If you have been in church for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the hymn "Trust and Obey". It's a very straightforward but honest song. The chorus declares "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." Sounds simple enough, right? When you are younger, it's easy to sing these words believing that it will always be an easy choice to trust and obey God. But the older you get and the more challenges you face, it becomes a little more difficult to just "trust and obey" with no questions asked. It's easy to withhold our trust and start to convince ourselves that our situation is the exception to rule of obedience. We know God is telling us to do something, but we deceive ourselves into thinking that He couldn't possibly still have the same expectations of us with our current circumstances. It's tempting to believe that the hard times are an exception for being obedient to God, but in fact, that's exactly when obedience and trust are key.
I have recently struggled to be obedient to God in a few areas that I never have before. I have always been quick to give, of my time and money. It's never been difficult for me and most of the time I do not hesitant to give to those around me and to my church. Giving has always brought me great joy and fulfilled me in a way like no other. I never thought twice about it before, always being generous despite the cost. Recently, my money and time have become tighter. There hasn't been as much of it to spare. God is truly challenging me to trust Him and continue obeying Him during a time when it isn't so simple. Obeying Him right now might mean sacrificing nicer things and rest for my mind and body. That song "Trust & Obey" has been replaying in my mind for a few months and I can't say I haven't looked up at God a few times and questioned how He expected me to continue on doing what He had called me to do when my resources were quite limited. How can He expect me to make these sacrifices when I'm already working so hard already and I'm exhausted trying to keep it all together? It's easy to make excuses and convince myself that I need those things more than others do. It's easy to sleep instead of serve and it's easy to use my hard earned money for myself instead of living modestly and giving it away to those in need. Obedience is not the easy choice after all.
But, I will press on. For God is calling me to trust Him in order to fulfill not only His glory, but my good. Trusting God when it is difficult allows you to see His goodness, as well as, the goodness in others. God has continued to provide for us, so that we are able to give. He has made a way when it didn't seem like there was one. He has given me the energy to continue serving and opened up the time in my schedule to be present. God has drawn me closer to Him and given me the courage to say, "I trust You. I trust Your timing. What I have: my time, my money, my life...it's Yours. No excuses." He continues to give me that joy, so that I can give that joy to others. The hymn does say,
"But we never can prove
the delights of His love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor He shows,
for the joy He bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey."
I challenge you to trust and obey Him today. Take a leap of faith when you can't see where the path leads, for I promise you that the benefit far outweighs the cost.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Cooking Diaries: Cooking with Brittany
I have recently embarked on the adventure that is cooking. For some, this might be an exciting time, but for me it was definitely intimidating. I've never been one to cook. I'm that person who is content having cereal for dinner and usually brings something store bought to any type of event. I haven't ever really dabbled in cooking because I had no clue where to even start.
When I got married, I felt the desire to try to cook for my husband. I got off to a good start, but slowly began to fall away from it as life got in the way. We also lacked a full kitchen in our basement apartment which played a big part in not being able to put together a basic hot meal. I felt overwhelmed with trying to come up with ideas, so I just gave up. It was always hard for me to go to different events where people brought all homemade dishes and I showed up with my store bought cookies that paled in comparison. My friends always knew to count on me to bring the rolls to a meal. I felt embarrassed and somewhat like less of a women because not only did I not know how to cook, I truly had little desire to even learn. When we moved into our new home, with a full kitchen, I decided that this was my chance to start fresh. I was going to learn to cook whether I liked it or not, but I was also hoping to gain an appreciation for it. I wanted to actually enjoy cooking not just do it out of obligation.
It's only just begun, but I can say that it's already been a much better experience than I was expecting. Thanks to things like Pinterest and Facebook, I was able to make a list of simple recipes that I was willing to try. It was also beneficial for me to just ask people I knew for a few meals that their families loved. I started meal planning and making a list of the collection of recipes I had gathered along with the ingredients I would need when I went grocery shopping. For me, planning has been key. As long as I buy the right ingredients and have everything on hand that I need to make a certain dish, all I have to do is assemble the meal. I don't have to worry about scrambling last minute. It's crazy how much less complex it became when I just put a little effort into the meals I was making. Taking the few extra minutes to research, swap recipes with friends, and make the proper grocery list has really helped make this process much more pleasant and not as overwhelming for me.
I'm letting myself off more easily by not expecting perfection. I am obviously a beginner, so I have to accept that I will screw up. I had to learn when something is cooked, overcooked, and undercooked...which I have on occasion had to find out the hard way. I've learned that you boil water on the "big" burner on the stove or else you will end up waiting a very long time for your water to boil. I'm realizing that there is almost an art involved in having each part of the meal ready around the same time. If you don't time it perfectly, then your potatoes may be ready 20 minutes before the chicken and a lot of things will end up being reheated. I've found out that if flour goes unused for a long period of time, it can get little bugs in it even if it is in a sealed container and if you are boiling noodles and drop the one you are trying to taste test on your bare skin that it will burn the crud out of you and leave a nice pink burn mark for a while. It's been a journey full of mistakes, but I am gaining more knowledge of how to cook in the best way.
