Living to make a difference….

Living to make a difference….

As I think about the New Year beginning I think a lot about what I want my life to be…

 As many of you are probably aware, many people thought the world was going to end this year. Most recently at the end of the December many actually believed that the world was going to end, there was even a movie made about it called 2012. I was out shopping today in a store and an African man started asking me if I thought Jesus was going to come back a couple days ago when so many said that the world was going to end. I explained to him that Jesus himself said He did know when he would come back, that only His Father in heaven knows this. Jesus did explain though that when he comes back it would be like a thief in the night when no one expects it. The scriptures also explain that when Jesus comes back He will be riding in from the heavens on a white horse with fleets of angels with him. It explains that everyone will be able to see him at once just as everyone can see the sun in the sky.

I think a lot about what that day will be like if I am alive to witness it. I even often pray to God asking him if I can be alive when He comes back to earth or if I could be an angel coming back with him! It will be a scary (change into the unknown often is) but also so exciting and amazing! It also says in the bible that one day every single person will bow to their knees and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord.
As I think about what the end of the world would be like, or what that day will be like when I do see Jesus face to face either in heaven when I die or on this earth when he returns, I think about a lot of different questions. I think about the type of questions wondering when I look back on my life and the way that I lived and the person that I was, will it be something that makes Jesus proud.

In an amazing book called “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller. The author explains that we all have a story to live and a story to tell. He challenges us to ask ourselves if we are living a story that is worth telling and remembering. When I think about this concept I think about what if Jesus or an angel in heaven was writing a book about my life or filming a movie about the person that I was and the way that I lived, would I want to watch it and most of all would it be worth remembering and sharing with others…

I am writing these things because I am reminded that we all never really know have how much time left we have on this earth. We never know when our time will be up and when we will be face to face with our God! I like thinking about this because it awakens me to remember and to search within myself asking myself why am I truly alive. It reminds me that I and you all have a story to tell and a story to live. The story of our lives….

I recently got the amazing blessing to actually get to go to a movie theatre and see the movie, “The Hobbit.” I loved this movie so much! I always ask God to speak to me through movies that I watch and I loved how I heard him whisper to my heart and soul through this one. I felt like there were so many moments within the movie that applied to my journey on the world race. It once again made me think about life and the life that I am living and the life that I want to live in Christ. It made me think about the past 6 months of being on the race. I thought about the times that were hard, the times that were great, and the special and meaningful memories that were filled with the love and presence of God that I will never forget. It made me think about the people that I have encountered that I could have shared Christ with that I missed out on. It made me think about the journey of this world race and the journey of my life. It makes me think about the time that has passed by, the time that yet remains, and the present of the here and now. It makes me think about the next months of the race and what my life might be like when I return home from the race. It made me wonder if I will truly be changed and if I will then be a change within the world from what I have been encountered by and how I have been changed with?

*The story of “The Hobbit” most of all made me think about life and the person that I am.

 Am I the person that I want to be and am I living the life that I want to live?…….

I love the quote that Gandalf made within the movie where he says,”

“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? That's because I am afraid and it gives me courage.”

This quote inspires me so much and makes me think about the life that I want to live and the person that I want to be. Am I living a life that is a journey and an adventure with Jesus? Am I sharing and loving people in a real and tangible way that they actually feel the love, light, and hope of Jesus Christ?

I love how God inspires me through movies, through music, through people, and through life! As this New Year begins, ask yourself if you are the person that you want to be? Ask yourself if you are living the story (life) that God created you to live!

* Know that God created the each of you for an amazing story to tell and an amazing story to share and most of all an amazing story to live…

I say this to people that I meet on the race all the time, but I just find it to be so true. God could have created you to be a dog, a cat, or any animal or creature within the world. I often see children with barely any clothes to wear and food to eat. I wonder, why did God choose me to be born in the United States with the family that He gave me. I didn’t do anything to deserve the life, family, and friends that He has so graciously blessed me with and either did you. God could have created us to be a animal, but he didn’t. He created you and me to be His Sons and Daughters. He created us to be alive today in this generation, in this world for a reason. He created you with a purpose to live and a story to tell….

Jesus promised that He would always be with us and He even prayed to God asking to be alive within us!
When we ask Christ into our hearts, His Holy Spirit comes Alive within us transforming us from the inside out…

Know that there is so much more to this world and life than we all know and know that you have been chosen to be God’s child and to be Alive for a reason!