I Believe In God the Father Almighty

The apostle's creed begins "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth". For years we recited the apostle's creed every single week in church. At first, it was something that I had to read from a card. Eventually, these words became a part of me in the same way that I say my own name. "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth." If this is true, if I believe in the maker of all things, then why are there so many things that I don't believe I can do?

I can list them out for you. The things that I believe I can't do. I can't seem to go to the gym consistently. I can't stick to the diet that the doctor recommended. I can't drive the speed limit. I can't go thirty days without pizza. I've tried being nice to everybody all the time, but I can't seem to do that either. I believe I can stop missing my bible time, but I can't seem to stay awake some days. I believe I can impact the lives of my students, but then I can't seem to believe that anything I do matters. 

I think of my past successes, but they are clouded by the memory of one failure after the next. "I believe in God the Father, Almighty maker of Heaven and earth." I believe in God the Father, but I also believe in me. I believe in the sum of my failures. I believe in the sum of my limitations and my flaws. I believe I can continue to mess up. I believe I can continue to be less than. I believe I can live a life where I always disappoint God. But then...

I remember the sound of my own voice declaring "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth"...right then and there I remember hope. "And in Jesus Christ His only son"... I let go of all the negative things that I believe about me because He made me. I let go of all the faulty faith in my own abilities and I grab hold of a faith that assures me that I can believe I can do anything because Christ my Saviour already did. 

Adayinthelife ;-)

I Believe I Can Fly

"I Believe I Can" by C. Brooks (2/23/15)

I believe I can fly
and the main reason why
is because when I was a little girl
my grandma said all you have to do is try


I believe I can dream
I can be anything
because my daddy told me that I was a queen


I believe I can soar
I don't doubt anymore
my strength is in God who I implore
to lead and guide me through each and every door


I believe I can walk
Stand tall like a bean stalk
without having to lose or drop
out of my race to the top


I believe in everything
all that God told me I can be
because He is my king


I believe I can succeed
I can do any and everything
all I have to do is put my mind to what I want to achieve


I believe I can fly
and the reason why
is because when I was a little little girl
my grandma told me "baby all you have to do is try"

I believe I can


Adayinthelife :-)

What Happens Before You Say I Do

I am at a point where the people around me believe that the length of time that I've been in a relationship should equal to he and I getting married. I must admit that at one point in my life I believed the same way. I used to believe that something was wrong if you'd been with a person longer than two or three years and you were not married or engaged. The closer that I have become to God the more I understand that my way of thinking was wrong.

My way of thinking was solely based on the length of time we'd spent in the man made world of dating. It had nothing to do with where the relationship was spiritually or what either of us was doing to prepare for I do. It certainly had nothing to do with what God expected from us or where He was leading us.

A few years ago, I began to pray earnestly to God. I told Him where I was in my thinking. I asked Him to help me to get to where He needed me to be in order to be a wife that He was pleased with. When I started praying about it, I only thought of being a man's bride. Even though I was praying to God about it, I hadn't been preparing for God throughout it. My preparation was about letting go of needing to be in charge. My preparation was about allowing myself to trust again. My preparation was about forgiving myself for all the ways that I had been wrong.

Truthfully, these are all things that we should do before we say I do. We should let go of trying to run our own lives and learn how to let God direct our paths. We should trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding. We should forgive others and forgive ourselves just as God has already forgiven us. When we do these things with a focus that is on God and not on a man or woman, then we will be in the correct preparation mode for marriage. Ultimately, before you say I do to your earthly spouse, you must be on one accord with your heavenly God.


then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ~Philippians 2:2

Adayinthelife :-)

Two Faced

Many people believe that you can tell a two faced person because that person is usually someone who speaks one way in front of you and speaks another way behind your back. A two faced person is thought to be someone who appears to be a friend, but has ill will toward you. Some believe that being two faced is rooted in jealousy or insecurity. The person who is guilty of it lacks something that you have or just desires to pull you down. All of these are interesting and somewhat valid thoughts. But what happens when you find yourself admitting that you are the two faced person?

You are the one who is holding two different conversations about yourself. You speak highly of the person who you used to be. "She was bold and fearless. She would try anything and dare anyone to try her, but this new person is soft. She backs down when she is challenged and can't be trusted to stand up for anyone not even herself." You say these things to your friends. You say these things to your foes. Always you are saying these things to yourself.

You find ways to sabotage your own progress. Speaking of what your limitations are now that you are relying on Christ. Whispering in your own ear how hard it is to trust His plan. Praying to God to lead you and direct you, then telling yourself that you are the captain of your fate and that your life is in your own hands.

Your are envious of the respect that your words for God are given. Now that you realize they really are given there is no way that the praise belongs to you. Instead of celebrating the gift that God has given, you remind yourself of a time when your words commanded their attention.

But who really looks at themselves to say I am two faced? I am the problem. I am the one battling with who I think I am and who God wants me to be. I am the one talking behind my back. I am the one gripped by insecurity. The two faced person is me.

Adayinthelife :-)

Choosing Gratitude

The first thing that came to mind this week when I thought of choosing gratitude was a car accident that I was in. I was stopped and a young man rounded a curve and hit my brand new car from behind. My car sustained damage to the trunk, but his car would not move. I called AAA to pick up his car and rode with the tow truck driver to drop him off. I was so thankful that he and I were unharmed. I was so grateful that I had AAA and could help him get his car home.

Many people wondered why I would call for help for someone who had damaged my property. They asked me if I was angry. I remember just being so glad that nothing happened that couldn't be undone. In that moment, God allowed me to choose gratitude over anger. He allowed me to rest in the peace that accompanies gratitude and not focus on any negative impact that the whole thing would have on me.

Shortly after the wreck, I had the opportunity to help a friend who was in need of both financial resources and time. I went to the bank and gave the money right away. I then sat with the person offering guidance on how to make the situation better. I was happy afterward because I had met them at their financial need and I had provided them with a clear path to being out of a bad situation. 

A few weeks went by and the money that I gave was not returned and it appeared that my time had also been wasted. I began to talk about the money and the invaluable advice that had not been taken. I described how truly ungrateful the person had been when I was simply trying to help. 

I received many amens during my self orchestrated pity party. What I should have been receiving was a strong rebuke. When choosing gratitude, we must give thanks in all circumstances. Our thanks, our appreciation, and our praise must be offered to God. God provided me with the means to help, but I focused on it like the power to earn the money was in my hand. God afforded me the opportunity to give them my time, but I forgot that my time was His and not mine to give. The first situation was easy because I kept my focus on the gift that God provided. The second situation was a failure because I could not see God. I could only see myself.

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." II Corinthians 9:7

Adayinthelife :-)