That title is actually stolen from a quote from Audrey Hepburn. I love her, she seems so classy and lived such a seemingly charmed life. Notice I just said a version of the word 'seem' twice in one sentence. Audrey Hepburn was an actress, she lived a pretty public life, but actually didn't really like publicity. Who knows if all of the things that made her the idol of so many truly made her as happy on the inside as she 'seemed' on the outside.
So why this blog? Because I am turning 37 in exactly 37 days tomorrow and I am tired of dreading and being depressed by my birthdays! I am tired of living by what 'the world' tells me is normal. I am 36 and 11 months old and I am proud of the person who God has created me to be and I am ready to start living like it! haha (make sure to read to the end or you'll miss my announcement about my Facebook 37th bday campaign ;), haha)
I recently read a book written by a Godly woman by the name of Marian Jordan. It is entitled, "The List - Figuring Out Prince Charming, The Corner Office, And Happily Ever After". I actually came across the book by accident and ended up reading it all in one sitting. Reading Marian's story, was like reading about my own. She talks about how all of us grow up with a list of things we want to accomplish in life. For example, getting your drivers license at 16, graduating high school at 18, going to college, getting a good job, getting married, having children, having grandchildren, retiring, etc...
But what happens when things in life don't happen according to that list? A lot of people, in fact I would say, most, live their lives out exactly or pretty darn close to what they thought they would. They might have a few bumps a long the way, they might have a bit of a later start, but it happens. But what happens if it doesn't. What happens, if you wait, and wait, and wait and keep waiting...
That's me...I am waiting...I finally finished the college part, but I am still waiting for the amazing career and prince charming and the perfect children and the ... perfect life.
I guess I have always known that I had pretty high expectations for all of these things, but what I guess I forgot among all of MY planning and list making, was that somewhere a long the way I started more often than not leaving God out of the equation. I stopped trusting him to have it figured out and started trying to make it happen for myself. I guess i thought that if I left it up for him he was probably going to wait until he thought I was 'ready' and who knew how long that was going to take and I didn't want to wait that long, because what if he made me wait until it was too late for me to have kids to get married, or what if he wanted me to give up my career plans and make me teach math or something?
Long story short, I didn't trust God. I had lost my faith. I knew I loved him, God had been a part of my life from before I could remember, but he had become more like an accessory to my life, instead of the vital part of my life that I needed him to be.
That. Stops. Today.
I am dedicating this 37th year of my life to falling back in love with my savior, Jesus Christ. I am going to learn how to love and trust him with my life again!
To kick this off I am going to take the next 37 days before I turn 37 and post on FB (https://www.facebook.com/jessica.springer.5) -and I am also copying my FB posts as a comment to this blog post- every morning until my 37th birthday, a reason why I love Jesus and why I am thankful to be alive no matter how old I am and no matter what the future holds, because I trust Him and have faith that my future is going to kick ASsteroids!
Seriously though! Most of you know the verse, in fact, it's pretty popular: Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
God said it! I believe it! Now I am going to live it! And I am going to blog about it! If you want to read about it, follow my blog! I will post a link to my blog occasionally on Facebook, I may send a link to this out to my original DC blog e-mail list, just to let you all know what is going on in my life, but otherwise I won't be e-mailing it out regularly like I did with my DC blog, so if you want to follow, you will need to actually subscribe to the blog to receive notices when it is updated, or just check back occasionally. It won't be anything exciting, just my journey with Jesus, but maybe my journey can help someone on their journey and THAT would be awesome!
I am actually a little nervous about putting all of this out there, - but hey, it's like putting a Christian bumper sticker on your car, if you put it out there you have to live it, because people will be watching how you act...God gives us two pretty important directives, to love him and to loves others, and how can I love others if I am not living up to the example of loving him? So here I go...
For those that aren't on Facebook, I will try to remember to post my 37 days of daily FB posts as comments here as well...here is day 1:
ReplyDeleteDay 1 of 37:
"How does a woman become beautiful? Simple. She reflects the beautiful One. Who is the beautiful One? His name is Jesus" (Marian Jordan 'The List')
Beauty isn't about what we look like on the outside, but what we develop on the inside, our character, our integrity and I am thankful for a savior, Jesus, who patterned that beauty for us in the bible with the ultimate example for us to live by!
