Imagine the Gift of Love!

 

Imagine the Gift of Love:

Christmas of the Past, Present, and Future!

The past has been a world full of disappoint and sorrow, but God has never left my side. I use to be a huge brat. I always expected the biggest and most awesome presents in my sight. I know that I had to go through this because God was teaching me about His love. Christmas was more focused on the presents that people got me than the family and the birthday of my Savior. 

The present is my recovery years. I am learning so much about what Christmas really is. This year I made a list of all the presents that I wanted to get for my family and I priced everything. It really helped me focus on the thought of the gift instead of what it is. I am so joyful because not only did my family carry on our traditions; we also really taped into our Savior’s birth. Jesus is so amazing because He has given me a spiritual healing. 

The future is looking bright. I cannot wait for the next few Christmas’; I am excited to see what God will do. 

Happy Birthday, Jesus! I love you!

Purple Snow!

It has been six months where I have been trying to figure out what I should write for this blog. You see, my mommy said that I should write a blog called purple snow, and I have finally come up with something to write.

            On June 6^th, 2011 my mommy and I were driving in Riverside to go turn in our Early Childhood Studies final. While we were quickly approaching the college, my mommy noticed these light purple flowers falling from the trees. She claimed that it looked like purple snow. It was unique, special, and very out of the ordinary. I did not understand what God meant by those purple flowers, but I do now. 

            These last few months have been particularly hard for me. Between school work piled up and the unnecessary necessary doctor visits, I have become a stranger to my own body. I have been changing. I have lost a lot of weight (not on purpose) and also lost strands of my hair. But underneath it all, I am still the same.

            My purple snow is my thyroid glands. Weird, huh! But it is unique, special, and very out of the ordinary. It may be causing me a problem now, but when I look from afar I see the beauty in it. Not only am I growing to trust God, but I am learning that who I am is changing. It may have happened so quickly and took me by surprize, but God is calming me.

 

(Christmas photos. From left to right: Keely-younger sister, Julia-baby sister, me, and Coby- baby brother)

            I wish I had a picture of these purple flowers falling off the tree. I leave you with this: no matter what you are going through, remember that it is beautiful. God is holding your hand through it all. You may not be able to see what is on the other side, but trust in God for He will show you the way.

Holiday Memories!

These last few weeks, I have been getting into the Christmas Season with my family. These are a few pictures from each event. 

Christmas Tree Lighting! 

A beautiful day on a Sunday morning church service!

Christmas Play! 

Luke 1:30-33

"But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you.You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago.He will rule forever over his people, who came from Jacob's family. His kingdom will never end.""

F is for Fireplace!

Yesterday, I was cleaning up my desk because it was a big awful mess. I came across an old journal, and I wrote a blog that I never posted. So here it is...

Oh how, I love fall. Maybe because it is the season I was born in. Between the football games, Thanksgiving, and cute clothes, fall is my favorite season. But I mostly love fireplaces. When I was a little girl, I sat around the fireplace right next to my daddy. That was my favorite because I was able to just forget and escape from all the stress this world puts on me.

I think God is my personal fireplace. He comforts me when the hard times come. I am able to tell Him anything and everything which helps relieves the stress from this world. 

L.O.V.E!

1 John 4:7-8 

"Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born again because of what God has done. That person knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Focusing in My Heart!

Psalm 139:23-24

"Search me, God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting."

I have always try to be the best person that I could be. I hold my head up looking at Christ knowing that He is the only One who will judge my heart. Lately, I have been very overwhelmed with what is going on in my life. My anxious thoughts have filled my head, and I have not been focusing on what truly matters. 

That is why it is important to always ask God to reveal what is hidden in your heart. I am going to work on focusing more on my Abba this week so that I can make it a lifestyle.

Let's pray!

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that You will guide me through the storms of life. I pray that my heart will be focused on You. Guide my heart. I give it all to You, Father.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Psalm 13:He is near!

Today, God showed me Psalm 13. Although I have read it before, this time it felt so real. I know that God is good and here for me, but in the times of distress I focus on what is happening instead of God's loving hand. He is so faithful. If you are waiting in the middle of storm, this is for you. 

