“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
Saturday, June 22, 2013
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
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
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