Don't ask me about the title, it's just what Kenzie suggested.
I guess I should preface this story by letting y'all know I have a "job." One night a week, I'm a hostess at Louie's, a restaurant/bar on Henderson here in Dallas. It's owned by an awesome Greek family and it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives so it tends to be a pretty busy place. Here's the link in case you're curious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtO7j9FJd0E
Basically last night the entire staff (who are all really close with each other) found out I am going to be a Marine officer so that was the banter of the night. I was reading The Art of War and one of the bartenders asked what class I had to read it for. No class, just for me.
At the end of the night, Louie and I were sitting at the bar chit-chattin' and he just said, "Man you are full of surprises."
Am I really? I guess I never really understand it when people say that to me. Maybe it's because I'm not from around here, so people aren't so used to my type. And while I may be "full of surprises," God has really put a word on my mind lately: consistency.
There are a couple different definitions for consistency:
1) "Steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc."
2) "Agreement, harmony, or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing."
Who knew, 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
Being consistent in our actions can be incredibly hard, especially since we're surrounded by so many things that point us in the wrong direction. But here's something that makes being consistent so much easier: our "labor is not in vain." We're not acting for our own good, but for the glory of God and we're all in it together. What's even better is we're not simply acting, we're abounding. To me, that looks like being full in Christ to the point where his amazing love pours out to others through our actions. How awesome is that?
This aligns with my last blog, but things get so much easier when we stop trying to live to impress others or to benefit ourselves. One word in the definition for consistency really gets me: "harmony." We can't be consistent all on our own...believe me, I've tried and failed. Miserably.
Just like at OCS, things just work better when you try not to do it all on your own. I wouldn't be anywhere without my friends and I feel like my relationship with Christ is one that requires that harmony. There are plenty of times when I know I really want something and Christ is trying to tell me "No," but I just keep on ignoring. When I finally get over myself and me and God work in harmony, great things happen. There are a lot of different types of people in the world and trying to please every single one is exhausting. Sincere love, though, is something everyone can appreciate. Consistent in love? Bring it on.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Willie's Wisdom
I'm laying in bed, listening to Willie and Waylon. I'd have to disagree with them, though. Mama's, it's okay to let your babies grow up to be cowboys.
Anyhoo, it's not often that I have time to put time into my blog so I'll do it tonight.
My few weeks working with the youth at HPUMC has been such a blessing. Even though I wasn't in high school that long ago, talking with my girls, hearing their struggles and joys makes me realize how much I've grown and how good God is to us.
So the study we're doing now is called "The Social Network" and we're basing our discussions on the people around us and how they affect our relationship with Christ. When we take a moment to stop and think about what drives us through our daily lives, our friends and other relationships are often crucial to that motivation. That doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing as long as God is at the center of those friendships.
Tonight hit me a little bit harder because we talked about dating and relationships and how we put ourselves into "that world." I think I used to worry about dating someone on my same level socially. I wasn't worried so much about what that person thought about me and how he made me feel but I was worried about what other people thought when they saw us and how he could make me seem a whole lot cooler than I really am. That's not to say I dated horrible people in high school or wasn't genuine in my intentions, but those intentions came from the wrong place...
One of my friends told me a disturbing story the other day. She said she was talking to a new friend and mentioned the fact that she remained single throughout college. He promptly said, "Oh, you're one of those girls." Is that really where our value comes from? Whether we date in college or not? I must be waaaaay down on the cool ladder.
I'm so glad God has led me in the direction He has because He's forced me to look at myself when I'm at both my best and my worst and find out who I really am beneath all my obnoxious smiles. I've become so much more comfortable with that person and less worried about finding someone who will improve my social status. God's showing me how important it is to find someone who just makes me want to be a better person and pursue Him first.
Certainly, it takes patience and y'all know that anxious feeling I talked about last blog? Yeah, I have to try really, really hard not to get worked up about what God has in store for my relationships. I've got a whole lot of growing and learning to do but I've already made so much progress with the friends and mentors I have here at SMU.
So a thought for ya before I nod off:
Look forward to culminating the relationships you currently have and know God will probably send someone new whom you may need...or who may need you. We're here to walk together and I have to say, my friends have some pretty strong arms because they've pulled me out of some pretty deep, dark holes over the last few years. So if any of y'all read this, thank you, thank you, thank you. You've shown me boundless love and remind me daily of how blessed I am.
I'll let God have the last word:
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
--Romans 12:9-12
Anyhoo, it's not often that I have time to put time into my blog so I'll do it tonight.
