10 Things God Will (Most Likely) Never Say

I don’t know about you, but I love making lists of my favorite things.  Top 10 Books, Favorite Foods, Top Dream Vacations, 10 Random Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Me; you name it, I have probably made a list for it.

It’s human nature to list things; it’s one way we can define ourselves and put parameters around our lives. Lists are tangible.

Our desire for the tangible can get us in trouble when we relate to God.  God does not think how we think, nor does he approach schedules and situations (if He even calls them that) how we, our family, or our friends approach them. 

Here is a list of phrases that though we may say them all the time, we will never ever hear God say:

1. “Oops!”
2. “Wait…what?”
3. “Wait…who?”
4.  “Oh, crap!”
5. “Well, that was stupid of me.”
6. “I guess I forgot…”
7. “If at first I don’t succeed…”
8. “My alarm didn’t go off…I guess.”
9. “I just didn’t have time.”
10. “You just don’t understand MY schedule and MY life right now!”

Let’s praise God that he won’t ever say those things!  He is perfect, He never forgets, and He is on top of things. 

Isaiah 50:2 says, “Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea.”

Backing up one chapter, Isaiah 49:15-16 says, “Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

Let's face it: we sometimes have Dori-like memories when it comes to how God works in our lives. We're human and mistakes ARE going to be made. However, we must daily (maybe even hourly?) remind ourselves that though we may have our problems with excuses, forgetfulness, and mistakes, God doesn't, and He has promised that His grace is sufficient to cover our weaknesses. Isn’t it cool to have a friend like that?

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and FORGET NOT all his benefits."

Psalm 103:2

A Prayer

This is a prayer I jotted down in my journal 3-4 years ago. I posted it on my blog last April, but never posted a link to it. I felt like I wanted to share it again on this fine Saturday.

Blessings to you all! Have a wonderful day :)

I have learned much, lost much, and gained much. And I by no means feel that I have reached a plateau. I cannot afford that luxury. Such is the ebb and flow of life.

Oh Father, I am so humbled by you. You have made us in your image; yet we are eternally-bound beings in mortally-bound bodies. You have called us to share the Good News, but there is not a more leaky bunch of jars to carry that Water of Life than us.

Yet you so patiently hold us, patch us, reshape us, and pour us out and fill us up at the right time, your time.

Your love permeates every cell of my body. It wraps around me, soothes me, whispers in my ear as I lay exhausted in my bed and directs me as I hurry to class.

I look for you everywhere, God. I find you in so many places throughout the day. You gift me with breath in my lungs, the dawn, and unending mercies every day. A second chance. I see your glory in the skies.

I see and rejoice in your unfailing beauty in the flowers- in the trees.

I listen for you in other peoples’ voices. I earnestly seek for evidence of you in their lives to see if I have found a brother or sister.

I rejoice in your safety. Who knows how many times you have shielded me from harm, the unsavory eye, my own self?

God, I feel your love when I am with those who I love. What sweet fellowship!

I savor, I store up, I rejoice in those quiet moments with you when your peace steals over my soul. Peace I don’t deserve. Peace that I should not be having- but it’s there.

I am further humbled when, though I am your child, you reveal areas in my life that have previously hid from your light. Areas I would have said were fine. Areas I jealously guard. Let it all come under your jurisdiction.

One thing I ask of-this is what I seek: to do for others, to live beyond myself. I do not wish to be an ending place, but a starting point for you to reach peoples’ lives. This world needs you God.

Hear my heart, know my thoughts. Keep me in the shadow of your wings.

God Knows When You Sigh

A little something I wrote in October of 2010.

God knows when you sigh…and when you cry.

He knows if it was a gut-wrenching sob over a loved one that was taken from you. He knows if they were tears of joy.

He sees also if it’s a heart that is tearing in two that produces silent tears that trickle slowly down your face. He knows the deep longings that echo with soundless voices in your spirit. Longings that you cannot yourself voice.

