Letting Go and Letting God

I found this in a little monthly devotional called "Journey" and thought I would share it. It really spoke to me.

"When someone has hurt you, forgiving that person is the only step to take toward growing, healing and moving on. In order to free yourself from chains of bitterness and anger, release any thoughts of revenge.

Forgiveness is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, so don't be alarmed if your anger takes a while to fade and doesn't disappear immediately after you've made the choice to forgive someone. Depending on how much you were hurt, you may have to continue to forgive on deeper levels as the Holy Spirit reveals how badly you've been wounded. When life isn't going like we expect it to or want it to, it's time to take a closer look at our expectations. Behind our expectations our pride and self-centeredness give our wishes and desires preeminence. When we get upset because life isn't going like we planned, it often reveals exactly how strongly we believe that we are more deserving or more important than others. The truth is, life does not revolved around us. Plus, we live in a fallen world, so life will most likely not go according to our plans.

When your expectations aren't met, talk to God about it. Acknowledge to Him that His ways aren't always your ways, and ask Him to help you let go of your expectations and depend on Him. When someone's telling us something we don't want to hear, but they're right and we're wrong, it's time for us to swallow our pride, take advice and change....."

My mom actually gave this to me to read and I was like "WOW! if that's not God speaking to me, then I don't know what is!" The last part where it talks about life not going as you had planned...MAN! That is SO me right now. I think lately (just being honest), I have felt a little...down. I can't really put my finger on why exactly, but I think after reading that, it helped me a lot. I think I have just been feeling lately that nothing is going my way. (Sounds like a 5 yr old doesn't it??). It seems like everything I touch is doomed for failure or something. Maybe I am in a depressed mood..I don't really know, but all I know is that I want OUT of this FUNK--NOW!! It's like the devotion said, I know I just need to take that and lay it before God. Let Him know what my expectations are and give all that up to Him. I need to let Him handle it. He knows far better what is best for me than I could EVER imagine. I THINK I know what's best for me, but He has definitely proved me wrong there before. I need to remember times where God has proven himself to me the most and know that He is taking care of me. Even in this season of my life where I feel like nothing is going right...He is there, every step of the way, taking care of me..I just have to let HIM guide my steps. Maybe I haven't been doing that as much as I thought I have...maybe it's time to really hand it all over...but that's the hard part right?? Actually handing it over? I know God is trying to draw me closer to Him right now...now more than ever maybe...and I just need to surrender it all. I am starting the Beth Moore study in the next week or so called "Esther" and let me just tell you--I am PUMPED!! It's gonna be awesomeness! Here is a quote from the study that I found, that I L-O-V-E!!

"Even those most serious about their pursuit of God and godliness fail to be perfect examples all the time.... The mystery is not that an earthly hero can still be flawed and fall to cultural pressures but that God, in His mercy, chooses at times to retain only the snapshots He took when they were standing firm."--Beth Moore

Love This!

"My heart has seen difficulty. My life has been changed. The fact that I belong to Jesus has not changed, and although tragedy and heartache have come knocking on my door and I have repeatedly asked why, He has told me that sometimes the answer is not as important as the faith it takes to ask the question. I may ask why, but I won't let the lack of a full blueprint trouble my heart. I won't be troubled by the lack of answers. Instead, I will let that perfect peace rest deep in my heart and soul--the peace that even as I ask the same questions again and again, I may not get every answer just this second but I will be safe and He will provide for me, like a parent cares for a child. The peace that He loves me and that He knows how much of the answer I can handle right now, and how much needs to be saved for later."
---Anonymous

Famous Words...Not Mine...

I thought I would do a post of some of my favorite quotes and what they mean to me. I already have some of them posted on my facebook (if you have seen my facebook profile) and some of them on my blog site as well. But just in case you care, or if you're like me at all and LOVE quotes...here ya go!

