You Are Good Enough!

Recently I have been spending a lot of time praying, fasting, and meditating on Gods word looking for clarity and wisdom. Iv'e known since I was young the call that God has put on my heart but have often struggled with am I good enough? am I ready? An in the exact moment of feeling sorry for myself and saying poor me. God reminded me this. My hope is this will inspire someone like it has inspired me.

Do you seriously think God can't use you?

Noah was a Drunk
Abraham was to Old
Jacob was a Liar
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson was a womanizer
Rahab was prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were to young
David had an affair and was a murder
Elijah was suicidal
Isiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter Denied Christ
Martha worried about everything
Zaccheus was to small
Paul was to religious
Timothy had an ulcer
Lazarus was dead

Fond Memories Never Forgotten

As a child I always lived on the water. From our first home on Lake Missaukkee to the house my parents live in now on the Clam River and my absolute favorite, the place that is the most dear to my heart, our families Cottage on Gun Lake. I feel like I was born in the water and always loved being apart of all the laughter and love that was associated with being at the lake. I have vivid memories growing up and spending my weekends with the whole family. Wanting to be cool enough to hang out with all of my older cousins, tagging along with them where ever they went. I'm sure they loved having me around. I just can't believe that those memories are all we are going to have left of the lake now that the cottage is sold. I don't think we realize just how much we took the lake for granted waking up on Saturday mornings to my grandma playing the piano basking in the sun on the Pon toon, tubing, water skiing, jet skiing, picnics in the backyard, walks and bike yards through the cul de sac. I can't imagine how its feels for our parents watching all of us kids grow up at the lake. Its feels like were losing a piece of the family, a piece of tradition. It breaks my heart now that all of us kids are grown and have families we wont be able to share the same memories of the cottage with them.

The cottage

Sunday Picnics with the Meyering Family

Lesson Learned

Is it just me or are Some of the biggest life lessons the hardest to hear when we are being faced with something that seems so much Bigger. Perhaps its just me but i know a lot of the time I spend so much of my time worrying about the situation that it sometimes it feels like all the time that I have spent praying about it is in vain. An I know thats not true. I know that in Gods word it clearly says "ask and you will receive." I just sometimes wonder that when we are going through a difficult situation do we spend so much time trying to do what Jesus would do that we don't take the time to really listen to what he is calling us to do. Just a thought.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Choosing to Forgive Daily!

After reflecting on my quiet time from the last week I find myself feeling overwelmed! Ive been reading a lot on forgiveness and I'm finding that a subject as big as forgiveness really has the ability to wreck your heart. As I reflect on my time with God this week I felt an emotion I hadn't felt in years. An emotion I can only describe as being a wound that never completely healed. I kept thinking to myself how can I be reminded of this when I had forgave years ago. Or so I thought.... How is it that Jesus forgave us yet we can't seem to forgive others. Just like it says in Daniel "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him." How does he make it look so easy! When in all reality forgiveness is so hard. Then I  was reminded of something that Jeff said a few months back "forgiveness is something you have to do daily." Id never considered this. But how true is it having to relive the same hurts every day just in different ways.  Its crazy to me how God is clearly telling us the key to forgiveness and we live like once is enough. It is our job everyday to wake up and choose. Choose if you are going to have a good day or bad. If we are going to let the past affect our future. To choose what offends us and what will lift us up. So this is what I'm learning each time I choose... I choose to forgive.... and each time I forgive the forgiveness comes that much easier!

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:13-14

2012

I guess I didn't realize just how long its been since I've shared with everyone. You know its funny because whether it just be that life got away from me or the fact that I was so stuck in a mundane day to day routine and felt like nothing was worth sharing. Both are sad excuses.  I suppose that life has been like I mentioned before routine. I started noticing recently that if I were to actually write a book about my life no one would read it. Perhaps because every page would say the same thing. Get up, go through morning routine, go to work, Come home from work, go to gym, come home from gym, make dinner, settle in on the couch with my computer and unwind for the rest of the night. Wake up the next day and do it all over again. With that being said my new years resolution this year is to enjoy the year 2012. I plan to laugh more, Cry more, learn more, experience more! I want to have that personality that anything is possible if you just believe! Be able to be more spontaneous without second guessing if it really is a good idea! I want to take time to notice the small things in life that make life worth living;be able to breathe deep and enjoy the sound of the rain. I want to make the time to see the people I rarely seen and spend time with people that I care most about. But most important I want to not take it all for granite.