My Life through God’s Eyes

A row of books, a comfy chair, and solitude. Pen poised, journal open, I settle in for what I expect will be a wonderful, though long overdue, time with my God. Enveloped by the silence of the library, I pose my questions to Him and await His reply.

What is God's view of who I am? A few months ago, I doubt I could have answered this question completely. I only knew in part who I was and how God saw me. But now, God has revealed this mystery to me and with surety I can say that He sees me as perfect, holy, and without blemish. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that I have been "made the righteousness of God in Him (Christ)."

When God sees me, He sees His own righteousness. He sees me as whole and complete. John wrote to believers in 3 John 1:4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth". I believe that, like John, God has no greater joy than to know that His children are walking in His truth. There is nothing that brings God more joy than seeing me just starting to live out of the truth that I am perfect and complete in Christ!

I am made in God's image and I am perfect and beautiful in His sight. I am His beloved and the desire of His heart. I am a princess of the Most High King, and everything that belongs to the King also belongs to me.

Why am I here? I am here to bring God more glory. He made me and sanctified me because He can live through me in a way that He cannot live through anyone else. He has created in me a love for truth and now THE Truth is alive in me. I am here to proclaim truth to those captives that have been freed and do not yet realize it.

God wants me to know Him and He wants others to see Christ living out of me. Jesus is my source of life; He is the Life. For "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

Women in Leadership

The TV reporters checked and rechecked their equipment, going over their list of questions one more time. Every camera was fixed on the podium; every eye was fixed on the fluttering behind the curtains. As the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, stepped up to the microphone, she was greeted by the flashes of a hundred different cameras. As I sat watching the TV screen, I admired this lady's courage and calm. She knew what she was talking about, and she knew whom she represented.

Should a woman be in a leadership position? Thousands of books and sermons have been written on this subject, and there are a million individual points of view. The real issue at the heart of this question is whether a woman should hold a position of authority over a man. In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul does forbid women to teach men and to "usurp authority over the man" in the church. "Usurp authority over" basically means to dominate and take over by force that to which you have no right.

A queen has authority over her subjects. A woman that has a hired hand or a butler has authority over them as Mistress of the house. A woman who runs a business has authority over her employees. A woman elected to public office has been given that jurisdiction by the ones that elected her. It is their right to that authority and they have been given that jurisdiction.

Women can, and should, be leaders. Most people automatically associate leadership with authority but in Webster's Dictionary of American English, the word lead is defined: To guide and conduct by showing the way, to go before, to direct. A leader can hold complete authority or simply guide, without controlling and commanding. Deborah, one of the judges of Israel, is an example of a woman in leadership who did not overstep the jurisdiction that had been given to her; she led without taking over Barak's jurisdiction as a man and as the leader of Israel's army.

This is not an issue with an easy answer. God has given clear instructions on the role of women within the family and the church and these should be followed. He has not given clear instructions, but principles regarding women's roles outside of family and church. Women were designed to be helpers and a woman can carry out that role even in a position of authority or leadership over men, when they adorn themselves with "a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1 Peter 3:4)".

20 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Drinking coffee out of those cute little coffee mugs that cost $9.00 at Starbucks

2. Sittting on a boat and watching fireworks over the lake

3. The color brown

4. The view from the top of a mountain

5. Sweaters

6. Flip-flops

7. Going for a walk on the beach at midnight and trying to avoid stepping on all the little crabs in the dark

8. Horses

9. Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia

10. Taking out my frustrations on the piano and realizing that I started out playing The Chase by Cornelius Gurlitt and am now playing Rocket to the Moon by Jim Brickman

11. Tirimisu

12. Dark chocolate

13. Watching the news

14. Walking through the Pottery Barn and visualizing beautiful rooms in my mind

15. Curling up in a blanket in front of a fireplace with a good book on a rainy day

16. Hardwood floors

17. Visiting museums, battlefields, and historical places

18. Hugs

19. Sleeping in

20. Taking pictures with a small depth of field

Who Am I?

As this is my very first blog post, I thought I would talk about my biggest, most recent revelation. Over the last couple of months, I have been asking several questions: Who is God and who am I? I have tried so hard to be a "good, Christian girl", to please God, and to enlighten others to their sinful ways. What did it get me? I could not make myself change into something truly good no matter how hard I tried.

I have been "good" but I knew it was never good enough to please God. Every time I did something wrong, I told myself how horrible I was, that there was no way I could possibly be acceptable to God. He intimidated me. How could a Being as holy as He was, desire to have a relationship with me?

Of course, I knew that God was love and that He was good. But my true belief was what defined my actions. Finally, God began to reveal to me that I was completely accepted by Him. I brought Him pleasure. I was one with Jesus Christ.

Before man's fall, God and man were friends. There was no sin or struggle to talk about, just each other. What they liked, what they thought, what their favorite thing was about the day. That fellowship ended when man sinned. No longer did man desire God; his spirit was in rebellion.

Christ came to restore that relationship. No longer is there a wall between man and God. My relationship with God is exactly how it would have been in the Garden of Eden. I am the desire of His heart. I am acceptable to Him and He is pleased with me no matter what I do.

It is about God Himself, His glory and His praise, not how bad we are. It helps answer the question: "Why did God make man if He knew he was going to sin?" Because it never was about us and our sin; it was always about all things being "to the praise of the glory of His grace"(Eph. 1:6). That was God's purpose and it always has been. He created man so that He could live in and through him and man's fall never altered that purpose.

Jesus came to offer freedom and rest but the Christians I see have neither freedom nor rest. What matters are the externals. If your life does not line up with what they think the Bible(or, in reality, their denomination) says, then you have a problem in your relationship with God. You need to get right with Him, read your Bible and pray more, get involved in more programs, evaluate your priorities, and the list could go on and on. They live bound by rules, always trying harder to follow God and be acceptable in His sight. I used to be one of them.

The reality is that I can't live the life. Jesus is THE LIFE and only He can live His Life. Being a "Christian" simply means being one with Christ, Him living as me. If I am trying my best to live how God expects me to, I am going to exhaust myself and completely fail. My identity is no longer in the external actions and labels but in Christ alone.