Just a Simple Truth I Wanted to Write About :)

Lately, I have struggled with the idea of being perfect… What?! No girl ever struggles with that, right? (sarcasm). And I have got to say God has been showing me ways to release this anxiety in me. To live life in peace with being perfectly imperfect. 

And God has shown this to me by being sick a lot this semester...

I came into this semester with mono… then I got strep… then I got a cold… then I got better… then as I am writing this I have a cold again. Seriously, what gives?! I take a one-a-day vitamin and try to eat fairly healthy (although sometimes eating a half jar of Nutella is too tempting! J) so why do I keep getting so sick? Well, I still do not know the answer but getting sick again has reminded me of what God has shown me through it. 

Soooo…. It started with sleeping through one of my first Greek classes this semester because I was sick. And if you go to OBU, you know that you NEVER miss Greek class because it’s like an implied competition once you enroll (dramatic). But after I missed that class, (Warning: this is ridiculous) I cried sporadically throughout the day! My boyfriend had to tell me “Get some perspective! Are you taking Greek as a competition or because you genuinely want to read the Bible in Greek?” (P.S. I am thankful for his bluntness, haha!) If I was honest with myself at the time, I would have to say the former… but since then, this has definitely changed. It changed because I realized sickness was not in my control but my attitude about it  is; I can choose to be anxious or I can choose to do the best I can. And really, learning Greek should not and is not a competition! 

What has really changed this anxiety is really embracing that God has only used ONE perfect being in history to fulfill His will; and that was Jesus. Other than that, God has used imperfect beings since the Garden of Eden to put together the Bible and spread the gospel (I mean C’mon read the Book of Acts, PAUL BEFORE HE ACCEPTED JESUS KILLED CHRISTIANS!) God uses the imperfect for His perfect will. God just wants us to be faithful.

Not to say that we should not pursue God’s righteousness and seek to please him through our actions but we should not be anxious. He says in the Sermon on the Mount to not be anxious about ANYTHING, that even when we make mistakes to keep moving. And being sick is nothing in my control, so there is no need to be anxious about missing that Greek class. Ultimately, no one was disappointed in me that day; I put that pressure on myself.

So three truths I have been telling myself to counter my anxieties about failure are:

I am a daughter of the one true high King.

I will always keep going even when it is hard.

I am always willing to learn

For some reason, those three simple truths have been making my life a little more peaceful lately so I thought I would share!

So I challenge you to write on piece paper:

I WILL NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT _________

And then write three truths about yourself.

Not saying that I have the ultimate way to get rid of anxiety about failure but I am just trying to extend this blessing to you all!

So moral of the story is, don’t take Greek as a competition… Take it because you want to genuinely know the Bible.

In other words, life is not a competition stop comparing yourself to others and causing anxiety. But, follow God’s plan that he has set for you not the person sitting next to you.

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

-Proverbs 12:15

Thanks for reading this random blog post!

Karlie 

Just Do It

It’s a new year, so pause and take a deep breath.

…I am guessing you needed that, especially after the holiday season.

Even after having a long Christmas break, I feel as if life is only getting faster and I just cannot believe that 2012 is already over!

As always around New Year’s Day, it is a time to reflect on the previous year and see areas that need improvement and areas that have had significant growth. That’s what makes the new year so magical - because it feels like a new start. A new year gives us the optimism of new changes while previous year becomes only a memory.

So, around this time people are making New Years resolutions or attempting to keep the ones they have already made and I thought I would write a blog of encouragement. 

I was talking to a good friend the other day and she spoke about a change that she wanted to make within herself. She wanted to change her daily walk with God and become more intentional about spending time with Him everyday. She broke down and said:

“I want to become rooted in the word so I am the iron that sharpens iron like it says in the bible [Proverbs 27:17]. I want to be able to encourage my friends like they encourage me”

While she was confessing this to me, you could tell the deep burden she was carrying because of this.

It seemed like she felt inadequate to go before God and that it would be impossible for her to make a change.

And, basically what I am here to say is that is a lie.

The more we dwell on the fact of what we are not doing, the more it is going to cripple us from actually doing.

I told her that even if she just reads one scripture a day, it is a start!

I haven’t written a blog post in months and sometimes I will beat myself up about that because I enjoy doing it but life seems to get in the way. Then I have to snap out of it and realize there is no better time to start than now. And if I don’t end up writing a blog post next month or even in a few months, at least I am making a start.

So whatever New Years resolution you have made, whatever healthy choice or habit you are pursuing, just do it. Like Kathryn always tells me when I am over whelmed with school:

“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

So breathe and go for it. And if you mess up for a day, week, month, or even months, pick yourself back up and remember that everyday can be January 1^st; everyday can always be a new beginning.

Here are some encouraging verses to read and memorize:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. - Psalm 51:10

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! – 2^nd Corinthians 5:17

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:14

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. –Galatians 5:1

Thanks for reading!

Karlie