Day 2 of 37:
ReplyDeleteHow I CHOOSE to view a situation determines how I ALLOW it to make me feel. If I allow it to make me feel unloved, ashamed or unimportant than naturally that will lead to disappointment, frustration or even sometimes despair. However, if I CHOOSE to look at every situation through the eyes of a loving God, with his perfect timing and plan for my life, I can begin to look at the hard times as opportunities to grow and be thankful for the growth, instead of wallowing in the suffering, which only leads to more sadness.
I'm choosing Joy! “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5–6 NIV)
Day 3 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for the people in my life, even the difficult people. Actually, ESPECIALLY the difficult people! Because I know that I have been that difficult person in someone's life before, we all have. We are human, and at one time or another we have disappointed or hurt someone, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes intentionally, and it sucks.
But it is AWESOME when we can get to the point where we can look at the people who have hurt us with compassion realizing they are flawed individuals, choosing to love them instead of hating them, despite the bad or evil that they have done. This is not easy and it is a process, but approaching those who hurt us with love and forgiveness is ALWAYS the best way. It takes away their power to hurt us and allows us to heal - giving God the glory!
1 Peter 3:8-9 "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."
http://www.justjessandjesus.blogspot.com/
4 of 37
ReplyDeleteLive today for today, not for yesterday or even for tomorrow.
Life is happening today. What happened yesterday can't be changed and what will happen tomorrow no one knows for sure. But if we spend our lives looking backwards with regret, or so worried about tomorrow that we are bound up in anxiety, we will miss out on today.
I am thankful that I when I wake up worried about something, like I did today, I can give my anxiety to God and trust him with the outcome. God promises that if we put him first in our lives, he will heal our yesterday's and take care of our tomorrow's.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:33-34)
http://www.justjessandjesus.blogspot.com/
5 of 37:
ReplyDeleteToday I am personalizing an old familiar verse and making it my own, it will sound a little different if you read it straight from the bible, but this is Jessica's version! I am pretty sure God won't mind, haha (Psalms 118:24)
"Today is another day that the Lord made! I will rejoice even though I wanted to turn my head back into my pillow and go back to sleep! I will be glad and thankful for the job that I have and the people that I meet and the many blessings that I have and I will even try my hardest to be glad for the challenges that I will face today as I know that if I trust God even when it is hard, he will make me stronger! God, you and I - we have this day! Amen!"
Day 6 of 37:
ReplyDeleteToday I am feeling thankful for silence, sometimes it is good just to listen.
"If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom." Job 13:5
Day 7 of 37:
ReplyDelete"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1
I was reading Hebrews chapter 11 today and if you have read this chapter you know that it is called the "faith" chapter - there is one verse near the end that always gets me "They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated" This is talking about people who died because of their faith in God.
It made me realize - I have problems trusting God that he has a plan for my life when I don't have a good day at work or a boy breaks my heart. WOW - I have a long way to go...
On another note - How lucky we are to live in a country where we are allowed to post in a public forum like FB that we love Jesus and not be put to death for it? Today I am thankful for the freedom that I have to profess my faith and hope and love of Jesus publicly!
Day 8 of 37:
ReplyDeleteGod never says "oops" - that is a comforting thought. Even when I go through things that are hard, I can know that though God didn't necessarily cause it to happen, he allowed it and he will see me through it.
"Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.'"
Deuteronomy 1:29-31 (NIV)
Day 9 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that my joy and peace in life is determined by who and what I put my focus on, and I choose Jesus! I was reading a blog today from Marion Jordan that said:
"The constant slew of media we consume tells us to buy-this, wear-that, date-him, and then we will be cool. We will be accepted. We will be happy. My generation needs someone to stand up and say “STOP!” Someone to say that whose we are is more important than what we wear. That our beauty is not determined on our jean size but on wether we shine for our Creator. That no matter how hot our date is, how many friends we have on Facebook, or how high of a GPA we have, we will not experience true joy and freedom until we surrender our lives to God. "
This is SO true and something so easy to forget in our day to day hectic lives trying to keep up and fit in...but over the past 9 days of choosing every single day to put my focus on God and God alone, I can tell you, the peace and joy it brings is better than anything the media, or the world tells you will bring you happiness, and this is ONLY day 9!
Day 10 of 37:
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to my Grandpa Rosie at the loss of his brother Ray, my prayers are with my Rosenquist family as they grieve the loss of my great-uncle Ray.
I am thankful today that God promises he will bring comfort in mourning. Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Day 11 of 37:
ISAIAH 40:31 - "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength..."
Prayer is a great way to clear my mind of worries and stress and to strengthen me for the things that life inevitably sends my way...knowing I always have someone to talk to who understands me better than I understand myself is something I will everyday be thankful for!
