Leave those comfort zones

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

        As of late, I’ve been really learning what it means to leave your comfort zone. It’s been crazy actually how much God has been teaching me lately, it’s just amazing! I want to encourage all of you to step back and take a moment and think. Are there places in your life where you may have created a comfortable bubble? Something I’ve been told many times before, is we must be careful because even something such as comfort in our lives can end up being an idol in our heart. I don’t think I ever realize that I’ve made a nice little comfortable bubble unless I’m put into a situation where I have to do something crazy that I’ve never done before. But, think about it, we need to really pop that bubble we may be in and expand our outlooks, and especially our faith. We must keep on growing  and bearing fruit! When Christ walked on this earth, he told some men to follow him, and you know what, they dropped what they were doing, and followed Him and became His disciples. It says they immediately left their nets and followed Him! How awesome is that, that these fishermen up and left what they were doing to follow Christ.
        So, I just want to encourage all of you to wholeheartedly step out on faith and do whatever it is that He may be calling you to do. It may be scary sometimes or even something small but we need to submit ourselves to God and follow Him. Once we do that, through faith, we can more openly see the incredible works that the Great I AM is doing in our lives. We must follow Him daily and humble ourselves and imitate Christ. Just as the image below illustrates, leave your comfort zone, and great things will happen :) it will all be worth it in the end.

We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are. - Max DePree

Praying for you, friends! Go out on faith and be fishers of men just as Christ has called us and bring the good news of the gospel to those you encounter.

In Christ, Heather <3

(p.s. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas celebrating the wonderful joys of family, friends, and the birth of our Savior!)

Love Overflowing

         After singing Christmas carols that day at the nursing homes, my heart had been so touched that I wanted to go back. I told my mom right after leaving that we needed to make cards for all the residents there. And thus we did. I was so excited to start the project, especially since I'm home and don't have school work to do! However, after measuring and cutting out all those cards, I almost decided to not do it anymore. If we wanted to do this, a card would need to go to every resident at the Union House, and only 5 or so cards had actually been made by Wednesday. I kept finding other things to do and just put it off, which is never a good idea. Nevertheless, with a ton of help from my family, and staying up until 2 am to personally write in all of the cards was accomplished before Christmas Eve, the day we wanted to hand them all out. The next story changed my heart even more than it already had been the first time I was at the nursing home.
          That morning of Christmas Eve, my mom, sister and I went to the nursing home to deliver the cards. At first, we were going to just drop them off, but thankfully we got to personally deliver each card to all of the residents there. I can't give justice to what happened in those thirty minutes through my own words, because it was so powerful and totally the power of Christ at work in my life, my mom's, my sisters and the folks there. Passing out Christmas cards to the men and women was a gift in itself. The residents were so joyful when we handed them a card, and some of them were even shocked that they were receiving a card of their very own. As we went upstairs, a fair amount of the residents were having their lunch in the dining area, and so we passed out more cards there. Many of the folk up there seemed to be suffering a lo from a variety of disabilities. As were headed to the elevator, one of the nurses asked someone to read what was written in the cards. A man probably no older than 50, started reading the card. His voice, and those words he spoke, will never leave my memory nor my heart. He had trouble speaking, but his voice started to change as he said he was going to cry. The moment he said that my heart broke for him, for everyone there. As we stepped onto the elevator, I wanted to cry and turn back and give him a great big hug. I didn't, sadly. Hopefully, one day I'm blessed to go back there and give him that hug. But leaving the nursing home again, my heart was so filled with love and joy that I couldn't even contain it! There was sadness mixed in there as well, as I wish I could go there every day and bring them cards or letters of encouragement, but the joy of Christ overcame the sadness and brings hope to my heart. Hope and joy that God uses someone little person like me to share his amazing love and grace.
        I can't even fathom the love that Christ has for me, but I know it's overwhelming, unconditional and  selfless as He gave Himself up for each of us. And there in that moment, I had a tiny sliver of a hint of how Christ loves us. I was so blessed. Not that I know how Christ feels as He loves us but in that moment my heart was overflowing with love for these people, and He is continually teaching me how to love others. Just as He loves them and just as I would love myself.  And I know Christ loves each of them so very much. I hope to go back very soon before Christmas break is over, but as dearly beloved friends, be praying for them and for all the other folks who are in nursing homes!
        And just a word of encouragement! I almost gave up this little project, but God strengthened me to finish what I had started. And thank God, it got finished since He had such a special plan in store for many of us. I pray that as you read the following verses, you just let God speak to you through it for His word is living and active. Don't ever give up my friends, He has a great journey ahead for you and in the end it'll all be worth it.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" Galatians 6:9-10
Praise Him!

In Christ,
Heather

Change in heart, Joy bursting forth!

