Forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness
I want to finally set it free
Show me how to see what your mercy sees
Help me now to give what you gave to me
Forgiveness
~ Forgiveness by Matthew West

For one of my classes I had to read quite a bit of a book and do some annotations on it. The last chapter that I read had to do with forgiveness. A lot lately I have also been listening to the song Forgiveness by Matthew West because I think it is a really good song and has some really good thoughts in it. The lyrics are basically us asking God to help us live in a God pleasing way and asking help to reach out to those who don't know who He is. There are people who feel like they are unlovable because of something about them, it may be a disease that makes them different, a disability, the way they look or even something that they aren't very good at. God loves everyone no matter what we think may be wrong with them. We should try to love everyone as well because everyone has something about them that makes them different from everyone else and we are loved so why shouldn't we show that love that He has given us to others? Sometimes people feel so unloved that they just want to cut life short and end their life themselves. What if they had just one person that would show them that they cared and that they loved them? Maybe they would then believe in them self and maybe others would begin to love them as well.

There are many people who don't know the about the Word of God and we should want to help share God's Word with others because of the powerful messages that can come from it. There are so many people who do not know the Word, but we should be trying as a church to get the Word out to more people. Don't get me wrong, there are groups already doing this, but they need more help. We need God to help us see the way that we can do the impossible. We need God to help us see how we can love the unlovable and reach the unreachable. It may seem impossible but Luke 1:37 states "For nothing is impossible with God." They may seem impossible to do by ourselves, but if we look to God for help He will help us and we will be able to accomplish great things. We are sinners and we may fail at trying to do these things by our own, but God forgives us. He then will make us realize that we cannot do this without His help. We can't find the way to love the unlovable or reach the unreachable without His help.

God has given each of us a certain ability that we will use to help bring others to Him. Sometimes we may not believe it, but we have to trust in Him. We have to have hope that even if we get taken down a rough path we will end up on the right path and be doing exactly what it is that He wants us to do. We may fall and not do things according to what we should, but He has mercy on us and we are forgiven of our sins. Even when we fall we shouldn't be afraid to get back up and try again. God will help us do the things that we don't think we are able to do especially if we have fallen at it at some point. With God we are able to overcome obstacles and do the things that we thought to be impossible.

Remember that even if we fall we are forgiven and can still get back up and work on doing the impossible with the help of God.
Justina Marie

Life goes by in a blink

When it's all said and doneNo one remembersHow far we have runThe only thing that mattersIs how we have lovedI don't want to missEven just a secondMore of thisIt happens in a blink, it happens in a flashIt happens in the time it took to look backI try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping timeWhat is it I've done with my life?It happens in a blink- Blink by Revive
Sorry it has been awhile since I have written. I have been very busy with several things lately. I was informed yesterday that my great-grandma had passed away on Thursday and I heard the song Blink by Revive while I was driving home so that I could go to the funeral and it just got me thinking. So often we just go through life and take people for granted and the things that people do for us for granted. We never know when God is going to take a loved one to be with Him. As we go through our day we should be thankful for the people that we have in our life. When we die, some of us may be remembered for something because we are famous, but for the most of us we may only be remembered by those who love us. Our life goes by so quickly and often times we just think about the way that we want things to go for us. We don't think about what we could do that could make a difference in a loved ones life. At some point, our loved ones will be taken from us and how will we feel if we really thought about how we treated them? Would we feel bad because we took them for granted or we didn't spend as much time with them as we should have? 
Having my great-grandmother die has been sad, but also a rejoicing moment. I know that she is in heaven with God and my great-grandfather. I was also glad that I got to see her one last time about a month ago because I hadn't seen her for a few months. No matter how often we see someone, if it is everyday or very rarely, we should always cherish the time that we get with them. We are going to lose our loved ones at some point and it will be sad, but we should also be happy because they are taken out of their suffering and going to live with our Heavenly Father. This song reminds us that life goes by really quickly and we need to take time to show our loved ones that we do really love them and appreciate them for all that they do for us. We can't go back and change anything that we wished didn't happen, but we can always change the way we do things from that point on. So if you haven't told the people that mean the most to you that you love them lately, do it. Send them a text, call them or if you are with them tell it to them in person. 
Remember to show your loved ones that you love them and don't take them for granted.Justina Marie

In Remembrance of 9-11-01

Below is an article that I heard today and it is found at http://thenew1037.cbslocal.com/2012/09/11/something-you-can-hang-your-hat-on-lessons-from-911-the-little-things/



As you might know, the head of a major company survived the tragedy of “9/11” in New York because his son started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One’s car wouldn’t start.
One went back to answer the telephone.
One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have.
One couldn’t get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.
Now when I am stuck in traffic…
miss an elevator…
turn back to answer a ringing telephone…
all the little things that annoy me…
I think to myself…
this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.
The next time your morning seems to be going wrong,
the children are slow getting dressed,
you can’t seem to find the car keys,
you hit every traffic light…
don’t get mad or frustrated;
God is at work watching over you.


Sorry if the story was a little long, but I will make what I say somewhat short. In one of my classes today I heard that article and it just amazed me. There were so many that died in that terrible accident, but each of these people weren't there because of one of these little things. We question God at times why things happen the way they do, but He has a plan for each and every one of them. Sometimes we don't do something we usually do or sometimes we do something we don't usually do and there is a reason for all of it. Each of these little things could have a great impact on what is to come for us. The people listed above didn't make it to work for various reasons, but because of the little things they are still alive. God is always watching over us and helping us get to the places that He wants us to be so that His purpose can be fulfilled. Instead of worrying why something happened different than it usually does just know that God has some reason for it. So next time when something little goes wrong remember that God has a reason for it and it may just save your life.

