Growing Through the Stones

 A few days ago, as I was leaving our little apartment for the day, I looked down and saw this sweet little pansy, just growing right through the cracks of the paving stones. It was so unexpected, such a beautiful little spot of sunshine on the pavement, that I had to snap a quick picture before going.

I realize this post will probably sound a little cliche. But I kept thinking about that little flower all throughout the day, and wanted to write about it. 

How do I respond when God has me in a hard place? A place that it seems my margins have disappeared, and I'm left with pressures such as I've never experienced before? How do I respond when I feel like I don't have room to breathe? 

May I, like this little flower, choose to flourish and shine bright for others, even in the tightest and hardest spaces. May I push steadfastly toward the Son (spelling intended ;), not letting my seeming lack of resources discourage me. May I trust in the nourishment and grace that is given me, day by day and moment by moment, not fretting over if or when my reserves will run dry. May I be a person that makes others stop and think of their Creator.

Mykaela

I Will Give You Rest

Happy New Year, everyone!
Isn't it crazy that it's 2020 already? Somehow that number sounds so futuristic. ;) I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends! We had many different celebrations around Christmas time--since both Luke's family and mine live nearby now, it makes for a jam-packed schedule of spending time at different homes around the holidays. It was a ton of fun, though, and we are so thankful to have like minded family that we can fellowship freely with and not have to worry about angry dinner conversations or difficult choices on what to refuse participation in politely. I definitely don't take that for granted, because I know so many have to face things like that around the holidays!

Baby boy Orwig is doing very well, and likes to make his presence very known these days with lots and lots and LOTS of movement!! ;) He is such a crazy active little fellow...most especially at night when this Mama is trying to get some sleep. Ha! I'm 26 weeks along, so the third trimester is coming right up. In many ways it feels like this pregnancy is going very quickly, but other times (like when I am trying to get things done and feel like a three ton walrus) it seems like a very long time till he gets here. ;P I know the time will come before we know it, though!

This post is one that I've actually been wanting to write since before Christmas, but I keep putting it off because I keep studying more about the topic, and finding new verses that I love and want to include, and well...just don't be surprised if there happens to be a Part 2 to this post at some point in the future! :)

One of the biggest things God has been working on me about lately is the idea of rest. Both physical and spiritual. Physically, rest has become absolutely vital to me over the last few months, as some small difficulties with pregnancy have made it extremely hard for me to be the go-getter that I typically am/want to be. And quite honestly, as my body grows and changes with every day that goes by, physical rest is becoming even MORE important! :) Much more vital than physical rest, however, is spiritual rest. 

To be honest, I have failed at both types of rest quite often lately. Out of frustration with current physical limitations, I push myself too hard and wind up knocked over and hurting a lot more than is necessary. In a spirit of faithlessness, I refuse to trust God and His promises to me and become fretful and worried, living in doubt and fear and stressing out for no reason.

I've never really done the whole "Word of the Year" thing before...I know many friends who have really enjoyed it, but I had just never actually chosen ONE concept to focus on throughout the year. But at the beginning of this year, I realized that God had been speaking to me about this SO much, it was almost a given: my word of the year for 2020 is "Rest". 

This has been a lot of intro, I know, but I wanted to give some background into my study and how much it means to me before I just launched in. :) Here are a few things I have written down in my study journal over the last couple months. (Alliterated because I'm Baptist and that's just what we do, haha!! ;P)

1. The Preparation for Rest
"And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning." Exodus 16:23

God Himself instituted the practice of resting (specifically on the Sabbath) when He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Later, He set up this principle for His people to follow. However, God didn't expect or require them to simply drop everything and rest with no preparation or provision for the rest period. They were to make ready in order to be purposefully still and not work. However, this did NOT mean that all tasks were perfectly complete and nothing was left undone before they rested. They made specific preparations for the Sabbath, and when the day came, they rested. Whatever was left undone could simply wait until the next day. In our goal-oriented and perfectionist society today, we sometimes have a hard time resting while there are still tasks to be done. However, there will always be something to do, something to fill our time with. The decision lies with us to let some of that go and CHOOSE to purposefully rest.

