Hold On My Dear Friend

All of us who have friends go through some rough patches in our friendships. These hardships can either lead us to grow stronger together, or to push each other away. Most of us would push the other one away because it is just easier that way. But by doing that you cause more hurt for you. My church has this saying that a good friendship has to require effort over ease. When things get messy in a relationship, it is a whole lot easier, to cut of the friendship and avoid the mess, then try to make the effort to sit down with you friend and clean the mess up. A verse that I found to symbolizes you friendship is Proverbs 14:4 which says, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of the ox comes an abundant harvest." Your friendship is like a stable, and you keep all your friends inside the stable. Well if you like to just keep your stable clean, then you would keep your friends at a arms length away, so that it can't get messy. If any of your friends try to get close to you and mess up you nice stable then you cut that friend out of your circle. The thing is you need our friends to live in the stable, so that you are able to have an abundant harvest. With friends you can have someone to encourage you when you fall down, someone to give you a boost when you are tired, and someone that you just love to be around. With out them you can have a small harvest, but it isn't sufficient enough for you to live off of.

There is also another verse in the bible that talks about friendships. This one might be a little clearer than the first one in getting the message as soon as you read it. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says,

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return on their work

If one falls down, his friend can help him up,

But pity a man who falls and has no one to help him up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm,

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands can not be quickly broken."

These four verses lay out how two are better then one when it comes to a friendship, and three is even better than two. One person by themselves can easily go down, two people can defend themselves, and it is very difficult to defeat a group of three friends. This world is going to throw some cruel stuff at you, some you might be able to handle by yourself, but most of it you are just going to get knocked down and you need two or three people to come beside you and help you out of the storm, and onto dry ground. Friends are very valuable, so keep them close, no matter how messy the relationship gets, for you don't know when they might just come in handy.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that my friendships are going to get messy in my life time. When it comes down to it, help me to choose effort over ease. Some friendships are too important to let go, for you have place them there in my life for a reason, and when we get through the mess in the relationship, they become even more valuable to me. Thanks Lord for placing certain people in my life that are there to help encourage me on my way. 

Auto Pilot

I don't know how many of my readers drive, but sometimes when we drive, we turn on our auto pilot. We just drive, the same route over and over again and we can just drive it without thinking. When we are driving on auto pilot we don't think about where we need to turn, we just do it, even if it is the wrong turn. I was driving my friend home from practice, and I turned like I was going to school. I got lost, and I had to admit to my friend that I needed my friend to help me to get her to her house. Driving on auto pilot can be dangerous, and it can get you lost. 
When it comes to our relationship with God, we throw on the auto pilot when life is easy. But then an unexpected turn comes up, and you get lost. You drive off the path, where it is easy to fall into temptation. We can try to find the path again, but eventually we need someone to come up beside us to guide us back. It is often hard to admit your mistake, but having someone by your side who knows your flaws is handy.
There is a way to avoid making a wrong turn. Turn off the auto pilot. Proverbs 4:25 says, "Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you." If you focus on the road, and the task at hand, then you know where to turn. You can see that you are making a wrong turn, and change lanes before you make the wrong turn. If we are focused on our relationship with God, then it gives us a chance to grow. 
So are you driving on auto pilot, or are you able to turn it off?

Dear Heavenly Father,
I now I get distracted, and it is so easy to turn on that auto pilot. Please help me to keep the auto pilot off. I don't want a relationship where I just float through it, but I want a relationship where I am fully focused, and attentive. Even when I make a wrong turn, thank you for your patience as I try to find my way back. I pray that you would send people to help me find the path at the right time Lord. Amen.

Just Like a Cat

I don't know if you have a cat, but if you ever play with one they are just adorable. I have two cats, Oreo and Whiskers.

