Slave to my thoughts…at least I was!

For anyone who knows me, you know that I am constantly worried about something.  Did I do this right?  Should I have done this instead?  My midterm is coming in two weeks…yikes!  Rent hasn’t been paid yet.  All of these things and so much more…I can’t turn off my thoughts.  These worries start taking control but what is remarkable is that everytime I have quiet time or meet with God, they all disappear, the biggest thing doesn’t even cross my mind.  This is what I feel life to the fullest is…but how can we constantly live that?  This is where my struggle is, after I’m done I look up and all my thoughts and worries come right back-kinda ironic right? 

But today I read John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (What’s the truth?  Simply Jesus – John 14:6)  But what do we need to be set free from?  In America we are so blessed and I was reading this and I was just thinking I’m free!  I have life so easy compared to everyone else in the world, simply because I’m American.  In verse, 34 it says, “Jesus responded, ‘I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.’”  Jesus came to set us free (36) and we are truely set free.  What I realize is that I’m a slave to my worries and thoughts, which is not needed because Jesus has set me free.  So what I learned today is that anytime I’m bogged down with my thoughts and worries I can simply pray because I am free and I don’t have to be bound by them any longer.  I can constantly have that freedom throughout my day. 

 So my challenge for myself this week is whenever I’m getting too far in my thoughts, worries, and doubts I’m going to pray about remember John 8:32, 36 and 14:6.  I’m free!!!

In Groups of Three

Bad things come in threes right?  Well, this week there has been tons of stuff that has happened within our house:

1.  One of my roommates (Aly’s) bike got stolen…not cool to whoever jacked the bike.

2.  During the one-day blizzard one of our huge trees fell on Olivia’s car–which totalled it.  Plus, it took away a squrriels home, which seems very unimportant but when the squrriel is screaming and running around like a crazy person it just tears at your heart. 

2 1/2.  While the whole van/tree/snow storm drama was playing out.  Crystal had filled Beau’s pitcher up to the top so Beau could have more swimming room.  Well Beau attempted suicide and Mandy was freaking out about Crystal killing her fish…luckily the fish survived because Beau is no ordinary fish–he has a personality.  I know that sounds like a lie but it’s true, whenever Mandy comes up to the bowl Beau always spins around and comes to greet her…this is just one of his special quirks. 

3.  Fran broke her leg by rock climbing in the gym.  Someone had moved the mat evidently and she landed a few inches off of it causing her bone to completely break and go through her leg…she is okay now thankfully.

So all of my house is a little on edge because this has all been in the last two days.  But what I think is amazing is that Olivia, Aly, and Fran have had amazing peace and contentment with what was happening.  When we were visiting Fran in the hospital she was laughing about her accident and was saying how she saw God working through it.  Olivia didn’t freak out or anything about her car and has been happy even though her van still sits in our lot totalled and under a tree.  It’s been such an encouragement to see them live out their lives and still praise God through these three bad things.  I only hope that I’ll have their grace and peace when the storms of life hit me.  So thank you Olivia, Aly, and Fran for your amazing example and encouragement, what a testimony you guys are!!

Completeness

So those of you who don’t know me, my relationship with Jesus Christ is the center of my life.  I want it to be my existence, my passion, I want to be completely in love with Christ (if you don’t understand this contact me and I’ll tell you everything about it) but lately I have struggled with feeling complete in Jesus.  I once read that “Jesus is the only one who can make you complete” lately I have felt incomplete.  I keep running away from what I want the most.  My earthly desires and in constant battle with what I know to be true.  I figured I was not the only one to struggle with this so I am going to share a few things that have helped my tremendously. 

Colossions 2: 9 – 10 =  ⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Jesus completes and makes us full, yet half the time we still run to something or someone else to try to fill this hole in us, I believe you know what I’m talking about.  

