Ballroom Dancing

It's crazy how so many things in life relate to each other.

Last night I went ballroom dancing with some friends.

When I was dancing with one of my friends, he was trying to teach me a dance, and I kept messing up. Finally he stopped and looked at me and said " Stop Leading" and when I did, when I just followed his lead and released control we were able to just dance without messing up.

You see, I have been going through this lesson in life where I need to learn to be patient. I have trouble just sitting back and letting things happen with the natural flow. I want things to happen in a certain order and a certain time. And I most certainly like to be in control. It occurred to me that I need to approach life the way I approached the dance. Give up control and learn to follow the one who is leading. I won't be able to see what is coming because my back is turned. But the beauty of it, is that He is holding me close to Him and directing me to where I need to go. Once I learn to give up the direction that I think things should be going and just follow Him, the rest of the trip will be like a smooth dance.

Magic Eye

Have you ever tried to do one of these? You try and when you almost have it, you lose it, so you try again. On and on until you finally see what is hidden?

Sometimes that is how I feel about my relationship with God. I have this puzzle of my life in front of me and I am trying to figure out what I am missing. I seem to get so close sometimes and then I lose focus and have to start over. Sometimes I repeat this process over and over again. The great thing is though, that more times then not, God comes along and helps me keep my focus so that I can see what is underneath the pretty flowers.

If we keep our focus in life on God, it wont seem like a crazy puzzle all the time and we will be able to see His heart and love in our lives.

Follow Me

Matthew 9: 9

"As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him." (NKJV)

It is that simple. God has asked us to Follow Him and all we have to do is get up and go. The rest will follow. The road will be bumpy at times and not always straight. But God is right there beside us, He us helping us make it through. All we have to do is not go our own way. As long as we stay on path with Him we will be blessed.

Awake

It's amazing how God chooses to get messages across.

You see, the fact is, that we are stubborn as human beings. We have to be told over and over and in crazy ways sometimes before we will take to heart what is being told to us. For weeks now, maybe even months, God has been trying to get something across to me and I have been completely stubborn. Basically running from the truth that God was putting right in front of my face. I thought that I knew better. Or at least that is what I kept telling myself. The truth is, that I was scared of what the truth really was. I thought I would be giving up so much and missing out on something. So, instead of trusting, I ran my way. I kept up my ideas and my ways because I thought that I knew best. God must have been so frustrated with me! I can just see Him up there now going 'Come on Nicole, how many ways do you want me to show you...'

Well, I am happy to say that I finally got it! And the truth is that I didn't give up anything. In fact, I just gained everything. You see it all comes down to one thing.

WE ARE NOT PERFECT

We can attempt it and strive for it, but we will never be perfect. But the great thing is that we don't have to be. God sent His son to take on all of our sin and imperfection.

HE DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US

Jesus gave us the best gift of all. He loved us so much that He died for us. He gave up His life. And the great, yet somewhat sad, thing is that He did it knowing that we wouldn't be perfect, and knowing that we would screw up and need forgiveness time and time again. And He did it anyways. And not only that but He offers us His grace over and over again. So much more than we deserve. That in itself is the best gift of all. But there is so much more.

He LOVES us. He loves us no matter what. No matter what we have done or what we are going to do, He loves us. No matter who we are or what we look like, He loves us. There is NOTHING we can do that will cause Him to stop loving us. Do you get that? Your parents can love you, your friends can love you, your spouse can love you. None of that even slightly compares to the Love of our Father.

I am finally getting it! It has taken so much to get here. I have been trying to find this place for such a long time. And honestly, I think a part of me still fights it, BUT the truth is now festered deep down in my soul and know that it's here to stay.

This is what it comes down to --> Christianity is not about living a 'perfect' life. It is about living a life of loving God. It is about being a sail hoister and a door holder. Christianity is about knowing that the God who created the universe LOVES you and embracing that truth everyday. It is about knowing that you will never be good enough for what He has in store for us, but being thankful that He gives it to us anyways. Christianity is about trusting God and knowing that the road up ahead may be foggy to us, but God can see the whole picture. And above all, Christianity is not about your religion or practices, but it is about having a personal and ongoing relationship with The One who created you.

It may have taken me months to get it, but I have finally opened my eyes to see what was in front of me all along.