We all have one. For some, it's a dull, drawn-out, uninspiring account of their lives. For others, it's an exciting, upbeat, climatic tale of the life they lived. For some, it makes their eyes dance with happiness and content. For others, their life story is filled with scars and regrets. There is one thing for sure that each life story has in common: it's up to you.
What a responsibility! The choice is yours. Are you going to live life to the fullest with what you have? Or are you going to sit and mope around about what you don't have? Christ has given us everything that we need. And that's Him. And Him only! He's died for us, so we may go live with Him eternally in heaven. But...it's up to us.
What are you grateful for? Are you grateful for the little things such as the sun, a breeze on a hot day, or rain for those who need it? Or are you only thankful when things go your way such as you got into the college you wanted, you got the perfect birthday gift, or making it through a terrible time in your life?
Storms come into everyone's lives at some point. Sometimes, it's just cloudy with a chance of rain. Others, it's just a 2-minute drizzle. Sometimes, it could be a torrential down-pour. Others, a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake has just passed through. But remember...to see the rainbow, you have to first put up with the rain. Are you going to be thankful for that rainbow or are you going to pout about your street flooding? Are you going to be grateful for everything that was spared in that hurricane, or are you going to cry and be angry about all the debris you now need to clean up?
The choice is only yours. Did someone negatively affect your life? Well, that was their choice. But it's your choice what you do about it.
In Christ,
Sierra
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
July 23, 2011
Today's Verse: "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."" ~Matthew 19:14
Today's Quote: "Everyday we live is a priceless gift of God, loaded with possibilities to learn something new, to gain fresh insights." ~Dale Evans Rogers
Today's Photo:
Today's Quote: "Everyday we live is a priceless gift of God, loaded with possibilities to learn something new, to gain fresh insights." ~Dale Evans Rogers
Today's Photo:
Exciting news! I am moving in 6 days!!! Yes, 6 days! God has blessed us so much! I'll have to tell you the whole story another time. Probably after we move. But, that's only in 6 days! :) This is the first time I've ever moved...so it's all totally new waters for my siblings and I. It's going pretty smoothly so far, but...we have a lot to do in the little time we have left.
Have a wonderful weekend! And stay cool!
Love in Christ,
Sierra
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Wisdom
Today's Verse: "Wisdom is better than rubies." ~Proverbs 8:11
Wisdom is better than rubies! Can you believe it? Ecclesiastes 7:12 tells us, "Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it." How do we become wise?
1) Read the Bible! Ever notice that the Bible has very wise things to say? Well, it does! It tells us how to live life!
2) Pray for wisdom! Prayer works--trust me!
3) Surround yourself with wise people. Maybe they're older than you, or maybe they've already been through what you're going through now. Either way, they're wiser than you!
4) Experience! You won't be able to grow in wisdom if you just sit at home! When God is saying "Wisdom is better than rubies", I don't think He's talking about academic wisdom! He's talking about life wisdom -- learning from the decisions you've made.
We often take wisdom for granted. I don't think any of us here on earth can comprehend the extent of benefits wisdom has! Not only can it help us in our future decisions, but we are able to share our wisdom with others and be a blessing!
In Christ,
Sierra
Wisdom is better than rubies! Can you believe it? Ecclesiastes 7:12 tells us, "Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it." How do we become wise?
1) Read the Bible! Ever notice that the Bible has very wise things to say? Well, it does! It tells us how to live life!
2) Pray for wisdom! Prayer works--trust me!
3) Surround yourself with wise people. Maybe they're older than you, or maybe they've already been through what you're going through now. Either way, they're wiser than you!
4) Experience! You won't be able to grow in wisdom if you just sit at home! When God is saying "Wisdom is better than rubies", I don't think He's talking about academic wisdom! He's talking about life wisdom -- learning from the decisions you've made.
We often take wisdom for granted. I don't think any of us here on earth can comprehend the extent of benefits wisdom has! Not only can it help us in our future decisions, but we are able to share our wisdom with others and be a blessing!
In Christ,
Sierra
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Do Not Be Afraid
Today's Verse: "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your food from being snared." ~Proverbs 3:25-26
Today's Quote: "A man of courage is also full of faith." ~Marcus Tullius Cicero
Today's Photo:
Have a great day!
Sierra
Matthew 5:16
Today's Quote: "A man of courage is also full of faith." ~Marcus Tullius Cicero
Today's Photo:
Have a great day!
Sierra
Matthew 5:16
Monday, July 11, 2011
Miracles
Today's Verse: "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." ~Job 9:10
Today's Quote: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~Richard Crashaw
Today's Photo:
Love in Christ,
Sierra
Today's Quote: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~Richard Crashaw
Today's Photo:
Love in Christ,
Sierra
Friday, July 8, 2011
Living Among Perfection
Who are you? No, really, who are you? Look in the mirror -- what do you see? Do you list every horrible thing about your body to yourself whenever you take a look in that condescending piece of glass? If you look in the mirror and had to make two lists, the good and the bad, which one would over-rule the other?
To answer the first question in this post, you are royalty! Can you believe it? Well, you better, because it is 100% true! You are a precious and cherish child of the King of Kings -- the King Jesus Christ! Why don't we treat ourselves like royalty?
