Whimsical Love Day 1

Have you ever heard a love story or engagement story where there were whimsical details and ideas incorporated in creative ways to show them how much they love them? I don't know about you, but sometimes it's the little details that are my favorite! I love hearing people's engagement stories and hearing about EVERY detail. Yes, I'm that girl. Fortunately, this year some of my favorite people got engaged and I got to hear all about one of the best days of their lives. In fact, when you think about it, all you have to do is look around in order to see whimsical love. We have the most loving father anyone could ever ask for. He created things all around us to woo us and show us how much He loves us in quaint and creative ways. 

Today I am embarking on a 10 day journey to recognizing just how whimsical God's love is for us. I encourage you to do the same and leave comments with ways you saw God's whimsical love that day. I promise, this will be one of the best journeys you have gone on. Take time each day to remind yourself to simply be aware of the beauty around you. It could be something you see or something you feel. God works in different ways! 

Day 1:

This yellow bowl reminds me of the Lord's love in an interesting way. I made this a few years ago in high school art. I remember putting a chunk of blubbery clay on the pottery wheel and going for it. It was not turning out how I had intended at all but I kept going for it. The amount of times I messed it up was more than the amount of times I have had a sporadic dance party (and obviously that's just about every day). Then, when it came time to glaze it, I put a pink glaze all over. Obviously the clay had a mind of its own. I was disappointed at first then loved the way it had turned out. It now sits in my room as a reminder of the way the Lord loves me. I am so broken and so messed up but the Lord chooses to show me grace and makes me into something beautiful and useful. Sometimes, He changes our plans and directions because He loves us. I had a plan of how it should look and boy am I glad it did not turn out the way I had planned. 

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

Think about it...clay is basically dirt and sand that is made into a substance that can be fired. He takes something so dirty and broken, molds it, refines it in the fire, glazes it, and USES it. What a beautiful picture of the way He loves us. He sees the dirt and loves it enough to make it beautiful, despite its dirt and brokenness. 

Oh to be clay in the Maker's gracious and sovereign hands. He stands ready to craft you into something beautiful. Are you ready?

My Whimsical Journey

Do you ever look back on your life and think about all the ways the Lord has blessed you and loved you in whimsical ways? Every birthday I try to take some time to just simply reflect and praise the Lord. This last Thursday I turned 21...ummm excuse me, what? It was just yesterday I was picking out my Arthur backpack and my Lisa Frank lunchbox for my first day of school and hugging my cat Wanda (...yes, Wanda was a male) goodbye as I jumped in the car headed for Kindergarten. Through the years the Lord has become my best friend who has loved me unconditionally and has loved me in such a beautiful and whimsical way. Here's a glimpse at that journey.

I was blessed to be able to grow up with amazing parents. Even though I did not know Jesus at this point, I knew Jesus through my parents who demonstrated His unconditional love for me since the day I was born. Bless them... they put up with a daughter that probably changed at least 6 times a day. Pretty sure with three older brothers and these incredible parents I probably never had to walk as a toddler. 

Not only was it this over eager beaver's first day of school, but the year when she made the best decision of her life, hands down. I was so blessed to be able to grow up in church and get to hear about Jesus since I was a baby. While rebelling against a nap (oh those glorious days) in Kindergarten, I remember my teacher mentioning if we ever wanted to know more about Jesus or decide to give Him our lives, we could talk to her during nap time. I was wide awake. I was ready. I went up to her and after hearing more explanations of what it meant to follow Jesus, I knew it was time. I'm in awe that the Lord showed me so much grace to help me see my need for Him at 6 years old. I was excited, but there was no immediate change. I still lied to my K5 teacher about a candy bar I had found then stuck it in my backpack. Then, she gave me a note and I remember throwing it away. Wow, rebellious 6 year old huh? But the Lord knew what He was doing and was slowly performing a heart transformation throughout the years.

Ever since I was little, people called me different nick names that had to do with lemurs...the most famous, "lemur girl" in which I signed all my papers in elementary, a classic Shae move. I LOVED lemurs. I even volunteered at a zoo for two years and was their "lemur girl" and got to take care of the lemurs and play with them in my spare time. I remember one night while I was in third grade I began praying about my future and asked the Lord why I liked lemurs so much. His answer was not exactly what I was expecting. That night, the Lord called me to be a missionary in Madagascar, where lemurs are from. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. His still and quiet voice was the clearest it had ever been. I knew He would get me there in His timing, but I had no idea what was to come in 11 short years...

And then comes Junior High.....