I am venturing out into uncharted territory, but I have had a few success stories. I will share with you a few of the dishes that I have made that have turned out well! I have tried a variety of things from chicken to beef, from casseroles to crockpots. I am trying to not be intimidated by recipes that have more than 4 ingredients (which I used to always skip over). Some of the dishes I have successfully made are:
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Pigs in a Blanket
Chicken with Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Apple Pie Oatmeal
Taco Soup
Sausage Gravy and Biscuit Casserole
Well, that's it for this addition of The Cooking Diaries. I may keep documenting my cooking journey and sharing different recipes and things I have learned along the way. If you happen to be interested in any of these recipes, let me know! Happy Cooking!
When I got married, I felt the desire to try to cook for my husband. I got off to a good start, but slowly began to fall away from it as life got in the way. We also lacked a full kitchen in our basement apartment which played a big part in not being able to put together a basic hot meal. I felt overwhelmed with trying to come up with ideas, so I just gave up. It was always hard for me to go to different events where people brought all homemade dishes and I showed up with my store bought cookies that paled in comparison. My friends always knew to count on me to bring the rolls to a meal. I felt embarrassed and somewhat like less of a women because not only did I not know how to cook, I truly had little desire to even learn. When we moved into our new home, with a full kitchen, I decided that this was my chance to start fresh. I was going to learn to cook whether I liked it or not, but I was also hoping to gain an appreciation for it. I wanted to actually enjoy cooking not just do it out of obligation.
It's only just begun, but I can say that it's already been a much better experience than I was expecting. Thanks to things like Pinterest and Facebook, I was able to make a list of simple recipes that I was willing to try. It was also beneficial for me to just ask people I knew for a few meals that their families loved. I started meal planning and making a list of the collection of recipes I had gathered along with the ingredients I would need when I went grocery shopping. For me, planning has been key. As long as I buy the right ingredients and have everything on hand that I need to make a certain dish, all I have to do is assemble the meal. I don't have to worry about scrambling last minute. It's crazy how much less complex it became when I just put a little effort into the meals I was making. Taking the few extra minutes to research, swap recipes with friends, and make the proper grocery list has really helped make this process much more pleasant and not as overwhelming for me.
I'm letting myself off more easily by not expecting perfection. I am obviously a beginner, so I have to accept that I will screw up. I had to learn when something is cooked, overcooked, and undercooked...which I have on occasion had to find out the hard way. I've learned that you boil water on the "big" burner on the stove or else you will end up waiting a very long time for your water to boil. I'm realizing that there is almost an art involved in having each part of the meal ready around the same time. If you don't time it perfectly, then your potatoes may be ready 20 minutes before the chicken and a lot of things will end up being reheated. I've found out that if flour goes unused for a long period of time, it can get little bugs in it even if it is in a sealed container and if you are boiling noodles and drop the one you are trying to taste test on your bare skin that it will burn the crud out of you and leave a nice pink burn mark for a while. It's been a journey full of mistakes, but I am gaining more knowledge of how to cook in the best way.
I am venturing out into uncharted territory, but I have had a few success stories. I will share with you a few of the dishes that I have made that have turned out well! I have tried a variety of things from chicken to beef, from casseroles to crockpots. I am trying to not be intimidated by recipes that have more than 4 ingredients (which I used to always skip over). Some of the dishes I have successfully made are:
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Pigs in a Blanket
Chicken with Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Apple Pie Oatmeal
Taco Soup
Sausage Gravy and Biscuit Casserole
Well, that's it for this addition of The Cooking Diaries. I may keep documenting my cooking journey and sharing different recipes and things I have learned along the way. If you happen to be interested in any of these recipes, let me know! Happy Cooking!
Monday, January 13, 2014
LETTING GO
It's interesting to me that lessons meant for children or youth, always hit me harder as an adult. The kids may walk away learning nothing, but I find myself touched and intrigued by the simplicity of the message. This happens often during our youth group. My husband is the youth pastor and the funny thing is that because of our busy lives, we rarely discuss what will be happening at youth group beforehand. I usually don't know what he will be speaking about and I hear it all for the first time with everyone else. Our simple talks with the youth tend to resonate with me more so than any complex teaching I ever receive.
