Kicking and Screaming: A Fight With Life

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be in a rink with Rambo, or what I would do if I was guarding Lebron. I wonder what it would be like for him to score on me 100 times and I score on him once, maybe twice.

I think its safe to say I would never score on Lebron, or take a hit from the worlds greatest boxer and get back up.

Have you ever felt this way? Do you ever feel like you're in a rink and you keep getting punched, or kicked, and every time you try to get up you fall back down.

I think its easy to feel this way. I think its even easier to lay down and choose to never get up again.

So my first question is this, for what or whom do you fight for daily?

Your job? Kids? Your future? Your boyfriend/girlfriend? Your GPA? Success?

My next question is why?

I think we all have this part of our brain that works like a planner. We have all these plans or things that we make top priorities in our life because we think they will fulfill us, or make us feel like cool people.

And then what happens is something goes wrong with this thing that you have made a priority.

Say its your job. You have made it numero uno. Something goes wrong, and you are instantly in the rink with your job.

Please use your imagination for what I am about to say... You are now attempting to fight with your job and knock it out, until all of a sudden it comes at you with a right hook and you go down.

Your job just punched you in the face.

And it keeps punching and kicking until you finally hit the floor and surrender.

This tends to happen with so many things in our life. We make success, futures, or plenty of other things in our life the top priority. When this top priority fails us, we find ourselves surrendering, giving up.

I wonder what would happen if we all made our relationship with Christ our top priority instead of our own agenda. 

Would we be more compelled to serve others rather than ourselves? Would we rest on His love daily rather than depending on opportunities to fulfill us?

I can tell you this, the only time you'll ever find yourself in a fight with Jesus is when you're the one throwing the punches by denying a relationship with him.

He didn't crucify us, we crucified him. And he took it. He surrendered for you and me. He took every punch, every kick, for us.

Why can't we let that be enough? Instead of fighting for our jobs, or our own opportunity, why can't we fight for the one who fought for us? 

What an encouragement it is that someone took the blame for all my screw ups and said "it is finished". The fight was finished, right then and there. Think about it. Would you do that for a friend?

So I'll ask you again... For what or whom are you fighting for daily, and why? 

He fights for you...Will you fight for him?

Identity Thief

I think it is safe to say that we have all at some point or another had an identity crisis. We feel that our hair must look a certain way, or we have to wear a certain brand of clothes. An even greater example is the shape of our bodies.

During this crisis we look to things that will give us some sort of identity. This could be a boy, a job, a college major, clothes, youtube, internet, and the best one yet, social media. That's right, my friends. This generation seems to be one that drifts towards the "Insta" identity.

Social media makes it so easy to recreate yourself into the person you want to be, rather than who you are. Its easy to hide behind a computer and be whoever you want to be because you think that its okay. Well, its not okay.

I have news for you. You are not beautiful based on the selfie you posted on Instagram, you are not awesome because you got 50 retweets on Twitter. You are beautiful and you are awesome because you were made in the image of someone much greater than any of your followers.

Genesis 1:27 says, "God created man in His own image..". Believe it or not, God didn't throw you into a mold to make you just like everyone else. He took the time to hand craft you, to make you you. 

Take your fingerprint for example. NO ONE has the same fingerprint as you. Identical twins do not even share the same finger prints. No matter how hard you try, you could never be anybody better than being yourself.

Social media is an identity thief. It allows you to mold yourself into someone that you're not. It permits you to hide your flaws. It gives you the capability to say things you don't mean. While you may not believe it, you are essentially creating a false version of yourself.

I say this not to bring you down and make you feel guilty for have Twitter or Instagram, because they can also be used for good things, I say this to encourage you.

You are exquisite, unique, priceless, beautiful, and most importantly you are you. You were given your own fingerprint because you aren't supposed to be any other person but you.

So stop looking for self worth in the number of followers you have, forget all the retweets, and remember that you were made in the image of God.

He loves you for you, and I guarantee that other people love you for you too. 