Rough picture, huh? Well, let's just say 8th grade was 10X as rough as this picture. In 7th grade I found out we were going to move from Oklahoma to Texas. I was ready for the new adventure but I had no idea how much my world was about to be rocked. After leaving my older brothers who were in college in Oklahoma, my parents and I drove to Dallas to start a new journey. A new school. A new church. New friends. On top of all those challenges, my last two grand parents died 10 days apart shortly after the move. Rough, huh? I began to hate my circumstances and was so confused as to why God was doing this to me. I would pray, "God, can you please just take me back to my family, friends, and my school?". Sometimes the greatest answer to prayer is a no! The Lord brought me contentment and showed me grace as He sought me like a hidden treasure. As hard as that year was, it was the best year of my life. The Lord used it to finally get a hold of my heart and really get my attention. This is where the heart transformation God started on my heart when I was 6 started to leave the prep room and enter the surgery room. As hard and painful as surgeries are, most of us would always choose it because we know the outcome and the joy the results bring. 

After 11 years of waiting for the Lord to open doors to go to my future home, Madagascar, He showed His faithfulness as always. Not only did He show His faithfulness, but did so in an incredible whimsical way. I expected Him to be faithful and open the right doors, but I had no idea what was to come. During my freshman year, I began praying not only for opportunities, but for missionaries to get in contact with. Since Madagascar is a pretty rare place, it was almost impossible for me to find anyone to contact online. One day my roommate walked in and gave me the email address of some missionaries in Mada she saw in DBU's prayer room. WHAT? I got to contact them and even got to meet one of them while on the trip. Then, after searching for mission trips to there for several years a friend called me and let me know his seminary was beginning to reach the people in the South of Mada and would be taking a trip there (last Christmas break). UMMM YES. Then, a friend found a blog of a journeyman in Mada whom I got to get in touch with and even work with him on the trip. The Lord's plans were woven together in such a beautiful and intricate way. I even got to feed a wild lemur and have another one fall asleep in my lap. To me, Lemurs are the most whimsical way the Lord loves on me. holding that lemur (as silly as this sounds) brought me so much joy since I had dreamed about it since I was a little girl. This was no longer a lemur in an American zoo. I WAS THERE and the Lord showed his PERFECT faithfulness. Now, I am planning on going back for the two year journeyman program right after I graduate college.

I am so blessed by a family that has supported me every step of the way and that has loved me unconditionally. You always love family, but I tend to like mine as well =). What studmuffins.

Change

Satan has kept me from blogging for awhile, telling me I had to have some kind of profound and life-changing study to share in order to post something. After a few days of studying for finals and not getting a ton of sleep, I moved back home and decided to take a nap. I could not fall asleep. My mind was racing. I was thinking about how far the Lord has brought me these last two years in college, the friends I made, the adventures I went on, and the people who have changed my life. I thought about some of my friends who have decided to follow the Lord even though there would be a huge change. I thought about how the Lord has worked in my life and challenged me to embrace change. I don't know why, but my loving Father and Savior made it clear to me I was supposed to blog today.

My old high school's graduation is today and it made me think about my days in high school. I remembered learning Spanish and honestly hating it. I never wanted to learn a different language. The thought of becoming fluent in another language seemed exciting but way too daunting. It takes time. It takes a willingness to make a change. It takes a leap of faith since you never know if God may call you to another country where you never saw yourself going. The Lord shattered that pride and started to give me a strong desire to learn French, especially since Madagascar's second language is French. I have never enjoyed learning a language until now. Why? Because God changed my motives. Languages are one of the best ways to show someone from a different country you care enough about them to spend time learning how to love on them through communication. How are we going to change the World and impact people if we can't even talk to people in different countries? How will we be able to work along side other Christians when we can't speak to them? Think about how many more opportunities there are to love on people and share the gospel when you can have a conversation with them. How is change going to happen if we aren't willing to make a change ourselves?

This year the Lord blessed me with an incredible job. During the school year, I get to work in DBU's international office, where I get to tutor students who took a leap of faith and came to DBU to learn English. I got to tutor and minister to students from all over the world, including Africa, Chile, Italy, Korea, China, Brazil, and many other places. I have been so encouraged by their willingness to make a change and go where the Lord led them. They were willing to follow the Lord and travel to a strange country where they could not even have a conversation with someone for awhile. Those students have no idea what kind of impact they made on me this year. One of my favorite memories of the year is when we took a group of international students to the Canton flea market and on the way we all sang the song "If You're Happy and You Know it." Here's the cool part....we sang it in 6 different languages at once and I got to sing it in French. I have never appreciated different languages and cultures until this year. Funny thing is, I used to be a home body. Now, I desire to travel so I can see other parts of the Lord's beautiful creation and see His creativity in other cultures.

