Fail...

Failure...we all do it. How we reach failure is different with all of us, yet at some point in our lives we are bound to find ourselves there. The last one picked, on the losing team, at a dead end, drop out, fired,  disappointed...the list goes on.
I use to think every time I failed, which was a lot, then God saw me as I saw my failures. This could not be further from the truth. As a new mom, my beautiful daughter has this habit of peeing right when I'm in the middle of changing her diaper. In the process of taking the dirty diaper off and reaching for the new one she pees, all over the mat, the blanket, and even on her clothes. It becomes one big mess!
The point Im trying to make is that when God catches us in our mess does he walk away? Does He look down at us from Heaven with disgust? NO! God the Father is full of love. I would never stop loving my daughter because of a mess she made or a mistake she makes just like God the father will not stop loving us.
Satan loves to remind us of our past and our shortcomings but guess what? God does not remember our sins. Isaiah 43:25 says,

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.." Thank God we have a loving Father who stands ready to receive us again with open arms. The only thing that can keep us from receiving His love is us...

A New Adventure

Welcome to parenthood! I am officially a new mommy. July 28th, 2012 has forever changed my heart, and my life. My beautiful Isabella has arrived! How I have learned so much, even in this past week.
My perspective as God as the Father is so new! As new parents know, newborns don't sleep a whole lot through the night. They cry, get hungry, spit up, poop/pee, cry, cry and cry! :) It's hard for me to sleep mostly because I am wanting to make sure she is ok. The first whimper or sound I am quick to get her. I do not ignore those cries. I do not shut her out. It makes me think of God, how He responds to our cries. It tends to be in the nighttime, the darker moments of our lives when we feel He is the furthest away. How could I who loves my daughter so much ignore her desperate attempts to get my attention. BUT GOD, who loves us more then we will ever be able to understand, will never ignore our attempts to get his attention. He will always hear us when we cry out to him. He does not ignore us. It may not be a quick response, but He is always on time. He may not respond the way we expect, but He will always meet our needs. Psalm 37:25 says, "I have been young and now am old; yet i have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread." Psalm 40:1-2, "I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps."  Our Father God is always tending to us whether we can see Him or not:)

Even Me....

Jesus....
to comprehend how you forgave this overwhelming sin
to understand the fathom of what you did
for a world who you knew would turn away from you
for those who did not even deserve you
for a people that are still screaming "Give us Barnabas"
Lord why in the world would you die for them or die for us?
You could have let us drown in this sin
this decaying death of a body that we live in
the blatant sin, the immoral lives
Jesus you did not have to die!
You saw ahead from that cross to today
You saw this immoral people and this wicked country
you saw the homosexuals, the prostitutes, this rebellious generation
you saw the drug dealers, the suicides, the hopelessness of this nation
you looked ahead and you saw even me
how did you call me by name,
how did you look at me and see someone you wanted to save
how could you see potential in the midst of this mess
how could you love me so relentless
I will never know the price of what you paid
the day that you will forever save
not just for thousands of years ago
but for yesterday, today and for our tomorrows
the single most selfless sacrifice
that you gave your life
for someone like me
who can not even thank you properly
so I call you Savior no matter who is around
I am not ashamed of my King who chose thorns for a crown
and with only 3 simple nails
you continue to teach us that YOUR love NEVER FAILS

Believe

To accurately know someone look at what they are pursuing. If a career, then you know they are a hard worker, probably good at saving or spending money, a planner with big goals. If someone is pursuing a significant other then you know chances are they have gotten their heart broken once or twice before which makes their desire for 'true' love even stronger. We only pursue the things we believe we can achieve or become. So the pursuit greatly depends on our belief in what we are pursuing. Why is it the older that we get the more we tend to doubt ourselves, our purpose, and at times even God.
In the eyes of a child they can do anything. They tell me they can fly, that they are superheros, and that one day they will be a ballerina or a firefighter. They honestly and truly BELIEVE they can do these things. We smile and laugh thinking they are so naive yet why not? Why cant they become these things? Maybe it is because we too have lost what we once thought was possible. Somewhere along the 'anything's possible' speech we realized we are not as talented as we once thought. We didn't make the cut, pass the tryouts, or get the job. Our hearts have been shattered, betrayed by loved ones, and the people around us have affected our belief in ourselves. A little girl whose mother never took the time to tell her she's beautiful is a grown woman still trying to look in the mirror with a smile. A little boy whose father never told him that he was proud of him is a grown man still feeling not strong enough to accomplish even the battles inside of himself. The belief that we can accomplish our dreams, our purpose, offer true love or even be valuable to somebody...anybody all starts when we were children. When we were vulnerable, hopeful, full of dreams, and desires. Explore your heart...go back to the spot that you may have left forgotten...it is still alive in each of us waiting to be revived, waiting to be lived out again. To believe in yourself is to be an accomplished person...

Wonder

It's a funny thing you know, working with children...they way the take joy in the smallest of things. The innocent way they ask questions, the excitement they carry over into every area of their lives from new pull-ups to cheese with their crackers. The way that they cure a bad moment with a simple movement of inserting their thumb into their mouth or the natural way a baby girl twirls her hair. They see no reason why their best friend can not be of the opposite gender or of a different race. They are honest with their emotions, no walls are built around their heart. They simply cry when they are hurting and scream when excited. They are so trusting, so affectionate...so willing. Yet somewhere along the way, they will grow up...as we have. Every parent claims it is in the 'blink of an eye' but it is a slow process filled with trials and triumphs, hardships and holidays. They will get hurt and walls will be built, they will have heart breaks, some more then others, and they will not be nearly as trusting when they find out simple truths such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. They will begin to question, dream, and wonder. Although they may not ask as many questions and their dreams of being a princess or a firefighter may change, they will still carry a sense of wonder throughout their adult years. This wonder causes some of them to travel to the ends of the world, to walk on moons, to discover hidden cities, and to invent things no one has ever heard of...yes they will always carry this wonder...from the eyes of a three-year old asking where babies come from to the eyes of a twenty-one- year old asking how God has know the desires of her heart.
Luke 18:6 says, "Let the children come to Me. Do not stop them! For the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children."
As we grow up we learn more about relationships, paying the bills and the political policy's of our day, let us remember the wonder that God gave us. With the same eyes that  marveled over past joys let us marvel at our king who came to us in just that, the form of a child. This child did not only carry wonder with Him into His adult years, he was simply the greatest wonder of the world.

The Slide

The Slide....every child is in awe of this giant mountain on the playground. The same way an adult looks high at roller coaster, mouth wide open, head tilted back in wonder, a child will stare at the slide. While working at a daycare for some time I got to see the excitement first hand. Everyday, 3:30pm on the dot was playground time. Shoelaces were tied tight, jackets zipped, and every eye fixed on one thing...who would be the first to conquer this giant. They all ran towards the slide screaming and laughing but very quiet once they got to the top. For safety reasons I would stand by the slide guiding each child down. The slide only reached my torso yet to them it was the Eiffel Tower. Some of the children were very scared and some of the children were not, yet each one was put at ease when I held their hand. Frowns soon faded, tears dried, and looks of fear were replaced by laughter. All it took was them letting me help them. They trusted I would let no harm come to them. Their faith in me was stronger than their fear of what could happen to them. Can we let God hold our fears? You may no longer be afraid of the dark and have long out grown your night light, but fears of loneliness, not being enough, lack of finances, the 'what-if' situations we think up in our heads or the terror that plagues us as we are fighting to sleep we can not overcome on our own strength. Can we approach the 'slides' in our lives by letting God hold our hands? I can assure you, your never 'too-old' for that...