This One's For You, Mom(s).

To the moms who have a hard time letting go:

Whether your child has gone to college, left you to be with the Lord, or left for whatever reason, I would like to let you see through our eyes for a moment. 

You were the first person we loved, the one we called for, and depended on. As a kid, you have one image in your mind when you think of "mom". You don't see her size, what clothes she wears, her hairstyle, or her makeup. None of that matters. All you see is your momma. 

We see what you do, how you treat us, how you train us, and how you love us. We watch every move you make. 

We remember who took care of us when we were sick, and we never forget the one who yelled at us when we didn't make curfew. We feel the warmth of your hugs, and we will never forget all the times you said "be careful". We remember those things. 

We remember all the long text messages, or the letters you wrote us. 

We remember all the times you told us no; and all the times we did it anyways. We remember thinking in our heads, "she was right". 

We remember all the times that we were hurt by other people; and all the times you knew before we even told you. 

As you think about how much you love your child, think about how much they love you. 

You were given time. Time to train up your child in the way that they should go so they would not depart from it. Well, now's the time to reap what you have sown. 

We love you, for you. The older we get, the more we realize how much we love you, and the better our relationship becomes. 

So thank you, for training us, loving us, and saying no when we had no idea what we were about to walk into. Thank you for pushing us past our limits. Thank you for showing us unconditional love. Thank you for forgiving us even when you didn't want to. And thank you for giving us the example that we one day hope to give our kids. 

Its okay to miss us; in fact, I hope you miss us, but never forget how much we miss you too. We think of you every day, and remember the tears you shed for us, we shed them for you too. 

I love you, mom. 

Calling All College Freshman

You can stop pinching yourself because this moment is real. Its time to move into college.

If you are anything like me, your stomach might twist and turn at the thought of jumping out of your comfort zone into a huge pile of awkward confusion.

But I have good news. You can avoid that!

College is like one huge refinery, and you are about to be the material.

The reason I say that is because there are going to be so many things tugging for your attention (good and bad). You will have classes to take care of, professors to talk to, friends to find, and whatever else you decide to give your attention to.

I advise that you choose wisely..

I must say for me, the greatest thing I have found thus far is genuine friendship. The thing about it is that you must seek out people who will encourage you to do things that are in your best interest. That is genuine. If that friend is willing to pressure you, give you ultimatums, or leave you hanging out to dry, then you probably need to start rethinking some things.

So, choose friends that will uplift and encourage you. And try to return the favor.

Next, avoid Netflix like the plague.
I'm telling you right now, I love me some Friday Night Lights, but a career as a professional Netflix viewer will get you nowhere. Time management is essential. Save that for Christmas Break.

STUDY. 
For those of you who think you know what this means, stop lying to yourself. You don't until you fail that first test. Its okay, it happens to the best of us.

The beautiful thing about studying is that it works when you do it the right way. But there is a formula to this.

Go to class + take notes + review the material + find ways to apply that material to real life + ask questions + create a study group = How to study.

I'm sure there are more things you can add to that equation but that will work for now.

I might mention that going to class is pretty important. Professors are smarter than you simply because most of them were you at one point and after they get their degree, they are basically the smarter version of you. SO don't try to cheat the system. Simply go to class.

Make time for spiritual growth. 

This could be the most important thing I could ever write. There will come a time in your life and mine that you will no longer be able to use your career. The meaning of success will become blurred because like anything else in life, things pass.

Isaiah 40:8 says, "the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of God shall stand forever".

Yeah all that metaphorical grass you grew when you were trying to fulfill your career goals will fade. That is a promise.

The good news about that is that your relationship with Jesus Christ will NEVER fade. If my major could be "disciple of Christ" you better believe I would jump on that opportunity. That degree would never go to waste.

The beauty of college is that if you do it right, you will be made into a beautiful person, and the even better part is that you will probably help other people be made into something beautiful as well.

Always remember that your grades do not define you, you do not need a GPA to get into Heaven, and your past is as good as gone. Be victorious.