A New Season and New Goals

It has been a pleasant November thinking on what I am grateful for. It seems it has come and gone far too quickly than I would have hoped. But as the colorful leaves are piled up and put away, there are lights being hung all around and fires being built and hot cocoa being poured. This time of the year is one that is usually looked on with admiration and fascination.

Though this may be true, it can be a dangerous time of the year as well so I have a few goals in mind:

1. Give. Perhaps not by gift, but by my time, energy, prayerfulness (is that a word?) and love.

2. Spend much quiet time with my Savior.

3. Spend time with others.

4. Have open eyes. It's important that I be attentive to the needs of others. I want to be aware when and where God is leading me. It's my prayer that He will open my eyes to see what He sees and give me His love for the broken and hurting.

I want to encourage you to set out and make a list of goals for this Christmas season. Whether it be to meet one new person each day. or just to wake up an extra hour early to study the Word. Think on the things God might have for you this season.

I think by serving there can be found much blessing. "...By love serve one another" (Gal. 5:13).

What 20 Years Has Taught Me

I am young in years, but when it comes to lessons there have been many. Some I have welcomed joyfully and some have practically fallen into my lap, without so much as warning call. But are those not the best of lessons?

Here we are folks. I am finally rolling into the anticipated years of what they call... your twenties. Why these years seem so great, oh I'll probably never know. Maybe it's just the way the 2 curves. It's an appealing number.

I do not know what my twenties will entail (the rapture perhaps), but I do know what has happened in years passed. And those lessons, those life changing lessons (for me at least), are what I want to share with you today.

HERE'S WHAT 20 YEARS HAS TAUGHT ME (minus a few things in between).

1. Sometimes, what you think you need to survive, is really the thing that's killing you.

I had all the electronic gadgets and a nice guitar and case, and I thought those were necessities. I used them every day, and they were very useful. All these objects took up valuable time.

And in one night it was all gone.

Just gone. One sad night someone breaks in and takes it all. What that taught me was one real good lesson: I don't need to check Pinterest on my iPad or be able to have a touch-screen-laptop. What I need is a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be, (Matthew 6:19-21 NLT).

2. Patience really is key.

What is today if you are always anticipating tomorrow? How many times will I look back on my day and realize I have wasted it because I was so focused on my plans for the weekend or stressing about what I need to get done?

Oh, but what fulfilling days I've had when I surrendered it all to God and actually lived prayerful and present. Clicking my phone off and listening to what the person in front of me has to say.

Now, I've had a difficult go at patience when it comes to waiting for marriage. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I look forward to the day I can team up with the man that I love, the man who loves me in return, and serve God side by side. I look forward to the time when we will do life together.

But if that time is not now, then I must not let my desires for a spouse keep me from serving God today and even- get this, I know this is hard to believe- on top of serving God, being joyful and thankful in the place I'm in now.

I know, crazy right? I know you're totally looking at with all the hesitation your eyes can hold saying, "You mean to tell me, Bailey, that you want me to be thankful for being single? Is that even possible?"

Yes, it is. You just keep seeking God.

This leads me to number 3.

3. My husband is worth waiting for. (and so is yours).

Now this is no big revelation. I just wanted to point out to you all that my husband rocks and he is totally worth the wait. (I know I'm not even dating yet, but I don't need to know my husband yet to know he is completely great).

4. Do not settle.

Don't you dare settle for less than God's best for you. Read the book of Ruth, see what qualities this man Boaz holds and prayerfully consider traits that you hope to find in a man. Then, once you've thought about what you desire in a man, never settle. Ever. God wants more for you than you even want for you. And that totally made no sense.

Do you want a Boaz or a Bozo?

5. Do not fear vulnerability.

Why do we look at the word "vulnerable" and cringe? We fear it because within our vulnerability, it is easy to get hurt. I want to look at the definition: "susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm."

As Christians, God often calls us out of our comfort zones into places where we feel we can easily get hurt- to places where we may be susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm. He calls us to places where we end up feeling completely defenseless and weak. When He does this in our lives, that is when His power can finally be made perfect. That is when we see His glory shine forth. It's during these scary times that our relationships with Christ grow and we are stretched.

6. Be a softy.

A prayer that I have carried with me from the moment of Christian birth is that God would soften my heart. We can become so calloused that we can't even see what God may be trying to teach us or what He may be calling us to.

I've got some pretty cool news: God is in the business of clay making. He takes our hearts and, though it may be painful, He chips and chisels away at our hearts, turning it into something beautiful. Something that reflects Jesus Christ.