2. The Purpose of Rest
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. Exodus 23:12

God's plan for rest is that His children will be refreshed and uplifted. His thoughts toward us are of good, not evil, and His commandments to us are not grievous (burdensome or harsh). Rest is a "good and perfect gift" (James 1:17) from the hand of God, meant to bless, not harm. In 1 Chronicles 22:9 and 2 Chronicles 14:6, The Bible speaks of God giving someone rest as a gift or a blessing. When viewed correctly, rest is a valuable resource and should be treated as such.

3. The Placement of Rest
"And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." 2 Chronicles 14:11

If you are familiar with this story, you'll know that Asa was facing terrible, overwhelming circumstances. As in, going up against a million man army with only half that many on his own side. And yet, in the midst of even that circumstance, he was able to find a place of rest in God.

You may have heard the statement made about joy that it is found in God and does not depend on surroundings or circumstances the way happiness can. Well, from God's Word, it seems to me that rest too can be found even in the middle of chaos, heartbreak, or trial...IF it is a rest based firmly upon God and His promises. It is a CHOICE, not a feeling or an emotion. True rest comes from seeking after God fervently and choosing to trust His Word. 

As I studied this out, it struck me how many things in our Christian lives are like this. Love? It's a choice and an action...though those warm feelings are sometimes there as well, they are a result of the good choices we make, not the other way around. Joy? Same thing. It's a decision we make to not allow our circumstances to dictate our attitude. It's finding our stability in God. Here's a verse that I found during this study that I thought was SO precious:

"And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about."

2 Chronicles 15:15

4. The Price of our Rest

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious." Isaiah 11:10

The ultimate place of rest is in heaven, in the very presence of God. This rest cannot be obtained without accepting the price that Jesus Christ paid for our redemption--His own blood. Not only can we not reach heaven without Christ, but even here on this earth we will never find true rest outside of a relationship with him. The world talks a lot about finding inner peace and tranquility, and yet their version of those things are shallow and transient at best if they are not based upon The One who is the true Prince of Peace.

5. The Procurement of Rest

"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." Psalm 37:7

This point is similar to No. 3, but I couldn't figure out how to split these thoughts up exactly how I wanted, so two points it is. ;) Like many exercises of faith in our lives, the obtainment of God's rest takes commitment and a daily series of rest-producing choices. This verse in Psalm 37 speaks of waiting patiently for God (choice) and NOT fretting (yet again, a choice). I looked up the dictionary definition of "fret" and thought it was interesting:

Fret: (1) Be constantly or visibly worried or anxious. 

(2) To gradually wear away by rubbing or gnawing.

Fretting both violates a clear command of Scripture (Be careful for nothing...Phillipians 4:6), but also wears away and gnaws at my strength, joy, and hope in God.

I feel like so many times we SAY we want God's rest and peace, and yet the moment by moment choices we make contradict that desire completely. (And I'm as guilty of this as anyone.) One of the biggest things I've noticed in myself is that I hardly ever give myself a CHANCE to actually rest and be still! Every free or quiet moment is squelched by me trying to fill my time up constantly, many times with useless things like scrolling my phone for the twentieth time that day or doing some other frivolous activity instead of taking a moment to just be still. 

Sometimes all it takes to find that rest we crave is to remind ourselves of the goodness and bounty of God.  "Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." Psalm 116:7-8

Other times, rest can only come through chastisement and repentance/restoration. (As in the case of unrest being due to our own sin or disobedience). "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance." Psalm 94:12-14

I realize this post may seem a little incoherent, but like I said, I have just kept discovering more and more things in God's Word about rest and being still, and it's been really hard to narrow it down enough for a blog post. ;) Let me wrap up with a few more verses I found that I think sum up all these ideas quite well.

