Breathe Love

The other morning, I read this devotional by John North about the air that we are taking in. It was the coolest symbolism for referring to what influences our lives. He talked about whether the air that we were breathing was contaminating us or whether it was refreshing for us. After I really thought about it for a while, I got to really considering why I allow contaminated air in me. Now just to clarify, no, I am not actually referring to the air quality, I'll leave that up to the environmentalists. I'm referring to the influences that I allow to affect and act on my behalf.

The contaminated air... the stuff that gets me thinking negatively, the stuff that makes me feel so angry, the stuff that leads me to be discouraging to others.
The refreshing air... the sightings of beauty, the uplifting people in my life, the overwhelmingly encouraging words from the Lord.

Now, to enhance the mental image of breathing in the contaminated and refreshing air, I want to let you "consider the following." (: Let's talk about an obvious and popular topic, cigarettes. We have a choice to put that contaminated matter into our bodies, we have a choice to breathe in that smoke, knowing that it will do damage to our bodies. We also have the choice to not put that contaminated matter into our bodies, and to choose to breathe refreshing air, knowing that we won't be doing any damage to our bodies.

To wrap up all my rambling... we have a choice to allow or not allow contaminated air into our lives, and we have the opportunity to welcome or not welcome refreshing air. I for one, like refreshing air, there's nothing I love more than rolling down every window in my car in the springtime and just taking in that amazingly refreshing air. I want to welcome uplifting, positive, and encouraging things in my life, that refreshinga air. I also want to choose to not allow negativity, anger, and discouragement to linger in me and fill my lungs with that contaminating air. How do I do this though? I would like to propose this one word, which I believe is thrown around and has such a deeper meaning than what we take it to represent. Love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, "Do everything in love." If we use love in every circumstance, we can breath clearly. Just take some time today and think about how this is the answer, you might be surprised.

Pandora God

I often wish that I had this never ending Pandora or Spotify playlist playing in my head.  Why? I guess I'm just silly like that, but I'm sure there's someone out there that wishes that too... I think that it's because when I listen to music that is uplifting and just so encouraging, I want to be surrounded by it... all of the time.  Hey guess what I forget though... there's this guy named Jesus Christ, and if you have Him in your heart, you are surrounded by that uplifting and encouraging feeling in your heart.  When I remember this, I can't help but smile... there's a God who loves ME. A savior who came and gave up His life for me.  A Creator, that designed the entire world and thought of me.  How can you not be surrounded by encouragement after hearing that?  I don't think we are reminded of this or realize this nearly often enough.  We don't give our Lord the credit He deserves... we're incapable of doing that, but we can try our best.  And unfortunately, I don't even do that... I don't even try sometimes.  Those times when we have the choice to do this... but do that instead.  Those times when we hear that voice pushing us that way, but we go the other.  But He loves us and continues to encourage us and push us towards Him anyways.  It's unfathomable.  That word, it gives me chills... unfathomable: not capable of being fathomed.  Fathom: comprehension.  His love is completely out of our comprehension.  We can't wrap our heads around it, it's impossible.  He's that big, and when we invite Him to be a constant part of our lives and ask Him to "surround" Himself around us... He will... and happily will. 
I always catch myself saying... "Oh if I did this, my relationship with the Lord would be better, closer." I'm usually referring to worldly things though... like, "Oh if I had this devotional, or if I knew how to play guitar, or if I had this place to pray, or if I had a quiet time routine."  But I don't realize quick enough, that I don't need any of that... I need Him. I need His constant presence. I need all of Him, around all of me, all of the time. 
Allow, invite, ask God to be your Pandora or Spotify playlist.  LET Him have that constant surrounding protection and presence in your life... today.

Reflect on His gifts

I was reflecting this morning on how much my life has changed in the last year.  The crazy amount of new people I have met- the people that are challenging me, the people that I am mentoring, the people who are closest to me.  It's an amazing thing to think about, that God placed each and every one of them in my life for a purpose.  Even cooler to think about the fact that we try to figure out what the purpose is for them in our lives, but I think we will never cease to be amazed by the numerous purposes they will have in our lives.  
About a year ago I started praying for the Lord to challenge me in new ways.  I constantly doubted my knowledge of the Lords Word and my knowledge of how to teach others.  Well... He soon slammed a lot of those answers in my face.  I was meeting so many people whom had these extremely differn't opinions and thoughts about Christianity than I had ever learned.  The more I thought about what I had heard, I knew they couldn't be true.  These teachings just didn't seem like things Jesus would do and teach, and didn't seem like ways the Lord would want us to be living, and just didn't sound glorifying to Him.  I soon learned after seeking after the Lord, that I had been hearing numerous false teachings, and then from that using His Word to learn the real truths.  I have grown so much in my knowledge of Him just in the last year, and I know that was answered prayer to my asking for Him to challenge me. 
I love spending time reflecting on what He has done in my life, the gifts that He has provided me with, it's glorifying to Him.  Spend some time today just praising Him for the things He has done in your life, whether it be that He has put certain people in your life, put you in new situations, taught you new things, brought you peace... whatever it has been, give Him praise.  Give and you will receive from Him.

Psalm 147:1- "Praise the Lord.  How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!"

Opening a closed door

Wow, it's been a long time since I last wrote, but I'm so excited to get back into the rhythm of it, it's a passion of mine that I long to share!

God has been present and so good. And when I say good, I don't mean, the robotic, "I'm good, how are you?" I mean, He has been GOOD. So good, and all of the time. I love listening, just sitting, thinking, and listening to what He has me processing. I lose track of the things I hear, because He speaks so well and so much. No, I'm not hearing a little man speaking into my ear the truths and wisdom of life, I'm experiencing what He has for me. I'm listening and hearing Him through my actions and responses. It's mind boggling to me, the simplicity of how it sounds, but the magnitude of what it means.
Ah, but the tough spots have come often and harshly lately, and still through these trials, I am learning so much from my Good God. Doors have opened, and many doors have closed. But I am so proud and comforted by being able to say, I know my Good God will get me through! I truly believe that, and it's just another simplistic sentence, but has such strong depth. Trusting Him... it's so hard, please hear me out, it is not easy. It's something for me that I have come to learn after long, harsh, painful, yet exciting experiences He has put me through. But without a doubt, listen up, it has (and that is trusting Him) brought me nothing but complete JOY. I can't stress that enough, He brings me joy, end of story. He is the reason I am able to love, in which love brings so much more to the plate in my life. It opens a door, a door that was closed in my meaningless, dark, loveless life before Christ. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." I can have life to the full! The full, to love, to laugh, to glorify, to speak, to fellowship, to do all these things in the Name of The Lord. I have the blessing of being able to say... He is mine, and I am His.
And so are you. Open the door, it's not supposed to be closed, open it so that the Light can shine in.

xo, carly