What's normal? Celebrate Uniqueness. Offer what you have.

This post will have three sections, and I will be using what Tim Tebow has to say from his book, "Shaken." The three sections are going to be: What's normal, anyway? Celebrate Unique, and What do you have to offer. 

What's Normal, Anyway?

Many people spend their lives wondering if they're normal or wanting to be, hoping to fit in. To be part of the crowd. You have probably experienced this tension in both middle school and high school. To feel a sense of belonging, you wore the same jeans, the same backpack, and the same hairstyle as everyone else. Or maybe you like the same music, hated the same classes, and acted as bored or dramatic as those around you. The pull to belong and be normal impacts our lives everyday. It's funny, the particulars of being normal are always changing. Although the word technically means "conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; regular," it means something different depending on the ever-changing whims of society, culture and generations. The essence of normal is the status quo, being just like everyone else-in how we look, what we wear, what we like, what we buy, what we watch, where we go on vacation, what we do for fun. Being normal is safe. And easy. It doesn't require much work or effort or change on our part. But it always leads to mediocrity. When we strive to be just like everyone else, we never have a chance to be special. When you start to embrace and even celebrate how special and different God made you, you can begin to do extraordinary things. You can begin to see yourself through His eyes. You can begin to live in the uniqueness with which you were created. You can be motivated and inspired to go against the grain. What does that mean? When everyone around you is picking on someone, stand up for that person. When everyone around you is using foul language, say kind things. When you see injustice and everyone else turns a blind eye, try to make it right. Going against the norm can also mean having a different outlook then others. You matter too much to God to be just like everyone else.

Celebrate Unique

One way to get remember that you are special it to get these things engraved in your mind.

"God has a special plan for you."
"You are not like everyone else."
"You are unique."

It's time to circle back to our identity in God. He created each of us in a unique way for a reason. We are each different in how we look, how we think, how we create, how we process information. We also have different life experiences. I like to think of parts of the Bible as a collection of love letters He wrote for his children. One of them powerfully paints a picture of how wonderful we are, of how special He purposely made us. In this Psalm, the writer reflects on this truth.

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my should knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.

Whatever obstacles you are facing, whatever struggle you have with not fitting in, whether you feel you aren't pretty enough, strong enough, big enough, fast enough, or smart enough, know that God created you perfect. You are wonderfully made. You are skillfully made. You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. Don't get beat down by the stares, whispers, or obnoxious opinions of others who point out how different you are, look, or act. They don't know God's plan for your life. They don't know how God can use what they may view as a weakness. When you being to accept how God purposely created you, you can begin to appreciate your uniqueness and allow Him to use those gifts. God gave you whatever challenges you have for a reason. If you're feeling discouraged, trust His character. Trust that He has your best interest at heart. He has a better outcome for your life than you can imagine. His love is perfect. And He loves you perfectly. We may see ourselves as unworthy, unusable, flawed, or broken, but God looks at us as shining stars. He thinks about us all the time, countless thoughts are precious, beloved. It may not be the easiest thing to do each day, but trust God and His heart for you. Know that He's got a plan. Know that there is something beautiful and purposeful about what you may perceive as a shortcoming.

What You Have To Offer

Think about what you're good at, the unique traits that are hardwired in you. Think about what you love to do. Instead of wanting to be like someone else, make the most of your talents, The Bible teaches us that "as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. "The Christian faith is about living life with an open hand, using the gifts and blessings in our lives for others. Like a conveyor belt, we simply get to touch the blessings and the gifts as they keep moving out toward others. We are blesses to be a blessing. When we stop the flow, the blessings stop." Don't hold on to your gifts. Share them. Use them to serve. Use them to aim above the status quo and make a difference. Don't strive to be like someone else. Be who God created you to be. Be you. One more thing. Let God be God. Allow Him to use what you bring to Him however He chooses. There's nothing wrong with dreaming big. I do this all the time. But how God ultimately orchestrates the plan for you life though these gifts is up to him. Work on your gifts and talents in a way that challenges you. Don't compare your skill level to anyone else. When we do this, sometimes it makes us want to give up. It's okay to be the best, but it's more important to want to be your best. I promise you this: God will use your gifting and abilities in His way and for His plan. It might be to influence one person or a million. Rather than focus on trying to figure it out or influence how He will make it happen, focus on Him.

I need the Holy Spirit

Happy Friday everyone, for most students reading this, this was probably your last day of class for the semester which is definitely super exciting! I plan on making today's post a little shorter since you are all probably tired of reading things this week! But hey, I guess we will see where the Holy Spirit takes this one!

I want to share with you why I need the Holy Spirit. Some of the things I am saying come from one of Francis Chan's books, my mom shared this with me.