Day 12 of 37:
Today I am thankful that even when I wake up to disappointing e-mails (like I did today) I can still trust that God is faithful and will answer my prayers. Not always in the ways I expect, but always in the way that is best for me. It doesn't mean I should stop praying or stop trying to figure out next steps, but I should only do so with the realization that God will close or open the doors in the best way for me. It really is such a relief to know that I am not in this thing called life alone!
Luke 18:1 (paraphrased) “…we should always pray and not give up.”
Day 13 of 37:
ReplyDeleteNew Blog Post
Day 14 of 37:
ReplyDelete“An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends; and against all sound judgment starts quarrels” -Proverbs 18:1
I read this verse and it sounded funny to me at first, then the more I thought about it, I realized I can see how this makes sense. If you are truly going to be selfish, then you would often have to be a bit unfriendly. The next verse is:
“Fools find no pleasure in understanding; but delight in airing their own opinions.” -Proverbs 18:2
I have been this ‘fool’ before; I wanted to be right so badly that I didn’t try to understand, I just stated my opinion with authority. The scary thing is that I have been believed quite often, I have even believed myself, haha. I feel like I have been changing this about myself, and started trying to make sure I understand the issues that I talk about and am open to changing my opinion if I find that I was wrong. I am realizing it is ok to be wrong, and it is better to admit when you are wrong then to defend something you don’t truly believe or understand.
I am thankful for the Bible, that convicts us of our short comings and if we listen to it, we can change our behavior and hopefully become better human beings!
Day 15 of 37:
ReplyDeleteToday I am going to dedicate day 15 in honor of my brother Steve and my sister-in-law Anna! I know I said it in my last post of their wedding picture, but it can't be said enough. I am so proud of them and the Godly example they have given and that they always put their marriage first and show us what true love really is!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Day 16 of 37:
My heart goes out to the Edmund family at the loss of Benji Edmund, he was way too young and battled cancer so bravely. I didn't know Benji very well, but from what I did know and from everything I have seen and read in the last few months, Benji's life deserves to be honored and I wanted to share with all of my friends and family on FB this story of such a brave and strong man of God. His story has definitively impacted my life...
I went to high school with Benji and worked with him for a short time years ago, he was a great guy and everyone who knew him loved him.
I know he is now out of pain and living with Jesus...his sister Erica wrote this speaking of what Benji said to her; I think it is a beautiful tribute to him:
"Two things you told me you wanted clear.. 1- that the glory of God was shown through this. And yes, Benji it was and will forever. 2- that people knew that you never gave up and fought to the last breathe. A true example of strength and honor."
My prayers are with his family...
"My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" Psalms 73:26
Day 17 of 37:
ReplyDeleteToday I've been thinking about joy and sorrow and how the two can and often do connect. Together they represent all that a good and balanced life offers - without times of struggle, we cannot truly appreciate the times of rest. Without moments of pain, we do not realize the blessing of the absence of pain. I think that as hard as pain and sorrow are, we can find joy and peace in knowing that we will be stronger human beings for having gone through the tough times and survived!
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Day 18 of 37:
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean to love God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind? Is that even possible? To me it means that everything you do, everyday should be done with God in mind. Even the simple things, but especially the hard things. It may seem christianese or cheesy to say that we need to do everything and make every decision based on what we think God would want us to do, but I think it's less about religion and more about making right choices. If we filter everything through that old religious and cheesy WWJD mentality, it will definitely be harder to make wrong choices.
Take out the religion, it's not about pleasing a particular religion or church, following a list of what religion tells you is right or wrong. Instead it's about love. If you love someone you are going to want to do everything you can to please them. I love Jesus, and so I want to do everything I can to build and strengthen my relationship with him. Outside of church, outside of religion. Just me and Jesus.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, Love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27
Day 19 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for the people in my life and in this world who have amazing gifts and utilize them to bless the people around them. My cousins Lindsay and Tony, my sister-in-law Anna, and my brother Steven are talented musically so that is what they should use to reach the world for Jesus. My friend Dave is a talented artist and my friend Bethany was blessed with the gift of compassion - every one of my friends and family have gifting’s and I would be here all day if I tried to list them all. I am also thankful for those people who I know, and some of whom I don’t know personally, who every day work for the safety of those around us, our public safety personnel. That is a gift.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8
i love the title of that book! and i love this idea of relearning to love and trust God. that's something i've been trying to work on lately too... kind of sad how easy it is to slip away from that, and it definitely takes a deliberate effort to stay in that loving and trusting place. (:
ReplyDeleteDay 20 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI am dedicating today to the celebration of the service of our 911 Dispatchers who are our lifeline to safety in times of trouble and also to honor and remember those who died and those who served on September 11, 2001.
