will you say the next time you hear that line?  Will you gag, or think about the deeper meaning, and smile? 

Don't Waste It

                                                            Don’t Waste It

            Apathy.  It’s a word that grates on every emotion I have, and I’m sure God dislikes it even more than I do.  It’s a disease becoming prevalent among college students, high school students, and young adults everywhere.  It can ruin your life.

            Ephesians 5:15-16 warns against wasting the precious time God has given us on this earth.  Because of the blessed culture we live in, many American teens are accustomed to spending a large chunk of their time playing video games, watching tv and movies, texting, and a whole host of other things incorporated into social media.  They sit there, draining hours of their life away in front of a screen. 

            Well, you may say, God commanded us to relax, and have a Sabbath day.  He certainly did, and He took one Himself, but that was after a hard week full of 6 days of work.  We will only feel the true benefit and reward of relaxation after we have worked hard.  Otherwise, it becomes the norm for us. 

            What is time dedicated to electronics when you can invest your time in the life of a person with a soul, who will either face eternity with Jesus, or hell and destruction?  And to think that you could have an impact on a person’s life if God used you to plant a seed!  Summer can be an especially troublesome time with apathy, as many students don’t know what to focus their time on.  Here are some suggestions.

1.     Go on a missions trip!  Your life will be changed forever, you’ll make an impact on people wherever you’re going, and on the people with whom you’re serving.  Don’t let finances get in the way.  If God wants you to go, He will provide the funds.  Start fundraising early, before the end of the year, when people are getting ready to file their tax returns.  You’ll also beat the rush of other students’ support letters.

2.     Volunteer.  With a Christian organization, public or private, at a humane society, soup kitchen, daycare, youth group, church nursery, VBS….volunteers are always needed!  It may not pay in cash, but it pays in Joy, which is priceless.

3.     Read.  A lot!  It will help you be ready for school, because you know you’re going to have to read there.

4.     Learn a new instrument, and use it in praise and worship at church.  God will be glorified, and you’ll be amazed at how the time will fly!

5.     Work.  While making money shouldn’t be the most important goal in our lives, we do have to survive off of it.  Save it up to go on a missions trip!

6.     Exercise.  Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, so make it worthy of His presence!

A New Way of Looking at Prayer

People always talk about how we don’t come to God in prayer enough during normal times, but we run to him when we are hurting.  But what if, at least for some of us, it’s the other way around? 

Sometimes I find myself running to Him every day, to chat, as if he were my best friend, sitting in the car with him, about whatever is going on that day.  I go on and on about what I’m thankful for, what I need help with, and just whatever comes to mind.  But then, when the bad times come, and they do, I often find myself shutting down, so absorbed in my hurt, pain, suffering, and grief, that I can’t even get off the floor to run to His open arms.  Am I afraid?  Angry?  Feeling rejected?  Will I ever know?  I must seek Him for the strength to run to Him.  He is my refuge.

1 Corinthians 14:15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

High Maintenance friendships

Whew...they are so exhausting.  I hear the enemy telling me every day to give them up and quit.  But the voice inside me says, "do not give up, my daughter.  Love them as I have loved you."

It is hard, don't get me wrong.  But oh, so rewarding in the long run.  Often those with whom we have high maintenance friendships are insecure, lonely, and need to feel loved.  They push and push for it, starving to be fed.  But we can only give it to them for so long.

Ultimately, we must look to The Father for help, and direct our aching friends towards Him for healing, and a love that will never let them go.