Write It On Your Heart

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths."

I remember being in Sunday School and my teacher would have us memorize verses just like this one.

How awesome it is to come back to this same verse, (that didn't mean a whole lot to me then) and now that many seasons have passed, means more to me than I could even begin tell you!!

I just started reading the book of Proverbs and over the years I've highlighted verses here and there, but I've never gone through the entire thing... so what better time than than now to get started?!

Breaking this verse down a bit: author of Proverbs, Solomon, tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart."

If you're human, you go through difficult times that cause you to doubt.
I talked a little bit about doubting in my last post.

But friends, I've been struggling with doubt myself. I'm going through a season of unemployment and, more times than not, I have been discouraged as I venture out on my own to find the right job for me. If you've ever gone through or are going through this particular season, you know all too well how easy it is to get weighed down by the weight of disappointment and rejection.

It seems like every time I turn around, another rejection email comes in...

"You've got many great qualities 

and while you would shine at any organization, 

we have decided to take a different route

...yadda yadda...

thanks for your time."

Rough stuff I tell you.

But even when the going gets rough, and the doubt starts to creep in, we have to remember to trust in the Lord. Not just a little bit.. but with all of our hearts!

Here's the part that has just hit me over the head like a ton of bricks... 

I can't do this on my own.

That's right, you heard me... I need to seek the counsel of others to get through this time. I can't rely on my own understanding to lift this weight I'm carrying around with me. I have to seek out my Christian friends and mentors for encouragement and listen to their advice.

Now be wary of what advice you take to heart. Solomon also talks about writing these commands 3:3 "deep within your heart" and listen to avoid those who speak lies and not the truth.

How can we tell the difference?

We need to dust off our Bibles and dive right into God's love story to US!!! And it's His counsel that is the most important of all! Solomon goes on to say in 2:3 "we need to cry out for insight and understanding" and 1:7 "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline."

It wasn't until I sought out the guidance of other friends who delight in the Lord's promises and heard encouragement from them and from these verses in Proverbs, that I began to feel at peace about where I am in my life.

The Lord is going to direct my path. That I know for sure because it's already predetermined. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Since before you and I were knitted together in our mother's womb, God knew that we would be in each of our current seasons and only He knows where we'll be 5 days... 5 weeks... 5 years from now.

Thank the Lord for this promise! He just asks that we give it all to Him and let Him take it from there.

Together, lets trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean on good friends that will help us live out our lives for Christ, no matter the season.

Thank you Father for knowing everything there is to know about us. Help us to truly give our fears and worries to you and never doubt in your plans for our lives. Help us to be a friend for those who need friendship and love, and also help us to go to others when we need guidance ourselves. We love you Lord and thank you for all our many blessings! -Amen.

Until next time :)
-A

God Is Always Available to Take Your Call

John 3:7-8 "So don't be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you hear the wind but you can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."

Do you remember this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, a very respected Jewish teacher in Israel, late one night on the Mount of Olives? Maybe this is the first time you've heard this scripture. Maybe you've heard it several times before. No matter which applies to you, it's always good to just dig deeper.

Side note: This is the view of the western slopes of the Mount of Olives.
Gah..gorgeous! I've already made up my mind, I'm going one day!
 Click here for more pics!

I've been thinking a lot about the Holy Spirit and how incredibly important it is that I take some time to learn more about this sweet, sweet gift. But more importantly, how to "carry the Spirit with me" through all the many seasons of life.

Back to the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus was one of the members of the Sanhedrin, a council that acts like the supreme court for all Jewish disputes. So you can imagine how secretive this meeting must have been between this well-known Jewish leader and Jesus of Nazareth, viewed by the Sanhedrin as a false prophet stirring up trouble. 

Jesus is foreshadowing the days to come, after His death, in the conversation you read above. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit will give him new life once God's will has been carried out. 

Now Nicodemus is a man who knows the scripture very well and he isn't sure of this Spirit that Jesus speaks of. So like the human in all of us, he doubts. 

