I grabbed a soft tissue and balanced a toddler on my hip, gently dabbing her tears away. Her silky blond hair clung to her moist cheeks. She had latched onto me from the beginning, and was laughing just minutes earlier. Now, however, she was screaming, tears flowing from her eyes, crying for her mother. I told her that, if she was really quiet, she might be able to hear her mother come in the room, since her mother’s meeting was almost over. Thankfully, this seemed to do the trick. She stopped crying and strained her ears to listen for her mom. It was silent, save the occasional hiccup from her earlier crying. Then, softly, she whispered, “I don’t want to be in this cage anymore.” Those short nine words melted my heart.

Now, let me get one thing straight--she definitely wasn’t in a cage. She was in a room surrounded with toys, snacks, and kids her age to play with. But that didn’t matter to her.  All she saw was a door that was closed. A door handle that locked from the inside. A mother that was nowhere to be seen. She was so focused on getting her mom back, that she missed the joy all around her--the things that her mother had purposefully surrounded her with while she was at a meeting.

I'm like this little girl sometimes. Aren't we all? It's so easy to get caught up with what we don't have--whether it’s money, security, or getting into a good school--that we forget about the beautiful things around us. While we're busy watching the closed doors, we miss the doors God is unlocking all around us.

Kayla Joy

Confidence in God's Gifts, or Pride?

I memorized Hebrews 10:35 during the summer. I found this verse to be a really interesting verse, especially for me. It says, "So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded." We're all aware of Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Pride, confidence, what's the difference? Believe it or not, there can be a huge difference. 

Without God, nothing is possible. He gave you each and every talent you have. You wouldn't have any talents at all if it weren't for God. Are you being confident in the abilities that God gave you, and giving Him the glory for giving you those abilities? Or are you becoming prideful in the abilities that you supposedly 'earned'?

Kayla Joy

Forgotten Trust

A little girl with long brown, slightly wavy hair stepped out her back screen door and ran to her neighbors gate, giggling happily. At the same time, almost as if knowing the little girl was there, waiting for him, a beautiful golden dog came bounding across his yard, coming as close to the gate as possible. The little girl bravely stuck her hand through the gate, grinning happily as the dog slobbered her hand in dog slobber. But this little girl didn't care. The relationship between this dog and this girl wasn't a new one. They'd been doing this daily for months, no matter what the season. In the winter, the little girl would take a stick and write "Best Friends Forever" in the freshly laden snow, underlining it. Whenever new, fresh snow covered the words up, the little girl made sure to write it again. Before long, this dog grew so attached to the little girl, he tried to dig his way out of his fence, so they could run around together and play. Spending hours digging, he finally created a hole big enough to fit his head under, but no more. Whining sadly, he looked into the girl's eyes and pleaded for her to help. So, shoveling snow aside, she did her best. But soon, the dog's owners put fresh soil in the hole, covering up all of the two best friend's work. As the years drifted past, the little girl came out less and less, becoming busy with school. Soon, it was a surprise when she came out, no longer a daily, yet exciting, event. It seemed she had forgotten about him.

Are we like the little girl to God? First becoming quickly attached, becoming best friends with Him before long. But then, slowly, as the years drift past, draw farther and farther apart? At first the little girl and dog seemed inseparable. Everyone who observed commented saying, "That girl and dog sure have an amazing bond. Surely not age or years could draw them apart." Yet somehow they did. The little girl with the amazing bond with the dog was me six years ago. Don't let your bond with God draw apart as I did with the bond to my neighbor's dog. Don't let yourself drift away from God, rather cling to Him, draw closer to Him as the years go on, not farther away.

Kayla Joy

Butterfly Trust

I wandered through a beautiful garden near our house, trying to find the perfect flower to take a picture of. There were so many flowers, orange ones with hundreds of mini flowers inside each flower, red roses with white at the tip, bruised purple flowers, so many to pick from. But immediately, I was drawn to one that was swarming not with bees, but butterflies. I instantly knew I'd be lucky if I could get one, non-blurry shot of these active butterflies, but I decided to try, anyway. And, as I predicted, they were avoiding me, getting away from me as fast as possible. All but one. One gorgeous gray, brown, and a hint of white butterfly stayed on the flower it was on, letting me get as close as I wanted to it without flying away.

I was shocked to see him staying, even when I was so close I could pet him. Snapping hundreds of fast photos of him, not sure how long he was going to stay for, I was delighted to photograph this little poser. After about 20 photos of him on one flower, he'd fly over to a next, and let me take pictures of him there. He was so trusting of me, he knew I wouldn't harm him.

How trusting are you to God? Do you get worried and take matters into your own hands, not trusting Him? Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Just like it's the nature of butterflies to fly away when a human approaches, humans have a tendency to panic and not trust God. You can be that person to trust God, just like that one butterfly trusted me. 

Kayla Joy

(Pictures on left are of the butterfly who trusted me!)

Love Them Like Jesus

Why would Jesus go through such a horrific death for you? Why would He being willing to die for you? Because He loves you. He knows all of your mistakes. He knows your heart. He knows you even better than you know yourself. And He was still willing to die for you. Jesus went through the death that was meant for you. You deserved it. But now, He's taken your punishment as His own. So this day, don't wave it off. Don't push it aside and act like it's some trivial detail. To show Jesus how thankful you really are for His amazing gift of life, turn around and love someone with the love you've received from Jesus Christ. Look at the unloved and hurting people of this world through new eyes. See them how Jesus sees them--someone worth dying for. And love them as Jesus loves them.
Kayla Joy

Renewing Grace

I was reading 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tonight. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I kept thinking, "I'm bad at so many of those things! I'm not patient. I'm not always very kind, I envy at times. I'm self-seeking, often thinking about me and not others. I can be easily angered! I talk too much and don't listen enough, and I definitely am cautious to trust."
 The good news? I'm not hopeless. And neither are you. 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 knows we mess up. He knows we don't have perfect love. That's why His grace is sufficient for us. His grace covers all of our weakness. And His grace does more than cover our weaknesses, His power is "made perfect in weakness".
 Kayla Joy

A Boatload of Ugliness

Trashcans come in many different varieties. Some are small, some are large, and some are in between. Some have lids and others don't. Some have pink floral roses decorated on the side, some have animals decorated on the side, and others are just plain white or black. No matter if the trashcan is small, has a lid, or is plain white, it's still a trashcan. You can't change what it contains on the inside by making the outside more attractive. There's still garbage inside, even if it's the prettiest trashcan design in the world.
 Sometimes, we dump our sin in a trashcan and try to disguise our sins. Maybe if we lied about something, we try to downplay the lying..."It wasn't that bad, I had a good reason to do it, after all". Whatever the sin is, often we try to downplay it into something smaller, something prettier, something more attractive. The truth is, no matter how much we try to pretty up our sin, it's still a sin. It's still nasty. It's still unattractive. And, it still needs to be taken care of. It needs to be taken out and thrown away. We don't leave garbage in trashcans to rot away, we have to empty the trashcan or it simply becomes too much to live with. Imagine living with a trashcan overflowing of trash, flooding into all rooms of our house. Similarly, we need to 'take out' our sins. We need to get rid of them. We can't keep living with them. No matter how much we try to disguise it on the outside, it's still ugly on the inside.
 The point? Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The wages for all those nasty sins that we try to disguise is death. But instead, Jesus took our sins from us. He knew the trashcan was too heavy for us to lift, too filled with all of our mistakes, sins, and sadness. So He lifted that weight from us. He took our sins. And, in placement? He offers us a free gift. Eternal life with Him. All we have to do is accept it. Give the trashcan load of ugliness in your life to Jesus, let Him carry it, He already took care of that, all of that, on the cross. And instead, walk towards Him, with no burden weighing you down.
 Kayla Joy

