Please.

"The Fear of God is the only cure for the Fear of People"  -Craig Groeschel

I am reading a book called "Weird" by Craig Groeschel and the chapter I just read was about being a people-pleaser. Something, I believe, often distracts me away from where my mindset should fall. Groeschel states that there are four "characteristic symptoms" of people-pleasers:
    
    #1. A tendency to take criticism personally.    How often have you, just like me, taken something so personally it affects what is on your mind for the rest of your day, or maybe even week? If these thoughts conquer our mind and heart for those days, what are we missing out on? What is God trying to teach us? What growing, positive thoughts could have replaced those? If those thoughts were gone how much more would we be able to positively affect those around us?
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. -Philippians 4:8
    #2. A constant fear of rejection from those around them.      Now, I would like to think that my fear is not constant, because the word "constant" conveys the feeling of an unrelenting dark cloud following me around. But, saying that, I definitely have my cloud-filled days. Those are that days that I forget who gives me my identity, the days when I forget who I am as a child of God. I forget that only what God thinks of me has value to my life...and He loves me. He loves me despite all the mistakes I make. He has called me beautiful despite what society labels as imperfections. He has loved me enough to die my death on a cross. Those are glimpses of the Son that are blocked by my clouds. (and yes, I did write that last sentence, and I loved it)
    #3 Difficulty in expressing their true feelings     Feelings, hmmm. I feel like I am pretty good at expressing my feelings, but I also know the thoughts of, "How will this person accept this information and use it" cross my mind way more than they should. Why should it matter who accepts you for who you are? *refer to above statement #2* We forget our identity in Christ. If someone doesn't like us for the feelings God has placed within our hearts, we shouldn't fret. That goes back to the whole "fear of rejection" thing. If we suffer for our feelings we need take it as a blessing. God is using those sufferings to establish, and make firm, our character within Him. He will build our character so much we will no longer fear the rejection or judgement for expressing our true feelings. We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. -Romans 5:3-5
     #4 Reluctance to say "no" even when it's clear they should.     *Refer to above statements* What do you believe? Do you bend when a certain person asks if you want to do something you shouldn't? Do you compromise your beliefs for a moment of fun? Do you cower away from the confident word "no" when a situation arises around people you want to fit in with? Do you compromise your beliefs by the simple fact of wanting to fit in with the crowd to begin with? We can all answer yes to one of these questions from some situation in life in the past or the present day, for we are human...we are sinners.

I believe these people-pleasing attitudes take us all over at one point or another. The bigger picture paints the idea that we are looking in the wrong place for our identity as children of God. Are we looking to the world, or to the One who created the world? Who's team do we want to play on? You can't play for Ohio State and Michigan at the same time and be accepted. Why do we think we can play on the world's team while still fighting for first string on God's team? We are called to be weird in the worlds eyes. We need to learn to deal with it. We are going to be criticized, rejected, and made fun of for what we say and the choices we make. That's life. That's the world. But that's not our team.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?   -Mark 8:36

"The Fear of God is the only cure for the Fear of People"  -Craig Groeschel
Who do you fear more? We may be making people too big in our lives and God too small.

Let the Lord's people show him reverence, for those who honor him will have all they need. -Psalm 34:9

Bricks.

