She's in Love

Read these lyrics for "She's in Love" by According to John in a book by Leslie Ludy...not too crazy about the song, but love the idea.

What a beautiful smile, a radiant girl.
Fell in love first time I saw her; she stays on my mind.
I'd give anything to know everything about her.

There's light in her eyes, and I know it's all for Him.
She carries on and on, like He was her best friend.

She's in love, it's not hard to see,
But I would like to believe it was with me.
Someone got a hold of her heart,
And He won't let go,
And I know- she's in love.

She looks to the sky when she talks about Him,
She believes He hung the moon.  Said He had to go away,
She waits for His return, says He's coming for her soon.

How can this be fair?
This guy can walk on water,
Don't guess I've got a prayer,
He's written love letters to reach her.

She worships the ground He walks on,
She just smiles when she says His name.
It's a match made in heaven,
I can't compete with the King of Kings.

(Now that's love : )

All or Nothing

I'm gonna love Him with everything I've got.  With every breath, every word.  Every thought, every dream.  Every moment of time spent on this earth.  I'm gonna love Him with everything I've got.  That's when I'll know Him.  Because God is love.  And love is good.

You Never Let Go

Well, these past few days feel like one big wad of emotions that I'm still trying to untangle.  I've experienced the mountain peaks, but not without a few lows (not quite valley style, but not exactly cloud 9 either!).

I always do this.  When I have exams, or a lot of schoolwork all at once, I get super stressed out.  No fail.  Every single time.  And I hate it when I do that.  Not only is it ridiculous because I've been through it before and have learned that God is more than capable of providing the motivation and strength to get through it, but I also feel like I'm setting a bad example.  I think about how both Christians and non-Christians are looking at my life  to see how I react to things.  The very thing I'm "preaching" one day could make no sense the next when I don't live it out.  I hate being hypocritical.

I say that Christ will provide and that He is enough, and that He gives ultimate peace.  And I believe it- with all my heart, I do.  I really do.  But, when things get overwhelming, it's like I just throw that whole concept to the wind and think, "Poor me.  How will I ever get through?  This is next to impossible."  Unbelievers who know me and know what I'm about have to be thinking...if she knows God, why is she so worried?  If she knows God, why is she so impatient today?  Ouch.

Well, right in the midst of my worries and right in the midst of my not-so-Christlike attitude, God decided that He would restore me with His words.  As I've said before, Psalm 139 is one of my favorite Scripture passages, maybe my most favorite, though it's kind of hard to narrow that down- don't ya think?  Anyway, I read through that Scripture with entirely new eyes.  I don't know what it was, but it became fresh all over again.

Have you looked in the mirror lately?  Have you really looked?  No- not at your imperfections, but your "wonderfully complex" self.  I was brushing my teeth after I read this passage, and I looked at my eyes and thought...wow, those are incredible.  Okay- you probably think I'm a psycho right now, so I want you to a. Find a mirror and b. Check out your eyes.  Seriously.  Go do it.  This blog isn't going anywhere : )  Really look at them and think about how they work.  Think about the way they process information and how light reflects on them so you can see.  I don't know the whole scientific aspect, but I do know that our eyes are just one breathtaking part of our "wonderfully complex" bodies that Christ gave us. 

If it was up to me, we would all be 2-D stick figures walking around looking somewhat similar.  How grateful I am that God took the time to think about what we would look like and how our bodies would function.  Seriously- our brains.  They are insane.  They tell us to breathe without us even consciously thinking about it.  Now that, I'm very grateful for : ). 

So, I was reading this passage and thinking that not only did God take great care in "knitting me" together in my mother's womb, but He also did it for every other person that has ever lived.  Each unique in their own way.  God knit me and you and everyone in the world together! 

I checked out the word "knit" in the dictionary...."to tie or link together; join closely and firmly; to form or create from diverse sources or elements; become closely and intimately united; bind, link, unite."  I never thought of it this way before, but when God was knitting me together, was He also knitting my heart to His?  Were we becoming "closely and intimately united" even in the moments of my creation?  I love to think so.  Don't you just eat up that visual?!

Then I read Isaiah 46:3-4, "Listen to me, descendents of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel.  I have cared for you since you were born.  Yes, I carried you before you were born.  I will be your God throughout your lifetime-until you hair is white with age.  I made you, and I will care for you.  I will carry you along and save you."

Don't know if you got the memo- but God cared, cares, and will care for us.  He carried and will carry us.  Oh, and not to mention, He's busy saving us, too.

I am so thankful for a God who never lets go.  I love that worship song "You Never Let Go."  I let go of His promises at times when I need them the most.  I let go of the words that I proclaimed the day before.  I let go of my Christ-like attitude at times.  But, I know that no matter how far I run or how bad I mess up, He never lets go.  Never lets go of me.  Tough times, easy times.  Dark times, light times.  Never lets go of the plans He made for me.  He sees me and He holds me and He saves me.

Open Letter to Mr. Right

I guess I should start this one off by saying Happy Valentine's Day!  Although many singles find this day somewhat depressing, I have to admit, it's been a pretty amazing day for me.  God showed up big time this morning during my devotional - just to remind me that He is the ultimate valentine (and since you're a huge fan of His, I know you won't be jealous if I say that ; ).