Beautiful, Broken Shards

Ever seen the colorful jars that seem to be made by many broken pieces? It looks almost as if someone created a perfect jar, smashed it, then picked up all the pieces and glued them back together. Somehow, after the pieces have been glued together, the jar is so much more beautiful and elegant than ever before.
 Sometimes, we get so broken and hurt by things in this world. Our hearts seem crushed beyond repair, and we don't know how to repair it. Anytime we try to pick up the shards, we just get cut and hurt more by them. Psalms 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." No matter how broken beyond repair you may seem, God is close to you. He'll pick up those broken pieces in your life and repair them. And, though it may not seem like it at the time, He can make something even more beautiful than before out of the broken pieces.
 Kayla Joy

Beauty Unseen

Stepping barefoot into dried, brown soil, I cut a rose off our blooming rose bush. Having just starting blooming a few days ago, this bush is currently a very impressive display of vibrant red roses, and bright pink roses. Sitting down in the grass, I looked over the rose I had picked and smiled at its beauty. The rose was a gorgeous dark red, so red it could almost be called purple. But, until I looked closer, I hadn’t noticed pink camouflaged bugs crawling on the inside of the rose. The outside was magnificent, but, as it turned out, the inside was filthy with bugs.

Sometimes, we try to look beautiful on the outside. We want to be pleasing to the human eye, and we can get so carried doing this, that we forget what really matters--being pleasing to God on the inside. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Yes, you have beauty. But your beauty should come from the inside, the beauty of an unfading, gentle, and quiet spirit, not from anything on the outside. If you truly want to please God, stop comparing your outward beauty to others and start considering how your inside looks. For what’s the use of only being beautiful on the outside?

Kayla Joy

Build Your House on the Rocks

You’re given three large rocks, a bin, and a bag of yellow, grainy sand. You’re told that, somehow, you must fit the rocks and sand in the bin, and still be able to close the bin. Thinking this will be easy, you smile confidently and begin to open the bag of sand. Carefully pouring the sand into the bin, you wait until every last grain is in the bin, then proceed to the rocks. Putting the three large rocks in, you then grab the lid of the bin, prepared to close it. Then you realize something. There’s no way you can close the bin with the rocks on top. You can easily close the lid with the rocks out, but it doesn’t seem possible to fit them all in.

Then, it hits you. Why didn’t you put the rocks first? If you put the rocks on the bottom, then the sand will gradually sink in, filling the holes around the rocks. After rearranging it like this, you can easily shut the lid. The bin is still full of rocks and sand, but the order of importance is rearranged.

Don’t we do this in our life? We say that we’re too busy to spend time in devotions, too busy to pray, too busy to spend time listening to God. We want to put a time limit on God and say, “God, I’m giving you five minutes to speak to me. If you don’t speak to me in those five minutes, Your fault. So You’d better hurry and speak, cause I’m not waiting any longer!” We say we have such a busy schedule that we can’t fit in time with God. We say the important stuff comes first...so why doesn’t the important stuff come first? The important stuff is devotions and time with God. Yet too often, we decide that those are only the ‘if we have time’ options. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Like the rocks and the sand, if we put the most important stuff at the bottom, the rest of the stuff can slide in around it, it’ll find room to fit somehow. If we seek God first, all the other things will work out. What comes first in your life?

Kayla Joy

Each with a Purpose

Sitting in the shade of a tree, I plucked a dandelion. This once vibrant yellow dandelion had faded over a period of days into a white fluff of seeds, ready to spread out on their own and make new dandelions. I plucked one seed from the dandelion and twirled it around between my fingers. A dandelion like this might, from a distance, seem like one whole flower. But when you look closer, you can see tiny individual seeds, each with an almost identical look.

The seeds on the flower weren’t a mistake, God put each and every little seed there for a purpose. Similarly, God made us each unique. He made each and every one of us, and gave us all different abilities.

Finally, I blew all the seeds off the dandelion. Fluffy, white wisps of seeds were swept away in the breeze. Some of the seeds went farther than others, some went higher, some went on the grass, only to be swept up again in another light nudge from the wind.  But no matter where they ended up, or how long it took them to get there, they all eventually made it where they were supposed to. Some of us are better at math, some are better at painting, some of us are better at sports, but whatever it is, God made you unique. He had a purpose in mind when He made you.

Kayla Joy

Forever Loved

A flower reminds me of God’s love for us. It blossoms with all sorts of colors, fiery orangish red, sunshine yellow, and bruised purple in different seasons. Sometimes it wilts and we don’t notice it as much. But even if it looks all dead, it’s still a flower. And even when we don’t pay attention it to, it’s still there, sitting, waiting to be noticed and bloom again. The big difference is, God’s love for us doesn’t fade in and out or wilt like a flower does, it’s always there, and always strong. But sometimes, we ignore it. We forget to how important it is. Just because we always have it and we always will have it, we start to think it’s nothing. But then something reminds us of God’s love and His love is once again noticed and relied upon. Having God's love always makes us forget how special His love for us really is. But shouldn't it make His love all the more special? Shouldn't it make us realize that everything changes, but God never does, He always loves us, and He always will. Can’t we at least try to fully appreciate the love God pours out on us day after day? Or will we just go on, remembering only on holidays such as Easter, about God’s great love for us?
 Kayla Joy

Little Eyes, Big Impressions

I smiled as I watched a little three year old girl run around the chapel after the morning service. Her long, gorgeous black curls bounced with each small step she took, and she laughed as she took off in a hurry, trying to avoid the tagger in a game. Just as she was about to get tagged, she spotted me and sprinted towards me. She stopped just short of me, leaped as high as she could, then wrapped her small hands and legs around my skirt, clinging tightly, and squealing "Up! Up!" in the excitement of the moment. Her adorable grin lite up her whole face as I scooped her up. Gleefully laughing that she was now taller than her tagger (a 7 year old girl) and thus couldn't be tagged, she tugged on my shirt and plea-fully begged for me to run. I couldn't disappoint her! Running around the nearly empty chapel with her in my arms, she giggled uncontrollably. Before long, her laughter was contagious, catching on to me and another little girl we were playing with. After 10 minutes of running around carrying a giggling 3 year old, I set her down on the floor to give myself a break. What I hadn't realized then was, after 10 minutes of a completely joyful 3 year old, this little girl wasn't going to be happy unless I was holding her. She was already attached to me (quite literally, not letting go of my legs), so I had to satisfy her for 20 more minutes of holding her.
 Though it may not seem like it sometimes, children are watching us. Whether it's our neighbors children, or children you see passing in the streets, they're watching us, waiting to see how we'll react to things. Even this little girl was watching me, wanting to see how long I would hold her before tiring. Are we going to lose our temper at the little children when they mess up, or are we going to forgive them and show them love?
 Matthew 18:6 says, "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." I always thought this verse was so severe sounding. Notice how it doesn't say that it would be better for them to be put in jail for a few years or anything that small. Rather, it says, "It would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." That verse definitely implies how important it is to not cause a little one who believes in God to stumble. Whatever you do, they're going to notice. And they will learn and start imitating you. So what are you showing them? Are you showing them how to lie by lying to them? Or are you praying with them at bed-time, teaching them how to pray on their own? No matter the size of the eyes watching you, set a role model for the people around you.
Kayla Joy

