It's been a little over a week since I wrote about sacrifice, and I have a confession to make: I am not perfect. I used the word "strive" because I knew this would be a difficult task to accomplish. Sacrifice is not meant to be easy. It has been difficult for me to remember the goals I set for myself, and it has been even more difficult to accomplish them. That is precisely why I have only accomplished three of my goals. However, God is gracious and has shown me that sacrifice may be difficult, but it does not have to be painful.
In my post about sacrifice, I mentioned that I should create a list of things that I would like to do to glorify God. My intention was to draw my focus away from myself and back onto God. After giving it some thought, I created a list of ten things that I believe either show God's love to someone else or demonstrate my love for God Himself. Some of the items on my list are quite vague, such as giving someone encouragement. Other tasks are very specific. For example, I want to pray for the students in my youth group more often. I included some tasks that could be crossed off the list and others that will remain even after being completed. The way I see it, there is no limit to how many times I can pray for someone or how many people I can encourage. If you're reading this and have never made your own sacrifice list, I encourage you to stop reading this and do so now.
If you have already made your list, read on!
While writing down all of the things that I wanted to do for The Lord, I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. I knew sacrifice would not be easy, but I wasn't prepared for the ways it would bless me. Accomplishing some of the goals on my Sacrifice list has certainly helped to redirect my focus. Every time that I accomplish something, I am filled with joy. It gives me a desire to pursue God in more ways and to share His love with those around me.
The sacrifices that I have made are not necessarily huge. I have taken a few minutes to send a message or half an hour to pray for a friend. However, I never thought that sacrificing just a little of my time would make this kind of difference. It has shifted my focus, and I pray that it does the same for you. Join me in sacrificing a little of your time every day for a week and leave a comment about how it has affected your walk with God. In this way, we can be a source of light to those around us.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Simply Beautiful
Lately, I've been noticing that things do not have to be complicated to be hold beauty. This thought came to me as I was trying way too hard to take a good picture that I could post on Instagram. I love seeing photos that highlight a single object. I think I'm drawn to them because they remind me that, even though life can be crazy and confusing, simplicity is a beautiful thing.
I'm the kind of person that likes to constantly be doing something. Don't get me wrong, I despise busy work as much as anyone else. What I enjoy is doing productive work. Relaxing is nice every once in a while, but I get bored quite easily. That is why I have been at a loss this week. The only thing on my schedule was a 2:30 meeting Monday afternoon. That left the rest of my week wide open to do whatever I wanted. I suppose I should have picked up a book or done something with a friend. Instead, I did almost nothing. People always say to enjoy your summer and relax. I'm just not very good at that.
Even as much as I like to be busy, I am learning to find peace in simplicity. When I don't have a million things packed into one day, it is much easier to make time for God. Spending half and hour here and there reading the Bible or sitting in His presence is truly a beautiful thing. It can be hard to find the motivation to do this, but I always remind myself that my time on Earth is meant to serve God. That does not mean that I must have a busy or complicated life full of activity. Rather, one of the most important things for me to do is to spend time getting to know God. To me, that sounds simply beautiful.
I'm the kind of person that likes to constantly be doing something. Don't get me wrong, I despise busy work as much as anyone else. What I enjoy is doing productive work. Relaxing is nice every once in a while, but I get bored quite easily. That is why I have been at a loss this week. The only thing on my schedule was a 2:30 meeting Monday afternoon. That left the rest of my week wide open to do whatever I wanted. I suppose I should have picked up a book or done something with a friend. Instead, I did almost nothing. People always say to enjoy your summer and relax. I'm just not very good at that.
Even as much as I like to be busy, I am learning to find peace in simplicity. When I don't have a million things packed into one day, it is much easier to make time for God. Spending half and hour here and there reading the Bible or sitting in His presence is truly a beautiful thing. It can be hard to find the motivation to do this, but I always remind myself that my time on Earth is meant to serve God. That does not mean that I must have a busy or complicated life full of activity. Rather, one of the most important things for me to do is to spend time getting to know God. To me, that sounds simply beautiful.
Monday, June 16, 2014
A Life of Sacrifice
Since finishing school, I have had quite a crazy summer. I was really excited to get my blog up and running. However, I was only able to put up one post before a family emergency stopped me in my tracks. I took a couple weeks off from working on it, and I'm just now getting back to it. Aside from that, I spent my evenings last week teaching children at Vacation Bible School.
None of this sounds particularly exciting. I have to admit that my daily life is most often quite boring. I spend much of my time crafting, checking Instagram, and watching YouTube videos. In my mind, it's better than doing nothing. However, it's not exactly the most productive way to spend my time. I would love to tell you that I spend hours every day reading my Bible, praying, planning things for my youth group, or talking with someone about God. In all reality, that would be a lie and I've been feeling a little bad about that. Apparently not bad enough to do anything about it though.
During a meeting today, I was asked what Romans 12:1 meant to me.
"Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship."