This week we talked about God's promises. Josh taught us about the concept of a covenant or an agreement that God makes with us. Of course, there are times when we don't uphold our end of the bargain, but He remains true in His promises to us always. He never fails to keep His end of the deal. Knowing that, we then looked at the commitments He had made to us throughout scripture. Among the plethora of promises God has made to us, we found one that particularly stuck out because of the New Year. God says to us, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." In these verses, He is showing us that if we just let go of the past, He will do a new thing within us. He desires that for us, not to be stuck in the past but to give us a future full of hope. He wants us to be excited about what is to come! God wants to carve a new path for us, if only we would let Him.
I take this verse as a challenge for this year. God is holding His hand out to me, to all of us, asking us to let go of what is currently in our hands occupying our time and energy and put that weight down, so that we can grab ahold of Him and what He has for us in 2014. To symbolize this, our youth group lit sky lanterns and released them to show everyone including ourselves that we are putting the past behind us and embracing everything that we are trusting the Lord to do in the New Year. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done and it was very meaningful for all of us. We didn't let them go individually, but all together. We are in this together. Here's to 2014 and the great things that we know are to come!
This week we talked about God's promises. Josh taught us about the concept of a covenant or an agreement that God makes with us. Of course, there are times when we don't uphold our end of the bargain, but He remains true in His promises to us always. He never fails to keep His end of the deal. Knowing that, we then looked at the commitments He had made to us throughout scripture. Among the plethora of promises God has made to us, we found one that particularly stuck out because of the New Year. God says to us, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." In these verses, He is showing us that if we just let go of the past, He will do a new thing within us. He desires that for us, not to be stuck in the past but to give us a future full of hope. He wants us to be excited about what is to come! God wants to carve a new path for us, if only we would let Him.
I've heard this verse many times, but as someone who struggles with letting things go and moving forward, it convicts me each time I hear it. I had a wonderful 2013, but it wasn't perfect. Like anyone, I made some mistakes and bad choices. I held onto grudges and fears. I struggled to forgive when others had wronged me. I would definitely say 2013 was a pruning year for me, where God showed me areas of my life that needed work and slowly began molding me into the wife, daughter, friend, co-worker, etc. that He has called me to be. He showed me the things I needed to let go of: selfishness, pride, irritability, anger, self-consciousness, not trusting, anxiousness...just to name a few. I had to learn some of these lessons the hard way and anyone who has ever felt the Lord trimming away their problem areas knows it isn't easy. It was a year filled with growth, but I still have a long way to go. Too often we put our focus on the past and on all these things I've listed from my 2013 that I'm not too proud of. There is nothing we can do about the events that have already passed, yet Satan loves to torture us with them. The past can preoccupy our minds, but nothing about it will ever change. It's a pointless battle that we need to retreat from.
I take this verse as a challenge for this year. God is holding His hand out to me, to all of us, asking us to let go of what is currently in our hands occupying our time and energy and put that weight down, so that we can grab ahold of Him and what He has for us in 2014. To symbolize this, our youth group lit sky lanterns and released them to show everyone including ourselves that we are putting the past behind us and embracing everything that we are trusting the Lord to do in the New Year. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done and it was very meaningful for all of us. We didn't let them go individually, but all together. We are in this together. Here's to 2014 and the great things that we know are to come!
Friday, January 3, 2014
FRIENDS
Each season of life is unique in its own way and each comes with different struggles and adaptations, but I must say that the phase in between college and "real" adulthood is by far the strangest I have yet experienced. You are technically an adult, but you wouldn't consider yourself one. You are left learning to navigate for yourself without the roadmap you have always held -- you don't know how this time period is supposed to look. There is no right or wrong answer which makes it harder to make decisions. You determine where you want to go and you have to figure out exactly how you will deal with and adjust to the changing circumstances. It's funny how things change when you get older, things that you would never expect. There are certain trials that happen in life that no one tells you about. There is no warning or preparation; it just happens. Sometimes you just aren't prepared for everything that growing up entails.
In high school and college, I definitely would have defined myself as a social butterfly. I was always out and about doing things with friends. You would rarely find me home on the weekends because I made it a point to fill up my schedule. In college, I regularly had lunch/dinner dates with girlfriends and would go to the gym or go running with friends. It was very rare when it was just the roommates in our townhouse because we always had people over. I kept myself busy and constantly in contact with everyone because in college there are almost always people around at all times in the day. You have to try really hard to fit a quiet moment to yourself in. I wasn't used to spending much time alone or struggling with friendships.
When I graduated and moved home, things changed. My once booming social life soon began to dwindle and I struggled to maintain friendships, let alone make new ones. No one ever warned me about this particular dilemma. I never realized that part of my life was going to change so drastically. I have now been out of college for 2.5 years and I am still dealing with this change. It's a lot harder to make friends when you are older and tend to see the same people day in and day out. I don't come in contact with as nearly as many people as I did when I was in school. It's also harder to keep friends because we don't live as close anymore and people tend to be scattered in different cities or even different states. It's not as easy to just call someone and ask to hang out spur of the moment. Everything has to be planned and scheduled. It's an awkward phase and it was tough for me.
