verse – OneHeart2Worlds

Embracing Your Sheepish Side

Have you ever heard someone use the word “sheepish” in a conversation? Maybe you’ve even used it yourself, saying something like, “wipe that sheepish grin off of your face, child.” Lord knows I’ve heard phrase that plenty of times in my life…

Well, I just discovered that the definition of sheepish is: to show or feel embarrassment because of an act of foolishness; or to resemble a sheep in timidity, meekness, or stupidity.

So, check this out. Last week, I spent a few days in a quiet little garden town called Greyton. I went hiking (and totally got lost) in the mountains, I frolicked through the grassy meadows (after frantically running away from a swarm of bees), and I stumbled (literally) upon a peaceful river. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend some quality time alone with Jesus. It was perfectly serene, and I honestly didn’t want to leave. While I was there, the Lord reminded me of Psalm 23. You probably know it because it’s one of the most famous passages in the bible, but just incase you’re unfamiliar… here’s what it says: Continue reading “Embracing Your Sheepish Side”

The Golden Rule

I hate cliches.

They frustrate me, mostly because there is so much truth to them—but also because they are overused and thrown around by people to the umpteenth degree.

But hey, everything happens for a reason, right?

Over the course of these past few months, evil has reared it’s ugly head all over the globe. People have pointed fingers and pointed guns. Loved ones have passed away and so have our standards for morality. We gawk, feel remorse, stand bewildered, and then go on our merry way. We post Facebook status updates saying, “pray for this and pray for that,” but our actions remain uninfluenced (while our judgments and opinions run rampant). We complain about the hatred and racism and prejudice all over the world, but we can’t even manage to love the guy who cuts us off in traffic or the waitress who messed up our Starbucks coffee order.

There’s a very well known quote that says, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Theres another famous quote that says, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you.” The first quote was spoken by Gandhi, and the second quote was spoken by Jesus.

And they both come down to love.

Sometimes, I tend to overcomplicate things. I try to “do” too much—and for what? Jesus had one mission in life: to seek and save the lost by making His Heavenly Father’s love known. He came to redeem, to restore, to heal, to help, and to revive—but all of those things stemmed from His ultimate purpose which was to love. The word disciple simply means, “to be a follower.” So if we are to make disciples of Jesus and if we are to be disciples ourselves, then we must follow His lead. We must love like He loved—no exceptions, no conditions, no restrictions.

Imagine for a second if we all took responsibility for our own actions (I know, crazy thought right?)—if we stopped worrying about what our neighbor is (or isn’t) doing, and if we just focused on our own behavior, thoughts, and actions. Imagine the impact that could have on the world. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and rendered powerless by all of the brokenness across the globe, I think we’d feel much more empowered and enabled to deal with the issues in our very own backyards. I think radical change would happen.

Some of you may already know that I decided to learn how to speak Xhosa. It’s a beautiful language that the black South African’s speak. So far I can only say a few phrases and words, but I know enough to greet people, to tell them I only speak a little bit of Xhosa, and I know how to say thank you. There’s still a ton of racism lingering around in South Africa, and the language barrier (due to the cultural gaps during apartheid) is one of the greatest factors that prevents intercultural relationships from being built between the whites, blacks, and coloreds. So, I decided to kick that barrier in the FACE—Sam style.

Yesterday at the grocery store, I met a woman who was working at the till (the cash register), and she was a lovely black Xhosa woman and her name was Nthombi. As she finished putting my groceries in the plastic bags, I put on my best Xhosa accent, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Enkosi sissy.” Her face lit up. She smiled so big and began to laugh. Then she promptly responded with, “Wamkelekile, sissy.” It was a simple and yet beautiful exchange of, “Thank you sister. You’re welcome sister.” Love does that. It breaks down barriers, it brings joy, it unites, and it casts out fear. I was able to laugh with a woman who I had never met prior to that moment, all because I made a small effort to reach out to her and love her within the confines of her own comfort zone.

