Thursday, June 30, 2011

With Everything

Hillsong: With Everything

Open our eyes,
To see the things
That make Your heart cry,
To be the church
The You would desire.
Light to be seen.

Break down our pride,
And all the walls
We've built up inside,
Our earthly crowns
And all our desires,
We lay at Your feet.

So let hope rise,
And darkness tremble
In Your holy light,
And every eye will see
Jesus, our God,
Great and mighty to be praised.

God of all days,
Glorious in all of Your ways.
Your majesty, the wonder and grace,
In the light of Your name.

With everything,
With everything,
We will shout for your glory.

With everything,
With everything,
We will shout forth your praise.

Our hearts will cry
Be glorified,
Be lifted high,
Above all names.
For You our King,
With everything,
We will shout forth your praise.

Woah...


This song has been on my mind for the last week or so. I don't know what it is, but God has been getting me so excited about him. He has shown himself to me so much through nature here, through people, situations. So many places. And I've been thinking a lot about my life after this one and I get so excited about seeing a group of people who just love praising Jesus and lifting up his name! And we will get to do it forever. It's such an amazing thought!


I think it's about time that we, as Christians, should start getting excited! Get pumped about Jesus!!! Imagine it! Before the throne, praising the God who created everything!!! EVERYTHING! And we should be even more excited that he is using us, US, to bring more people to be excited about him! People that will get to share and fellowship with Christ! We get to have a relationship with him and get to know the God of this place! And later get to live with him and praise him!
Ah, I just can't explain my excitement. It's just overwhelming!
We need to get excited!
Anyone with me? !

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

"Have the Attitude of Christ"

Last week was a trying week for me. I had a teacher who was...very difficult to say the least. Let me just say, if I would've had her all 8 weeks, I would not want to be a teacher any longer. Here at Conversa (the school here in CR) each week we get a new teacher. Each class switches teachers, which I kind of enjoy. But last week, I had a teacher named Amira. She wasn't my preferred kind of teacher. She didn't explain anything. Simply wrote it on the board and asked, "Esta claro?" (Is it clear?) Then we would go around the room and do examples of how to use it, and move on to the next theme for the day. We sat in class mostly silent all day, and when we had a chance to talk, it was only to use examples.

The second day in class, she made me cry. If you know me well, you know that I don't even like to cry in front of my family or my closest friends. I don't like showing my emotions and vulnerability to others. So for her to make me cry, was very hard for me to handle--and it wasn't even half of the week yet.

So you might be wondering...well what did she do to make you cry??? Well, we were going over a tense called subjunctive. This tense is when you use sentences that have doubt involved. So if there is a doubt about something, use subjunctive. So it came around to me while we were doing examples and I was going to say, "It makes me happy that my sister will turn 5 years old next year", but I stopped mid-sentence because I don't want to have doubt that my sister won't complete 5 years. So Amira told me to continue finishing the sentence, so I did. And I told her I didn't have any doubt that she would. But Amira insisted that there was indeed room for doubt in the sentence.

Imediately my eyes started to water. I don't want to think that my sister may die before next year. And Amira asks, "Why are you about to cry? Why are your eyes watering up?" And it made me furious. I began crying, and told her, "I don't want to think about that! My 4 year old sister dying?!" And she started laughing. It made me even more angry. And I had a bitter, angry attitude the rest of the day.

On Wednesday, I was determined that things had to change in the classroom. So while I was doing my devotions that morning, I wrote "Have the attitude of Christ" on the inside of my hand. Right on my palm where I could see it. That day in class, whenever I had a bad thought or attitude, I looked at my hand and was reminded that I need to change. And throughout that day, things improved. We made Amira laugh and class was slightly more enjoyable. As the week progressed, things slowly improved. By the end of the week, we were playing games and laughing, and shockingly enjoying the class! Amazing.

It was amazing to see how fast things change when we strive to be like Christ. When we talk to him and rely on him. I couldn't believe how fast he worked in the situation. When we thirst for Christ, to be more like him, things change. Radically. And Amira was right--nothing is guaranteed in this life. My sister may not make it to 5- He could come before then, or take her home. When we have the right mindset and attitude, it makes a difference. And learning to be vulnerable is necessary sometimes. It is humbling. God is amazing.

I don't really know what else to say about that.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
  Who, being in very nature God,
   did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
 rather, he made himself nothing
   by taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
 And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself
   by becoming obedient to death—
      even death on a cross!
Philippians 2: 3-8