"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16a

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope." Psalm 16:8-9

 "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:" Isaiah 30:15a

This year, I want to choose to rest in The Lord, no matter the circumstance or situation that I face. How about you?

Mykaela

Merry Christmas!

I am alive and remain, you guys! ;)

I wanted my next post to be about my trip, which was amazing, but as of yet I have not had time to write that one. It will inevitably be a very long one, just so you know. :)

For now, I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas! What an incredible gift our God gave us in sending His perfect Son to be born in human flesh! I am so deeply grateful for the love He has shown me throughout this year. I can't believe 2017 is almost over?! Wow. The picture at the top of this post was taken this past week, and I really love the way it turned out. For those of you that are interested, here are the names and ages of us all. ;) 
Back row:
Miriam (Papa is holding her)--nearly 3.
My dad, Michael
Malachi--15
Micah--18
Me--21
Front:
My mom, Kami
Mercy--13
Kourage--11
Kayson--9
Kebron--7

The last three boys go by their middle names. ;)

This Christmas and New Year's season, let's not forget to take the time to meditate on the things God has done. I know things can get busy, and houses need to be cleaned, and guests are coming...but don't let that crowd out the beauty of just being still. I think one of the best things you can do this time of year is to get alone for at least a few moments, and just breathe, pray, and meditate on God's Word. I don't know about you, but my personal devotions tend to slip when there is a lot going on in my life. How wrong of me! If anything, my time with The Lord should INcrease, not DEcrease! 

When Christ was born in that tiny stable many years ago, and the shepherds came to witness the advent of their Messiah, the Bible says that Mary "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19). May each of us take the time to ponder and be grateful for the precious gifts God has given us!

May you have a blessed holiday season and a happy New Year! Love,
Mykaela

Fun Post: May and June Favorites!

This summer has been pretty busy thus far, so my posting hasn't been quite as consistent as usual. I'm sure all of you guys have awesomeness going on as well! :) Here are some of my favorites from the past two months. I've been:

Reading...
Burning Sky by Lori Benton. I texted Kimberly a picture of this book a minute after I finished it and said, quote, "THIS BOOK. It made me laugh and cry and pull my hair out and grin like a monkey as I read the last page. YOU MUST READ IT!!!" Not very elegant language, but hey, those were my immediate thoughts on the book. ;P It's absolutely awesome with tons of plot twists and amazing characters. <3 

Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar. I am an avid follower of Tessa's writing and would pretty much love anything she wrote. I did really enjoy this one, although it didn't feel quite as utterly raw and real as some of her others. It was still a very good book, definitely worth the read!! 

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson. Wow, guys...if you want to learn a lot about WW2 and also cry, read this book. :'( It's not as intensely tragic as "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", but still pretty heartbreaking. It's a really well written autobiography.

I did quite a bit of reading in the past couple months! These were just a couple of my favorite selections. :)

Completing...
A personal prayer challenge. Kimberly sweetly offered to help keep me accountable for this, and that really helped me to remember to stay on top of it. Basically I committed to praying for a set amount of time per day, of just prayer. Sitting down and looking at my prayer list, and spending the whole time just being still and praying. It was really a blessing to form that habit again...prayer is really the thing I tend to let slip the most. :'(

Eating...
A lovely BBQ dinner at church with my ladies! We had a super fun mother/daughter dinner around Mother's Day. We all dressed up in Western style clothes, and ate out of little baskets with red and white checkered paper in them. My dad and Bro. Chris made SO MUCH MEAT. Seriously, you would think we were a bunch of T-Rexes or something!!! ;P Haha! We did eat a lot, because it was absolutely spectacular meat, but there was quite a bit leftover for the guys back at home...snap, they were disappointed to have to eat up the extra meat. ;) We played charades too, which is always hilarious. :D

