Humbling Love

We love to have people do things for us. Whether it's something small, or something big, we'd rather have someone else do it for us. After all, we deserve to be served, right? If that was true, then why would Jesus wash feet? Jesus, the person who truly deserves to be served, serving others?

For sake of room, I'm not going to put the whole passage here. So look up John 13:1-17 to see all of it, but basically Jesus washes the disciples feet. Here Jesus is, about to die for their sins after living a perfect, sinless life, and He's washing dirty feet. If I were as perfect as Jesus, I sure wouldn't want to stoop to that level, I would demand them to wash my feet instead (thankfully for others, I'm not perfect like Jesus, so you don't have to wash my feet). John 13:14-17 says, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." Here, Jesus is pretty clear. "You also should wash one another's feet." Cleaning somebody else's foot was about the humblest thing you could do! Not only were you wiping dust and dirt off a foot, but you were wiping dust and dirt off a foot to see who knows how many blisters, warts, and calluses hidden underneath. Not exactly a pretty sight. Yet, it isn't just about washing someone's feet. It's about humbling ourselves to one another, and humbling ourselves to glorify God. Sometimes, even the smallest, grossest things can glorify God, if only we're willing to humble ourselves in order to be able to do it. If Jesus can be humbled, can't we? 

Kayla Joy

Follower of the World, or Follower of Christ?

I squeezed my horse, urging her to walk on faster. She couldn't be called lazy, as the horse I rode for the other horseback riding sessions was--she was used to competitions and had a lot of energy still left in her. But she was leading, and she hates leading. She always slows her walk down to almost a complete stop whenever she's leading, so that other horses will pass her and she won't have be first. She is perfectly content when she's in third place in line, thus her name, Third. (Even so, I don't think Third is a very good horse name, but I didn't get a say in it!) She was the type that preferred to go with the flow. She was fine with doing whatever they were doing, but only if they did it first.

Aren't we like that a lot? It's so much easier to go along with something, even if it's something sinful, if others are doing it with us. It somehow seems to justify it. Even when, deep down, we know it doesn't justify it. 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." I've always loved this verse, it's such a great reminder that we're not supposed to conform to what the rest of the world is doing. Even if the rest of the world turns away from Jesus and you're the only one left standing for Jesus, will you continue to stand up for Him?

Kayla

P.S. A song I've always loved, which I think really relates to this, is "I'll Join the Rocks" by FFH. Here's a link to that song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxBq1XGhGBY

Centipede Terror is a Terrible Distraction

Thousands of legs flailed about, as his long body stretched for miles across. He grinned evilly at me, seeming to wave one of his many legs at me as if in a tease. While I was still in shock at seeing him, he lunged forward and, using thousands of his legs, scrambled as fast as he could. Okay, maybe that's not all true, but when I saw that bug out of the corner of my eye, that's what I felt like he was doing. I hate centipedes. I can take worms, ants, even some spiders, but centipedes?! All their arms make them look so evil! Not only was he crawling on my wall, but he was also about to crawl on my bed, the bed I was reading on. Not going to work little guy. I picked up a tissue and tried to squish him, but failed. After very cautiously making sure he wasn't in the tissue and about to creep on my hand, I pulled my bed out against the wall and searched for him. I saw something that resembled his body, but it wasn't moving at all. "The 'Play Dead' isn't going to work this time, Mister," I thought to myself. I blew on him and he scrambled father into the corner.

That's when it hit me. What was I doing?! Seconds before I saw the bug, I had been having devotions. I had been reading about how, throughout the generations, people had been forgetting about God, getting distracted by something else. Wasn't that what I was doing right now--getting distracted and turning my focus on something unimportant? Why did I let a tiny little bug distract me from something much more important?

In life, it's so easy to turn our attention on something not as important. Whether that thing is something teeny weeny such as a centipede, or something that seems pretty important to us, we need to put God first in our lives. Let's be a generation that places God above all else.

Kayla Joy

P.S. For the record, I was able to kill him seconds after writing this blog post. I now feel safe to sleep after my devotions :)

Hope in Darkness

When Jesus rose from the dead, He gave us hope. When all seemed lost and pointless, He proved that He wasn’t finished with His plan yet. 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 says, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” If Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, as the Bible verses above say, it would be hopeless. And to His disciples, it must have looked pretty hopeless after Jesus’ death. I’m sure they must have started thinking there was no hope left for them.Thankfully, Jesus didn’t end the story there. He rose from the grave three days later, giving us much needed hope. The same thing holds true for us--even when it seems like we have a long way to go before ever having a chance of hope again, He gently reminds us that He’s not finished with us. He’s still got a plan for us. His plan may be very different than ours but thankfully, He’s not finished with us yet. He can give hope in what seems like the darkest situations.