Life seemed to get in the way of what used to be one of my first priorities, my friends. Many nights when my husband would have a night class, I would dread going home because I knew I would be there alone with nothing to do. When there were things to do, I wasn't always able to make it to hang out like I used to because of work or the long drive. I missed out on fun events because I had to be up early the next day or I wanted to spend rare quality time with my husband. There were also times where I just didn't get invited to hang out with friends like I used to. I was sometimes forgotten or maybe just not as close to that group anymore. I've had friends move, get married, get new jobs, get in consuming relationships, etc. and they weren't around to spend much time together anymore. Some people assumed that because I was now married, I wouldn't be as interested in spending time with friends as I once was. This was completely false, but I noticed myself getting invited to do less and less. I found myself almost always being the one who had to make the effort to make the friendship happen. It hurt and it was hard for me to see other people having so many "friends" when I felt like I had very few who were truly there for me.
I slowly realized that I wasn't the only person in this boat. I actually found out that many people my age dealt with the same problem and also felt like I did. Little did I know, I wasn't alone in this at all. It's still hard for me, but I am becoming more content with the friends that God has blessed me with. Getting older has allowed me to have less surface level friendships with lots of people and instead dig deep into a few friendships that really matter. It has taught me to cherish the friends that I do have because I know how hard real friends are to come by. It has drawn me closer to loved ones knowing that these people are worth investing in because they will be there for me until the end. I've gained a brand new perspective and a deeper understanding of relationships as a whole. I am also learning that there are times where I will just have to accept being alone and that's perfectly okay.
No matter how happy I am with my marriage, my family, my job, my church...I will always crave genuine friendships. It took me a while to realize this, but I still have those friendships. They may look different as I get older and they might require a little bit more effort, but they are still there.
In high school and college, I definitely would have defined myself as a social butterfly. I was always out and about doing things with friends. You would rarely find me home on the weekends because I made it a point to fill up my schedule. In college, I regularly had lunch/dinner dates with girlfriends and would go to the gym or go running with friends. It was very rare when it was just the roommates in our townhouse because we always had people over. I kept myself busy and constantly in contact with everyone because in college there are almost always people around at all times in the day. You have to try really hard to fit a quiet moment to yourself in. I wasn't used to spending much time alone or struggling with friendships.
When I graduated and moved home, things changed. My once booming social life soon began to dwindle and I struggled to maintain friendships, let alone make new ones. No one ever warned me about this particular dilemma. I never realized that part of my life was going to change so drastically. I have now been out of college for 2.5 years and I am still dealing with this change. It's a lot harder to make friends when you are older and tend to see the same people day in and day out. I don't come in contact with as nearly as many people as I did when I was in school. It's also harder to keep friends because we don't live as close anymore and people tend to be scattered in different cities or even different states. It's not as easy to just call someone and ask to hang out spur of the moment. Everything has to be planned and scheduled. It's an awkward phase and it was tough for me.
Life seemed to get in the way of what used to be one of my first priorities, my friends. Many nights when my husband would have a night class, I would dread going home because I knew I would be there alone with nothing to do. When there were things to do, I wasn't always able to make it to hang out like I used to because of work or the long drive. I missed out on fun events because I had to be up early the next day or I wanted to spend rare quality time with my husband. There were also times where I just didn't get invited to hang out with friends like I used to. I was sometimes forgotten or maybe just not as close to that group anymore. I've had friends move, get married, get new jobs, get in consuming relationships, etc. and they weren't around to spend much time together anymore. Some people assumed that because I was now married, I wouldn't be as interested in spending time with friends as I once was. This was completely false, but I noticed myself getting invited to do less and less. I found myself almost always being the one who had to make the effort to make the friendship happen. It hurt and it was hard for me to see other people having so many "friends" when I felt like I had very few who were truly there for me.
I slowly realized that I wasn't the only person in this boat. I actually found out that many people my age dealt with the same problem and also felt like I did. Little did I know, I wasn't alone in this at all. It's still hard for me, but I am becoming more content with the friends that God has blessed me with. Getting older has allowed me to have less surface level friendships with lots of people and instead dig deep into a few friendships that really matter. It has taught me to cherish the friends that I do have because I know how hard real friends are to come by. It has drawn me closer to loved ones knowing that these people are worth investing in because they will be there for me until the end. I've gained a brand new perspective and a deeper understanding of relationships as a whole. I am also learning that there are times where I will just have to accept being alone and that's perfectly okay.
No matter how happy I am with my marriage, my family, my job, my church...I will always crave genuine friendships. It took me a while to realize this, but I still have those friendships. They may look different as I get older and they might require a little bit more effort, but they are still there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)