Needlework

Needlework

"But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:24b-25

In 2010, I took a trip with some Business Admin professors and peers to Egypt & Israel, which by the way, was the best trip EVER. We took a tour of Jerusalem and walked past a little door on the outside gate - I thought it was a play house for kids or a special house for little people [like the TV show!] The tour guide pointed it out and quoted this scripture from Mark. 

Ready for a history lesson? They would close the main gates at night as self defense from potential attacks but would have a guard at the smaller door (called, "the eye of the needle") to let people in. Camels are tall and awkward, they are not fluid like a dog. It takes a lot of effort for the camel to bend, squat and maneuver through the tiny door, plus the merchant or traveler would have to remove all the bags from the camel first. That's a lot of effort. Ladies, if we were the traveler.. we would have pulled over, asked for directions and made it in time to get through the main gates before dark! 

Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to get into Heaven. Why is that? I think it's because we feel to much comfort and security in money. When that happens, we don't rely on God. If we're feeling upset or hurt, we'll go buy new shoes instead of deal with the real issue.

This pours into so many areas beyond finances. If we're consumed in a relationship and not keeping God as our First Love, the same principle applies. We have to take off the baggage, deal with our issues and not be afraid to get on our hands and knees to crawl through a situation or season of life. God wants to trust us with financial blessing and Christ-centered relationships but we have to prove our faithfulness and trustworthiness with what we have now. 

Right before this, God challenged a rich man to give up everything to follow Him but the man did not want to let go of his great fortune so he walked away with his head down. He had forgotten that everything we have is on-loan from God... it's not actually ours to posses! 

My challenge to us is to live with hands wide open! God will give and take away and that is okay! Life has ups and downs. Trust that God will use every situation to draw you closer to Him.

Are you spending your free time watching Netflix and eating ice cream? Yup. Or are you reading books and listening to podcasts? Lets just say that my couch has gotten some quality-Abby-time lately but trust me, I'm trying to find a balance between the two. Discover something new about your self - do something you love! Go on walks or bike rides. Volunteer for a local organization that you believe in! 

As we learn to seek God and trust Him more, He'll know that He can trust us with the next big thing He's got planned. Don't rob God of the opportunity to bless you. Seek Him when finances are tight or you're lacking the companionship you want AND seek Him even more when you see blessings in your life!

The Eye of the Needle becomes a lot bigger when we put all of our trust in God. 

"I Want to Give You Great" [Breakup Part 2]

Thanks for joining me! 

Have you ever been through a breakup? 

Me too. 

It's a pretty terrible experience. 

Let me share some encouragement with you! Because after all, these crazy emotions/experiences can't be for nothing. 

Setting the Scene:
I'd been praying and asking God during the whole relationship whether we were a good fit or not (see previous post for more details). Truly, I feel like we were suppose to be together until the last couple of weeks. Something shifted and through a series of events we started to reanalyze.

The Conversation:
It was any other day.. Sam and I were meeting that night to talk about our future. I remember sitting in front of the mirror doing my usual prayer as I'm applying my makeup. 

In my heart I heard the voice of God.

God said: "This is good"

Abby (really excited): "This IS good!"

God: "I want to give you great"

Without missing a beat, this picture popped into my head. This was the confirmation to end things with Sam.

Add caption

Ladies, God wants us to have GREAT and not settle for 'good enough'. Keep this in mind as you enter a new relationship or are trying to decide if you want to spend the rest of your life with someone. Don't get me wrong, no one is perfect and we do need to expect to work hard for any relationship but I'm challenging you (and myself) to ask and expect God for great!

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
Psalm 130:5

Dear Heavenly Father, Abba, we trust that you have GREAT in our future! I pray that You would fill the hole in our hearts that so longs for a relationship. We want more of you everyday. Thank you for loving us enough to say, "no" and challenging us to wait for "great". 

We love you and honor you! 

Amen.

Just because it fits... [Breakup Part 1]

[[This blog has been stagnate for a while - so I've decided to share a bit of my story instead of another project. I hope you enjoy!!]]

My name is Abby.

I don't often date.

Never introduced a boy to my family.

Never introduced a boy to my church family.

Never introduced a boy to my extended family <-- that would scare anyone!

but I recently got into a relationship.
Sam loves God and loves me.
But just because it fits doesn’t mean it’s right.

Let me explain. I use to carry about 60 extra pounds and I got into the habit of buying any piece of clothing that fit because I rarely found anything I liked (hence, my roommates will attest that I have quite a shoe collection!). I’ve been finding myself in dressing rooms lately thinking, “Abby, you don’t have to buy it just because it fits!” – um, or am I the only one who talks to themselves like this? smile emoticon

I’ve literally had to adjust my mindset from “This is the only opportunity I’ll have to buy a dress that fits” to “Is what I’m going to pay for this dress, that fits nicely, worth it?”

My point is that just because it fits doesn’t mean it’s always right. This week I heard God loud and clear in my heart and mind that Sam and I are a good fit but we’re not right. It’s a heart wrenching lesson, decision and an even worse conversation to have.

God reassured me that this is not the only opportunity I’ll have to find a man who fits into my life!

I tell you this, friends, not to find sympathy but to encourage you to SEEK GOD and LISTEN to His voice. He wants to give us direction, to protect and guide us through the best life that we could have. TRUST in Him! Being in the right relationship at the right time is so much sweeter then just being in any relationship.

I think God gave me the last couple of months with Sam to teach me this lesson. And I am very grateful! ‪#‎lessonlearned‬

God loves us. First. Forever.
(Do you hear God through music? Me too.. check this out:https://youtu.be/RbWQV3OiRqA)

Father, we trust You with our hearts, minds and love lives. Guard our hearts for the right relationship. Open up the floodgates of Heaven and pour down Your perfect love. We want to honor You with everything we say and do! Thank you for caring enough to gently guide us through life. Let us hear from You. You are our first love – our #1! heart emoticon
(Another good one: https://youtu.be/qv-SXz_exKE)