I never want to become hardened toward God. I want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading in my life. When He calls me, I want to Go.

So, Go be a softy, okay?

This is the longest post ever, but I love talking about things God has taught me. I pray that He will keep teaching, and as long as He is doing that, I'll keep sharing for as long as He calls me to.

Oh and 7 is the number of completion, right? I'll give one more.

7. BE YOU.

You're a gem, and who the heck cares what that mean, popular girl thinks? Who are you in God's eyes? Go read Psalm 139 and find out.

Stop changing yourself to feel accepted by a crowd who doesn't care a bit. Instead, be yourself, seek God always and find joy in Him.

Your worth exceeds that of diamonds. You're worth waiting for. And you are loved by the God of heavens armies. And you don't have to do anything to earn it.

That is good news, friend. Have a blessed day.

An Open Letter to My Dad on Father's Day

Dear Dad,

I know you've loved me as long as I've lived, but I've loved you my whole life.


Thank you for being my dad and not just my father.
Thank you for serving this country and fighting for America.
Thank you for singing to me every night as I grew up.
Thank you for loving me with the love of Jesus Christ.
And thank you, for that resulted in my repentance and salvation into the family of God.

Thank you for being my best friend.
Thank you for never letting me forget just how beautiful I am.

Thank you, dad, for giving me the standard of what I look for in a man.
For showing me what it means to be loved.
I now know how a man should treat me because of the example you lead.

Thank you for being strong and courageous, but always slow to anger.
Thank you for your willingness to listen to my babbling about boys and such.

And thank you for so much more. The list goes on for I am endlessly grateful for the role you have and continue to have in my life. You've provided and loved and lead me through life and you have taught me a number of things, that of which can not be counted.

You are an amazing dad and great husband. I've watched you as you always always treated Marla like a princess. Opening the door for her. Walking her through the house during her surgery recoveries.

I will be the most blessed woman on this planet if I could find a husband as wonderful as you, dad.

I could never, with as many words as there are in the English language, ever find any eloquent enough to express how thankful I am for you and how much I love you.

An Open Letter to My Mom on Mothers Day

Dear Mom,

Thanks for everything. I turned out awesome.



Okay I'm kidding.

You, mom, have been with me from the very beginning.You carried me in your tummy. You cleaned the food out of my baby fat rolls. You clothed and fed me as a child. You gave me a home to live in. And all of that is great and I'm so thankful.

But through all of that, it is your love I am most thankful for.

Because let's face it- without love for this little chubster, it would all seem that it was done in vain.

But instead, with every blessing or gift or job you did for me, it was done joyfully because of your love for me and my siblings. You sacrificed more than I would have ever asked for, in order to see me grow up comfortably.

You were my defense when I needed it. My comfort when I was sad. You were the shirt I wore when I missed you at night. You were my one (and probably my only) cheerleader when I would step out of my comfort zone. You were my courage in those times as well.

You taught me how to love. You showed me how to laugh. I pray for you everyday and I will not stop.

You are my mama.

And that will never change.

Valentine's Day Gone Totally WWWWRight.

  

What did you do this Valentine's Day?

Did you go out with a date- the one you've been crushing on for- like- ever, who finally gained the courage to ask you? Were you someone's Valentine? Did you spend it with your husband who made you feel super loved? If so, us single ladies all envy you.

Were you alone this Valentine's Day? I was, relationship-wise. And you know what? That's okay.

I could have stayed home, asked my dog to be my Valentine and watched chic flics as I scooped three different flavors of Ben and Jerry's into my face. Yup, could have happened. And to be honest, it has in the past.

But this year, I decided to handle Valentines Day a little different.

I said I wanted to step out. To serve God and be used. So?

Three weeks ago a decision was made to put together a young girls Valentine Banquet.

We called it The King's Daughter after the verse "The King's daughter is all glorious within," (Psalms 45:13).

And boy, did He show up.

Putting it all together and planning it was stressful and time consuming and completely draining. There were plenty of times when I decided we should just call it quits. But God had a message to give to His daughter's, and I just pray we were able to send that message to them.

Whether it be the way the flowers sat before them, or the jars of candy they received. Whether they got it by the background music or the lights that strung above them. Maybe it was the actual message given or the prizes they received from the games.

Going into this banquet I was a bit stressed and worried, because there would be girls coming who needed to hear from God, and I didn't feel I could give them what they needed.

And I couldn't.

Only God could. So with prayer and love, we gave them what we could. Material things like above. Hoping that in the midst of it all, God would show up and wrap His arms around His daughter's reminding them of His infinite love and grace.