You see, God is three persons in one- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God became a man, in the form of Jesus, to live on earth under the same temptations we go through today, to ultimately die for our sins and conquer death! Jesus ascended into heaven, but promised to send the Holy Spirit so that His spiritual presence could still be with us! Look at Luke 24:49 where Jesus promises to the disciples that the Holy Spirit will come.

So back to Nicodemus' doubting. It's a natural thing for us to doubt and wonder about things we don't understand. It impossible for us to fathom how truly incredible God is... that He would come down to His creation, Earth, and take on the form of a man (when He absolutely did not have to) is beyond words. That He would endure the brutality of beatings and the cross, because He loved us, THAT MUCH. 

Our minds can't possibly wrap around this idea.

So we doubt.

But Jesus says this in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

So how can we receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

We must believe.

I'm not forgetting Nicodemus here, but I'm going to fast forward to after Jesus' death. The disciples are frightened and doubtful that they will live to see another day without suffering the same fate as Jesus from the Sanhedrin and the Romans, because they publicly followed their Rabbi, or teacher.

So they hide themselves in an upper room, away from their many persecutors. Can you imagine their fear? They hear every sound from the busy street below...people yelling, children crying, Roman soldiers and their horses clopping down the cobblestone streets.

Yet in their most fearful moment, they pray. 

They come together in unison and pray for the Holy Spirit to come to them as Jesus promised.

The disciples begin saying a prayer that Jesus taught them (in Matthew 6:9-13) that is still used today called "The Lord's Prayer" and it goes like this:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread.

 And forgive Us our trespasses,

As We forgive Those who trespass against Us. 

Lead Us not into temptation, but deliver Us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power,

 and the Glory forever. 

Amen.

And while saying this prayer in unison, the Holy Spirit came upon them. 

Just like the wind Nicodemus did not see, but he felt. 

They all suddenly began to speak in different languages they didn't know. Not permanently. But the Holy Spirit was preparing the disciples to be able to speak to all the nations of all the earth, sharing God's infinite love for every one of us, baptizing the new believers in the name of Jesus, so that they can be born again to conquer death, just as Jesus did, and meet our Father in heaven.

You can read all about how the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples from Luke, in the second chapter of Acts, or here in this link if you do not have a Bible. 

Gosh what an awesome feeling! I'm just in awe of how AMAZING our Father is. He loves us more than we could EVER imagine and He so desperately wants to have a close relationship with you!!! 

I'm learning first hand how wonderful this relationship is!! 

It consumes my every thought, every day. And I'm so thankful for that! Because it allows me to immediately give all of life's worries to Him and He hears my every word, EVERY SINGLE TIME WE TALK!

He tells us to pray without ceasing. Think of the Holy Spirit as our direct line to the Father. He offers this free long-distance call to all who believe in Him and want a relationship with him! Make that call TODAY friends!

Father, thank you so much for Your loving sacrifice. We need Your presence now more than ever. The world we live in causes us to doubt and fear constantly, but we know that if we earnestly call on Your name, You will provide us with peace and the assurance we need through whatever trials we may be going through. Lord, thank you for giving us a direct line to You, that we can call upon You at any time in our life and You will answer! Lord, let us be filled with Your spirit and share this knowledge that we now know, with all those we know, and let us not be afraid to do so. We love You Father and thank you for all our many blessings! -Amen.

As always, if I can help/pray for you, please let me know! ae.ellingburg@gmail.com

Until next time :)
-A

I Am Redeemed.

"Seems like all I could see was the struggle. Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past. Bound up in shackles of all my failures. Wondering how long is this gonna last. Then You look at this prisoner and say to me 'Son, stop fighting this fight, it's already been won'." 

If you haven't heard this song, Redeemed, by Big Daddy Weave (you heard me right ha.) then stop reading for just a minute and go listen to it here. Seriously, go NOW. (and then come back of course haha.)

It's so awesome how a song can uplift your spirit, change your attitude, and bring joy to a hardened heart. That's exactly what this song does for me. It reminds me of one word: grace.

To be completely honest, it wasn't until recently that I began to even scratch the surface on what grace means and what this word can offer to those who accept it.

