“Come on Sam Sam,” I said, tugging on my dog’s leash, “She’s not home.” He continued to pull on the leash, trying to direct me up her sidewalk. With dramatic whining, it was obvious what my dog wanted; he wanted to see one of his absolute favorite people in the whole wide world, who just so happens to be an elderly lady that adores him. His love does have some part to do with all the treats she freely gives, and all the kisses she smothers him with. But no matter she does; he loves her. He jumps wildly in the air every time he gets to see her, and he wags his tail practically non-stop for the rest of the day after seeing her. It’s the only thing on his mind when we come near her house on walks, and he never fails to tug toward her steps. He doesn’t care if her door is shut, the lights aren’t on, and the car isn’t in the driveway. He still leaps for joy at even the thought of seeing her, no matter how small the chance.
We have the privilege of being able to spend time with God whenever we want. Day or night, weekend or weekday. He’s the Creator of the world, the King of the universe and yet... are we as excited at spending time with God as my dog is about seeing this lady? I know I fail at this often. Sometimes, I get caught in the trap of thinking it’s a chore to get my daily devotions done. When really, it’s a privilege that we’re even allowed to spend time in His presence, let alone whenever or however often we want! Are we leaping for joy when we spend time with God, or are we dragging our feet the other direction, thinking of what else we should be doing with our time?
Kayla Joy
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Sweet Failure
I walked up to the house, slowing down, doubts filling my mind. I don’t even know his name. He’s probably going to have no clue what I’m doing. He’s not going to want to talk. He waved happily, encouraging me.
Just a month back, I’d never even noticed the man before. Sure, I’d passed the house thousands of times while walking to a guitar or piano lesson, but I’d always been lost in my own thoughts. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I noticed him, frail looking, slightly bent over, sitting in a chair on his porch and watching. He was always watching, watching people go past, watching cars zoom by, watching birds flutter from branch to branch. That day was the first day I’d actually noticed him. He grinned from ear to ear as I passed, sat straighter in his chair, and waved. I smiled and waved back, and that was it. I didn’t think I’d see him again, and I didn’t think much of it. But, before long, I noticed him every time I walked past. Whenever I made eye contact with him and smiled, he always looked as if seeing me walk past was the greatest joy he’d had all week long.
It didn’t take long before questions started filling my mind. What was his life like? Was he married? Had he ever picked up a Bible? Was he lonely? After a few weeks of waving at him as I walked past, I felt I needed to do something for him. I baked him sugar cookies the night before my music lesson, and was about to deliver them to him.
As I walked up his steps, I fumbled for the container of cookies I’d stuck in my purse. Unbuttoning the purse, I introduced myself, pulled the cookies out and mentioned I’d made some cookies for him. He smiled, but said he was diabetic and couldn’t have them. I stood there awkwardly with my cookies, thinking how stupid it must have seemed to him to be offer a diabetic sugar cookies. Unlike I suspected, however, this didn’t stop him from talking. Instead, he seemed delighted to have someone to talk to. He launched into an explanation of his medical problems. He showed off a scar on the top of his head, and he seemed to truly appreciate having someone to listen to him. When I needed to go, I told him I’d bring something he could eat the next time I walked by. He smiled and waved while I walked away, seeming truly happy.
I thought I was going to give him some cookies, but when that turned into a failed attempt, I was able to give him what he really needed: my time. God can use even our failed attempts to show us what's really needed. It doesn't catch Him by surprise, even if it catches us by surprise. He doesn't get stumped by failed attempts, not even failed sugar cookie attempts.
Kayla Joy
P.S. To those curious, the sugar cookies ended up going to some happily surprised construction workers!
Just a month back, I’d never even noticed the man before. Sure, I’d passed the house thousands of times while walking to a guitar or piano lesson, but I’d always been lost in my own thoughts. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I noticed him, frail looking, slightly bent over, sitting in a chair on his porch and watching. He was always watching, watching people go past, watching cars zoom by, watching birds flutter from branch to branch. That day was the first day I’d actually noticed him. He grinned from ear to ear as I passed, sat straighter in his chair, and waved. I smiled and waved back, and that was it. I didn’t think I’d see him again, and I didn’t think much of it. But, before long, I noticed him every time I walked past. Whenever I made eye contact with him and smiled, he always looked as if seeing me walk past was the greatest joy he’d had all week long.
It didn’t take long before questions started filling my mind. What was his life like? Was he married? Had he ever picked up a Bible? Was he lonely? After a few weeks of waving at him as I walked past, I felt I needed to do something for him. I baked him sugar cookies the night before my music lesson, and was about to deliver them to him.
