"Oh my God! WHO TOLD YOU?!"

One of my favorite movies of all time is Easy A because it has many great one-liners and because it has a great moral. Yea, the fact that you gotta be yourself and quit lying and blah blah blah is great and all, but that is so..... well.... cliche! EVERYONE makes that point and it I am sick of hearing it!

But one part that makes me laugh every time I watch that movie is this scene: 

Let me just say that the parents in this movie are freaking fantastic. Their stupid one lines are things my parents would say to me, and that alone makes this movie a little more appealing, BUT that isn't the point here.

"I know I'm adopted."

As brothers and sisters of Christ, we are, well.... kinda adopted.  We have been adopted by our Heavenly Father :) 

Many of you will have a "NO DER, Mel" look on your face right now, but hear me out.

If you have seen this movie, one thing about the parents is that they are not only funny.... they are extremely loving, caring, and encouraging.  There are no limits to their expression of love to their kids, and they definitely care....they just express it in a humorous way!  Our Father does the same thing for us, but to a much greater extent; one to which we cannot fathom.  I mean, besides sending His Son to die for us and take all of our sins and debts on His shoulders, the best example I can provide for you is this:

Ok, maybe not the BEST example, but it is hilarious :)

So yea, that is our God! He loves us SO much that it is unfathomable... but notice how the siblings interact as well.... in the same way.....

Families are not all about the parents' roles, but also that of the other members as well.  One of the things that has irritated me my entire life is we do not befriend or help fellow believers out when they need/seek it.  In your families, you expect your entire family to help you, but if not everyone is doing that, the family relationship tends to fall apart.  Believe me when I say that I have experienced this first hand for way too long, more than anybody should.  In fact, NO ONE should EVER experience that, and those who haven't experience that all agree with me when I say that it is a team effort..... yet, we don't apply this to our Christian family, which, quite frankly, can be considered more important. 

We need to love and encourage our fellow brothers and sisters because, well, you want to! See, it shouldn't matter what they are, have done, or what you think of them, it is because you want to help them grow closer with their's and your God. Your motives should be selfless and full of love and compassion. 

You have been adopted into the body of Christ along with me and many others, so I am calling you out to do what God shows you daily: Love, Encourage, and Hold Accountable.

The Weather Man?

So, as many of you know, I live in Southern California. Land of the beautiful people, where the freaks and celebrities play. Where it's loud and overcrowded, and you are judged  continuously by random strangers, and where the sun is always shinning.  We don't have four seasons, we have two: "OH DEAR LORD IT IS COLD!!!" (which is, like, 60 degrees) and when the sun decides to drop-kick you in the face with scorching dry heat (like 95-110).  Seasons like "spring" and "fall" don't really exist; they are more like the two weeks of transitional periods.  The transitional phase is my favorite, because it isn't hot yet but it isn't cold; a perfect 75-80.  Many of you have said to me, "You live in the most desired place in the entire US! How can you complain about it?"


Well...it's quite easy to, actually.... just like how it is easy to complain about anything you can think of. For example: weather.


Just recently, the weather has been driving me crazy! Its raining a few days, then it is nice, then it is a terrible 95 degrees for three days, then it is humid as all get out, and now it is raining again. And this is all within 10 days. Seriously?! It is hard enough for a girl to figure out and plan what she will be wearing, but this is nuts! It ruins plans, it makes life a little harder, and it makes one's day turn completely around. So what do we do?


We complain.


I was complaining last night to God about the weather. I told Him how much I hated humidity, and that this isn't normal California weather. I told Him how difficult it was for me figure out what to wear for the next few days because I need to plan these kind of things out. I told Him that the weather man said it was supposed to rain that day, but instead it was 85 and humid which made me very upset because the weather did not match what he had told us and that it should match what he tells us because he is the weather man....


The weather man?...


Ever had those moments in which you say something with all seriousness, and the moment it leaves your mouth, you realize how stupid you sounded? Then you cross your fingers in hopes that no one will catch what you said or will completely ignore it to make you feel a little better? Yea, that was that moment for me. Only, I wanted to pull an Adam-and-Eve thing and try to hide from God.


The weather man?


As I was kneeling at the side of my bed, I felt like God was giving me that look your friends give you when you say something that proves you are the most unintelligent person in the world.  All I could utter up was a mere "(heh) You know I didn't mean it like that..."
"What did you mean?"


Oh boy....


"Uhhh.... I was just saying how frustrated I was about the weather being different than what I was expecting."  
"So the weather man isn't so great, is he?"
"Uh....no?"
"No?"
"No. Definitely not."
"Exactly. I am the Author of your circumstances, so why do you complain?"


....Why do we complain? Why do I complain? As I sat there thinking about that, I realized that I complain because things do not go according to what I want to have happen; they don't go according to the plans that I have created to go through my day. I plan my clothes because I travel between houses, and try to make sure I am ready for the week, so when the weather is not what I was expecting, I become frustrated and begin complaining.  I complain about homework because, well, who in their right mind likes to do homework? I complain about grades because I plan to do better than what I received, but it never turned out that way. I complain about birds because they decide to relieve themselves on my newly washed car which I plan to keep relatively clean for as long as I can. 


I complain because the plans that I have made don't end up working the way I want them to.


So I let that ruin my day? My week? 


Take joy! Things do not go as planned, but the Lord never stops turning our evil mistakes and results into something that is beautiful and glorifying to Him! In His presence, there is joy and peace! Things do not turn out as well as we hope, but does that mean that God doesn't turn those things into good? Who are we to complain about the failures of OUR PLANS to the God who told us not to make those plans in the first place! We are to trust in Him for EVERYTHING!!!!!!!  


Come on people, things happen! The weather is out of any of our control, and technology does its own thing, which can totally suck.  But don't let those things take away the Joy that has been promised to you by our loving Heavenly Father.  

Although the sorrow may last for the night,

His Joy comes with the morning!!!!

Psalm 118: 24,  Philippians 3:13-14

Intro....

Hey everyone!  


As many of you know, I send out morning "Texts of Encouragement" ....  Well, I don't want to say that it became too difficult, but my phone bill sky-rocketed and my phone began to overheat and shut down every morning. SO! I decided to make a blog! It also gives you peeps the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions on what has been stated.


Please note, I DO NOT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS! These are just things that are on my heart, just like those texts.  If you want to say something, say it! I will respond to the best of my ability with respect and honesty. 


May the Lord Bless you always and forever! 


-Mel