Are You Too Easily Pleased?

For the past few months, I've been attending an amazing Bible study at my husband's seminary. The Bible study covers the book of Hebrews and is an in-depth, word-for-word study. We have been meeting since September, and we probably still won't have finished by the end of Spring!

One thing we have been learning in the Hebrews study, is that we are often far too easily pleased. If you aren't sure what I mean by that, I think C.S. Lewis puts it perfectly:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” -The Weight of Glory 

You see, the book of Hebrews tells us over and over again that Christ is better than anything else we grab on to, anything else we fill our time with, and anything else we try to put our hope in. In every way, Jesus is better.
Money won't fulfill us, family won't fulfill us, even things like church and community will not fulfill us. When we look to those things to give us happiness, and when we accept the small amount of happiness they do give as all-satisfying, we are settling for much less than best. We are far too easily pleased.

Too Pleased with Gifts

Don't get me wrong. God is the giver of good gifts. That community at church, that godly spouse, that beautiful child, and those joyful friends that you've been given are all good things. They have been given to you by a gracious God who saw fit to give you (and me) more than we needed. But when we start appreciating and loving the gifts more than the One who gave them to us in the first place, we are creating idols and setting ourselves up to be dissatisfied.

The reason? God is the only perfect person. Humans make mistakes, humans hurt others, and humans do stupid things. God will never fail us or do something stupid, but everyone else, at some point and in some way, will. And as far as "stuff" goes, it can never fill any sort of deep void. It can be enjoyed, it can be useful, and it can be helpful, but putting our hope in inanimate objects is a barrel of pain just waiting to explode. Things or "stuff" can not fulfill your deepest desires, heal your hurt, or settle your longings. It will always fall short.

God is the only one who will never fall short (Deut. 31:8). And that's why if we allow ourselves to settle for people, status, and things (even the good gifts we have), we are settling too low. We should long for God, the Giver, and be pleased by Him.

Too Pleased With Our Lives

Another way we are far too easily pleased, is in the way we live our day-to-day lives. Think about it. Do you live your life as if it's one giant checklist? You avoided being mean to that person that drives you nuts. Check. You went to church (AND Sunday school) this week. Check. You read your Bible for 10 minutes everyday. Check. Awesome! Now you've had a godly week, right?

But doing good things is not the whole picture. We shouldn't be pleased just because we've checked the "Christian stuff" off of our list this week. Instead, what should satisfy us is the presence of God. We should find our peace, our hope, and our satisfaction in God and in who He is.

"But reading the Bible, praying, and going to church are some of the ways we experience the presence of God!", you say. And yes, you are so right. But, my question for you (and for myself) is this: is your satisfaction actually coming from communing with God, being in His presence, and spending time with Him? Are you satisfied because of who He is and who you are to Him? Or is it coming from you feeling good about yourself because you "did the right things"? I know I often fall into the latter category, and I bet sometimes you do too.

And that's exactly how we know that we are far too easily pleased.

Where Does Your Spirit Belong?

You wanna know the funny thing about us humans? We walk around murmuring, complaining, kicking, and screaming when things don't go our way. We assume that the world is against us and we talk about how it sucks and that we must have bad luck.

But I wonder, have we stopped to consider that maybe our "difficult situation" actually happened for our good? Have we stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, someone is looking out for us and has a bigger and better plan?

Of course, by someone, I mean God. You know, Him. That guy who has provided for us. The one who looks out for our best interest and blesses us far more than we deserve? Oh yeah, Him.

We so often take our lives and our very spirits into our own hands, thinking that we know what's best and that we can handle everything on our own. But there's a much easier way for us to live.

If you grew up in church then you've probably heard this verse more than once. You (like me) probably heard it, dismissed it, and moved on because in Sunday school it's a given... Of course we know where our spirit belongs- with God, duh!

But what does that mean? In what way does our spirit belong with God? Does it just mean that Christians belong to God? Does it just mean that we need to trust Him? Well those are partial reasons, for sure, but I believe that there is more to it than that!

