Time Out

Let's all take a second, shall we? I have a mission for you. I want you to take a moment and stop to breathe. I don't care what you believe about Christmas or the holiday season. I want you (and me) to pause for a moment and contemplate what Christmas really means to you this year. It might mean faith, presents, family, or love. Whatever it means to you, let's take a second and remember that this year.

Comfortable

The guest speaker at church today had a really great point I'd like to share with all of you. Staying in a place where you are comfortable isn't going to invite change. He pointed out that doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result is defined as insanity! So rather than being insane, let's pull some focus. Being comfortable isn't a bad thing. But staying in your comfort zone isn't going to allow you to grow. He was speaking spiritually, but this could be applied in your relationships or professional life. Taking that jump and doing something different can reward you in so many ways. I encourage you (and myself) to apply this! I know that I am creature of habit (and like it that way!), but if I can bring myself to change my routine, God could have the surprise of my life waiting just around the corner! (or "just around the river bend" if you prefer!)

Am I _________?

This question dawned on me last night. Who are you asking your question too? It can be any question, but I was thinking in the terms of questions about yourself. How many of you ask yourself these types of questions?

Am I good enough? Am I pretty? Am I going to be OK? Am I going to get thorough this? Am I physically fit?

I ask myself these questions. And, I think, sometimes we take these questions to men. (not males, but people in general- well in my case, males might be appropriate sometimes) Why are we looking for verification from the world. Whatever answer you get you aren't going to be satisfied with it. Because deep down you know that no matter how many times the answer stays the same, or even is an answer you like, your question isn't truly answered. The only person you need to take your "me" questions to is God. The world can tell you that you are OK, but only God can really start to truly make you believe His answers.

Have we no shame?

I was driving home the other night from a fantabulous dinner with some awesome people and I was listening to Brad Paisley. (P.S. that new Montana Chop House in Hermitage is great! Pricey, but yummy) I've decided I really like Brad Paisley's music. He sings about a lot of stuff from sad songs, to sappy songs, to fun songs. I briefly questioned my judgement when I heard a song about cigars. Literally. Just cigars. Anyway, this is all beside the point. One of my earliest favorites of his is the song called "Little Moments." It talks about all those times his girl did something that was so small, but significant in his eyes.

It starts out with "Well,  I'll never forget the first time that I heard, that pretty mouth say that dirty word. And I can't even remember now what she backed my truck into, but she covered her mouth and her face got red and she just looked so darn cute..." So this got me thinking, when would this ever happen? I honestly don't think people get embarrassed anymore. If you don't like it, don't look type of mentality. We aren't ashamed. We don't get embarrassed when we swear. That is considered a minor occurrence. We are considered odd if we don't swear often. Have we lost our ability to feel shame in any situation? Maybe not, but we don't like the feeling. The fact that we are vulnerable and can screw up. We try to use excuses but guess what? We are human. We aren't perfect. So revel in the fact that we can be ashamed. Use it to learn from our mistakes and to open up and be vulnerable, not push them off and try to power through it. I know I can try to do this more often.

Long Time Coming

Sorry, everybody, I know it's been awhile. Some of you have been asking me about the lag time. Well, I'm lazy. (See previous blogs, haha). So hopefully, I forget about why I wrote down these ideas!

Ever feel like you need to get out of your own way. I feel like that's how God feels about us sometimes. He's just like, OK, Krystle, just let it happen. Stop trying. Just go. When we relax and let everything happen, it won't slip through our fingers.

So, I'm pretty sure that we've all heard the verse, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship" Well, I've always heard of that in respect to sexual purity. Recently, I've been thinking about it in a whole new manner. If my body is God's temple because the Holy Spirit is living in me, shouldn't I be taking care of it in a very strict manner? I mean this is a TEMPLE. The ancient Pharaoh's, who considered themselves gods, had droves of slaves to keep their bodies pretty looking. I want to apply this concept. Shouldn't I be eating healthy and exercising? I want to keep my "temple" 100% fit for what God needs. I've also been looking at the self control aspect of it. I don't have a problem with self control in some aspects, but in others... I definitely do. I've decided to consciously try and work on anger. I get pretty frustrated at work with some of the guests, and I'm trying to change that. I haven't had a good track record yet of denying that extra cookie though :)

Along with the anger issue, how about that "we are supposed to turn the cheek" idea. I have SUCH an issue with that. If you are going to hate on me, I really don't want to be nice to you. For example, the people who scream at you at work. Well sorry, buddy, if I was gonna bend the rules for you, I am DEFINITELY NOT going to now. I know work is kind of a bad example because of the various rules, but you see my point. As Americans, all in control, and masters of our own destiny, we have problems taking things lying down. I suppose actively accepting a circumstance and not fighting back actually shows a better self discipline, than anger.