Loving Loudly

While I was up in Minnesota for camp during some of the summer, I spent the weekends at my aunt and uncle's house. Though very much sleep deprived from the week, I loved running around with some of my younger cousins, Buddy and Kallie, and playing a game with them. Their game was very simple--they try to capture me and put me in the 'dungeon', I try to escape from capture. I cherished every second of their laughter and smiles. But after a while of running around, even they were happy to sit down and eat supper.
 After fighting over who got to sit next to me (Kallie won that time), Kallie turned to me and loudly announced that she had a secret to tell me. I smiled at her and she leaned in close. Cupping both of her small hands around my ear in a very secretive manner, she declared (loudly enough for everyone at the table to hear), "Guess what?? I love you!". My heart melted at this adorable moment from my little cousin. Kallie sat there grinning at me, so I cupped my hands around her ear and whispered that I loved her, too.
 Just like how Kallie's loud 'secret' message wasn't a secret, so is God's message to you. His message to you? He loves you! No matter what you've done wrong, what you've been through, how long you've been on the wrong path for, God still loves you, and He always will. Ephesians 3:17-19 says, “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” His love is wide, long, high, and deep. Nothing can separate us from His love, and He wants you to know that.
 Kayla Joy

The Best Part, or the Whole Part?

I carefully scooped oatmeal into a white paper bowl and handed the bowl of warm oatmeal to an elderly man. I was working in dining hall up in a camp in Minnesota, and I always loved meal times. Our supervisor had to pick one or two people to help serve the food to the campers. During the second week, I was the only person who wanted to serve. So, I always got the chance of serving food to these people. This week was family camp, so I was serving to all sorts of people--adults, teenagers, toddlers, and even babies. It was organized in a cafeteria style. After a family was dismissed from their table, they would walk, one by one, and go through the line of food. Servers would stand in different spots and serve food. I earned the nickname 'Oatmeal Lady', since I served oatmeal every breakfast, and today was the same. After being asked by this elderly man if this was the real stuff or "a fake", I assured him that this was real oatmeal. Thanking me, he walked on his way. I glanced at the line ahead of me, preparing to scoop up more oatmeal, when I noticed something that made me laugh. A little boy, about 2 years old, stood by his mother, staring at the blueberry muffins sitting out on a tray. His mother, clearly distracted by putting bacon on his breakfast plate, didn't see what this little boy was doing, until it was too late. This blond haired boy stretched out his small hand, reached as much as he could, and finally grasped a warm muffin. Licking his lips, he took a huge bite out of the top of the muffin. Then, once only the top of the muffin was gone, he looked both ways (to make sure nobody was looking), and set the muffin back on the tray. This clearly already eaten out of muffin sat pitifully on the tray, definitely not an appealing sight to any hungry campers. Then, taking another muffin, the boy did the same thing. After his second muffin only had the top bitten off, he put it back. By this time, his whole face was light up with a smile bigger than a house. Grabbing for yet a third muffin, he opened his mouth for a huge bite. But this time, before he could feel the crumbly muffin reach his mouth, his mother realized what he was doing. Quickly snatching up the muffin, she set it back on the tray. Then, horrified by what her son had done, she scolded him lightly. Picking up the two muffins he took a bite out of, she set them on his plate, determined that he would eat even the less tasty bits of the muffin.
 Isn't this what we're like in our Christian life? It sounds great to call ourselves Christians! But...we don't exactly what to live like Christians. Living for Jesus every single day of our lives? Not like, once a month? Maybe even once a week, on Sundays? So instead we decide that, we'll just take the best part. Just like the little boy biting into a muffin, he just wanted the yummy part. We often just want the title 'Christian', and leave the living for Jesus bit to someone else. Might be appealing to someone else, right?
 There's no point to even calling yourself a Christian if you only want the title. If your only reason for calling yourself a Christian, is because it sounds impressive to other people, don't even bother calling yourself a Christian. We can't decide that we want to be called a Christian, but not live like one. If that little boy had tasted the bottom of those two muffins, if he had given them a chance, maybe he would have realized that it was better than he ever thought possible.
 Kayla Joy

Stumbling Steps

Sitting down on our back steps, I gently picked up my Bible and started reading from it. After reading a small passage, I glanced into the beautiful sunset just starting. The wind gently blew my hair, adding a pleasant relief to the hotness. Hearing squeals and giggles, I smiled and turned towards the noise. Our neighbors had a little girl, about a year and a half old. This little girl is the happiest girl ever. Always with a smile on her face and a hand quick to wave at anybody, she can find pleasure in the slightest things. Intrigued by placing a small cup inside a bigger one, she was finding this so amusing she just had to show her mommy. Toddling over unsteadily to her mother, she tripped on the cemented steps and landed on her knees. This only wiped the smile on her face off her for a second. The next second, she picked herself up, smiled, and continued slowly toddling towards her mother, not forgetting for a second what she found so funny.
 It's much like this in our Christian walk. We set our minds on a goal--to be more Christlike--and slowly, ever so slowly, progress closer and closer to that goal. Often, throughout this walk, we stumble, much like the little girl. And stumbling can definitely be discouraging. Whether we fall on the ground from a large height, or only a small height like the little toddler, it's disappointing. It's easier to just give up on our goal all together. To say that we stumble too much and will never make it there. After all, we know that, even if we get up and try walking again, we'll stumble countless more times.
 God knew we would stumble. He knew we would get discouraged. He knew we would lose focus of Him. He knew. The amazing thing? God's grace covers us. All of us. No matter how many times we stumble, He'll be there for us, reaching out His hand. No matter how many times we get discouraged, He'll be there for us, waiting for us to turn to His word and look for encouragement. No matter how many times we lose focus of Him, He'll help us refocus our attention on Him. 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." His grace is sufficient for you. That grace didn't come at a cheap price. But He gave it to us because we are worth it. It doesn't matter how many times we stumble, fall into a huge pit, or mess up, He's waiting for us to turn back to Him. And when we do? He covers us with His amazing, endless grace and once again focuses our attention back on Him.