Webster defines grace merely as: a virtue coming from God, among a list of other things. Lets break this down even further, what is a virtue: a beneficial quality.

So according to Webster, grace is: a beneficial quality, coming from God. Sounds simple enough for the average mind to comprehend, but how far Webster is from accurately defining this beautiful word.

How ashamed I am to say that for the majority of my life, I have accepted the word grace to mean just what is defined in our dictionary. Never taking the time to soak in and learn how life-changing this word can be for those who long to understand it.

So Grace. 
How do we ever begin to seek the beauty in this five-letter word. 

Ironically, I had to face the ugliness of my sins to comprehend the true beauty of grace. I've carried the weight of my sinful nature for so long. Constantly reminded of every ugly thought, every harsh and hurtful word, every evil act deliberately done, disobeying our heavenly Father and living for the world. 

I stored these thoughts in the tiniest little box in the farthest corner of my mind. Doing my best to forget these ugly things and yet still carrying this weight of knowing I had done them. It's strange how our minds will allow us to do this...to block out the things we're most afraid of and attempt to erase them from our memory. But no matter how hard I would try to forget, I still felt this weight.

That weight kept me from experiencing Jesus and all His glory. 

I always felt not good enough to receive God's love and kindness and really believed that I needed to work harder to win my Father's affection and admiration because of how sinful and ugly I was.

Friends, I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG!!!

Grace is not something to be earned, but instead is freely given to all who will receive it from Christ who died for our sins.

Neither you nor I have to work for this amazing gift. But I've come to realize that we must accept our weaknesses, come face-to-face with our sins and sinful ways, giving them over fully to God, to experience this gift like you could never even DREAM of!

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

We must confess our weaknesses to the Lord and let Him work in us. Once you give all that weight to Jesus, you look at His suffering on the cross in such a different light. The weight that I have carried around as baggage with me all these years, all that self pity and shame, was diminishing the significance of the cross and all the glory it represents.

If you're carrying around a weight or maybe like me, you've been carrying a weight with you for some time... of negativity, self pity, and shame for whatever it is that has happened in your life, know at this very moment, there IS a way to have that weight taken off your heart and your mind!

If this song is describing your life right now: Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past. Bound up in shackles of all my failures. Wondering how long is this gonna last. 

Just know this to be TRUE: "Stop fighting this fight, it's already been won."

I can't even begin to describe the incredible feeling of giving 100% of my weaknesses and sin to Jesus. I feel a spirit inside of me that is so much more energetic and excited for life! Something I haven't felt in a long time and I can't help but share it with you. 

You see that's what happens when Jesus fills your cup to overflowing. You can't help but share the news of how His grace has changed your life forever!!

Won't you experience this incredible feeling with me? 

Father, thank you for your infinite love for us. We come to you with humble hearts, knowing that we have sinned, living for the world and not for You. We ask you Father to take this burden we've been carrying for far to long, knowing that You were always there to take it, but just waiting for us to ask for Your help. We need you now more than ever and we just pray that you come into our lives and transform us like we've never felt before. Fill us up with your presence and be with us, in every word that we speak, every thought that we think, and every action that we pursue. Lord thank you for Your grace that You so freely give to us. Let us show that grace to others in our daily walk with You.- Amen.

If I can pray for you or help you experience this gift that God wants so desperately to give to you, please leave me a comment or email me at: ae.ellingburg@gmail.com. I would consider it a blessing to help in any way that I can.

Use this picture as a reminder throughout the weekend that "He himself bore our sins" in His body on the cross, so that we may die to sins and live for righteousness, "by His wounds, we are healed." 1 Peter 2:24

Have a great weekend!
Until next time :)
-A

An Obedient Heart

It's funny how we all have that pet that you'll never forget. One that has grown up with us in more ways than one. That has given us entertainment and companionship beyond measure. Testing our patience and tugging at our heart strings, all in the same moment.

Trust me, there are life lessons to be learned from our furry friends.

Cue "Layla girl".

This beautiful pup right here has taught me so much in these last two years. So much that I felt it near impossible to narrow down 5 key things that she has shared with me, to ultimately change my heart, for the better. 