It Means Letting Him Decide Our Fate

When we accept that we cannot control our entire lives or micro-manage every little detail, then we can commit our spirits into God's hands and trust that He will take us where we need to be. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't work hard or chase our dreams. We should definitely work as hard as we can to live life well- to live as peculiar treasures. But at the end of the day, if we don't end up where we had planned, we have to trust that wherever we ended up was where God placed us.

It Means We Trust Him For Good Things

Accepting God's direction of our path isn't just a blind act. It's more than just saying, "God has me here even though I know He could have done better for me". When we commit our spirit into God's hands, we are also acknowledging that God knows best and really has our best interest in mind. It's one thing to believe that He controls your destiny- it's another to believe that His destiny is what's best for you.

It Means We Can Rest

When we commit our spirits to God, it is an act of rest. We are leaning in to God as we trust that we are well cared for in every area of life. It's trust that even if life ends up drastically different than we imagined, it's still good. It's choosing not to worry because we know we don't need to. 

Treasured friends, do you know where your spirit belongs? Do you know that you can trust God for everything? Is this something that you find difficult (or even impossible) to believe? Why is that? Are there steps you could take to help you trust and rest in God? Do you even want to?

I'd like to encourage you today to think about these things. I want to encourage you to start your week knowing that you can trust God whole-heartedly. I want us all to hold on to the fact that we can trust God and stop worrying. Let's take comfort in that fact and live it out this week!

I'd love to hear from you. Comment your thoughts below!

We Are Handmade People

Whenever I go to the store, if something is handmade there are always signs declaring the item's home-made-ness. With all of the cheaply-made, copy-cat products that line the shelves, stores will make it known if something is locally crafted or handmade. Why? Because the product is unique. It had care and time poured into into and the the creator was invested in the work.

You wanna know something cool? We are much like the those handmade items, and our Creator too great care in making us.

10 Bible Verses For When You Don't Want to Pray

Have you ever been so frustrated- whether with a situation, with yourself, or with your own emotions- that you didn't want to pray? Sometimes, we get mad at God because of our circumstances. Sometimes, we don't know what to say. And sometimes, honestly, we just don't want to talk to God. We would rather wallow in self-pity, hurt, or our bad attitude.

It happens. Every Christian goes through that at some point. It doesn't mean it's right, but it does mean that all of us have been there and can point each other back in the right direction.

So if you are at a point in your life when you avoid praying like the plague, because, #crappyattitude, then here are 10 verses that will encourage you to get back on track and give you the proper motivation to do so.

- No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

- But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

- The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

- I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

- Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:2-5)

- Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)

- In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:9-11)

- I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31:3)

- Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

- See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. (Hebrews 12:15)

I included that last verse because that is what we want to avoid: that root of bitterness. When we are mad at God or avoid Him (or both), we will develop a root of bitterness. That root is obtrusive, destructive, and hard to get rid of once it is there.

The rest of the 10 verses are ones that should motivate the Christian to pray. They are all about God's love, God's grace, and why we should be thankful. Thankfulness to God is something that we must cultivate as Christians. It is important anyway, but is especially important when we need encouragement to pray.

If we are really thankful for all that God has done, we will go to Him in prayer regardless of how we are feeling, because we know how great, mighty, and awesome He is.

I know how it feels to not want to pray- I am struggling through that right now actually. But God is so good. He isn't just good when we are happy with Him, or when He does exactly what we want Him to. No, He's good all the time.

Let us always strive to spend time with Him, grow in Him, and obey Him no matter how we happen to be feeling.

Singing Through the Storm: The Bird Who Missed the Memo

Rejoice in the Lord Always. Again, I say, Rejoice! 

Philippians 4:4

Last week, as I sat in my chair, coffee in hand, in the quiet of the morning, I heard a bird chirping perky little songs of gladness from the tree outside my window.

It was refreshing and it lifted my spirits in some ways. After all, who doesn't like the cute little chirpings of a bird? But as I sat listening, I soon found myself thinking, "That bird missed the memo". Not only was it the beginning of January, but it had also been fairly disgusting outside with rain, dark clouds, and humidity. But the bird seemed unaware of the gross weather. He seemed to be enjoying the day!