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7
Day 21 of 37:
Wow what an emotional day so far. How heartbreaking it was to go to the funeral of a young father, husband, brother, son and friend. Even though I didn’t know Benji very well, his life and his legacy living for Jesus even up to his last breath was such an amazing testimony to me of truly trusting in God.
It doesn’t seem fair to lose such an amazing, kind and talented man at so young an age. Listening to his friends, brother, boss and dad speak about his life and watching the slide show of his life and his death, makes you realize just how precious life is. It was amazing to see the strength that was shown and the trust and love shown to God throughout. Life isn’t fair, I know that, but it doesn’t make loss any easier.
I am so thankful for a God who even while allowing bad things to happen, comforts us in our grief and always, always brings ‘beauty from the ashes’. Benji’s legacy will live on, I mean look at me, just knowing him the little I did, seeing the life he lived and the way he died while still holding on to God, has changed me and will stay with me forever.
My prayers are with Benji’s wife and two young sons and all of his friends and family. Benji truly leaves a legacy of ‘Strength and Honor’.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Day 22 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI'm almost out of day and it's been a busy day so my post will be short...
I'm thankful for the enthusiasm of Andrew Manzano as we wait in a huge line for hours waiting for his favorite author, Richard Paul Evans who writes the Michael Vey books.
Andrew is so excited and thankful that I brought him he has hugged me at least 15 times in the last hour!
Day 23 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI woke up with a Keith Green song in my head so I looked up the lyrics. It truly is the cry of my heart today and I hope everyday as I continue to pursue a life focused on Jesus.
“Oh Lord, you're beautiful,
Your face is all I seek,
For when your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me.”
What does “your grace abounds to me” truly mean? For me it means that even as I struggle every single day to make right choices, it is the fact that I do struggle and that God knows that and his grace is there to catch me when I fall. I will fall, probably every day! Not because I want to, but because I am human. It is recognizing that I am not perfect and getting back up when I do fall and choosing not to live in shame or condemnation. But instead living in the promise of a God who loves us when we are weak just as much as when we are strong. The joy is in the journey and believing that a life lived for God is better than the life we could live without. We can’t wallow in self-pity when life and circumstances don’t go our way. We have to choose to put those circumstances aside, stand up, brush off the hurt, shame, or whatever else keeps us from being who God created us to be and live our lives the best we are able, loving God by loving others better than our self.
“For when your eyes are on this child, Your grace abounds to me.”
Day 24 of 37:
ReplyDeleteChoosing not to take offense. This is what my dad preached on today. It's an important concept to remember so I thought I would quote from the message for my post today. My dad is a wise guy and an excellent preacher!
"When you live in an offended attitude it shuts down your ability to live in the joy of The Lord
Most of us justify being offended because we think we deserve to be offended because we were hurt. But relationships are WAY more important than the offense.
The answer to be being offended is forgiveness. Scripture says we need to forgive 7x70 times. Forgiveness isn't a one time thing, it's ongoing, it's something we live everyday." - Pastor Dave
"A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32
Day 25 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI am thankful today that my parents chose to serve God and instilled in me and my siblings the same desire and love of God. I think about the generations before and how that choice to serve God has carried through to me. I know that my grandparents on both sides had their own family struggles with faith, particularly my dad's parents; but they still ultimately chose God. What a legacy that I am thankful for every single day!
I am especially thankful as I spend time with my niece Vivienne and am excited at the idea of her growing up to know God and how because of the choices that my sister and her husband make, Vivienne will have a strong foundation to grow up with.
It is all about choices. We choose to believe in God and live our lives for him. Or we choose not to. Believing in God doesn't come easy, it is a daily choice to believe and trust in a God that we can't see in a tangible, right there where we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands. But that is the beauty of God, believing takes faith and trust, and ultimately, choice.
"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15
Day 26 of 37:
ReplyDeleteToday I am thankful that I have a job. Even though recently I was moved to part time because of budget cuts, I am still thankful that I have benefits and that I make enough to pay my bills. I think it is easy sometimes to take that kind of stuff for granted, or find little things to nit pick and forget to be thankful. Even when things don't happen the way I would like them to, I still want to give my best every single day. My employers and my co-workers and the public we serve, deserve nothing less than my best. I have to remember that, even when I am at work, I want to make sure my life represents my faith in Jesus. It's easy to grumble and complain, its harder to take the high road and put Jesus first when I am at work and choose joy, even when it's hard.