As I am sitting in my backyard, I looked over only to see a bright green lizard change from green to brown. He wasn't afraid of change or where he was going next. He simply embraced it. If lizards did not change colors, there would be a lot of fear since they would have more predators seeking them. Selah on that for a second. When we don't embrace change, we live with so much more fear... fear that cripples us. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the known. If we are unwilling to embrace change, think about how Satan has a foothold. I believe one of the greatest ways Satan holds us back from loving on people is through our fear of change. Not only does this change include embracing the nations with Him, but embracing the people around you. Don't be afraid of change. Close your eyes, grasp your Savior's sovereign and loving hands, and dance with Him as He takes you on a beautiful and life-changing adventure. I promise you won't regret a thing.

Beggars of the King

I got back from Madagascar about a month ago and throughout the two weeks we spent there, the beggars flocked to us. Many of them see a white person and immediately see them as money. They see the white men as people who have what they want and therefore see Americans as gift-givers. While it is heartbreaking to see these people in desperate need, giving them money is not always the most beneficial response. They know we have money and we know we have the money. The problem is, there are so many long-term effects at hand. As a missionary, we want to be generous and seek out the needs of the people and teach them. It creates problems when we go about it the wrong way as the people can easily see us only as gift-givers and not as a friend. For awhile I was greatly annoyed at the amount of beggars since some saw me as a gift-giver and never had a desire to get to know me and hear what I had to say. I knew that just handing money over to them may bring them short term happiness, but would create long term obstacles. I'm sure by saying no to the beggars they saw me as a greedy American who had what they needed and was unwilling to give it to them, but I knew that as someone who loved them and could see past the present need, I had to do what I knew was best for them. I love the precious people of Madagascar, so I want to serve them and teach them how to find pure Joy in the Lord as well as teach them how to better their lifestyle and live according to their means.

AND THEN IT HIT ME....like a mud hole followed by boulders on the road in the bush....I am often like a beggar to the Lord.

So many times it is easy to see the Lord as a gift-giver who has the ability to give me anything I want, like a little genie. Sure, He has the ability to give me anything, but out of love, He limits Himself. Think about how many times your prayers consist of asking the Lord for things, and how many times your prayers consist of sitting at His feet and praising Him and wanting to learn from the King of Kings. I can't even begin to count how many times I or someone else has said something along the lines of God is not answering my prayers because he said no. Even a no is an answer to prayer. Sure, God could say yes to everything we ask for, and we may be happy, but our heart will not be after His. The Lord is not after us being happy, but transforming a heart into one of pure joy who is after the Lord's great heart. There are times when the Lord gives us what we want, but many times He shows His love through wanting to teach us and transform our heart.

 ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Do you find your identity in the yeses you get from the Lord, or from the heart transformation He offers? As the daughters' hearts transform to the King's, we find ourselves looking to God as a gift-giver less, and sitting at His feet more, learning about His heart as we desire Him rather than His gifts. Think about friendships where you sought them only because of what they could give you and do for you and then think about the friendships where you wanted to get to know the person and serve them. Think about the difference in those relationships. The first may seem gratifying for a short amount of time, but the second one brings a much deeper and stronger relationship since your motives are not selfish, but those of humility and service. Think about the difference in our relationship with God when we seek after the gifts less, and His beautiful glory and presence in our life more.

Oh the beauty of sitting at the beloved King's feet as His precious and chosen daughters, seeking His heart and His desires.

Satisfying Singleness

Take a second to imagine a kindergartener who is sitting on a swing at recess thinking about how much he cannot wait to be in high school. He hates kindergarten and cannot wait to drive, take different classes, and be able to go out to movies with friends. He longs for graduation day so much that during recess time every day, that’s all he can think about. It consumes his thoughts. If you knew that, what would you say to that precious child? Would you say “yeah, kindergarten is awful; I can’t wait for you to be in high school too, since that is when life begins”? Or….would you say something along the lines of “sweet child, the times in kindergarten are precious and worth treasuring. High school will come eventually, but treasure the time you have now; you will never get a year like this again where you can run and play without worry and have the joys you have now. Sure, high school is great and there are plenty of blessings that come with that, but don’t miss out on the blessings you have right now”?