Visiting...
An antique mall about 25 minutes away that I had never been to before. I took Mama there for a slightly late Mother's Day outing, and I was...blown away. The building houses 75,000 square feet (over half the size of the average Costco warehouse), of every kind of antique booth you can imagine. It was so. big. I couldn't get over it!! We were there for over 3 hours and didn't even come close to seeing everything. There is a 50's diner on one side of the building, so we went there for a small lunch of onion rings and a milkshake, while laughing at some hilarious old movie playing on a big screen. It was so darling and incredibly special to spend that time with my mom! <3

Celebrating...
The liberation of my friend Jenny from the cold iron shackles of school!!!! (Commonly known as a graduation party. ;P) I traveled with her and her family to Moses Lake, spent the night at Katie's apartment, made delicious peppermint bars and worked on decorations, and then spent the day at the park. We had a blast playing games, talking, sharing memories, meeting new and old friends, and just celebrating with her. Congratulations, Jenny!

Learning...
How to witness more effectively during an evangelism conference we had at church this past month. It was really good to have that conference...sometimes I know the right things to do, and yet it takes a reminder like this one to stir me up to start doing them faithfully again.

Feeling bittersweet...
As I watched one of my best friends walk down the aisle. :') Hannah has been such a sweet blessing to me over the many years I have known her. (You can read a guest post by her here.) At her wedding, I turned around the instant before the doors opened at the back of the sanctuary and caught a glimpse of her face. I had a moment of the deepest empathetic joy and wonder and sense of the thrill that must have been going through her, and as much as I tried not to, I couldn't stop my eyes from filling with tears. What a blessing it was for me to be able to share in her special day! I wish her and Ron all of God's best as they begin their new life together in Alaska. Now I have yet another good reason to want to visit there! ;)

Thankful for...
The opportunity to have some extra online work this month. The sign that I designed and my dad carved into wood and painted. The fact that I'm getting better at racquetball. Reading the Bible together and playing Shoot, outside on the patio. Summer evenings. Lavender, pink, and golden sunsets like the one I watched last night. Days off. Getting a new phone with a good camera and no bugs. :) Kayson's NINTH birthday?!? The boys going on a camping trip. Talking on the phone with friends. Hot showers. Air Conditioning. Dutch Bros coffee. Playing piano at the public market, and actually making some tips! Getting my studio apartment downstairs all spiffed up (even *I* can sometimes get the spring cleaning bug. ;). Cherry season, and picking cherries with my family. Just so thankful for God listening to me, anytime of day, anywhere I am. He is so good to me!!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Fourth of July!! I look forward to hearing from you...what has God done for you lately? :) Love you all!
Mykaela 

Fun Post: Summer Special Tag!

My goodness, guys! I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything...time has gone so fast and there has been so much going on! Today I have a super fun tag that I compiled from several different sources. I thought it would be fun to start a tag that some of my blogger friends might want to do during the summer months. ;) These are just kind of random get-to-know-me questions. :) Hope you all enjoy! 


1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?

I have had sooo many nicknames. :P Currently it would probably be "Markala", a spinoff of a previous nickname, "Kala". ;)

2. What's a weird habit of yours?

I obsessively cross the fourth and fifth fingers on my left hand when I play, or even think of playing, racquetball. Please don't ask me why, because that is a question I have ZERO answer to. It's like my brain has associated that hand position with racquetball, and I have no way of disassociating it! ;P Also, I sometimes mouth the last few words of my sentences after I finish saying them? Not sure why on that either. XD

3. Do you have any strange phobias?
Yes. I am terrified of things in the water that are a tiny bit above and a lot below the surface. E.g., icebergs and those nets with the orange floaters on top and a huge net below the water. SO SCARY. (This is most likely totally irrational, something carried over from a childhood terror of some kind. ;P) Also, I'm a bit paranoid around fire. I've gotten better in recent years, but it still really freaks me out when my siblings are around a fireplace or a campfire. :(

4. What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone?
Haha, oh dear. ;P There are a lot of these ones. "Misty" by Errol Garner is one of them, as well as lots of Disney songs. ;)