Kayla Joy

I glanced at the sidewalk, surveying it for any sharp stones. I always love to walk barefoot, but that means I have to be especially careful not to step on any sharp object. So it happened that I was glancing down at the cement during this walk, when a certain leaf caught my eye. It seemed that the wind had blown away the normal leaf parts of the flower, leaving only the delicate veins left on the flower. It wasn't something any human could have pulled apart successfully. Each vein seemed to have a slightly different design, some straight, some twisted, while others seemed to hook on to others veins.

God created everything. Every beautiful vein on a flower, every branch on trees, even the hairs on your head. Nehemiah 9:5b-6 says, "Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." How often do we acknowledge and thank Him for these beautiful gifts all around us? It's easy to take it for granted, but it shouldn't be taken for granted. As the verse above says, He made the heavens, the stars, and earth, absolutely everything. Shouldn't we give Him praise for it?

Kayla Joy

Why Smile So Much?

"Why do you smile so much?" is a question I get asked pretty much daily. If you know me, you know I smile constantly. I've earned the nickname 'Smiley' at my church, a nickname I'm rather pleased with. Why do I smile so much? Because I have life easy? Definitely not. Though you might think I must lead a pretty easy life so far if I'm always smiling--think again. I've been through challenges in life just like everybody else. I've had enough injuries to last me a long time! (Not to mention my two hip surgeries and three concussions!) My secret ingredient to smiling? To sum it up in two words--God's love. Whenever I'm struggling with something, I think of God's amazing love for me. And a thought like that can't help but make me smile. Romans 37-39 says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 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." God's love isn't anything we earn or deserve. If He's willing to give us that kind of undeserving love, I figure I can work on strengthening my smile muscles.
Kayla Joy

Unstable World, Stable God

I looked about, watching the trees gently sway in the breeze. It was a beautiful day for hiking, and we were at one of my favorite hiking places--Shawnee Lookout. A creaking sound caught my attention, and I noticed that one of the trees was creaking and swaying more than the others. The wind was strong, I guessed the tree must have been unstable. I instantly thought of how unstable everything in our world is--always changing, never constant.

In our ever changing, unstable, often pretty scary world, it's hard to find comfort in a lot of things. Just as you're getting used to something, it changes. And I don't know about you, but I don't like change at all. The encouraging thing is that there are two things that never change--God, and His Word. Isaiah 40:8 reads, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." The God you read about in the Bible is the same God as today. He hasn't ever changed, and He won't ever change. There's nothing you can fully rely on but God. Things around you will change, people will go in and out of your life, you'll endure different challenges, but God will never change. He will always be there for you, waiting for you to turn to Him.

Kayla Joy

Leaping Trust

Something in my heart melts when a little child squeals when they see me and comes running to jump straight into my arms. It doesn't matter if I'm carrying what feels like a 50 pound bag on my shoulder, or if hear my name shouted out and barely turn around in time to catch them--the child knows I'll catch them. They don't take a hesitant jump, they trust I'll catch them even when they're leaping through the air.

I don't know about you, but for me, when it comes to trusting God, I'd much rather take a hesitant few steps every so often. You know, stay in my comfort zone. But if a little child came walking up to me hesitantly every few minutes, my heart definitely wouldn't melt as much as it does when a little child leaps into my arms. I want them to know that they can trust me to catch them. Don't you think God wants the same for us? He wants us to trust Him fully. Not just with part of our hearts, but with all of our hearts. He wants us to trust Him so much that we know He'll protect us and take care of us. Even if we feel like we're falling, we're never alone. God is always right there with us, ready to catch us. Hebrews 13:5 says, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Get out of your comfort zone and trust in God to help you every step of the way.

Kayla Joy

Closed Hearts

We have a door that half obeys. Sometimes it will open just fine for us, but other times, you'll be stuck inside the room, tugging and pulling with all your might to get the door open. It easily opens on the outside, just not when you're inside the room. It doesn't seem to matter if you pull with all your strength, or with a little bit of your strength, the result is the same--you trapped in the room until you either have the patience to keep trying to open the door, or someone pities you and opens the door for you.

Sometimes, we're stubborn and would prefer to give God only some of our hearts. "Here, He can take this half, this half looks better than the other half", we think. But on the part of our heart that we ourselves are scared to look at, we'd prefer to use a stuck door instead. One that won't open easily. God sees all of us, He knows the worst things we've ever done--we can't hide it from Him. Get rid of your stuck doors, open your heart and give it all to God--He's the One who created your heart in the first place.

Kayla Joy