What went wrong?

Earlier today I heard the sad news, that a girl (who we'll call Elizabeth) I knew back in my childhood had been found dead this morning by her mother. When I was told, my heart instantly broke. There are questions about possible drug overdoses in relation to suicide or perhaps that it was an accident - no one is sure just yet.

Before I was homeschooled, I attended a public elementary school from K-5th, and for some period of that time, she and I had been close friends. It probably has been a good six years since I've seen or spoken with her. To hear that someone I once knew had died, it made me wonder what went wrong. If it was a drug overdose, if it was suicide, what went wrong? Why was she aching so much that she went to such lengths as death? Even though I don't really know her now, I wonder what could have been done differently, so that the outcome wouldn't have been what it is now.

Honestly, hearing of what happened to her, scared me. It threw reality upon me. I mean, we all know that everyone dies, we all know that people are dying everyday. Or do we?
Do we really understand and appreciate the fact that people are constantly dying?
150,000 people die every single day... and to think that most of those people don't even know Jesus, well that makes me want to cry.

I think the reason her death was such an impact to me is because was so young, only 17. In my eyes, she really hadn't even begun life yet. She was just starting out, and to think now she's gone and probably not in Heaven, that hurts. After thinking through this a bit, there's a few things it reminded me of:

LIFE IS VALUABLE
Often, we live everyday as if we know there will be a tomorrow. We live as if it's just another day and we forget the significance that is found within each day we are given. We take each day for granted, rather than in thankfulness and gratefulness towards God. How many days do we wake up cranky and complain about SOMETHING, rather than being so thankful that God has a reason that we are still living, that His plan for us is not fulfilled yet and so we must keep working hard by serving Him? I can say that some days, when I'm getting up at 6am for work, that's definitely not my attitude... but how I wish it was! Life is valuable, and God gives it to us for a reason, for a purpose, not to squander it or waste it.

LIFE IS SHORT
We will never know what day is our last, until that day comes. Often times I think we have an attitude that in our youth, we have so long to go, and because of this, we forget that our days are numbered, that there really is an end. Consequently, we waste our days. We treat our minutes of life as nearly valueless, rather than priceless.

THE GOOD NEWS
Something that really struck me is that I wonder if Elizabeth knew the good news of Jesus. Had she heard? Did she care? Would it have made a difference? Everyone needs to hear about Jesus. How often do we slack off on sharing, or because we're too afraid and honestly, don't really trust God for the powerful and mighty God that He is, we back down and keep our mouths shut about Jesus. Who needs to hear his Gospel? How many people today are feeling hopeless, how many peoples hearts are broken and they are lonely? How many of those people could I be sharing with? How many of those people could you be sharing with? 

We only have one life, and only so much time and limited opportunity to share about Jesus.
Why are we so selfish to not share with people who desperately need to hear this truth? It makes me angry, and even angry at myself for being selfish and not sharing sometimes.
Who could you share with today? Who needs to hear the good news of Jesus, about His love, about what He did for us, and why living this life for Him is more than worth it?

Never Going Back to OK

Have you forgotten? I know some people have, actually a lot of people.

Why do we forget? Why do we forget something so powerful, so beautiful?

I feel like so many people either take the Gospel for granted or they underestimate it. Why?

Have we forgotten the freedom and the power in knowing Jesus? We say we believe Him, we say we trust in Him, but do our actions match up?

Why are we living in fear?

Why are we living in sin?

Why are we living in pain?

Why are we letting the world bog us down when we have Jesus to lift us up?

Jesus didn't die so we can stay the same, He died so that we may be changed, that we may be free.

So often we make His suffering on the cross a joke, we don't appreciate the gravity of the situation.

Jesus died, He DIED! He died so we could be free, He died so we can find and know real joy, that we may have hope and true life.

So often we live as if that's just a story in the Bible, or some nice sounding concept or idea.