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that leave the greatest impact. For example, my mom has been a school teacher since I was born—and whenever I see some of her old students, they always tell me that my mom was one of their all-time favorite teachers. Why? Because my mom loved her students, she respected them, and she gave them the freedom to be themselves. Don’t get me wrong, my mom wasn’t perfect, and she definitely had her moments, but she went out of her way for those kids, and they remembered her for it—even many years later. My dad and both of my grandparents are the same way. They know how to love people exceptionally well, and I have always admired them for that.

So I want to leave you with a challenge. When your Facebook Newsfeed fills up with stories of trauma and tragedy, don’t lose heart. Love those who are hurting, go out of your way for those in need, and hold fast to the hope that you have in Christ. As Christians, we need to remember that this world is not heaven, and it will never be heaven. It’s a broken place affected by sin and marred by the pangs of death, so we shouldn’t be shocked by the tough times occurring all around us—in fact, those tough times are guaranteed. But God is still in control, and He is still on the throne. We may lose some battles now, but the war has already been won—and we are on the side of victory.

Jesus says in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

So while we wait and long for the day when we can spend eternity with our Creator and the Lover of our souls—speak life, share hope, and show love. Who knows what kind of mark that might leave…

Lord, Give Me Patience

How many of you have ever prayed the well-known and regularly recited prayer that goes a little something like, “LORD, GIVE ME PATIENCE?!”

Yeah, I thought so. Me too.

As most of you may already know, I am a go-getter, a super impulsive decision-maker, and a “let’s do it without taking into account the potential risk” taker.

Needless to say, I am as impatient as it gets. Luckily, God loves me anyway. And thankfully, He loves me too much to leave me this way forever. So He’s been teaching me a ton about patience—and there are two things that He’s specifically taught me that I would love to share with you all.

God is patient. No, but for real. It may sound cliché and simple, but let that little nugget of truth sink deep into your being. The New King James Version of the Bible even translates the word patience into “long-suffering.” God literally suffers with us—for as long as it may take. Meanwhile, I can barely suffer for 5 minutes in heavy traffic (or for the 1 minute and 30 seconds that my Kraft Macaroni and Cheese takes to heat up in the microwave). Even better, the two Greek words in Scripture that make up the word “long-suffering” are “long” and “temper.” This basically means that God is not quick to blow His proverbial fuse—He’s slow to anger. He stays calm and He suffers alongside us through our bad decisions and rebellious ways. He doesn’t give up on us nor does He give in to frustration. Instead, He gives us the grace and mercy that we need to keep pushing forward—because He loves us that much.

If God is patient, then I need to be patient. Whoop, there it is. This is the hardest part of the lesson. It’s so wonderful to hear that God is patient with me and that He is willing to constantly put up with all of my (let’s just be honest and call it) crap, but the second I need to be patient with someone else, all hell breaks loose. If I am going to love people genuinely, and if I am going to be the woman that I am called to be (which is God’s daughter, a Christ ambassador, and a Truth spreader), then I need to treat others the way God treats me—with patience in love. That’s hard. But isn’t that the best way to share the Gospel with someone? By living it? Let’s be real. Patience is hard to come by these days. Everywhere you look, whether it’s on TV or in magazine ads, you’ll find messages about “instant gratification.” We want results and rewards and retribution, and we want it now. But the Lord calls us to be set apart from this world, He calls us to do things His way. Slow and steady wins God’s race…

And I am seriously the worst though. Whether its trusting in God for a husband, for a job, or for six-pack abs… I am as impatient as it gets. And when it comes to dealing with people, the struggle doesn’t get any realer. I got “saved” before my parents did, and when they didn’t understand or grasp my new beliefs right away, I got incredibly frustrated with them. I wanted them to “get it,” and I ended up throwing away my love and my patience for them in the process. It took me a long time to realize that their faith walk with the Lord was their own—and that my faith walk was…mine. That was about 8 years ago, and God is still teaching me this lesson with friends, co-workers, and family members today.