 Whiskers

Oreo

My favorite game to play with them, is where I hold something above them, just out of reach, and they try to grab it with their paws. Sometimes they get it, but most of the time they can't get it. When they get it, they don't feel satisfied and so they try again. I feel like we sometimes act like cats. We try our best to reach the things that the world offers, and sometimes we get it and we don't feel satisfied, sometimes we can't get it and we feel even worse. 1 John 2:16 says, "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world." If you try to reach for that new car, or the hottest guy/girl in school, or for the popularity, you may not reach it, or even if you do reach it, you are never satisfied. Afterwards you want more and more and more, trying to feel satisfied, and you never feel satisfied. You are like one of my cats, just pawing at what ever I dangle above their head never feeling satisfied or not even reaching it. 

But, there is something that can be satisfied. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." God is enough for you. It made be hard to believe, but he can satisfy the emptiness in your heart. The void that you are trying to fill with worldly goods, can only be filled by God. His love, grace, and mercy is enough. You may end up having the nice car, or the good looking date, or what ever else you may want, but none of that is going to matter, if God isn't in your heart. Without God, we are just out there searching for something to fill the void to fill our hearts, never to be satisfied with what we find.  There is a simple truth, and it is that God is enough.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that you are enough for me. Help me to try not to fill my heart with worldly desires, and items, but help me to fill my heart up with you God. you are all I need, and anything else is a bonus to the incredible life that you have given me. Thanks for your unfailing love, mercy and grace. Amen

Your Path

We know that we are not the same as the person standing (or sitting) next to you. You may be smart when it comes to school, while the person next to you is street smart. You are both different but that doesn't mean that one person is better than the other. But when it comes to our faith, we tend to compare where we are in our faith to everybody else. You may think that you are better than someone because you read you Bible everyday. Or during worship you may raise your hands, so that means you are better than someone who stands there. But being different than someone doesn't mean that you are better than that person. It is that both of you are on different paths. Psalms 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Notice the second to last word "My." We each have our own paths, and each one of them are different. You may struggle with porn, while the person next to you struggles with drugs and alcohol. You can't say, "I don't struggle with drugs and alcohol so I am better than the guy next to me." God sees each sin the same, and Jesus died for everyone.
Let's take my favorite band for example, Casting Crowns. They are a band that tours the country, and on Sundays they all go and teach at their church. The lead singer, Mark Hall, is a youth pastor, as well as the lead singer. Just because they do so much for God, doesn't mean that they are better than you. God loves everyone of his children the same. The members of Casting Crowns are just on a different path than you. With the path that they are on, they also face different challenges than you. The world may see that Casting Crowns is "better than you", but God sees you all the same, each person on a different path.

Dear Heavenly Father, 
I know that I easily compare myself to other people, just trying to feel better about myself. Help me to find all the love I need in you, so I don't have to find it anywhere else, because your love is sufficient for me. Help me to understand that not one person is better than another person, but that we are on different paths. Help me to encourage people, no matter where they are on their path for your glory God. Amen.

Judgement Based Off Looks

Many of us in our daily lives, tend to judge people, whether it is about the success of a person, or how beautiful they look, or whether or not you will be a friend to that person. We judge people of first glace. We don't even get to know the story of the person. Romans 14:12-13 says, "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." when we judge someone, especially by their looks, we place a block in front of the person that gets in their way. It could block a potential friendship, or a possible to tell the person about Jesus. You can't possibly know anything about someone by their looks. It takes time to get to know them, not a quick glace over your shoulder. 

So I had recently taken pictures using shadows, and I thought that they went well here. With shadows, you can't see the models. The models could be drop dead beautiful, or completely ugly. (None of the models are ugly, I was just trying to make a point.) You can't judge the model by looks, because you don't know what they are like. Some might be wearing a wig, or there might even be more than two people. You would have to walk behind the tarp, to see who the real model is. That is what we need to do in life. We need to try to converse with the person, and find out who they are, by their words and actions not their looks.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that I am in a bad habit of judging a person based on their looks. Help me to see a person, and see their heart and what they can become. Help to take time to learn about people so I can hear their stories, and see how I can be encouragement to them. Amen.

