Modesty is Out the Door

"Clothes aren't what they used to be, 

They don't seem to fit you and me anymore.

Modesty is out the door,

Flaunting what we got and more is in...

But let's ask why, don't wear what they say.

Don't want to be a model, they can't eat anyway.

That kind of attention will fade with the day,

So I'll stand up and say, 

Clothes that fit are fine."

- BarlowGirl, Clothes

  

     I went shopping, recently, for summertime clothes, and like usual I had to sort through a lot of immodest clothing. Every year shorts are getting shorter, shirt necks are dropping lower and I'm afraid that swim wear will soon remove what little clothing it has. However, we are supposed to respect our bodies, and present them in a godly manner. We are not respecting it, by wearing skimpy clothing - and sadly most of us are guilty of doing this.

    When we dress inappropriately, we can make our brothers in Christ stumble, but we don't need to make life any harder for them. We can dress in pretty clothes; however, it needs to cover us. When it comes to fashion, our generation uses as little clothing as it can. It reveals everything! Now it is practically impossible to walk into a store, without seeing a scantily clad woman. This has to stop!

     Sometimes we don't even realize that we are dressing in a way that demeans ourselves, and makes those around us struggle, because it is the way we have always been told to dress. It is the way that EVERYONE dresses! But we aren't called to look and act like everyone else, we are called to look and act in a way that will glorify God. 

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

- Proverbs 31:30

Mother's Day

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." 

- Washington Irving

Happy Mother's Day to my mother (a wonderful blessing from God), and to all the other mothers out there.

Happy Easter!!!

"And he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.' "

- Mark 16:6 (ESV)

     Today we celebrate our King, Jesus Christ, who conquered the grave so that we could be saved. So come all who are weary and find rest at the cross (Matthew 11:28).

"Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things

Above all wisdom and all the ways of man

You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms above all thrones

Above all wonders the world has ever known

Above all wealth and treasures of the earth

There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified laid behind the stone

You lived to die rejected and alone

Like a Rose trampled on the ground

You took the fall and thought of me

Above all"

-  Above All (written by Leonard Le Blanc & Paul Joseph Baloche)

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down!

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell..."

- Hebrews 11:30 (ESV)

     The thought of being hurt often causes us to throw up walls, and push others away. Sometimes it can be so hard to get close to someone, because we already have it set in our mind that they will mess-up. People will mess-up - we are HUMAN, we all do it. But God helps us to fix wrongs; he helps us work out problems. We just have to let Him tear down our walls and help us to fully trust in Him.

     It is so hard to let go of the things we hold so tightly to, and that's a reason why we do build up walls. We are afraid that if we trust someone they will hurt us. We are afraid that if we take a chance we will fail. We are afraid that if we follow the path that God is calling us to, it will mean losing all our hopes and dreams. However, when we build up these walls, we often shut out those who are closest to us.

     In the Bible, God sends Joshua to tear down the walls of Jericho, and maybe that is what we need - for God to send someone to tear down our walls. Someone who will help us let go of the worries and the fears that we keep bottled up inside of us. And you know what? God did send someone, who can do just that. Jesus can tear down our barriers and help us let go of our burdens. He will take it from us...all we have to do is ask, and believe in Him.

     We will never truly be happy, until we let God tear down our walls and take away our worries. Once we do we can fully enjoy our relationship with Him and our relationships with others.

Flowers Cover the Earth

"If we had no Winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; If we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

- Anne Bradstreet

     Spring is here and it is so wonderful after such a cold winter. But would spring be so welcomed, if we did not first endure the chill of winter? And the same goes with peace; we cannot truly see the benefits, unless we know the feeling of war.

     When we face conflict it is hard to see any point to it, all we know is that we want out of it now. But when it is over we are strengthened through the adversity, and we are delighted by the peace we have as a result. We often do not learn how to truly treasure something, until we have felt the pangs of loss. 

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

 - James 1:4 (NIV)

     Perseverance through our trials molds us into the men and women God has called us to be. Even when the going gets tough, we should keep our eyes on the greatest goal. For all that we do - all that happens to us - is part of a bigger picture. Even though it is so hard to remember this during our hard times, we should pray that God will help us keep our eyes on our true Happily Ever After. And enjoy the spring that comes after the winter.

"Winter is past, 

the rain has stopped;

flowers cover the earth,

it's time to sing."

- Song of Solomon 2:11 (CEV)

Guarding Your Mind

"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think of these things."

- Philippians 4:8 (KJV)  

     Today, we have fallen into the habit of thinking that we can allow anything into our minds and it is "okay." When watching a movie with a "bad" scene, we often hear, "I am an adult, so I can watch it," or "my parents don't care, so I can watch it." But some things just shouldn't be in anyone's mind. Period! 


     We need to guard our minds from those things that are corrupt, and focus on pure and virtuous things. But today, in every store that we walk into we are bombarded with trash. Magazines, movie titles, CD covers: they all are filled with profane, pornographic, unwholesome content. And we don't bat an eye! Why? Maybe, it is because we are taught that it is alright, and that there are no moral absolutes. But just because everyone else thinks it is acceptable, it doesn't mean that it is right.

"To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it."

- G. K. Chesterton

     I am not trying to be judgmental or condemning of others, but I think that we should not be afraid to speak the truth. How is it alright to allow these things in our mind, when they cause women to sell themselves, men to struggle with pornography, and young children to hear and see things that no one should? Instead of accepting these things, it should break our hearts. 

 "God is trying to raise up a generation dedicated to purity.  It's time we stop trying to get as close to the line as we can. We need to challenge ourselves and not just get by doing what everyone else is doing. God's standards should be our standards. Not stupid Hollywood standards. You were created for so much more than to just fit in."

- Lauren Barlow

     We aren't called to follow the crowd! We aren't called to mimic the world! We are called to stand firmly upon God's word, even if the rest of the world thinks we're nuts. We are called to "be transformed" by God's standards. No one has ever changed the world, by looking and acting like everyone else.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

 - Romans 12:2 (ESV)

You'll Never Walk Alone

“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone."

- Martin Luther 

     Often in our walk with God, we can feel like He has abandoned us. We pray and pray and pray, but we seem to have no answer. We begin to wonder if God really cares, or if He is just going to leave us to fend for ourselves. But God is everywhere, all the time.

"The Lord doesna forsake any o' His creation. Remember that, child, when ye're older and ye think God's left ye alone. He's alway there." 

- Digory (Michael Phillips and Judith Pella, The Heather Hills of Stonewyke)

     Just because it doesn't seem like God is answering us, it doesn't mean that He is not there. He is always there, helping us along with each step. But many of us think of God as a genie, waiting to grant our every wish. And unless we see God coming out of a bottle in a puff of smoke, we think that we're all alone. But God is not a genie; He is a kind, just and loving Father. And like a good Father, God gives us what we need, which is not always what we want.

     At times it can be hard to remember that God is with us, especially when we are having a hard time. But He hears our prayers; He is helping us in all that we do, even when we don't seem to notice it. When we enter into a relationship with God, He doesn't just stop by at convenient hours; He stays with us through everything. We are not abandoned, but have a Helping Hand in every step. And with God by our side, we'll never walk alone.

"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
- Hebrews 13:5