Happiness

Last night I sat down to write in my journal and something told me to write what makes me truly happy. Well I KNOW it was not something, it was GOD. So, I proceeded. Here was my list. (No particular order, because obviously my friends and family would be first..not coffee.)

1. Coffee

2. The Beach

3. Family

4. Friends

5. Young Life

Then I got done. Didn't really feel much of anything. I was like, "Well there's my list God! That makes me happy. What else do you want me to do?"

PROBLEM. Some kind of siren went off in my head. And if you know me..me and sirens don't mix.I forgot to list God. What in this world? How could I forget my Creator, the One that LOVES me the most, the One who died for me? Well, I did. And this is the point of my story.

I feel like a lot of times I/we put all 5 (or what makes you happy) of these things BEFORE God. Maybe not ALL the time, but SOME of the time.

1. When I get up in the mornings the FIRST thing I do is get a cup of coffee. It makes me wake up and start my day off right.

2. I go to the beach about five times a year. It is my quiet place. The place I find comfort and rest.

3. My family is always there for me and can get me through anything. They are the ones that I come "home" to.

4. My friends are the people who pick me up when I am down and walk the same road I do with Jesus.

5. Young Life is the place where I share life with teenage girls, lay down beside them, and help them.

I quickly noticed that that was my list.

BUT if I add God as number ONE, that list quickly changes. Very, very quickly. See, God is the only one who can really MAKE us happy forever. All of these things will come and go. If we put Him first in our lives, all of these things won't really make us happy. And you will QUICKLY realize it.

1. I need Jesus to wake me up in the mornings. I need Jesus to start my day off right. Caffeine will wear off. Jesus won't. "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24.

2. My Jesus needs to be my quiet place. In His lap, I find rest. He won't get washed away by Hurricanes. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

3. I need to realize that I will be "coming home" to Jesus one day. It won't always be to my family. And I need to prepare for coming home to Him by seeking Him first. Always. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33.

4. Jesus is the ONLY one who can ALWAYS pick me up and assure me happiness. The Bible says that people WILL fail you, but God WILL NOT. "I will never fail you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5.

5. God blessed me with Young Life, but He gave it to me to teach these girls to NOT run to ME first, but to run to Him because I cannot provide for them what the really need. "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19.

Now, I'm not saying all of these things CAN'T make us happy. Because they can. Write out your list. They all MADE that list because they provide you with some kind of happiness.

That kind of happiness is temporary.

Happiness from God is permanent.

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corin. 4:18.

For the THINGS we see now will SOON be gone. The THINGS that make me happy will SOON be gone. God will NEVER be gone, He is forever.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21.

Pinky Swear

1. Choose Your Friends Carefully

“The righteous should CHOOSE HIS FRIENDS CAREFULLY, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26)

This verse tells us that if we do not chose our friends carefully, we will be lead astray. Directions from God. Word by Word. Why don't we follow them ALL the time?

2. Why we need to choose good "God-Friends"

Again, step by step instructions as to WHY we desperately need these carefully chosen, firm believer friends.

1. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
   
2. “A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 24:5)
   
3. “Every purpose is established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.” (Proverbs 20:18)
   
4. “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” (Proverbs 15:22)
   
5. “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.” (Proverbs 19:20)
   
6. “Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27)

Goodness, this is proof of WHO God WANTS in our lives! Drop everything and write these down! What is our purpose in this life? To serve God, right? To bring Him glory, right? To tell people of his amazing love, RIGHT?

In order to do all these things, we MUST have people there. Friends there. God fearing with us. On our knees.

To help us. Hold us. Pray with us. Believe with us. Cry with us. Laugh with us. And spread His love with us.

3. As Iron Sharpens Iron

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Godly friends "sharpen" you. They hold you accountable. They walk with you. They listen. But most of all, they love you and they love this sovereign God just like YOU do.

And we ALL ask the question of "Why is this person seeming to disappear from my life?"

"The main reason that God will start to take out the friends in your life that He does not want you to have is because some of these people may be negative influences in your life. They may not be open to growing and maturing in the Lord like you will be, and all they will do is try and hold you back when you start your own spiritual journey and growth in the Lord. They will start criticizing and making fun of you and all they will end up doing is stunting your growth in the Lord.