"I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn't come through, I am screwed. I don't believe that God wants me (or any of you) to live in a way that makes sense from the world's perspective, a way I know I can "manage." I believe He is calling me-and all of us-to depend on Him for living in a way that cannot be mimicked or forged. He wants us to walk in step with His Spirit rather than depend solely on the raw talent and knowledge He's given us."

Another reason we need the Holy Spirit is to convince people to be obsessed with Jesus. We can talk people intro prayer, but cannot talk anyone into falling in love with Christ. I cannot make someone understand and accept the gift of grace. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. "So by every measure that actually counts, I need the Holy Spirit. Desperately."

Just like that, there is the post for the day. I need the Holy Spirit more than anything in my life. I hope that people can look at me and wonder why I am the way that I am. It's because of the Holy Spirit. Of course I am no where near perfect, not even close. Yeah, God has blessed me with certain talents and gifts but I need the power of the Holy Spirit to be a world changer.

~ you are loved ~

Seek knowledge

One thing that I have realized the past couple of months is that there is wisdom all around you, and it is really up to you to seek it and find it. You have to put in the work to get on the path to wisdom and righteousness. You are not going to all of a sudden become wise by doing nothing and just living by the routines of your daily life. Just like when you want to put in that extra work in the gym or extra studying what do you do? You can't really become successful in any aspect of life without putting the work in and seeking it with confidence. Another thing I have learned is once you realize something, you take advantage of it and go in head first with everything you have. I realized that there was wisdom around me so every single day, I am going to try and get it from whatever way that may be. There are a couple of ways I get it.

1.) Reading The Bible
2.) Digging into people around me
3.) Reading books
4.) writing

I really encourage you to try a couple of those things. True wisdom comes from the Word, specifically the book of Proverbs. Try digging into the people around you, I know that every person who reads this post can at least think of a couple of people in their lives who they look up to because of their relationship with Christ. There are so many books out there. I know that it is so hard to find time to read, especially if you are a college student. You have even less time if you are a college athlete. It doesn't have to be much, carve out 15 minutes a day, I bet you spend more than 15 minutes a day on your phone or playing video games. (I know I do) Seek the time and find wisdom. Finally, try writing, get yourself a journal and write down some of your daily thoughts or prayers, or whatever it may be. One thing I have learned about myself the past couple of months is that I love writing, apart form basketball, and my relationship with Christ it is my getaway from everything. Writing allows to me express what I am thinking and what I learn on a daily basis. Part of the reason I love doing this blog is because I get to write and what I write about is what I learn. What I learn every day comes from a process I go through of seeking wisdom and a desire to become more and more like Jesus every single day. That whole process is not only for myself but for you. I hope that by taking the time to read my posts that it is something that you desire to do, not just because you felt like it. Or maybe you thought, what the heck, I'll give it a look, and once you do that, you're ignited with a desire to seek wisdom and learn. One of the main reasons I started the bog was so that I can share what I learn every day. I hope that is something that gets done. I know I listed four things, but there are obviously many more ways out there for you to seek knowledge, those four ways are the four ways that have worked best for me on a daily basis.

There are a couple of verses from Proverbs that really stick out to me in regards to this topic.

Proverbs 19:8: The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. 

I love that! Getting wisdom leads to a love for life. I love life and I love everything about it, yeah school might suck sometimes, class might be boring, we lost a game last night, but so what? Life is so good and every day is filled with new blessings and opportunities to love others, better yourself, and strengthen your relationship with Christ. If you know my fairly well, I hope my love for life and optimistic lifestyle is something that sticks out to you and motivates you. The second part of that verse is just as great as the first. Cherish wisdom and you will prosper. I know sometimes it may seem like certain people just keep trying to get you to do the right thing, and it can get annoying. Don't be annoyed by it but cherish people who are pouring life and wisdom into you, cherish it and you will soon prosper.

Proverbs 19:20: Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

That verse relates to what I just said above. People in your life are going to give you advice and people will discipline you. Don't let discipline distress you, sometimes distress is destiny in disguise. Accept it. It might be hard and you are going to have to throw your pride to the side, but accept it. You may not think it's the right thing to do or that it is very wise, but that's because you have to be patient. In the end you will be counted among the wise. Strive for that and you will not regret it.

Proverbs 20:12: Ears that hear and eyes that see-the Lord has made them both.

I wanted to share this verse because of the simplicity of it. The Lord has made us both ears to hear and eyes to see. Do you ever wonder why? The Lord blessed us with tools to seek wisdom. You can seek it through what you hear (the people you are around) and eyes to see.

The verse I am going to close with is below. Are you seeking wisdom every day? Seek it and you will love life and the process. Once you get knowledge, share it, share the the greatness of Christ. Don't be arrogant, but be loving in all that you do. Lips that speak knowledge are rare.

Proverbs 20:15: Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel. 

~ you are loved ~ 

Who's in your circle?

