Day #3-Your First Love

"This is how we ought to know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."--1 John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son. That whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3:16

Growing up I always heard the song, "Jesus Loves Me", but didn't really understand what it actually meant until I was much older. I went through elementary school and high school knowing that God loved me and He had a plan, and knew what I should do, but I didn't necessarily do it. I wasn't a "bad kid" by any means, but I didn't have a strong relationship with God like I do now. Most people drift away from their beliefs and their relationship with God when they go off to college. They start experiencing new things and somehow get caught up in the everyday life, forgetting what's truly important. The opposite was true for me. I started college and immediately began going to church by myself every Sunday morning. That lead to me getting involved in the college ministry at our church as well. Once I started going, I jumped in head first and haven't regretted it since. After learning how important a strong faith and relationship with God is, my life changed. I saw things in a different way...it really is true when the Bible says,

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."--Romans 12:2

I experienced a full-on "renewing of my mind" and it was such an exciting thing to experience. It's all been history from there. Sure, I have my times where I don't spend as much time reading the Word as I should...I don't spend enough time in church or at bible study, but one thing I do know to be true is that God's love never fails. We may experience heartache and other people may disappoint us (more than once) but it is HIS love that is constant. I know that His amazing grace has been poured out over me even when I don't deserve it. But that's why God is SO good. He loves us even when we fail. He has the true "agape" love for us.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. "--1 John 4: 7-12

See, God is in the business of love. That's what He does best. I strive each day to love others, even when it's hard because He loves me even when I am unlovable...

Day # 2-Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Day #2 of the 30 day blog challenge is to tell the meaning behind your blog name. My blog title is "Something Heavenly" and it comes from the Santus Real song called, "Whatever You're Doing". You can listen to the song and watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN9J8eqKovY

The part of the song that's my favorite (where my blog title came from) is when the song says,

"I surrender to whatever you're doing inside of me,

it feels like chaos, but somehow there's peace.

Though it's hard to surrender to what I can't see,

I'm giving into something heavenly."

I've felt like God has really been working on my heart big time these last couple of years. There have been things to happen in my life that I don't understand..I don't understand God's timing, I don't understand His ways. But the bible tells us that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. I've been SO stubborn at times waiting on God's will that it's only hurt me in the end. God only wants to save us from things that hurt us and sometimes that's the very thing that we choose. Sometimes it may hurt so bad...to our very core..it may seem like chaos, but that's what the song says...that even though it feels like chaos, we should have peace knowing that God is behind it ALL. Even though we can't see our future and it's hard to hand over control of our lives, we just need to give into something that's WAY bigger than us. He's up to something that's bigger than us and bigger than our circumstances, if we just let Him work. This song is my heart's cry...it's such a great song and the reason behind my blog name :)

Oh...and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

"Give THANKS to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

--Psalm 107:1

30 Day Blog Challenge

I stole this idea from a friend at work. It's a 30 day blog challenge. Each day you write about something different, so I thought I would try it since I've been extra lazy in my blogging (Thanks Katherine!!)

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture and 15 random facts about me.
Well, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Amy Michelle Callaway. I am 26 years old and live in Opelika, AL. I have worked the past 2 years at Baptist East in Montgomery in Labor & Deliver/High Risk OB. I love being a nurse...it's what God has called me to do and I think it fits me perfectly. I got engaged on August 13th to the sweetest, best guy I've ever met. Ben and I will be getting married on April 16th at our church (where we met). You can go to our wedding website here: http://weddingwire.com/amycallawayandbenadams
the password is: adams

This is such an exciting time in my life as well as stressful. I can't wait to marry my best friend and God's man for me in just a few short months!

15 Random Facts About Me

1.) Anyone that knows me well, knows that I have a deathly, ABNORMAL fear of birds….always have and always will. Don’t ask why or how…that’s just how I am and it’s not going to change. People that know that about me always try to figure it out, but it’s just the way I am, there’s no explanation for it.

2.)I could eat a chicken finger anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Although it’s not necessarily my favorite food, I have always liked them. My mom says that I was such a picky eater as a child, that’s all I would eat :)

3.)I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Usually you can know how I am feeling just by looking at my face. I don’t hide it very well….although if you ask me…I’ll deny it (typical girl, huh?)

4.)I’ve been told I have “champagne” taste with only “beer” money. That seems to be true.

5.)I love it when God shows me something new…

6.)I always dust off my feet before I get into my bed.

7.)I drink all dark beverages (usually) including COFFEE, through a straw. I know, sounds crazy to drink coffee through a straw. Ever since I got my braces about 7 years ago, I have been very particular about my teeth and about getting them stained and so forth, so that’s why.

8.)When I was in 5th grade, I was on Entertainment Tonight. It was a quick clip, but still, I had my moment of fame….and no, I’m not lying.