He’s also teaching me to be patient with myself. Who else struggles with this one? Yeah, I thought so, you’re not alone. Romans 8:1 says, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” In the Sam’s Paraphrased Version of the Bible it says this, “Dude, cut yourself some spiritual slack. God sent Christ Jesus for a reason, and that reason is: you are impatient (along with so many other things) and you were in need of a perfect Savior to come to your rescue. You’re loved unconditionally and you’re accepted in spite of your sins. Now stop beating yourself up, and put a smile on that beloved face.” When I make mistakes, I need to show myself the same grace that God commands me to show others—and I need to show myself the same grace that God continuously shows me every single day. It’s not an easy task, but I’ve found that learning it and embracing it is worth all of the blood, sweat, and tears.

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So take home message:

When you accidentally snap at someone in a moment of weakness and they respond with, “Hey now, don’t you know that patience is virtue”—instead of smacking that smug smile off their face and getting angry, take a few deep breaths and thank God for how His patience and love toward you never… ever end.

The Quiet Time Conundrum

I never liked “time-outs.” I never ever liked to take afternoon naps as a kid, and I never ever liked “quiet times.” I was always on the move, causing both a ruckus and a headache for my parents and teachers one day at a time! I was so terrible at sitting still and I talked so fast that the words coming out of my mouth couldn’t actually keep up with the thoughts flying through my head. My parents thought I had ADD, while my grandma on the other hand, believed that my “motor-mouth” problem was due to my heightened intelligence and elevated IQ (way to go, Grandma). Some days, mom would look me straight in the eyes with a serious face, and she’d put her hands on either side of my head and she’d say, “Sam, FOOOOCUUUS.” And after laughing and doing a few “cool down laps” around the house, I would finally focus.

Honestly, not much has changed since then. (Except for the naps thing, I actually enjoy taking naps now.) But this week, I got to housesit for my aunt and uncle, and I got to spend some awesome quality time with my cousin (when she wasn’t spending the whole day in school). That meant tons of time alone… in an empty house… with not much to do… and an overactive brain that doesn’t know when to shut itself off. OH, THE HORROR. Little did I know, God had a purpose and a plan for me in this “quiet time” madness.

If I can manage to pray for more than 5 minutes in one sitting, it’s a big deal… because it never happens. Usually my prayer life consists of short random prayer thoughts throughout the day, like, “Oh Lord, where did I put my keys? I know that You know where they are… Father, give me patience to drive in this flippin’ Miami traffic, the worship music playing in my car isn’t helping anymore, and I am about to bust out of here and walk home…. God, I pray for the kid’s in my moms first grade class, please calm them down and keep them FOCUSED because she might murder one of them, and I don’t want my mom to go to jail because she’s a great teacher… Father, thank you for hot showers and comfy beds and yummy food. Love you Lord, In Jesus name, Amen.”

Yeah. The second I try to go deep with God, I blank out. I forget the names of all of my friends and family members who may or may not need prayer, I forget all of the bible verses that I had memorized, and I forget all of the things that I needed to talk to God about in the first place. The struggle is real. To help me combat this struggle of distraction and forgetfulness, I began journaling my prayers. That helped a ton because I love to write and it keeps me focused. It also allows me to go back and cross off prayers that God has answered which is super encouraging! I also stopped trying to come up with fancy words while I pray, which really made a difference in my prayer life because my prayers ended up making more sense and they began to sound like a real life conversation between two people (with real people words). Lastly, I told fear and shame to go “take a hike” because they were hindering me from being able to get real with God. Fear and faith can’t both thrive in the same place. So I said, Sayonara and Adios to those lies from Satan. This week, I got real with God. (So real, that it got to the point where I cried multiple times on my aunt’s carpet and spent some quality time in fellowship with their pet peacock, Kevin who didn’t judge me for my puffy red eyes or for my runny nose. Thanks, Kevin. Mad respect.)