If you will allow God to prune out the people that He does not want you to have in your life – then what He will start to do is to bring in the people that He will want to have in your life. I call these types of friends “God-friends.” These people will be good, godly and Spirit-filled who are truly walking in good stead with the Lord and they will now be the people that He will want you to share your walk with!"

There ya have it. Simple and Sweet. God will provide. He will take care of us. He will carefully place people we need in our lives to strengthen our relationship with Him. And he will carefully remove people we do not need in our lives that weaken our relationship with Him.

God is good. All the time.

Thankful for the ability to LOVE.

I am thankful for the ability to love. I take it from granted. Love is a verb and I am so thankful and blessed to have people in my life who I really love. I love how each and every single one of my friends is unique and their "love language" is different. Each of them requires different kinds of love. I read a book called "The Five Love Languages" and it is SO good. It talks about how each person is different and the way they feel loved the most is different. When their "love tanks" are empty, speaking to them in their "love language" helps them feel loved. I love uniqueness. I love how Jesus can love us in a way that other people can't. I love how Jesus knows our hearts and knows what kind of love we need and then freely gives it to us.

I am wanting to know how to better love each and every one of my friends in a way that they really feel loved by me. I want to know how to better love you. Let me know how I can better love you.

The five love languages according to Gary Chapman are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.

• Words of Affirmation

  Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

• Quality Time

  In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your friend feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

• Receiving Gifts

  Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

• Acts of Service

  Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

• Physical Touch

  A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

Wow. I have friends in every single one of these. I cannot wait to try to love them more like Jesus would AND focus in on their "love language." If you know ME, you know that my love language is PHYSICAL TOUCH 100%. I love hugs, touching, holding hands, linking arms, etc. It is just something that what makes me, ME! :)

Feeling really loved is a great feeling, and I want all of my friends to know that I can never love you like Jesus can, but I sure am going to try to love you the best that I can.


Here's to trying to love more like Jesus!

Neely

The Big Picture

What makes our "big picture" in life SUCCEED?

I often take a step back at my life and ask myself these questions. I love seeing "the big picture". We need to start asking ourselves these questions daily.

1. Am I listening to the voice of God? Or are you listening to the voices of others? Isaiah 2:22 says, "Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?" I find myself listening to the voice of others WAY too much. I just talk way too much, and that's why I can't hear God sometimes. I am learning to be still and listen. God speaks when we are quiet.

2. Am I taking risks? Do we "not" do something because we feel like we are not sure if God wants us to do it? In my opinion, I say do it, even if you are not sure. When you start it, you will eventually find out if God wants you there or not. I'm not talking about illegal things. I am talking about taking a certain path in life, job, etc.

" Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.

Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well." Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

The Bible tell us there is no perfect time to start taking risks.

3. Do I understand how BIG God is? Deuteronomy 10:17 says, "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome." How Awesome is HE!
"Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, Our God is HIGHER than ANY OTHER!!"

4. Am I surrounding myself with the right people? Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." We need Christian friends. We need people to grow with us in our faith. Sometimes God puts people in our path that give us "wise council" that help our BIG PICTURE succeed. We need to hold onto these people with both hands. Imagine a little kid holding onto their parent's leg with both arms and legs. Hold on tightly to good, Christian friends like this.

5. Am I giving GOD my best? Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with ALL YOUR MIGHT, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." Are we giving God ALL OUR MIGHT? He didn't say give it "what you feel like." He said GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT. This hits home because a lot of the time, I give God what I feel like giving. He gave us His ALL, His LIFE, why is it so hard to give Him our best?


I encourage you to think about these questions this week and let's start working on them...starting with number one! Love you all. Have a blessed week my friends! :)

Neely

Audience of one.

I was listening to a song called "Audience of One" yesterday on the way to the park and it got me thinking about the real, simple truth in it.

Think about a play and the audience watching it. I have been in a few plays and the GOAL is to IMPRESS the audience. To make them CHEER you on. To make them LIKE you or the play. To make them ENJOY themselves. To make them LAUGH. To make them FEEL like they are in the scene with you.