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" Philippians 2:14-15
Day 27 of 37:
ReplyDelete10 more days!
I have been thinking a lot lately about being content. Sometimes, well most times it is hard to be content with my life. I always want something different than what I have whether it is more money, more food with less body mass, different skin or hair, etc. It feels like there is always something in my life I would change if I could. I do realize that all of the above are superficial things, which makes me lucky (or as the saying goes 'first world problems').
There are a lot of people who would change things in their life like chronic pain, poverty, or terminal illness, etc. It is those people who go through life every day with some kind of intense need that truly humbles me and makes me realize how good I have it.
However, I think all of us no matter what our challenges are, struggle with the idea of being content and trusting God. I want to be thankful for my life, no matter what my circumstances are. That is my prayer for today, really, every day.
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13
Day 28 of 37:
ReplyDeleteAnother long, busy day and I didn't have time to post until now. I haven't really had time to think about much other than work stuff today, but on my drive home I got to thinking about God's love for us. I think there are so many times when we crave love and approval from those around us. It is hard sometimes to think that we are worthy of love. Especially God's love. So we don't believe that he can love us and we don't accept his love.
Bottom line though is, he truly does love us. No matter what. Even when we live our lives in ways that we maybe shouldn't, God still loves us. He may be sad and wish we made different choices, but he still loves us and chooses us.
I am SO thankful for that! The scripture that came to mind about this is an often quoted scripture, but still a good one!
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Day 29 of 37:
ReplyDeleteHello FB friends! Today I am thankful for all of you! Everyday it has been so much fun to post and I look forward to seeing what you all think! Your encouragements and prayers and 'likes' have meant so much to me! Only 8 more days, I think I am going to miss it!
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Day 30 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI’ve been thinking about the often quoted saying, “it’s not about religion its about relationship” I am truly grateful that I was raised to not believe in religion above my relationship with Jesus. Religion has been a huge cause of most wars and conflicts throughout history. It takes God and puts him in a box of what you can or what you can’t do. To me that is NOT what God is about. I live my life based on what I think is God’s best for me for that day. It isn’t about religion and it is definitely not about church, it’s about God and our relationship with him.
When we stand before God someday he isn’t going to ask us why we believed the church or a religion is true, he is going to ask us if we lived our lives for HIM and him alone.
“I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Day 32 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI was talking to some friends this weekend and it seems that we are all dealing with the difficulty of trusting God fully with our lives and our futures. It seems we all know that God is trustworthy, but at the same time, when things in life don’t go the way we wish they would it is hard to understand why.
It really helps to have friends who love God and can relate to where I am at in life, including the struggles. Even though most of the time our struggles are pretty different, where it relates to our relationship with God they are so similar. It really is true what the bible says about iron sharpening iron! I am so thankful for Godly friends!
“Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17
Day 33 of 37:
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking a lot about living my life in balance. I don’t have a lot of discipline in the areas I need them. Lucky for me I am not over the top with things like alcohol, but unlucky for me I am definitely not balanced when it comes to good nutrition or sleep. I’ve been reading a book by Joyce Meyer called, “Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits” and it has some good advice:
“Don’t merely focus on breaking all of your bad habits, but instead use your energy to actively form good habits. You will soon find there is no room in your life for the bad ones…”
and
“The biggest thief of success is procrastination. We can think about doing the right thing, plan to do it, and talk about doing it, but nothing changes in our lives until we start consistently doing what we need to do.”
This is all good for me to hear. The bible also talks about the choices we make and how we have the ‘right’ to do anything, but not everything we choose is wise. We can choose to drink alcohol, smoke, even drink too much Coke Zero and it is not a heaven or hell issue. UNLESS or UNTIL it comes between us and our relationship with God or it causes someone else to have problems in their walk with God. It is all about making wise choices.
"Everything is permissible--but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” 1 Corinthians 10:23-24
Day 34 of 37:
ReplyDeleteTo me a person’s integrity is the most important thing they can be known for. If you have integrity and people around you know that you do, you can live your life without a guilty conscience when it comes to relationships with others. There is such freedom in making sure that every day, everything you do is done with honesty and integrity.
I looked up ‘Integrity’ in Webster’s online dictionary and loved what it said the synonyms and antonyms were. Synonyms: character, decency, goodness, honesty, morality, probity, rectitude, righteousness, rightness, uprightness, virtue, virtuousness.
