Severe Mercy

True Christians realize that grace is free, but not many realize that mercy is often severe.

I've been finding that often times we come upon severe mercy but we just don't realize that is exactly what it is. We often call them trials. 

There is a wonderful book called A Severe Mercy that is a biography about a couple that is in a deep, deep love. In the end the wife dies so that her husband can love God more. A severe mercy. 

Isn't that what trials usually are? Bad things happen so we can grow closer to God. Learn about Him, understand different characteristics about Him in a personal way (like grace, forgiveness and redemption).

Trials force us to see things for what they are. Sin as sin and ourselves as the sinners we all are. 

While these trials are often irritating or heartbreaking, it is truly merciful of God to let these things happen to us.

When a friend or parent dies, we get rejected, we get lonely or depressed or whatever it is- God's heart breaks with us because He was man. He understands. HE GETS IT. 

He loves us, which means he hurts when we are hurt, and He is there for us when that happens. But it's merciful to us. Because when we are heartbroken and depressed. When we feel we can't go on anymore because it is just too hard. He is there. We can run to Him holding the pieces of our hearts with tears pouring out and say "God, Look what happened I don't know what to do, I'm lost and I don't understand why this had to happen. Help me. You're the only one who can". 

When we do that we get to know God as our Comforter, our Prince of Peace, our Hiding Place, a Friend, and our Strong Tower. We get to KNOW God. 

And that my friends- is a severe mercy.

Mercy is not giving us what we do deserve. We deserve eternal separation from God because of our sins but that is not what we get if we chose Him.

Philippians 3:8- Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

My Choice

I really like a lot of things.

I like: Mumford and Sons

I like: Art and anything really innovative and creative

I like: To sleep... a lot...

I like: To stargaze

But mostly I just like talking to my best friends about Jesus, and I really like talking to my best friend Jesus.

I love: To read my Bible

I love: To just sit and be in the presence of God

I love: To know that because I am a Christian all will be well- no matter what else is going on at the moment.

And sometimes it's just so easy to forget those things that I love. Or I get fooled into thinking I love the things I like more than I love the things I really love.
What really just makes me completely happy and thankful is the fact that I don't naturally love these things, but God is so merciful and gracious He gives me that ability. He is kind enough to let me love Him. And some nights I just stay awake because I am just so completely wrapped in His love and comfort I don't want to fall asleep. I just want to rest. I just want to have that complete peace every moment of every day.
Better yet, I can. But I have to choose it. I have to choose Christ over those things that I merely like, or even maybe neccessary; like sleep.
I have to choose Christ when I'm having a "bad" day.
I have to choose Christ when I'm having a "good" day.
I need to choose Christ every day.
Because He is everything.

It's a God thing...

It is Wednesday and I'm already ready to go to bed and sleep for a day because it's just been that kind of a week.
On Sunday I realized that I am actually leaving, in less than six months, by myself, to a different country, time-zone, half-way across the world. To a place where the culture is so different I might as well be going to Mars.
And I know in a previous post I said that I'm not nervous or afraid of going. Which is true. I'm excited to meet new people and learn about a different world. But there is one thing I am afraid of: failing God.
I can't help but wonder if people like Paul or Solomon, or Elizabeth Elliot or any other famous Christian who God used in amazing ways ever stepped back from their life and saw this Awesome and Powerful God with these HUGE plans for their lives (larger than they probably even realized) and then took another step back and looked at themselves and where like, "Hey God! Do you see me? Do you see that I still struggle with this, and this, and oh that too, I'm selfish and it's a fight every day to give everything I am and have to you. I mean, I have all these PROBLEMS and you want to use me to do that?"
If they did I can totally relate. God is unfolding this plan for my life that is bigger than I ever imagined myself doing when I was six. My biggest dreams where getting through college and becoming a marine biologist (oh how the tides change!). It just FLOORS me that God has seen fit to bless me with such an amazing opportunity to serve him. I get to hang out with a bunch of really God-filled people and play with kids for 10 1/2 months!
And then my sin nature is creeping up and whispering doubts about God's goodness, and faithfulness, and love and forgiveness. I hear it all the time, "You can't do that! What are you thinking??? You're going to fail! You can't even relate to people at your highschool let alone to people of a different country! Why bother trying?"
But then God (being the loving and merciful God He is) shows me verses like in Psalms 17:27-39

For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God-His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?- the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. I pursed my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back till they were consumed. I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For you equipped me with the strength for battle.

And then I see this blog: http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/ and specifically her post from today (January 18)
Then I get floored. Again. Because this Amazing, Loving, Sovereign God whispers to me that He's got it. He knows I'm a mess, a screw-up. But He loves me anyway and is going to use it all for good, as long as I give Him all I am and what little I do have to offer. One of the great things about God that I've realized recently is: if you're walking with Him you really can't fail at God-things.

