Time2Believe in EXPLODING

Endless amounts of reading for class = a shake

Crazy schedule = another shake

Her comment = another shake

That glance = another shake

The drama = another shake 

I am one shook up bottle of soda. 

How much can I take?

I willingly submit myself to some of the shaking, whereas some of it is out of my control. 

What for? 

I am tired of trying to run through life with this built up pressure.

My release is in Him.

This I know.

However, I CHOOSE to struggle.

My body tenses in efforts to survive the next shake

"I am strong enough"

"I can handle it"

"Just give it some time"

These are the familiar excuses that daily take up residence in my mind

I'm just done with these built up emotions

It's Time2Believe in exploding 

When you turn your eyes to the cross your bottle top is blown off

and PURE joy is the release

Have you ever thought that maybe God needs to explode the bottle

in order to empty it of all the contents

so that He can fill it with exactly what He wants

How often do we fight God through the pain?

Growing and stretching is never an easy journey

But looking back over it you wouldn't go back.... would you?

Those trials and obstacles contributed to who you are today

What would happen if we started to purposefully rejoice in the suffering?

What if the the pity party became a praise party?

How much JOY would that bring to our Father?

I have a new life desire.

I still long to be a bottle.

I want to be that bottle of champagne shaken after a victory

Because the VICTORY has already been won!

We are no longer prisoners of our own lives. 

The pressure and pain is only temporary

His JOY is new every morning. 

We are VICTORIOUS 

Grab your goggles because...

now is the time to rejoice and EXPLODE!

Run.

Have you ever been so passionate about someone your body aches for them? My spirit and my body ACHE for Jesus. I cannot explain it in words but I can tell you that I physically run sometimes just because it's the only thing I can do in efforts to leave this world behind. Somedays, life feels like a bad dream. I want to wake up!!! I don't want to be caught in this sleeping spell that Satan has on us as Christians. I wanted to write a strong blog post about this video but I cannot even form words... so I will just HIGHLY recommend you watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXPog1rKpCE

Time2Believe... The Battle is Real.

Ever run through life until you stop and wonder... "How did I get here?"

I have been experiencing this lately. Growing up I heard all the Bible verses and was constantly reminded that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. I accepted the kind words and went on my way. As I began to get older, my girlfriends struggled with their self-image and I would encourage them by saying, "you are fearfully and wonderfully made" and then I would be on my way. As I began to struggle with my own self image, "fearfully and wonderfully made" became my slogan. Do you know the definition of slogan? Well here it is,


slo·gan   /ˈslōgən/

Noun

A short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising.

Advertising? What am I advertising? When I first saw this word, I immediately knew what it meant in my life. I was advertising my fake happiness with who I was and how I looked. It amazes me how long I could just simply quote Psalm 139:14 without believing it at all. When I realized that I did not believe it, I felt ashamed because for crying out loud it's the Word of God. I have been taught that it is the truth... but what does that mean to me? I want to write this article to encourage others. I want to be able to say I have struggled and God brought me through and I am doing great... but that would not be 100% honest. Most days are a battle. Why is it so hard to believe God when He tells us that we are beautiful? Why does Satan have such control in my life through the two things I have come to fight... the mirror and the scale? Most of the time I am very thankful that no one can hear the fight that goes on in my head. The constant comparing, belittling, and negativity. I knew that my self-image was a battle but I felt like if I laughed it off or just ignored it, then it would go away. I was deeply mistaken. When I started to clean out the cut, it was dirty and extremely painful. Satan got me right where he wanted me... discouraged, in denial, and plain out angry. When he gets you in this situation you have two options: 1. Stay where you are... which leads to more darkness. 2. Cry out to Jesus and tell Him that you need Him like never before and pray that He pulls you out of Satan's trap. I thankfully chose #2. I need Him everyday, because like I said, EVERYDAY IS A BATTLE. As a believer, I kind of thought that God would just heal me on the spot. What I never considered was a healing process. I am on a healing journey with Christ. There are things I need to let go of before I can move on. I need to start waking up being more worried about pleasing my Heavenly Father than pleasing those around me. I am still quoting 139 and each day I truly do believe what it means more than the day before, because God is revealing that my worth and beauty is not based on the mirror or the scale. Those things make me feel good and make me feel more attractive, but who am I trying to attract? And why? I really wish that I could end this with answers to all the self-image questions that most of us struggle with... but instead I am going to be honest and say that tomorrow morning when I take that first look in the mirror and see my crazy hair and rub my eyes... I will smile because I know that God loves me no matter how I feel about myself. He is not leaving me on this journey. Tomorrow is another step closer to feeling fearfully and wonderfully made.  

If you struggle with self image or have questions/comments about this topic please comment below or email me @ morgan.towle0@gmail.com. Everything will be kept confidential. Don't try to fight your battle on your own... that is another lie of the Devil. 

Love you all & running this life race with you!

Sincerely, 

 Your sister in Christ

Morgan  

  

Time2Believe... In Woman Standing Up!

Sadly, this post is written with anger and disappointment fueling it. My heart aches over the cover of the latest swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. I hate to admit it but, I've always let things in the world slide... but this has me caught up. After a co-worker called the model "his girlfriend" while waving the magazine around, all I could think of was, HOW SAD. I mean really? This is what the world has come to? We wonder why rapes are increasing and physical abuse is rising! As a woman, I am honestly disgusted and ashamed. It breaks my heart because I pray to someday marry an honest man, with a pure heart. I feel like I am praying for the impossible because of the trash that the world throws at even the Christian men in our lives. Please understand me, I know everyone sins and I am not looking for a "perfect" man. However, I feel that majority of "Christian" men just think, "oh whatever" or "you are overreacting". I beg to differ. This is a huge problem and as women we deserve to be respected and it is about time that Christian girls start holding the men in their lives accountable. Ladies, please join me in this challenge and let men know when you are disgusted or offended, because we deserve better. End of story.

