In the book A Glimpse Into God's Heart that we are reading for my Grad Bible class the author makes this statement:
"Justification means that Jesus was treated 'just as if' He had lived my life, so that I can be treated 'just as if' I had lived His life." (K. Brothers, 2006).
This is one of the most powerfully simple things I have ever read. I must admit that my spiritual life is not as strong as it should be. My faith goes through its struggles time and again and I know that I am not the Christian young woman I should and can be. Justification is a word I have heard many times in my life but honestly it is one I never understood before.
This one sentence has opened up the entire concept for me. Because there is only light in God, sin is His enemy. I am a human being and I have thoughts and feelings and choices to make and I know I have sinned just as everyone sins (Romans 3:23). When I sin, I go against the Promise I have made to Him to be faithful and I become an enemy of God. Just like a Judge punishes a criminal, God is a Just King and will punish me for my sins--just as I deserve. However, God is also a Loving God and He and it is not in His will for any of us to perish (2 Peter 3:9). This is where Christ comes in.
Dr. Brothers mentions a story about a king that decides to punish thieves by taking out two eyes. When his son is caught stealing, he knows he cannot go against the law but he also doesn't want his son to suffer blindness forever. He is a just king because he only takes one of his son's eyes. He is a loving king because he gives up one of his eyes for his son. God paid the ultimate price for us in that he gave up His own son to save us. He gave up both eyes in order for us to no longer be His enemy.
Back to the statement above. Christ took on my life so that He could save me. I know what I have done in my life and it hasn't always been pretty. I have made a lot of mistakes and gone down paths that were not befitting for Christ to walk down. After reading that sentence, I feel more ashamed know of the choices I have made than ever before. Can you imagine Christ standing your place during all of the bad decisions you've made? If you don't believe in God, can you imagine a person in your life that you know to be so wholesome and good standing in your place through your worst?
Whether we are a Christians or not, shouldn't that be enough to make us want to change? I want to live a life that is worthy of Christ(or whoever) to walk in--a life that parallels the one He gave us in return for His death on the cross. Christ took "what we deserved so that we can receive what He deserves" (pg. 70). If we had to swap places, wouldn't you want to give your loved one a life that is good?
I'll end this post with another story from the book:
[A man] visited an elderly woman badly crippled by arthritis. [He] asked her, "Do you suffer much?"
"Yes, but there is no nail here," she responded as she pointed to her hand. "He had the nails, I have the peace." She then pointed to her head. "There are no thorns here. He had the thorns, I have the peace." She touched her side and said, "There is no spear here. He had the spear, I have the peace" (pg. 70).
Christ suffered for me, so I could have peace. The least I can do is live a life that is worthy of that peace.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
High Five for Friday!
It's finally Friday ya'll--so grateful! I know a lot of blogger's like to do some sort of Friday Five list and I'm always down for remembering my blessings(plus, as a new blogger I don't always know what to talk about) so here goes nothing:
1. Cheese and Crackers--Lame, I know but I'm eating them right for my morning snack and they sure are good. You can throw cheese on just about anything and I'll eat it. I <3 dairy.
2. Intro to Christianity for Grad Students--We had our first class meeting last night, and as a life-long Christian I can honestly say I learned a lot. This class is going to be so good for my faith and making it stronger from the bottom up!
3. My sweet, giving mother for this Facebook post*:
1. Cheese and Crackers--Lame, I know but I'm eating them right for my morning snack and they sure are good. You can throw cheese on just about anything and I'll eat it. I <3 dairy.
2. Intro to Christianity for Grad Students--We had our first class meeting last night, and as a life-long Christian I can honestly say I learned a lot. This class is going to be so good for my faith and making it stronger from the bottom up!
3. My sweet, giving mother for this Facebook post*:
Wendie
getting boxes together to send hopefully tomorrow...got to get busy
*That means we're getting Halloween candy. Sweet.
4. Husbands who make pizza. Hubs made the cheesiest, most tasty pizza ever for us this week.
5. Going to Harding. There are three places I call home: Texas, Camp Wamava, and Harding. It's been far too long and I'm ready to see some old faces again! "It's Great to be at Harding!"
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Going Home(coming)!!!
I am so excited!!! This weekend is Harding University's Homecoming and we are going!!! This is especially thrilling because we haven't really been back since we graduated (there was this one time, but we basically just saw a dorm lobby) and I am stoked.
I wish I could write down my entire college experience in this post, but that would probably be more exciting for me than it would for you. Instead, I'll just jot down a few of my favorite things about Harding and call it a day (yes, there will be flashback pictures).
10. Chick-Fil-A--That's right. There is one. On campus. No more popular place after Chapel than the Student Center.
9. Muffin Chapel--I loved Chapel because it allowed us to stop the hustle and bustle of our day for 35 short minutes to worship God with all of the friends I loved. What could be better than that? After announcements proceeding outside to find rows upon rows of Muffins and juice for the taking.
8. Jazz Band--One of the coolest concerts of the year--standing room only. There's just something about that rough, raw sound that gives me the heebie jeebies. In a good way.
6. The Front Lawn--The first time I stepped foot on Harding's campus waaaay back in high school I fell in love instantly. You see, right outside the Heritage is a heavily shaded front lawn with soft, green grass and trees that have sockets built right in.My gorgeous roommate and I spent many a day studying ::coughcoughhangingout:: with our friends there.