As I walked up his steps, I fumbled for the container of cookies I’d stuck in my purse. Unbuttoning the purse, I introduced myself, pulled the cookies out and mentioned I’d made some cookies for him. He smiled, but said he was diabetic and couldn’t have them. I stood there awkwardly with my cookies, thinking how stupid it must have seemed to him to be offer a diabetic sugar cookies. Unlike I suspected, however, this didn’t stop him from talking. Instead, he seemed delighted to have someone to talk to. He launched into an explanation of his medical problems. He showed off a scar on the top of his head, and he seemed to truly appreciate having someone to listen to him. When I needed to go, I told him I’d bring something he could eat the next time I walked by. He smiled and waved while I walked away, seeming truly happy.
I thought I was going to give him some cookies, but when that turned into a failed attempt, I was able to give him what he really needed: my time. God can use even our failed attempts to show us what's really needed. It doesn't catch Him by surprise, even if it catches us by surprise. He doesn't get stumped by failed attempts, not even failed sugar cookie attempts.
Kayla Joy
P.S. To those curious, the sugar cookies ended up going to some happily surprised construction workers!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Beautifully Sticking Out
My eyes scanned our backyard, trying to find something interesting to take a picture of. We have clusters of flowers in our front yard, but I wanted something else, something more unusual. My eyes fell to the abandoned place behind our shed. It used to be a garden, but the soil was too rough for flowers to take root, and instead it had been mainly forgotten about, besides for the growing weeds. Yet, in the midst of the weeds, a single black eyed susan flower stood out, standing tall. Faint colors of purple swirled in the middle, and the bright yellow petals spread out in every direction. The instant I saw it, I knew there was something different about it. It stood out from all the rest, and there was no denying it. We’re living in this world, but we’re told to stand out. You can’t fit in with the world’s pattern and live for Jesus. It’s a choice between the two--the world, or Jesus. If you pick Jesus, you will stand out. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Just like that black eyed susan growing among weeds, is our love for Jesus so noticeable that we stick out? Can others see Jesus’ love for others through our smiles? Are we so filled with Jesus that people can’t help but ask what’s different about us?
Kayla Joy
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Who We Are Serving
“Here! Dat’s for you!” Strawberry blonde bangs fell in her hair as the three year old handed me a wilted clover flower. Even her eyes were smiling as she waited for me to take the flower. In that short moment, my heart melted instantly. The flower may have been wilted, it may not have been the most sacrificial present in history, but to her, she was offering all she had at the moment.
How many times in life do we only give the minimal required effort? It’s really easy to convince yourself that you can do a decent job instead of a bang up job and no one will even notice the difference. Whether it’s in school, a job, or just life in general, it’s common to not want to give your all.
One of my favorite Bible verses, Colossians 3:23-24, says, “ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” That Bible verse changes my thought process completely. Instead of convincing myself that a little bit of effort will be enough--that no one will notice a difference anyways--it reminds me Who I’m serving. Instead of being tempted to give as little as possible, it reminds me to give everything I have to serve God, even if it seems as small as what the three year old gave me. When you keep it in perspective and realize that you’re serving the King of kings, the Creator of the universe, the Lord of all, it’s much easier to put forward all of your efforts in whatever you do.
Kayla Joy
How many times in life do we only give the minimal required effort? It’s really easy to convince yourself that you can do a decent job instead of a bang up job and no one will even notice the difference. Whether it’s in school, a job, or just life in general, it’s common to not want to give your all.
One of my favorite Bible verses, Colossians 3:23-24, says, “ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” That Bible verse changes my thought process completely. Instead of convincing myself that a little bit of effort will be enough--that no one will notice a difference anyways--it reminds me Who I’m serving. Instead of being tempted to give as little as possible, it reminds me to give everything I have to serve God, even if it seems as small as what the three year old gave me. When you keep it in perspective and realize that you’re serving the King of kings, the Creator of the universe, the Lord of all, it’s much easier to put forward all of your efforts in whatever you do.
Kayla Joy
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Etched In His Heart
I was walking back from my piano lesson, enjoying the summer day. Unlike the walk to the lesson, where I had been speed walking due to not leaving enough time, I was able to dawdle, pick flowers, and smile at passersby. I was halfway home when two boys, around eight years old, came zipping by on their bikes, one with a huge smile. As they passed, the one who was smiling waved and happily said, “Hi! It’s you again!”
For a moment, I was puzzled. I didn’t recognize either of the boys, I certainly didn’t know them from anywhere. In fact, I didn’t think I’d seen them in my life before. And then it hit me; I must have passed by them on the way to my piano lesson. While I had been distracted with not having enough time, I didn’t even remember walking by them. And that’s when a curious thought hit me; how many other people had I passed by? How many other people--each with talents, heartbreaking moments, joy, and struggles--had I only given a quick smile to, not even sketching their faces into my memory?
