Amazing Love How Can It Be....

I can never resist little kids! I smile uncontrollably when one begs to braid my hair, I am frequently found making absolutely ridiculous faces to make babies laugh, and my heart melts when kids scream my name from another room and run into my arms. I’ve been called a ‘kid magnet’ before and I love every moment of being with a joyful child of God’s. No, they’re not perfect. Some throw temper tantrums, some refuse to eat their dinner yet beg for candy, and some have major potty accidents, looking at me to clean them up. All the same, I can’t help but love them. 



God is the same way with us. He loves when we want to spend time with Him. He loves when we call on His name. He loves being in our presence. When we come to Him crawling on our hands and feet, completely messed up, He’s there for us. Even when we throw adult temper tantrums and blame Him for everything, He’s there for us. Romans 8:37-39 says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We mess up daily. Our God loves us regardless. How can we help but want to obey a God so amazing as ours?

Kayla Joy

Same Challenges, Different Attitudes

I was at my grandparents house the other weekend and a football game was on. Both my dad and daddygrand were intensely watching it, and the rest of us sat around with stomach’s growling waiting for our carryout food to be ready. Before long, my eyes wandered to the television and I focused on how the camera blurred some things and put others in focus. I tried to imagine what it would look like if everything was shown with the same focus, and I came to the conclusion that it would look rather boring and dull. My daddygrand noticed me watching the TV and said, “I didn’t know you liked football, Kayla!” I had to admit that I don’t care for football one bit. I wasn’t focused on that. While he was watching the players fight for the ball in a game filled with rules I’m clueless on, I was watching the mechanics of how they gave different perspectives with techniques such as blurring. We were looking at the exact same thing yet we were focused on completely different things. 



Christians and non-Christians go through the same trials. Though there are some different trials each will face, they will all go through some of the same challenges in life--trying to get a job, get a degree, decide what they want to do with their lives, etc. Yet, as Christians, we’re able to go through our lives with a widely different perspective. We know that there’s more to this world. While non-Christians are focusing on cramming everything into this life they can and making the most of it, we can look beyond this short life and realize that there’s so much more in store for us. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.” We can go through the same challenges as non-Christians with a completely different attitude--one of hope, joy, and peace. 


Kayla Joy