But in real life, it's a little different. We are not here to impress ANYONE. I mess up on this sometimes. Ultimately, we are not here to want people to cheer us on, like us, enjoy themselves because of us, laugh, or make them feel like they are "in it" with us. We are here for Jesus. He is sitting in the audience...

Cheering us on.
Making us enjoy OURSELVES because of the price He paid for us.
He is "in it" with us. At all times.

Wow. So true. We really have an audience of one and it feels good to know that no matter who we please or not please, it doesn't even matter. What matters is what He thinks. What He sees. He is watching us in the audience.

The most important thing in this life is Jesus. HE IS OUR AUDIENCE. Even though I only listed one name, He is more powerful than any crowded audience out there. An audience of one.

"Jesus says that we do not have to flatter our way into an audience with the King. He’s our Dad, and we can talk to him because he is our Dad. He has given us that right, so we can be confident that he hears us."

There's one chair. And it's taken.

Jesus sees us up here on this "stage."
He knows what it's like to be us.
He is cheering for us.
He is watching us.
He is our only audience that counts.
He is right beside us. Always.

We can do it. God's got us!


Love each and every one of you!

Neely

A little taste of Heaven

I am so thankful for sweet friends who are as much as in love with Jesus as I am. Think about some of your favorite things in life. What makes you the HAPPIEST. I think that these are little tastes of Heaven. Little appetizers. God is telling us, "You think THIS is good? Wait until Heaven!"

I love it.

And I love all of my friends I have made through Young Life. They give me a little taste of Heaven by how happy and joyful they make me. I am so incredibly thankful for each and every ONE of you. You make my life more meaningful, joyful, and it brings me to my knees every night thanking God for ALL of you.

I love y'all.

Neels

Thank you notes to God

If you really know me you would know....(We are not playing this game BUT honestly if you knew me) you would know that I love texting and talking to my friends 24/7. I was driving home from my Young Life spend the night today and had something REALLY important and exciting to tell one of my friends. I wanted to tell her all about my Young Life graduation/sleepover, etc. When I got to my apartment the FIRST thing I did was text her my exciting information that I just had to share even before I took my bags in my room. When I finally texted her, I told myself, "Wow, I haven't thanked God once for yesterday and all the fun things that happened."

When something important happens in my life, why don't I ALWAYS run to God SO excited barely containing myself like I do my friends?

I think we all have problems with this. And if you don't, please teach me your ways!

I pray. I talk to God. I spend quiet moments with God. And that's all good right? Of course. It's awesome, humbling, emotional, amazing, and glorifying.

BUT.

I feel like when I pray and ask God for guidance to certain things in my life and he anwsers my prayer, I DO NOT ALWAYS run to Him first saying, "THANK YOU LORD for....." There are times that I thank Him for things that he blesses me with, but it should be EVERYTHING, the FIRST thing we think about.

Before I sent that text to my friend telling her "exciting news" or called up my mom to tell her about my night, I should have gotten on my knees and shared this with God. Thanking Him. Praising Him. Asking Him to make me Christ like.

Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for. The more we seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and joy to exist in our lives.


God blesses us with so much. I encourage every ONE of you to right NOW write ten things you are thankful for and think about if you lost one of them. We are so blessed and we take it for granted every single day.

I don't hesitate for a second to say "Thank You" to a friend for doing something for me or sending a "Thank You" note to someone. Why do I find it difficult to remember to THANK the one who "puts on this show", who "controls my life", "controls my breaths", continues to bless me and knows my every move?

We need to send God thank you notes. For blessing us, keeping us, forgiving us, dying for us, and healing us. Every. Single. Moment.

Sweet Jesus, We'll give thanks to You with gratitude for lessons learned in how to trust in You, thirst for You, and hunger after you. That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream in abundance or in need.


I don't know about you, but for me, I need to purchase a lot of stamps to send "Thank You" notes to God for everything that He has continuously blessed me with. :)

Today is beautiful. I encourage you to write down ten things you are thankful for and thank God for each and every one of them. Talk to Him. Tell Him why they are so important to you. Pray for all ten of them. It is a humbling experience and it is such a great day today you can even do it outside!

Love you all.

Neely