Here goes Layla. I hope I do you justice with this post:

 1. Give everyone you meet a warm welcome. 

Layla is always there to greet me on the edge of the couch with the slobberiest of greetings. She makes me feel like I'm the most important person in the world and devotes all her attention and affection towards me from the moment I step foot through the front door. 

How different life would be if everyone greeted one another just as dogs do us. 

In a non-slobbery way of course..

 2. Forgive and immediately forget. 

I get so upset when she uses the bathroom in the house or tears up the new toy I just bought her the day before from Petco. I'll raise my voice, look her straight in the eye and say "that was very bad, Layla. Bad girl." 

Her ears tuck back, eyes grow slightly larger in size and a tear will well up in the corner of one of them. She knows she's been bad and that time out is inevitable. But once that kennel door opens up five minutes later, she breaks free and is like a whole new pup.

Holding a grudge against someone will not make whatever happened go away. Take it from Layla, just ask for forgiveness or forgive, and immediately forget. Life's a lot easier when you don't carry those burdens around with you.

 3. Be loyal. 

Layla is loyal with a capital "L". After my wreck she never left my side. She has been my constant companion and loving to the core. That is exactly how we ought to be to everyone. We need to wear name tags that say 

"Hi, I'm _____, and I'm true to my word, faithful and dependable." 

And mean it.

4. Live life to the fullest. 

Just watch or imagine your pet as they go through the day. Layla acts like every scent is totally new and exciting, every visitor might as well be the President, and every morsel is the most delicious thing she's ever eaten. 

That's how we should live our lives. If you feel like every day is the same old thing, start changing up your routine and find a new way of doing things.

5. Have an Obedient Heart. 

Layla learned the basic tricks as a little squirt growing up. She makes me so proud when she sits and shakes my hand for a "treat-treat". She follows my commands not just when I have bacon in my hand, but purely out of instinct. Out of obedience for her master. I can see it in her eyes how desperately she wants to make me proud.

This is the big one folks, Layla has taught me the joy of having an obedient heart. Our Father wants more than anything to have our hearts completely, and for us to be obedient to His will. 

John 14:23 "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them."

I'm so uplifted by these words!! Our Lord will fill our hearts to overflowing if we just follow Him, listen to His voice (not with our ears, but with our hearts) and OBEY.

Father, forgive us for not being obedient and not listening to Your call. We get so overwhelmed with the things going on around us that we forget to live for each day, like the furry companions You have created for us. Thank you Lord for these daily reminders to have an obedient heart and love others as You love us. -Amen

This week seek an obedient heart. 

Give the Lord this opportunity to make a home in your heart, TODAY!

Until next time :)

-A

Be the Positivity You Want to Feel

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others.

Yesterday I went to return the rental car I've been driving for a less expensive one. My parents have been paying a little extra for me to drive a rental car that's similar to my Nissan Murano that I was driving before my accident.

So I'm at Enterprise, so sad to turn in the beaut of a car I've been sporting for over a week.. Now you know why. This baby is fully loaded.

  2013 Ford Edge, touch screen and really touch EVERYTHING! It's so sweet! 

I promise I did realize this was not my car.. just something to drive for the time being till I find a new something to call my own. But surely you can imagine my sadness to let her go.

So I'm talking with the girl at the front desk about how awesome the car was, "I'm so glad I go to drive it for a few days", "The touchscreen blows.my.mind!", "Talk about the space in this thing. It's HUGE!" You get the picture.

She does the inspection of the car to make sure I've taken good care of it and we go inside to switch me out into something a bit smaller and what my insurance will cover without additional cost. 

Then she stops mid-sentence. "You know what? I'm gonna help y'all out. Just keep it for the few days longer you need it. You don't owe me anything."

WHOA. Is this real life?! This girl totally hooked me up and she doesn't know me from Adam.

Ever realize how a random act of kindness can be totally contagious and change your mood completely? For the rest of the day I was stoked about getting to drive this car for just a few more days. All because this young woman was willing do something nice, for me!