"Find someone who makes your circle just, someone with whom you want to end each day where you began."
--- Dr. Charles Hannah

*I got this quote from my 12th grade AP English teacher (most of you probably know him). He was such a hard teacher, but he really was very smart. At the end of the year, he gave us this typed out sheet of "life lessons" we could carry with us from all the stories and poems that he made us read. This was one of them. I can't remember from which story it could be applied, but I really liked it. You really do want to make sure you find that person "with whom you want to end each day where you began".

"Not all love stories are epic novels. Some are short stories, but that doesn't mean they are any less filled with love." Carrie, SATC

*This was from the SATC movie. I love it because it's saying that a relationship (love) doesn't have to be a long one to be meaningful. You can date someone a few weeks, a few months a few years and it is just a meaningful. I have always thought that it's not the labels you put on relationships that matter; it's what's in your heart. :)

"Nothing changes the human heart so deeply as to look bad in the presence of love, to be seen with all that is wickedly ugly about us and to still be wanted, more, to be delighted in. That's grace." --Larry Crabb

*This came from the book The Papa Prayer. It is such a good book; I recommend it to anyone. I read it about a year and a half ago which was right around the time that God was really teaching me about grace. Sure, I have always heard about grace, sung about grace (Amazing Grace), but never really thought about what grace actually is. Grace is definitely something we as sinners don't deserve, but because Jesus died on the cross for our sins..that's grace....when we get something we don't deserve. I have also realized that when something bad happens, God can take it and make something good out of it...that's grace. This quote is saying that when we are seen for all that we are even when it's bad (wickedly ugly) and we are still wanted and even more than that...DELIGHTED IN...that's GRACE!

"When we expect to be satisfied with the basics, God will often surprise us with treats." --James MacDonald

*This is from a book called "Lord, Change My Attitude Before It's Too Late". I was reading this book last summer during a bible study and I must say..it's a must read also. It's so true that if we just basically take what God has given us and expect to just be satisfied with that; satisfied even if it's only with Him...then the blessings come...

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."--Anonymous

*You know how sometimes you wait and wait for something and you finally get it? You are SO excited that you finally got whatever it was that you had wanted for so long. Well..after a while that "thing" that you wanted so dearly just becomes the "norm"...it's not so...special anymore. Then you start wanting something else. The thing we need to remember (and I am definitely guilty of this) is that we still need to continue to treasure what it was that we wanted in the first place even if we start longing for something else..because if you remember..that first thing...used to be something you only hoped for..

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.." --Ephesians 3:20

*This is one of my favorite verses in the bible. I don't think this one needs much explanation..God really can do IMMEASURABLY MORE than we could EVER ask or imagine!!

"Did you say it? I love you. I don't ever want to live without you. You changed my life. Did you say it? Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it. But every now and then, look around. Drink it in. 'Cause this is it. It may all be gone tomorrow." --Grey's Anatomy

*This was on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy this year and it gave me chills when Meredith said it. Those words really hit home with me. So many times we just go about our everyday life and we don't tell the people we love how much we really do love them and how much they mean to our lives. We don't appreciate the people in our lives, the things in our lives, the direction our lives are going...we don't appreciate the little things. We should all "take time to stop and smell the roses" because it really could all be gone tomorrow.

"You never know the biggest day of your life is the biggest day. Not until it's happening. You don't recognize the biggest day of your life, not until you're right in the middle of it. The day you commit to something or someone. The day you get your heart broken. The day you meet your soulmate. The day you realize there's not enough time, because you wanna live forever. Those are the biggest days. The perfect days. You know?" --Grey's Anatomy

*This one, also from Grey's Anatomy except for it was Izzie who said it. I just really liked it....that's all...


Well..there ya have it..some of my favorites quotes. Just thought I would share! :)

Deuces!!

Happiness

I absolutely LOVE The Fray!! I have liked them ever since they came out with their very first single "Over My Head (Cable Car) a few years ago. A few months ago I purchased their 2nd album and I must say that I am in love! Here is one of my favorites off the album..its called "Happiness"

"Happiness is just outside my window
Would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour?
Or is happiness a little more like knocking
On your door, and you just let it in?

