Be anxious for nothing.....

"Be anxious for nothing... Be anxious for nothing." (Philippians 4:6) 

I find myself repeating this phrase in my mind as if it's the only thing keeping the sun in its place. I have said these words so many times in the last year that it has become my backbone when situations or the "what ifs" flood my mind. 

We find ourselves stuck in the past or the future, whether it's near or far. We never really look at the here and now; we are too focused on what we did a year ago rather than where we will be in the next minute or even second. We look to five years from now and worry about whether our plans today will be blossomed into what we desire today but we don't realize that most of our minds will change by the next hour. Sure it's good to make plans... But if we aren't seeing the here and now we end up worrying about what may not even happen; we lose sight of the happiness of living in the RIgHT NOw. Our lives become the worry that overwhelms us, and by the time we open our eyes we realize that we've wasted our whole life. 

So what do we do when we are stuck in the midst of a situation? 

Looking down at the waves crashing over us isn't the answer but looking to the one who can ultimately calm the storm is our necessity. We have to cling to Jesus and cling to His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Especially in the midst of the storm. Even if it's just worrying about what you're going to do for dinner; He is with you. 

Try thinking positively... If you don't think on the good in life you become burnt out and lose sight of what God created you to be. Look to The Lord in whatever you do and He will bless you and you will be abundantly filled with joy. 

Live in the here and now... Not the past or future. 

In the Midst of the Storm be a Paul and Silas

In the Midst of a storm Paul and Silas offered prayer of praises and sang hymns to The Lord. 

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." (Acts 16:25)

In the midst of their trials they looked to God. They didn't give up on God just like God wouldn't give up on them. They believed wholeheartedly that God was with them and that no matter what happened God would get them through this. 

We see in verse 26 that Paul and Silas' faith and their looking to The Lord freed them...

"Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed." (Acts 16:26)

We see the full power of God in just a couple verses. They Saw God and Sought God in the midst of their trial and God set them free from all of their bonds that kept them in that prison cell. 

Do you ever look at this story and think that maybe... Just maybe we need to re-evaluate our lives when things get tough? We see Paul and Silas sitting in prison with other criminals singing praises to God and praying with all of the faith that they had. They weren't sitting there playing in the dirt... They weren't sitting there complaining. They weren't questioning God. They were PRAISING Him! 

They didn't see the storm that was raging in front of them, they saw the God who walked on water! They saw the man who healed the lame and the sick. They saw the God who is sitting on the throne in Heaven in this very hour! 

We need to re-evaluate our faith in the midst of the storm; I know I do. I am known to have a lot of faith but from time to time I find myself pulling away from what I know God desires and I become terrified and I run away. I find myself complaining and questioning God as if I have the right to question. As if I have the right to complain about where He has put me. 

I don't have the RIGHT. 

This world is lacking many Paul and Silas'... We turn our backs from the God who can bring us through and we cry and blame all of our misery on Him. Let me tell you that God is NOT the cause of all of our misery in times of trouble; we are! 

What if we all looked to God instead of at the storm? What if we looked to the one who can carry us through? I find that we will be happier. 

It says in Philippians 4:6-7

"Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus."

I don't want to be a Megan... I don't want to be scared or anxious. I want to be made new! I don't want to be the old me. I want to be LIKE Christ in everything I do. I want to run this race for Christ. I want to stop turning my face from God and pushing Him away! I want my FAITH to outweigh my anger! I want my LIFE to shine the LIGHT of Jesus and who HE is! And the Good thing about this is that we CAN be happy in the midst of trials because we KNOW the ending! Christ IS coming back and He WILL take His children with Him! And that should be enough to get us through. 

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

Press towards the calling of God. Look to Christ and He will renew your strength. He is there in times of trouble and He is there in times of happiness... He is there! All we have to do is look to Him fully and He will break our chains and loose our bonds! Become a Paul and Silas for The Lord. 

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

"Close your eyes and it'll all go away..."

"Close your eyes and it'll all go away..."

We tend to use this phrase/action for most situations... 

We see a bully push a child down and we turn our backs and pretend it never happened... 

We turn on the news and see the destruction happening overseas; even in our own country and we turn it off and go about our lives as if our world is perfect and put together. 

We see the orphan and think that we don't have the skill or the money to bring in the one who has lost all that they've had and have been abandoned by all they truly loved. We turn our eyes and take care of our own as if they are not our brothers and sisters as well...

We look at our sinful lives and acknowledge we have a problem but when someone tries to help us we deny every aspect and close our eyes to the brokenness that's left behind. 

We read about Jesus' death. We see it in movies and pictures but we close our eyes because the PAIN that He went through is TOO MUCH for US to bare... 

But one thing that ALL of these have in common is that they are all right under our noses and we turn our eyes away and say that it never happened.... But IT DID HAPPEN and it's happening RIGHT NOW! 

If we keep turning our eyes away sooner or later we become that BULLY. We become the cause of all of this DESTRUCTION. We are those ORPHANS in need of love and hope. We become the SIN that so easily ENSNARES us. 

But JESUS is the one who carries us through the murky waters! He's the one to push us through and gives us the COURAGE to confront that bully, to find a solution or the means to help the destruction overseas and in our country... He gives us the desire to love every single orphan and love all of them to the extent that Jesus loved us... He took away punishment of sin and He's giving us the liberation from those burdens and sins that weigh us down. 

He carried us to Calvary but he didn't put us on the cross... He put Himself on the Cross... A SINLESS man. 

