Thoughts: Daydreaming

Alright, new series ... I guess? I have no schedules for when I will post a new "I'm Getting a Clue", but whenever an idea strikes me I can post under this series.

I haven't come to share my daydreams with you, don't worry. But I'm going to talk about the affects daydreaming can have on us and definitely does have on me!

When I daydream (and I try very hard not to), it's usually a take on what could someday happen. I get really into, "Oh that would be so great if it did" and when it doesn't (I don't believe anything has ever gone how my daydreams go...) I feel like, "How bum. It could have been so much better."

So you might be thinking, "Well, so what? What's wrong with wishing things would go differently?"

"Be content with such things as you have." Remember that verse? I do. That's why I now try not to daydream. It's too easy to grow discontent.

Another reason, is it can draw our thoughts away from today. Living for today, doing right today.

Personally, I've found it a good idea to just steer clear of daydreams :D They do me more harm than good. It can be very hard, and some things aren't really distracting like others, so sometimes I don't mind, but I generally try not to. It's extremely hard for someone with a creative brain like mine :P

Hope this gives you something to think about!

As always, praying for my readers!

Love,
Ruth

Today's Question: Why Am I Afraid?

Well... this is the very last "Today's Question" because.. well, it's the end of October, and if I keep up, I will run out of questions! I may be doing a new series like... "This Week's Question" or something like that, but you guys will need to let me know if you want me to do it! :D

Okay, so, you may not be afraid of things, I am. I'm scared of the dark........... and I'm scared when I am the last person awake in the house..... Those are two funny statements, but let's get serious (but yeah they're both true, too)

I am frequently afraid that when I get older, I am going to do something stupid that I will regret. I'm scared I might someday turn my back on God. I've even been scared before like, "What if I'm not saved?!" You know, there are a lot of people that think they are saved, but never really were.... However, if you examine your life thoroughly, and dwell deeply enough on the why's of what you do, you can figure it out. (That's how I now know I am saved! lol)

So back to the case of me being scared I might sin really bad someday, and/or turn my back on God.

This is a big deal for me, or was, rather, before I found a very comforting verse.. "Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not death or life, or demons or angels, or our fears for today or worries for tomorrow, not even all the power of darkness" Romans 8:38 ... I was afraid because some people I knew had strayed from the straight and narrow. (By the way, this terror also crept in about what if my friends were to sin really bad and/or turn their backs on God) but then I found that verse. And I've been finding others like it, and it brings so much peace.

I am (or was, or sometimes am) afraid because I have a lack of faith in God to keep me close beside Him. I mean, why am I freaking out? After all, it's all through God that we even got saved, right?! So why would He just drop us? He won't, and that's why we can have peace! Another great post to advocate "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman! :D That is MY song ;) It's very special to me. Tenth Avenue North may be my favourite band, but "You Never Let Go" is my special song.

Love and prayers,

Ruth

Today's Question: Do I Have Faith?

Do I have faith? .........yes. Enough? No. Like most things in this fallen earth, it isn't perfect as it should be. Our faith should be strong enough to move mountains.

When we stress or are anxious about things, it is because we do not have enough faith in God. I don't stress very much.. I do about school, I do about my friends that are just now launching into their own lives. I sometimes freak out when I realize some of my friends won't be at my church next year. They'll be in college. It can be very disconcerting for me at times. I wonder how things will be... like, "Oh my goodness! How will I survive youth without them?!" haha Yeah, I know, that is not something that should freak me out, but I feel like so many people are growing up so fast!

But, as in another post I said, the verse, "All things work together for good for those who are called", really helps me be like, okay, chill! lol That verse is pretty much my motto! If it could be called a motto... A song that really has encouraged me in changing times is "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman (Love Matt Redman! :) ) It's helped me relax about friends I've been worried for and such soo... it's an awesome song! Besides, it's a great tune and beat! :D

Hope this encouraged you to be strong in your faith in God.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
  --Hebrews 10:23, NLT

Love and prayers,
Ruth

Today's Question: Who Do I Love?

Sort of built off of Tenth Avenue North's blog post. And also by a post by LeCrae I saw on Facebook :)

So... Who do I love? I know a lot of people may find this hard to believe, but... I love just about everybody! There are only a very few people that I don't like, and I wish I liked them! lol

Okay, but what the answer should be is everybody. Because, didn't Jesus say to love as He loves? And didn't He come to save everyone? And didn't He say that "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." ? Yes he did. So apparently, Jesus loves everyone, and since Jesus loves everyone and also told us to love as He loves, shouldn't we love everyone?