9.)Most people would be surprised to know that I have 2 tattoos. I don’t mind telling that. It’s on my lower abdomen and it’s of an Icthus (Jesus fish). And my latest one is on my left wrist of the word "agape". I got this to be a constant reminder of God's unconditional love for me. It also reminds me to try and love people unconditionally. It is by grace that I'm saved through faith...all of this because of God's agape love.

10.)I still do math by counting on my fingers or on paper, even simple math…..I took math classes in college all the way up to Calculus II, but to this day, I count on my fingers.

11.)People always ask me if I am related to the Callaways of “Callaway Gardens” or “Callaway Golf”….sadly, I have to tell them “no”.

12.)I always have a bottle of water beside my bed.

13.) I am addicted to trash TV. I always tell myself I'm not going to get caught up in ANOTHER reality TV show, but I do. I couldn't believe I actually started watching "Jerseylicious" one day!

14.) I love laughing. Laughing is my favorite thing to do. I know people say it might be a bad thing if you laugh at yourself or your own jokes, but I love it when I do that. I think it says that you have a sense of humor. I also like to surround myself with people that make me laugh. I find that I have a better day that way.

15.) I've always been told that patience is a virtue..well...it's a virtue that I clearly don't have sometimes. I feel like God has really been working on me the last several years on helping me gain some patience in my life. It's a tough thing to learn, but I KNOW that I will be a better person because of it.

Oh....and this is my FAVORITE time of year! I love decorating for all the holidays and enjoying family time..it's the GREATEST!

The BIG GREEN Monster

We all know that monster..that big green monster that finds it's way into our lives when we least expect it. It's the monster that can cause heartache, distraction, pride and worry. That BIG GREEN monster is what I like to call....jealousy.

This past week, our bible study was on jealousy and although it's hard to admit (out loud), it really spoke to me. After going through this lesson, I was able to admit to myself and to someone else that I have some "jealous" areas in my life that I need to work on. Everything in this lesson is true and spoke volumes to me, so I thought I would share just in case it's something anyone else needed to hear as well.

The Truth About Jealousy

"Just because we see someone advancing before us does not mean that God is withholding His goodness toward us. He may be simply preparing us for what will come in the future."

I know I have had a VERY hard time with this about certain things in my life. I used to not understand why all my friends were getting married and I kept having failed relationship after failed relationship. Now, I see why...God knew I would meet Ben and God was rescuing me from all those other relationships that may have been good, but they weren't God's plan. At times, I don't understand why God hasn't granted me a huge desire of my heart---to have children (when everyone else is having them), but I have to remind myself that He sees the bigger picture as I see only the here and now.

"God loves us with an everlasting love, and He has a plan for our lives. This plan, however, may not unfold at the same time as God's plan for another person. We need to be patient and wait for God to give us His blessings at the right time. When we become jealous, we risk missing His best gifts because we are focused only on what we do not have. When we choose this route, a lot of time can be wasted entertaining feelings of heartache, frustration, worry and envy."

God may as well have been standing right in front of me speaking this to me, because it sure felt like it! I have to remember that Satan's primary goal is to shift my attention/focus away from God and onto my circumstances. The enemy wants me to become jealous, distracted and prideful. Lots of times our circumstances don't make sense to us from our perspective, but from God's point of view, they make perfect sense.

"God knows what we need and what we can handle. He may want to bless us in a certain area, but if He knows we are not ready for the blessing, He will withhold it for a later time. Are you willing to wait?"

Disarming Jealousy

How can we effectively deal with the jealousy in our own lives?

1.) ADMIT that we are envious.

2.) ACKNOWLEDGE that we are in conflict with God.

3.) THANK God for what He has done in our lives. (Mrs. Karen said one time that whenever you feel down and don't understand why something is happening...think of something to be thankful for. It's hard to be mad and thankful at the same time.)

4.) PRAY and ask God to help us see the heart of the other person at the center of conflict.

5.) We need to be willing to WAIT for God to work. (As we wait, we can listen for His voice of instruction.)

6.) ASK God to help us hear His voice over the clamor of the world.

7.) DELIGHT yourself in God. ("Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."--Psalm 37:4)

I have SO much in my life to be thankful for...I don't want to ruin that by letting the enemy get a foothold with jealousy. I know this lesson really spoke to me, I hope it spoke to you too! :)

On a completely different note, Beth (Ben's sister) had a baby shower today. It was so much fun! I can't wait for my very first niece, Katelyn, to get here at the end of February!

Stepping Back from the Canvas

I just realized that it's been a while (yet again) since my last post. I hate that I haven't had much time to just sit down and write a blog post. I guess that's what happens when life gets in the way. I was looking through my devotional book last night and re-read an entry from August 11th. It really spoke to me in that moment and I thought I would share....