Do you have a circle of people you can rely on every single day? I hope that you do. I also can probably guarantee that your circle gets smaller the older you get. Now your circle and your network are not related. Your network is business related, your circle is the group of people who really care for you and want what is best for you. I've noticed in my life that my circle has gotten a lot smaller since high school, but that doesn't bother be at all because the circle of friends that I have now will be the circle of friends that I will have for the rest of my life.

What does having a circle of people have to do with you? Having a circle gives you someone to depend on, like a tight-knit bunch of family and loves ones. Your circle is for more than just encouragement or support. They can bring clarity when you are stuck on a decision, and they tell you the truth even if you don't want to hear it.

Do you have people in your life who will love you enough to speak truth into you? Or hold you accountable? Or challenge you to do the right thing?  Or do those around you simply tell you whatever you want to hear or influence you to do things that might be convenient but are questionable from an ethical or moral position? I know for a fact that I have those people in my life. My parents and a couple of friends have always been there for me. When I am doing something they know isn't right or not me, they are not afraid to sit me down and tell me about it and talk through things. I know being that type of person for other people is something that I would love to get better at. It's so hard to tell one of your best friends that you don't agree with the decisions they're making or to tell them what you think is best for them. It's so easy to get in a trap of just telling them what they want to hear. When you do that, you're not necessarily being a bad friend but you're not being an honest and truth bearing friend who wants the very best for that person. Sometimes you have to go through awkward situations to strengthen and maximize relationships.

I know for me, I reach out to my circle through phone calls and have asked me closet friends to sit down and talk to me about some things that I am going through. And sometimes, in hearing so many different opinions, perspectives, and thoughts, I end the phone calls or conversations with more information than I started out with. When I'm armed with different points of view, at times it's even harder to make a decision. But I know I am wiser for it. And when it comes down to it, that is what is most important.

Proverbs 13:20: "He who walks with the wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

Who's in your circle of trust? (Side note: When I hear "circle of trust," I think of the movie, Meet the Parents.) It doesn't have to be a big a big group of people. It works if you just have two or three people that you can trust, count on to pray for you, wrestle with you on big decisions, and offer wise advice. These are the people who are going to tell you the truth, what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear.  That is why the people in your circle are so valuable and you need to keep them around, it's such a rarity to find people who tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want.

Sometimes you need someone to remind you to dig deep with God, to keep up the faith, to stay in the fight. It's a battle every day. It's easy to become complacent because life gets in the way. Think about what is going on right now, nearly everyone is finishing their last week of classes, so any time that we have is being used on homework, finishing up assignments, projects, and papers. When tough times come or we get stuck in the routine of the dailies, we can forget what matters. So when you get caught up in the business during this time of year, don't forget what matters and that is digging deep with God. Take some time to pray, read a devotional or even get in the word. It can be pretty easy to stop growing spiritually, to stop talking to God, and stop learning about the faith walk. Don't get frustrated or overly stressed, rather be thankful for this time of year. It's the greatest time of year and life is to short to worry about the stress with school when a relationship with God is so much important
than anything else? That is one of the reasons I have a reminder set on my phone every night to ask a handful of people what they learned throughout the day. Life is too short to not reflect on what God teaches you on a daily basis.

This is what it means to be surrounded by people you trust and who have your back. Now, keep in mind, I'm not telling you to befriend a group of holy rollers who pride themselves for always wearing a tie and going to Bible study five days a week-and judge you for not doing so. What matters is being surrounded by people who speak truth into you, who support you when you feel weak, and who encourage you when you feel like you just can't do it anymore. Having people like this in your life helps you live at your best. It helps you strive to be better than average, more than ordinary, far above normal.

I encourage you to take a close look to see who is in your circle and if they are speaking the truth to you. I also encourage you to strive to be that type of friend for your friends as well. Your circle has a huge impact on your life and the decisions you make and will help you live at your best. Embrace it.

Proverbs 16

I believe that sometimes you just have to look at scripture and that is enough for some encouragement. Tonight I am sharing Proverbs 16 with you and I hope that you can take away something from the chapter. It is filled with so many awesome verses. I encourage you to take some time and read through this chapter tonight and maybe jot down some verses that really speak to you. 

To humans belong the plans of the heart,

    but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.

2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
    but motives are weighed by the Lord.

3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.

4 The Lord works out everything to its proper end—
    even the wicked for a day of disaster.

5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
    Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
    through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.

7 When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
    he causes their enemies to make peace with them.

8 Better a little with righteousness
    than much gain with injustice.

9 In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps.

10 The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
    and his mouth does not betray justice.

11 Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
    all the weights in the bag are of his making.

12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
    for a throne is established through righteousness.

13 Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
    they value the one who speaks what is right.

14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
    but the wise will appease it.

15 When a king’s face brightens, it means life;
    his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,
    to get insight rather than silver!