5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
Being patronized. Like when people assume I am super ignorant about something or whatever. Maybe I am, but don't just assume it and treat me like I'm dumb!!!! ;P

6. What's one of your nervous habits?
I bounce my leg a LOT. :D Sometimes I won't realize I'm doing it until I suddenly notice that my leg is sore/shaky from bouncing it so long, and I wonder how many people I have unconsciously driven to the brink of insanity. ;P

7. What's a YouTuber that almost always makes you laugh?
Brian Hull. He does impressions, and he is so utterly happy and sweet, he always brings a smile to my face. :) Also, Studio C is a massive favorite of mine! ;)

8. What was your first stuffed animal, and what was it's name?
I had WAY too many stuffed animals to know what my first one was. There was Ewe (pronounced "You-ee" ;) the lamb, Aslan the lion, Chocolate the bear, and Pat the Bunny. I had an extremely large circle of animal friends, and we had a lot of fun together. :D

9. What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?
I don't go to Starbucks that often because of how expensive it is, but my universal coffee shop order is typically a 16 oz. hot breve, usually with an extra shot. (3 shots total)

10. Do you have any weird body skills?
I have flexible fingers...and I can curl my tongue.... yeah, I don't really have anything. ;D

11. What's your favorite comfort food that's bad but you eat it anyways?
Probably ice cream.

12. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
"Brother George Washington!!!" I get weird looks every time. Which is annoying, because when I say this I'm usually already frustrated. :'D

13. What did you used to wear that you would never wear now?
 I've always been pretty concious of my style, so there isn't actually that much that's changed! There were a few denim skirts I probably wouldn't wear now due to the frumpiness factor, but for the most part my style is the same as when I was younger.

14. What did you want to be when you were young?
A dolphin trainer. Yup. (Hence the picture at the top of this post. ;)

15. How tall are you?
I am 5'8". I feel kind of tall compared to most of my friends, but I like this height. I do wish my arms were a bit shorter though, because I cannot wear long sleeves. They are never, ever long enough!

16. Fun bonus: What are 5 ways to win your heart/become a great friend?

• Go on spontaneous adventures with me.
• Give my favorite music a chance...it means a lot to me. :)
• Make me coffee.
• Understand how passionate I am and let me talk sometimes without belittling my (most likely crazy) ideas or thoughts. Put up with my emotional side. :)
• Play games with me. 

 

Wow, I really enjoyed that! I would like to tag my dear friend Kimberly, over at Peculiar on Purpose, as well as Halee from Writer Ramblings and Things. Also, Sarah from Dreams in Alaska, and Grace from Grace Notes blog. This is just an open tag, so if I didn't link to you, but you want to do it, go right ahead! Just link back to me and leave a comment if you do, because I'd love to see your answers to some of these fun questions. :) Feel free to answer some in the comments too! If you aren't able or don't wish to participate, NO worries! Thanks so much guys, and have a great week. :) Love,

Mykaela

10 years ago...

Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Today is a very special day for me. 10 years ago on March 14, 2007, my life changed. And I don't mean just a little thing...my entire world was overturned and put back together again. It was the day that I let go of all my stupid, selfish pride, and asked God to save my soul. And He did!!! You can read the whole story in more detail here. Today I would like to take a moment to thank The Lord for all the incredible things He has done in my life since that day. 

• He gave me an eternal home in Heaven. It is 100% assured to me that when I die, there is a place for me in His Kingdom. (1 John 5:13) What a promise! 
• He made me His child. (Gal. 4:5) Even if I lost everything and everyone that is dear to me tomorrow, I would never be alone. I have a Father in heaven that loves me more than anyone on this earth ever could!
• He has continually grown me since that day in 2007. Though I am so, so far from perfect, and I still make mistakes day after day...I can look back over the path of these 10 years and see how each and every trial and triumph has worked out for His glory in my life. I would not be who I am today without those things that He has brought me through!
• He has never forsaken me. Though there have been times that He has seemed far away due to my own sin and foolish choices, He has never left me. He is always there to pick me up when I fall, to forgive my sin, to guide me when I face tough decisions, and to chasten me when I stray from Him. 
• He has showered me with SO many material blessings. From my family to a warm house to live in, to clothes on my back, a church home, money in my bank account, and food on my table...He has blessed me much more than I could ever deserve!!!

