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
Saturday, September 10, 2011
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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