The Struggle is real

      I struggle. Every day I struggle to live out my faith, to love others well, to be Christ-centered, and to live intentionally for Christ. Every day I desire to read my Bible, and sometimes it does happen. But more often it doesn’t. Every day I desire to pray, and sometimes I pray for long periods of time. Sometimes it’s one sentence. Every day I long to be perfect, to have my life together, to accomplish everything on my to-do list. And every day I fail because I need Jesus to be made perfect in my weakness.

     Because of my personality, and not feeling very confident in myself, and who I am, it makes it a challenge every day. The struggle is real. You can't just call yourself a Christian... you have to live it out... daily! You have to constantly be on your knees in prayer, and repentance. You have to come to the foot of Christ, daily, and humbly seek His face.
     Recently, my husband was struggling with some personal things. I can't tell you how many times I cried out to God. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up in the night, and prayed that everything would be okay.
     Day's passed, and I hadn't read my Bible, except for the Bible verses that I send to my husband, every day, via text. I don't go to God in prayer as much as I should. I struggle. I struggle on a daily basis. I struggle to be the good wife that God wants me to strive to be, knowing that when I please my husband, I please God. I strive to make my home warm and inviting for all that enter, and I try to keep my house clean, so that when my husband comes home, he feels relaxed. I struggle with being a good wife... almost, too much. I'm a people-pleaser, and when I know that someone isn't pleased with me, I try to fix it. What I have to realize is that I can't fix everything. In fact, without Christ's help, I can't fix anything.
     The Christian walk, is a daily struggle. It's a struggle to keep my priorities straight, and to make sure that Christ is the head, in every area of life!
      It's a daily struggle to put on a happy face at times, when I've been crying all night long. I struggle to be like the Proverbs 31 woman. I fail... every day. My husband can tell you first hand, I don't have the greatest memory, so I forget a lot of things.
    I'm tired, and I'm worn. I struggle every day.
     Yesterday, my pastor talked about Prayer, and to never give up praying. In 1st Samuel 1, we see that Hannah prayed unto God, and never gave up hope for having a child. In Daniel 10:12, we read, "Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words." Don't give up! Keep praying! Keep striving to serve Christ daily! You will struggle, and you will fail at times, but don't give up! Yes, the struggle is real, but so is my God! Give God your daily struggles, anxieties, and fears; for He is mighty to save! (Zephaniah 3:17)
     2nd Corinthians 12:9, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'..." 

• How do you deal with struggles?
• In what ways do you feel like you've become stronger in God? 
• Can you give any Bible verses that have helped you when you're weary or struggling?

Days Like These

Hello all! As I write blog posts, I've kind of come to a "writer's block" so to speak. I've been super busy with teaching Piano and babysitting lately, and as the fall season hits, I'm thinking my weekly schedule will be a little more organized. ;) 
     If most of you don't know already, I'm officially an Aunt! :) Precious little Norah Jane Narwold was born a couple weeks ago, and everyone is so happy to welcome her into this world! 

Proud mama: Ashley!

 Proud Papa: Jonathan

 My hubby holding his niece! ;)

 Norah Jane Narwold

 
     As I was listening to "Days Like These" the other day by Natalie Grant, I was reminded about all the times I've had with my husband. The moments when Josh decides last minute, to put our wedding song on speaker, takes my hand, and we dance right before bed. The moments when we take a walk, hand in hand, talking about life's many blessings. The moment when I see my husband hold a newborn for the first time, and I'm in awe. Life is full of so many blessing!... some of which I take for granted so often. I'm so thankful for a wonderful, Godly husband, a wonderful Church family, who's brought me in under their wings, and for those days that I wish wouldn't end. I'm thankful for Tuesday Date-Nights with my hubby. I'm thankful for wonderful Godly parents who are continuing to build Christ kingdom. My mom calls days like these, "Eat-em-up-days". :) I'm so thankful for all my friends and family! Thanks be to God for all the many little blessings in life!
     What kinds of blessings are you grateful for? 

Abortion and Planned Parenthood

     Many of you probably know that Planned Parenthood has been selling aborted babies and their body parts, profiting from the death of the unborn. This dark truth has just recently come into the public eye thanks to a series of videos released by the Center for Medical Progress. For those unaware of what's happening, please take a look at Doug Wilson's writeup on the story (http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/ghouls.html) and watch the video below.
     I thought I'd take this opportunity to share an excerpt from a report presented to the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1971. It's not exhaustive, but it provides a solid groundwork on the topic:     

As we search the Scriptures for God's will concerning abortion, we find that the whole abortion issue can be reduced to one question: Is the fetus in the womb of the mother a human life? If the answer is yes, then abortion for the sake of convenience is murder, and the Christian church has the obligation to teach its members to protect and nourish the life of the unborn child. The sixth commandment gives an absolute prohibition against murder (Exodus 20:13), and so murder is never, under any circumstances, to be regarded as a moral option.    

