Getting out of hand. So I realize not everyone can relate to this blog post. Some because they just can't, some because they have other lifestyles, and some because I'm just so weird of a kid that very few people actually relate to my struggles. But anyway, here's my dilemma. I looked into a mirror at work the other day, but for once I actually LOOKED into it. I didn't glace at myself in passing like I normally do when I'm in a hurry or when I'm having a bad hair day. No, I was tired, and quite frankly wanted a break-- even if it was a brief one-- so I got a little closer to the glass and looked at my face. My pores were really big, as expected after a long, sweaty shift. My hair was frizzy for similar reasons. But what really startled me, and what really "inspired" me, I guess, were my eyebrows. Please don't quit reading now even though this blog seems to have no meaning-- I promise there is a purpose to my random ranting about my face. ...
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Worms on a sidewalk. So I'm just going to start out by saying I get joy in the seriously weirdest things ever. Like, seriously. I love when songs are remade into Spanish. I love when couples have the same hair color. I love seeing old people in love. I love seeing movie stars act like normal human beings. And for some reason, when I was walking into school the other day, I got such a sense of profound hope when I saw all the worms crowding the sidewalk to escape the flooded grass. It's weird, but I was so engrossed in why they were there, how they got up onto the sidewalk, and whether or not they'd make it with all the busy students trudging through the puddles. I got inspired, let's just say that. So when I started thinking about the little creatures, I began to realize what a marvel it is that they were able to even find the sidewalk! Aren't worms blind or something? They can't see clearly, and they move like a foot an hour... and somehow, when it starte...
Waiting for the light to turn green. I oftentimes find myself at traffic lights. Maybe because that's how my town is set up, a couple long streets with a ton of lights every few blocks. Maybe I think there are a lot because I'm impatient. But either way, I find myself at them quite often, and when I do, naturally an over-thinker like myself tends to put a metaphor behind it. I do that a lot. I think I will have a few more posts about that kind I thing-- finding deeper reason and meanings behind seemingly insignificant endeavors. Things we overlook. We never really look for how God can teach us things through each and every day because we get too caught up in the motions. The schedules. The routine. The "being on time" and the penalties of showing up late. Maybe I sound like a hopeless philosopher, but for some reason when I was sitting at a stoplight, waiting for the light to turn green, I got inspired. Call it Divine, call it a girl with an incredibly small attenti...
FAITH RANTS This is the section of Devotions by Carly where I simply rant about things going on in the world and somehow relate it to God's view instead of the one forced upon us all. I really don't like selfish people. The worst part is, if I could change one aspect of my faith and work to better myself in one area, it'd be in my selfishness. I get so self-consumed, and so incredibly obsessed about making myself look good-- doing what benefits me-- making sure people see me, love me, approve of me......... It's exhausting. What really kills me is how much the Bible talks about humility and submitting yourself to the work of the Spirit. And here I go, making my own selfish choices and decisions that somehow seem to only benefit me, me me. Some days, I wake up with a "Go spread God's message, not yours!" attitude, and that quickly fades as I'm racing past others cars in a 35 speed limit zone, checking my hair in the reflection of my mini-van. ...
Service I'm about to head to Pittsburgh on a mission trip. I'm excited, like always, but I'm a little nervous, too. Doing God's work is NOT a vacation, it's time to devote your entire being to Jesus and let Him use you to accomplish His mission. I'm nervous because I know how easy it is to make these trips all about me-- a chance to show off, to flirt, to buy stuff... it may sound silly but trips away from your normal life can be distracting sometimes! I need to remember that the Spirit of the living God lives inside me! He will act and I will move where He wants me to go. The act of surrendering your life to something greater can be scary sometimes! But I need to take peace, knowing that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13) Philippians 2:13 NIV for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. God works in me. Ephesians 2:10 NIV For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ...
SUMMER TIME!!!!!!! I want to figure out a way to make the most of my summer. I'm not sure what that looks like or how I will act in order to achieve this. In fact, I'm actually really confused. I think until now, my summer has just been laid out to me on a silver platter: you'll go to church camp this summer. Next summer you'll run VBS drama department. You'll go on vacation. I guess everything was just kind of... there. But now that I'm driving, and now that I am mature-ish enough to make my own decisions as to what I'm going to do and where I'm going to spend my time... I don't know... I'm a little lost. The first world view is "HAVE FUN, CARLY! That's what life is all about-- having crazy wild summers that give you something to talk about once school starts again." And I would partly agree-- I want to have fun this summer! But somehow I want something more. I want something with more purpose-- something that gives me fulf...
Love is a great thing. That may be the understatement of the century for some of you. That may be the cheesiest, most ridiculous lie you’ve ever heard, too. But I think that when God was creating us, He instilled a wonderful, magnificent capacity inside our hearts, and then created everything else to work with it. It’s not like He created humans and then added a little love potion, and we were complete. No, I think that he created us for love. He gave each and every person love in their hearts, and then He created our bodies. Our minds. Our spirits. Our souls. It all started, though, with the amazing love that He has for us. You can’t honestly tell me that love comes from anything but God, and that we come from anything other than His love for us. It’s just a fact. We were made out of His love for loving. That’s why it feels so good to love someone—to buy someone lunch, or congratulate your friend. To pick someone up after they’ve been knocked down. To hug someone. To c...
