Change

Change...it is sometimes a scary word.  We go through changes every day, some are so small that we really do not even notice it, and some are so huge that our lives are never the same. But it is still changes.  How we react to change can very from situation to situation.  It also varies from person to person. 

Fall reminds me of change that is sometimes hard to accept.  Many of us love the sun and warmth of summer and then when fall hits we see the leave drying and falling off the trees, flowers losing there blooms, everything drying and withering.  It starts getting cold and we know that winter is right around the corner.  Now it varies in degree from area to area the degree in which this change happens, but it still does. 

What we have to remember it that this change is necessary for the next season.  The seeds have to sleep so they can become that beautiful flower, the tree has to break so it can make the fresh air we breathe.  So many things we would miss without this change. 

Change happens in its time.  Change allows for a time of renewal. Change allows us to get closer to God. We change from the ways of man to the ways of God.  All we have to do is allow ourselves to go through the "season" at God's lead and in the Spring, we are new!!!

Ecclesiastes 3:3-9

New International Version (NIV)

 

3 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?

¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.

¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.

Yes, I like to talk about my faith.

My life has been far from a perfect example of a Christian life as laid out in the Bible. There have been many times in the past that I have told untruths, talked mean about others, made fun of those who were different than me and the list goes on and on.

BUT...Things have changed for me over the course of the past few years and finally I realized that the messes in my life were just that, my messes. I did not allow God to have control and lead me in the path that he had for me. I thought that I could do it all on my own and God was just there for my convenience. This is a situation that many of us who claim to be Christians fall in if we truthfully admit it to ourselves.

The Lord uses strange ways to bring us to the truth. For me, it was studying with a Jehovah's Witness. A great woman came to my door and challenged me to study God's Word more and to take a deep look at the way my life was heading and the example that I was showing others. Now, we had some differences in beliefs but we were united in the fact that God is the one who should be in control. I did not convert because of the differences in some of our beliefs but she did show me by example what it meant to be unafraid to share my faith.

We live in a world where we are taught that we need to be careful not to offend anyone by what we say in regards to religion. Especially if you claim to be a Christian. But how can you share the Word of God and not offend when those who accuse you of being closed minded are themselves close minded? SHARE ANYWAY!!!!

Share by your deeds of kindness and love. You do not have to "preach" at someone to share your faith. Now I do post things in my Facebook status or Twitter status to express my faith in words. It may be a verse from a song that I love or a section of a book that I am studying or a Bible verse. But more important I am trying to share more by deeds.

I am not perfect and still make many mistakes, we all do like it or not. But God, through His gift of sacrifice through the blood of his Son Jesus, gives me the strength and the courage to carry on. I just wish I had learned sooner. We all need to keep our eyes open and look for opportunities to share our faith.

God bless ♥

A new beginning.

Sometimes new beginnings are hard! Changing from the same old, same old can be really challenging. I have a rough time stepping out of my comfort zone and because of the failures in my life that fear is multiplied by...oh, I don't know, trillions maybe? But recently there has been a change, and I think a change for the good. I attend a church in Frankfort, First Church of God (www.kyhope.com) and the Pastor that has been teaching us recently has helped me to realize that I need to listen to God's direction and follow because he will not steer me wrong. I am starting to listen to that voice now and go in the direction He is leading me. And I must say, I have been at peace in areas of my life that have not felt peace in a long time. I am not saying that it is going to be easy, and I know that there will be many times of doubt and discouragement. BUT, if I continue to listen to God and follow His direction, I cannot go wrong!;