Mark 5:24b-34 says, “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’
‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’”
In this passage, Jesus is following Jairus, a synagogue leader who has begged Jesus to heal his dying daughter. A huge crowd is following after them, pressing against everyone. You can just imagine the chaos of the moment; people chattering away, some expressing confidence in Jesus’s healing powers and others doubting, children pressed against their mother, town folk itching for a chance to see a miracle performed. And yet, throughout all of it, Jesus stopped. He took time for a single woman, one who was hurting and broken. Even when his disciples told him to move on, thinking he was crazy for wondering who touched his clothes, Jesus stopped. He kept looking around to see who had touched Him. And He didn’t stop until He found her.
Jesus does the same for us. We aren’t random strangers who come and go. He knows our struggles--He’s right along side us through it. He knows our heartbreaks--He’s comforting us through them. He knows we’re sinful and messed up--He died for that. To anybody else, you might be a stranger passing by on the street, a face that will be forgotten in an hour. To the King of the universe, you were worth dying for.
Kayla Joy
For a moment, I was puzzled. I didn’t recognize either of the boys, I certainly didn’t know them from anywhere. In fact, I didn’t think I’d seen them in my life before. And then it hit me; I must have passed by them on the way to my piano lesson. While I had been distracted with not having enough time, I didn’t even remember walking by them. And that’s when a curious thought hit me; how many other people had I passed by? How many other people--each with talents, heartbreaking moments, joy, and struggles--had I only given a quick smile to, not even sketching their faces into my memory?
Mark 5:24b-34 says, “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’
‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’”
In this passage, Jesus is following Jairus, a synagogue leader who has begged Jesus to heal his dying daughter. A huge crowd is following after them, pressing against everyone. You can just imagine the chaos of the moment; people chattering away, some expressing confidence in Jesus’s healing powers and others doubting, children pressed against their mother, town folk itching for a chance to see a miracle performed. And yet, throughout all of it, Jesus stopped. He took time for a single woman, one who was hurting and broken. Even when his disciples told him to move on, thinking he was crazy for wondering who touched his clothes, Jesus stopped. He kept looking around to see who had touched Him. And He didn’t stop until He found her.
Jesus does the same for us. We aren’t random strangers who come and go. He knows our struggles--He’s right along side us through it. He knows our heartbreaks--He’s comforting us through them. He knows we’re sinful and messed up--He died for that. To anybody else, you might be a stranger passing by on the street, a face that will be forgotten in an hour. To the King of the universe, you were worth dying for.
Kayla Joy
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The King On His Throne
Being a young girl, probably around five years of age, I was delighted to finally be entrusted with the duty of placing groceries on the check out lane at the grocery store. It took, to my small mind, many hours of ‘training’ before I finally learned the important skill of stacking groceries--heavy, strong items on the bottom, squish-able items such as bread on the top. For one of the first times ever, my mom had allowed me to put all of the groceries on the lane, by myself.
At the end of putting the groceries on, I proudly declared, “And now for the king on his throne!” My mom, who had been distracted with paying for the groceries a moment ago, glanced nervously my way, only to discover a loaf of bread balanced precariously on a wobbly tower of groceries. My unsteady “throne” consisted of dozens of groceries piled high in one spot with a loaf of bread swaying on the top. She quickly dismantled the “king on his throne” and I learned from that day on that king’s don’t belong on thrones at grocery stores.
In the midst of tragedies--the Sandy Hook shooting, the Boston Marathon bombing--it’s easy to lose hope. It’s easy to get caught up with the worries of this world. Throughout all of it, we can’t forget that God is still on His throne. He hasn’t left. He’s seeing everything that’s happening, and He knew it would happen way before it ever did. Psalms 47:8 says, “God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.” Thankfully, God’s throne isn’t wobbly like the one I created. His throne is never-ending.
Kayla Joy
At the end of putting the groceries on, I proudly declared, “And now for the king on his throne!” My mom, who had been distracted with paying for the groceries a moment ago, glanced nervously my way, only to discover a loaf of bread balanced precariously on a wobbly tower of groceries. My unsteady “throne” consisted of dozens of groceries piled high in one spot with a loaf of bread swaying on the top. She quickly dismantled the “king on his throne” and I learned from that day on that king’s don’t belong on thrones at grocery stores.
In the midst of tragedies--the Sandy Hook shooting, the Boston Marathon bombing--it’s easy to lose hope. It’s easy to get caught up with the worries of this world. Throughout all of it, we can’t forget that God is still on His throne. He hasn’t left. He’s seeing everything that’s happening, and He knew it would happen way before it ever did. Psalms 47:8 says, “God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.” Thankfully, God’s throne isn’t wobbly like the one I created. His throne is never-ending.
Kayla Joy
Monday, March 18, 2013
Stories Untold
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
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
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