THE POWER OF OUR GOD. Worship music is great, isn't it? Maybe you go to church-- maybe you don't, maybe you like worship music, and maybe you don't. But for some reason, when a group of people get together and sing praise, it's amazing. My question for you is: why? Why do we sing praise to God? Why do we repeat phrases over and over like "How great is our God" or "I will sing of your love forever..." Do we believe it? That's the real question. It's easy to read words on the projector screen and lift our hands in the air, (that is, if you have two eyes, a brain, and hands). It doesn't take much to "worship." The true act of worship, though... the kind that fills you with the Holy Spirit, the kind where you truly believe every word that comes from your lips, the kind that fills you with hope, strength, and a devout fear of the everlasting God... If you believe in what you're saying, and believe in the almighty ...
TRUE LOVE. How many of you thought of some Disney movie when you read that title? I bet you're picturing some valiant knight with long flowy hair riding into the town to run off into the sunset with with redeemed princess or something along those lines. I'm not talking about that, though. Picture a famous pop-star crying on the couch reading an article that reads "[Insert Pop-Star's Name Here]: Recent Admittance to Rehab!" The pop-star is shocked when she finds that all of her fans and followers and her true friends have left her. No one cares about her when she's a nobody. When she's not famous, or worthy of their affection. True love isn't a fairy-tale, and true friends aren't those you can get into a VIP party. Something that is true, in my opinion, is something that matches up to the only Truth we have here on earth-- Jesus Christ. It sounds overused... like "Jesus is the only truth! Repent! Stay true to Him!" But I can as...
Willie. If any of you have ever wondered how I got to be so wonderfully talented at writing, or how I came to be so knowledgeable on the Bible, (I hope you can sense my sarcasm...) besides the wisdom given from God, I owe it to Willie. At first when I was doing the Bible in a year thing, my grandma was constantly leaving comments and encouraging words. However, once I began to write about things that effected me personally, Mr. Willie Burton stepped in to give me his feedback, which was a little different than the "great job, Sweetie!"s I would get from my Granny. Both are very appreciated, of course :) Willie knew the Bible. He really really really knew it. And if I said something that was even a little bit contradictory to God's word, he was sure to let me know! If there's anything I learned from his passing, it's truth. He would always speak the truth, and he rarely sugar-coated it. He was trustworthy and a great friend to my family. And as I look t...
Lying to Yourself Do you ever have those feelings when you're driving down a country road, the wind blowing in your hair, the sun shining down across the hilltops, and a perfectly uplifting song comes on the radio and you realize, "I'm still not happy!" It's irony at its finest... when the scene is set for a perfect spring day and no matter how perfect the landscape is, you still don't feel completely whole inside. The road before you is shining bright and butterflies are floating past your car, but your heart feels like an abandoned concrete cell. I think it's important in these times for us to stop lying to ourselves and stop trying to make ourselves happy. We need to accept that the pleasures of the world will never fully fulfill us, and focus our eyes on the salvation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We should focus more on unseen entities rather than worldly pleasures. The Bible talks a lot about seeking good, true things rather than ...
"Sitting alone here in my bed. I'm waiting for an answer I don't know that I'll get... a nd I know there's a reason, I just keep hoping it won't be long til I see it. And maybe if we throw up our hands and believe it! I'm telling you these times are hard, b ut they will pass..." Excerpt from the song "These Times" by SafetySuit, Copied from MetroLyrics.com This is a wonderfully written song, first of all. Second, I believe that the lyrics hold very true in times where we're looking for "answers." Especially when we're searching for answers from God. It's difficult because I think we expect a grand, elaborate answer. Like a burning bush or something. Don't get me wrong, God totally has the power to light a bush on fire. But in this day in age, it's very rare that we actually are aware and ready for God's answers. We're too busy finishing homework, or bussing tables, or flirting with cuties at sch...
New Beginnings We all question God's purpose for us in our lives. We like to think we're in control. I do, anyhow. And yet, here I sit, in awe of what God is doing in my life and the lives of those I'm in relationship with. It's awe-inspiring-- to think that God has a plan for me, and for all the people I lay eyes upon. It's crazy because I sometimes think I have it all figured out, but then am reminded by God that He is in control, and has a plan that's far better than anything I could ever achieve alone. He reminds me in my new beginnings that there is HOPE, in every new day, new opportunity, new friend, new lack of friend, too. It's hard when things change because we miss the past and are anxious about the future. But when did our anxiety ever slow down God? He has His own plans, and there is so much peace knowing that He is in control. That HE is the one who came to save us, is currently saving us, and will save us in the hours to come. Lord, Th...
Love is bigger than you think. It's bigger than we will ever be able to comprehend, bigger than everything we've ever experienced. Ever. I once didn't believe in the whole "evolution" thing. I just thought that if anything ever contradicted my religion, it was completely, 100% false. Period. But the more I learn about the God I worship and the world I live in... I begin to understand a little more about what I once thought was impossible. You learn something new every day, I suppose. Let's start with a turtle. Because regardless of whether or not scholars believe we're related to them, I think we have some pretty similar characteristics that we need to take note of. First, turtles have shells. Duh. They hide in them when they're afraid. They shut out the world outside them, no matter what it could be offering, because their selfish instincts tell them that they have to watch out for themselves. I could be handing a turtle a perfectly large ...
Here's a shocker: life can get confusing. Especially when you choose to follow someone else's plan for you instead of going after what your human nature wants. It's worth it-- to follow God and follow where He leads, but it can be hard sometimes. God doesn't speak through burning bushing that often nowadays... He has the power to, though. This is where I find hope in the midst of hardships-- knowing that even though I might not be able to see where things are going, that there IS a plan for my life, one that is for the better. I'm pretty much awful at making decisions when I try to on my own... so it helps to have a God that is watching out for me, one that genuinely knows best. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I get impatient sometimes. Well, most of the time. A lot of the time, actually. I just think that my happiness i...