 Often supporters of abortion confuse the issue by pointing to the financial and emotional hardships that both mother and child will face if a pregnancy is carried to full term. Certainly, the pressing social hardships surrounding unwanted pregnancies are enormous, but if an unborn child is a human life, some way of treating the problem must be found other than licensing the hospitals and clinics of our nation to perform mass executions of unwanted children.     So is a fetus in the womb of the mother a human life? I believe the Bible answers with a resounding yes! Consider the following evidence:

1.  God relates in a personal way to the unborn child (Ps. 139:13-14; 51:5; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:44). He does so because the child is created in his image.[2]

1.  The Bible teaches that both conception and birth occur because of the sovereign rule of God (Gen. 21:1-2; 30:1-2; 1 Sam. 1:19-20; Job 31:15; 33:4; Ps. 100:3; 127:3). "It would be a willful act of defiance against the Creator intentionally to kill an unborn child whose conception is so intimately a divine as well as a human act."[3]

1.  The Greek word for "child" in Luke 2:12 (brephos) is used in Luke 1:41, 44 to refer to John the Baptist while he was in his mother's womb. A Hebrew word for "child"(yeled) is used of the unborn in the mother's womb (Ex. 21:22).[4]

1.  Theologian John Jefferson Davis points out that "the personal history of the Son of God on earth begins not when he was 'born of the Virgin Mary,' but when he was 'conceived by the Holy Spirit.' His human history, like ours, began at conception."[5]

1. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit even while he was in his mother's womb (Luke 1:15).

The Bible treats human life, from conception to death, as a continuing experience. To willfully terminate it for reasons of convenience is murder. Faithfulness to the Word of God demands that this truth be taught in the church of Jesus Christ.  

(Taken from: http://opc.org/feature.html)

Marriage- For Better AND for Worse

     As I was taking a walk the other today, I decided to stop by the gas station to get a little bit of A/C on myself. As I was about to leave, the cashier pointed to my shirt that said, "I love my husband", and said, "Are you a newlywed?" I said, "Well, we've been married for a little over 5 months now." :) She said, "In 10 years, you're not gonna want to wear that shirt! I mean, you'll still love him and all, but you're not gonna want to wear that shirt." And then she laughed. She then went on to tell me to have a good day, and she moved onto another customer.

     I couldn't help but think of how sad that was. I don't know her past, but all I know is that I will always Love and cherish Joshua Narwold​! After my parents have been married for 25 years, and I still see the love they have for each other, and I see Josh's parents, and many other couples around me still in love, if not even more now then when they first got married.

     In today's day and age, marriage isn't cherished. When a husband and wife marry, they put aside "for better or worse". They give up too easily. God meant marriage to be for life. Unless you have Christ as the center in your marriage, how can your marriage last? I love Josh, and will continue to cherish him through the good and the bad. Through the rough days, and the good days. After all, Christ did the same for us, shouldn't we show the same love that Christ shows us every day?!

     Now, I realize that people separate and get divorced for various reasons, such as abuse or what not. But, should we give up so easily on marriage? Hard times come, but what do we choose to do in those hard times? Do we choose to lay it down at the foot of the Cross, and cast all our cares upon Him? It's those choices that will make the biggest decisions in our lives. 

     "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'"       ~ 1st Peter 4:8~ (This is a very important life verse for marriage because marriage is a unification of two sinners. No one is perfect in a marriage. There will be times that a husband or wife may fail each other, mess up, or do something hurtful. It is important to remember God's definition of love and know that loving each other deeply can cover all those sins. This verse reminds us the true power of love!)

     "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." ~Mark 10:9~ (When you first enter into marriage, the last thing you are thinking about is divorce! But, through the years of being together, you may enter times of hardship and trails that threaten your relationship. If this is ever the case, allow God's word come into play. You have been joined together under God, don't let anyone or anything separate your love for each other.)   
     "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken." ~Ecclesiastes 4:12~ (Understanding that two is strong than one is one thing. But, understanding two together united with one God is even stronger! The three cords represent a husband, a wife, and God. These three form a close relationship that is not easily broken.)

     "Be completely humble and gentle; Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace."~Ephesians 4:2-3~(If a husband and wife are humble, patient, gentle, and selfless in a relationship, this will cause less confrontation and arguments.)

How do you feel like you can reach out to marriages today? How do you feel like you can invest in your own? I'd love to hear from you!