You probably read this title and thought, "well yeah, duh!", but my intentions for the title, and for the story I am about to relay, is to reveal how God can really present Himself to us. There have been times in my life, I know, where I have questioned God's sovereignty and His presence. Those times when I feel so lost, so alone I just simple didn't believe fully. I'm not proud of those feelings, but they happened none the less. Back in May, when I had a time like this, God came through my walls and showed me He was there and always would be.
My family and I were on a weekend trip to Memphis for my brother's basketball tournament at the very end of May of this year. It had been a fun weekend so far, but deep within I had been struggling with something for some time.
I am beginning college this Fall and I chose a small private Christian college opposed to a large public school. With the more intimate and spiritual learning environment comes a heftier price tag. I have a decent scholarship with the school, but it was still not enough. My heart and head was on a roller coaster. I want to go to school so badly, but is it worth jeopardizing my family possibly because of the cost. My faith and trust was diminishing to almost nonexistent, but my Maker was not about to let that happen.
We were headed down the elevator at our hotel Saturday morning about to meet the team in the lobby to head to the first game when we encountered a wonderful stranger. An older lady was also on the trip to the first floor and she began speaking with us. She noticed my brother had a basketball uniform on so she mentioned her daughter who had just graduated and was going to school on a basketball scholarship. My mom told her that I too had just graduated and was going on an academic scholarship, but that there were many more funds that needed to be covered. The issue had been weighing heavy on all of us it seemed. She simply agreed as the elevator doors opened and we all parted ways with happy "good-byes".
As we were sitting in the lobby waiting on all of the team to arrive my mother was approached by our elevator friend. "I made it halfway across the street and God told me to come back and find you" she explained while inquiring after where I was. She took my mom and I to a secluded hallway and told us that the Lord had told her to come back and pray with us. She did just that! She prayed aloud as we all held hands that God would provide for our family and that we would not be in want or that we would not worry. She prayed for me...by name! After her "amen" she looked me in the eye and said "Hayley, God has told me that you have a heart for Him and if you only trust in Him then He will provide the way for your school." We gave her a hug and we parted ways yet again, never to see her again.
Two things we didn't tell this woman: that my name was Hayley and that we were Christians
I have never experienced God in a more real way. He spoke to this woman and was specific!! He knew that right then at that moment I needed to see Him. I did. I saw Him in the eyes of that woman who did what He called her to do.
I escaped the noise of the lobby and went into the bathroom and cried in lost agony. Why had I questioned God? How could I even think that I could take over? Why was I worrisome and lonely? He was with me. He was caring for me. He was providing for me. I would never doubt Him again.
That completely real experience with God, both with His messenger and in the bathroom with Him, changed my life. He was God and I know that now without a shadow of a doubt. No longer do I worry about what the future holds. I know that whatever it is God has it all under control.
If you feel lost and questionable like I did then He will seek you out in the most incredible way. Begin yourself by seeking Him. Dig into His word with a hunger and ask Him through fervent prayer to reveal Himself. You won't be lost for long, for He always finds a way back into your life.
Showing posts with label Hayley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hayley. Show all posts
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Reason for the Cross
I think about the Cross a lot. People die within our lives every day it seems, but who are they? An aunt, a mother, a friend, a political leader, an actor, or someone else we know of. Jesus was a son, a brother, a friend, and a leader, but above everything else He was God. Yes, God![1] The Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Wonderful Counselor, the Almighty, and the Great I AM. This perfect and holy Son of Man was beaten and torn for us! It wasn’t the death of a man which we would soon recover from the sorrow of; it was the death of our Creator and that is something we will never forget or “get over”.
Sometimes we want to fall at the throne of our Savior and kiss His feet, but would we have kissed His bloody nail pierced hands or wiped away the dirt and sweat? Sadly, most of us wouldn’t have. Many of us would have denied Him like Peter did[2] and we would have walked away just so we didn’t scar our precious minds. Don’t turn away! Stare at it! Stare at the Lamb of God bleeding and crying out. Hear it, taste it, see it, smell it, feel it; but whatever you do, don’t turn away from it.
What should our response to such an experience be? We should weep in shame so profoundly that our entire being shakes. We should raise our hands begging God to explain why He would pay the price for us. Most importantly we should respond with the greatest love our hearts have ever known.
Christ’s blood fell on the road to Calvary for that sole reason: love. God loved us so much that He sent His Son, a part of Him, to this Earth as a helpless child, made Him live in this world of sin and hate, and then allowed Him to hang on a tree as a criminal so that we, the sinful and disobedient, would be freed from bondage and able to enter the Holy Gates of Heaven! [3] Heaven! That is where God sits on His throne. I don’t belong there; I’ve cheated, I’ve lied, I’ve murdered, I’ve stolen, I’ve coveted, and I’ve hated. But God knows I’ve fallen, He knows everyone has[4], but because of His unfathomable gift of love it isn’t about what we’ve done.