I guess what struck me most was  Psalm 139.  That's one of my favorite scripture passages.  I almost committed it to memory last summer, but stopped a few verses short.  I should pick that up again.  Anyways, it reminded me that God knows every single little detail about me. The number of hairs on my head.  The sort of mistakes I will make before I make them.  Every word that I say.  Every thought that I think.  EVERYTHING!  Yep, more than you, Sweet Pea.  AND HE STILL LOVES ME.  Crazy, huh?  (Now is the time where you say- "No, He's not crazy- how could someone not love you?"  Bahahaha- just kidding.  Sometimes I just crack myself up).

I'm just so pumped these past few days because what God spoke to me about in my devotional (here) a few weeks ago has come to pass.  I have a new heart that is embracing God in a way I've never known before.

It's neat to think (on this day that everybody is celebrating love) what you're doing.  Maybe you're like me and kept it low key.  A good lunch with friends.  A walk through the art museum.  Leftovers for dinner.  And blogging/music jam session at night.  I kinda doubt it though.  You know that old saying, "Opposites attract."  I have a feeling that you'll be much more outgoing and spontaneous than I am, which is good because then we would balance out.

I am the more serious and focused one and you're the one that everyone loves- lol.

Well, I think I've rambled on enough now.  Happy Valentine's Day, love.

Praying for you and thinking of you until we meet,

Chels.

Makes Me Smile All Over My Face

Check out this site:  http://sarahkchen.net/?p=701

I absolutely love the simplicity and "funness" (just made that a word ; ) of this wedding.  The photographs are beautiful, especially the ones taken in Union Station.  It just makes me smile all over my face!

Open Letter to Mr. Right

Days fade in and out, and time moves on. Yet, you’re always in the back of my mind.


Where will I meet you? Perhaps I’ve already met you. What will you look like? What are your passions? What are your fears? Your goals, your dreams?

I can’t wait to see what an amazing love story God will unfold for us. The hard thing is keeping Him as our number one, even when we meet and fall crazy in love for each other.

Things have been really weird for me lately. I’ve been kind of on a journey to “re-discovering” what I believe and why I believe it. College has taught me not to accept all the facts presented at face value. I’m learning to own up to my faith instead of just believing it because that’s what I’m supposed to do.

Wonder what God’s teaching you now. I pray that He is growing you into a man after His own heart that will be an amazing leader in our relationship. I think He gives us young adults this waiting period to mold us like never before. This is a time in life where transformation is frequent and new opportunities abound. We can focus on building a relationship that will truly last for eternity, our relationship with Christ. Being free from a dating relationship has given me time to reconsider my priorities and get back on track.

Well, I don’t know. I was just thinking about you and wanted to let you know.

Can’t wait to meet, my love.

oops...one more thing.

I saw this note when I opened the coffee cabinet and had to snap a picture.  I love my parent's love.  They make each other so happy.  I hope one day I will find someone like my Daddy, who leaves me sweet notes and never fails to remind me how much he loves me.  But unlike my mom jokingly said the other day- he will never be replaced : )

I'm Back

So I think this will turn into a tradition…me posting while I’m supposed to be studying for my exams. Seems like I did this the last two semesters, too. It has nothing to do with procrastinating or not wanting to look for one more minute at my ginormous study guide…no, it is just THAT important that I have to post it NOW!

I have been reading Brennan Manning’s book The Furious Longing of God. Well, I just started it this weekend. Anyways, so far, so good. I  found that this passage struck a chord today:

“If you took the love of all the best mother and fathers who have lived in the course of human history, all their goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength, and love and united all those qualities in a single person, that person’s love would only be a faint shadow of the furious love and mercy in the heart of God the Father addressed to you and me at this moment.”

I always hear that you never know the love of a parent until you become one.  Considering that is QUITE a ways down the road for me, this illustration sure helps me to understand.  I do have to say that I am blessed with possibly the most incredible parents in the world (no offense, anyone ; ).  To imagine that their love doesn't even add up to a faint shadow of God's love?  WOW.  Hard to grip my head around that idea.

I don’t know why I was running in the first place. Was it because He asked me to do something that was uncomfortable? Was it because I got bored? Maybe it was because I got tired? Whatever it was, I’m glad that looming cloud of darkness has passed, and I’m beginning to see the Light again.  His love is so good.

Unexpected Revelations

Do you ever find God where you least expect Him to be?  It's often humorous to discover the many places He chooses to reveal Himself to us.  For me, it was in my Communication Theory textbook last night.  Odd?  Absolutely.  Refreshing?  Beyond belief.  It's called unconditional positive regard.  I had heard of it before, but pretty much cast it aside as one of the million theories that simply was unimportant in my personal life, prior to last night.  Em Griffin writes, "Unconditional positive regard is the attitude of acceptance that isn't contingent on performance."  He relates this concept to a better communication environment.  If individuals feel safe and accepted by the other person, they are more likely to communicate in an authentic and transparent manner.  The only thing I could think of when I kept reading about this theory was God's love and communication with us.  How amazing is His love that no matter what we do, no matter how we "perform," He has an unconditional positive regard towards us.  Then I thought about my Granny, who was known for her love- for finding something good in every person she met, even if that person wasn't easy to get along with or generally well-accepted.  I've longed to be that type of person for years...to look beyond the attitudes, the expectations, the performance of a person- into their heart, into their being.  I want so bad to lavish God's love on others, but often find that my human nature gets in the way.  By relying on Christ though, I believe it's possible.

Who would have thought that little "revelation" would come from a school-based textbook?  So, today- expect the unexpected.  God will show up just when you need Him the most...whether it's reading for a theory-based class, or catching up on laundry or logging in hours at your job.  That's what's so good about Him- He will do whatever it takes to allow us to see Him.