Worry Me Not

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:25-27

Oh man....how often do I ever worry? haha alot. Even the petty things get me going. But one thing I have definately learned from worrying so much...it gets you absolutely nowhere. Seriously, where's the benefit of wondering if you'll be able to pay off your school bill on time, or if you'll have enough food to feed your family or friends for just one night, or even if you'll have enough pairs of clean underwear to get you through the week by the time you get paid and can FINALLY do laundry? Answer: there is no benefit.

The passage continues in verses 28-32:
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splender was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them."

I'm a pagan...ok, not really. But in a sense I kind of am. I "run after" food (definately food), drinks, and clothing. I worry if I'll have enough packets of Easy-Mac and instant oatmeal to last me the rest of the semester. Serisouly. The college doesn't feed us Saturday mornings or Sunday mornings or afternoons, so those are my oatmeal/Easy-Mac days. Pathetic, I know, but it's not like I have the money or even a car to be eating out that much. I'm a college student with no job. BUT...I have not gone hungry one day this entire year. And as little money I have either in my wallet or my bank account, I still manage to acquire at least five dollars in quarters to do my laundry....BEFORE running out of clean underwear.

God knows my needs. Jesus said so...like, He himself declared from his very own lips that my heavenly Father is watching out for me. You can't get any more legit than that. O me of little faith. Ain't it funny how we can trust a God so powerful to save us from disasters and trust a God so gracious to have a plan for our lives, but we forget to trust a God so giving to provide food for the day? Think about it as you keep reading...

"But seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

Haha I just love that! The day will worry about its own stinkin' self. Man, Jesus really knew how to tell it like it was! It's like, He hears someone complaining about something, and He whips this sermon out and is like, "BOOM! Roasted!" (haha 'The Office' joke) "I gotcha' covered, so stop worrying your socks off!"

But seriously. Seek God's kingdom. Have an eternal perspective. God knows what He's doing. He has a plan laid out for us and if we just learn to follow Him, then He'll take care of our daily needs. How cool is that! I don't have to worry about not having enough food or clean underwear! Because I am taken care of.

What Does an Evangelizer Really Look Like?

I'd like to dedicate this post to best friend and roommate of mine, Stephanie Pittman. Stephanie is the most social butterfly one will ever know. And I don't mean that she talks all the time. That's my job. Stephanie knows alot of people....really...ALOT. I can't remember one incident when we were out at Walmart or Target or some restaurant when Steph didn't know someone. Joplin is a small city mind you, but the concept is still so odd to me because I am from a much larger city and I very rarely ever run into people I know. But Stephanie's connections go so much deeper. Each and every person we have run into she knows on a personal level. Some moreso than others, but she is still able to have personal conversations with each person we run into. If I were in to run into someone I knew, it would be a simple, "Oh my goodness. How ironic that we're both in the same place. How are you? K, bye!" Even with my closest friends, that's how it would be.

But Stephanie. She engages, man. And I tell you what, she's got a bundle of love for everyone. But she doesn't just throw her love out to anyone and everyone. It's like she has a specific heart for every single person. She truely is affectionate to those around her. She cares. It's the most incredible thing ever.

I went with her to her job one night. She works at a place called "The Bridge." It's just a hang out place for teenagers to come, play games, and fellowship with each other. But it's more than just that. Stephanie's job description in a nutshell: hang out with kids and minister to them. All she has to do is love these broken hearts that come in left and right and show them that there is a God who cares. And she's pretty darn good at it. I've never seen someone so passionate for youth. She makes evangelizing look so easy.

A friend of mine gave me a passage that he had wanted to do a sermon on in Romans 12 and when I read the following verses, I instantly thought of Stephanie:

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Ro. 12:9-13

This is what Stephanie does on a daily basis! All she ever does is show interest in people's lives and she invests. She takes the time to get to know someone and loves them, truely, sincerely love them, with everything she has. There are so many Bridge kids (kids from her work) that have awful lives, whether it be abuse, addicitons, sexual activity (13yr olds getting drunk and having sex!), suicide attempts (Steph has come home on numerous occasions and tells of another kid/kids who tried to commit suicide that night) and her heart becomes broken. I see so much passion in her eyes and a desire to reach out to these kids and tell them that she and God loves them. All she sincerely wants is for her Bridge kids to be making wise decisions and leading better lives.

I remember one night, my first semester in college, Stephanie and I were just starting to get to know each other (this was about 2 months into the semester). We played soccer together, but other than that, we never really saw each other much. Well, we were in the lobby of our dorm with a few other people just chatting it up and having a jolly old time. Stephanie decides to grab her guitar and have a mini jam session with the people there. (Side note: I'm a music major with voice as my primary). Steph starts to play and sing songs and we all join in and at some point Stephanie explodes! She would look at me like I'm crazy or something and then she started to compliment my voice, but with such expression! I barely knew this girl and here she was, showing interest in my talents! I have never felt so good about myself. Ever since then, Stephanie has been so supportive of my major and my desire to one day be a worship minister.

I could go on and on and on...and on...and on about how amazing this girl is. I am truely blessed to have her in my life. Stephanie is the most influential person ever and that is no overstatement. She is the perfect example of what a true follower of Christ/evangalizer is.

Stephanie, I love you with all of my heart. Thank you for being my friend and for holding me accountable. I pray that the Lord blesses you abundantely. I know He has great plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). You rock my socks, girl.