So many girls (myself included) wish away their time of singleness. We live in a culture that tells us if we are not in a relationship, there is something wrong with us and that love is our ultimate goal and we will not be fulfilled and happy until we reach that point. Ladies, can I just tell you that is a complete lie from Satan. The Lord created love and relationships; they are beautiful things, but the Lord did not create love and relationships to be things that fulfill us. There is absolutely nothing that will nurture, love, and satisfy like Christ.

 

Last year, the Lord brought to my attention an idol in my life that I had never even noticed. I found myself looking forward to a relationship, marriage, and kids constantly. Since I had never been a “boy crazy” girl, I always told myself that was not an idol of mine. The Lord is humorous and loves to humble us, so He brought that to my attention. He led me to Kelly Needham’s blog where she mentioned how when we say we are “just waiting on the Lord” it often reveals an idol, as we see God not for who He is, but for His gifts. If Christ is not your first love, you will never have the right perspective in a relationship and it will become an idol. That is when I first began to see singleness not as a curse, but as an absolute blessing. I had always thought about the image of running toward God and He would put someone right beside me to run alongside me. Then the Lord changed that picture.
 “Daughter, chase after me. If I chose to put someone in your life, he will be directly in front of you to lead and guide you, but you will never have to take your eyes off of me to look to the side. If I chose not to put anyone there, your eyes will still be focused on me, and you will be completely satisfied in me and will not even think twice about finding satisfaction in anything else.”

 

How in the world is singleness a blessing? It is a trial, and therefore a beautiful blessing. Sure, it is hard, but so are relationships. Remember the story of the kindergartener? There are a lot of blessings that we miss out on when we wish away singleness. If you are not content in singleness, how do you think you will be content in a relationship or in marriage? That person will not be able to completely satisfy us. In Philippians 4, Paul talks about the importance of being content. He continues into the famous Philippians 4:13 where he says He can be content through Christ. It is a daily submission. The Lord promises to give us contentment when we ask! If we cannot learn how to be content in the Lord, the only one that can truly satisfy us, there is no way we will be content in a human. Perhaps your singleness is intended to draw you closer to the Lord as you rely on Him. Perhaps your singleness is a time to remember our dependence on God and the absolute beauty of chasing after Him and sitting at His feet, ready to hear His life-giving words.

 

James 4:8- “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

If you are in a time of singleness right now, take time to draw near to your King. Sit at his feet, RUN to His arms, and feel His embrace. There is absolutely nothing that compares to the way He loves and pursues us. When you do enter a relationship, you will have already learned the importance and beauty of total dependence and surrender to the one who created you. It will be so much easier to fall into the arms of your Father, even when another person fails you.

 

 One of the most life-giving things we can realize is the way the Lord faithfully pursues His daughters, drawing them in and shows Himself to be a loving and gracious Father.

“I enjoy those parts of the Bible where Jesus talks about how much He loves His bride. It makes me wonder if the trees and mountains and rivers are things He planned in advance, knowing they would wow us…I wonder if He thought each foggy morning, each soft rain, each field of wild flowers would be a quiet and audacious way to demonstrate His tremendous love for us” (Bob Goff).

 

Likewise, many girls (including myself) often say they wished someone would pursue them. They wished for flowers or chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Take a second and guess how many different kinds of flowers the Lord has made. Go ahead, guess! When I took a guess it was around 300 or so. Our Father has made OVER 230,000 different kinds of flowers. Let that soak in for a second. Feel loved yet? He knew His daughters enjoyed the beautiful colors and smells of flowers. He planted them all around us to remind us of the whimsical ways He loves and pursues us. If you are in a time of singleness right now, instead of asking what is wrong with yourself, or feeling unloved, know that singleness is a beautiful gift from our Father as it gives us time to recognize the true satisfaction found only in Christ as well as time to seek Him wholeheartedly.

Be Still

There are some words many of us hate. I personally HATE the word "bunion"... Every time I hear the word I make a disturbed famous "Shae face". Another word I used to hate was the word "solitude" because I couldn't think of anything worse than being alone. I used to hate having to stay home alone because there was nobody to talk to, nothing to do, nobody to kill spiders, and nobody to prank. Just me. I am such an extrovert and kinda go crazy when nobody else is around. Even my time with the Lord was usually spent around people. I  hated solitude until I truly understood what it meant and just how beneficial it is.

