Jane Doe's Secret

 Anxiety is a very powerful emotion, it can place us under stress, which causes more anxiety and sometimes lead to anxiety attacks. When I am feeling super anxious, I feel myself getting hot all over. The room suddenly feels like it is a thousand degrees and I can feel the sweat start to accumulate on my forehead. I feel my body begin to shake, the muscles responding to my pounding heart. I know my body is trying to soothe me, but the shaking makes my anxiety spike, especially when I notice it. Anxiety can be crippling. Many times when I get this anxiety, it is because I make a bold move that I wouldn't normally do. Like speaking in front of my entire class, or singing for an audition into a play, or going up to a stranger and starting a conversation. I guess my anxiety is more of a social one. I am an introvert through and through. I know that there is a lot of thoughts that go on in my head when I am anxious, I hear things in my head that are far from the truth, I think of the wo...

 As Christians we have a freedom that no one else has or can comprehend, we have that freedom in Christ. In Christ, we are made new, given a new life, and a fresh start. This is something that everyone hungers for. The ability to start over. As Christians, we have this ability. As new creations in Christ, we leave our old lives behind and begin again, anew. I think that this is honestly one of the biggest reasons that Christians are hated. People see Christians moving on, getting out of the depths of despair, living a new life full of hope. They watch as Christians rise from the pit of the world, showing a new light, a new sense of peace and joy, a new freedom that they do not have. Suddenly Jealousy comes knocking on their door. They think how can this person break so easily from the chains of drugs and alcohol? How can someone be so happy in the midst of poverty? How can a thug gang member become the pastor of a worldwide famous church? It is like the Pharisees when apostles were...

 Fear can be debilitating. It stops from doing the things you know you will enjoy because you are afraid of what might happen. It holds you captive in the present making you do things you would never do just so that you feel included. It haunts you never letting go of your past like you are trying so hard to do. It brings it up, it destroys your chances to do something different because in the past you had failed. Fear is terrifying in itself, everyone is afraid of fear. We all have some sort of phobophobia. As humans, it is only natural to feel fear, these are instincts built into our system in order to help protect us. Even Jesus, who is our living example of who we should be, was afraid. He was afraid of dying. And who wouldn't be in that case, especially if you knew how you were going to die (In the most painful and humiliating way possible). I would be afraid for sure. I mean I would even try to escape it somehow. So how did Jesus do it? How did he go to the cross when he was ...

 With Christians, the fruit of the Spirit can be really hard to follow through. We think well I can love today but I can't be joyful, or I can be patient today doesn't necessarily mean I can be kind. It feels almost impossible to follow all the fruits of the Spirit, but nothing is impossible with God. Ask yourself these questions on a daily basis and respond to them truthfully. When you do, it will help you know what you need to come before God with and ask Him for help in that fruit. Ask yourself this;       How am I showing love today?  Is Joy in my heart? How can I bring peace in my life? Am I being patient with those around me? Am I being kind? How am I showing gentleness to others? Am I being faithful to God and others? Am I controlling myself? If you said no, or you answered it in a negative way to any of these, pray that God will give you more strength in that fruit of the Spirit. Work on that fruit for the rest of the day. Dedicate yourself to feedi...

 Serving others is a big part of Christain life, but it is also the most abused aspect of Cristian nature. Everyone knows that people of faith are willing to sacrifice and give to others in need and although most relly do need this characteristic in their lives, there are people out there who take advantage of it. So how does one know if their contribution is really going to help someone in need? By saying this am I saying that you can trust no one? No of course not. This world is a broken and messed up world, but those in Christ are full of His Spirit, and if you can definitely trust God, you can trust those who hearts are full of him. What I am really saying is that in order to serve others, you must remember to protect yourself. Trust the Holy Spirit's guidance and know that in whatever situation God is there. If you feel that there is something wrong, look into it. It is better to double-check your work than it is to continue on blindly acting ignorant to all the red flags that...