Stop the Gossip

Many of us who go to high school have to deal with some sort of high school drama. Whether it is boyfriend drama to best friend drama to enemy drama, we all encounter it at some point in our high school careers. Most of the drama starts with someone gossiping. Then that one gossip spreads to the whole school, and that creates drama between friends and enemies. The definition of gossip is "casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true." Gossip mostly not being true, it creates problems in our lives that we don't need. Proverbs 26:20 says, "Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down." Without gossips, many of the arguments that happen, or the drama that goes around the school wouldn't exists. But every time you gossip about someone, it is like adding wood on a fire that is already out of control. If you are in an argument with someone, keep the argument between the two of you. When you go off and tell your friends, and then the other person goes off and tells their friends, then we drag more people into the problem then what is needed. With that many people involved, it becomes exponentially harder to find a resolution for the problem.
I know that by now, it has became a habit for most of us to gossip, but that isn't a good habit to have. I ask that as we start this school year, that we could break some of those habits of gossiping. It will be hard, but with God's help it is not impossible. You can then save a lot of hurt feelings, and it will create less high school drama, and it may allow us to focus on school and just having a good time. This is my senior year in high school, and I don't want to remember my last year, by all the drama that happened that year. Without the drama, school can be a fun place to go to learn and hang out with friends. The thing is that the high school drama, creates an environment that most of us dread to go to. We can change that environment just by changing the things that we tell people. I don't know about you, but I want to go to a place that has limited drama and, I can actually go and enjoy my day, and not sit in class just waiting for the day to end. Let's make a change this year to stop the gossip coming from our mouths, and speak of encouragement and love to the people around us.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I know that gossip can ruin friendships, and it can create unnecessary drama. I pray that you will help me watch the words that come out of my mouth, to stop me from gossiping about the people who I meet. I know that my words can hurt a person, but I also know that if I speak encouragement to someone, that can make their whole day. Help me to chose my words carefully before I say them. Amen.

Messed Up Schedule

As school is starting up again, many of us are excited to receive our schedules. We love to compare classes with friends to see who is in our class, and if we have the same lunches as our friends. But we don't always get the classes that we want, or we get people in our classes that we don't necessarily like. We feel in these moments that God is either out to get us, or he totally forgot about us. Trust me, I didn't get any orchestra class last year, and I was mad at the school counselors, and I was mad at God. I have a close friend now who doesn't have any band class, and she was randomly placed into a marketing class. She is really mad about her schedule. We all don't get everything that we want, and we get really upset, and we blame God. But God is doing this for a purpose, believe it or not. Read the two verses below.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

There is a theme in both of these verses. God has a plan for all of our lives, and that plan is for the good for people who love him. At the moment, you may be in pain because of all that is happening, but in the long haul you will gain benefit from it. 

I want to show you how my pain of not getting an orchestra class, was used to glorify God. So around this time last year, I wrote two posts. One was called "Future", and the other one was called "Dancing With Jesus." Both were written within a month of each other. In "Future" I used the verse Jeremiah 29:11. The thing is, at this point in my blog, most of my posts were short, and they didn't go in-depth. "Dancing with Jesus" was the first real time, where I wrote a long, in-depth post, and I believe that it is one of my best posts to date. After that posts, my other post got longer and more in-depth, and that helped make my blog better. This wouldn't have happened if I got my orchestra class like I wanted. At the time I was in tears, in my basement crying out to God, but he used that to help me grow, and to glorify him. 

So you may not have gotten, the classes that you want, or the people that you want in your classes, but take time to see what God can do with your brokenness. God can do a number of things with someone who surrender all they have, and they admit that God's plan is better than our own. Below are the links to both of the post I mention. I would love it if you would read both of them, especially the "Dancing with Jesus."  