This is a delicate subject, especially for me right now. But the point is, to love the world, and hate the sin. Sort of coined off of Phillips, Craig and Dean's "Great I Am". :) So we love the people, but hate the sin they are living. Make sense?

Let's show the world how much we love them but not shrink from pointing out sin. (No I'm not saying to go around telling everybody the sins you see them commit, just if you need to address it, then do and don't shrink from it!)

So I guess that's it for today's :)

Love and prayers!
Ruth

Today's Question: Why Do I Still Hold On?

I hold on to a lot of things. I do. It's hard for me to let go of so many things! Friends... that is something extremely hard for me to let go of. I am *cough* too loyal.

What we need to be doing is accepting what God is showing us, however it is that he shows us. If God shows me that certain "friends" are not desirable, I need to listen to His voice and break off my relationship with them. If He shows me that something I really wanted is not in His plan for me, I need to humbly submit to His perfect guidance.

I mean, why not submit?! He has my good in mind and is planning a perfect life for me! The most perfect life that could be designed for me! Why am I still holding on?

We need to let go of things. This world is too trivial compared with the next to let things in this life ruin our next life. Let's look to the final prize instead of these pennies scattered along our trail. Let us "forget those things which are behind, press on toward the prize" along with St. Paul.

We can do this through Christ who strengthens us!

Love and prayers,
Ruth

Today's Question: Why Do We Put Ourselves Down?

Let's start by my saying.. I am so puffed up this isn't much of a problem with me ;) Actually, I don't think I'm too puffed up lol I wouldn't say I'm puffed up but others might :D

Okay, but this isn't so much a question post as it is me saying, "Stop putting yourself down! Is God putting you down? No! So why should you?" My great-grandmother, God rest her, used to say, "Don't put yourself down. There will be plenty of people in the world trying to do that without you adding to it."

You feel worthless? God is telling you that you are worth something! He loves you and that alone is enough to make you worth something! God is telling you you have worth. Who are you to say "No I don't." He's given you worth with His own blood! Saying you're not worth it is the same as saying His life wasn't worth it! You were counted worth His blood! You're going to tell me you're not worth my love when you were worth God's?! I see something wrong with that picture! It is in essence saying that God is wrong.... Whoah.

Let me just add, even if you aren't saved and are reading this, God still does count you worth His death. It's not too late to accept His sacrifice. As a matter of fact, let me just say, if you haven't accepted Jesus, how dare you turn your back on such a gift from God! Do you know that's the same thing as saying, "I don't care that somebody sacrificed His only son that way I wouldn't die." Can you imagine not being grateful to somebody when a criminal was about to shoot you (or harm you in some other way) and they bodily threw themselves in front of you and were shot (or beaten) to death? And Jesus' death was even more painful. I can't imagine not being grateful!

Okay that was rather rambling, I hope it made sense. Hey, there's a reason for this blog's title right? :D

No song reference today, I'm sorry, unless you want to google "Mercy" by Matt Redman (love that artist, by the way!)

Love and prayers,
Ruth

Today's Question: Do I Really Want God?

Don't freak out about the title. I know all Christians are like, "Yes! Of course I want God!" But to understand what I mean, we need to look deeper into this question.

So, let's say, yeah of course you want God right? Okay. But do you always want God? You want Him to work in your life and to give you strength and faith, right? But do you want Him to say "No" when you want a "Yes"? Don't you frequently have that feeling? that, "but  why not?" when God says "No"?  I used to have that like.. all the time! haha I used to get pretty disappointed. Now that I've been thinking more about, "All things work together for good", I have a lot more peace.

For instance, today I wanted to go to Youth, but my mom's tired so she doesn't want to drive me. I don't drive so I can't go. ....A year ago I would have been sour for about an hour and a half! lol Today I was like..... okay, I'm disappointed but, okay.

Some other things I have really wanted in life, but, at least for now, it isn't God's plan, so that verse can really be a life saver! Well I guess so! After all, it was given to us by the Lifesaver, right? :)

This post was kind of inspired by "Completely" by Among the Thirsty. I love that song so much. It's about giving yourself completely to God. Go ahead and google the lyrics! :)

I hope we all really want God!

Love,
Ruth