In reality, I have no earthly idea what that bird was feeling. Maybe it was a mating call...or maybe he was angry. Or maybe he was a little bit off his rocker and genuinely did miss the memo. Regardless, my thinking that he had missed the memo sparked another thought: At least he's singing through the storm.

It's a Heart Thing

I find it interesting that my first inclination was to say "why is he singing when the weather is so nasty?"  What is it about me that assumes that there shouldn't be any singing when things aren't perfect?

Unfortunately, I think this reveals something unflattering in my heart.

I don't sing through the storm. I whine. I complain. I yell at God. I say the true things: "God is for me" or "God will work this for my good"; All the while, in my head I'm grumbling. In my heart, I fear God won't take care of me.


God tells us to rejoice always.

Always. Not sometimes. Not when the sun is shining. Not when I feel like it.

Always.

I tend to just look at rejoicing as something I am supposed to do because God wants me to. Because He wants the glory. And while that is true. there is more to rejoicing than that.

The Thing About Rejoicing

Rejoicing is an outward expression of our knowledge of the grace of God.

Rejoicing says, "No matter what is going on around me, I know that I have the greatest gift in the world: Jesus"

We I look so intently at my current struggles and frustrations, that I forget that they don't compare in the slightest to the gift of salvation that God has given me (Romans 8:18). Who cares if it's raining? I've got the greatest Shelter in the world. Whether the storm is unavoidable, caused by someone else, or even if I caused the storm, God is still with me. He still loves me, and He still will fulfill His purpose for me (Psalm 138:8). He will still work all things for my good (Romans 8:28)- because I am His.

The bird had it right. We should all be singing through the storm!


Have you been singing through the storm, or wallowing in a puddle?

This post is linked-up with A Life in Balance

Mug-spiration Monday *Vol. 19* Hodgepodge

Happy Monday, all! It is actually chilly and I am so excited that I can wear a hoodie without fear of roasting by mid-day! Woot woot!

There's a lot going on in the world right now. Paris is the issue that stands out the most, but there are so many others too. Chandler Larsen of Life as Larson had an excellent blog post about all that's going on in the world right now (read it here). It is important to actually be aware of all that is happening and to figure out ways to help. I may not be able to do anything for Paris, but I can find things in my own area to help with. We have a duty to know what is going on. Living in our own little bubble should not be an option. But, with that being said, we also have a duty to remain thankful and optimistic in all circumstances. It does no one any good to just be a blob of fear and sadness all the time. Don't sit around in self-pity wishing for good- be the good.

I'd like to remind each one of you that God has got this in His hands. God being in control does not mean a lack of evil in the world. As long as sin is around, terrible things will continue to happen. But God still holds us, and still has a plan. It isn't always easy to see in the face of tragedy, but He still holds us and still loves us.

I'd also like to encourage each one of you today that you are worth more than you think. You have such great worth, but it has nothing to do with anything you do. You have many gifts and talents- each one of us does- but even if all of that was stripped away, you would still be worth everything in God's eyes. He loves you.

Carry that with you today as you brave another new week. Despite all of the horrific things going on in the world, He is still good. Despite your own personal struggles, He is still with you. Even if you feel worthless, you are worth everything to God. And on a smaller (but still very real) note, even your meek and meager week may be filled with a good bit of dread. Regardless of what you are going through- whether you are fearing the Paris attacks, or just fearing how to pay rent next week- remember that you are loved and that the week will end, but God's goodness is eternal. I am so thankful that it isn't the other way around!

I hope that this bit of knowledge makes this Monday (and everyday) a whole lot sweeter. There's a lot that goes on in a week- some good, some bad- and we can choose to dwell on the tough stuff, or we can pull it together and reflect on the good. Sure, there are bad parts of the day, but there are always reasons to be thankful, and there is always something to smile about.

Think back on your week. What was the best part? Was there anything that stood out as worthwhile, even though it was difficult? What are you enjoying at the moment?


I definitely had some good moments!


Weekend Recap!
This weekend, I spent Saturday at the farm with my mom, bro, and their new Great Pyrenees puppy, Blaze. Blaze is the sweetest little guy. He is so mellow and he just follows everybody around on the farm and sits there when they stop in one area. He is a heart-melter!