Then, Hosea…it’s often an overlooked book but here’s the summary.  God tell Hosea to go and marry a prostitute so that his marriage can demonstrate God’s relationship with Israel.  As not surprising, the prostitute cheats on Hosea and runs away, Hosea is called to go after her and bring her back…even after the first and second time.  I encourage you to pull out your Bible and read chapter 2. 

vs. 5 – who are your ”lovers” that you run after?  What/who do you turn to for fulfillment instead of Christ?

vs. 6-7 – These verses sound kind of mean, but when you really think about what they mean it’s amazing, God wants us to turn to Him completely to want to stay in His hands.  We can’t catch “our lovers” –even though this sucks sometimes think how GREAT it is!  IT’S SIMPLY GOD PROTECTING US!!!  I am so glad I wasn’t able to catch “my lovers” in my past. 

vs. 8 - this connects with verse 5, so often we don’t realize that it’s God who has given us the “wine, food, linen, etc…” our peace, joy, fulfillment, contentment that we left in search of for… 

vs. 14 -He comes after us.  ”speak tenderly to her” – He’s just showing us that He loves us. 

vs. 15 – It’s so simple…He restores and fulfills us!  We keep running from what we want, it’s so frustrating finding myself straying again but to know God will come after me, welcome me back and restore me with His peace and love.

vs. 16 – He doesn’t want to be our master, he want’s to be our ‘husband’ I feel husband is very symbolic here.  My personal view is best friend, i’m going to marry my best friend, so this is my definition of my husband.  God needs to be my best friend, my God, my priority…

And then Romans 8:38-39 if you doubt God’s love, it’s just so incredible that nothing can seperate us from His love. 

Well I hope sharing what I’m being reminded of helped you.

This is the most amazing song that God showed me…it’s perfect for this time right now.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J95rAr0gOFU

The Funk

Okay, so has anyone ever been in “the funk”?  The funk is were you just aren’t yourself, something is off, maybe it’s chemically unbalanced.  I’m usually weird–but the funk is being abnormally weird.  For instance, just wanting to do nothing, staring at a blank wall sounds appealing (no, I’m not high) but there is just no motivation to do anything.  Then when you’re in these funks, you always have one thing on your mind and it is the last thing you want to think about.  But the worst symptom is that you don’t feel like yourself and you can’t describe why or how that happened.  So I feel there is three main things to the funk…

1. no motivation and

2. something is on your mind that you just can’t shake off. 

3. you don’t feel like yourself…and can’t explain why

So when you’re in these funks what do you do?   Luckily, this funk is fading out but in the next few months when it hits again I’ll have some suggestions on what to do!

Matching Your Name

Amy Reese…that would be me, for those of you who know me this blog site will be filled with random thoughts, activites, and just anything out of the ordinary…at least I think.  For example, my full name means beloved, waterfall, enthusiastic…pretty random.  With this I live up to my name though.

Beloved means dearly loved; dear to the heart.  Here’s the proof for this definition: my Mom and Dad love me, thus I am beloved.  (Living up to my name already).  But the original spelling is actually Aimee and it came from France, but through the years human nature got lazier and it shortened to just Amy.  But I like to think that I have all different types of spelling, but really the only one you need to know is the A-m-y one.  Pretty simple…

Waterfall means a perpendicular or very steep descent of the water of a stream or river.  So this perpendicular is a term relating to math…which I am majoring in.  But if we look more in the methaphorical sense, a waterfall could symbolize a lot!   For instance, they are always changing, the sound of them is amazing (and I do like to talk so I just need to find someone who appreciates my voice, becuase it’s constant), they’re peaceful, a little dangerous depending on a few details, the list goes on!  So don’t think of just defining my middle name (which you’ll just have to guess) to being just one thing, becasue it symbolizes so much more!  Especially if you split water and fall up.  Water is unpredictable for one thing.   While fall could represent my less than gracefull side.

Then we get to my personal favorite, Reese, which is enthusiastic.  Now if you’re a male and also named Reese it can mean fiery and ardent…but I’m a female and it’s not my first name so I feel like I can also include this is some aspects, but we’ll focus on the enthusiastic meaning of my name.  I feel I’m a pretty enthusiastic person.  Enthusiastic means 1 a: belief in special revelations of the Holy Spirit.  2a: strong excitement of feeling.  Both accounts work for me: I definitly have the Holy Spirit in me becuase of my Savior Jesus.  And then the excitment/feeling…have you ever heard…well more like see me talk?  It’s like dancing to a voice my hands move so much, it is actually relatively impossible for me to talk without my hands-I just can’t do it.  You might be thinking I love my name a little to much, and maybe I do because I’ll probably be crying on my wedding day that I have to change my last name (but that is another post in itself).  But if you look at the meaning of names and then a person’s personality it is pretty cool how they match up…try it.

So thank you Mom and Dad for my name, Amy Reese.