Represent

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

Colossians 3:17

"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."

Philippians 2:14-15

Today in my film class, we discussed the purpose and effect of violence in media. We've watched films with various degrees of violence, from Casablanca to Pulp Fiction. When my professor asked what I thought of violence in media, I admitted I don't watch gory films. I believe images are powerful, and that violent images demoralize viewers and decrease their ability to sympathize with others. Personally, one way I can live purely, as Scripture calls me to, is to focus my mind on things above rather than cheap entertainment. Gruesome films provide little benefit, other than possibly enlightening viewers on the devastation of war or genocide.

Minutes after my confession, I was stopped by a photographer from the campus newspaper, who asked if she could take a picture of me for the Student Style section. I happened to be wearing my Girls Are Not For Sale shirt from The NET store for a photo shoot later this afternoon, and suddenly had an opportunity to share a bit of Jesus with an unexpected audience. The photo shoot is for my blog post this Thursday on women's true worth, but now my message will be broadcasted to faculty and students all over my campus. Today I've had two obvious opportunities to represent Jesus, but how many subtle opportunities have passed by, unnoticed? Have I used edifying language today on my walk to class with my fiancé? Did I smile at a stranger who feels invisible? Could I have struck up a conversation with that photographer about the spiritual aspect of my shirt? 

We have a thousand chances each day to share the Gospel. Scripture tells us that we are children of light, that we should shine like a city on a hill. Honestly, how bright is your light? How much impact can you truly have on a stranger without accidentally deterring them from Christ? Some of you may have rejection stories after you tried to invite someone to church or a Bible study. Maybe you've been directly persecuted for wearing a shirt with a Christian message, or maybe you've been called a hypocrite for marking yourself as a Christ-follower after a life filled with darkness. Maybe you're an eager middle schooler who will invite anyone you can get your hands on to youth group. Whatever your situation, know this: God has equipped you with all the wiring necessary to shine.

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases him."

Philippians 2:13

God will never call you to stand for Him alone. Outwardly, you may look isolated or forsaken; inwardly, you have the Spirit of God Himself beside you. In Luke 12, Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will give them the right words in times of oppression and persecution. Later, in Acts 1, Jesus appeared to his disciples after the Resurrection and promised they would receive the Holy Spirit as a guide and witness. Throughout Acts, we see Christians perform miracles and bring people to Christ after being filled with the Holy Spirit. Before the Spirit was sent to them, they were moral people who loved Jesus. After the Spirit was sent to them, they were world changers who were divinely guided in every opportunity. This is exactly what we are called to, believers. We are called to be divinely guided in every opportunity. We are called to be on guard and stand firm in our faith, to be courageous and strong, as 1 Corinthians 16:13 commands. We are called to stay alert and clearheaded in our pursuit towards righteousness in 1 Thessalonians 5:6. Ephesians 5:17 warns believers not to act thoughtlessly, but to understand what the Lord wants them to do. 

Each of these verses applies to you, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah and the sole path to eternal life with God. You won't have the time or energy to verbally preach the Gospel to everyone you pass by, but you do need to set yourself apart from the world by the way you live. Maybe an opportunity will come along to defy cultural norms in favor of holy commandments. Maybe someone will ask you what your tattoo means, or why your t-shirt says girls aren't for sale. Maybe you'll have the chance to incorporate spiritual truths into your speech at school. If you take a few moments each day to ask the Holy Spirit what the day holds for the Kingdom of Heaven, you may be surprised at the lost and hurting people you encounter. Everyone needs to encounter Christ's love in their day, and He's given you the resources to share it. You have a mouth that speaks, you have a face that can smile, you have a mind that can decide what to participate in and what to refrain from. 'Tis the season for lights and giving, why not shine your light and give Jesus to someone?

Decisions

Last night, one of my dear friends came to my house in a panic over her senior year. Like any high school senior, she's scrambling to settle on a college, meet application deadlines, and decide what she wants to commit to for the rest of her life- at the ripe age of 17. This season of her life is filled with life-changing decisions, first times and last times, and heavy expectations on what her choices should be. If you graduated high school within the last five years, you can probably remember the stress, anxiety, and pressure of creating a future that meets everyone else's expectations. My fiancé and I are in the midst of a similar struggle; we're striving to lay a spiritual, emotional, physical, and financial foundation that the rest of our lives, and our children's lives, will be built on. We're also trying to find out how to blend two dissimilar upbringings into one cohesive lifestyle, weeding out what works for us as a couple versus what worked for our families. This season of my life, like my young friend's, has turned from a predictable brook to a coursing river. As Pocahontas sings, "you can't step in the same river twice/the water's always changing, always flowing." As a young adult who's lived in the same house for the majority of her life, "always changing" isn't exciting. It's scary. I'm not an adventurous person by any means; I thrive on routines, schedules, and clear instructions. There's no manual for major, life-changing, world-shattering decision making. Or is there?