Kayla Joy

Spider Love

After many times of meaning to memorize a certain verse, I decided it was official. I was going to memorize more Bible verses! Sitting down at my computer, I typed out a list of some of the Bible verses I wanted to memorize. Then I came across 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Halfway through writing out this verse, I saw movement in the corner of my eye. Glancing down, I noticed a huge dirt colored brown spider crawling only inches away from my foot. Leaping out of the way, I instantly searched my room for something to kill him with. Conveniently, my sandal was right beside me. After a scary chase around my room, I finally smashed him to his death. Then I thought about the verse I had just been typing. 'Love is patient'. Well, I hadn't exactly been patient with him and compromised saying, 'Okay, I'll give you two days to get out of my house. The door is downstairs, I'll wait for you to get down there and open it for you since you don't exactly feel like getting killed today'. 'Love is kind'. Well, I hadn't exactly chosen the kindest path for this spider. 'It always protects' Hey! I'm not going to protect a spider, okay?? He's...a spider! 'Always hopes'. No way am I going to hope for this spider to not crawl up my arm in the middle of the night and suck my blood!
 Another words, I hadn't been loving to this spider. Which, seeing as he's a spider, is fine. But don't we act this way towards people, too? Maybe they're difficult to get along with, always seem to be doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Maybe they're slow to understand a concept or can't seem to ever stop saying rude, hurtful words. But this Bible verse says that true love, the kind Jesus showed for us, loves the person regardless of how 'unlovable' they may seem. He loves them, even with all of their faults, just like how He loves us, even with all of our faults. If He created them and loves them, why can't we show that kind of love to everybody, not just the 'easy to love' people?
 Kayla Joy

Thoughts on a Bible Passage

John 13:1-17 describes Jesus washing His disciples feet's. Now, I can perfectly understand the disciples washing Jesus's feet but, really? Jesus humbling Himself to the position of a servant and washing their feet? The disciples didn't deserve it, they should have been the ones washing Jesus's feet. But thankfully, God doesn't always give us what we deserve. We deserve to die on the cross for our sins, but instead Jesus took our punishment. He humbled himself to a position that we were supposed to fulfill. Someone had to do it, but instead of the ones deserving of the punishment, Jesus took it for us. Jesus, the perfect One, cared enough for us to die on the cross for sins He was completely undeserving of. Why would He do it? Because He loves us. He loves us so much that He would rather pay for our punishments than give us what we deserve. Because He took our death away and gave us life instead, can't we live for Him?
Kayla Joy

Trust in Strawberry Cheerios, or Trust in God?

One of the few cereals I liked when I was little, was cheerios. Plain cheerios were 'alright', but in my small mind, the best thing ever was to have cheerios with fresh strawberries in them. Even when I was little I always accompanied my mom to the store. I remember one particular time when she told me to pick out which kind of cereal I wanted. Naturally, I darted to the rather large section of cheerios. What seemed like hundreds of choices of cereal loomed before me, and I could spend all day deciding. Knowing that I didn't have all day to decide in, I grabbed a box with a seemingly perfect picture. In the box picture was a large shiny spoon with a mound full of cheerios stacked high on it. Milk swam in the bowl below the spoon. And, to top it all off, there were my beloved strawberries, beautifully mixed in with the cheerios, not to mention generously sprinkled on. I could already imagine biting into the plump, juicy strawberries. I quickly grabbed that picture perfect box and ran to the cart, and, as I did with all of my precious items, placed the cheerio box on the cart's childs seat. I then fumbled with the buckle. Clumsily I secured the buckle around my precious box of strawberry cheerios. Sighing contentedly, I willingly offered helpful suggestions to what we should buy, (suggestions such as begging for cookies, chips, and healthy things such as that).
 The next morning I woke up rather tired, wishing I could have slept in more. Strangely enough, my tiredness vanished completely when I remember the box of cheerios. My strawberry covered cheerios. Scooting my stool over to the fridge, I climbed up and successfully took down my cheerios. I grabbed a bowl and a spoon, and sped over to the table. After requesting that my dad open the box (as most of the boxes I attempted to open turn out tattered in my frenzied attempts to open it quickly) he opened it for me. Thinking for only a second how jealous I was of him for being able to open it so perfectly, I peeked in the box. Cheerios were covering the box, but I didn't spot a single one of my juicy strawberries. Convinced they were hiding at the bottom, I started to pour myself a bowl. Only dried up old looking strawberries came out. No fresh, juicy, bright red strawberries.
 I instantly questioned my dad, holding up one of the pitiful looking dried strawberries. "What are these?!  The box showed juicy strawberries!" He explained gently that these were airtight strawberries, they wouldn't rot like the fresh ones would. I was instantly let down. I had mainly gotten these cheerios for the juicy strawberries--I had been cheated of them! I then demanded, "Why did the box lie?! They showed a picture of these, it has to have these in it!". Unaware that I had been expecting the juicy strawberries, my dad tried explaining to me again, but I felt I had been cheated. "This is a massive injustice! We should return the box for a box of fresh strawberries! The box says you can if you're not satisfied, and I'm not satisfied at ALL!" I remember thinking, filling with a rage. I finally settled down to eat the cheerios, disgustedly tasting all of the dried up strawberries. I stared at the box the whole time I ate, thinking if I looked upset at the the whole time, maybe it would help.
 We tend to put our trust in people. Now, it's not bad to trust people, but we have to understand that they're only human, they're going to mess up. They're going to disappoint us. But if we put our trust in God, He will never forsake us. We may be disappointed because He didn't do something how we wanted Him to, but He has a good plan for us, and He's in control. I put my trust in the picture on the cereal box, sure that it would come out exactly how it said. But I was sorely disappointed, my lovely fresh envisioned strawberries were nowhere to be seen, only tiny dried up rather wilted looking bits of strawberries. Hebrews 13:5 says, "“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” People come in and out of our lives, you can't guarantee whose going to stay in your life and who won't, but you can be sure that God will. He promises never to leave or forsake us! And He doesn't false advertise like that box of cheerios did. Why don't we put our trust in the one whose perfect, who will never forsake us, and who loves us faithfully?
 Kayla Joy

Wandering in Circles, or Walking with a Purpose?

Pausing for a split second, I happened to glance at an ant on the wall. My first reaction was immediately to get rid of him, but I resisted this urge out of curiosity. I simply wanted to see where he was going and what he would do once he got there. Taking a seat on the floor, I watched this little black figure walk hesitantly up the wall, stopping every few seconds to glance about him. Finally, he seemed sure that he wanted to go to the top of the wall, so, zooming speedily along, he continued to make his way up the wall. Once he had reached the top, this little guy stopped to consider his options. It seemed he had forgotten why he wanted to get to the top, and, decided that, instead, the bottom of the wall looked much nicer. So, turning his body around, he started at a slower pace down the wall. This loop went on for seemingly forever, though, in reality, only a few short minutes. At arriving at the bottom of the wall, he turned straight around and made a bees line for the top, after the top turned straight around and made a bees line for the bottom. Finally, I let my cruelty take over and killed the pitiful thing.

This small black ant seemed, even to himself, to have no purpose in life. All he knew to do was, once stuck inside a room with the door shut, climb up and down the wall. He couldn’t make up his mind where to go. The instant he was on one side, he decided he wanted to be on the other. Thus, shifting constantly, he was walking in circles and getting no where.

Don’t we do the same sometimes? At times, we feel invigorated in our faith--ready to live every second for Christ! And yet, at other times, we feel dull and ordinary, not exactly determined to live for Christ. Revelation 3:15-16 says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Similarly, like the ant, we can’t decide which side to be on. So we end up being between as a compromise. We don’t want to be on one side and stay there! But this verse strongly makes its point, it’s better to be hot or cold than in between. Just like that ant--what’s the purpose of wandering from side to side?