Psalm 13

" Lord, how long must I wait? Will you forget me forever?
      How long will you turn your face away from me?
 How long must I struggle with my thoughts?
      How long must my heart be sad day after day?
      How long will my enemies keep winning the battle over me?
 Lord my God, look at me and answer me.
      Give me new life, or I will die.
 Then my enemies will say, "We have beaten him."
      They will be filled with joy when I die.
 But I trust in your faithful love.
      My heart is filled with joy because you will save me.
 I will sing to the Lord.
      He has been so good to me."

Staying Positive!

These last few weeks have been full of stress, hurt, and exhaustion. I have been two faced: positive at school and complaints at home. I surround myself with people who love and care about me, yet they do not know what is going on. So why has it been so hard for me to stay positive?

I think the answer is because of pride. My flesh is crying out attention and sympathy. I just want to be better in my time, and I definitely do not want to wait. I have been thinking more about me and my situation then what's going on in the world today. I will admit it being positive hurts more than my negativeness.  

I thought to myself what if I tried being positive everywhere I go? Positive at the store, positive at school, and positive at home. It is a hard challenge,but so far I am feeling a lot better about what is going on with me. 

I pray that when things aren't going your way or when you are not feeling like being positive that God would shower you with His love and hold you in His arms. 

Stay positive, Beloved!

Psalm 40:4 

"Blessed is the one
   who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
   to those who turn aside to false gods."

I love His Creation!

1 Chronicles 16:29

"Praise the Lord for the glory that belongs to him. Bring an offering and come to him.

Worship the Lord because of his beauty and holiness" 
 

Traditions!

Every family celebrates different holidays and traditions. In my family, we always watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! It has been one of my favorite shows to watch around this time of year. My family always gathers on the couch to watch it, but this year things were different. My baby sister, little brother, mom, and I gathered to watch this special while my dad and little sister were in class. Even though we were not all there, I remember how beautiful it is when we would watch it. It took me back to my childhood.

Another tradition that my family has had at one time is attending Harvest Festival. We would go to Riverside Community College Norco campus the Friday before Halloween and trick or treat. After my Papa died, we stopped doing this event. This year I had the blessing and honor of planning and volunteering at Harvest Festival. But the best part of all is it was for the Christian club that I am involved in. I believe we touched a lot of little kids lives, and maybe they will remember it. 

Our theme for our booth was Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I played the White Witch, and it was a blast. Although I was a very nice witch, I know that it was a huge success. I cannot wait until next year to see what God has planned for our club. 

Until then here are some pictures from the event…

(This was our very beautiful background for the springtime in Narnia)

(Keely, my little sister, on the left. Me, the White Witch)

Stand Up For Morals!

There is a terrible disease that is spreading across the world. I see my friends and even strangers’ fall into its deadly and wicked trap. The disease is very sneaky and does not always show its signs, but it is definitely very strong. It can take over a whole village or as simple as a household. It likes to attack the mind and then the heart. It leaves people lifeless, despaired, and hopeless.

Compromising our morals is an ugly disease that affects a lot of people. So how did we lose it? We have seen a part of the world and instead of letting go; we leached on for dear life. Although we know right from wrong, we think the only way to get the cool car, the hot boyfriend, and good job is to compromise our morals. We live day by day making choices that we end up regretting.

 

God did not make us on this Earth to live a half hearted life. No, He made us to be wholehearted and to live by our morals. We were made to stand against the world. We were made to take a stand and live for a better life.

I notice some people earlier this week that were compromising their morals for earthly dust when they could just wait for the treasure God will give them. A beautiful friend of mine is compromising her morals in order to get a guy. I am guilty of this too. Instead of praying and waiting for God’s cue, I just decided to go for it. And when the relationship was all over, I was lost, confused, and broken hearted. 

I see girls in the bathroom compromising their morals by wearing skinny jeans to bring volume to their butts, low cut shirts, and tiny shorts. They live for the attention by men. It breaks my heart to see men of God chasing after girls that dress immodestly and have unwholesome words flying out their mouths. I see this World fall into the sin and destruction of the world. 

My prayer is that every person, myself included, will start being faithful to the morals God created us to follow. 

Romans 12:2

 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”