Praising through Everything

I stared out the car window, inhaling the scent of fresh air, feeling the cool breeze against my face. We came to a stoplight and I glanced down at the ground. Something on the cement caught my eye--hundreds of ants. The ants were running into each other, bumping into things, and frantically scrambling to find shelter before the rain started to come down even faster. I imagined them being calm just five minutes before the rain.

Sometimes, we’re like the little ants. When everything is going good in our life, we’re happy. The sun is shining down on us, and we’re completely oblivious to Who made the sun shine in the first place. But when the rain starts pouring and destroying our happy front, we’re desperate. We’re scrambling. We’re on our knees in prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” What happened to praying when things are going well? What happened to praising God through the good and bad times?

Kayla Joy 

On the Job Prayer

I once had a little girl I was babysitting ask, "How do you become a good babysitter? How do you be nice when they're being mean to you?" I tried to explain that it's sort of a 'learn on the job' type thing. Sure, there are things you can do to become a safer babysitter--such as learn how to do CPR. But how are you patient when the person you're babysitting is, as she put it, is 'being mean to you'? For me, it's prayer. Seeing as how, without God, I couldn't even take a breath, then He can definitely grant me grace and patience where I need it. Whenever I feel my patience tempted during babysitting, I turn to prayer. There's always time for a quick prayer for patience or grace on how to handle something. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray continually." I definitely have a long way to go before I'm praying continually, but even praying during things like babysitting can make such a difference in how you handle things. 


Kayla Joy

Five Lifetimes Fly

When I was little, I remember being in tears when I first realized that my sister would have to go away to college. For some reason, it suddenly clicked, and I realized we wouldn't be young forever. We wouldn't always be with each other. My sister tried reassuring me, saying, "Kayla, that's five years from now!" And, surprisingly, it worked. "One year is a lifetime away, five years will be five lifetimes away!" I reasoned in my childish mind. But as it turns out--life passes a lot faster than you might think.

Honestly, it's scary how fast time passes. I remember when my biggest concern in life was whether I would be able to play outside that day or not. I even remember being proud of myself for remembering what the word 'fishy' meant. And, now, suddenly, I'm going to be an adult in three years. As things change constantly, it's hard to find comfort.

Matthew 28:20b says, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” When time is rapidly flying past and things are changing, remember that, no matter what, God will be with you always, to the end of the age, to any age.


Kayla Joy