Not made for fire

Imagine a huge rock, which represents our foundation-that is, our relationship with Jesus Christ. Rocks come in all different sizes. Some are stronger than others, some are smoother, some are larger. Imagine how the rock becomes when it is near fire for a long time, tarnished and discolored. When the rock is tossed and thrown upon sharp objects it chips and scratches. But when the rock is in a flowing stream of water it becomes soft, smooth; and the longer the rock is in the water, the softer and smoother it becomes. Notice that the atmosphere of a river is peaceful and refreshing, especially compared to the blazing fire or being tossed and beaten.


It's easy to surround ourselves with fire. The fire feels warm, inviting...but we don't stand by the fire expecting to get burned. And then it happens, and we realize that as Christians, the things of the world an only satisfy us to leave us empty again. 


So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18


But the river, representing the constant flow of Christ's love and mercy..the stream is continuous..never stops refining who we are, polishing our rock of a foundation..cleansing us from tarnish of fire and the scrapes imprinted on us by things of the world. 


I know my foundation belongs in the river..I know that I am different than other rocks..I know that I was not made for fire


There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. -Psalm 46:4. ...oooh now that sounds like a nice river to be in.




"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" -John 7:38


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Hebrews 11:25 - He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.

"Live in the moment, dear"

Have you ever had a morning where one thing after the other just keeps going wrong?..Do you still smile and keep your chin up when your expensive camera breaks or a friend accidentally erases your 8-page statistics project that is due the next day? When you stub your toe or get a flat tire or miss your alarm and show up late to an important meeting, do you still take a deep breath and feel peaceful inside?

After a heart-felt conversation, one of my really good friends told me to "live in the moment, dear!" Ever since, I've used that quote a thousand times...ya see, for me, the moment isn't just that split second that I realize my camera is gone. The moment is made up of my attitude (how I perceive my circumstances and the things I'm experiencing), and my relationships (who is impacting my life at the moment, and who will always be special to me). When I see a beach, any beach, I instantly want run and jump like a little girl because I'm so excited to have life and good experiences..When I see the rain, I just want to go dance in it because everything has it's own beautiful way of reminding me to live in the moment.

When anything happens, anything at all..I am able to say that, "In this moment, the Lord is looking on me with love." We may not always have the best luck. We might not think our circumstances can allow us to be happy...but I think it is more so our desire that makes us "not as happy" as God wants us to be. I believe that false happiness or unhappiness is from our minds.. our minds and our emotions tell us that someone else has it better, or that bad things keep happening and they mess everything up, or that the way we look isn't good enough, or that we'll never have the friends or family that other people have, or we shouldn't have to go through certain thing. I am very very very blessed, not lucky, blessed to have the most amazing family and friends and so many cool passions and opportunities, and to have never really experienced death..but I've experienced hardships, and I've experienced great loss...and I remember thinking in a few situations that my whole world is falling apart, things that to this day still bring up painful memories..but even more than the hard memories, I remember how I still smiled, and I laughed, and I prayed, and I cried, and how the Lord was so faithful to remind me of His wonderful plan so that I could hold onto His joy. And I also remember how many people were touched by my ability to truthfully know comfort and happiness when I was hurting. What a testimony it is when other people realize how honestly happy I am <3

I don't think that God just made me a happy person from birth..I think that I can give an honest smile when bad things happen, or stay calm and enjoy the sun or help other people when I'm dealing with my own troubles..I think that I do those things because I know the Father of happiness. I know a God who makes me melt in his presence...who can bring me to tears for no reason in a split second...who can remind me that my life on earth is temporary and that my real treasure lies in Heaven...I know the God who breathes life into me every morning when I first open my eyes...who gives me peaceful visions, and words of wisdom that I cannot fathom on my own...I know the Father of happiness, and no matter what stage of life I am in, what country I live in, what job, what situation, what hardships or hurts,

i will always be incredibly happy. . .

"but whoever drinks the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." -John 4:14