We are all Leash Babies!

I have come to the realization that we are all leash babies.  I legit… was.  I would run away and hide in clothing racks as a child, you know… good ol' department store hide-n-seek.   My mom did not think this game was as fun as I did and said they had to keep me on a leash so as not to lose me, but i turned out fine… 

Regardless… this weekend has really opened my eyes to a lot of things about myself and how I have been inadvertently viewing my identity in Christ.  I had this thought in prayer at church that we are all like leash babies… we all have a harness that attaches to our lives and a leash that can be used to pull and direct us.  Some people give that control to money, others their jobs, some to addictions, or alcohol, etc.  Some give it over to their anger or a need for revenge, some people keep it for themselves and wander aimlessly. With any of these things as our "leader" (the thing controlling us), there will never be enough.  It will pull you places you never wanted to go, you will never be satisfied, and always longing for more.  You think more will fill you but it won't and it will drag you at an unrelenting pace- it doesn't care if you get hurt or who you hurt along the way.  And sometimes it will leave you out to dry, tie you up and walk away…  its not dependable.

The only way to truly live is to give our leashes to Christ so that he can guide us.  He knows each of us and desires a deep and intimate relationship.  He doesn't take our leash and drag us, but he gently pulls and directs us to the places that he knows will be best for us.  He turns back, calls us by name and encourages us when it gets tough… and when it gets really bad he will pick us up and carry us.  He knows all the things we will get distracted by on this walk called life because he has been here too and was tempted by the same things, and if we let him he will show us how we too can live without giving into them, for in Hebrews 4:15 it says:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

How comforting to know that when he is in control he loves us and is the best leader we can ask for because he has been there and he has overcome anything we will face.  He isn't going to drag us over other people but will lead us to walk beside them, and he will never leave us abandoned. 

This is what I want and I realized that instead of giving my leash to Jesus, I looked at how he lived and tried to mimic that myself.  It was like I attached myself to a pulley and tried to keep up with Jesus.  It is impossible, and the more and more I tried, the more I fell short and failed- and the worse I would feel.  Instead of asking him to guide me, I was just trying to be him…. but the only way to be able to live like he did is to follow him and be guided by him.  To give control of our lives up every day.  I wasn't giving him control, I was still in control.  Long story short- I have realized what I was doing and am now putting that leash in his hands because he is the only one who can lead me on that path and the only one I want to have control of my life.  

Dunkin donuts has BOTH pumpkin coffee AND donuts!!!!  :)  i am SOOO happy!

Just thought everyone should know...

Vinegar Devil

So we are redoing the hallway/foyer/stair area of my house and I have been given the task of painting and all that jazz…  yesterday I was going in for the first big part of the journey- painting the front door.  I've seen many hideously painted front doors and was a little nervous- I didn't wanna be the newest addition to awfully painted doors club.  So after calling mom three times to make sure I had everything straight i embarked on the journey… the only problem is that i thought we had two cans of paint- oil primer and latex.  We had three…. oil primer, latex primer, and latex.  In my limited knowledge I therefore went to use the latex we had already used upstairs.  Mom kept saying "latex primer" and I know that wasn't oil primer so it MUST be the latex one upstairs.  I washed everything down, let it dry, got out my brush and roller and went to town.  After one coat it still looked splotchy and see-through so I added another to the door and outside trim and goodness, I was impressed!  It was looking good… I was happy and took a shower and went off to dinner with my friend.  When I came home and talked to mom she said it looked good, and that I needed to pick up the latex-semi glass paint (good looking paint) and finish… 

Well then I thought I already latexed it today… and told her what I had used- you should have seen her eyes- WHAT?!  Oh man… I made a huge mistake.  I have now learned the lesson…  the reason the latex PRIMER is so important is because it provides a surface the latex paint can stick to… it won't stick to the metal door permanently.   So that meant today, in addition to painting the steps, I decided to find a way to take off the old paint and start over.  If I am going to do a job I want to do it right.  I looked online for some ideas how to remove latex from metal and found a remedy that suggested using vinegar.  So today I spent hours with a washcloth, vinegar, and an incorrectly painted door.  Peeling, peeling, peeling away….

The real lesson that began to form in my head is the importance of our foundation.  Although my door looked REALLY nice on the outside, underneath it had a poor foundation and when a storm came along or we stuck a wreath on the door, etc… the paint would start to peel because it had nothing to stick to.  It looked good but wasn't going to stand up to most of the challenges it would face.  It is like us-  without a solid foundation in God, we will crumble when hard situations come our way.  Its like Jesus says in Luke 6:49:

"But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Unfortunately my door was like that mans house.  It had no foundation and the storms and everyday issues the door dealt with would peel the paint.  Additionally, when i added the vinegar the beautiful looking' paint came off in such huge pieces.  The vinegar reminded me of the devil… how he knows exactly what will tear us down (in this case vinegar, but it could be anything in our own lives) and uses it to break us down, and how easy it is when we don't have a foundation.  And let me tell you… the devil stinks!  My hands still smell!  Oh yea… and I'm only halfway done, but so many lessons learned and I am thankful that through my mistakes God can reveal his truths!  And when I am done the door will look lovely and have a good foundation-  Colossians 3:23.

Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee Beans

This is kinda the story that the blog title is based off.  It isn't my story and I don't know who wrote it but it is good.   I love it and it is a great reminder to me when I find myself in trying situations... I find it absolutely amazing how much God loves us.. how he uses EVERYTHING that HE created in HIS creation to encourage and inspire us....

"A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.

The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the dark stand trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches."

I really want to be like the coffee beans, I don't want the circumstances around me to determine who I am but I want who I am in Christ and how I deal try to deal with things in the way that He would affect the circumstances, people, whatever it is around me. 

  

"Life isn't about waiting out the storms,but learning to dance in the rain"