Announcement… May 28, 2008

Hullo, girlies!  This isn’t a devotional, more of an announcement, since I don’t really know where else to post it…

You may have noticed that HannahBeth and I have our own categories for posting, while the rest of you can only post in ‘Uncategorized’.  I was thinking, and I know it is fun to have your own category, so I came up with this idea:
We’ll make you your own category once you’ve made three posts of your own, and think that you’ll stay committed to writing throughout the summer.    I don’t know who will keep writing and who won’t, so this way we have a sort of idea of who will have enough posts for their own category.

How does that sound?  Bee? 

Princess…Darling? May 23, 2008

Quite often lately, lately as in the past few months, I’ve been thinking about marriage and what I like in a guy. But then I had a thought. What do I want to be like for “my guy”. Instead of daydreaming about what he’ll be like, I can be making myself into someting that perhaps he is wishing I’d be like.

Basically, what I’m saying is, put all that you wish your “guy” was like in yourself. I want “my guy” to be kind, sweet, caring, self-less, and the perfect helpmeet. One who’s not afraid to wash the dishes, or prepare dinner. Well, then, that’s what I should be like.

So I’ve made it a goal for my life to become the wife that “my guy” wishes for.

I want to be:

Kind, sweet, caring, self-less, the perfect helpmeet for him.  I want to be patient, soft-spoken, loving, and ready to do anything he asks of me.

This is all well and good to say, but the hard part is actually practicing it! And these past few days haven’t been good ones for me. I’ve been crabby, down in the dumps, and not at all caring whether I’m patient or not! It’s something to work on, and be worked on continually. Prayer is a key instrument…I know of several situations where I would’ve lost my temper if it had not been for stopping and praying.

Instead of daydreaming about my Prince Charming, my goal is to work on being Princess Darling.

Just some thoughts that have been going through my head lately.

*hugs*

Sam

Trials and tribulations May 22, 2008

Why, Lord?!

That’s a question I find myself asking Him quite often, I’m ashamed to admit. Why must life be so hard? Why can’t people (specifically Christians) get along better? Why can’t we sell our house NOW and move NOW? Why did our friends’ daughter have to die? Why, why, WHY?

I find the answer to all my questions in these verses, 1 Peter 1:6&7
“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

These sufferings, these trials, these hardships: all are a part of life, yes, but they are also a part of our refining. Gold is used as an example in these two verses, so let me use it here as well:
Gold, to be purified, is heated in very intense heat. It is also very soft, and can be molded easily, in addition to being very heavy.

In order to purify our faith, to bring us to the point where we can trust in the Lord, and Him alone, God takes us through “the fire” of trials and hardships, sometimes through loss, sometimes through going without a certain need for awhile, and sometimes through simply not getting our own way when we think we should.
  Our trials also help to soften, or make us sensitive to others’ needs, rather than always focusing on our own. We need to be sensitive also to the Lord’s leading, that he may mold us into the person He wants us to be.
And, our trials help to make us “heavy”, or grounded, in our faith. Through hardships, our faith is tested, and at the other end of each trial, our faith is made that much stronger, that much more able to withstand the storms of the next trial.

We can also find comfort in the fact that the Lord has told us that He will  “never leave us, nor forsake us.”
The next trial you’re going through, instead of asking ‘Why?’, ask Him to purify, soften, and ground you in your faith. May He bless each one of you, and may your trials bring you closer to Him!

A Penny For Your Thoughts May 20, 2008

I am very nosy.  I remember times when I’d lay on my bedroom floor and try and listen through the vents to what my parents were talking about privately.  There would never be a good night’s sleep for me when my sister knew something I didn’t.  And Christmas-time…oh my goodness.  The worst time of year for a nosy child, poking their noses into places where noses aren’t welcome (especially at Christmas-time).  But that was me, poling my nose behind my dad’s dresser, under the bed, in the closet.  What’s terrible is, I still poke my nose.  I can’t stand not knowing what others are doing, thinking, or saying.  Sometimes, I discover something that I never knew, or was never told, probably for a reason.  In one way, I feel proud that I was able to discover something “forbidden”.  But usually, I start to feel hurt, anger, and rejection at not being told about this thing.  Or, even worse, I feel guilt at finding out about it. 

 

I think that the human mind is amazing.  But when you think about it, compared to the vastness of this universe to God’s comprehension and knowledge about us and about the world, our brains are like little raisins in a big, spicy gingerbread cake.  Now, the reason they’re so small and minor is because we don’t know everything.  Only God does.  He knows what we’re thinking.  He knows our good traits and our flaws.  He knows our dreams and wishes.  Sometimes I loose sight of this.  I think things I shouldn’t, believing my thoughts are completely private.  And sometimes I wish I did know everything, so I go nose poking, only to end up hurting myself and others.

 

Just a few nights ago, my sister decided to hide under my bed and wait until I turned off the lights to crawl into bed with me.  Luckily, I didn’t turn my lights off, but just sat in bed singing songs.  I guess she really had to laugh, because she went shooting out towards my door, laughing and yelping, “I couldn’t help myself!”  I just laughed and jumped on her, but inside, I was trying to remember if I’d sung or said something that would be totally embarrassing for her to hear.  Then I thought, “God heard it, though, so why shouldn’t she?”  And God cares more about what I say and think.  I’m having a hard time really, really believing and knowing that He hears me, and I’m just praying each day that He’ll give me more faith and trust, and that I’ll remember each day that He really cares about me. 