Kayla Joy

We All Fall Down

I don't know about all dogs, but Sammy definitely wants to please us. But, he's just a dog, he sometimes disobeys us because he thinks he has a better idea. We're like Sammy, we want to please our Master, and we love our master, but, we all mess up. And sometimes, we think we know better. Sammy seems rather torn if we call him when he'd rather not listen. Sometimes, he does obey us. But there are other times that he thinks he knows better. He doesn't realize that if we had him off leash and let him dart for a squirrel, he'd run straight into a car into the street. We're like that, we love our Master, but we all mess up. We all sin and decide to do something instead of obey our Master. But the amazing thing is, He doesn't throw us in the dog pound for being bad, He lifts us up out of the muddy hole we're stuck in, wipes our tears away, and tells us that He already paid for that sin.

Kayla Joy

Which Will You Choose?

We had grown from seed a tall orange tree, and expected it to produce many good oranges for us. After all, we had taken the orange seed from a huge and fruitful orange tree. Why shouldn’t this plant be just as fruitful and delicious as the first plant, or so we figured. Thus, watering faithfully and watching grow from a tiny green sprout into a tall plant, we happily nurtured this plant with everything it needed to survive. A nice sun room, warmth, water, soil, everything it needed was provided. But before long, we noticed changes between the two plants. The orange tree with many oranges clinging happily to it was bushy, and wide. It seemed to spread its branches and leaves as far out as they could go. Whereas the other plant grew straight up, reaching for the ceiling, and almost accomplishing it’s goal. However, the most noticeable difference between the two plants soon was discovered--the incredibly long thorns that completely overtook this tall plant. Not one tiny orange, pitiful or not, grew out of this plant. After giving it many years of growing, we finally gave up on it and dumped it into its grave--the compost pile. This plant was given everything possible to grow into a healthy fruitful tree. So shouldn’t it have grown into one, instead of an tall, poky tree?
 What sort of fruit do we bear? We’re given the chance to read our Bibles, to attend Bible studies, to grow in our faith. But sometimes, even though we’re given all the things we could possibly need, we remain fruitless and thorny. Luke 6:43-44 says, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.” As this verse says, people don’t pick fruit from thornbushes or briers. What good is a thornbush or brier bush? None at all. Many bear thorns and bristles, but only some choose fruit. Which will you choose to bear?
 Kayla Joy

White-Out, or White as Snow

Picture a book typed out from a typewriter. Half of the pages are filled with dents, black ink blots, and misspelled words. But you have a whole half a book of emptiness. Just waiting to be filled. Are you going to continue your life how you started, constantly messing up, trying to, unsuccessfully, use white-out to disguise your mistakes? Or are you going to confess your mistakes to the One who can make them as white as snow? And the second question is, what are you going to do with the second half of your book? Are you going to make mistakes along the way? Yes. But this time, you don't have to feel like you're all on your own--cause you're not on your own. You have Jesus picking you up when you fall. And He does more than disguise your mistakes with white-out, He erases them completely
 Kayla Joy

A Cheerful Heart and a Lasting Impression

Last year at this time, we were at a hotel, on our way down from Florida. I can clearly remember every detail about breakfast at the hotel that day. That day was a special day. That day, was Christmas day. But that breakfast would have passed over in my memory by now, after all, I was too excited about traveling to Florida to think about anything else. Yet it stuck out in my memory for a sole reason--a person named Deborah.
 The only reason I know Deborah's name, is because I saw her name tag. She was serving breakfast at the hotel, and went way beyond what her job duty called for her to do. All she was supposed to do, was clear off tables, clean up spills, and keep the food refreshed and full for ravenous travelers. She did a good job of this, filling up the food containers when they were getting low, picking up spills caused by young, clumsy hands, and clearing dirty plates after they were abandoned. But this, in itself, wouldn't have made an impression on me in the least bit. It was what was expected of her, after all. What stuck out to me, was the ways she went beyond her job. Keep in mind, this was Christmas day, not a fun day to be serving grumpy, tired travelers their breakfast. But she would go up to tables, and ask if she could get a drink, food, or anything for them. She acted as if she was a waitress! The whole time her face was gleaming with a huge smile, that seemed to light up the very walls themselves. She talked with me some, asking me my name, and wishing me a Merry Christmas. So that day, I wrote her a note and stuck it with some chocolates. Just a reminder that somebody appreciates what she does. Now that we're back at that very same hotel, I'm writing her another note. I don't know if she still works here or not. I don't know if she remembers me or not. But if she does still work here, even if she doesn't remember me, I know she'll appreciate a thank you note. So I'm leaving her another one. Maybe it'll be the last time I can, or maybe it'll be a new tradition.
 Just a reminder for this Christmas/New Years. You might have to work on Christmas Eve or maybe even Christmas day itself, but, keep in mind the real reason for the season, and then you'll definitely have something to carry a smile on your face the whole day. Happy Christmas and New Years! :)
Kayla Joy

A Stranger's Encouragement

    I quickly walked from our church van to the inside of the homeless shelter, hoping to avoid the freezing cold. Nodding a polite “thank you” to the gentleman opening the door for me, I stepped inside the building. It was a cold night in downtown Cincinnati, and just the thought of spending another minute outside sent shivers up my spine. Even though it was November and the ground bore no snow, the air sent flurries of cold rushes every now and then. I gently stamped my feet against the carpet several times, trying to regain the feeling in them.   

    Soon my youth group and I were swept away. We followed the person who seemed to know where he was taking us. Walking through winding passages, we passed by mysterious doors. The closed doors had just enough sound coming from the inside to make you curious to know what’s behind the doors. Finally, our short tour through the building came to a close, as the group stopped. I peered ahead, straining to see where we were led. Looking ahead, I noticed a room filled with people. We had arrived just in time to catch the end of the sermon the homeless shelter was providing.
  
    After the sermon, my youth group and I were signaled to quietly follow our youth group leader. He lead us along more passages, until we stopped at the kitchen.  We were given a short introduction of how to do things, then told to put on gloves and necklaces. Putting on my gloves, I quietly laughed at how big they were on me. Next, I was handed a beaded necklace, with a plastic chili pepper dangling at the end. Carefully placing the necklace around my neck, I stared at the design for a few seconds, smiling. It was a Mexican theme dinner, and they definitely wanted everybody to know that. The food included spicy rice and chicken. The brightly lit room held decorations on the colorful walls, making the room dance with glee. Rubbing my gloved fingers against the smooth crescent shape of the chili pepper necklace, I waited for the homeless people to come in.    

    Within minutes, a flood of people came in through the doors. Taking seats quickly, the people sat down expectantly. I took two plates, one in each hand, put on a welcoming smile, and set out to serve the women first, as we were instructed to do.         Next, we gave the men their food. They seemed especially hungry, and were soon asking for seconds. After a continuous motion of picking up two plates, and setting them down in front of people, finally, everyone was content. I smiled at the large, chatty, happy group. I was glad to be able to help someone in need. As the demand for workers died down, a few of my youth group mingled with the crowd.    

