Beneath the Surface

God is so worthy to be praised. 

"God said "Let there be light."

And was there ever.

It flowed from Him like a song, poured out in purity and radiance. 

But what is light without refraction? What is light without the defining dark? 

Thus God painted boldly His story of perfection in the midst of brokenness, beauty splattered in filth, strength bowed in humility, wholeness seared with pain.

 These are the things into which the angels long to look; the face of God that shines on his shattered image is a side they will never see. How dazzling His light reflects off the facets of a splintered likeness! 

We look into the face of a savior, Redeemer, while the heavenly beings see only "Creator".'

Hello all!
Well I have some very exciting news! For some time now, I have wanted to write a series of short stories which would be biblical accounts told from a different perspective. I've had a list of stories and Bible characters compiled and finally at youth camp (which I still have so much to write about!) I was given the opportunity to begin. Long story short, there was a writing competition to see who could write the best story about their team during camp. My team's theme was "Israelites and Egyptains" and I decided to write about the Exodus from the perspective of a random Israelite woman. I loved this challenge of writing this account and have decided now is the perfect time for me to start writing this series. I am even now praying about the idea of writing a book, though like I said, its right now something I'm praying about. I have now written a few of these biblical stories, but wanted to take the time to share the one that started it all with you! I started another blog to keep track of a few stories and some sneak peaks. The blog is called Retold though I'm still tinkering with some names. So let me know what you think!

Well here it is folks! I made it all the way to the final post of my week long challenge. It was pretty difficult, but I did it. Today, I stuggled with what I wanted to post tonight. I feel like since it's the end, there must be a grand finale. I felt like this post needs to change the world and inspire and wow. I suppose that's a good word for it; I wanted this to be a "wow" kind of post. Then it hit me. It wasn't a "wow" but rather a "why". It was near the start of the summer that someone asked me why I blogged. They said to me, "I just honestly don't get the point." Though I can't remember exactly what I said, it was probably some sort of silly, crowd-pleaser answer. Yet this week, this little marble of a thought has been rolling around my nogin. Why do I blog? The answer now seems so easy.
I pray that first off, this blog would be to the glory of God. I pray that the words I type here would turn people's eyes to the Father and would cause them to want to pursue God more. This then leads me to reason number two. I write because I want to touch other people. There are people from across the street, across the country and across the world whose blogs I have read that have touched me deeper than they will ever know. God has used men and women who will never know my name or face, to speak to me through what they have written.

There are so many people in the world who speak for the enemy's cause. There are so many who he cunningly uses as a voice and who with poisioned tongues make their mark. It grieves my spirt to see men rally behind these people. I pray that I would fulfill my call as am ambassador for Christ, sharing the light of God's Word with the world He has placed me in.

Now I certainly do not place myself among the best of writers, but I write from my heart. I write what God is doing in me and what I believe to be truth. I will fight for these truths and I pray that they edify and encourage those around me. I am not one who can make an audience hang on every word. I know I am not the most educated or have the most riviting vocabulary. I know the things which I write may not have that "wow" factor I spoke of earlier. But I also know that that the Word of God has power. I know that I am a chosen instrument in the hand of the mighty God. I know that I want God to have His way, even in the most humble of means, even my blog.

The truth is, I wrote a great many posts for tonight and, perhaps another day, I will finish my trains of thought and post them. Tonight however, as my challenge comes to a close, I felt impressed to merely get one truth across if nothing else. That I want everything I do, every word I speak, every relationship I hold and every day of my life to glorify God. There is a definite weight I feel in posting every time, for I know that the words I write can glorify God, but just as easily glorify self. I pray that this blog would be an instrument God can use and that He is given glory. It all belongs to Him anyway.

I always get excited when I see cute and classy old people just living their life. A silent observer, I love to watch the way the passed generations live life. I love watching sharp-dressed old gents and the little woman on their arm smiling up at them as they read the paper or chat over coffee. I think, "Goodness, I want to be classy like that."

Class. It was something that most people used to strive for. Yet today it has fallen by the wayside to make room for who knows what. I want to be a person of class, of dignity and of sophistication. Perhaps this seems silly, or maybe even snobbish, but I beg of you, please hear me out. There once was a day when manners were expected. Women wore dresses and men did not leave the house without a collared shirt and tie. People treated one another as people, not as machines behind desks meant to met their every need. People spoke using lovely words, being wise and purposeful with every notion that made its way passed the gateway of their lips. There was a discreteness that was taught in the classroom, and before that, the home.  People lived with a sense on intentionality. They thought about what they wore, what the spoke and how they lived. I suppose this is truly the heart of this post. What at first seemed  to just be a discussion of my love of classy things, now takes a step in a new direction. It's the heart behind having a desire for class. Striving for class in and of itself seems petty. Yet living with intentionality? Now that is worth a discussion. 