So, how do we, the body, get our hearts back to the true love Christ desires from us? Our stubbornness tends to keep us from seeing anything wrong with ourselves, but from God’s viewpoint we’ve got a lot messed up. Two points I want to make that we seemed to have degraded are Belief and Action.
Belief. What do we believe? Have we entrusted our knowledge to the Word of God or have we relied on a denominational doctrine? I often wonder if our churches are too clean. Are the blood covered feet of Jesus walking on the floors, is His cross dripping onto the pulpit, are the dirty and hungry allowed in, or do we keep the insides of those four walls spotless? Our belief should be like that of the criminal who hung beside Christ on that fateful day[5]. He witnessed the sea of red and he smelled the sweat and tears, yet He believed in that man. He knew deep within His heart that all of Jesus’ turmoil was for him and he accepted that Jesus. The criminal didn’t see a painting of the Lord perched upon a cross appearing to be clean, he saw the Holy One beaten into an unrecognizable state and suffering greatly. If we could make ourselves see as he did then there is no way our beliefs could remain where they are.
Action. We enjoy our lives and that is wonderful. God wants us to be happy and joyful, but we are missing out on one of the greatest joys: Service. When Christ was here He was not served, but instead He served others[6]. He wants us to continue His work for the broken, widowed, orphaned, and hurt[7]. Simon was forced to lift a heavy burden on the day of the crucifixion[8], but what he accomplished in that grueling task of carrying the cross of Christ was an example. An example for all of us to pick up our heavy and wearisome crosses and follow Jesus Christ wherever He goes[9]. The cross should not shrink to become lighter or be tossed to the side for an occasional vacation, but instead it should be taken up and carried every day of our lives.
As soon as we believe in the true sacrifice and take up our own crosses, then we see the Resurrection. Beautiful Christ coming forward made new so that He can embrace us and make us new in Him. Then, we get to enter into the greatest love relationship the world has ever known. And that is the reason for the Cross.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Welcome To "Radical Love"
Well, It’s here! Welcome to Radical Love! I (Mariah) am so excited to see how God will use the blog/website!
God has blessed me with some wonderful godly, women in my life. Some I see on a regular basis others are across the country and I have not met face to face. But all have impacted and blessed my life.
A couple months ago, God laid on my heart to start a blog with a couple of these women. So here we are today! So let me introduce them to you! You can find more information on each of the girls on the “Who We Are” page. We will be adding more girls to our family soon, but here are our wonderful girls as of now:
Hayley- Is one of my best friends! She has been a constant and faithful friend and sister in Christ. Her love for the Lord is so evident in all that she does.
Devan- went to Bible college with my brother Aaron last year and has become a sweet friend of mine. She is such an encouragement with her sweet spirit and love for Jesus.
Joanna- and I met through a home school website. Through I have never met her face to face; I can clearly see her heart for the Lord and desire to serve Him.
Rachel- I also met Rachel through the home school website. She has been such a blessing in my life. Her giving spirit and faithful prayer and support has been incredible!
I love reading blogs, but a trend I have noticed is that they are fluffy and flakey even narcissistic at times. Everything is about us, our lives, what we are doing, how important we are… etc. I do understand that some blogs have purposes… a young mother writing about her kids and parenting, a college student writing about her fun times, a newlywed couple writing about their life… etc. I totally understand all of that but still I think blogs can be a place to show off who we are and how great we are. That is not our goal here.
Even Christian blogs or websites that address issues for young women have the tendency to be shallow and uncontroversial. With the Lord’s help and guidance this will not be said of us!
In our generation-media and the world has affected us. Our viewpoint and worldview on how we live. We tend to live in a way that is ‘normal’ rather than live in light of God’s word, letting it affect every area of our lives. Dictating our choices, beliefs and standards.
There is a reason that the divorce rate of Christian church goers is the same to atheists. There is a reason that teens in the church are sexually active. There is a reason that college students are walking away from their faith. It’s because they have not fallen in love with Jesus Christ. They have not fully surrendered to Him.
When that has happened there will be a difference. When believers are in love in Christ there will be a radical difference in the way we live. Not just being able to say the right answers but believe and abide by the truth.
When we are in love with Christ we will long for His glory not ours. Our worldview, our lifestyle, and our purpose will be all about Him.
By no means are we perfect or have this down. But we feel called to share with you how God is molding us and shaping us. We want to challenge you, encourage you, and call you out from a mediocre Christianity to a life in full surrender to Jesus Christ- by that living your life with a Radical Love for Jesus and for the world.
This will not be a warm and fuzzy blog. At times it may step on some toes. You may think that we are being too literal, too radical, too bold, or not politically-correct. What we are doing is calling people back to what Jesus commands us to do and be. If I recall correctly, His message was not warm and fuzzy and it was not politically correct. He was literal, straight forward and He did not teach what was comfortable and popular.
So please don’t expect a pretty little fluffy jot about how to be more spiritual.
So are you ready??
Let’s be RADICAL!!!
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