Stress and Disorganization: Aye aye aye

It's the end of the semester for school, and you know what that means-Final Exams!!! And I'll tell you, I am disorganized as can be. 


I have to sign a lease for an apartment, take the NLN-PAX exam that determines if I get into Nursing School, and the grades I make this semester determine if I get into Nursing School or not.


We have all been to this place before, where we feel like one chore on top of another task keep coming our way.


And, what comes from all this?


Stress.


A five letter word that is a common thing in most people's lives. And from this, not only our desk- but our lives become disorganized.  


I have learned lately that the only way to treat stress, besides taking an Advil, is to turn it over to God.  


I actually never thought of this until yesterday, but even God requires order and organization!

In John 6, when Jesus and the apostles were feeding the 5,000 with fish and bread, you know what Jesus did? He told everyone to sit down, chill, and wait for their piece of bread.

"10. Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish."

-John 6: 10-11

I mean, if I had to feed 5,000 people- I would be too freaked out to think that the best way to feed them all is by creating some sort of order.

When you think about it, God truly is an organized God.

He created the earth one day at a time!  He created Night and Day, then the earth, then the sky and oceans, then the animals, then Adam and Eve, and on the last day He rested!

He established the Ten commandments to create order in the world.  Most view the Ten commandments as a rule book, but it is also guidelines to live a more organized  and structured life, to help limit the stress in our lives!

Yet, as we are humans, we live messy lives!

We sin, creating more mess in our lives.

We also refuse to turn our worries over to God, and limit His power.

In John 6, when Jesus asked Philip how they could feed the 5,000 people with 2 loaves of bread and a fish- Philip freaked out!

"Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Philip should have answered, "by your miraculous abilities, Lord!"  But, Philip was human, He was a Disciple as well, by golly!

It goes to show, even those with the greatest of faith's forget the ability of the Lord.

In response to this, I need to not limit the power of the Creator of all the Stars and Constellations, the God who crafted each animal individually in His liking, the Father that sacrificed His only begotten Son for the salvation of the human race!

That's pretty epic.  We have an Awesome God!

Who else can I trust with all the mess in my life?

The answer, is no one.

My advice is, next time you feel overwhelmed, have a stressful day, or just have a cluttered mind.

Turn it over to God!

Have a blessed day,

<3KM

The Trinity in Ourselves

Yesterday, I was reading my Bible and came across the verse:
Mark 12:29-31
   29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Verse 30 stood out the most to me, not that loving your neighbor isn't important.  However, I came up with a hypothesis about the Trinity and the possibility of a Trinity in ourselves.

In the Christianity perspective, the Trinity is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in which all one is a Supreme, powerful being.  I thought.  And well, I would like to think that Our Heart, Our Soul, and Our mind make up who we are as people in which combined forms a super power in way of Strength.  Maybe that's why the Trinity is made up of 3 separate beings that are actually one!

Think about it, God is the Mind that created us! He is the one that provides us Wisdom and Knowledge!  And, without a Brain (in other words, mind) we would not be able to live, nonetheless function.  I would like to think that the Holy Spirit is in us guiding our soul towards a sound relationship to share with God and others around us.  And last, but not least Jesus is the Heart in us, that relates Him to us physically and emotionally!  Providing the ultimate gift of Love and sacrifice that could ever be given with Salvation.

And, together- there is the strength of all three combined in us and in the Trinity of God. 

Like I mentioned previously, this is just a theory.

But, it certainly make me feel closer to God whether it is right or wrong.

This is the Trinity of Ourselves.

A Love Worth Giving

1st Corinthians 1: 4-8 states: "⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸ Love never fails..."  And, as Christians, we are supposed to follow this principle showing others God's Love.
 
Have you ever tried describing yourself with this verse? So it's: "Kendra is patient, Kendra is kind. She does not envy, she does not boast, she is not proud..." I have to stop there.  Describing myself in these terms is a total lie that I, nor anyone else, can live up to honestly.  That is,  everyone except Jesus.
 
"Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind.  He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. Jesus does not dishonor others, Jesus is not self-seeking, Jesus is not easily angered, Jesus keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails..."---Sounds true, doesn't it?
 
You have to understand that Jesus is Love, that's why the two go one in one.
 
Saying that I am any of these things 100% of the time is a complete lie.  Sure, I may be kind usually.  I may not envy too much, nor boast too much.  But saying that I'm patient is a complete joke, at stop lights- you bet I am impatient.
 
As Christians, we sure do want to say that we are all of these things, but we're not.  We're only human.  And Jesus was human, but He was also God.  "God is Love" (1 John 4:8), as well we are not Love 100% of the time.  I may be a Loving Person, but that is completely different than being the one syllable word Love. 
 
Most of the time we force Love that shouldn't be forced.  For instance, we have a troubled relationship with our spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/parents/friends/strangers/brothers/sisters/etc., so we try harder.  "My friend needs my forgiveness? I don't know how, but I'm going to give it."  "I don't care how much it hurts, I'm gonna be nice to that snob across the room."  "I'm supposed to love my neighbor? Okay.  By golly, I will."
 
So we try to Love.  Teeth clenched. Jaw firm.  We're gonna Love if it kills us! And it may just do that.
 
But, the thing is- to Love someone, don't we have to experience Love?  That's where God settles in.  The secret to Loving is receiving.  "We love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
 
We may not be 100% Love, but we can try to still be Loving.  Begin by accepting your place as a dearly loved child.  "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us" (Ephesians 5:1-2).
 
Want to learn to learn to forgive?  Then remember how you have been forgiven of your sins.  "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).
 
Having trouble to put others first?  Remember the way Christ put you first. "Though [Jesus] was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to" (Philippians 2:6).
 
Especially in my case, needing more Patience? Drink from the patience of God.  "The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent" (2 Peter 3:9). 
 
And, are you having trouble being kind to snobs, ungrateful relatives, or cranky neighbors? God puts up with us when we act the same.  "He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Luke 6:35).
 
Can't we Love like this?
 
Sure we can!
 
But, not without God's help we can't.
 
Have a great day!
 
<3KM
 
PS: This post was inspired by "A Love Worth Giving" By Max Lucado, which is an excellent book and Christian Author!