5. Theatre--I was a total theatre geek growing up. In fact, my first starring role was in School House Rock in the 6th grade! When I got to college, I knew I had to keep performing.
4. Friends--I met the bulk of my friends at Choir Camp and theatre productions. It was such a rag-tag group of people but we sure did have a lot of fun. I still stalk them on Facebook. FYI.
3. Christian Education--I started college at a state school--it was 20,000 people strong and one of the loneliest times of my life. When I got to Harding I found myself in a place where it's ok to pray for each other, to speak about God freely without judgement, and to tell your friends your love them. My faith is precious to me and Harding only made it grow.
2. Roomie for Life--There is no one in the world like Anna. We became roommates because our grandparents met at a Summer Youth Series and found out we both needed roommates. After a few Facebook conversations, we knew it was the real thing. Since then we've stalked boys together, pranked called our boyfriends, and stayed up countless nights talking until we fell asleep. We always told each other that if we didn't get married, we would be roommates for life. I'm still holding out hope that when we're old ladies, we'll be in the same nursing home laughing it up!
1. My husband--I wrote in another post how much I love my husband and Harding is where we met. We both went down a lot of broken roads before we found each other in Acting Styles. We were scene partners, playing reluctant lovers Benedict and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing, when in the end we fell in love with each other as well.
I wish I could write down my entire college experience in this post, but that would probably be more exciting for me than it would for you. Instead, I'll just jot down a few of my favorite things about Harding and call it a day (yes, there will be flashback pictures).
10. Chick-Fil-A--That's right. There is one. On campus. No more popular place after Chapel than the Student Center.
9. Muffin Chapel--I loved Chapel because it allowed us to stop the hustle and bustle of our day for 35 short minutes to worship God with all of the friends I loved. What could be better than that? After announcements proceeding outside to find rows upon rows of Muffins and juice for the taking.
8. Jazz Band--One of the coolest concerts of the year--standing room only. There's just something about that rough, raw sound that gives me the heebie jeebies. In a good way.
7. Concert Choir--The first people I ever met at college were all going to Choir camp. We had a glorious week out at Camp Tahkodah were we got to swim, sing, and basically geek out with a bunch of other choir nerds before Pitch Perfect made it cool to sing Acapella.
6. The Front Lawn--The first time I stepped foot on Harding's campus waaaay back in high school I fell in love instantly. You see, right outside the Heritage is a heavily shaded front lawn with soft, green grass and trees that have sockets built right in.My gorgeous roommate and I spent many a day studying ::coughcoughhangingout:: with our friends there.
5. Theatre--I was a total theatre geek growing up. In fact, my first starring role was in School House Rock in the 6th grade! When I got to college, I knew I had to keep performing.
4. Friends--I met the bulk of my friends at Choir Camp and theatre productions. It was such a rag-tag group of people but we sure did have a lot of fun. I still stalk them on Facebook. FYI.
3. Christian Education--I started college at a state school--it was 20,000 people strong and one of the loneliest times of my life. When I got to Harding I found myself in a place where it's ok to pray for each other, to speak about God freely without judgement, and to tell your friends your love them. My faith is precious to me and Harding only made it grow.
2. Roomie for Life--There is no one in the world like Anna. We became roommates because our grandparents met at a Summer Youth Series and found out we both needed roommates. After a few Facebook conversations, we knew it was the real thing. Since then we've stalked boys together, pranked called our boyfriends, and stayed up countless nights talking until we fell asleep. We always told each other that if we didn't get married, we would be roommates for life. I'm still holding out hope that when we're old ladies, we'll be in the same nursing home laughing it up!
1. My husband--I wrote in another post how much I love my husband and Harding is where we met. We both went down a lot of broken roads before we found each other in Acting Styles. We were scene partners, playing reluctant lovers Benedict and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing, when in the end we fell in love with each other as well.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
String of Pearls
I am pleased to announce the first issue of String of Pearls! This is a Young Women's online magazine run by my very talented baby sister Kelsie along with a few of her friends. The magazine features inspirational articles, life advice, recipes and much more. Articles are written from a Christian perspective by real young women with the occasional guy column and advice from adults as well. Check it out and look forward to many more issues in the future!
String of Pearls
String of Pearls
Thursday, October 10, 2013
A Home of Our Own
Renting is not for the faint of heart. Knowing that a random line of strangers lived here before you. You never quite settle in because this is not yours--you don't own it. No warm, inviting paint colors or permanent pictures of the family on the walls. No door frame to mark the growth of a child and certainly no loving animal waiting to welcome you home. Living somewhere semi-permanently but never really feeling "at home" because you know, at any time, you could be made to leave. My homebody soul is slowly inching toward the door. I need a space to call mine--to mold and change with my aesthetic. My mind is ripe with ideas for decorating my make-believe palace and my dreamer heart is about to burst for waiting. There is such a comfort in home. It's where warm, fresh-baked cookies live and tacky, redneck Christmas decorations stay in the yard all year long. Home is where you stay in bed all day and watch movies in your underpants. Home is where love is. Someday, hopefully soon, we'll find a home of our own.
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