Future

http://thekaitlynshow.blogspot.com/2013/07/future.html
Dancing with Jesus

http://thekaitlynshow.blogspot.com/2013/08/dancing-with-jesus.html

Dear Heavenly Father
I want so much in my life that it is hard to accept the fact that you may not always give us what we want. I thank you for giving us what we need. I know that it hurts right now, but know that you have a plan for all of this is worth the wait. You have something spectacular planned with my life, and even though it may not always match up with my plans, I know your plans are better. Amen.

Who Are Your Friends

We all have friends. We have the "school friends" that we only see during the school year. We have are "close friends" and they are the ones we like to hang out with. Then we have our "best friends" or our BFF's that we tell every little secret to. The friends we hang out with have an influence on who we are. The thing is that the influences aren't always the best. If you hang out with people who are a bad influence, then we pick up on their bad habits. If you hang around someone who is a good influence, then you pick up on their good habits. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered,  or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared." This verse is warning us that if we get involved with the wrong crowd, then we set ourselves to get trap in their ways. It not saying that you can't associate with anyone who is like this, they just shouldn't be a close friend. A person who you want as a close friend is one who follow Christ. They can encourage you with your walk with God, and they can be fun to hang around with too. It is harder to find a friend like that, but trust me they are out there. I just had and hour and a half conversation with a friend yesterday, and we had lots of fun. I have another friend who I just found out likes the same band (R5) as me. We talked on Facebook about how good their music video was , that R5 just released yesterday. Both of these friends are strong Christians, but they are also just people who love to hang out. There are people out there who have the same interest that you do, and they are Christian. Trust me, these friendships that you make will add more to your live, then just a person who you like to hang out with. 

Dear Heavenly Father,
I know I have many friends, and not all of them are leaving the best influence on me. Please help me distinguish who I can hang out with, and who I may need to add some distance between us. Can you please also help me find some close Christian friends who can help me grow in my faith. Thank you for your love, and I pray that I can find someone who reflects you love, and I pray that I can reflect you love on my friends. Amen.

Too Much R & R

Rest and relaxation is a very good thing that most of us look forward to. We either look forward to laying our head on our pillow each night, or we look forward to that vacation that is coming up. But resting too much can become dangerous, and it can lead to laziness. God warns us about laziness over and over again in the bible. Two examples are Proverbs 10:4 which says, "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands brings wealth. The second verse is Proverbs 12:11 which goes, "He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment." Both these verses talk about how if you work hard, then you will prosper, and you will have what you need. But if you are lazy, then you will have very little and that can bring other consequences down the road. Don't get me wrong, God wants you to rest. God created the Sabbath so that we can rest. The trouble is when you start treating everyday as if it is the Sabbath, that is when you start to become lazy.
There are many ways to work hard, and not be lazy. My dad has an amazing engineering job that pays for food, and clothes, and for our house. He also works on projects around the house to keep it functional, and to make improvements. His hard work helps pay the bills, and it also keeps our house running smoothly. My mom on the other hand, doesn't have a typical job. She is a stay at home mom, but that doesn't mean she doesn't work hard. She is at home with my brother and I most of the time,(trust me, we can be a handful) and she cleans the house everyday, does the dishes, and does the laundry for us. She doesn't make any money, but that doesn't mean that she isn't working hard. Working hard doesn't always equate to having money. In Proverbs 10:4 where it says "wealth" it could mean money, but it could also mean love for the people around you, or wealth of knowledge that can help you survive. You can't have any of that wealth if you are lazy, and you expect everyone around you to do the work for you. My mom is just as hard a worker as my dad and I consider them to both be wealthy people. They each have their own job that God made for them. God has specific jobs for each of us, and we need to work hard at them. Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." When we put our heart into our work, and we work hard, then the rewards that you will receive will be matched to the work you put in. What ever your job is, work hard at it like you are working for God, and not for man.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for my specific job. Whatever you have in mind for me, I pray that I will work my hardest at. Help me to avoid becoming lazy, and making excuses for my lack of work. I know that I am working for you, Lord, and I pray that I will be able to do my best. Amen.