I have a challenge for you. Talk to an old person. Talk to someone who built a business they loved from the ground up. Talk to someone who has served God daily, strong and true.  Talk to an old man who has loved his wife faithfully for 50 years. Talk to the woman who raised her children right. Ask them not just about what happened, but how it happened. Ask them how they thought and all that it took, day in and day out. Intentionality and hard work. After all, the "classy" life isn't easy. It takes more time to get ready in the morning, takes more sweat, more blood and tears. It takes commitment and devotion, passion and persistence. It takes true love and a fighting spirit. But what beauty there is in looking back over a life like that!

I want this kind of life, and it is my prayer that you do as well. A life devoted to God, built on faith, hard work and intentionality. A marriage that lasts upwards of 50 years. Children that serve God passionately and teach theirs to do the same. Friends that are loyal and dear. I want a life story that is worth telling at the end and every step through the journey.

And wearing dresses often doesn't hurt much either (:

Here we are again...day number 5! (:

 Today, is the starting mark for my 19th year of life. I must say, 19 feels strange, perhaps because it doesn't really feel like anything at all. It's not by far old, but not too young either. And the understanding that next few years will determine a great deal of the course I will take in life is somewhat intimidating. I realize  that this time is so incredibly crucial. Yet, it is not like I'm really starting anything new, nor am I crossing a finish line. I am somewhere in the middle in this race we call life.

There is a song that has touched me time and time again called, "Time in Between." In it, the artist speaks of how thankful she is for the time in between in life. That Jesus would come to the earth, not in glory, but in lowliness and would live each and every day until He was glorified. Jesus' birth was celebrated, there was that brief spat of time when we see him at age 12, then suddenly, a chapter later, he's 30 years old. It's strange to think Jesus was once 5, once 11, once 17, and once 23. That there was a year in Jesus' life called "19" just as there is for me. Every day, Jesus had to wake up and choose the Father's will. The Bible says He was tempted and tried just as we are, yet without sin. Jesus had to live every single one of those days out, in real time. Jesus had to walk though "the time in between."

The time in between makes all the difference. The time between conception and birth. The time between caterpillar and butterfly. Between young and old.

So often, we look at the starts and the finishes in life. We forget that it is the time in between that actually makes them worthwhile at all. It's the every day choices and the moments of decision. It's waking up every morning, being a person of character, living according to the Word of God. It's daily choosing to be the best Christian, mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, leader and friend we can be.

Perhaps you are a young person waiting on your future mate. Maybe you are working hard finish school. Maybe your waiting for your children to finally be able to take care of themselves. Regardless, we are all on a journey in some arena of our lives. I do not pretend to believe the time in between is easy. Surely it is one of the most frustrating places and is extremely uncomfortable. It feels pointless, tiring, stressful and crippling. It makes you feel antsy, restless and even annoyed. It's reminiscent of that tingling sensation when your foot falls asleep, and no matter how much you try to make the tingle stop, you keep feeling pricked, reminded that the experience is not yet over. Yet what I have come to realize is that the time in between is crucial. It's the ordinary days that make the extraoridinary days, well, extraordinary. It's the daily words spoken, thoughts pondered and decisions made that make all the difference. It's the time in between. And it's beautiful.

Day 4, over half-way there! 

Puzzle pieces and fragments. There are days when I look at my life and this is all I see. Though some the pieces are colorful and lovely, the more I look at them, the less sense they seem to make. Why Lord? God, sometimes I just don't understand why my life is the way it is. I adore the life I have been given. I love every piece of it, but that's just the thing; while I like most of the pieces (while there are those also which I despise and which frustrate me), I don't always see how they fit together to make a whole.

I don't understand why I am constantly plagued with thoughts too big and even too deep to fully wrap my mind around, yet I try to comprehend them only further frustrating myself. I don't get why I sometimes have to fight back monsters that I have already defeated. I don't understand why I am quirky and often say the wrong thing. I don't always understand why God lays certain burdens upon my heart that I can never shake. I don't understand why God makes me wait...and wait...and when I finally think I'm done waiting, to wait still a little longer.

I always want all the little puzzle pieces to magically zoom to their places so I can finally make sense of things. I know that the big picture that God created my life to look like is beautiful and masterfully designed. I understand that when I get to view it in its fullness and grandeur that I will loose my words, and even my breath, at the sight of what my King has created and woven together. Sadly, I often don't see the big picture. The truth is, most of the time, none of us do.

It causes me to think of the disciples. Though Jesus had again and again told them of his death and resurrection, they still did not understand it. Yet after Jesus had risen and came to them once more, Luke 24:45 tells us that "he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." He then went on to explain the Father's plan. Jesus is the one who makes the puzzle make sense. 

Though I often don't understand the specifics of my life or the questions that seem to steal my peace, I find the key to my puzzled mind in Christ. Though I may not know who I will marry, where I will live, or could write out exactly the plot line of my life for the next 50 years, I know who my God is and what He is capable of. I know that He is my source and the One who knows the beginning from the end. It is during times such as these I treasure the pieces I am given, understand that I may not understand them, then cast my gaze upon the only One who does. The One who made the puzzle from the beginning with every delicate brushstroke.