On Sunday, Taylor and I went to church with our friend, Jeff. We are still trying to find the right church and the hunt has seemed to take forever.

Holiday Excitement!
I am really excited about Thanksgiving, you guys! It'll be so nice for me and Taylor both to be off for a couple of days, and we get to go see his side of the family. It'll be a really nice visit and a good little break. I love the little girl I take care of, but sometimes I just want my hubby :)

And personally, I think my November has been a great success so far, simply because I have already watched six Christmas movies, listened to Michael Buble's Christmas CD about three times, and have had my Pandora Christmas station set for about two weeks. Yep, you are very welcome ;)

Coloring Fun!
I have also really been enjoying my new adult coloring book lately. I don't color in it super often, but I will get it out every once in a while and it is really fun. I didn't know adult coloring books existed until about a month ago. I am thinking it would make a great gift to color a page and then frame it. I think a lot of people would really enjoy that.


I know that coloring books, puppies, and Christmas movies don't matter in the grand scheme of things, but I really do believe in seeing the good. We should never hide behind those things, but we should find joy in them and be thankful, despite any hardships that come.

Happy Monday! Stay strong!


What are you thankful for and taking joy in today?

It's More Than a Feeling

"I know it's right because I feel it".

How many times have we heard that? Have many times have we said it ourselves. The media thrives on people living by this concept. We seem to live with the idea that if we feel something "in our gut", then it must be true. We tend to think that being a good little human means living based on emotions and our feelings.

But here's the problem- we are flawed, sinful humans. Yes, we are redeemed, and yes, we have the Holy Spirit if we belong to God, but our judgement, feelings, and emotions are still tainted. They will be until we get to Heaven.

The problem with this whole "I feel it in my gut" thing, is that we carry it over into Christianity. Suddenly, the leading of the Holy Spirit becomes about how we feel, instead of a matter of discernment and truth. Yes, sometimes the Holy Spirit leads in random, strange ways. It isn't always a cookie-cutter formula, but it will never contradict God's word.

There is a Youtube video floating around out there somewhere, that shows a pastor talking to his congregation. He says in the video that one day God told him to drop-kick an elderly lady, so he did...I'm not making this up, unfortunately. And you see, we can think a lot of weird things. We, as twisted humans, or even by the whispers of the devil, can certainly come up with the idea to drop-kick an old lady. But God? God is not going to tell you to do that. How do I know? Read His word. It's full of words about kindness and gentleness, and about helping and loving the elderly. If God is calling you to do something, it is not going to contradict His word.

And I know that the "drop kick an old lady" thing is kind of over-the-top, but people do similar things all the time. People were convinced that the world was either ending or that the rapture was coming in the year 2000, so they sold their possessions, made an underground bunker, and prepared for whatever was to come at the new year. Their were some really good people who were convinced that God was telling them to do those things. But that wasn't God.

Conviction is about discernment too. You don't just say "I'm convicted about this because I feel this way". That is what the people who wouldn't eat the food that Paul talked about in the Bible were doing. And it's the same thing some well-meaning churches are doing when they think alcohol, dancing, and women wearing pants is wrong. They are going off of what other's told them and then they feel guilty about it, so they think it is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Instead of functioning that way, there should always be discernment added to feelings. We need to discern through Scripture why something may be wrong or right. We have to look past our feelings and past surface issues, and into the heart of the matter. Do we think something is wrong (or right) just because someone told us so, or just because we feel a certain way about it?

My former pastor once said, "Just because you feel or think something, doesn't make it true". As simple as that statement is, it really spoke to me, because I am really bad about going by feelings. That is why I am passionate about speaking out against it. I often condemn myself and call it conviction, or feel something and call it the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn't. Sometimes how I feel has nothing to do with what God is saying, and yet I slap His name on it and call my feelings "His leading". That is a very dangerous game. That is why it is so very important for us all to study Scripture and be discerning about our "gut feelings". Don't call something "God" just because you feel it.

Are you prone to going off of feelings without being discerning? How can we all do a better job of finding that balance where we are led by God freely, and yet we still use wisdom and discernment?