How a designer/homeowner chooses to cover their walls sets the tone for an entire space.
What words and thoughts are "wallpapering" the structure of your heart, mind, and soul?
Are they true, just, lovely, pure, of good report, virtuous and full of praise?
Don't accept crutches for illusionary hindrances towards what God has called us to do and be.
Do the uncomfortable, bravely.
"Set apart" never meant glass encased and handled with kid gloves.
The domino effect when we stand up for what's right and someone who believes in the same takes notice and finds within themselves the courage and inspiration to also stand up for what's right...
And before you know it, you have an army for truth.
A difference worth making will never only impact one person.
Hello there!
It's me! Here to tell you that
I am not enough.
Hallelujah, I'm not enough.
It's not an excuse, nor is it a weight...it's a relief and a burden lifted, and warrants my service and praise.
I must strive to be more, surely-
More like Jesus
More loving
More set apart
More sold out for the Gospel
But I can never be "enough"; this was our plight from the beginning.
This was why Jesus came to earth and offered Himself as the sinless sacrifice for our sins. Because I wasn't enough, and I needed Him. I DO need Him. Even in striving to be more I will need God's help every moment.
If we had to be enough, we would spend our every waking moment in our attempts and the truth of the Gospel- salvation through grace, not works- would never be shared (and we wouldn't believe it ourselves); it wouldn't even be true for we would have to work to be enough to be saved! and since truth is truth and this claim isn't part of it, this claim is merely a crutch.
To concern myself and exert my energy on being enough when I can never hope to be, is to take my time away from becoming more for Him and sharing His love with others, and to take my focus away from how He was more than enough and still is today.
It should never matter to me that I be enough, but that He is, and that I honour Him for it and tell others how HE was enough for me, not vice versa.
To say I am enough is to discount His work on the cross, for it says that now that He has taken care of the hard part I can handle the living part and meeting His expectations on my own.
To believe that I am enough is to believe a lie.
We ought to pray that our lives are a testimony of God's goodness and of His ability to be more than enough for me when I come short- which I cannot help but do, for I have sinned, and any one sin is sufficient to keep me from reaching the mark, but opens the door for me to acknowledge my lack and accept Jesus' free gift of salvation and His grace which enables me to ever strive to be more, that He might be glorified in my life.
We will start to see a change in our outlook and the impact of our revolution when we start saying "enough about me; rather, He is enough."
Dare.
Endure.
Challenge the culture we live in that prescribes ease and comfort for every malady...be it real or convinced.
Stop accepting crutches.
Run with patience the race...God has already overcome every obstacle, whether by removing it...or placing a purpose within it.
Endure.
Dare.
Just your Wednesday reminder that God is still on His throne!
There's a timeless charm in sending hand written notes and letters across all the miles, that makes a friend feel closer and more precious than any number of texts.
~❤~
Hello! Here's a throwback to when I still had long hair and still tried to take selfies in the wind. :P
Thought I would share just a few random things today! (As if it hasn't all been random.)
Be sure to check out the Pinterest link at the top right of the Home screen for more quotes from "Gentle Revolution", as well as other similar topics!
We make time for what is important.
Let's eschew the cultural glorification of being "too busy"...and then complaining about it.
I got inspired by a block of excess wood from my moms new garden structure and painted some mountains {one of my favourite things} on a whim one day during quarantine!
"Open thy mouth for the dumb (unable/unwilling to speak) in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."
-Proverbs 31:8-9-
(Italicized, mine)
I haven't spoken much on this topic here as I've been mainly transferring over older posts, but if you follow my social media you may know that I have lately begun sharing and speaking up more on the issue of human trafficking; while I don't believe we should immerse ourselves in the doings of wicked and evil-influenced people - the Bible cautions against this - I also don't believe we should turn a blind eye or condone them either, for the sake of the helpless (as the above scripture plainly addresses), and when it involves/effects our children, it becomes more than a "hidden work of darkness" -though the actual and often-ritualistic deeds may be- for the selling and harming of children and young people is very real, personal, and nothing to be indifferent about.
I felt led to share about it, and why this movement vs any other...
A little less than a year ago I wrote my first Purpose Statement.
I had just read a book about defining your mission -whether it be for work, a project, or simply to add some meaning to your everyday life as you hone in on the gifts God has designed you with to use for His glory- and developing a statement that captured and conveyed the purpose of your vision.
One of the components to this statement was to realistically narrow down who would be reached/helped through your vision...
Under the heading-
Who Does My Vision Serve?
I listed several specific categories of individuals, ending with-
What is emphasized and put before us by the MSM is 99.9% of the time done so in a way that will further this agenda and play with our minds and emotions if we are not grounded in and founded on the Word of God.
Therefore, my stance is that whatever the MSM is covering it and telling me to get vocal about is probably the last thing I need to be getting vocal about, and is meant to distract me from the few things that are truly worth getting vocal about; things that serve and make an eternal impact, as opposed to things that lead only to arguing, look to preserve "number one", and will not matter when this life is over.