Remember to trust the things that happen because God has a plan for us.
Justina Marie

God is INCREDIBLE!!

Our God is an awesome God

He reigns from heaven above

With wisdom, power, and love

Our God is an awesome God

- Our God is an Awesome God by Michael W. Smith

Last night I watched a video with a friend for one of her classes. The video was talking about the universe and different galaxies. The technology that has been made to capture what different galaxies looks like is so amazing. During the video many wonderful pictures were shown and I was in awe. Seeing these pictures made me see how incredible God really is. I thought before this that He was incredible, but the pictures just blew my mind and strengthen my thought. There are so many stars in the universe and the universe is huge. When compared to the universe earth is about the size of a quarter or smaller and the universe is about the size of America or a little bigger. I never really knew how big the world was until this video. Don't get me wrong I knew it was big, but after watching this I realize how incredibly huge it truly is.

For God to have created all that He did is just an incredible thought. He didn't just do our little solar system and a little beyond that, but He created so much beyond what we can see in a telescope. God has placed every single star in the entire universe exactly where He wanted it and He keeps doing this as new stars appear which happens way more often than you would think. When thinking of how big the universe is we are reminded that our God is even bigger. He holds us and so much more in His hands. This makes me feel very little and somewhat undeserving of all the gifts He has blessed me with. We are tiny creatures that live on this world because He put us here and He takes care of each and every single one of us. He didn't have to put us here or take care of us, but the fact that He did should remind us that He really really does love us a lot. We have a God that is so incredible. We need to not think of ourselves as something big, but we need to humble ourselves and thank God for everything that He does for us. I don't know about you, but when I look into the night sky I see an incredible work that the Lord has done and to think that He has done even more beyond what I can see amazes me.

The picture below is the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy. It is nicknamed the Darling of Astronomy. This is the last picture that the video showed. The picture just amazes me. Like I said we have an incredible God.

Always remember that God is always holding us in His hands.

Justina Marie

He is with us even in our struggles

Oh no, You never let goThrough the calm and through the stormOh no, You never let goIn every high and every lowOh no, You never let goLord, You never let go of me-- You Never Let Go by Matt Redman
Our lives aren't always easy and at times we go through struggles. We could struggle when it comes to many different things. We could struggle at following the right path, getting through the day with all the things we have to do, making relationships right and sometimes we could struggle on believing whether there is hope for us or not. I will admit that I have struggled with these and countless other things in my life. There are obstacles that I have ran into in my life that makes me question what I am doing and where I am. I believe though that once I overcome the obstacles that I grow closer to God. We may go through struggles and think that it is all God's fault that we are going through them, but when we think that we need a reality check. The reason we have these struggles are not because of God, but because of the evil things in the world. The devil tries to pull us away from God and at times he takes over something in our life and is in control of us for a little while, but God is always there with us and is helping us get back on the right track.
God is with us through everything and He won't let us fully slip out of His hands. He is with us even among the hardships and trials that we face. When we are weak and can't go on He lifts us up and carries us through those times. Once we get past it we grow stronger. It doesn't mean that we may get knocked back again, but every time we do we will just keep getting stronger. One day all of these troubles will vanish. We just have to keep pushing through the hard times and hope that we will be back on our feet soon and that God will show us in the direction of the path that He wants us to be on. We may stray from it, but He is a wonderful God who forgives us for the things we do. It doesn't matter when we fall or how many times we fall, God is ALWAYS going to be holding onto us.
You should check out the song at the top of this post and By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North. They are great songs and go along well with this topic.
Remember that God is always going to be there with you through everything even the struggles you go through.Justina Marie

Rejoice for the New Day

Psalm 118:24 - This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Often times we wake up each morning and think about all of the things that we have to get done or the places that we have to get to that day. Sometimes we wake up not wanting to get out of bed and not wanting to do the many things that we have ahead of us that day. There may be a few times when we actually want to spring right out of bed because we are so excited about something that day. No matter what it is that we have going on that day, whether it is something we look forward to or something that we don't want to go to, we should be rejoicing. God has given us another day and we should be thankful that He has given us another day to live, another opportunity to share His love with others.

I feel as if we take many things for granted and are thankful for a very small portion of the things that we should be thankful for. If we have a problem that is what we usually focus on and sometimes we blame God and get mad at Him because of the bad situation we are in. We have struggles to help make us stronger and to help us grow closer to God. At times we may struggle, but God is there to carry us through the times where we feel weak and like we can't go on. The bad things that happen aren't because of God, they are because of the evil and sin in the world. We have so many things to us, but we take them for granted because we are used to getting these things.

There are people in other countries that are lucky to get a little bit of food, that are lucky if they have a roof to sleep under for a night and are lucky to have more than one pair of clothing. Yet most of the time those people are the ones who are thankful for every little thing that they have. We can learn a great deal from them and be grateful for all that we have including every little thing. Think of how much happier we would be if we thought of all the little things that we are thankful for and not about the few things that make us unhappy. Abundance of things we don't need makes us appreciate less of those things that we do need. It does seem like the more we have the less appreciative we are of the things we have. The thing that we do have in abundance is God's love and we should love Him and others in an abundance as well.

Remember to be thankful for the little things.
Justina Marie

Why I am writing this blog

This summer I worked at a Christian camp and I did a blog talking about my experience there, but now I am back at school and decided that I would start a new blog. My relationship with God grew a lot this summer because of the experiences I went through and I plan on being a teacher in a Lutheran school and a passion of mine is sharing God's Word with others. I decided that I wouldn't bore you with what I do in my life, but rather turn something that I hear and think is inspirational and put it into a blog and talk more about it or something along those lines. Maybe something I say will motivate you or possibly relate to something you are going through and help you get through it.

God Bless,

Justina Marie