           There are so many things God has taught me within the last few weeks that I really wish I could share ALL of them with you, but I won't right now. Anyway :) today, my church decided to go Christmas caroling at some nearby nursing homes. (sorry this may be long but it's worth it and I love talking about how great God is!!) So, I didn't feel like going at first because I've been sick and tired since being home and just wanted to go back to the house after church with my dad and brothers and relax and eat a lot of food. However, as I was about to get in the car, my heart kept getting tugged on to go Christmas caroling (definitely by the Holy Spirit and some influence of my sister.) So, I went, and without regret, God had a great day ahead of us. We went to the first nursing home, walked around and sang a bunch of carols. We then went upstairs and got to sing carols to even more people.  As we were singing, some of the folks there came out to see us and listened to us. To be honest, I was nervous and scared to be there. What if the folks there didn’t want us to be there? What if we were singing the songs wrong or what if we made fools of ourselves? Thinking back, these were kind of ridiculous thoughts. I just needed to trust God and not worry about those “what ifs”.
        One woman ended up joining us as we sang and you could just tell her whole heart was into it.  Her face lit up during every song and clapped for us as we finished up. As we were heading out of that area, members of my church were wishing the people there a Merry Christmas and giving the great big hugs. Then it just really hit me. This was a light of the love of Christ. My mom didn’t know these people, my pastor didn’t know these people, and I didn’t know these people. But what is important is that God knows them, and He created them and they are all loved by Him. He loves every single person I encountered today, and I realized even more how great the love of God is that He has lavished on us. So, as my heart is being shaped by God, I realized a few things. To truly imitate Christ, I have to step outside of my comfort zone, which would have been just singing, saying Merry Christmas, and leaving it at that. But that wouldn’t be enough. Jesus didn’t come here to just chill and sit inside a safe and comfortable bubble. Christ came to earth to serve us not to be served; therefore we also must serve others and love them just as Christ loves each and every one of us. I felt the cross dangling around my neck and remembered the one who lived and died for me, and this life I’m living must be all for Him. So, I walked towards the woman, who sang with us and gave her a big hug and introduced myself to her, and the floodgates of God’s love just overwhelmed me, and I wanted to pour it out on all the folks there! Words cannot truly describe the amount of joy from God that I felt today. To shorten it up, at this first nursing home, it was such a blessing to see many of them singing along with us, talking with us and just simply smiling. We left gospels of John there as well, the best gift of the gospel and hopefully shone the love of Jesus through our actions based from our faith in Him.
            After, we had the chance to go to a second nursing home! And again, so many opportunities arose to show God’s love to these folks and we took them. Again and again the Lord helped me love everyone I saw and hugged them because they are a beloved child of God. Tears welled up in some of the beautiful eyes of the elderly folk we met at the nursing home because they were so blessed that we came and sang to them. It wasn’t on their daily calendars and thought it was such a wonderful surprise. It almost seems silly that I thought they wouldn’t want us to be there. We must share with God’s people who are in need and practice hospitality! (Romans 12:13) In a class recently, a partner and I studied the practice of hospitality, and it was amazing to legitimately feel the welcoming of strangers in a community even if it wasn’t for a long period of time. We went there as a church body to love the people at the nursing homes, to be hospitable and caring towards them, shining the light of Jesus Christ. But unlike the other times I had gone caroling, I felt completely welcomed into their community as well. Not that the other times I had gone to nursing homes, the people weren’t welcoming and grateful, but I was apparently not as open to giving and receiving from them. So many verses are running through my head right now on how to love others as ourselves, to love others as our brothers and sister and how Jesus has loved us and how God has welcomed us, who once were strangers, into His family.
            Looking back at all the events of my day, which going to the nursing homes (losing my voice) was just one aspect of, I really see that taking time out of my day for someone else is a huge blessing. God has given us all time, so how are we gonna use it? Use this time He has blessed you with for Him. And because lord of the rings is so great, a quote that relates so well…“I wish it need not have happened in my time.” Says Frodo (when thinking of all the evil in the journey ahead) to which the wise old Gandalf replies, “So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” We can’t argue with the time given to us, because God has blessed us by giving us every minute of our lives. We have to live our lives out for Him, learning from His word, and growing in faith with a community of believers. The amazing news of the gospel has to be transforming our lives daily. We must imitate Christ and share His unconditional love with all His children! And how do we imitate Christ? I was going to try and paraphrase this, but nothing beats the word of God:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” – Amen! (Philippians 2:1-11)

           So just a couple of challenges for both of us; and I ask that you keep me accountable to these things.  Reflect daily on just how amazing our God is. The One who loves us no matter what we have done, the One that has created everything perfectly the way it should be and the One who knows exactly what He is doing even when we feel like everything is going wrong.  I’ve learned a lot today, and I want to constantly remember how great God’s love for us is every single second of my life!  Also, remember it is far greater to give than to receive.  But also humbling to receive and to be served from those you may least expect. Take time out of your day for others, and follow God daily. Be intentional with relationships and very intentional in your relationship with God.  Taking just a moment out of my day today for others changed my heart and joy burst forth. We may not have a lot to offer God, but we must offer all that we have to Him, for it is all His to begin with. Praise Him, His love endures forever!

Praying for you, my friend. Set your eyes on Him. Shine for Jesus! :)

In Christ,
Heather

And as the great hymn sings
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!