Think of me as a modern-day nun. Single, and satisfied.
I'm 27, unmarried, childless, and have remained chaste and celibate since giving my life to the Lord June 14th, 2008.
I have no desire to date or get married, or have children of my own. People think I am strange, indeed. Now, if I wore a habit with a crucifix, I would likely have more understanding than I do at present. However, I am not Catholic, or Protestant, or any other man-made religion.
I am a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I am a maidservant, or handmaiden, of the Lord.
I am single, yet I am married to Jesus Christ our Lord & Savior.
The most important thing I have learned in my walk with Christ (besides Obedience) is dependency - on HIM. If I believe He lives within me, then I should behave as such. I should talk to Him, out loud, like I do with my family and friends. I should consult Him with every decision, just as I would a husband. I should spend time with Him, seek out His counsel, obey His wisdom, and bask in His love. Just as a husband ought to be enough for his wife, Jesus should be enough for me. I should be SATISFIED. I should have need of nothing to complete me. I am complete, because I am in Him, and He is in me.
"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies." Song of Solomon 6:3 KJV
This is what it means to have a Singleness of Heart to the Lord, such as Paul refers to in I Corinthians Chapter 7 "But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none;" You see, the Lord must be first, whether married or single. This is the only way true contentment can be achieved.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Thursday, May 1, 2014
What Is Beauty?
"Beauty is only skin deep."
I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard that phrase. To some, it's a cliche, and yet, it's so very true, like another well-known quote that comes to mind, "Stop & smell the roses."
Ladies, think about all the things we do outwardly to appear beautiful.
Some of us dye our hair, tan our skin, wear makeup, fry our hair with rollers or straighteners, suffer ridiculous diets to lose weight, and even have surgery to enhance or enlarge certain features.
All for what? So that we can look like the standard for beauty, created by mainstream media? Why do we always want to look like someone else, and usually someone famous? Do we ever stop to consider our uniqueness? Not one of us has the same DNA, the same fingerprint. Some of us are red-headed and some brunette; some blue-eyed and some brown-eyed; some are slim and some are curvy; some have moles and others have dimples. We were each perfectly formed in the womb, each of us with distinct differences that make us special.
A beautiful woman is not that which we see displayed in Hollywood films, pageants, or fashion magazines.
So what is beauty?
A woman's beauty is like her virtue - it comes from a pure heart and it cannot be seen from the eyes of the world. It can only be seen by those who have that same beauty within them.
I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard that phrase. To some, it's a cliche, and yet, it's so very true, like another well-known quote that comes to mind, "Stop & smell the roses."
Ladies, think about all the things we do outwardly to appear beautiful.
Some of us dye our hair, tan our skin, wear makeup, fry our hair with rollers or straighteners, suffer ridiculous diets to lose weight, and even have surgery to enhance or enlarge certain features.
All for what? So that we can look like the standard for beauty, created by mainstream media? Why do we always want to look like someone else, and usually someone famous? Do we ever stop to consider our uniqueness? Not one of us has the same DNA, the same fingerprint. Some of us are red-headed and some brunette; some blue-eyed and some brown-eyed; some are slim and some are curvy; some have moles and others have dimples. We were each perfectly formed in the womb, each of us with distinct differences that make us special.
A beautiful woman is not that which we see displayed in Hollywood films, pageants, or fashion magazines.
So what is beauty?
The woman who wipes tears from a child's eyes as she rocks them in her arms to comfort their fears.
The nurse who sits & holds the hand of a dying man.
The wife who honors her husband and is faithful to him.
The grandmother who is passing on her secret recipes to her granddaughter.
The mother who wakes in the middle of the night to hold & nurse her whimpering babe, murmuring sweet words of love.
The wife who wakes up before her husband at the crack of dawn, to make his breakfast and kiss him goodbye as he leaves for work.
A woman's beauty is like her virtue - it comes from a pure heart and it cannot be seen from the eyes of the world. It can only be seen by those who have that same beauty within them.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Birthday Thoughts
So I celebrated my 27th birthday this past Sunday. As I get older, birthdays have become less exciting, and simply a reminder of time slipping away. Another year gone. I feel the same way about the New Year.