I don't know where I would be if I hadn't made the choice to follow Christ starting 10 years ago. I frankly don't even like to think about it--life without God's saving grace would not be a life at all! My entire outlook on everything; finances, friends, relationships...everything is seen through different glasses. I am no longer a ship without an anchor. I am under the hand of the Captain who spoke the wind and seas into existence. I'm not wandering lost in the wilderness; I am safe in the fold of The Great Shepherd. I'm no longer fighting on the losing side, in bondage to sin. I joined the army of the King of Kings, who gave His own life to set me free. I have a new name, a new family, a new song of praise to Him. I am a new creature. So while today marks an anniversary, I don't ever want to stop praising my God for His love for me, any day of the year. I want to keep growing in my love and service to Him so that whether I live another 10 years or another 100 years, I can stand before The Lord and hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"

Mykaela

The Little Things (And why I'm thankful for them)

Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

I'm sure many of you have heard the phrase, "Enjoy the little things", or "It's the little things in life that count", etc.? Most of the time, these sayings are used by those who do not have a relationship with God, so really all they do is enjoy them. (For a short time.) We as Christians should be not only enjoying those little things, but also thanking the One who gave them to us! So these are good statements, they just have to be in the right context. :) 

So I know that nothing God does for us is truly "little"...he loads us down with His benefits. However, there are some things in life that you can't help but smile at--because that thing that happened was not necessary. Maybe it was even something tiny and simple, a ray of sunshine that suddenly flashed through your day. Maybe you couldn't find something for the life of you, and suddenly you found it in the unlikeliest place. Well, you could call that coincidence, but really think about it. I truly believe that so many things we chalk up to "chance" is God showering yet another blessing onto that day's pile...and we don't even give Him credit for it. That's really sad!! When a friend drops by with a plate of cookies, or a passing stranger helps pick up some dropped papers, do we neglect to thank them? Of course not! And yet how many times do we ignore the little gifts God gives us, with the assumption that it was just a random happenstance? :( 

Last year, shortly after I first started this blog, I published a post entitled, "The Story of the Toy Firetruck, (and why it meant so much to me)". You can read it here. In the spirit of that post, I would like to just take a minute to thank The Lord for a few of the "little things" He's given me lately. :)

• A few days ago I was in a hurry, and rushed out the door to work without grabbing something to eat for lunch. It wasn't a crazy long shift, (5 or 6 hours, I think), but long enough that I would probably have to either mooch something from a coworker, (haha!) or go out. 1 hour into my shift, a guy from a local sub sandwich delivery place shows up at the front desk. He cheerfully says, "Hey, I have some free sample sandwiches for all the staff here, would you like one?" Umm. Yes. ;) So I got a free "sample" sandwich, (it was about 5 inches long, so a totally fine size for a small lunch!), and didn't have to go out in the snowy weather. Thank you, Lord!
• I recently purchased some pajamas that are soooo soft, I seriously look forward to getting into them when I get home from work, etc. They feel like clouds. :) My mom really wanted some as well, so last week I ran to the store where I got mine, to try and find her some as a surprise. Well, they were out. As was another store of a similar kind. I had just about given up hope, (and was out of time to look), when I thought of checking this random store in the mall, because I vaguely remembered something about them having pj's at some point. You guessed it! They not only had them, but they were on end-of-winter sale for FIVE BUCKS. Thank you again, Lord!!! :)