Hoping that, between all the giggling and frosting and songs and fun, He would be near, reminding His daughter's that He sees them and knows their desires and cares enough to give us His best.

So, relationship-wise, I was alone this Valentine's Day. But spiritually-wise, the Lord was near and completely present.

If you forgot about the Lord yesterday, it's not too late. You can give Him everything today too, and all the days that follow.

Happy Birthday | A Chance to Live

Last year, I learned some valuable stuff on my birthday. I tried to write a different post, but I've already said what I needed to say, so I will just repost last years blog. I love it because I was in this vulnerable place and God was so kind in showing me that He has a purpose for my life.

I hope you also know that He has plans for your life as well.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once a year.

It happens quite often if you think about it. And for some reason, every year, it's such a big deal. It's nice to feel loved and admired- don't get me wrong- but I never ever, ever want my birthday to be just about me.

Because it's not.

After my birthday party- shh.. don't tell anyone- I cried a bit, partly of joy because I felt so blessed by my family and friends, but also sorrow because I didn't feel like I glorified God enough. We didn't even pray once.

I think I had this picture in my head that the church would come into my home, see where I came from- see my family and love them where they are. That we would gather together, and I could talk about how thankful I was to be given this chance to live. I wanted God to be in the midst of the celebration, because it was Him that I wanted to praise. For life, for purpose, and for chances.

My mother had a miscarriage before she had me. God took my older brother or sister home before they even had the chance to see light. I believe there are a lot of reasons God did that, but mostly I believe He took them home early so that I could have a chance to live.

Now here is a beautiful question that I get to ask myself often, and I believe it would do everyone good to ask:

Is how I'm living my life worth the death of my big brother or sister?

Because if they had lived, I wouldn't be here now. Am I living up to the very core purpose that God has given me?

There's so much more to life than boys and the new greatest iWhatever.

This life is no more than a gift from God, and a chance to live and choose the world or God. I choose God.

I choose God. (Emphasis on I choose God).

God has blessed me beyond numbers with my mom, who made my birthday party so amazing. So maybe I feel bad about the way I acted towards God on February 2nd, the day we celebrated my birthday. But I still have the real thing, February 3rd. And I want to glorify God with every minute of it.

God Bless.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PS: If you look to the right there's a poll. I'm really interested if people struggle with Valentine's day. so take two seconds and tell me what's up.

I Burnt the Christmas Crack

I tried to tell them.

I'm not very good in the kitchen, I said. I even told them of the time I almost caught the kitchen on fire. Yet they put me in charge of the Christmas Crack anyway. (I guess this is what some people call peppermint bark).

So long story short, I forgot to set a timer while it was in the oven and my sweet little niece just wanted to play. It had to be a set up. Come on, isn't she adorable? Someone's trying to bring me down.

And as I opened the smoking oven and my mom pulled out the object of our conversation, all I could say was, "I told you."

Better luck next time?

A Savior Has Been Born

Don't you just love Christmas. Oh boy it's grand. Not much to report here in my neck of the woods, just thought I'd wish you all a wonderful Christmas. It was a little chaotic trying to get our family photo, but I think it turned out great.

And also, my brother re-gifted me a superman-monkey-slingshot-thing. Oh it's simply marvelous.

Simply Chaos

It's about what's on the inside, right?

Sometimes wrapping presents is a lot of fun.

And sometimes wrapping presents takes all your energy and you can't find time in the day to get this simple task done.

If you're me, it's the latter, and wrapping those presents isn't simple but a complex arrangement issued for the enjoyment of the recipient. So, if it's just for fun it doesn't matter if it's pretty, right?

I sure hope so.

And with one of the gifts, I put all my energy into wrapping it right that I forgot about a piece of paper I was supposed to leave inside. I had it all planned out, and it just swished it's pretty little way down the drain. I refuse to rewrap it. It's too complicated.

I hope your wrapping extravaganza's have had more luck than my own, but if they haven't I encourage you to keep on. Christmas is almost here, and you won't have to wrap any longer.

Unless all your friends have birthdays. In that case..

Sucks for you.

Keep on wrapping my friends. Keep on wrapping.

original photo via

Day Nine | Goals For The New Month of December

This is like a mini new-years-resolution. Cool.

The month of December has always, always been really hard for me. I love it, don't get me wrong. All the beautiful lights, cold weather and trees. The traditions past on from generation to generation in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The New Years Eve celebration in which you stay up late in anticipation of a new beginning. It's all so exciting and magical to me.

But for some reason it is really hard to go through alone. I look forward to the day when I can hang lights and decorate trees and go light watching with someone special.

