I walked up to the desk, grabbed a pencil, and quickly printed my name on the list, not happy that the week of OGT testing had come. Scanning the row of seats, I felt compelled to take a seat in the middle row, next to a girl who looked less than delighted to be up early on a Monday morning. I took a seat next to her, giving her a quick smile. She didn’t look like someone I would typically hang out with--her short hair was dyed bright purple and pink, piercings covered her lips, and her jeans contained dozens of purposeful rips. Still, I was determined to at least get a smile out of her before the end of the week.
As the days of the week passed slowly on, bit by bit, she started talking more to me. It started out just as small talk, chatting about siblings and pets, but by the end of the week, she was telling me all about her struggles and sorrows. When I thought all I would get out of her was a smile if I was lucky, she was pouring out some of her biggest sorrows, just needing someone to listen to her.
She’s not the only one who needs someone to listen. She’s not the only one with a story to tell. Will we walk through our daily lives in a hurried rush, or will we make time to show God’s love through listening?
Kayla Joy
Monday, March 18, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
God's Constancy in our Ever Changing World
As I watched my dog play in the backyard in mid-fifty degree weather today, I couldn’t help but reflect on the crazy weather changes we’ve been having. Just yesterday I had been watching snowflakes steadily race each other to the ground, and today I was nudging my bare feet against the soft ground. It’s crazy how fast weather can change, but that’s definitely not all that changes.
Changes are constantly happening. In weather, jobs, economy, health, politics, money, relationships, school, safety--you name it, it’s changing. We live in an ever-changing world whether we like it or not.
As human beings, most of us don’t like change. There’s something unsettling about having to learn a new way of doing something, no matter how small the change is. It seems like by the time we finally get used to the change, it changes all over again.
In this ever-changing world, I love that fact that God never changes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” No matter what we’re going through in life, no matter how many things are changing at once, we can rely on Him to remain a constant. He remains the same. Always.
Kayla Joy
Changes are constantly happening. In weather, jobs, economy, health, politics, money, relationships, school, safety--you name it, it’s changing. We live in an ever-changing world whether we like it or not.
As human beings, most of us don’t like change. There’s something unsettling about having to learn a new way of doing something, no matter how small the change is. It seems like by the time we finally get used to the change, it changes all over again.
In this ever-changing world, I love that fact that God never changes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” No matter what we’re going through in life, no matter how many things are changing at once, we can rely on Him to remain a constant. He remains the same. Always.
Kayla Joy
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Waiting
“Check him--give him a half halt if you need to,” my instructor reminded me. I quickly pulled back on my reins, then released to complete the half halt. Ringlets of dust were left imprinted in the dirt with each step he made as he slowed his trot down. The horse I was riding, Harry, is commonly referred to as “Harry--the horse in a hurry” in my family. He lives up to this nickname as he would love to take his riders for a gallop every second of horseback riding lessons. He’s a little pony with a never-ending tank of energy. With a lot of dedicated work and patience, I can get him to slow down. Eventually, his head will lower, his shoulders will relax, and his trot will slow into a comfortable gait. When he slows down, he seems to be enjoying himself more. Slowing down and waiting isn’t something that comes naturally to my little Harry, but it’s certainly something he’s capable of doing.
Aren’t we often like this little pony? We rush through our day, checking items off our list, only to write more items on the ever-growing list. Somehow, through it all, we miss spending time to slow down. We miss spending time waiting on God and being willing to listen to Him. I know I’m certainly guilty of this. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." As you rush around trying to find the ‘perfect‘ valentine’s gift for your loved one this year, remember to be still and wait for the Lord in the midst of busyness.
Kayla Joy
Aren’t we often like this little pony? We rush through our day, checking items off our list, only to write more items on the ever-growing list. Somehow, through it all, we miss spending time to slow down. We miss spending time waiting on God and being willing to listen to Him. I know I’m certainly guilty of this. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." As you rush around trying to find the ‘perfect‘ valentine’s gift for your loved one this year, remember to be still and wait for the Lord in the midst of busyness.