My Thoughts as it Pertains to Politics and Abortion

   Today was the first time I have ever voted in a Caucus. I feel rather grown-up but it also making me think about the issues and do some of my own research instead of soley relying on my parent's views.
   I've decided that there are basically two things that I really care about in politics is Pro-life and Foreign Policy. Pro-life issues get me pretty riled up so this post won't be talking about what I think about Foreign Policy.
   Partial birth abortion. Disgusting. I won't go into details but it is so so so so so so so so very wrong. Even though it is banned in the United States it has been reported. (I will also point out that even though it is murder the abortionist can only be sentenced for a jail sentence of up to two years. Which also is ridiculous).
   The Born Alive Infant Protection Act is used to protect those precious little ones that have (miraculously) survived an attempted abortion such as salt poisoning. All to often these babies (despite the law to protect them) still get left to die as it happened in one IL hospital a few years ago.
   What I REALLY don't understand is in the Unborn Victims of Violence Act the law defines the "child in utero" as "a member of the species Homo sapien, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb." EXCEPT in the case of an abortion with the consent of the pregnant woman or someone on her behalf. WHAT??? It blows my mind that what the law is basically saying is, "If you want the baby and it gets killed by an act of violence we'll convict the person who killed it of murder. If you don't want the baby and want it to die you can pay someone to kill it"
    I know this is graphic but I have a really hard time understanding how giving someone a pill that kills a living, growing fetus (with it's own personal DNA and personality from the moment of conception) or tearing the baby's limbs apart and vaccuming out the womb ISN'T murder.
   Not only that but girls at the ages of fourteen can go to a place like planned parenthood and get an abortion without having to tell a parent or get their consent. At age fourteen you can't bring ibuprofen to school or be in charge of regular medications at schools or camps, you can't drive by yourself, or order stuff off of those TV ads, but you can have an abortion alone? Where is the sense in it? When I was fourteen I surely wouldn't have been able to make a decision like that alone. If I would've been faced with the decision I might have acted simply out of fear and immaturity and I'm sure would've regretted it forever. This is serious business. This isn't just about "at the moment a child is inconvenient for me" but "what am I going to think and feel about this decision a year, five years or ten years from now? Will I be able to live with the fact I did this?". A lot of people say abortion is only ok in the case of rape victims because they didn't chose it but it has been pointed out that caring for a child in that time of hurt helps divert your attentions off of yourself and helps heal you by taking care of someone else and getting an abortion in those cases often lead to more serious problems then if you had just been raped.
   All in all once you look at all the political positions, etc... its up to convictions and God has stated in the Bible that life is precious.
     Psalm 127:3

           "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,  

                            the fruit of the womb is a reward.                      


   Who am I to deny the truth of the Word of God? God is saying with the word "behold" Hey! Look here!! this is super important! pay attention! 
Children are a reward not an inconvenience!  Not something to be thrown away. But to be treasured. I believe that the world was given children to give us just a glimpse of just how much God loves us. The world is throwing that treasure away because we can't take responsibility for our actions. And it's sad. I'm just thankful that God has accepted every single one of those unborn treasures into heaven and it makes me hopeful for the future, because there have been Laws and Acts put in place to try and protect them, which means that as long as they're in place and someone(s), somewhere is trying to help them. There is hope and I am so thankful.            

Earth is a Footstool

Micah 6:8
   He has told you, O man, what is good;
   and what does the LORD require of you
   but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God.

      This verse simplifies the Christian walk tons in my mind. I lead a Bible study for the girls in my church and I always worry that I'm going to say something or misinterpret something wrong for them and hinder their growth. At school I always freeze when there's a chance for me to say something about Christ, I'm worried that I'm going to say the wrong thing. People already have a bad impression of Christians and I don't want to make that worse. So nothing gets said and I walk away feeling like I just failed a test.
But this verse makes it easy: Do justice, love kindness, walk with God. Easy peasy, right?
Right... well.. I've found there's a lot more to this verse then meets the eye, but you can boil it down to about two points.
     1) Walk with your God. You can do justice and love kindness all you want but if you don't know God (and there's a difference between knowing about God knowing God) and aren't walking with Him, in the end it isn't going to mean squat. If you don't know Christ personally you're going to die and be separated from Him forever. This isn't a small thing you can ignore, well, you can ignore it and/or reject it, but I urge you not to, there's simply too much at stake.
     2) Walk humbly with your God. How important is humility?
           Isaiah 6:1-2 says:
             
               Thus says the LORD:
              Heaven is my throne,
              and the earth is my footstool; 
             what is the house that you would build for me,
             and what is the place of my rest?
             All these things my hand has made,
             and so all these things came to be,
                                                      declares the LORD.
             But this is to whom I will look:
             He who is humble and contrite in spirit
             and trembles at my word.

            Woah! Heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool!
How tiny must I be? An eensy weensy speck of dust. If that. But if I am contrite and  humble God is going to look at me. If humbleness draws God's attention like that we better be paying close attention as well!
So how do we accomplish this? How can we become humble?
Someone once said that "Whenever someone has been humbled he has been awakened to his sin"
Ohhhh.. that actually makes a lot of sense. If we are just "walking" (ahem, lying to ourselves) with God, blind to our sin and how He wants to work in our hearts we really aren't growing, and we won't unless we become humble.
If we can become humble then it will benefit our entire spiritual life. When we are attending church, a Bible study,  or reading our Bible at home, we will not only be convicted of sin but encouraged and shown how God wants us to behave as His child. Humbleness brings you into a position under God where He will work miracles in your heart and draw you close to His. It's when growth happens, joy abounds, and doing justice and loving kindness comes naturally.