My few weeks working with the youth at HPUMC has been such a blessing. Even though I wasn't in high school that long ago, talking with my girls, hearing their struggles and joys makes me realize how much I've grown and how good God is to us.
So the study we're doing now is called "The Social Network" and we're basing our discussions on the people around us and how they affect our relationship with Christ. When we take a moment to stop and think about what drives us through our daily lives, our friends and other relationships are often crucial to that motivation. That doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing as long as God is at the center of those friendships.
Tonight hit me a little bit harder because we talked about dating and relationships and how we put ourselves into "that world." I think I used to worry about dating someone on my same level socially. I wasn't worried so much about what that person thought about me and how he made me feel but I was worried about what other people thought when they saw us and how he could make me seem a whole lot cooler than I really am. That's not to say I dated horrible people in high school or wasn't genuine in my intentions, but those intentions came from the wrong place...
One of my friends told me a disturbing story the other day. She said she was talking to a new friend and mentioned the fact that she remained single throughout college. He promptly said, "Oh, you're one of those girls." Is that really where our value comes from? Whether we date in college or not? I must be waaaaay down on the cool ladder.
I'm so glad God has led me in the direction He has because He's forced me to look at myself when I'm at both my best and my worst and find out who I really am beneath all my obnoxious smiles. I've become so much more comfortable with that person and less worried about finding someone who will improve my social status. God's showing me how important it is to find someone who just makes me want to be a better person and pursue Him first.
Certainly, it takes patience and y'all know that anxious feeling I talked about last blog? Yeah, I have to try really, really hard not to get worked up about what God has in store for my relationships. I've got a whole lot of growing and learning to do but I've already made so much progress with the friends and mentors I have here at SMU.
So a thought for ya before I nod off:
Look forward to culminating the relationships you currently have and know God will probably send someone new whom you may need...or who may need you. We're here to walk together and I have to say, my friends have some pretty strong arms because they've pulled me out of some pretty deep, dark holes over the last few years. So if any of y'all read this, thank you, thank you, thank you. You've shown me boundless love and remind me daily of how blessed I am.
I'll let God have the last word:
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
--Romans 12:9-12
Monday, September 12, 2011
*Raising Hand
I'm completely guilty of this one...
I have to hurry and get back to homework, but a thought has been weighing on my mind this evenin'. So many times I allow myself to have an anxious heart: anxious about things that could happen tomorrow, anxious about things that just happened...anxious about things that could happen way down the road. Being the gung-ho type of person I am, you wouldn't think being anxious would be a bad thing, but it has put my mind in places it shouldn't be.
But there's a beauty I've finally begun to grasp in the peace and assurance of salvation. Abby (Benson, if you don't know her) told me one of my not-so-hot days, "Jennie, guess what? We still get to go to Heaven." And y'all, it really is that easy. No matter what kind of day I'm having, I remember Abby saying that and I think, "Yeah, God has this plan for me and life's not going to be easy but I know the end is very, very good."
So surprise, surprise, the laid-back girl who doesn't worry about anything gets worked up...more than you probably realize. The Bible and Luke Bryan (yes, I just did that) tell us to "pray about everything:"
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
--Philippians 4:6-7
So while I wish I knew all the answers for my life, I just don't. If life was predictable, I'm pretty sure I'd get bored really easily. Some of life is gonna hurt but like I said, the end is beautiful and I hope I get to see you there.
Love y'all so much!
I have to hurry and get back to homework, but a thought has been weighing on my mind this evenin'. So many times I allow myself to have an anxious heart: anxious about things that could happen tomorrow, anxious about things that just happened...anxious about things that could happen way down the road. Being the gung-ho type of person I am, you wouldn't think being anxious would be a bad thing, but it has put my mind in places it shouldn't be.
But there's a beauty I've finally begun to grasp in the peace and assurance of salvation. Abby (Benson, if you don't know her) told me one of my not-so-hot days, "Jennie, guess what? We still get to go to Heaven." And y'all, it really is that easy. No matter what kind of day I'm having, I remember Abby saying that and I think, "Yeah, God has this plan for me and life's not going to be easy but I know the end is very, very good."
So surprise, surprise, the laid-back girl who doesn't worry about anything gets worked up...more than you probably realize. The Bible and Luke Bryan (yes, I just did that) tell us to "pray about everything:"
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
--Philippians 4:6-7
So while I wish I knew all the answers for my life, I just don't. If life was predictable, I'm pretty sure I'd get bored really easily. Some of life is gonna hurt but like I said, the end is beautiful and I hope I get to see you there.
Love y'all so much!
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