I responded that I thought it referred to living your daily life in a way that would please God. As we continued talking, the word "sacrifice" was pointed out to me. That is when I realized that my daily life does not look like a sacrifice. I time out of my day to spend with God, but rarely do I have to sacrifice anything to do so.
As I left my meeting, I quickly forgot about this verse. I went straight back to watching YouTube videos until I remembered that I had been reading through Romans for my devotions. I wondered if I had skipped over the verse that had made such an impact on my mind earlier, so I reached for my Bible and turned to the last page I had marked. To my surprise, I had left off at the end of chapter eleven. The very next verse for me to read during my devotional time was none other than Romans 12:1. As I sit here and give it more thought, I am reminded of all the ways that society has me focusing on myself. Just a few hours ago, I watched a summer bucket list video. Naturally, I started thinking about what I would like to do with my summer. That's all fine and dandy, but where is the sacrifice? Instead of making a list of things that I want to do for myself, I should be making a list of things I would like to do for God.
It's time for me to learn what it means to offer myself as a sacrifice in view of God's mercy. I don't deserve the love and grace that He gives me. I often need reminded of that, but I also doubt that I'm alone in this struggle. So as I remind myself today of all that God has done for me, I declare once again that I am not first in my life. I will strive to be a servant living a life of sacrifice.
None of this sounds particularly exciting. I have to admit that my daily life is most often quite boring. I spend much of my time crafting, checking Instagram, and watching YouTube videos. In my mind, it's better than doing nothing. However, it's not exactly the most productive way to spend my time. I would love to tell you that I spend hours every day reading my Bible, praying, planning things for my youth group, or talking with someone about God. In all reality, that would be a lie and I've been feeling a little bad about that. Apparently not bad enough to do anything about it though.
During a meeting today, I was asked what Romans 12:1 meant to me.
"Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship."
I responded that I thought it referred to living your daily life in a way that would please God. As we continued talking, the word "sacrifice" was pointed out to me. That is when I realized that my daily life does not look like a sacrifice. I time out of my day to spend with God, but rarely do I have to sacrifice anything to do so.
As I left my meeting, I quickly forgot about this verse. I went straight back to watching YouTube videos until I remembered that I had been reading through Romans for my devotions. I wondered if I had skipped over the verse that had made such an impact on my mind earlier, so I reached for my Bible and turned to the last page I had marked. To my surprise, I had left off at the end of chapter eleven. The very next verse for me to read during my devotional time was none other than Romans 12:1. As I sit here and give it more thought, I am reminded of all the ways that society has me focusing on myself. Just a few hours ago, I watched a summer bucket list video. Naturally, I started thinking about what I would like to do with my summer. That's all fine and dandy, but where is the sacrifice? Instead of making a list of things that I want to do for myself, I should be making a list of things I would like to do for God.
It's time for me to learn what it means to offer myself as a sacrifice in view of God's mercy. I don't deserve the love and grace that He gives me. I often need reminded of that, but I also doubt that I'm alone in this struggle. So as I remind myself today of all that God has done for me, I declare once again that I am not first in my life. I will strive to be a servant living a life of sacrifice.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Hey. Hi. Hello.
Hi everyone!
It's been a few years since I first thought about starting a blog, but I guess the time is finally here for me to do so. I just finished my first year of college and decided that I want to make good use of my time. Blogging seems productive, and I'm sure it will also cure my boredom.
Since you probably have no idea who I am, let's start off with introductions. My name is Megan Cook. That part was essential, but I also find it important to explain that I am a Christian. I have been saved by the unfathomable grace of my Lord, Jesus Christ, and I strive to live in a manner that will glorify Him every day. A few other facts about me are as follows: I am 19 years old, and I live in the beautiful state of West Virginia. As I mentioned, I just completed one year at a university studying psychology. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in this field, I plan to attend seminary and eventually become a pastor.
My hope for this blog is that I can simply share with you my thoughts on faith and life. I am constantly being inspired by the things around me, from books and Instagram photos to my friends and family. I try to find the best in this world so that I don't miss anything along the way. I'm excited to finally be recording a small part of my life to share with others.
I hope you enjoy!
It's been a few years since I first thought about starting a blog, but I guess the time is finally here for me to do so. I just finished my first year of college and decided that I want to make good use of my time. Blogging seems productive, and I'm sure it will also cure my boredom.
Since you probably have no idea who I am, let's start off with introductions. My name is Megan Cook. That part was essential, but I also find it important to explain that I am a Christian. I have been saved by the unfathomable grace of my Lord, Jesus Christ, and I strive to live in a manner that will glorify Him every day. A few other facts about me are as follows: I am 19 years old, and I live in the beautiful state of West Virginia. As I mentioned, I just completed one year at a university studying psychology. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in this field, I plan to attend seminary and eventually become a pastor.
My hope for this blog is that I can simply share with you my thoughts on faith and life. I am constantly being inspired by the things around me, from books and Instagram photos to my friends and family. I try to find the best in this world so that I don't miss anything along the way. I'm excited to finally be recording a small part of my life to share with others.
I hope you enjoy!
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