    My eyes searched the large room, looking for a welcoming face. They wandered to a certain table. At that table was a man with a short white beard, his fingers were opening up a battered and torn sketchbook, revealing a crystal white, blank, sheet of paper. Watching a girl in my youth group, Melissa, he was carefully studying her face.      As long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for art; unfortunately, I’m horrible at it. You can’t even recognize what I’m drawing! My love for art took me over to that table anyway. He had already completed the outline of her face, adding in stray bits of her hair. I glanced at his materials for drawing. A sketchbook, a well sharpened but small pencil, two colored pencils, one was a light brown, and the other was a deep blue sea, a pencil sharper, and an old, well used eraser. The eraser looked like it could stand for only one more use, before it would crumble up into practically nothing.These were all the tools he had for drawing.    

    In less than ten minutes, he had completed all of her drawing. The finished work nearly took my breath away, glueing my eyes to the sketch. He didn’t add much color, couldn’t, with only two colors to choose from. However, he did color in her eyes. A gorgeous light brown. That was the only place he added color. Few people really consider how gorgeous light brown is, but when you see it used like I did, it was simply amazing. Wisps of hair ran slightly into her face, making the drawing seem more realistic. The shading was perfect in the drawing, lightly filling up some corners, and adding more shade in others. He gently tore his drawing out of his sketch pad, and said he wanted her to have it. She thanked him and walked away, after chatting politely for a few more minutes.   

    I just couldn’t seem to leave that table. So I sat down to talk with him. I asked him if he’d ever taken art classes. “I’ve never taken an art class in my life,” was his simple answer. He was just naturally good, saying, “It’s not my best art work, I had to hurry and finish, it’s really not that good.” I told him about my love for art. He said he felt the same way about art. He told me never to give up, and told me what was most important in artworks to him. “Details matter the most,” he said repeatedly. He encouraged me in my love for art, telling me that I could do better than him one day.

    Eventually, it was time to go. I asked him for his name, but only caught the last part. Hill. Mister Hill. It’s his encouragement that’s kept me going throughout the frustrating artworks I draw, that never seem to look like anything but scribbles and lines. If he, with only a stub of a pencil, a sheet of paper, and sheer determination could create something that beautiful, then surely I could continue to try to draw as good as he. A stranger encouraged me in my passion and love for art. He knew I could do it, and he had faith in me. 

                         Kayla Joy

Building Up, or Breaking Down

 "Because you're a failure!"
 These words caught my attention in Sunday school today. Though said in a joking manner, I still felt bad for the boy these words were directed towards. Simply because this boy lost a game, he was getting called a failure. Taking it good naturally, he just laughed away the insult, but I could tell it still hurt.
 As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be lifting each other up, not putting each other down. It's certainly not bad to joke with one another, but we, as Christians, must be careful what we say, and how we do it. Jokes such as, "...you're a failure!", and "you know nothing!" will only hurt others. Nothing out of those jokes, or similar ones, even if obviously untrue ones, will build up others in their faith and love for Christ. None of that molds them into who God wants them to be. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" When we speak, we need to make sure that what we say, will benefit those who are listening to us. Who will even want to be around someone who is constantly demoting another?
 Yet there is a balance between the two. We shouldn't constantly be putting others down, and at the same time, we need to be encouraging others to do better at areas in their life that they struggle with. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 says, "And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone". As that verse says, we need to encourage the timid, warn the idle, help the weak, and with everyone, be patient! Throwing compliments simply to butter people up will also, in the end, harm the person. Proverbs 15:1 says, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” We need to be gentle with our words, and encouraging one another. Yes, we must build each other up, but we need to be gentle in how we do it. Being harsh will only cause hurt and anger, consequently turning them away from any words they may need to hear. Can't we all do better at this? Can't we all benefit from doing this?
 Kayla Joy

Complete Trust in the Making

It's a warm, beautiful fall day. Leaves of all colors, red, orange, yellow, some even violet, are sitting on the ground, crunching audibly as someone passes by. Just a few feet away are giggles from a happy five year old. This girl sits on her bike, bouncing her short, curly locks up and down, waiting for her mother to catch up. As her mother catches up, the girl spreads a smile throughout her face, anticipating what's coming next. Her mother gives her a soft push, just enough to get the girl going, as the girl learns to pedal for the first time. Every so often the mom gives a harder push, and the girl bursts out into unstoppable giggles. These giggles soon latch on to others, and within seconds everybody watching is giggling happily. Though the girl sometimes falls, she knows that her mother will be right along side of her, the whole way, and she will be safe. This bright eyed happy child, knows that her mother cares for her, and wants what's best. She trusts her mother will catch her so much, that she isn't afraid of falling.
 Don't we do the opposite sometimes? We know that God has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) We know that He cares for us and loves us. Yet we're not willing to put our full trust in Him, the Maker of the world! We're afraid to fall and make mistakes, which all of us are going to do, hundreds of times, no matter how much we're afraid of it. We worry about situations. But if we put our full trust in God, we won't need to worry. Because we know that He'll be alongside us the whole way, catching us as we fall, and helping us get back up. Why can't we put our full trust in Him, in every and any situation? He's who's in control of the situations, anyways. It's not like we were in charge of the situations before, and now are letting God take control, because He was always in control, we're just deciding to acknowledge that. Can't you put your full trust in the Maker of the universe, the One who made you breath? The One who made you walk? The One who loved you, even before you were conceived?
 Kayla Joy

Couldn't We Do the Same?

We impatiently waited in the long line at the grocery store, more than ready to go home. I had my piano lesson in a few minutes, and the store was packed out. When we were finally making some progress in the line, one of the machines started complaining and not functioning properly. We kept waiting in that particular line, it was the smallest line, after all, hoping to have the issue resolved soon. We waited more, and some more. Yet the problem wasn't resolving. Employers were called up to that checkout line, as other workers opened up some more lanes.
 We quickly walked to a newly opened line, and waited behind a man and his young daughter. His energetic daughter, with a wide smile chattered away to her father, asking him, "why are there people in the store?" She was only about 3, or 4, and had the cutest blond wavy hair. Within seconds of waiting in the newly opened checkout lane, however, the man turned around to us and invited us to go ahead of him in the lane. We politely turned down his offer, pointing out that he only had a few groceries, and we had quite a few. Yet he insisted that we went before him, so we finally accepted, thanking him for his graciousness.
 As we tossed our groceries on the checkout counter, I happened to glance behind me, catching this gentleman talking to the lady behind him. After a few seconds the woman's face light up, and he scooted his cart and daughter to the side as she slipped ahead of him in the line. Because he had a young daughter with him, even though she was gracious about letting others go first, it must have been hard for the girl to wait to get home. All in all, the lines moved more quickly after that, and the man and his daughter left the store only about two minutes behind us. Yet they put smiles on our faces, and a message in our hearts. Couldn't we do the same? Couldn't we be more patient, wait just two minutes more, in order to do WWJD? Wouldn't we want the same done to us? 'Do unto others as you would have done to you' may come to mind, and it's what we should do. We should always be aiming to be more like Jesus. Though we can't, obviously, come close to how perfect Jesus is, we can still try to be.

Kayla Joy

Everything for God's Glory, or a few things?