Time2Believe... In God's Perfect Timing.

The great thing about blogging, is you can just get all your frustration out by writing. This post is especially difficult, because I am still sorting my thoughts and feelings on the matter. I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like everyone else's life is going at normal or fast speed... then there is me (slow speed). I do believe that God has my best interest at heart. However, I wish that my life would take off. Don't get me wrong, I know that God is using me abundantly where He has me. And I am blessed beyond belief. What it comes down to is being content with where God has me. That is exactly where I want to be. We hear all the time that everything happens for a reason, and I believe there is truth to that. The hard part for me, is that we may never know why things happened. I am sure that God has laughed at me multiple times when our conversation has gone something like this:

God: Morgan, I know what is best.
Me: Oh yea I know that, BUT why in the world did you allow this to happen?
God: For my will is perfect
Me: Yup. I know but seriously? God you know how hard I am trying... yet you are still allowing things to happen. What have I done to deserve this?
God: My ways are not your ways.
Me: Ugh. Sometimes I wish they were... oh wait I don't really mean that. Sorry Lord, I will stop complaining now.
God: Don't you know how much I love you?
Me: Yes, I do.
God: Don't you believe that I have a plan for your life?
Me: At this moment... I sure hope so!

That is just a glimpse into what my Heavenly Father has to put up with. I act like a child and He still pours out abundant love and blessing upon me! Many times we do not know what God is doing in our lives, what He is going to do, or why things have already happened. What we need to know and remember is that He truly loves us and would never let anything harm us. This does not mean that there is no pain in life experiences... believe me there is. However, I will be the first person to tell you that He provides all the strength needed to go through the fire! Stay strong and remember God knows what He is doing... even when we don't!

Time2Believe... In The Actuality of The Christian Man's Mind.

Sometimes my friend brings out my greatest features and other days my friend tells me I am not enough. "My friend" is the mirror. Each and every one of us has a love/hate relationship with the mirror. The main object is to not let the mirror define us. Growing up in a strong Christian home has taught me all of God's truths and promises. However, as I have grown older, some of His promises have become distorted. I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made BUT I need to look just as good as the other girls, or I won't  _________ (You fill in the blank. Get the cute guy? Fit in, or get any attention) It amazes me how much I have strayed rom the path I "thought" I was walking. God's promises are mine to claim and do not rely on how much I do.

Psalm 139:14 (NIV) says,

  ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 
   your works are wonderful, 
   I know that full well. 

THE END. (No BUTS...)

This post is called Time2Believe... In The Actuality of The Christian Man's Mind, because of a recent conversation I had with a Christian guy whom I respect dearly. Our "chat" was what every girl hopes for... a sneak peek into the man's mind :) What he was saying was just basic truth for him... but for me... it was shocking. We began talking about dating in general, which led us to talking about how girls dress. He went on to tell me that girls who wear ripped jeans and jeans with no belt, give off the sign that they don't have enough respect in themselves (I'll let you imagine how the guys thinks of her then). At first I kinda laughed at this idea in my head, but as I thought about it, the truth hit me. Now let me say, I am not saying that Christian girls should not wear ripped jeans or no belt. I do however, think we need to really think about why we are wearing certain clothes. Or what our clothes say about us?

What I have come to realize is that I have been so focused on "making" myself look the part, I forgot what I was trying to obtain. Every girl grows up praying to find and marry prince charming. Now, some people tell me that prince charming does not exist, but I beg to differ. It all depends on how you define him. If prince charming is handsome, caring, loves the Lord, romantic, provides, cherishes his love, and protects her no matter what... He is real. Because all those characteristics describe the way the Christ loves the Church and that is exactly how a husband is suppose to love his wife. But girls, are we dressing and even acting in a way that we are trying to draw the attention of a prince charming... or just a frog (In hopes that when we kiss him and he magically changes?) Sadly, modesty has gotten a bitter taste in the mouths of Christian girls. But let me tell you if you are looking for your prince charming... modesty is the way to go. I am not saying you have to dress in rags, instead have fun with it. God desires us to be attractive and fun, but at the same time He has called us to live set apart lives. It's not easy, I will be honest and upfront about that. But it is my new desire to be attractive in a way that is beautiful, modest, and ultimately God honoring. These 2 scriptures wrap everything up perfectly...


1 Timothy 2:9 (The Message) says, 
"And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it."


1 Peter 3:3-4 (NLV) says, 
³ Do not let your beauty come from the outside. It should not be the way you comb your hair or the wearing of gold or the wearing of fine clothes. ⁴ Your beauty should come from the inside. It should come from the heart. This is the kind that lasts. Your beauty should be a gentle and quiet spirit. In God’s sight this is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it.


I am done being obsessed with my outer appearance, instead I pray that God will cultivated a woman of strong faith in my heart, so the I will one day attract the prince charming His has chosen for me. 

Time2Believe... In Truth

As women, we grow up believing in hopes, dreams, and happily ever after. But as we get older our beliefs begin to change. I will sadly say this has happened in my life. As a child, I believed that I was beautiful and was happy to be me. The world's influence is so strong and I thought that I could continue to fight the secular culture battle on my own. I was so far from being right. I began to feel hopeless and disappointed in who I was. It wasn't until I realized that I needed Him to fight my battles for me, that I began to feel that I was enough. Holy Gerth has a great article about being enough and you can find it at http://www.holleygerth.com/heart-to-heart-with-holley/2011/10/4/you-are-enough.html#comments. I just pray that every girl will realize her potential and find her worth in Christ alone.