Now, speaking of discipline, let's picture something for a minute. You are a toddler. You did something wrong. Mom or Dad comes and disciplines you. Now, did they explain your circumstances in a detailed manner? No. They disciplined you to your measure. I think that God kind of does the same thing. He disciplines you to what you can handle. Same thing with temptation. He only allows you to be tempted to what you can handle. How awesome would it be to be on a full disclosure discipline level with God? Pretty cool, but I"m not there yet.

A couple last parting shots. Let's try to look for our blessings here on earth. We are trying to store up treasure in heaven, but let's look for our treasures here on earth. They may be "hiding" in plain sight; we might not even recognize them!

Last but not least: Don't ever sexually objectify anyone. Let's just leave it at that.

Jolly Holiday

So, I was listening to Jolly Holiday from the Mary Poppins soundtrack today. (Judge me if you will, but Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are amazing) I was singing along (of course) and Julie and I got to this part (Mary singing to Bert): "....You'd never think of pressing your advantage, for bearance is the hallmark of your creed. A lady needn't fear when you are near, your sweet gentility is crystal clear!..."

How opposite is that in today's society. Men are not respected by other men and women alike if they aren't "manly", aggressive, or overly suggestive. Now, of course, this isn't everyone, but speaking broadly it applies. If a guy doesn't "press his advantage" the gal is left thinking that he isn't interested. Possibly not in women at all.

As far as bearance, everyone doesn't think too much of that when they are out drunk at the club. All actions can be crazy and blamed on alcohol. As far as "ladies fearing" that would be going a little far. Unless, of course, they are breaking into your house. But, some guys are VERY pushy. I've been in situations, both personal and professional, when people just keep pushing and pressing. Just let it go. She's not interested and is waiting for you to leave. Of course, initiating situations isn't a bad thing. We're talking about extreme situations.

I fear that gentlemen are a dying breed. Being sensitive isn't a bad thing. To all the gentlemen out there, I salute you for maintaining your bearing. Trust me, the ladies, do love you.

Independent

Do we realize how lazy we are? I do sometimes. Yes, I think I am a hard worker, but I am also very lazy. I was sitting at work doing the crossword puzzle the other day (very badly, might I add) and one of the clues was a fill in the blank bible verse that I wasn't familiar with. Did I stand up and walk the 2 feet to the computer to look it up? Did I reach out my arm to my bag to grab my iPod to connect to the wifi to look it up? No. I was too lazy. I was going to post about this yesterday at work, but I was too lazy. Granted, this isn't an extreme circumstance, but it makes me think about the people in third world countries who literally break their backs working to put enough food on their table to sustain them.
Speaking of our "daily bread" the sermon on Sunday went along with my thoughts. You know the Lord's Prayer right? "... Give us this day our daily bread..." Do we pray for that? Do we pray every day to to receive that? I don't. In our society we feel we don't have to rely on anyone for our daily bread. We are independent. (Hear us roar!) I think sometimes, we don't think that we have to rely on God. We are so self-sustaining, so selfish, that we forget who gave us all our blessings. Who gave you the skills for your $100, 000/yr job? Maybe your winning personality? Well, who gave you that personality?

We have been given SO much, yet we fail to be thankful at all. We expect it. Maybe this post should hit a little closer to Thanksgiving, haha. We are so blessed. Let's praise God for that. I read something once that said, " If you can afford to go to the store, buy a book, and have the education to read it, you are one of the wealthiest people."

So, what are we complaining about? What little things do we say each day? My favorite boots are missing. Mom, why can't you stop asking me questions. My windshield wipers are bad, I'll have to buy new ones. Well, congratulations. You have shoes. You have a family. You have a car. And most of all. We have God. We are blessed beyond belief.