It's time to pay it forward people! Let's make it a goal to get outside of our comfort zone and do nice things for other people, simply because we should radiate the positivity we want to FEEL! 

So here are a few suggestions on how we can all pay it forward in small ways: (most of them are for free...so no excuses!)

1. Find opportunities to give out a compliment. Something as simple as... "You look great today. You're lighting up the entire room with that smile."... could be a game-changer for someones day.

2. Come trash day, take your neighbors trash to the street. They may never see you do it, but can you imagine how nice it would be, especially if you have a long driveway like mine, that someone has pulled that smelly thing all the way down to the street for you?!

3. Help out a stranger with a small donation. 
Here is a couple of guys I went to High School and College with. Awesome brothers on a mission for God to help build some houses in Guatemala next month. Giving up a lunch out for $10 bucks can help these guys get that much closer to reaching their goal of $11,000 dollars before they leave on their mission trip. You can read more about their story and make a donation here.

4. Just say "Thank You" to someone who has been an influence in your life. That you appreciate their advice, their inspiration, their friendship.

So let's get to it! Just like the girl from Enterprise who made my whole day better, you too can make a difference in someone else's life today!

Thank you Lord for putting people in our lives that inspire us to be better. Help us to radiate that positivity to someone who needs it today and may all the glory and benefit of us being a little kinder to our neighbors go to You. Let us be a vessel of your love and kindness to the world! -Amen

Until next time :)

-A

Up A Creek Without A Paddle

Ever feel like all the odds are against you? One thing after the next keeps happening. And you try to remind yourself there are hills and valleys to every season of life... But you still have this small voice inside of you saying "WHY ME?!" 

I've been through the valley these past couple of weeks. I finally had to move all of my happy little things out of my college home, hence my not being with you for a couple of days. Insert pity party here. I just loved that little house and all the special memories made in it. You don't realize until you move away from somewhere 1.) How much stuff you've got (boy do I need to lay off the antique shopping/garage sales ha) 2.) How much you're gonna miss that place.

           

When God shuts one door, He opens another. Never could there be a more truer statement. Believe it or not, it's a good thing to have moments of sadness! Without these moments, we wouldn't ever get to experience true joy and happiness. So I'm choosing to believe wholeheartedly in that statement, that one day I'll be able to take all my little "happies", as I like to call them, and decorate a new home again!

             

Total side note, Fall is my absolute favorite season so I had to share some happy memories of bringing FALL inside and out of my house! Ahhh.. Can you smell the caramel apple, pumpkin and cinnamon?! Heavenly..

So on top of leaving my college house for good, I've been going through the process of finding a new car in a short time frame (this has been surprisingly stressful), feeling under the weather etc. etc. And I'm ashamed to say it's been too easy to let this little voice come inside my head to say "... poor, pitiful Anna. Why does this happen to me?!" 

We can't let that voice in. That's the voice of my own selfishness. My shameful selfishness that keeps me from praising God in my times of stress and trouble. 

NOW is the perfect time to take a break for a hot second and be thankful for this time of turmoil. You heard me right, it's time to be thankful.

It's easy to be thankful when everything is going right, but shouldn't we give the same praise and thanks to God when the grapes turn sour? Sure we should!! But do we always.. well I'll be honest and tell you many times I haven't. But I promise you, living a life of gratitude that is God-center is a thousand ka-trillion times better than living a self-centered one.

There's a difference between feeling grateful and BEING grateful! We need to live grateful lives today and everyday... through the good, bad, & ugly.

Let's get excited, even in our tough times, and be thankful that tomorrow is always going to be a new day. Really and truly, after writing this post, I already see how small my "problems" really are. God doesn't promise we won't have valleys to go through, but He does promise, we will NEVER go through them alone!!

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Let's encourage one another!  I would love for you to share with me how you get through your hard times in the comment section below ANDD...send me your name and a prayer request to ae.ellingburg@gmail.com so that I can help encourage you!

Lord, thank you so much for always staying by our side no matter what kind of day we're up against. Keep our hearts focused on you and remind us to be thankful for all our many blessings during hard times. -Amen

Until next time! :)

-A