A thick brown gooey substance oozed into my hand. Just moments before, I had been intrigued by a new shampoo in our bathroom. Instead of having any flavor to it, like most shampoos, this shampoo simply had the words "Extra Strength" on it. My curiosity was spiked, and I couldn't resist using this shampoo. As soon as the shampoo hit my hand, the scent also hit my nose. I cowered back in disgust, this new shampoo smelled so strong and horrible. This shampoo didn't look like it was smelled bad, but in this case, its looks were deceiving.
 Aren't our looks deceiving? We might look like we do everything we do for the glory of God. But do we really? Do we wake up every morning, thanking God for giving us a chance to sleep safely in our beds last night? Do we wake up, determined to walk for God's glory, to talk for His glory, to eat for His glory? Do we wake up, ready to do all of our appointments for the day, anticipated or dreaded appointments, all for God's glory? Do we really? Or do we wake up, recalling all of the appointments for the day, struggling to get through them all? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” This verse isn't saying, "So when you go to church, do it for the glory of God." This verse is saying when you do anything, eat, drink, whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. It doesn't matter if we're riding in a car, bathing our pets, or cleaning the house, we need to do all things for the glory of God. God gave us the ability to do all these things, can't we do all these things for His glory?
 Kayla Joy

Labeling Vegetables, or Labeling People?

I hastily searched through our rather large cabinet of canned goods, hoping to find non-expired green beans. I was asked to pick a vegetable for our dinner, and, being as green beans are a favorite of mine, I instantly decided upon green beans. Whenever we buy cans of any kind, we stack them in a certain cabinet. Sadly, some of these canned goods get pushed into the back, often being forgotten about for who knows how long. My dad calls this cabinet the ‘catacombs’ because of how long they get practically buried underneath other ones. Finally, I found a can of green beans. Though much encouraged after what seemed like ages of searching for a single can, I still needed to find another can--one can would too quickly be devoured by my family. I started taking cans out, looking for green labels around cans. All of our canned vegetables always have a light green label around them, making them easier to find than most. Finally, buried in the far left corner, I spotted a can with a green label. Smiling with relief, I reached back and grabbed it. Then I looked more closely at the can I had in my hand, and I realized something. I was holding a can of spinach, not green beans. From a distance, it looked like the can could have contained green beans. But when I actually took the time to look, I found it was something quite different than I imagined.

Sometimes we label people by their looks. And why not? Maybe they’re dressed in a skull jacket with chains dangling down, maybe their face is barely noticeable under all their make-up, maybe they don’t look the smartest. You know why not? Because John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” It doesn’t matter how they look, we’re supposed to love them regardless. If we can get over constantly labeling people by their looks, we can actually get to know them and find out just how special God created them. It doesn’t matter if everybody is making fun of them for their looks, Jesus loves them. Jesus loved them so much, that if that were the only person in the world, Jesus would have still died for that person. Jesus loves those people, so why can’t you stop labeling them long enough to love them?

Kayla Joy

Longing for Earthly Treasures?

Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.” The first sentence, ‘Whoever loves money never has money enough’ is the very beginning of a hint to us. If you love money, you’ll always be aiming to get more and more money. Before you know it, getting money will be the goal of your life. Matthew 6:19 says, "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.” If you store up all the money possible here on earth, you will have too much to spend! You can sit there for hours staring at all the shiny coins and brand new dollar bills, but when you leave this earth, all of this will be gone. Every single coin. So what’s the point of loving money? Loving money will lead to always wanting more, and if you always want more money, you’ll take your eyes off what is important, Jesus.
 The second verse says, ‘Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income’ This sentence holds a similar message, don’t get caught up in your belongings! You may have a great job, one that has a high income. But if your love for money goes to such an extent that you find yourself wanting a higher income, and complaining with the income that you currently have, you may be doing the same as in the first sentence, always wanting more and more of something. The last sentence sums it all up, “This too is meaningless”. There’s only one thing that’s good to find yourself longing for, and that’s Jesus. The more God opens your eyes and your heart, the more you’ll want to know about Him. He’s the only thing we should be constantly longing for.
 Kayla Joy

Love to Last us a Lifetime

Sometimes we feel like we're sinking beneath our heavy load. We don't see God reaching out His hand to us we begin to lose hope. We think, 'If God loved us enough, surely He'd reach out and save us'. God has an unmeasurable amount of love for us, which is why He sometimes chooses to let us struggle through something. But God never lets us struggle on our own, He's walking right beside us the whole way, holding our hand and whispering words of comfort.
 If your child was begging to eat only chocolate for three meals a day, would you let them? Of course not! Because you love your child, you want the best for your child, even if it means disappointing them. God has a reason for every struggle in your life. Though it may not be obvious at the moment, it may strength your faith as you learn to rely on Him. You may be able to help someone else who is struggling with the same thing. Or it may make you appreciate all of your blessings more. Whatever the reason, God has a plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Why do we sometimes doubt and have a tough time believing this? Have we ever read a Bible passage about God breaking a promise? No! God doesn't go back on His word, or break His promises. Which is why we can trust Him. People will disappoint us. People will hurt us. People will deceive us. But God always keeps His promises. He never deceives us. And because of this, we can have faith that this, also, is true. God does have plans for us, and not only does He have plans for us, but He has plans for us to prosper, for us to have hope, and for us to have a future. We don't know the plans that He has for us. But thankfully, He does. Struggles will be a part of your future. But even throughout our struggles, we can trust the One who loved us enough to create us, to have amazing plans for our life.

Kayla Joy

People Pleaser, or God pleaser?

His mind was racing with possibilities and fears. He knew without a doubt what he should do. But he was afraid of the results if he did what was right. He could be hung! He could be stoned! Wouldn't it be easier to go with the flow...? He glanced once again at the crowd and two people in handcuffs. One of the people in handcuffs was completely innocent. The other was a wanted criminal.
 Pilate saw no reason to crucify Jesus. John 19:6 says, "As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw Him, they shouted, 'Crucify! Crucify!' But Pilate answered, 'You take Him and crucify Him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against Him.'" And again, when the crowd insists more and more on the crucifixion of Jesus, Pilate objects. John 19:12 says, "From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, 'If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be the king opposes Caesar.'" Pilate knew the right choice. He may not have believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but he still knew what was right, he had a conscience after all. Is it even a question to ask is right, to release an innocent man, or crucify a criminal? These verses tell us that Pilate was stuck. He knew the right choice, but he didn't have the guts. And he was afraid. Afraid of a rebellion from a huge mob. He had pressure on him, he was the one who decided the fate for these two men. But because he didn't have the guts to do something right, he decided to, instead, be a people pleaser.
 Isn't that what we do sometimes? Not to the extent that Pilate did, but we try to 'go with the flow.' Often, we don't want to stand out, we'd prefer to blend in. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will." God is telling us not to be conformed or go with the flow. Instead of focusing on pleasing people, we need to focus on 'what God's will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will.' Being a people pleaser, and being a God pleaser, are completely different. Which one will you chose?
 Kayla Joy