It's silly and I don't understand it in the least, but it's a hard month to go through for me. Valentine's day? That's always just been funny to me. But Christmas is different. It's not expected for you to have a significant other to enjoy it with. But my patience always wears thinner and thinner every Christmas season.

I understand Christmas is not about any of that, so this December I want to spend it all with the One in whom we are celebrating about. I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have to give, give, give. I don't want to make this month about me and my wants. I don't want to have a pity party and watch chic flicks while I soak in my misery with three different kinds of Ben &Jerry's.

I want to get out of my comfort zone and spend it with friends who, I don't know, have just as hard of a time making it through the season as I do. We can do it together. We can make it through and glorify our God in the process. This season can be the best one I've experienced yet. No boyfriend needed.

Just God. And what's awesome is that He's given me friends and family who will be there for me through it anyway. How awesome is our God?

I love remembering the sacrifice He made when He came down from Heaven for me and you. It shows how big of a love He has for us.

So recap. My goal for the month of December is

1. Give.

2. Spend it with others.

3. Spend it with God.

4. Remember the sacrifice He made, just by leaving Heaven and taking on flesh.

5. Oh and work on keeping up with posts. I'm terrible at it.

I had so much fun during the month of November with the blog series even though I was terrible at keeping up with it. I thought I did a great job. (I'm totally kidding).

Have a great December, I know there are some great things to come. I'm so very excited for it. I hope you are too.

Valentines Day and My Promise of Faithfulness

So lately, I've been so busy that I would set a time and day that I was determined to write. But you see, when you go throughout your busy day and sit down just to write, nothing happens. No brilliant ideas, no insane revelation from above. Just me, my laptop, and a pile of homework that should have been done hours ago.

So here we are.

But really, I just wanted to take a minute and acknowledge Valentines Day. I mean, it's a fantastic Holiday when you're dating or married or whatever, but when you're me... well let's just say it could get ugly.

I'm single (no, that wasn't an invitation), and I try my very best to take advantage of this time, focusing on God and growing in my relationship with him. It gives me time to plan out my future and what I want to do and become. But there is always, somewhere within me, this constant longing for someone.

Someone who will care about me and love me inside and out. Someone who will want to know all the things that make me tick and what my dreams are. I want someone who is brave enough to pursue me because somehow, without even trying, I stole his heart.

And honestly, I don't think it's a bad thing. When God created the universe, there was only one thing that he said was not good.

"The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" (Genesis 2:18).

In Hebrew, when it says helper it actually means "counterpart" or more specifically, "mate".

So you see, God created us to have someone. He even said that it was bad for us to be alone. My desire for a significant other is just part of how I was made. But I will, for the sake of my respect for my future husband and for the furthering of the kingdom of God, try my hardest to be patient for God's plans for me. (Can you say run-on sentence?)

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," (Psalm 23:1).

Some other versions say,

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."

Lately I've caught myself quoting this throughout my day, especially with Valentines Day coming up. I have everything I need. When I find someone, it will be by the grace of God. It will be a gift.

I want to will be faithful to my future husband all the days of my life, and this Valentines Day I will spend my day with the Lord. I asked him to be my valentine and he said yes. If you want to ask him too, that's totally cool. I'm willing to share if you are.

Oh Birthdays | God's Gift To Me

Once a year.

It happens quite often if you think about it. And for some reason, every year, it's such a big deal. It's nice to feel loved and admired- don't get me wrong- but I never ever, ever want my birthday to be just about me.

Because it's not.

After my birthday party- shh.. don't tell anyone- I cried a bit, partly of joy because I felt so blessed by my family and friends, but also sorrow because I didn't feel like I glorified God enough. We didn't even pray once.

I think I had this picture in my head that the church would come into my home, see where I came from- see my family and love them where they are. That we would gather together, and I could talk about how thankful I was to be given this chance to live. I wanted God to be in the midst of the celebration, because it was Him that I wanted to praise. For life, for purpose, and for chances.

My mother had a miscarriage before she had me. God took my older brother or sister home before they even had the chance to see light. I believe there are a lot of reasons God did that, but mostly I believe He took them home early so that I could have a chance to live.

Now here is a beautiful question that I get to ask myself often, and I believe it would do everyone good to ask:

Is how I'm living my life worth the death of my big brother or sister?

Because if they had lived, I wouldn't be here now. Am I living up to the very core purpose that God has given me?

There's so much more to life than boys and the new greatest iWhatever.

This life is no more than a gift from God, and a chance to live and choose the world or God. I choose God.