     Lately my mind has been a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions. You're thinking, "typical girl", right? Well, its just me and that is the truth. I feel as if my thoughts like to haunt me throughout my day...but I let them. That, right there is my problem. I. Let. Them.  Thoughts about myself, thoughts about the present and thoughts about the future, but also, thoughts about the past. Just like regular 'ole ghosts. Sometimes these thoughts get me down and make me question what I was thinking in that moment. Why did I make those decisions? Why did I act in such a way that I knew was wrong? Instead of the wonderful times when I realize how much those decisions and action have shaped me and grow me into the woman I am today. I need to be grateful daily for my mistakes I have let haunt me and let them fully change me.
    I have been truly realizing how much Satan has a grip on my thought life in a negative way (as if there could be a positive?). He uses my day-to-day thought tumblings to distract me from God's daily opportunities within this world. I will start thinking about something and it will trigger more and more thoughts of What-If's? and What-Should-I-Do's? Satan has discovered my amazing ability to be distracted within my brain and within my heart (possibly a condition of yours too?). I allow myself to get twisted on different situations in my life and focus all of my attention on them, when in reality, it is a beautiful day outside and there are so many people to be loved. 
    So many people. People who are hurting and struggling 20 feet away from me. What stops me from taking the extra two minutes to encourage and reach out?
    A friend posted on my facebook wall this week a simple little message, "hello. i miss you. thought you should know." I told him that he made my heart smile, but I don't think he realized how big the smile was. I was grinning from ear to ear. Just those few simple words made my roller coaster of a day that much better. I know we shouldn't build our life's foundation upon people's words and feelings because that would be one unstable house. But, who says you can't use them as building bricks with which you surround yourself with walls of love? Cheesy, I know, but if you know me you should be used to it....the cheese just always comes.
    This weekend I have taken a couple walks and runs around our neighborhood to clear my head and just REST. Not physically, but mentally. So many things have been popping up in my life with friends, family, and hurt. I worry I will make the wrong decision or not be there for a person when they need me because I am selfishly lodged up in my own mind.
    I know I am a vessel of God to be used by God. I am so thankful for the AMAZING opportunity He has blessed me with: to be a light within this world of sadness and hurt. But, I am afraid that I have allowed this opportunity to create a fear within my heart. What if I am supposed to give that beam of light to a person and I don't? It scares me. It scares me that we can plant such seeds within people's days and lives. It honestly scares me when I sit and think about it. It could have such a big impact on a person....but what if we don't do it once? You see, that is Satan's genius plan within my mind. "Let's make her feel guilty about her "human-ness". She can't possibly give a little beam of light to everyone in her life that is hurting. She can't keep up with everyone and she can't always stay in touch. Let's make her feel guilty." Lies.
    Satan is feeding me lies...and I have fallen into his trap...and I want out. I have had three people in my life lately who have told me that it is not my job to fix everybody. One literally told me to "Stop believing Satan's lies. You have to feed yourself the truth." I felt like someone just chucked a rock at my head. So that's what I have been doing?
    I hear many people's stories of hurt and i just want to fix their hearts. That is not my job. I am just one brick upon what should be, their solid foundation of God. I am not made to hold their hurts, HE is. I am not made to remove their pain, HE is. I am not made to fix their brokenness, HE is. I do not have the abilities to do God's work, because HE IS GOD.  I am made to be a light, a brick upon HIS foundation. I am made to add God's love to the walls that surround them, but I cannot do it all. I am human. I cannot  physically and verbally stay in contact with all of those on my heart. But I can PRAY.
    I have decided there are friends that I just have to start praying for and keep praying for, even as they fall in and out of my daily life. It has been one of the hardest things for me to come to realize these past few months. I can't allow Satan to use my lack of contact with them to add more guilt to my heart. That guilt, is ultimately what I let drag myself down. I am not able to stay in touch with everybody, nor can I fake it. If I am investing in a person, I want to invest in them. I don't like drive-through relationships. Give me a good sit-down restaurant. There will always be memories....and there will always be prayers. This may make no sense to some of you reading, but it might to others. I need to discover how to let go, but still keep praying. God and I are working on that right now. It is time for Truth-telling and not lie-believing.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.    John 14:27

This brick is going for a run before church tomorrow to "rest". yes. i. am.
   
     

Thoughts without Action...