Kayla Joy
Giving God Glory
A blast of cold air came whistling through the car as my dad opened the door. As he stepped out to fill our car with gas, I couldn’t help but notice a woman. Her blonde hair was tightly wound into a bun and she was dressed in a bright orange outfit, her shirt marked with the gas station’s logo. She was braving the bitter cold to do her job--pick up litter scattered around the gas station. She bent over to pick up a crushed coca cola can, carefully grasping it by the tips of her fingers, and disposed of it in the trashcan next to my dad. Cheerfully, she said hello, then proceeded to lift the heavy trash bag and carry it off. Though this might seem like a rather ordinary thing to see, something about her stuck out to me. She wasn’t grumbling about being given this rather gross job--she cheerfully went about it with a smile on her face.
Dealing with trash definitely isn’t a fun job--no matter how you look at it. Yet, she wasn’t about to let that get in her way. She made a choice to be cheerful despite of the circumstances. As Christians, don’t we have a similar choice to make? We can do a job as unlikable as picking up trash moping the entire time, or we can choose to glorify God while doing it. One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
No matter if we’re feeding orphans in Africa or simply doing our everyday job--how we do it matters. Are we doing all of it for the glory of God?
Kayla Joy
Dealing with trash definitely isn’t a fun job--no matter how you look at it. Yet, she wasn’t about to let that get in her way. She made a choice to be cheerful despite of the circumstances. As Christians, don’t we have a similar choice to make? We can do a job as unlikable as picking up trash moping the entire time, or we can choose to glorify God while doing it. One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
No matter if we’re feeding orphans in Africa or simply doing our everyday job--how we do it matters. Are we doing all of it for the glory of God?
Kayla Joy
Monday, December 31, 2012
Worth Every Stumble
The month of January is, to me, the gloomiest month of the year. Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is a long way off, and any sort of holiday seems too far off to even think about. The days seem to drag on and bitter coldness freezes any hope of flowers peaking through. Sickness reigns in households and seems as if it will never leave.
During this month, I often have to remind myself of the race we’re in. This race isn’t a race to finish first, or second, or even third--our race is to finish and finish strong. Hebrews 12:1 sums up how we’re supposed to run this race, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” As the passage says, we need to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles‘ and run with perseverance and endurance. This isn’t a sprint, this is a marathon.
During a marathon, it gets discouraging. The mile markers progress steadily, but the miles seem to repeat themselves. Tired feet trip over themselves and every muscle aches. You know you’re farther along with each step, yet you still feel so far away from the goal, from the prize at the end. The prize at the end slowly fades from the mind until you can’t seem to remember why you’re still in the marathon at all. Why are we still running with perseverance the race marked out for us? To see Jesus face to face. In the end, that will be worth every stumble, every wrong turn, and every single second of discouragement along the way. One day, we’ll see our Savior face, to face.
Kayla Joy
During this month, I often have to remind myself of the race we’re in. This race isn’t a race to finish first, or second, or even third--our race is to finish and finish strong. Hebrews 12:1 sums up how we’re supposed to run this race, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” As the passage says, we need to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles‘ and run with perseverance and endurance. This isn’t a sprint, this is a marathon.
During a marathon, it gets discouraging. The mile markers progress steadily, but the miles seem to repeat themselves. Tired feet trip over themselves and every muscle aches. You know you’re farther along with each step, yet you still feel so far away from the goal, from the prize at the end. The prize at the end slowly fades from the mind until you can’t seem to remember why you’re still in the marathon at all. Why are we still running with perseverance the race marked out for us? To see Jesus face to face. In the end, that will be worth every stumble, every wrong turn, and every single second of discouragement along the way. One day, we’ll see our Savior face, to face.
Kayla Joy
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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
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
Sunday, November 4, 2012
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
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
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