Are you a tumbleweed or a rooted tree?

So something that happens all the time here in Southern Idaho got me thinking about something. I was driving home a couple of days ago and it was really windy, like it gets often during the spring. I drove by a tumbleweed and God dropped into my heart this. Are you a tumbleweed? Whoa! That got me. Here's what I mean by a tumbleweed. A tumbleweed gets tossed to and fro in the wind, it goes whereever the wind will take it, there are no roots. Many times in Christianity, there are many people who are just that.. a tumbleweed. The winds of life come around and they get tossed to and fro. The next thing I saw was a tree trunk that is in the ground. It's been planted, it's roots were really deep in the ground. Think about it this way, when you are rooted, you are not going anywhere, the storms of life can go on around you and you may lose leaves or branches, but you are deeply rooted that the storms cannot  take you down. You are standing tall and firm because you have the deep roots.

One characteristic of being a "tumbleweed" I believe is that we thrive on drama! We allow drama to dwell in our lives and take over us. I'm not saying that things will never happen in life, but what I mean by this is that sometimes, there are people who have nothing but drama going on. Sometimes it is caused by our own doing. We as humans are naturally prone to go towards some of this, it's human nature, but I do believe that if we strive to not allow our circumstances dictate how we act or react, it can help a lot. I can say that I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to this. When we make a statement in our lives that we will not live by the circumstances, it can be freeing in the fact that this shows a reliance on God to help you through the pain and storms of life.

So now that this has been explained, which one are we? How can we make ourselves be the rooted tree where we stand the test of storms of life? How can we assure that we can stand the test of time?

Well one way that I believe that we can be this way is to be planted in the house of God. Find a good church and get planted. Another way is to read the Bible and get spiritually fed. And another way is to make a determination that you are not going down. You may have been swayed in the storms of life, but you will stand firm. Don't let drama take over, don't let your circumstances dictate you reaction to what is going on around you. Stand firm in the one who has already taken care of your needs on the cross. Take it to Jesus! Life won't be perfect, but you can stand in a reality that no matter what, you are a child of God and so you are blessed!

Thoughts as of late.

Lately I have had a few words going through my mind. Things that I know are truth are coming out in my daily life and in my devotion time with God. Things that I have are not new to me, but things that God is constantly having to remind me about. Words like remember are stuck in my mind. For instance, remember who you are in God, remember you are his child, remember God did not make junk and you are beautiful! Things like that. Mostly, I've been reminded about the desires that he has given me. He put them there for a reason. Like I have a desire to minister into the lives of young people, specifically in the lives of teen girls. I have been very passionate about the God made you beautiful aspect of things and I know there are many teen girls (and guys) who have been fed a lie about how they aren't skinny enough, how they aren't good enough or pretty enough to do certain things. I talk to some teen girls who already compare themselves to the world and the view that they get. The fact of the matter is that God made you, you! I love the quote from Dr Suess that says "“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” This is such a profound statement to me because many people are trying to be copycats of others and so they do not fit. So here I am telling you (and reminding myself), if you feel inadequate at anything, just remember, God made you who you are! There is a purpose, for your life! So what if your not the best athelete, or the skinnest girl, or the best singer, or whatever! God placed things in you as a person that will get the messege across some other way.

Okay so I ranted a little bit there, but that is just something that has been a passion in me as of late. I think through this, I have been able to get more comfortable in my skin! This is such a great feeling because I know that the more I work to honor God and to do what he has called me to do, the more blessing I can be. It also gives me confidence and that is truly an appealing quality to me! I truly believe that when you are able to accept who you are and follow God so passionately and with vigor, the more people will respond better to you. I love hearing and reading the stories about people in history who were truly great who had the confidence to do what they were supposed to do. I know that a lot of this is not revelation, but it is nice to have some things out in the open about how God views us. It gives a great perspective of his love for us and what he thinks about us. Once again I think of Jeremiah 29:11:
" For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.(NKJV).

So I guess the final thing on this is this. Remember what God thinks about you. Remember he's given you a hope and a future, and he is good, no matter what is going on around you. He will bring you up and over and through whatever is going on. He loves you so much that he would be there to comfort you and to take care of you. When you grasp this, it gives you the confidence and strength to withstand anything because you know you are not alone in this!