The better question is how do we live like royalty? Our culture is constantly screaming, "Perfection!", even though we all know that nobody is really perfect. We don't need the world to tell us how to look, act, or feel. When you change your hair to brown, your attitude to flirty, and your feelings to neutral, will they accept you, then? No, by the time you change yourself, that style will be "so yesterday" and there will be something new, bigger, and better.
Bigger? Better? I don't think so! These days are filled with being bigger and better than who we really are. It’s so easy to be dissatisfied with ourselves because there are ways to change it! If you don’t like your eye color, you can get different colored eye contacts to change it. You can color your hair – I've done that before! Because I wasn't satisfied with the color I was made with (blonde). You can pluck your eyebrows so that they’re a different shape. And you can have surgery to make your lips, and nose bigger or smaller.
Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.". That is something we often forget to do: praise God. In fact, we not only forget to praise Him, we forget that we were made wonderfully! It just goes in one ear and out the other.
You know where our self-worth most often comes from? Media. A lot of time, we all feel like we aren't worth anything. We don’t have what it takes to live in this world. We aren't as skinny as those girls on the magazine covers. We can’t afford enough makeup to look like the girls on the posters on our walls. We don’t have enough coordination to do our hair like the people on TV. But, you know what? They’re fake – completely fake. Something would have had to be done to be that perfect. Most likely, its photo shopped. Just a little bit this way or that.
Matthew 10:29-31 reads, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." If God won't let a sparrow fall to the ground, do you think He's going to let us go?!?!
Just remember one thing: it's not the outside that matters. It's the inside. My family has a blanket. It's super old and a bit ragged (it's made from my great-grandma's dresses), so it's not really beautiful. But...it is the warmest blanket in the house and we often argue who gets to have it covering their bed during winter. It's not the outside that attracts us, it's the warmth and the other blessings it brings to others.
No matter who you are, no matter how many outward "flaws" you think you have, God loves you and believes that you are beautiful. Because you are His child.
"If nothing seems to go my way today, this is my happiness: God is my Father, and I am His child." ~Basilea Schlink
God bless,
Sierra
To answer the first question in this post, you are royalty! Can you believe it? Well, you better, because it is 100% true! You are a precious and cherish child of the King of Kings -- the King Jesus Christ! Why don't we treat ourselves like royalty?
The better question is how do we live like royalty? Our culture is constantly screaming, "Perfection!", even though we all know that nobody is really perfect. We don't need the world to tell us how to look, act, or feel. When you change your hair to brown, your attitude to flirty, and your feelings to neutral, will they accept you, then? No, by the time you change yourself, that style will be "so yesterday" and there will be something new, bigger, and better.
Bigger? Better? I don't think so! These days are filled with being bigger and better than who we really are. It’s so easy to be dissatisfied with ourselves because there are ways to change it! If you don’t like your eye color, you can get different colored eye contacts to change it. You can color your hair – I've done that before! Because I wasn't satisfied with the color I was made with (blonde). You can pluck your eyebrows so that they’re a different shape. And you can have surgery to make your lips, and nose bigger or smaller.
Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.". That is something we often forget to do: praise God. In fact, we not only forget to praise Him, we forget that we were made wonderfully! It just goes in one ear and out the other.
You know where our self-worth most often comes from? Media. A lot of time, we all feel like we aren't worth anything. We don’t have what it takes to live in this world. We aren't as skinny as those girls on the magazine covers. We can’t afford enough makeup to look like the girls on the posters on our walls. We don’t have enough coordination to do our hair like the people on TV. But, you know what? They’re fake – completely fake. Something would have had to be done to be that perfect. Most likely, its photo shopped. Just a little bit this way or that.
Matthew 10:29-31 reads, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." If God won't let a sparrow fall to the ground, do you think He's going to let us go?!?!
Just remember one thing: it's not the outside that matters. It's the inside. My family has a blanket. It's super old and a bit ragged (it's made from my great-grandma's dresses), so it's not really beautiful. But...it is the warmest blanket in the house and we often argue who gets to have it covering their bed during winter. It's not the outside that attracts us, it's the warmth and the other blessings it brings to others.
No matter who you are, no matter how many outward "flaws" you think you have, God loves you and believes that you are beautiful. Because you are His child.
"If nothing seems to go my way today, this is my happiness: God is my Father, and I am His child." ~Basilea Schlink
God bless,
Sierra
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Opportunities - July 5th, '11
Today's Verse: "Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." ~Ephesians 5:15-16
Today's Quote: "It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared." ~Whitney Moore Young
Today's Photo:
Opportunities don't present themselves all the time. But if you prepare for them, you'll be ready and set to go when God gives them to you! When you feel God pressing on your heart to take up an opportunity, listen and follow, because it's not everyday that you're going to be able to serve the Lord in this certain way.
Have a blessed day!
Sierra
Today's Quote: "It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared." ~Whitney Moore Young
Today's Photo:
Opportunities don't present themselves all the time. But if you prepare for them, you'll be ready and set to go when God gives them to you! When you feel God pressing on your heart to take up an opportunity, listen and follow, because it's not everyday that you're going to be able to serve the Lord in this certain way.
Have a blessed day!
Sierra
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