To have the faith of...

Recently I have found myself thinking what it would be like to have the faith of Noah, Abraham, and even Joseph. 

What would I do if God told me He was going to destroy all of the Earth but I was going to live because He found me righteous?

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" Genesis 6:8

What would I do if God told me to sacrifice my only son?

"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you" Genesis 22:2 

Would I have enough faith in the Lord to trust what He asked me to do?

Abraham trusted that the Lord would provide the seed. He knew that if his son died, the Lord would either raise up another seed or raise this seed back to life if he died on the alter. 

My heart desires this faith. 

What would I do if I was to be married and I found out my wife was pregnant. Pregnant with a baby that was not mine. Would I trust her story? Would I believe the angel that appeared to me?

"...An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit...When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife"

Matthew 1:20&24

I desire to trust like Joseph trusted. 

I realize I stink at trusting the Lord and having faith in Him. I fail all the time when it comes to trusting Him with my future. Sometimes I feel I can figure it out on my own and if I do there are no "unknowns" because everything will be planned out. I've realized recently, my life is not my own, therefore I cannot plan too far into the future. When I replace me with God, it's an idol. When I worry instead of trust, that's an idol. 

Reading these stories and many other stories in the Old Testament has shown me the need to have the faith of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Samuel, the prophets, and the list goes on.

Lord, please give me the the faith of Noah, Abraham, and Joseph. I know you have a plan for me and I know I am called to trust in You.

Melanie 

A day of baking!

To start off my day, I went to take my car in to the shop just to be looked at. It didn't take as much time as expected so I had an hour to kill before heading to the Kulmatycki's to bake! I decided to go to Mcdonald's to get some breakfast and read a bit. I opened my Bible to Hebrews which is where I have been reading and an older gentlemen walks by. He stopped and asked me "do you believe what you are reading?" I smile and nod yes, and he continued walking and said "good, i'm glad".
Moments like those make me smile. I have never met that man before but we are united through one person, Christ.
After I finished eating I headed to the Kulmatycki's to bake!
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Kulmatycki family, I will tell you about them :)
I started babysitting their four girls fall of my senior year of high school. Sarah was 11, Erin was 8, Allison was 5 and Meredith was 15 months old.
Meredith could not say my name but to try she paired Melanie with something she was familiar with, watermelon. My name then became "Watermelanie". It was hilarious to hear her call me that because really she only made it harder on herself :)
I got really close to them my senior year and I continued to babysit them through the summer before I left for Cedarville in the fall. We stayed in touch all through my freshmen year of school and I was asked to babysit every break! I have really enjoyed watching how Courtney and Chris parent because I respect them and I have also really enjoyed getting to know these four little girls.
Now Sarah is 13, Erin is 10, Allison is 7 and Meredith is 3. Time flies.

Today, we baked! I came over around 10 and we baked until 1pm! We had many laughs, which mostly involved Meredith. She was given two tasks. Her first task was unwrapping the hershey kisses but she wasn't allowed to eat any. The best was catching her when she stole one. The look on her face was priceless. Her second task was icing the sugar cookies. This was hilarious. She had her own bowls of icing because we knew what she would do and we were correct. She would ice one cookie, lick the knife, dip the knife back into the icing, ice another cookie, and repeat. It was really quite funny to watch.
Allison was my helper. We made the peanut butter chocolate cookies from scratch! She helped me mix the ingredients and roll the dough and loved every minute of it.
The two older girls worked on the seven layer bars, which personally, are my favorite!
After that we had lunch and played a few games...why Allison laughed so hard she cried over the word "ballpark" is a mystery to all of us, but she had the whole house laughing with her.
It was a good day :)

Melanie

Seeking His Word

Something I needed today. You see being home is bittersweet. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister and my mom dearly...but when i'm home there life goes on as "normal". My life pauses, because being home and having nothing to do is not normal. 
But I intend to use my big windows of time productively. Whether that's catching up on sleep (which people say you cannot do, I disagree), watching movies, reading books, blogging, or spending time with my Creator. I plan to be productive this break and refuel my heart and my mind. Most importantly, I plan to refocus my heart on the One who made me.


Here is what I read today...( yes it's necessary to post the entire chapter because it is THAT good ;) ) 

Hebrews 11

 ¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction ofthings not seen. ²For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. ⁴By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. ⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ⁷By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
 ⁸By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a placethat he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. ¹¹By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
 ¹³These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.¹⁴For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
 ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, ¹⁸of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." ¹⁹ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. ²⁰By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. ²¹By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. ²²By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
 ²³By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. ²⁴By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,²⁵ choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
 ²⁹By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. ³¹By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
 ³²And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell ofGideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two,^[a] they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
 ³⁹And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

What do we think when we see a disability?

John 9:1-3:
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." 

This mans blindness was purposed by God.
What do we think when we see a disability?
I know this thought crosses my mind: God messed up, something went wrong with me/them, my/their life can't be complete without _____.

"Go and wash in the pool of Siloam (which means sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing"
John 9:7

Jesus healed this blind man. The blind man could not see Jesus, but Jesus saw this blind man.
He was born blind for a purpose just as I was born the way I was for a purpose.

As I listened to the wise words of Jason on Sunday morning, I teared up thinking of my little cousin Alyssa. Alyssa was born with a "disability". She is not disabled, she is differently enabled. There are things Alyssa can do that I can not do. She has a purpose. God did not make a mistake, he created her deaf for a specific purpose one only she can fulfill.
When I was home over Thanksgiving break, my aunt told me a story about Alyssa. She is now in the second grade and children are starting to notice she is "different" therefore she is beginning to encounter the ignorance of little children.
Alyssa has joined brownies and my aunt was dropping her off at her first meeting. Typically my aunt stands in the back with the other parents and watches the different activities that go on. Well, this day Alyssa was asked to go to the front of the room, a little girl whispered to her mom "she's different". My aunt walked outside of the room knowing she had to let Alyssa handle this on her own. Alyssa went on with what she was asked to do, ignoring the little girl.
After brownies my aunt asked Alyssa if she had a good time, Alyssa told her yes and said she wanted to go back next week.

Alyssa knows she is "different" to the world but she also knows she is special to her Father.
The world is going to constantly tear her down, but the Lord will consistently build her up.
She is a gift, regardless of her imperfections. She did not commit some great sin, nor did her parents. The Lord created her this way because she has a purpose.

When God creates people, he does not create them wrongly.

Melanie

A study break

Got to love finals week! This song has provided much peace for my anxious heart.

My story is not just my own

This post is inspired by a blog post I recently stumbled upon.

Here is the link if you're interested! 

http://juliannamorlet.blogspot.com/search/label/Your%20Story

My story is not my own. 

I have always thought/desired to keep my past to myself, what makes me "me" was hidden for many years. Maybe I was afraid of telling someone my deepest secrets and fears, or maybe I was afraid people would judge me for my past, but recently I have discovered and been moved to tell. 

Whether this means sharing with friends or anyone who asks.

My story is not my own.

More on this later...

Your Great Name

This song has been in my head all day. Pretty powerful :)