Perfect Love

"Perfect love casteth out fear" 1 John 4:18
 What exactly is perfect love? Is it 'true love' as in fairy tales? Is it the love spouses have for each other? There's only one person capable of giving perfect love, God. He has such perfect love, that He sent down His son to die for us. He has such perfect love, that He made us. He has such perfect love, that He added all of the little details in our world, that make up so much. Imagine the world without trees swaying in the breeze, buzzing insects, curious animals, bright colorful leaves. Details may seem small, but they make up so much of our world! A few years ago, I volunteered at a homeless shelter. All I had was a small part, serving food to the homeless, but afterwards we got time to talk to the people. I was instantly drawn to a certain table, as the man had a few colored pencils, an eraser, and an opened sketch pad sprawled out on the table. I couldn't resist watching him as he drew someone in my youth group. His picture as a whole, was breathtaking! Every strand of hair was realistic! I talked to him after wards and asked him what was most important in his drawings. "Details, details are everything", he replied.
 What if we just had the basics? Water, one type of food, only grey colors, nothing colorful or bright! But because He loved us so much, He gave us the basics, and more! Much more than we need! He wants to see us happy. And though earthly pleasures will never give true happiness, He still gave them to us. What other perfect love can their be?
 Now let's look at the second part of the verse. "Perfect love casteth out fear" God is perfect love, and with Him, we have nothing to fear! Romans 8:38-39 says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV) What this verse is saying, is that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from His love. His perfect love. So if nothing can separate us from His perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear, we have nothing to fear with God on our side!
 Kayla Joy

Sentimental Treasures

I have hardly anything from my Grandpa. When I was just a toddler, he passed away from heart failure. Mainly what I have from my Grandpa, is memories. Memories of his love for me. I can remember my Grandma and Grandpa opening the door to their house, greeting us into their warm, cozy home. I can remember Grandpa scooping me up into his arms for a loving, soft hug. I can still feel the bristles from his beard brushing up against my cheek. I’ll forever treasure that memory.

    I remember a date I once went on with my Grandpa. We went to a Chinese restaurant, and I got sweet and sour meatballs. I don’t remember much of the actual date, but I remember thinking how special it was that he went on a date with me. After we ate, we drove back to their house. We both walked slowly up the sidewalk to their stairs, embracing the special moment of Grandfather with Granddaughter. He laughed as I held up a miniature umbrella the Chinese restaurant gave me. I soaked in his smiles and laughs as I continued to put the tiny umbrella over my head, protecting me from any rain on that overcast day. My Grandma came out to take a picture of us, and I remember him leaning down to my level for the picture. His face looked like it would burst into a hearty laugh at any moment, and his cheeks were bright red from smiling. I still have that picture of us, the only one I know of with just the two of us. I’ll forever treasure that picture.

    There’s one other thing that I have of Grandpa. I have a heart. A glass heart that says, “Let all that you do be in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14. I pick this glass heart up often, but I’m always very careful to make sure I don’t drop and shatter it on the floor. If my memories about Grandpa fade and grow dull, I’ll still have a heart from him. It may seem useless to hug a cold glass heart, but somehow it brings me comfort whenever I’m missing him. He left behind a secret message for me, a last wish. A gentle reminder to let ‘all that you do be in love’. I’ll forever treasure this glass heart he gave me, and I’ll especially always treasure the message he left behind.

Kayla Joy

Shaped Differently

A few minutes ago I was trying to cover a pan with aluminum foil. You'd think it'd be easy, but not really. The foil would rip, fall into the food, or not get in quite the shape I wanted it to. That got me thinking about this analogy...
 Aluminum foil acts a lot like we do. Now before you start thinking I'm crazy for using that as an analogy, think about it. Aluminum foil can easily wad up into a shiny silver ball, or tear. Kind of like us, we'll easily go with the crowd, and try to blend in. But whenever you're trying to get aluminum foil in a specif shape like how I was, it never seems to work. It either tears, or takes on a completely different shape than we want it to. God's trying to shape us, but instead of letting Him shape us, we often try to go with the flow of the world. We don't always want to take on the shape that He wants us to. But ultimately, it's for our own good. Or for the food's own good in this case. We just need to let Him shape and mold us how He wants us to be like.
 Kayla Joy

Taken For Granted

Though I'm months late in this topic, I just had to write on Thanksgiving. Our family has a tradition during Thanksgiving. We fill cups with bright, colorful candy, and secretly hide pennies in each others cups. We can have as many as 5 pennies, or as little as 1. Each person empties out their cup, digging through a boatload of candy for the pennies. However many pennies you have, that's how many things you state you're thankful for. We take turns going around the table saying what we're thankful for, and dropping a shiny penny into our cups after each thankful word. Almost everybody says the usual things they're thankful for, family, house, food, water, love, common things like that. But do we ever name the things that we so often take for granted?
 So often we take gifts that God has given us for granted. For instance, how many times today have you thanked God for letting you walk? This was something I took for granted numerous times. I felt like, 'Sure, everybody can walk', but not until my injury took that away, was I really thankful for being able to walk. And this isn't even true! Not everybody can walk, some people are born without legs, some people are paralyzed, not everybody can walk. And even if everybody could, would that make a gift any less? For example, if you gave to all of your relatives the same book, would that make the gift less valuable? It might seem to, but it really shouldn't. He gave us the amazing ability to walk, we should be thanking Him for it, not complaining when He takes it away.
 What are other gifts we often take for granted, running, biking, skipping, how about even simply talking? Imagine if you couldn't talk, or see, or hear! How much you'd be missing out on! You couldn't tell people your feelings, see the beautiful trees blooming bright with orange and yellow, or hear a comforting word. Sometimes, to be truly thankful for something, you first have to have it taken away. I'm very thankful I can walk again, and with time my thankfulness will probably lessen, as it becomes normal to always be walking, but does that mean that we should thank God any less for this wonderful gift? Let's keep thanking Him for all He's given us, family, house, food, water, love, and also things we commonly assume everybody has, the ability to walk, run, talk, see, or hear.
 Kayla Joy

The Dried Up Rose

As I slipped quietly under my covers last night, fully prepared to go to bed, I paused for just a second as my eyes fell on a bundle of dried up roses hanging upside down by only a thread. My sisters had tied up the roses I was given in my room upon my request. I remembered when the roses were fresh, a beautiful, bright red color emanating off the roses. Not only that, but the roses had an earthy smell to them, a wonderful smell.
 Yet as the days passed by, a few lone, solitaire petals fell off occasionally. The color slowly dimmed, turning into more of a light pink, then, eventually, a light gray color. The roses soon lost their earthy smell, crinkling up into stiff, fragile petals.
 This immediately reminded me our life as Christians. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we begin a fresh, new life. But as the years drag along, our vibrant enthusiasm that we initially had as we became Christians, tends to dull, just like the roses. Our life seems dry, and starts to lose meaning, once again.
 After we've become Christians, we're, figuratively, reborn. But we're not supposed to stay babies in diapers, nursing off bottles and crying for food. We need to grow up eventually! Too often we tend to stay babies, crying for attention, food, bottles, and diaper changes. We have to grow in Christ!
 So here's a challenge for anybody reading this--for the rest of this week, I challenge you to grow in Christ. Stop using those bottles, crying for baby food, and needing diaper changes. Grow in God, and you'll find amazing changes in yourself.
Kayla Joy