Fairy Wings & Kisses

“I want to be a Barbie Twirly Bee! And have a wormmade tail!” (Trasnlation: she wants to be a Barbie ballerina/fairy that she saw on the movie and wants a mermaid tail.. not sure about the worm influence) 

These are the kinds of aspirations that come out of the imagination of my 3 year old cousin, Chapman. Over Christmas break I was able to spend time with sweet Chappie. My favorite thing to do is watch her twirl around the living room, believing that she is the most elegant ballerina who has ever twirled. Talking to her dad on Christmas, we found out her newest train of thoughts. “Daddy, where is Jesus? Where is Heaven? How did he get up there? How can I go up there?” I suppose these answers were all  she needed to form her plan. “Daddy, I’m going to put on my fairy wings and fly up to Heaven and sit on Jesus’ lap and give Him a kiss!” 

Immediately these verses flood my mind:

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

She’s 3 and she gets it. 

She just wants to be with Jesus. 

    I truly believe one of the biggest pitfalls of Christianity is how complicated we make it. We sift through the smallest of details and miss the big picture. Jesus wants to be with us. He wants us to want to be with him. If we even understand one iota of who He is and how He loves us, we would be asking if we could put on our fairy wings too. Once upon a time, we got it. And then we lost it by complicating it. 

       Think about Jesus’ life. It was simple. He taught about love. He loved us so much (For God so loved the world He gave His only son..) and longs us to return the love and extend it to others (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself) Chappie doesn’t know the books of the Bible. She can’t recite the Sermon on the Mount. Nor can she explicate Revelation (which is a hilarious mental image and would be a youtube sensation, for sure.) But she knows what love is. She knows how Jesus loves her and that she loves Him. She knows that she wants to go see Him, crawl up in His lap and kiss His cheek! 

She wants to be with Jesus.

   It’s what we were created for. It’s who we were created for. In the light of this realization, we want to be with Him. 

   There is about a million other thoughts I could say, but at some point, I would probably complicate even this. It’s not complicated. It’s simple. It’s a simple fact of love. A love that is wildly out of control. 

A love so great, there is one response. 

We’re gonna need a lot of fairy wings.

To read more on faith like a child check out what Jon Acuff has to say about grace:

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/12/faith-like-a-child/ 

And Maybe I am Crazy

I found this in my journal from the Fall. If only I could wake up every day with this passion. Oh God, for a greater love for you, I want to love you more.

"Oh for a closer walk with God, more faith, more sincerity, more earnestness and more love."

-Alexander Mackay

September 4,2011

...And maybe I am crazy.

But it's absolutly the most freeing feeling I have ever felt. Why? The pressure is off me! I no longer am striving for my glory but for His- more eyes on Him. And If I am perceived as crazy in the process, I will count it as a victory- because it shows i am not simply eating what is in front of me, conforming to the norm- all that matters is my eyes on Him, following where He leads and acting, loving, serving in response to His revolutionary love- maybe that's a path of craziness. Or maybe it's simply the normal path in a world gone crazy. But I am crazy for Jesus! Head over heels-transformed by His love-cant help but talk about what He is doing-cant stop smiling in worship kids of crazy! Because He is crazy and His love is crazy! And I only strive to join Him in this crazy endeavor. 

(talking about being in love) "It's that can't eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over- the-fence, World Series kind of stuff"

-It Takes Two

"All I want is more eyes on Him. I am just a broken mess, grabbing for His feet, reaching out to touch His cloak, thankful for His mercy that washes over me. I am just a little girl, relieved to crawl into His lap and curl up there." -Katie Davis kissesforkatie.blogspot.com

Finals Hugs- It's Gonna Catch On!

 If you're anything like me finals has officially taken its toll. Confinement to the library for hours last night almost drove me to insanity. There is a lot of pressure this time of year, especially this week, to preform well. Semester grades can depend on one test, parents are about to interrogate you about grades, scholarship, people from back home asking if you have figured out your future to the tiniest ridiculous detail (um no I dont know where I am going to get a job in a year in a half.. I still have 18 months of playing before Im even a big girl) SO all of this can lead to stress stress stress. On top of that, I truly believe Satan's biggest tactic for girls is to undermine them, the constant feeling that you don't measure up in some way, that there is always more to do, higher standards that you fall short of or that you're simply not good enough. This is especially a struggle for me during times of a lot of pressure (like nowish.) I just wanted to send a little something to maybe counteract this, even a tad. I read over this specific Jesus Calling often, because it is such a good reminder! Take a second and really think about the first line, say it several times to yourself, hear God saying it to you and feel His satisfaction in you. (It can really change your whole day!)

Jesus Calling- November 20

I Am pleased with you, my child. Allow yourself to become fully aware of My pleasure shining upon you. You don't have to preform well in order to receive My love. in fact, a performance focus will pull you away from Me, toward some sort of Pharisaism. This can be a subtle form of idolatry' worshiping your won good works. It can also be a source of deep discouragement when your works don't measure up to your expectations.
    Shift your focus from your performance to My radiant Presence. The light of my love shines on you continually, regardless of your feeling or behavior. Your responsibility is to be receptive to this unconditional love. Thankfulness and trust are your primary receptors. Thank Me for everything; trust Me at all times. These simple disciplines will keep you open to My loving presence. 
Ephesians 2:8-9, Ephesians 3:16-19, Psalm 62:8

I found this verse last week in the message. It is the verses about not worrying.. I love this version thought!

"Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds." Matthew 6:26


Also, If you need a de-stresser, this song is great for it. Just take a little study break to take time to just sit and breathe and relax! 
In an ideal world no one would talk before 10am. People would just hug, because waking up is really hard. 
-Zooey Deschanel