We need to step out onto the waters and have faith that God will lead, protect, provide, and always be right beside you. Keep your eyes on the Cross; keep your head above the waters. God's hand will always be there to hold on to; never let go and He will carry you through...

New Years Resolutions??

As the old passes away and the "new" unfolds as we start bringing in the new year... Whether it's with weight loss goals or trying to quit that habit that you tried last year but you could never really accomplish it because the stress was unbearable. 

I want to encourage you to let go of all of your "New Years Resolutions"; throw them away (go ahead, sing the song. 🎶Let it go, let it go...🎶). But seriously, making a list of New Years resolutions is just a list unless you actually act on them. I feel as if the phrase "New Years Resolutions" is just a term we use to make ourselves feel productive. Instead of saying New Years Resolutions try using the phrase Set in Stone Life Alturnating goals (I know... It's a weird phrase. I just made it up on the spot). 

We need to re-evaluate the outlook on life. Look deeper into ourselves and see the changes that we need to make for the betterment of ourselves and the people around us. I'm talking physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

I look back on this past year and see unfinished goals. I desired to be in the Word of God everyday but I confess that that didn't happen. I desired to look at all of the blessings in my life and tried to take account of what I was thankful for. It worked for awhile but as humans we lose sight of what really matters. We need to reach out and grab what's right in front of us. We need to pray that God would show us the change that we need to be in this world; show us the Christians He intended for us to be. I know that life gets in the way and we forget to pray for that fast food McDonalds meal or we forget to read our Bibles but God knows that we are not perfect. He knows what we deal with each and everyday. Trying as hard as possible to get it right but in reality it's almost impossible to get it right in a wrong world. 

I'm not saying that all of our "Set in Stone Life Alturnating goals" are impossible to achieve... I want you to actually desire it deep down in your heart to become a better person for our Lord Jesus Christ! Whether it's sitting down with your kids before school or work and reading a chapter of the Bible or praying with your spouse before you go to bed. Pray constantly that God would show you where He would have you change and explore some way that you can make those Life Goals made into Life Changing goals. 

If you have any Life Changing goals that you have either experienced or desire to accomplish over this next year please feel free to comment below or what they are and how you desire to work through them. Or if you just need some advice ask me :) 

Prayer Requests?

I'm going to attempt something different with this blog post... I know many people read my blog posts and I am very thankful for all of you but this time I want to hear from my readers and pray for you. 

If you are reading this right now and are going through something and you want me to pray for you I don't want you to be afraid to let me know. I want to be here for you and pray for you. There is absolute POWER in prayer. You do not have to tell me anything you do not want to post... A simple period or anything that God puts on your heart to comment. Anything works. Unspoken, spoken, or any words of wisdom you would like to share.... Anything. We can post and pray for each other. Let's start a prayer chain throughout blogspot. 

We cannot handle our problems on our own; not without God. 

Jeremiah 29:11

We all know the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)

We use this verse as a calming thought when in distress and saying, "oh, it'll all be okay. God has a plan for my life so I just need to live life and see where it goes..." That is what it looks like when you read the verse by itself but when you read from before that verse it says that God sent the Israelites into captivity. They were pleading for God to release them... You read on and find out that this verse was a part of a letter that Jeremiah prophesied from God to the Israelites saying, "Yes, I sent you here but I have a plan for your life." We read on to find that in the next few verses it says, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." (Jeremiah 29:12-14 ESV)

The whole meaning changes... We cannot just go through life stating Jeremiah 29:11 as a ritual we do every single morning and night. It's not something to just be said. It's something that we must live out, and pray out in our everyday life. If we put our whole life, prayers and meditation into desiring God's plan for our life, we will find it. If we look for God we will find Him and when our will lines up with God's will, you will find that you are in the right place. He will deliver you. You will feel it and know because when God gets you to where He intends for you to be it is ultimately astonishing and everything changes. 

To China and Beyond

At approximately 3:40 this morning we loaded up a friends car and headed to drop my parents off at the airport. They received their travel approval, Visas, and so much more within a matter of weeks. It has been a stressful but spiritually rewarding all in the same time. During these past few weeks I have seen God work in so many ways, and He still is. 

Day after day and week after week as this day approached I didn't really think of what responsibilities I would be up against. But as this day approached questions fogged my mind and I became fearful. What would happen if my parents didn't come back? What if something happened to any of my siblings? What would I do? God showed me that no matter what happens He is sovereign and is in control. He made all of this possible. And as my parents are away I do have responsibilities... I have to make sure my brother gets fed, dressed, and dropped off at his friends house while me and my siblings are working. I have these responsibilities but I know that no matter how hectic life is for the next two and a half weeks my God will be walking right along next to me as well as my parents all the way across the world. I named this blog "To China and Beyond" because I strongly believe that this will not end in China. Throughout our family we have different callings for each and every one of us. Whether it's right next door, or across the other parts of the world or United States. These kids stories will live on forever, and so will ours. 

DAY 1 UPDATE ON JON: Jon woke up this morning crying for our mom; I walked in and he had tears running down his face and it took everything inside of me not to cry. Looking at this little boy through a big sisters eyes, you cannot really imagine having a hard life like a two year old who was abandoned by his biological mother at the age of one. You have to think of his needs and what is best for him before you even think about yourself. Having this little boy in our lives has been a huge blessing and has grown me  in ways that I never thought possible and now I have a baby sister on the way and I can only imagine what all that will entail. Jon was a strong little boy today and did wonderful for everyone that watched him. Thank you all for your prayers!!!