Living Carefree Before A Careful Father

Where to begin...?

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Life has just been happening. One busy day passes off it's load onto the next and then the next and the next. Rare is a moment of rest and when I find it, I can't help but to just sit there and eventually fall asleep. It's as if all of life around me is happening, but everything going on in my own world is all that my eyes are aware to. And it's not necessarily a bad thing; I love all that I do. What a season it has been! Really, what a summer it has been. I've started a new job, moved into a new apartment, threw a bridal shower, made a trip back to Ohio in a weekend, went on my 1st visit to Kansas City, and so much more while maintaining a social life (a somewhat small social life). I pretty much wake up, get ready, pray, go to work, come home, work out, then depending on the night maybe hang with friends, go to rehearsals, or just sit alone for a while just to process the day. Oh, but how I adore the busyness. I really do love it; it always keeps my mind off the things that can consume it and distract me.

Through this busy season, so many little distractions have thrown themselves into the midst of the train track that my life is on. And as the training moving forward, I can't help but to notice those things in my way. They can range from the most silliest of things to the most serious. I just consider myself such a thinker and I can tend to dwell on thoughts for hours. Where is my life going? Will I get the audition? Are my dreams going to come true? Why can I not connect with this person? Where is my so called Prince Charming? Where will I live next? Questions, worries, doubts, fears, and more! Can't they all just go away? And there's another question. God, can you help me get through this? Push these thoughts out of my mind! And I almost feel guilty because it's been such an amazing season of my life; I have so much to be grateful for. I feel that the good things that have happened, in a sense, should out weigh the thoughts of my wondering mind.

If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, 

it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at meal times 

or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. 

There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, 

more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. 

Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, 

careless in the care of God. 

And you count far more to him than birds.

Matthew 6:25-26 MSG

Here's what I've come to learn: God is limitless. Limitless, I say! His perspective is so much different from our own. Not only does he see a wider perspective of reality right now, but he even knows what is to come. He knows the plan he has for us and how he wants to use us. I believe there are two things that are needed simply in order to live carefree before the Lord: "God, I give you my life. And I trust you."If we understand our lives are in God's hands and choose to live for him, where could we ever stray away? In living for him, we lean in to listen for his voice and feel his Spirit guiding us. In trusting him, our hope is in nobody else, but him to lead us through life. I trust you, God, means so much: I trust you with my life, my dreams, my heart, my salvation, my worries, my fears, my family, my friends, my finances, my everything! God knows our heart and he knows our dreams and he has amazing things planned for his children. Living carefree before God removes those little questions and distractions because we know our heavly Father has a handle on it. And by saying the word "carefree," I don't mean doing anything we want and getting away with every sin. No. It's living our lives for Jesus, but carefree to the everyday worries and fears that can try to cross our paths. God is for us and he will take care of us. He loves us so much and tends to His sheep because they are, in fact, HIS sheep! We have chosen Jesus, and for that He tends to our needs. It's like a daycare. When parents choose to put their children in the hands of the daycare workers, of course those daycare workers are going to take care of the children! It's their job and what they love to do. They are going to tend to the needs and watch over the children who were placed in their care because the parents choose to place their care and trust in them.  The Lord will take care of those who place their trust and hope in him. Live carefree before him because he is most careful with you!

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers 

― most of which are never even seen ― 

don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? 

What I am trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, 

so you can respond to God's giving. 

People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, 

but you know both God and how he works. 

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. 

Don't worry about missing out. 

You'll find your everyday human concerns will be met.

Matthew 6:30-33 MSG

Many verses in Matthew 6 have been speaking to me through this season. I am choosing to trust God with my "everyday human concerns" because I know he can handle anything and everything. I have decided to live carefree before him because I know he is caring for me. He is watching over and listening to me. I am choosing to steep my life in "God-reality:" the reality of who is is which is God-almighty, creator of the universe, he who can do anything because he is all-powerful. That's my dad. I'm trying my best to not be "preoccupied with getting, so I can respond to God's giving." This I take as focusing on all that he has already given me! I have enough and Jesus is enough for me; I have all that I could ever need. Anything above and beyond that is my Father's blessings and goodness. My new job that I never thought would of been possible, I believe, came because of God's goodness. Where I am at in life and the opportunities I find are because of his favor and greatness. It's his giving-nature and I adore him even more because of it. I can live my life carefree. My Father is with me and has gone before me. And because of that, I can focus on his will and living my everyday for Jesus. I can give attention to all that He is doing and serve Him wholeheartedly. What a life; what a season. 

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, 

and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. 

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34 MSG

 

Happy end of Summer! I think... (I'm at least ready for Fall)

❤ Ariel Christine

Moving Mountains

There's those moments we feel like we're just trudging through mud and rocks to climb up a mountain side. It's a struggle; it's adversity. Some mountains we've come across before. Others present themselves as new monsters to face. There's monster of mountains in finances, insecurities, relationships, etc. 

I will go before you and make the mountains flat. 

Isaiah 45:2a

I will make my mountains into roads, and the roads will be raised up. 

Isaiah 49:11

I can think of multiple circumstances in my life where I was trying to attempt to climb a mountain and the struggle was so difficult. I wasn't sure if I'd ever conquer it. My prayers would be consistent… God get me through this. Help me to succeed, to move past this moment. And by the grace and power of God, he turned a mountain into a road. A road! A flat, easy-going, nothing but straight forward road. How, why God? I'll tell you… simply by his pure goodness. By his love for a daughter he was so loving looking out for. He saw the struggle, knew the need before I even spoke a word, and he provided. It was a mixture of my prayers to him and his sovereign hand providing; a relationship that got a treacherous mountain turned into a road. 

Jesus answered, "Because your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 

Move from here to there,' and it will move. 

All things will be possible for you."

Matthew 17:20-21

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. You will be able to say to this mountain, 'Go, fall into the sea.' 

And if you have faith, it will happen. 

If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer."

Matthew 21:21-22

If you have faith, it will happen… If I have the faith, it will happen! Jesus is telling us that if we have the faith to believe for the impossible we can move mountains! We can tell them to fall into the sea.  It reminds me of a verse in Matthew 10:8 where Jesus is telling His disciples He has the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead to life. Then He says, "I freely give you these powers." In John 14:12, Jesus states that whoever believes in Him will do even greater things because He is going back to the Father. 

This is how I see it: In the Old Testament, God says he will be the one to make the mountains flat. As the New Testament unfolds, Jesus comes along. His power lives inside us and we become a vessel of His glory. Just as He freely gives us His powers, so we are freely given the power to move some serious mountains through our faith! We can be mountain movers. And it's nothing of our own aptitude, but God working through us and in our lives. His power is displayed in us and through relationship with him comes the strength and ability to move mountains. 

I say no more doubt over that mountain I've been climbing! I will prevail and I will succeed. God is on my side, and he can do the impossible. The power of Jesus is alive in you and it's alive in me to move mountains, and we have a God on our side who can flatten them completely! With God, anything can happen. So rise up mountain mover. Whether you've been climbing a mountain or standing at the feet of one, God can do some pretty amazing things through your faith and belief in him. You can do more than you think. You are a conquer and therefor you can conquer that mountain. 

(Pic via Pinterest)

Have an amazing Friday! I hope only that you would be inspired today to face your mountains with faith and perseverance. 
❤ Ariel Christine