But it's not just some story and it's not just some concept or thing that happened.

It's truth! It's power! It's beautiful!

We get upset when we feel like God isn't listening to us, or that we're stuck in some dismaying predicament. We expect God to act yet we have zero faith in Him! Where has our faith gone? Where did our trust disappear to? How can we be so double minded?

Friends, fellow followers of Jesus, do you REALLY believe what Jesus says? Do you REALLY trust in His promises? In His truth? In His steadfast love? In His unchanging ways?

Or are you underestimating who He says He is? Are you doubting the God who created you, who knows you better than you know yourself, the God that would die for you, even while you hated Him?

Please don't forget. Please don't forget the power that comes through Jesus when knowing Him.

If you're stuck in sin, through Jesus you can get out! You can have the strength to overcome! (1 Corinthians 10:13)

If you're trapped by fear, through Jesus you can get out! Jesus is our Perfect Love and He can take away that fear and replace it with power, love and discipline.(2 Timothy 1:7)

If you're overwhelmed with guilt, and you feel you cannot be made new - you are wrong! Jesus died so the old self could be done away with and that we could live in the freedom of that.(2 Corinthians 5:17)

If you're confused, sad, hurting, even if your heart is broken, Jesus is the answer.  (Romans 8:28, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 55:22, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Jesus suffered all things, He suffered through ALL things! He took our place, He took all the weight of the world upon His shoulders. He is victorious! Oh! How greatly I desire for you to know and understand this truth, Jesus is alive. Jesus is working! He is not dead, He was not just active in the Bible, but He is today.

O Christian, why so little faith?

He can do incredible things, He still does incredible things! But you need to trust Him.

If you just trusted Him, what could He do with you? Where could you go? What could He use you for?

I refuse to believe that my God is weak, that He is dead, or that He cannot work through tough situations. Come on people! It's God we're talking about! Don't water down the power of God. Who would want a God who was weak, who couldn't save us, anyway? Surely not I. Could He even be called God then?

I've tasted the goodness of my Lord, and I know that He is faithful, that He is incomparable.

I'm never going back to "ok", I've had enough of having little faith, and a doubting mind.

I am going to take the "risk" and really believe and trust in the words of God! I am going to know that God can take any situation in my life, any problem, any uncertainty or pain, and use it for something glorious. Rise up Christians, and have faith in the God that died for you, that is still working and alive today!

He is the God that protected Noah in the flood, the same God that parted the Red Sea. He is the same God who enabled David to defeat Goliath, and protected Daniel in the lion's den. Yeah! That's the God I want to believe in, trust in, have faith in and know! Not a weak, wavering, God like we make Him out to be. So what is God to you? All powerful, sovereign, righteous and holy? I sure hope so.

By the way, Happy Easter!

Christ is risen... He conquered the grave... He is my King. Is He yours?

I'M SO EXCITED!

Quito, Ecuador

 This post is SO long overdue! Two weeks ago I created a post about my opportunity to go to Ecuador, which you can read about here. 

A little over a week ago, Wednesday the 9th, I received an e-mail of my acceptance to go on the trip!

(This is the part where I get up and begin to jump up and down and squeal at high decibels and smile until my cheeks begin to hurt really bad).

In other words, I am SO excited! God has been so good and I know full well that He wants me to go to Ecuador! I can't even describe how excited and blessed I feel, that God would allow me to do this and how He is saying YES, YES, YES! It's extremely incredible and I know God is going to teach me amazing things through this mission trip!

Now begins the long checklist of making sure I have everything: a passport, plane tickets, not to mention the cost of the trip completely! I do have faith though that God will get me to Ecuador and nothing, not even money can stand in His way. :)

Please, PLEASE, pray for me and for Ecuador! If you're reading this, take just a few seconds if you can to pray for my trip, that God will provide the means necessary for me to go, the experience, the people there, etc! Thank you! :)

Soli Deo Gloria!