I choose God. (Emphasis on I choose God).

God has blessed me beyond numbers with my mom, who made my birthday party so amazing. So maybe I feel bad about the way I acted towards God on February 2nd, the day we celebrated my birthday. But I still have the real thing, February 3rd. And I want to glorify God with every minute of it.

God Bless.

2013 and Our Resolutions

Photo

Can you believe 2012 is already over? It seems like yesterday I was sitting on the hood of my car asking God to make it the year he begins my love story.

Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. The beauty is that I have no idea what he's doing right now. What I do know is that, instead, he answered the prayer I should have asked.

He drew me closer to him.  And oh boy, what a love story it's been.

In late January of 2012, I spent a life changing day with God. It was nothing significant like climbing a mountain or something, just that I spent the entire day alone with him. This kind of thing should be done more often.

First, I wrote out a list of all the books in the New Testament, and from that day on began reading them, crossing them out as I completed each one. It gave me a goal- a destination- and I loved it. I was so sad when I finished.

Second, I wrote a list of goals I had physically, spiritually, and mentally.

And third, I wrote a list of who I wanted to become (read proverbs 31).

From that day on, my relationship with the Lord accelerated at a high speed as I continued to search for him.

So what are your new year resolutions? Have you thought about it? It's good to have goals, but I've learned that even if you do, God may choose something better for you. And that's okay with me. We just need to move forward.

Here are some goals I've thought of for myself:

1. No matter what I have going on, put others before myself. Always.
2. Be brave and always be ready to do the calling God places in my life.
3. I still want to fall in love.
4. Make a difference.
5. Don't forget to have fun.
6. Never stop praying.

I really want to encourage you to set some time aside to spend alone with God, and ask him what it is he wants from you this year. If you have a goal that's really important to you, tell a friend. Let them help you achieve your goal.

If you need prayer feel free to email me at baileyrox@msn.com (don't judge).

"Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12).

Oh Christmas

Oh Christmas. It's my favorite time of year. 

But this year is different for me. 

Rather than being filled with joy, I'm filled with this un-taming sense of sadness. It's just the opposite of how it should be, but when I see Christmas, I see, not just Jesus being born, but what he was born for.

I see the cross.

And yes, this should bring me joy. The fact that Jesus has saved me does bring me joy, but the fact that his suffering up on that cross, was because of me- well that just makes me sad, to say the least. 

I've heard it said that if I were the only one on this earth, he still would have died for me. I always assumed he would only do it if I wanted him to, but I think it's more than that. I think even if I didn't want him to die for me, he would. 

Look at the disciples, when Jesus mentioned his death, they went mad. But he did it anyway.

Jesus even asked God to forgive those who killed him. 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 

A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 4.

I don't know why, but I mourn for the reason Jesus came. He came to die.

Eventually I will see it more clearly, and I will rejoice. But now is my time to mourn.

P.S. Sorry about my sad post. 

Give Thanks

I've lost sight of the meaning of Thanksgiving. I think a lot of people have.
 
I've been acting like a real brat lately. My parents are divorced and that means I get two Thanksgivings. But this year I've been acting like it's all messed up. I'm going to my mom's on Thursday, and to my dad's on Friday. My dad is still making a thanksgiving meal on Thursday, and I was mad because I wouldn't be there. I was mad because I wouldn't get to eat his Thanksgiving meal.
 
Isn't that ridiculous?
 
Thanksgiving isn't about the turkey, or the mashed potatoes and gravy. It's not about the corn or the delicious green bean casserole. It never has been.
 
Originally, the pilgrims used this day to give thanks to the natives for saving their lives. They came to America so they could form a separate community in which they could worship God however they saw fit.
 
That's what it's about. Giving thanks to God and others for what they have done. It's not about me- nothing ever is. I should be giving thanks that I get to spend time with both families during this holiday.
 
"Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him." Psalm 95:2
 
I am thankful for my salvation and that God has chosen me.
 
I am thankful for my family- my niece, and my nephew- and that my step mother is still okay. I am thankful for my dad and his love for me. I am thankful for my mom and how much she believes in me, even when I don't.

I am thankful that God has saved me for my future husband, even though my patience sometimes wears thin, God has beautiful plans for me, and I am very thankful for that.

I am thankful for my amazing friends, and Pastor Brian and Pastor John Miller. The Lord has blessed our church with great leaders.

I am thankful that I get to be a part of the Becoming Girls Conference.

I am thankful for my bed and my home and my car.

There is so much more to be thankful for, and if we just take a second and think of those things, the real meaning of this day will surely come to life.

Love,