And yet, my birthday is still a day to look forward to. For me, it's a day of thankfulness, that I got to live to celebrate being a year older. Thankful that I get to spend time with loved ones. Thankful for the breath in my lungs, the sun on my face, and the clear blue skies.
This birthday was certainly unlike any other. After a rather leisurely morning, Dad and I sat outside to enjoy our time in the Word of the Lord. Let's just say that time was cut short by an unpleasant finding in my hair. Apparently, I should NOT be cuddling my chickens.
Anyways, once that was sorted out, we went to our favorite birthday restaurant, Provino's. Then a little shopping at Wally World, and off to the movies to see Son of God. I was very disappointed in that movie. First, there was not a lot of the teachings of Jesus, and there were only 2 or 3 miracles shown. The biggest issue I had with this movie was the portrayal of Mary Magdalene. She was shown with the 12 disciples all the time, and she was very outspoken. This does not line up with scripture. The movie also showed Jesus in the garden begging God to spare Him from being crucified. Jesus was not begging to be spared. He was offering Himself to God as the perfect sacrifice, preparing Himself for the crucifixion. If Jesus was unwilling to die, then He died in vain. The whole point of His first coming, was that He would be the perfect living sacrifice, so that we could repent and be saved, and have the Holy Spirit inside of us to keep us Holy.
Now that I'm done preaching, back to the story :).
I ate a bit too much popcorn at the theatre. Late that night, or early morning rather, I got sick. Needless to say, I got very little sleep that night, and ending up calling in sick the next morning. Thank goodness for melatonin and mint tea, which helped me take a much needed nap. After a good night's sleep the next 2 nights, I felt much better.
You'd think I would be mad, like my birthday was ruined. It certainly seemed to test my patience. But all-in-all, I count it a wonderful day, despite the set backs I encountered. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger? I suppose that is true. Life happens! If we allow things around us to control our emotions, we would be emotional wrecks all the time. We would be controlled by fear, anger, impatience, selfishness, etc. Instead, I choose peace, and a heart full of Thanksgiving. I choose love, life, JESUS.
Love is... JESUS
And yet, my birthday is still a day to look forward to. For me, it's a day of thankfulness, that I got to live to celebrate being a year older. Thankful that I get to spend time with loved ones. Thankful for the breath in my lungs, the sun on my face, and the clear blue skies.
This birthday was certainly unlike any other. After a rather leisurely morning, Dad and I sat outside to enjoy our time in the Word of the Lord. Let's just say that time was cut short by an unpleasant finding in my hair. Apparently, I should NOT be cuddling my chickens.
Anyways, once that was sorted out, we went to our favorite birthday restaurant, Provino's. Then a little shopping at Wally World, and off to the movies to see Son of God. I was very disappointed in that movie. First, there was not a lot of the teachings of Jesus, and there were only 2 or 3 miracles shown. The biggest issue I had with this movie was the portrayal of Mary Magdalene. She was shown with the 12 disciples all the time, and she was very outspoken. This does not line up with scripture. The movie also showed Jesus in the garden begging God to spare Him from being crucified. Jesus was not begging to be spared. He was offering Himself to God as the perfect sacrifice, preparing Himself for the crucifixion. If Jesus was unwilling to die, then He died in vain. The whole point of His first coming, was that He would be the perfect living sacrifice, so that we could repent and be saved, and have the Holy Spirit inside of us to keep us Holy.
Now that I'm done preaching, back to the story :).
I ate a bit too much popcorn at the theatre. Late that night, or early morning rather, I got sick. Needless to say, I got very little sleep that night, and ending up calling in sick the next morning. Thank goodness for melatonin and mint tea, which helped me take a much needed nap. After a good night's sleep the next 2 nights, I felt much better.
You'd think I would be mad, like my birthday was ruined. It certainly seemed to test my patience. But all-in-all, I count it a wonderful day, despite the set backs I encountered. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger? I suppose that is true. Life happens! If we allow things around us to control our emotions, we would be emotional wrecks all the time. We would be controlled by fear, anger, impatience, selfishness, etc. Instead, I choose peace, and a heart full of Thanksgiving. I choose love, life, JESUS.
Love is... JESUS
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