He sees your shoulders sag and your eyes gaze off in the distance even though you smile and put on the “right” face when you talk with people. Longings that no one else knows about.

Tears hidden from the world. He sees them all.

And he keeps track of them.

That speaks of an incredibly intimate God. I have a hard time opening up to people. Up to a certain point, I’m friendly and open, but once certain lines are crossed, I shut the door. It is hard to trust myself to other people. But God is already there, already “nearer than breathing, nearer than hands in feet." (from Streams in the Desert, May 29 entry) Wow! You can’t get much closer than that!

There is relief in knowing that God knows the content and extent of my longings and desires. It is wonderful to be known. Open up your heart today to the Shepherd, to your Lover- and be known fully.

“…for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.” Psalm 6:8

“O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.” Psalm 38:9

“For he knows the secrets of the heart.” Psalm 44:21

“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” Psalm 56:8

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him…” Psalm 62:8

“But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm 66:19

“For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” Psalm 107:9

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” Jeremiah 31:25

Joy

There is joy in:

The Son.
Sunshine.
Breath in your lungs.
Rest.
Restoration.
Family.
Speaking truth.
Little kids crawling up in your lap.
Hope.
Trust.
Opportunities.
Succeeding.
Succeeding despite failure.
The Future.
The Present.

Being loved.

Just in case someone needed a reminder.

Love,

Samantha

Why I Write

My mom's best friend from high school made me a coloring book for my 7th birthday. One particular page was blank, except for some simple script at the top that read "What I Want to Be When I Grow Up."

I listed different things on that page over the next few years. My occupations of interest ranged from reference librarian (Don't judge me, the mom on "Wishbone" had this job) to a dolphin trainer (What kid hasn't wanted to be this?!) and several other um...random careers.

However, one occupation was listed on every entry, without fail.
Author.

Even though I do not want to be an author in the strictest sense of the word (churning out novel after novel), for as long as I can remember, I have read and been read to, and consequently developed an abiding love of reading and writing.

With a very concentrated semester of writing ahead of me, I have arrived at three reasons why I am passionate about writing. I know, I know...I'm a senior...maybe I should've come up with these ideas sooner.

1. "We write to taste life twice."  
While perusing the journal aisle at Target, I saw this quote on a journal.

I thought, "This is exactly right." We taste life as we experience it and as writers, we enjoy it a second time as we relive the moments in our head and carefully select words to frame those moments.

2. We write to find connections between ourselves and our fellow humans.
In one of my classes, we have focused quite a bit on why people will always read stories about other people. I have been thinking that one of the reasons is we like to make connections between our life experiences and others' life experiences.
Whether it is in an in-depth profile piece or an anecdote or a comedy bit, we enjoy, we laugh at, we remember these stories when we say to ourselves, "I've done something like this," or "This is something that has happened to me." Simple, but true.

3. Writing is therapy.
Writing is a creative activity and I have only recently discovered how therapeutic it can be. I don't know how it works for other people, but whether I jot down thoughts in my journal (I've been keeping journals for seven years now!) or produce a piece to be published, I have found that it truly clears my head and allows me to move forward.

Enjoy today.

In Review, Part 2

4. Above is a journal entry from Sept. 26 and this decision of mine had a tangible impact on my semester. The past 16 weeks were truly the most peaceful and least stressed I have had since I started college. While there are many assignments, deadlines, projects and schedules to keep straight in a semester, it doesn't have to all be painful. I just told myself I was not going to get stressed, that my God is a more-than-capable helper and off we went. He met my needs every step of the way! It is a daily choice to lay down stress. Also, as Christians, it does not make us better, cooler or more elite to be super-stressed and busy all the time.  The peace that "passes all understanding" should visibly be resting over our lives as Christians.