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever." 

Isaiah 40:8

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Psalm 119:105

Y'all, the Bible is POWERFUL. The Holy Spirit didn't inspire forty men to write decrees, wisdom, and eyewitness accounts just for kicks. The scrolls haven't been preserved, protected, and recreated for centuries "just because." The Word of the Lord is faithful and true because it is God's love letter written TO US, His children, for the sake of our purity and His glory. Yesterday, I opened my Bible to Proverbs 19 and found five slices of wisdom, perfect for the decision I've been praying through and seeking wisdom for. My fiancé frequently refers to scripture to reach solutions, and my mom and dad's parenting style is fully shaped by the Bible's teachings. An entire religion with hundreds of denominations has been shaped around this book. Reading my Bible has never failed to bring peace, closure, or direction. These words have fallen to us directly from God's perfect lips. Reading and memorizing scripture is essential for knowing and following our Lord. Don't you think you should check it out? For those of you struggling with any major decisions, these scriptures have helped me tremendously.

"Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes."

Proverbs 19:2

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."

James 1:19

"Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest."

Proverbs 20:4

"God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

Matthew 5:5-10

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy."

James 1:2

"Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs." 

Proverbs 19:11

The Story

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. 

Jeremiah 29:11

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail.

Proverbs 19:21

Isn't our Lord so sweet and tender in the way He reveals truth to us? As I raise my hands in worship, fall on my knees before Him, or pray in my bed at night over worries and fears for tomorrow, God always reminds me of His might, His goodness, and His loyalty. A few nights ago, I was worshipping to Steffany Gretzinger's "Out of Hiding" before bed, when the Holy Spirit gave me inspiration for this post. "Out of Hiding" is a plea from Jesus to drop our defenses and give into His love. The song is filled with love-soaked promises and declarations, and the line that sunk an arrow into my heart echoes throughout the bridge. 

"Oh as you run, what hindered love will only become part of the story."

When I heard that line, the Holy Spirit gave me an image of an elaborately intertwined vine growing up, over, and around a pale pink flower. He told me that the flower was me, was you, was him and her, and that His plan for our lives and His love for us are as entangled with our everyday lives as the vines and weeds of an untamed garden. A few summers ago at a youth conference, God used a series of events to show me how elaborate and intricate His plans for me are, and I firmly believe that His plan for you is no more or less than His plan for me. Every person you meet, every decision you make, every opinion that you allow to become a fact in your heart and mind are part of the glorious unfolding He wants to bring through your humble life. Psalm 139 declares that God knit every piece of you, that He personally selected every fiber and thread of your being to form the person you are today. Whether you like the yarns that form you or not, He has a purpose in each one. One version of Psalm 139:14 reads "the greatness of the way I was made brings fear." That means your formation was so glorious, so grandiose, that the method would bring awe and wonder to man if we could understand it. You were placed on earth for a divine purpose, to bring attention to the Gospel and the God behind it in some way. 

On a deeper level, past the basics of your formation, God has handwritten your story in a series of sagas and chronicles that will take a lifetime to peruse. God's plans are to prosper you, to give you hope and a future with Him. Unfortunately we live in a sin-ridden world and have been given the free will to obey or not to obey God's plan, so there's a high chance that we may take some detours and wrong turns every now and then. The incredible aspect of our omniscient God is that He knows the route we'll choose to take anyway, and His plan leaves plenty of opportunity for us to jump back on the straight and narrow path. Imagine a windy, lengthy road map filled with ample rest stops and scenic outlooks. The path God has for you may involve a steep uphill climb, or a leap of faith across some great gorge, but the end goal for every person is to fall into the arms of Jesus in eternity. This undeniable truth, that our ultimate purpose is to find communion with Christ, leads us back to the bridge of "Out of Hiding." The uphill climb that seemed like a setback in your plan didn't escape God's notice. The struggle you've had your entire life, the thorn in your side you can't pinch out, is an integral part of the story God has written for you. Am I saying that God purposefully puts tragedies and darkness in your life? No. What I mean to tell you is that there isn't any chapter of your life too dark or twisted for God to illuminate. Your eating disorder, the abuse you experienced in childhood, the loneliness you feel engulfed by today, the financial anxieties you're chained to, and the distorted image you see reflected in the mirror can all be used in your story for God's glory. 

