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Recipe for Cheerfulness

Ever have one of those days where it's just hard to be cheerful? I sure have! There doesn't have to be a specific reason for that feeling, but it just seems harder to be cheery than sad. Or maybe you do have a reason, maybe you are extra sleepy, or someone said something to upset you, or you found out you did bad on a test, there are thousands of possibilities!

Today when I felt like there was no reason to be cheerful, I remembered that I DID have a reason to be cheerful! Jesus loves ME!!!!! While it seems simple, to know that the Lord of All loves little me, is pretty spectacular! Once I had remembered this simple truth, it made me realize that God is so much bigger than anything that I could be going through, and He will keep me safe and protect me! After I thought about this, I decided to keep my eyes and ears open for something that would cheer me up. (See, I do this thing where I ask God to show me things to show His love for me! And you know what? He ALWAYS shows me something! I just have to keep my eyes open!) So, on my way to my next class something happened that made me smile, and then someone said something that made me laugh. God is so good! And even when we feel like there is no reason to be cheerful, if we keep our eyes and ears open, God can point out something little that can turn our day into a day full of cheerfulness!

LIfe and Music

Today, I was asked the question: What if all songs were sung to the same tune? Well I think that music would be very useless! I mean, imagine singing Jingle Bells to the tune of Amazing Grace. It just doesn't fit!! After that question, I began to think. Human beings are kind of like songs. We are all different! Our Creator definitely made us with some of the same features, but we are all unique! We are especially designed for one purpose: to honor and glorify God! He made us and deserves all the glory!! We should give honor to whom honor is due!! Remember that the next time you feel like you do not have a purpose. Christ made you for a specific reason!!

One Day @ a Time

God's Will. It's a beautiful thing. As Christians, we have the amazing opportunity to follow God, and complete His will for our lives. But sometimes it can be very overwhelming. The sheer thought of serving a God who created the entire universe is rather daunting. I mean, me, a simple, little person trying to glorify the Almighty Creator! Wow! Then if you take it to the next level of following God's will for your life, it gets even scarier! To me, the scariest part of fullfilling God's will is the fact that God doesn't speak to us in an audible voice, so we never really know what God's exact will is!

As a senior this year, I have had the opportunity to visit several Bible colleges that I am considering attending. If I am completely truthful, I don't think I'm ready for college! But it is such a wonderful opportunity to continue my education, I am looking forward to the new challenge. But before I can take that next big step, I have to make a decision on which Bible college I attend. And I can say that I am totally scared to death to make that choice! What if I think one college is God's will, but it's really just my top choice?

This question really got me thinking about God. So many times, I tend to think that God's will for my life will be boring, and terrible. Which is crazy isn't it? Because God wants the best for us! I mean, He died on the cross to free us from everlasting punishment in the lake of fire! So why do I believe He would choose something for me that I would hate? After thinking about this for a while I decided that it was because I'm leery of the fact that I wouldn't be in control. And I really, really like being in control! Control is a funny thing though, it seems like any time I think I'm gaining more control I lose it.

Then the thought came into my head that the God who holds the universe in His hands wants to control my life! Not only does He want to control it, He wants to walk beside me and be my Best Friend through it all! How amazing is that? So really, who am I to think that He is trying to destroy my plans? All He wants is the best for me. And we don't have to try to figure out God's plans for the rest of our lives at this very second. We don't even have to know what His will is for us for tomorrow! If we just commit ourselves to doing His will for us today, then He will lead us to the places where He will reveal to us His will!

Pollyanna Challenge

Has anyone ever seen the movie Pollyanna starring Hailey Mills? If you have you probably remember the game that Pollyanna played. She called it the "Glad Game", and to play she would think of all the good things possible when she was tempted to think of the bad. When she first tells others of her game they laugh at her, but eventually they realize that a positive outlook is so beneficial in having a pleasant outlook.

Sometimes it's very hard to be positive as opposed to being pessimistic. I (Riley) know I tend to go back and forth between my views. But as I was thinking about it, I came to the realization that when I'm thinking positively I tend to accomplish more, and have a better attitude, and even be friendlier.

So, this gave me the idea to have a challenge! It's called the "Pollyanna Challenge", and for one week you agree to have a positive outlook, and when you're tempted to think of negative things, replace those thoughts with positive thoughts. Here's an example: When you're at school/work and you're tempted to complain about how much work you have to do, think of how the work will benefit you, and that the sooner you get it done, the sooner you can move on to something you enjoy!

As Christians we have so many reasons to play the "Glad Game"! Just think, we have a Heavenly Father who is always by our side, who loves us and provides everything for us. That in and of itself is enough reason for us to be happy! So who is going to step up and take the "Pollyana Challenge"?

What a Day! Praise the Lord!

Today was a great day! Praise the Lord! In case you don't know, I (Kristin) work in the bus ministry at our church along with Riley. We have a family that have 3 adorable children and 1 on the way! The mom and dad ride the bus with the children which is a rarity and a huge blessing! But the only problem is that the mom and dad aren't married. It has been a prayer of mine for a few months now that they would take the next step and get married. Well today we spoke with the dad and he told us that he was going today to get her engagment ring!! Praise the Lord for all His marvelous works! They are taking a step in the right direction and they need all the prayers they can get! Please keep this family in your prayers!! What a day!!

Friends

Friends. They can make or break you. As a teenage girl, I've learned this through experience. Some friends, I still keep in contact with while others...not so much. As hard as it may be to watch a friendship come to an end, sometimes it is the only way to keep on being a Chic 4 Christ! In my experience, friends are a major part of life! Without friends, who would make us laugh? Whose shoulder would we lean on during the dark days? Who would pick us up when we've fallen? Friends are truly a gift from God, and I believe that friendship is something that should be based around God. As Christians, everything we do should be for God's honor and glory. So, in evaluating your friendships, do your friends help bring you closer to God, or are they pulling you farther away from him? Life is too short to pulled away from God by not having the right friends. So how do your friends measure up?