17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;
    those who guard their ways preserve their lives.

18 Pride goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
    than to share plunder with the proud.

20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,[a]
    and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
    and gracious words promote instruction.[b]

22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
    but folly brings punishment to fools.

23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
    and their lips promote instruction.[c]

24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,
    sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

25 There is a way that appears to be right,
    but in the end it leads to death.

26 The appetite of laborers works for them;
    their hunger drives them on.

27 A scoundrel plots evil,
    and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.

28 A perverse person stirs up conflict,
    and a gossip separates close friends.

29 A violent person entices their neighbor
    and leads them down a path that is not good.

30 Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity;
    whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
    it is attained in the way of righteousness.

32 Better a patient person than a warrior,
    one with self-control than one who takes a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap,
    but its every decision is from the Lord.

~ you are loved ~ 

Stand up!

I've been reading through Acts the past couple of days and have really learned a lot. The book of Acts is a cool book to read but it is also a little tricky to understand. I believe the book of Acts is literally a book about doing acts and teaching the good word to as many people as possible who do not believe.

There is a section that I just read through in Acts chapter 17 that really caught my eyes and got my attention. So Paul was in Athens, and while he was there he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. He reasoned and had discussions with the synagogue and both the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of philosophers began to debate him as well. Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection, because of that, they took him and brought him to a meeting where he could get a little deeper into what he had to say.

This is where it gets really good.

Acts 17:22-31: Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an alter with this inscription: TO AN UNKOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship-and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if you needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 'For in him we live and love and have our being.' AS some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.

Why did I just share this? It is so powerful. I think that we see people every single day who are giving to much time to things of this world and who are looking for fulfillment through worldly things as well. I believe that when we see that we need to stand up and tell people all about the things that they are missing. I especially love this part: "Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else." People who live for the wrong reasons should be like..."dang...I want to live for him." I can see Paul just dropping the mic in front of all those Athenians. (If he would've been using one...those didn't exist yet) In all seriousness though, my point is this: Don't be afraid to stand up for telling people about believing in Jesus. Acts 18:9-10 says this: "Don't be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack or harm you."

~ Go change the world ~

What we can do

A couple days ago I talked about the illusion of independence. Today I want to talk about what you can do about. 

Let's flip the switch for a minute. How many times have we gotten stuck on ourselves and our problems, that place where we think,

- The world is so unfair

- Why is life so hard?

- Why does it seem I'm the only one going through a rough time? 

Sometimes we can get so caught up in this kind of mental funk that we forget that those around us are going through a hard time. Sometimes we just need, even for a minute, to stop. Step outside of ourselves. Pay attention to the world around us. And do something, no matter how small, to lighten someone's load. It's about perspective. 

It's amazing what happens when we help someone when we're feeling helpless. 

Think simple. In terms of those around you, send an encouraging text to a friend. Take time to listen, really listen, to another. Make some chicken soup for someone who is sick. Instead of blabbing on and on about your problems, find out what another person is going through. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. Pray for someone instead of always asking that person to pray for you. 

There are so many things that you can do for other people on a daily basis in order to lift them up. You might not know if that person is having a rough day or a great day, and performing a random act of kindness will lift their spirits right up. I was doing some homework in the room the other night and one of my friends texted me and asked me if I needed anything from the grocery store. Like how nice is that? Buying groceries is not fun for most college kids and my friend offered to buy me some things that I needed. I am not saying you need to go out and buy people things. There are so many other things you can do. Encouraging texts are the best. We are on our phones all the time. Why not text somebody some encouragement or just text somebody to check in on them and to see how they are. You can do that in less than a minute. Even just to hear that someone is thinking of you is one of the best feelings or even that you crossed someones mind. I'm not asking for these but for anyone who has ever sent me a text about the blog that means so much to me. I love to hear how God uses it to encourage and uplift people. If you're ever affected by it, don't hesitate to tell me. It's not for my glory but for God's. 

Check this out: A study done by Emily Ansell of Yale University School of Medicine offered, "Our research shows that when we help other we can also help ourselves...Stressful days usually lead to us to have a worse mood and poorer mental health, but our findings suggest that if we do small things for others...we won't feel as poorly on stressful days. So apart from feeling good when you do something for someone because it is the right thing to do and it is how Jesus would act, studies show that you health and mental state will be better. I want you to remember though, you shouldn't do good things for other people just when you have a bad day to lift you up. You should always try to do good things for other people. Do it for God, not for yourself. 

Ralph Also Emerson said, "The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." We do this be reaching out, by finding a need, however small, and filling it. It doesn't matter eat person we do this for; friends, family, or total strangers. What matters is doing something outside of ourselves. When you are doing something outside of ourselves, you are loving others and that is being obedient to the greatest commandment. "Love one another."

~ you are loved ~