 Everyone can be happy, happiness is an emotion that everyone feels at least once a day. Happiness, though, is fleating. You can be happy at one moment, and have a different emotion the next. An emotion never last forever. We all know this. But joy? Joy is an essence of being.  This means when we must BE joyful in order to have joy.  How does one become joyful? Especially in the midst of crisis? Joy is given to you by the Father, when you are with Jesus, you will noticed that he brings you joy. Everytime I am in front of God in prayer, I find a newfound strength in joy that helps me get through my day. Even when a day is particularly tough, I come before God, and He restores my soul just like David said in Psalms 23.  If you can't find a moment to pray, then worship. Turn on some of your favorite christian songs or turn up the radio. While you are in the act of worship, God is there. He is filling you with joy, lighting your soul on fire, making it so when you step o...

 Yesterday I was thinking about how we all have to wear mask. This became a requirement when Covid-19 started, and although now it is less strict, they are still required to be worn in certain places of business. The biggest issue with this is that some christians see wearing a mask as not right, while others agree that we should. This made me think, how many Christians are currently 'wearing a mask' to hide their true identity in Christ? For Christians there has been a constant battle to bring people to Christ. The problem is that most of the values and principles of Christianity go against everything the world and today's society believes in. Some Christians put on the mask to be accepted by the world, for no one likes to feel like a cast out. They ignore certain passages of the bible in order to fit in. Allowing the old life they had given up when accepting Christ to slowly slink itself back in. It is like having a brand new cup, washed clean and pure white, then decidin...

 I talked about this briefly in a previous post, what is it I said? " It is better to love and serve others, then to be angry about the loss of freedom. It is better to connect and love one another, then to be angry about the loss of seeing each other physically. It is better to share God's word and open hearts, then be angry at the messed up politics of this world.  Listen, I know it is hard. Trust me, I really do, but anger, even though presumed to be righteous, is not the answer to our solutions, but rather it is our problem right now. " Anger tends to be an emotion that eats at your very soul, chipping away at all the goodness, kindness, and compassion in you. When we don't let go of our anger, it grows into a rage, that can lead to violence, revenge, and ultimately regret. Someone would say, "But isn't anger right when it is directed at something that is unjust? Even Jesus was angry."  Yes, anger should be felt towards things that are unjust, or not...

There was a time that bravery was seen as doing something daring and dangerous. Bravery is so much more than that. In our world today, Christians are finding it harder and harder to be brave. Christians are finding it harder to stick to their moralities, values, and beliefs. In a world that is becoming more acceptable to violence, fear, and hatred, it is hard to be that voice that says these things are not the answer. Christians are starting to fear that this world is beginning the stages of hatred and bigotry towards the faith that we hold dear. This makes it incredibly difficult to have the courage to share the good news of our faith. "Good news? what good news?" The world seems to say. "There is no such thing as good news." They would be right. All the news stations, televisions, and newspapers say there is no good news. Spreading more fear, more violence, more hatred into the world. One cannot open any social media outlet without revealing some new murder, new r...

 In these times, we have been forbidden to touch. High fives, fist bumps, big bear hugs, fun pushes. We all MUST stay six feet apart! really?! You long to be able to hug your best friend, but it is a bit hard from that distance. Our world has lost physical touch, which to most, is the most powerful love language of them all. How long must we wait to feel the touch of another again? Who knows. In the meantime, we start to break the rule. I mean how long did you really think the rule would stick in this world? There are like a dozen movies about this rule being broken, and usually, it is a much more dangerous sickness that is at risk then COVID. Christians are handling it with mixed messages, confusing those who are watching them. How can some agree and some do not? Like Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." As Christians, we need to find the middle ground. Yes, we may not agree on a lot of things, but we all believe in the same God. We have been ...

 Sometimes in all the craziness, I feel a sense of loss. I am reminded daily of that battle we all must fight in order to find ourselves in this world. I try hard to picture what life will be like in the future when this is all over and done with. Yet I know, in the end, it is not ever going to be completely back to normal. So where does one find hope? For me, I find it in the small things. A smile on someone's face, the sound of laughter, the bright young faces of children playing with their families. I think of all the good things that have come out of this. How parents are spending more time with their children, how families are reconnecting and friends seem to grow closer. My heart is reminded of the love of God. I see Him almost every day in everything I do and it makes me smile, and hope. One small act, it doesn't even matter how insignificant it may feel to you, it can change someone's day. It can light up their world. In this world, when everything is falling apart,...