3. "We have this as a sure and steadfast ANCHOR of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain." ---Hebrews 6:19

This is my necklace that a lot of you have most likely seen me wear. It was given to me by a friend at a significant time in my life. Earlier in the summer, I started thinking about goals and scriptures to focus on for my senior year. I usually take time to do that before each school year and at the beginning of each new calendar year. I was reading through Hebrews at the time and my spirit latched on to the above verse. An anchor. I could hardly think of a more appealing object. An anchor doesn't move and it doesn't waver. It's job is to keep a ship in place and that is what God is for our souls. Little did I know that this scripture and the anchor symbol was to become far more important than I could imagine...

2. My Grandpa Ken (my mom's dad) died suddenly on Wednesday, July 6, 2011. His death has been the toughest personal loss, within remembering, that I have had to live with. For once in my life, I did not know what to do with myself in the days following that awful morning in July. My brother Taylor and I were the main ones that spoke briefly at his graveside service the following Monday morning. I didn't think that I could do it. I kept thinking, I shouldn't have to do this. It was years too early.
   And yet, I made it through that day. We all did. And I didn't just "make it," I literally felt lifted up on wings that flew me above the natural grief, pain and never-ending questions and into supernatural peace and comfort. Though I didn't openly talk about this event on my Twitter and Facebook accounts, many of you did contact me personally and I knew I was surrounded by prayers upon prayers. I felt them. I needed them. I am forever grateful for them.
   Less than two weeks after his death, I was picking out a new journal at Mardel's when I saw the above card in a box of greeting cards. Its sweet image and simple message immediately spoke to me.
  "Today is no match for you and God." God has proved this truth over and over to me since that Wednesday in July and I hope you realize He is ready and eager to prove the same thing in your life.

Well, I'm here. Now what?

Hello.
My name is Samantha and I have a few thoughts to share. Some posts (like today's) contain recent material I've written. Others are devotionals and other such collection of thoughts that God gave to me as long as four years ago.

We shall see how this goes.

Leave your comments, tell your friends about this blog, and please, if you see any typos that somehow slipped by me, let me know. (I'm an editor, so typos are epic fails for me...)

The first few posts are editorials that were published in the University of Central Oklahoma's campus newspaper, The Vista. I held the editor-in-chief position of The Vista this summer and had the chance to write four editorials. This is the last one I wrote and it ran under the headline of "School of Sorrow."

Editorials generally are about news but this particular editorial is not about news. It is not about politics and it is not about the campus. It is about people.

My grandfather, who I was close to, died very unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago. Despite dealing with the grief, which will take…well, it takes as long it takes, I have learned some valuable lessons, and maybe it will help someone else through a difficult situation. If not, I guess I am mainly the one that needs this.

First of all, when helping those who have just suffered something tragic, don’t ask questions, just do. Many people were supportive of our family and offered to do whatever we needed, and I know they were sincere. Fact is, people who have just received horrific news, cannot answer questions and cannot think of what they need. If you know the family in need well enough, just make food and bring it to them. Just load the dishwasher without asking. Trust me, it is what is needed, and they will be eternally grateful. We had a few families do that for us and it makes a world of difference. Saddle up your horse and ride to their rescue.

Secondly, I have learned that catching grief causes you to drop other burdens. Suddenly, certain things do not matter anymore. Ever-pressing tasks, pesky problems and annoying memories disappeared from the computer screen of your mind. It is actually a good thing. There were several looming tasks on my calendar the week my Grandpa died and other things that had been nagging at my mind. In one afternoon, that all was swept away.

Thirdly, do not ask if someone is “ok.” No, they are not ok. A family member has just died. This phrase has become so commonplace in our day-to-day conversation, yet to someone filled with grief, it honestly feels like a slap in the face. No, we are not “ok.” We will be eventually, but not today.

Finally, if you ever think your life is not worth living, that it would be far easier for your family to not have to deal with you, please, please think again. Life is ALWAYS worth living and to decide to take yourself out of the game early will leave your family minus one player; with unanswerable questions, unspeakable grief, and silence and space where your words and life should’ve been.

In the words of a Switchfoot song, “Hallelujah, every breath is a second chance.”