Antonyms: badness, evil, evildoing, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy, wickedness
I don’t know about you, but I would rather live my life with integrity and everything synonymous to integrity!
The bible has SO many verses on integrity, here are some of my favorites:
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” -Proverbs 10:9
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” –Proverbs 11:3
“Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” – 1 Peter 3:16
“Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.” –Proverbs 19:1
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” –Proverbs 12:22
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” –Luke 16:10
“The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!” –Proverbs 20:7
www.justjessandjesus.blogspot.com
Day 35 of 37:
ReplyDeletePlease bear with me for some extra reading today. I saw this video and thought it was so powerful, but instead of just posting the link to the video I thought I would transcribe it for everyone, especially for all of my girls out there. This is the truth beautiful ladies – don’t believe the lies. (I am speaking to myself just as much as to you!)
“You are beautiful. You are smart, you are funny, you are kind, and you are unique. You are worthy of love and affection. You are never too much, you are always enough. You are precious. You are a diamond; a rose, a pearl, the most stunning of all God’s creation. You are worth more than you could ever imagine. Worth more than the numbers on the scale, or the hair product you use, or the shoes you wear. More than how many girls wish they were you or how many guys wish they had you. More than the price tags on your clothes, or the percentage on the top of your math test, or even the number of followers you have on Twitter. Your worth surpasses all earthly things because in the eyes of the Lord God, you are loved. And you are worth dying for. Regardless of who you think you are, whether you model in a magazine or whether you model pottery with grandma. Whether you are on the hot list or the not list. Whether you are head cheerleader or a high school dropout. Whether you are Miss Popular or whether you have never had anyone you could call a friend. Whether you love yourself and love your life, or you can’t stand to look in the mirror and you feel as if everything in your life is falling apart. Whether you are such a winner or you feel like the world’s biggest failure. Regardless of who you think you are, the reality is, that you deserve someone who would give up their life for you, because you are powerful and strong and capable. Read about the women in the bible: Esther, Ruth, Martha, Mary. These women changed the world forever; and inside of you, each and every one of you is a woman with that same power and that same strength and that same world changing capability and your responsibility is to find that woman and to set that woman free. This is who you are. Any voices in your mind that try to tell you differently are from the enemy and the next time you hear them, this is what you say: “No, not me, I am a daughter of the living God, cherished, and adored and above all things, loved by the creator of all things for the glory of him who is greater than all things. I am awesome.” And PLEASE…Don’t you forget it.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWi5iXnguTU)
Day 36 of 37:
ReplyDeleteMy last year in college I took a couple philosophy classes and I loved learning about Socrates. He was a Greek philosopher who lived around 400 BC. Apparently he never wrote anything down and is only famous through the writings of his students, whom he evidently had a huge impact on. One of his best known sayings was “I only know that I know nothing” – I love this, it takes arrogance and superiority out of the equation and humbly admits that although we may be students of life, we still have a lot to learn.
I also liked another quote from him (below) because it speaks to trusting in God so much that you can just pray generally for his will in your life without asking for specific things, knowing that no matter what happens, it will be God’s best for you. I think so many times we pray with specifics and then are let down when our prayers are not answered the way we think they should be. Then years later we are SO thankful that our prayers were not answered the way we once thought they should be (I think Garth Brooks also speaks to this in his song Unanswered Prayers, haha).
I don’t know about you, but I really think the unintentional theme of my posts in the last 36 days has been trusting God even when it is hard, don’t you?! I guess God is trying to tell me something
“Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.” –Socrates
Day 37 of 37:
ReplyDelete(One day late)
I am so thankful for the last 37 days. When I started this, it wasn't an easy task. I felt like it was something that God wanted me to do, so I was obedient, but there were definitely days when I just didn't feel like posting. I did anyway. Can I tell you that every single day, even the days that weren't easy, I was blessed by the response!
My journey of falling back in love with Jesus is only just beginning but I already feel so encouraged and strengthened by dedicating the last 37 days back to Jesus. Those 37 days were a representation of the 37 years of my life. I don't love getting older, but I know that I am where I am at because of God's plan for my life and I do trust him, even when it is hard. The 37 days might be over, but my 37th year of blogging about my journey is just beginning - if any of you want to continue to follow my journey you can visit my blog, I'll be updating about once or twice a month. Also, because I've had many, many requests to keep posting daily on FB I have decided I can't commit to posting daily, but I will post weekly with things that God is showing me every week.
Again, thank you all for supporting me and loving me, these past 37 days!!
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it in to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6