Also, God showed me a few cool things that I really want to share with you guys because maybe I’m not alone – and maybe you struggle with this stuff too?

The power of prayer has nothing to do with me or my fancy words. God is the powerful one in this relationship. He makes things happen and He sets things in motion. He brings freedom, understanding, clarity, and wisdom. He comforts and protects and provides. All He wants is for me to trust Him enough to muster up the courage to actually say something to Him about what I need (and what I am thankful for). My help comes from Him, not from how eloquent my prayers sound. Once I realized that my prayers weren’t about me, I finally had stuff to pray about. I could praise Him, thank Him, and ask Him for things. It freed me up to enjoy God without worrying about being judged for how I sounded.

Jesus promised that troubles and tribulations would come, but He also promised to help us overcome them all. I learned that having a nervous breakdown every now and then (especially while talking to God) is okay. There’s no law that says Christians aren’t allowed to be upset or angry from time to time (just don’t let that lead to sin). In fact, the Bible says that God keeps track of our sorrows and tears, and that He records those moments in His book (Psalm 56:8). This just means that God is very aware of our meltdowns, and He doesn’t condemn us for them, He sympathizes with us instead. Believe it or not, God gets it. He is big enough to handle my mood swings, He is loving enough to walk me through the rough patches of my life, and He is gracious enough to not take my “moments of emotional weakness” personally or hold it against me. I love God for that. When I learned how to cry in front of Him, I also learned how to let Him love me in those moments. When I get free, He freely comforts me and He strengthens me by reminding me of how strong He is on my behalf. Then my meltdown stops because I remember who my Father is. If God (the Mighty Warrior and Creator of the Universe) is on my side, then what the heck do I need to worry about?

When I am weak, He is strong. No, but for real. There have been so many times when I’ve tried to hide my weaknesses from God because I thought that He’d be disappointed in me. I was ashamed of my sinfulness, and I didn’t think that the Holy of Holies would want to even look at me – let alone converse with me – but, I was so wrong. The Lord showed me that His light shines through my cracks. In the areas of my life where I am weak, God is strong for me. He’s supposed to get the glory in those moments, but if I try to hide my cracks and my flaws, that makes me a hypocrite and it makes God a liar. He chose me as His own before I was even born – already knowing who I would become and what I would do. He took into account my wrong turns and my mess ups before they even happened, and He said, “I still want you despite all of that. I’ll clean you up and make you righteous in time, but I want you as you are now. I love you and you are so precious to Me.” That kind of love is hard to wrap my mind around, but it also compels me to go out and tell the world about it. Unconditional love is a gift that no human being should ever have to miss out on.

So, this week was full of me, myself, and My King. At first I was so intimidated by the copious amounts of quite time that I had to endure, but God slowly began to change my heart and my mind about it. Now, I’m really starting to appreciate the quiet moments in my day. Way back when (like two weeks ago, ha), I couldn’t pray for more than 5 minutes at a time, but now I sometimes skip lunch because I get so consumed with talking to God about anything and everything in my “jam-packed” brain that I actually forget to eat. That’s unheard of. I love food, almost as much as I love my family (but not quite). The coolest part is that as I pray and read God’s word, He answers. Whether it’s through a verse, an overwhelming peace in my spirit, or through a phone call or text from a friend that comes at just the right time (shout out to Jocelyn for your perfectly timed messages). He always answers.

Will I still shoot up random short prayers to God throughout the day? Heck yeah. All the time. Because I need Him all the time, and because He’s always with me. When you love someone and want to get to know them better, you spend more time with them… and my relationship with my Heavenly Dad should be no different. It’s a learning process and there are hard days when I don’t want to open my journal or my mouth, but the more I learn about how awesome my God is and about how much He cares for me… the more it makes me want to talk to Him.

I think the most challenging part of this love walk/prayer journey is going to be letting God speak while I just sit and listen. (Still working on that with my momma too.) Luckily for me, love is patient…