A Purposeful World

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This world is an incredibly beautiful place -- crafted perfectly down to the smallest details by the most skilled Creator. There is something about it that pulls on my heart and calls adventure, adventure, adventure!

I think perhaps my favorite quality of Earth is the diversity. No matter where I wander or where I end up, I am sure to discover something unique -- rolling fields of bright hues, forested mountains, unfathomably deep seas, woods split by sunlit streamers -- it's all so detailed, down to the last pine needle and drop of water.

Whether it be an incredible little detail or a majestic mountain, everything fills me with awe. It fills my lungs and my heart and makes me wonder...

How could this possibly have been a mistake?

The Meaning of Faith

Faith isn't something you can see. And a lot of times the object that you have faith in isn't visible, either. I put my faith in God. I can't see Him, but I have confidence and assurance that he is real and working in wonderful ways in this world, because I can see the effects that He has on this world and how he is working in people's lives. And that's not the only reason that I have faith in Him...just looking at His beautiful Creation strengthens my faith, how could this amazing, complex world (and universe) have been an accident? You can't just throw a bunch of ingredients together in the oven and expect a delicious cake to come out! :)

 Sure, you can put your faith in money, people, and other things of this world, but you can easily lose any of those, and there are many things that could go wrong. But not with God. When you put your faith in God, he will never let you down! He said himself: "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5). People can say that, but it's not true when they say it. Someday they will pass away. Never will I leave you? And what if they go find a new friend instead of you? What happened to 'never will I forsake you'? The definition of forsake is 'to abandon someone or something'. When you have given your heart to God, he will never ever forsake you! That is a promise that only He can keep, and keep He will! For all of eternity!

"Don't put your faith in something you may lose." - C.S. Lewis

And, yes, bad things do happen. Those are the times when you must be strongest in your faith and have confidence in God. The Bible says that "all things work together for the good of those who love God." (Romans 8:28). Not just a few bad things, all things.  Even if you never know what good came out of your trial, know that God did (or will) bring good out of it.

And if your going through any hard things in your life, just know that if you stay strong in your faith, God will bring good out of it, and you will develop perseverance. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." (James 1:2-3)

Okay...I hope I didn't sound to "preachy"! ;) I was also kind of preaching to myself, because I get discouraged, too, and need to remember that God is faithful and loving through the thick and thin of life. I hope that this encouraged you! 

xo Rachelle

p.s. Please feel free to leave any prayer requests that you might have in the comments (or email them to me), and I will be happy to pray for you.

- if you would like to know more about God and how you can ask Him into your heart, I would be honored to assist you. Just email me at belovedbluebird@gmail.com -

True Beauty

Holly Starr, an inspiring and amazing Christian singer just released her new music video for her song, "Through My Father's Eyes" and I just love it! It has a great message and she did a really great job. I thought it would be wonderful to do a little devotional inspired by her song, so I hope that this post and her video really encourage you. :)

In this world, it seems like one of the most important things is beauty. But there are few people who actually have true beauty. Most people think of makeup, clothes, hair, natural beauty, being the perfect weight, and other things when they think of beauty, but none of those things will last. They will all come to an end and go out of style. And none of them are as important as true beauty.

True beauty isn't on the outside. It is in your heart, your mind, and your soul. It is your attitude, decisions, thoughts, actions, and many other things that are far more important than the material things that people use to define beauty.

In 1 Samuel 16:7, God says,  

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

You can be beautiful on the inside by being kind to others, spending time with God, witnessing to and serving other people, loving your enemies, and as well as many other things, following God's Word. And smiling couldn't hurt. ;)

"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." - C.S. Lewis

And I am by no means saying that it is wrong to try to look beautiful on the outside, as long as you don't become obsessive over doing just that and make outer beauty into some sort of idol.

I hope that you found this encouraging!
xoxo
Rachelle

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that you all have a lovely Mother's Day!

What are some of your favorite things about your mom?

I think that my mom is such an amazing person and I feel so blessed to have such a kind, Christian mother to raise me, teach me about God, and set an example for me. She has taught me many valuable lessons and encouraged me and prayed for me. I love her so much and I try to honor her everyday, not just on Mother's Day.

xoxo

Rachelle

Be Strong

I feel like this is the perfect verse for this time of year, since it is starting to get sunny outside and we are stuck in school. I definitely have spring fever, and I'm also just getting over a cold flu and a real fever. :) I'm really excited to be feeling better, though, because I have so many ideas for posts for this upcoming week! Have a lovely day, and keep up the good work! It's almost summer. :)

A Lamp to my Feet

First off...I am so sorry that I haven't posted for 9 days! I was tremendously busy with play rehearsals and doctor appointments last week, and then I got sick on Thursday and I'm finally better today, so I decided to post a quick little post. :) I've missed all of you! I'm going to try my best to post more often.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Bible Verses

The Bible is full of so much wisdom and everything that essential for a proper, beautiful life that glorifies God, and that is why it is my all time favorite book. I have tons of favorite verses, but today I thought I'd share with you some of the ones that are higher up on my list, and that I find essential and helpful in my everyday life. I have memorized each of these, and I encourage you to do the same! What are some of your favorite Bible verses?

Everything that happens is part of God's perfect plan

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

There will be times when things don't go your way. Bad things will happen, but don't get angry with God! He makes those things happen for a good reason. Whatever special reason that is, you must learn to trust God. He has a perfect plan for you and every little thing that happens is a part of it. God's writing your story!!!

Loving your enemies

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8 

It's a natural instinct to hate your enemies. No matter who your enemy is; a bully, a sibling, a teacher, or someone else that bothers you or makes you feel small. Usually the last thing you do is love them. Philippians 4:8 implies that you seek out "whatever is lovely...admirable...excellent or praiseworthy" in your enemy and learn to view your enemy from a loving, positive point of view. Luke 6:31 says to "do to others as you what have them do to you". Think about how YOU would want some to treat you? With love? Compassion? Care? Everyone wants to be treated kindly, so pray that you will have the strength and confidence to  show them that you care about them. If you truthfully don't care about them, then pray and ask God for the strength and compassion to do so. Most likely, if you set a caring, kind example, it will affect your enemy and rub off on her (or him).