Trusting in God May 16, 2008

Ok, so anyway, I guess life hasn’t been all sunshine for me lately. It’s not just about how much school work, along with the stress that causes, but also because of some personal problems. There’s always been tension between my dad’s side of the family and my mom, and it hasn’t affected me much when I was young, but now, as we all get older, we find that we have bigger and more significant problems. And this is what’s happening to me. I find the actions and attitudes of others are affecting me more than before, and I just can’t turn to my mom everytime something bad happens, and expect her to fix whatever is wrong.  I guess that a lot of us wonder why some things happen to us, but not to others. I know I have, but as my mom has been pointing out lately, everything happens for a reason, and we should trust that God knows what’s best for us, even if we don’t think it is, and that we should look to Him for guidance, as Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.” This is one of my favorite verses, and I know that whenever something happens in life, whether good or bad, I know that God is watching over me. I find that prayer helps me a lot to overcome the bad times. After I spend some time before going to bed praying and searching inside me, I feel at peace and a sense of hope that no matter what, everything will pass and it’ll turn out fine. And that as I look back to this years from now, it’ll just seem like a minor thing. So that was a bit on my life lately, and how I’ve been feeling. Sometimes it just seems like I’m losing control over my life, or that things  are going way too fast, but I know that I can always ask God for help.

 Well, enough for now, since I have to go.

      Bye! Hugs!

“Do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases!” May 15, 2008

I suppose i just wanted to write something about love… for I love love. I think about Cinderella fairy tales all the time. Not that they ever come alive… yet. One would always wish (or I do) that when they find Mr. Right they will be swept off their feet into a beautiful carriage with a white horse and ride happily forever after into the setting sun, just beond the ocean’s tide. And everyone says it does not happen in real life, that’s what EVERYONE says. But I would like to think that with Jesus anything could happen. Maybe not with the whole carriage into the sunset part… but just maybe there is true love. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt there is true love. And God made Love to be one of the strongest powers of all. Song Of Solomon 8:7 says- “Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it.” I think that shows in a nutshell how strong love is.  

Also, it says not to awaken love until it pleases. God will show you when you are with Mr. Right, maybe it will take a while… maybe there will be a lot of Mr. Wrongs first (hopefully not). I think that with caution,and God’s guidance we can avoid most of the Mr. Wrongs and get to our Mr. Right sooner. A lot of people say to make a list of all of the things you will make mandatory for your future husband to have. Not like hair color, I mean, unless you have some weird phobia of redheads, etc., or something! lol :p I was more talking about character traits etc. Here are some of mine: (they aren’t in any particular order, I just thought of some and worte them down)

1. No cussing, or bad language or smoking, drinking, drugs… etc.

2. Kind to me, NEVER mean or hurtful

3. Christian, of course… and does not just say he is one, he actually IS one. and has an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ

4. I would like for him to be within 2, no more that 3 years difference of me. (sometimes that changes though as people get older.)

So those are just some of mine… everyone has their own.

God will present you with a fine young man when the time comes… and if you have an interest in a boy, I would suggest getting to know them, their morals, their faith, their habits, before starting formalling “going steady” (yes i randomly thought of that funny term back from the sixties the other day, ) My thoughts are all over this screen, not too organized I suppose. What I am trying to say is that you can have a happily ever after! When a relationship is based on God’s written word, it has no place to go but up! You will have wavering times, but turn to the best book on earth- The Bible. And pray, LOTS. God will guide you. I feel like I am writing on a subject I shouldn’t be… for I have never courted yet. So this is a warning, you are reading the words of someone who does not have real courtship problems yet, or dating problems. But I have feelings and thoughts and hopes and fairytales in my head… and I have my Bible, and that tells me A LOT! So I just was feeling inspired to write about this. Please may this just create thought in your minds, and I may just be silly for writing the ramblings of a dreaming 16 year old girl. But I did it and it is done now… farewell!

 

                                ~Love Forever and Always, Alicia

Whose voice is it? May 13, 2008

What to say, what to say?! I’ve sat here for several minutes, just waiting for the perfect words to run across my thoughts. The perfect phrase, the perfect post idea, the perfect…

But that’s just it. Nothing this side of heaven is perfect. Nothing. Most especially, my ideas, and my thoughts, are never perfect! Nothing I say (er, write) here will ever be just right, will ever express the whole of what the Savior would have me get across to you. As long as I am the sole writer of each of my posts here, at this wonderful new blog, you will get nothing but personal opinion, unbiblical thinking, and, to put it bluntly, posts that are far more worthy of never seeing the light of the blog world than of being posted for a few eyes/hearts to see. I am human, I am full of faults, short-comings, wrong ideas and thought patterns. He is the Creator Divine, He is full of perfection, grace, righteousness and truth to speak to broken hearts. May He be the One whose voice speaks the loudest here, may He be the One to give comfort, healing, and encouragement to all who visit, and may He be given all the glory, honor, and praise!

I’d intended to write a wonderfully long, and full of Bible-thoughts post, one of encouragement and hope. This is, instead, all I have to give you today. May you be blessed, sisters, and perhaps throughout the rest of today (and tomorrow!), ask yourself this question continually:

“Is my voice being heard, or is His?”

Welcome to Sister to Sister! May 12, 2008

Well, here we go!  This is the official Sister to Sister blog site, where our girls can post their thoughts, writings, and devotionals about life, the world, and their faith.  We’re made up of girls from all different tastes, ages, and backrounds, so please keep that in mind when posting here.  Also, feel free to post your thoughts and opinions on any topic you like, but keep in mind others’ feelings.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and we’d love to hear what you think!

Lady Hannah Beth thought of the title “Sister to Sister”–we are sisters in Christ sharing with each other our thoughts, fears, and musings.  I hope that this summer, we can grow by learning what others think and believe, but also be open to learning new things from each other.