I think back to things that have happened in my life before now; things that have led me to where I am today and realize that by being in this moment, stepping back from the canvas, all things (even the very bad things) HAVE worked together for good. We all go through things in our lives that make us ask the question, "Why me?" or "Why did that have to happen?" or "Man, I can't seem to catch a break." It often seems like when it rains, it pours. At least I've known that to be true with many cases in my life. They say there's always a calm before the storm or life is a series of "mountain top" experiences and "deep valleys". It's funny that when we are going through those "deep valleys" that we aren't able to understand why God is allowing this to happen and what He is trying to teach us. I've learned that if you make a mistake, the best thing you can do is make sure you learn something from it, ask forgiveness and move on. As long as you learn a valuable lesson from mistakes in your life, I think it ends up being worth it. There are things that have happened in my past, that when I look back now, I can totally see why God had me in that place. Sometimes we may never know why we had to endure a painful trial in our life, but the most important thing to remember is that as long as we are living for God, He will use everything for the good of those who love Him.

Ellen Miller writes, "Have you recently faced a crisis that you feel you may not emerge from? Can you step back from your tragedy? Can you shine a different light on your situation? Are you far enough away from the event now that you can see--from standing back here--that while one dream didn't come true, other, even more beautiful realities (that you had never allowed yourself to conceive of) have been gifted you?"

She makes such a great point here. God knows what we need more than we know what we need. So of course, when He allows something to happen (most of the time to teach us something important), we only see the bad...we usually don't see the good until much later. I am VERY guilty of not even wanting to see the big picture. All I can think about is how it feels NOW, what is going on NOW and why things aren't working out NOW. But usually something comes along (like this devotional) that reminds me not to only think about what's going on NOW, but to remember to look at it from a distance. God sees the big picture while we merely only see what's going on here and now.

She also writes, "If you're in the middle of a crisis, I know you can't see clearly either. It's hard when you're smack-dab in the middle of it. But tomorrow you won't be. You'll be looking at your masterpiece from a new perspective and you'll be absolutely amazed at your new life story and the difference a bit of distance can make....so HANG ON!"

"Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

--Isaiah 40:31

It's Been a WHILE

I haven't updated my blog in what seems like FOREVER, especially since I used update it on a regular basis. A lot has happened since my last post, so I will try my best to make it short & sweet.

1.) The first and biggest thing is that Ben and I got engaged on August 13th! It was a total surprise and perfect. He proposed out at his farm in the very spot where we will live one day. We then met at my house where his parents, sister etc were there to celebrate with us. I seriously was on TOP of the world! You can visit our wedding website:

http://www.weddingwire.com/amycallawayandbenadams

the password is: adams

2.) I went to my very first dove shoot a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed it despite it being SUPER hot. Ben loves to do any kind of hunting so it was nice to see what it was finally all about along with hanging out with all the hens!

3.) Some girls from work got together for a bachelorette/lingerie shower for Niki. It was lots of fun!

A few REALLY good quotes..

I just realized the other day that it has been MONTHS since I last wrote something. It's odd because I used to write blogs all the time...I guess time has gotten away from me. I have come across a few quotes lately that really hold a lot of meaning for me and I thought I'd share those. I am a firm believer in that sometimes the words of others can say it better than you. :)

"Hope helps us to lift our eyes off the broken pieces in front of us to see the big picture God is working in our lives."--Kirk Sullivan--Often times when we are going through trials or when God is doing that lovely thing most people like to call "refining", it's hard for us to see WHY. Since most people in today's society live for the moment and only think about what's going at that specific moment in time, it's hard to think about what God might be getting you ready for in the future. I know I'm that way the majority of the time. I feel as though since I'm living RIGHT NOW, why can't God just show me or why can't God make it better RIGHT NOW since it seems unclear, RIGHT NOW. But the truth of the matter is, God is WAY bigger than we could ever imagine and His plans are certainly not our plans. I've found though, that if I look back on my life, I can see how things have come together (God's way) and how most things have all worked out for the better, whether it was painful or not. That's where faith comes in. We have to have faith and know that God IS working together for the good of those who love Him and He only has our best interest in mind.

"Their is virtually no way to discern God's will without waiting quietly. God must be asked. We must listen."--This one goes along with the first one. We do not know the mind of God, so our job is to ask, be patient and listen. Those are 3 of the hardest things to do when all you want to do is NOT wait, but they are the most important.

"God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close..."---I cannot say how true I have found this to be in my life. I have seen it happen in others lives along with mine and it really is an amazing thing. I've found that if God takes something or someone out of your life, it's for a really good reason and although it might kill you at the time, just know that God has something better. He always uses things, people, situations for His good, so if you're following Him, you can't go wrong.

I will leave you with this one:

‎"Nothing is as hard as it looks. Everything is more rewarding than you expect; and if anything can go right, it will, and at the BEST possible moment."--This rings true in my life more than you will ever know!