Happiness feels a lot like sorrow
Let it be, you can’t make it come or go
But you are gone- not for good but for now
Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good

Happiness is a firecracker sitting on my headboard
Happiness was never mine to hold
Careful child, light the fuse and get away
‘Cause happiness throws a shower of sparks

Happiness damn near destroys you
Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor
So you tell yourself, that’s enough for now
Happiness has a violent roar

Happiness is like the old man told me
Look for it, but you’ll never find it all
Let it go, live your life and leave it
Then one day, wake up and she’ll be home
Home, home, home"

So here goes another one of my lyric interpretations. This song has great meaning. It's obviously talking about happiness. I think they hit the nail on the head with this one too. It's basically saying that happiness is not something that should be looked or searched for..it's something that should just...happen. I like the part where he says, "Happiness feels a lot like sorrow. Let it be, you can’t make it come or go. But you are gone- not for good but for now.
Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good." He is saying you can't make happiness (which is alot like sorrow) come or go. Then, to me, it's like he is saying happiness is gone (not for good) but just for now. Maybe he has gone through something that has hurt him, made him sad, made him wish each day would get better. He knows that eventually it WILL get better, that the sorrow he feels WILL go away and he WILL be happy again, but basically the way he feels right now, feels like he won't ever be happy again. He feels like happiness is gone for good. We have all been in those situations. Situations where we can't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Situations where it's hard to put a smile on our face even though we need to.

My favorite part in the whole song is towards the end where he says, "Happiness is like the old man told me. Look for it, but you’ll never find it all. Let it go, live your life and leave it. Then one day, wake up and she’ll be home". He is saying don't go looking for happiness; just let it go and go on about your life. Then out of the blue one day, happiness will find you. I believe this is how God works. Sometimes there are things in our lives that we hold on to so tight and all God wants us to do is give it to Him. He is there waiting and most of the time we are the ones fighting. We are fighting it because we want to have control. But why do you think God wants it this way? He wants it this way because that's what's best for us and that's how we will ultimately be happy. Most of the time, the moment we give something up to God, that's when He surprises us. Isn't that SO neat?! God wants to do that for us! He wants to give us the desires of our hearts if we would just let Him. He knows what's best for us so much more than we do.

Here is the song in case you want to hear it. :)

Bearable to Beauty

So..for those of you who know me well, know that I LOVE quotes. I have said it once and I will say it again, I feel like sometimes the words of others can say it better than I can (same way with music). Here is a quote from a very wise woman:

"If Jesus gives us a task or assigns us to a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we'll let Him finish the work. I fear, however, that we are so attention-deficit that we settle for bearable when beauty is just around the corner."

---Beth Moore

When I read that quote it really spoke to me. It made me realize that this is what God has been trying to do with me for a long time and I just haven't let Him. Most of the time when we go through trials we know that we are supposed to learn something from them, but the thing is, I think sometimes we miss what God is trying to teach us (I know I have!). I think we end up getting so impatient with whatever situation or season we are in, in our lives that we kinda just give up. We think that this is how it's going to be all the time and don't realize that if we just learn the valueable lesson God is teaching us, we will most definitely come out better on the other side. I LOVE the part where she says "we are so attention-deficit that we settle for bearable when beauty is just around the corner." I think she is SO right! We get to where we are comfortable leading our own lives and we are easily drawn off course. The devil is very good and sneaky at doing things like that. He sees that we are getting closer to God and His perfect will, and it angers him, so he knows our weak spots and tries to push us to the limits. He does everything he can to veer off the course that God is so desperately trying to take us on. I have definitely noticed this in my own life. If our relationship is so rooted in God, we can fight the enemy, so that we no longer "settle for bearable", but we get to enjoy the "beauty".

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength... Therefore the Lord LONGS to be gracious to you, and exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for Him." --Isaiah 30:15,18-20