I could go on and on. Like I said, these are not life changing things! Would I have died of starvation without a sandwich? Of course not. Would my mom have perished without those cozy pajamas? Nope. But God still chose to let me have those little, fun blessings, because He loves me! And I think that is so special, that God cares about giving good gifts to His children, even when we are naughty wandering little sheep that won't quit falling into mud puddles, wandering off the path into thornbushes and pits, and becoming so focused on ourselves that we can't even take a second to thank the kind Shepherd who leads us! Today, I'm challenging you, as well as myself, to look for those little things. Notice when they happen, and don't just ignore them...praise The Lord for them! I'm not saying we should fall on our knees wherever we are and burst into the Hallelujah chorus. But just say thank you. That's all. :) Love,

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Feeling The Joys and Sorrows

Romans 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Ok, so I have posted about this verse before, and with a very similar topic line. (You can read that post here.)  I just thought it was important enough to reiterate. :) 

Empathy. An often misunderstood and misused word. A lot of people think that empathy and sympathy are one and the same, but just because they sound similar does not mean they are the same thing! That's like thinking that bricks and sticks are the same because they have some of the same letters. ;) Here is a story to illustrate the difference between the two. 

Once upon a time, a hedgehog was walking through the woods, feeling very down in the dumps. She was crying as she walked along, so much so that she missed the hole in front of her in the path! She tumbled in and landed with a plop. This of course made her day a whole lot brighter. Not. Along came a squirrel, carrying a new rope ladder for his tree house, and seeing her crying in the hole, looked sadly down upon her. "Ooh, that looks really dark and scary down there!", the squirrel said. "You must be super sad to be crying like that...I feel so bad for you! Want a sandwich, or a lollipop maybe? No? K, well, I'll be seeing you...Hope things clear up soon!" Shaking his head, the squirrel continued down the path. Soon, a chipmunk arrived on the scene, also carrying a new rope ladder. Instead of gazing sorrowfully into the gap, he let down the ladder, and descended to the floor of the hole. He sat down next the hedgehog. "It's dark and scary down here.", he said, his eyes filling with tears at her distress. "I can see that it's been a very hard day for you. The ladder is over there when you need it, but I'm going to stay with you until you're ready."

This is just a silly story, and probably not the clearest illustration either, but do you see the difference? Sympathy looks at the suffering of others with sadness. Empathy is having the suffering of others in your own heart! Feeling their pain, so to speak. Not just giving condolences or a clap on the back and walking off. 

This verse about rejoicing with those who rejoice, and weeping with those who weep, is one that is short but packs a punch. Do we do this as much as we should? I think a lot of times we are afraid of showing a lot of emotion (whether joy or sorrow), for fear of being thought overly sensitive or babyish. And while we do need to be careful not to let emotions rule us, I think there are way too many people who are not willing to empathize with others like the Bible commands. 

Empathy is not just feeling others' suffering, though...it's feeling their joy, too! What is wrong with laughing and rejoicing with someone who just got good news or had something wonderful happen? For goodness' sake, if you can't do that, you need to loosen up a little! Or a lot, actually! ;) There have been times that I have been super excited about something, and couldn't wait to tell someone I loved. And then when I told them, it was kind of...meh. They were glad for me, but it didn't really mean anything to them. Okay, I get it if my passion is not your thing. That's fine! Everyone is different, which is wonderful. However, if I am passionate about something, you could try to have the slightest bit of joy with me about it! ;) Maybe I am just getting on a soapbox here, but my point is that we need to quit being such fuddy-duddy stick in the muds that we can't empathize with those around us. As an old pastor friend of ours used to say:

"Y'all look like you've done been baptized in pickle juice!!"

Let's get rid of the pickle juice, ok? :) The next time someone needs you, don't just offer them a sandwich and move on. Get down in that dark place with them. Cry with them. Laugh with them. Pray that God will give you the words and ability to be a Christlike friend to that person. God will bless you for it! 

I hope you all have a good week! Is it snowy where you live? We have about 6 inches here, and it is gorgeous!!! :) I'm dreaming of a white Christmas... ;)

Mykaela