What does it mean to "Be still and know I am God?" (Psalm 46:10). We live in a society that glorifies busyness. Busyness distracts us from who is in control and keeps us from spending quality time with the Lord. I tend to look at my schedule and then find where I can fit some time in with my Creator rather than giving that the greatest priority and then making my schedule. Being still makes me think of sitting down, relaxing, and letting the Lord work on your heart and communicating with Him. It's so much more than being quiet, it's more like  releasing ourselves from all responsibilities we have and sitting at His feet with an undivided mind.

When God spoke the world into motion, He rested the last day. From the very beginning, God created a pattern for us to follow. He didn't intend for us to constantly be busy and working on something. He calls us to take time to rest, not only physically, but mentally. By taking rest, God is able to renew us and give us strength. When we keep going and going, we tend to believe we are in control and we don't need to rest. I think the Lord also uses rest just to humble us and show us we are not capable of going and going because He did not create us that way. I know when I am busy and do not spend much time with my King, I become weary, and do not have the wisdom I need. When we are still and sit at his feet, He reminds us of His presence, allowing us to be more aware of who He is, and how much He loves us. Isn't it refreshing to know we serve a King who pursues us and wants to have a relationship with us? I think about all the people who serve a false god who is just a statue but our God comes to us and loves and pursues us even when we aren't faithful to Him. The Lord has so much to speak into your heart and so many ways He wants to fill you with His presence. Will you be still and take time to spend with your Creator?

"In silence my soul waits for you alone, O God. From you alone comes my salvation...The Lord will fight for you and you have only to keep still." Exodus 14:14

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What is Love?

Think for a second how you would describe what love is....

Many think of love as having those warm butterflies which honestly sounds a little creepy to me. Our world tends to view love through the eyes of self. People love because of what they get from another, whether that's gifts, satisfaction, or love back. Instead of loving the unlovable, we tend to love those who we know will love us back and seek out people whom we can gain something from. WHY?? BECAUSE IT'S THE EASY ROUTE.

Imagine you are in an area where a hurricane or tornado, or even an earthquake absolutely destroys your house, every possession you have, and even takes family members away. You have no money, no house, no possessions but the clothes on your back and you are left absolutely destitute with nowhere to turn to. Then, somebody who has no idea who you are and lives in a different state hears of your desperation and decides to pack up a truck full of supplies and drive to where your house was and rebuilds it without charging you, knowing you have absolutely nothing to repay him with. This is love.

In the same way, Christ came to us when we were absolutely destitute and in need of someone to save us. The beauty of the Gospel is often disregarded by Christians because they feel as if they have already heard the Gospel and do not need to hear it again. The Gospel is what sanctifies believers and reminds them what true love is. Jesus Christ came down to earth and died a harsh death, so that destitute people could have hope through His resurrection. Christ is perfect, and we are not. There is absolutely nothing Christ gained from this. He did it because He loves us. Love is costly because it involves sacrifice. It's as if love is a sign language rather than words. Words are easy to speak but actions show the truth. Love is not about what you can get, but what you can give. This is the beauty of Love.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay his life down for His friends." John 15:13

I can think of so many times in my life where I have sinned against the Lord, not stuck up for Him, not treated Him as my Savior and Creator, yet He still loves me unconditionally. He loves the unlovable. He seeks us out. The King of Kings did not come to the earth to be served but to serve!!

Lately I have been reading Love Does by Bob Goff. One of the most impactful quotes I have read from this book so far is when he says, "There is only one invitation it would kill me to refuse, yet I'm tempted to turn it down all the time. I get the invitation every morning when I wake up to actually live a life of complete engagement, a life of whimsy, a life where love does. It doesn't come in an envelope. It's ushered in by a sunrise, the sound of a bird, or the smell of coffee drifting lazily from the kitchen. It's the invitation to actually live, to fully participate in this amazing life for one more day. Nobody turns down an invitation to the White House, but I've seen plenty of people turn down an invitation to fully live" (80). Every day as the sun rises, we have a new opportunity to live a life of love. For me, it's amazing to see how many times I get caught up in the business of life and schedule, and turn down opportunities to love on people. There are so many people who just need you to sit down with them and genuinely love on them. Love requires sacrifice. Love means so much beyond the word itself.

This week, let your love be loud and genuine. This may mean stepping back from a few things you are involved in so you are available to love on people, or it may mean being more intentional with where the Lord has placed on you. Think about where you are right now, whether its in a dorm, at work, in a community group, or wherever. Think about how many people you actually KNOW in that realm. It takes genuine love to get to know someone. It takes a sacrifice of time to love on people and care about what they are going through. Just remember, LOVE DOES.