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my struggle with forgiveness. The majority of the people I had to forgive were first graders, second graders, and third graders who abandoned me as a little girl, kids who picked on me for being uncoordinated, middle class, or just plain different from other girls. The reasons for their teasing are so insignificant as an adult, but the jabs and cuts they left on me formed scars that have shaped my self-image for the past twelve years. Instead of acknowledging my acceptance in the kingdom of heaven, I focused on the rejection that plagued me throughout childhood. I began reading obsessively to avoid social interaction, because if I didn't talk to anyone, than no one could reject me. Later in adolescence, I became consumed with dating and romance because I believed that if someone fell in love with me, there would be one more person who would never reject me. Eventually, every aspect of my appearance and character was scrutinized to make sure I measured up to the person I believed everyone wanted me to be. My middle and high school years were exhausting, depressing, and so distant from God's plan. Graduating high school was a relief, because I didn't have to put up a facade against the same people I'd been faking it to for twelve years anymore. If only I'd realized that no one actually expected me to be the person I tried so hard to be. 

Thankfully, I've experienced tremendous healing from my childhood pains, and now walking in the identity God created for me. The all-consuming insecurities and self-hatred I experienced as a preteen and teenager were painful and damaging, but they have given me immense patience for the teenagers I see weekly as a youth leader. My history with an eating disorder causes my heart to break for girls who struggle with body image even more than I did. I viewed myself in such an unhealthy light as a kid that my self-image kept me from giving and receiving Christ's love. The very darkness that hindered love in my life has set a fire in my heart that enables me to cast a torch over similar struggles in other people's lives. The bridge of "Out of Hiding" has a grip over me because of the hopefulness it gives to every struggle you'll ever face.

"Oh as you run [towards God], what hindered [your acceptance of] love will only become part of the story [God has written for you]."

God's story for each of us is infinitely more intricate than we could ever imagine. Every person we meet, every conversation we have, every opinion we form has a purpose in His inevitably beautiful plan for our lives. Regardless of what your life looks like now, when God wrote the final chapter of your story, He leaned back and said "It is good". 

Miracles

My dad 10 days after his stroke- praise God!

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases."

Psalm 103:2-3

This weekend, my family had our first health scare. Friday morning, my dad had a major stroke, caused by a previously unknown hole in his heart. My mom quickly called our family doctor and 911 before waking my sister and I up.

"Madison, wake up. Your dad's having a stroke."

I walked into my parents' bedroom after letting our doctor into the house, and saw my invincible father lying half-paralyzed on the bed. I was too in shock to cry, and the weight of my dad's near-death experience is just beginning to sink in. To comfort myself and my sister, I started praying for my dad's healing and peace for our family. That morning was so chaotic that I don't remember whether I or the doctor suggested prayer. What I do know is that shortly afterwards, my dad was able to speak again and became more responsive than he had been before the prayer. Later, I learned that my dad's pulse had dropped dangerously low, and had stabilized during our prayer. Our doctor claims there's no medical reason why this should have happened, which is incredible because that means God gets all the glory for my dad's healing.

Not only did God begin to heal my dad within seconds of prayer, He also parted traffic like the Red Sea for the ambulance in the middle of rush hour traffic. Annie and I made it to the hospital in record time, and I don't remember hitting my brakes once on the highway, despite the fact that it was 8 am on a Friday morning. God's hand was on my family from the moment we woke up that morning. Our doctor was at the house 3 minutes after my mom called him, the ambulance was at our house 15 minutes after my mom called them, and my dad was administered blood clot medication within 2 hours of his stroke. Had we been an hour later, the medication would have been nullified or detrimental, as it has to enter the body within 3 hours of initial symptoms. Had my dad been asleep when the stroke hit, he may not have been able to wake my mom up before his pulse dropped. There's no medical explanation for my dad sitting in his recliner a week after the stroke, fully able and present. All praise and credit goes directly to God, the God who heals and resides over all things. Nothing is outside of His dominion, and nothing is too big or small for Him.

Psalm 103:2 serves as a reminder to never forget the good things God has done in our lives. God brought my dad back from near-death, and has used His people to stock our fridge and pantry. Yet somehow, last night I laid in bed and worried about my financial situation. Tim and I have missed out on work this month due to various engagements and crises, meaning our weekly paychecks have been slim or nonexistent. I allowed myself to fret over purchases I've made, money I don't have, and the meek savings account that Tim and I will have to rely on in seven months. God healed my dad within two hours of his stroke, so how can I doubt his miraculous power in other aspects of my life? How can I worry over my fiancé and I's financial situation when God promises in Luke 12 that He will give us everything we need if we seek His face above all else? I've been praying for God to make a way for my student loans to be paid off for 2 years now, and He hasn't stopped answering my prayers. He just hasn't answered my prayers in the timing I'd like.

"Look at the lilies and how they grow, They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?" Luke 12:27-28

Maybe you haven't experienced recent medical healing, or even emotional healing. Maybe you're applying to colleges, recently got laid off, or doggy paddling through student debt, like myself. Whatever your worry or struggle, let my story stand as a testament to this truth: God cares for you, and He hasn't abandoned you. Whether his answer to your prayers are immediate or not, He hears you and has you. He won't abandon His plan for your life in the middle of crisis. Even in chaos, fear, and worry, God's hand is on you. Never forget that.