     I have thought about this blog many times within the last few weeks. I have thought of so many things to say. I have thought of all of the stuff I have been challenged by lately. I have thought about writing all my ideas down on a piece of paper. I have thought....I have thought....but I haven't DONE. So many times in our lives we think about doing things but never actually do them. I feel like I am constantly trapped in too much thinking and not enough doing. A quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe sums up something I think we all feel at times, "Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world."
     I believe we get that 'mountain to climb' feeling a good majority of the time because we forget to remember that God can give us the strength, endurance, confidence, wisdom, and guidance to put our thoughts into action. To write that letter to a friend, to go out of your way to help a coworker, to smile at the stranger in downtown Grand Rapids even when they may scare you (speaking for myself here), to turn your time on facebook into a way of encouraging those who are struggling, to make time to make time for people, to give someone a hug when you know they just need to know someone is there. We are not alone in our endeavors to put our thoughts into action...God's got us. We just have to trust that He will work the things out that are stopping us. Things stopping us like our supposed "lack of time", our own struggles, work,  homework, laziness, fear....fear of hurt, fear of rejection, and fear of the change our actions might bring.
    I fear our society is one of great complacency. We are afraid to act on our actions because we are comfortable where WE are at. If we don't act we are not held accountable and people won't expect anything from us. Well, I hate to bring the bad news....but we are all held accountable with our actions and God does expect us to truly live for Him.
    Why do we get comfortable where WE are at when there are so many people out there hurting. People are starving; starving for food, starving for shelter, starving for comfort, starving for family, starving for love, starving for God. Sitting here being complacent with where WE are at in life and our lack of motion in this world is causing people to starve. WE are the ones starving others.
   When someone steps out of the complacency in our world, their action is noticed. Not necessarily on the news, but by the person who needs to feel that someone cares. Stepping out with simple things such as food can show God's love and friendship in a way we may never understand. Who are WE to be complacent with where we are and not act upon our thoughts? Who are WE to get comfortable seeing the homeless, friendless, starving population? God calls us to feed people with whatever we have. With something as small as an apple, a hug, a caring conversation, an encouraging Bible verse, or a genuine smile, we can make a large difference.
     Let's not be complacent anymore. Let us act upon our thoughts and convictions. God gave us a heart for a reason.

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’     “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’           
                                            -Matthew 25: 37-40

(that was not the blog i had planned...but my intro just turned into something so i went with it. thoughts thoughts thoughts thoughts.....now we gotta do something about this ACTION)
(also, I must change the title of this blog. that will teach you to not think too far ahead) 

Is the canvas really blank?

As I sat here greatly contemplating whether or not to start this blog, as I have for the last month, I was asked to develop a name for my blog. Honestly, I kind of just wanted someone to name it for me. Naming something is a big deal. Naming something comes along with the territory of that certain thing fitting into, getting used to, or growing into the name. What if I name it wrong or give it a name that I don't like later? Hmm....


Well, "The Colorful Canvas" it is. Don't ask me why it popped into my noggin, but it did. Once it did indeed jump to life inside my head I really started to thing about the phrase, "A blank canvas". Many people refer to themselves as a blank canvas with no "paint" upon which their life is guided by. As I thought about it more I pictured my so-called "blank" canvas compared to friends' so called "blank" canvases. Well, I decided I don't think they are blank. I believe that sometimes we insist they are blank because then we either have no obligations or nothing to live up to in our lives. We think our picture hasn't begun to be expressed through colors yet so there is no great yearning to see the completed work. Yet again, I believe this thinking is flawed.

Whether we like it or not, everything we do in our lives puts paint on our canvas. It becomes a part of who we are. The bad things, the good things, the thrilling things, the compassionate things, the fulfilling things, the scary things, the draining things....whatever things you do they will always throw, or gracefully place, some paint on your canvas. So, as we go about our lives, we shouldn't think of ourselves as a blank canvas. We started "painting" from the second we were born.

God places situations, people, and challenges within our lives and gives us the paintbrush. Yet, throughout this whole process, we sometimes forget to take lessons from the one who skillfully handed us the paintbrush. He painted the most brilliant canvas of all. We need to strive daily to paint our canvas to model His best, and try and take a lesson from the one who is All-Knowing.

We are a canvas and we are painting. Don't deny it. Make your canvas worth noticing.



O Lord, you are our Father.
      We are the clay, and you are the potter.
      We all are formed by your hand.
                               -Isaiah 64:8