Things like sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which serves the lost and deceived (and while many people will immediately point out that this is also a ripe argument-inducing topic, we are called to stand for and defend our faith, because it is founded in truth, and we know from the Bible that we are in an unavoidable spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12)...the difference between taking an unapologetic stand for the Gospel vs whatever the media pushes us to is that battles propagated by the media will be over temporary, earthly, opinion-based issues (politics/racism/scandal/whatever the latest hot button issue is that is causing offense - which do effect us, I know, but only because our culture has declined morally to the point that we almost don't know what to do if there isn't something controversial going on, and at the end of the day these shouldn't be what get the bulk of our attention or head-seating at the table of our priorities)...defending the Gospel is to defend truth, and if we are "ready always to give an answer" (1 Peter 3:15) that is biblically sound, we won't be looking for an argument but will know how to share lovingly, though undeniably and with conviction).
Things like the very real, uncomfortable, and over-looked issue of human trafficking, that is a business of darkness (both immoral and illegal) - organized by the enemy working in the hearts and minds of those who have allowed themselves to become susceptible to and puppeteer-ed by him rather than acknowledge the power of Jesus - and is effecting lives and souls every day.
To be vocal about this in order to spread awareness to those distracted by the agenda, and to support those who have dedicated their time and energy to rescuing as many as these precious (often little) ones from darkness is to serve the hushed and silent, those who cannot speak for themselves.
This is why I am vocal about the movement to End Human Trafficking and #savethechildren and choose not to get involved with most others; often the others only lasting purpose is to make you feel/look good for having said or done something that will make no true difference, while the "powers that be" smirk at your cooperation and turn a blind eye to another transaction going on behind the scenes or even in plain sight - though unnoticed, because they have so successfully desensitized our culture and trained it to only be aware of what they tell it to be.
(Please note too that I am completely aware of other spiritual issues such as church persecution, underground churches, and the agenda against our churches even in the states. I don't downplay these, and am very aware of and prayerful for them; however, I shared my burden for helping the hushed and silent above to convey my personal passion and motivation to speak up in this area.)
So what are ways I can help? I'm glad you asked.
Anyone can (and should) be an instant agent in the mission to end this very real and alive-today slavery.
Pray for those who are working with organizations and in our law enforcement to conduct rescues and bring justice.
Pray that predators will be intercepted and stopped. And- though it's not always easy- pray too for the souls of these same individuals involved in this wicked lifestyle/business, to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; every sin is sin enough to separate us from God, and is pardonable by His unmerited grace and forgiveness when true repentance takes place...Our God is a God of the seemingly impossible, and He can still work miracles today.
If/When you may be unable to give financially, another thing you can give is your time and attention; we're all on social media a lot -whether we like to admit it or not- so why not dedicate a portion of that time to simply showing up and being a "cheerleader" for people who have chosen to be a voice on their social media platform or who are actively involved with rescues? Find accounts who are spreading awareness, stating facts, and willing to share useful information on signs and lingo that you can be looking and listening for- the more we open our eyes and ears the less hidden these incidents become and the easier it becomes for them to be intervened- like and share their content (and oh hey, now you're a voice, too. :))
If you are interested in being a voice and/or a "cheerleader" but aren't sure where to start, please feel free to message me through @caitys.element on IG, or email me at caitys.element@gmail.com and I would be more than happy to send you a list of resources/accounts/organizations that I follow/support that are making a difference. It's amazing to witness the Lord working through those who have a burden to save His children from darkness.
It is a comfort to know that God is victorious and will make all things right in the end. This does not mean we should turn a blind eye or take for granted the seriousness of it, rather, we should speak more boldly and stand more firmly, knowing that "greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4) and if God has chosen to use us, we should count it an honour, and serve well.
This isn't some "my opinion vs your opinion" fight that may get your feelings hurt and step on your toes; this is 800,000 children (a year) whose lives are in danger all around us, being sold and harmed all day and night- every day and night.
It's never a bad time to start speaking up for those who needed you to yesterday.
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"
-Isaiah 58:6-
Truly, He's a wonderful Saviour to me...
And the marvels of marvels is that He calls me beloved.
(This image makes an awesome phone wallpaper and is a great reminder to be constantly dwelling on!)
One of the positives I can take away from this season (referring to the COVID phase) is that I was able to reach my 2020 Goodreads challenge this early! Woohoo! It's always both fun and interesting to look back over the titles that were read in any given year and consider how each one left an impact or made an impression due to the season it was read it, and to remember favourite takeaways, scenes, quotes, and authors.
So grateful that whatever God allows us to go through, He goes before us and with us, putting purpose within it and helping us to see and grasp it as we go - if we're willing to see it.
I've read that the INFJ is a paradox and it's so true, especially as far as the frequent assumptions go...
Our service for Christ is important - it's our purpose for living - but what the world needs to see and hear of first and foremost is Christ's work in and for us.
Our service should merely be an overflow of gratitude and obedience to our creator.
His work is our testimony, and deserving of all praise and proclamation.
May we never forget.
"So He fed them out of the integrity of His heart..." Psalm 77:72
These last five words fill me with awe and overwhelming peace...
Because God is a God of integrity (honest, whole, undivided), I can trust that He will ALWAYS do as He promised; to doubt that He will come through and provide each of your needs is to question His sovereignty and to believe that He could fall short of who He is...if He has promised it, because of he integrity of His heart, He. Will. Do. It. And any amount of doubt, questioning, fearing, or complaining on our part will not make an iota of difference, except to make us more susceptible to the anxiety of the world.
Because God possesses a Holy integrity we can hardly fathom, we can say goodbye to the anxieties and worries of this world, and hello to the peace, joy, and rest found in relying on His promises.
What are you focusing on today?
