The Little Things

Life is busy. Pretty much anyone who ever lived would agree. There's work, school, family, sports, church events, and everything else that claims hours and days of our lives. Most of that stuff is really good. We were made to live full lives and glorify God with our work. But often, we let it overwhelm us and forget to enjoy it.

I've been noticing the little things lately. And by little things, I mean the stuff that I would usually ignore in favor of all the work (or made up work) that I have to do. Why would I watch my little blonde, blue eyed sister pick flowers on a hill when I have a book to read? Why would I listen to my brother whistle whatever song is stuck in his head when I have finals to study for? And why would I lay in the hammock with previously mentioned little sister when I could be writing a blog post?

Reading books, studying for finals, and writing blog posts are all excellent things to do. In fact, I partake of them quite regularly. But it's also good to admire how your sister's hair glows in the setting sun, to appreciate the cuteness of your brother's off-key whistle, to let a four year old crawl all over you as you sway three feet off the ground.

A lot of times, I deny people my time and love, even in small increments, because I "have too much work to do." It's ultimately denying myself something good as well. There's always more time to do that work, but my sister won't be four forever. I won't live with my siblings for much longer. Appreciating the little tiny things now is just as responsible a way to use time as is scribbling away at notes for a test.

Yes, sometimes we do have to ignore the little things in order to get our work done. But how often could we postpone the work for five minutes to trace a hand with a crayon, climb a tree, or walk down the street.

I'm not only talking about time with siblings - that's just the biggest way little things are manifested in my life. Maybe a little thing for you would be reading a chapter of a book, actually tasting a few sips of morning coffee, or staring up at the clouds to think for a couple minutes.

The little things are good. They are refreshing. They stay in your memory and make you smile. People are often included in little things. A fifteen minute walk with my sister gives us time to talk. Sitting next to someone silently can be comfortable. The little things are what strengthen important relationships - the ones we don't want to lose.

Little things are smelling the summer air, snuggling under a blanket at the end of the day, warming your hands by a bonfire in the middle of friends on a late July night.

What little things have crept into your life lately? Take a minute and enjoy them. You won't regret it.

-Kira

Borrowed Time

A while ago (I honestly can't remember when), I was having a conversation with my mom about I don't remember what. It must have had something to do with big decision making or spending time or something like that because she told me about doing random things for her boss at a job a long time ago. None of the other employees wanted to do things like drive across town to get something from the store, but she was okay with it.

When asked why, she said that her boss was paying her for her time so it was up to him how she spent it. It didn't really matter whether she was at a desk or in the car - she was being paid to give control of that time to someone else.

This wasn't just a random story though - she had a point. Our whole lives are the exact same way. They belong to God and we should be happy to spend them however He pleases.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

That thought is so incredible to me. God spent so much to save us and so our bodies, lives, and (on a smaller scale) time belong to Him.

Just the idea that every second of every day that I live belongs to God changes how I think and the choices I make. Think about it - what if you had to report to God what you did all day? Would you be on Facebook right now? Would you be done with schoolwork by now? I know I wouldn't waste time nearly as much.

But wasting time can happen in a lot of different ways. It might be spending too long on Facebook. But it also might be reading a trashy novel. It could be all sorts of things. Just because we seem to be doing something good (like reading) doesn't mean the actual thing we're doing is edifying.

We are called to use our lives to further the kingdom of God and every second that we waste is a second that we're not doing that.

That's not to say it's wrong to rest - just the opposite. Rest is a very good thing, but it must be done wisely. Too much is laziness, too little isn't good for you.

God has only given us so much time on this earth. We've got to be good stewards of it.

- Kira

Extra

I've noticed lately that I have a lot of stuff in my life. And a good portion of it's extra. Some of it, of course, like school, is important and should definitely be there. Other things though, like a Goodreads reading challenge, really don't need to be taking up space and time.

A few months ago, I saw a documentary called Minimalism. It mostly followed these two guys who wrote a book on the subject and they explained how great it was. One of the things they said over and over was that, without all that extra stuff around you, it's easier to think and relax and enjoy yourself.

Now, I'm not by a long stretch promoting minimalism. No way. But it brings up some interesting ideas.

What if we made an effort to get rid of just a few of the extra things in our lives? It would clear a lot of space in our heads (and maybe our rooms).

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - John 10:10

Jesus came to give us abundant life! To me, that doesn't mean waking up in the morning dreading another day on this earth filled with its busyness. No, we're supposed to have joy in our lives. We've been remade! We are new people, cleansed by Christ and filled by the Holy Spirit.

As new people, we have a new purpose in life and that purpose is (according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism) to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Forever starts now - not when we get to Heaven.

God wants us to have joy in our lives. A lot of times, extra stuff that causes extra stress gets in the way of that. We're rushing around, trying to fulfill priorities we set for ourselves and finish checklists we wrote up with success and happiness in mind. But it doesn't really cause a lot of happiness.

For me, getting rid of the extra things means unsubscribing to a writing workshop. It means not going to a weekend high school retreat. It means not worrying about a reading challenge, but enjoying the books. That's what I've got so far, and I intend to keep looking for ways to cut out the things that don't let me live my life with joy.

And guess what. When you get rid of the extra, you'll find you have more time and brain space for the things you do keep. Like school. Soccer. Church. Family.

Don't get rid of everything. But maybe get rid of enough to enjoy life and your Creator a little more.

-Kira

Mirror, Mirror

You're beautiful. (Or handsome - girls aren't the only ones who struggle with their looks) The problem is, it can be hard for you to see that. You know that one friend of yours is prettier and that other one wears nicer clothes. So, if you're not up to that standard yet, how could you even consider yourself beautiful?

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. - Proverbs 31:30

We've all heard the verse. Every time the topic of beauty comes up, someone reminds us that it isn't all there is to this life. Of course we know that. So why are we still so concerned with our looks?

I'm writing this for me as much as anybody else because this is something I've struggled with for a long time. I envy the girl that hasn't. Why shouldn't I do what I can to become prettier? It would make me feel better and I want to look good to the people around me.

Hm. I want to look good to the people around me.

Since when has that been the right reason to do anything? We all know this, too. Don't change yourself for other people. But we still want to.

If we know all these things, why do we still want so badly to be beautiful (or at least reach the point where we consider ourselves beautiful)? We know it's deceitful and vain and we know that we shouldn't be trying to impress other people with our looks. But we still want to.

It all comes down to sin. (Doesn't everything?)

Vanity is not okay. Vanity is nothing more than pride - it's caring about what other people think about our looks. In most cases, vanity is also dissatisfaction with the bodies God's given us. We wish we had bigger eyes, clearer skin, straight hair. Then we would be pretty enough.

I was recently given a prayer journal and told to write in it every day. It's helping me to grow in my prayer life and, I think, my relationship with God. Which means it's made me realize some things about myself that I'm not too happy about. One of those is my vanity. I wrote out a prayer asking God to take it from me. I really wanted it to just disappear. Then about a week later (when my pride hadn't just vanished), I wrote out a different prayer. This was one of confession.

Because vanity is a sin, we can't just act like it's only a problem common to teenage girls and it's not really a big deal or just something we should be pitied for. It is a big deal. We are telling God that we are not satisfied with the bodies he lovingly crafted for us; that we would rather humans think us beautiful than our Maker. And that's wrong.

At the same time though, vanity doesn't just disappear into thin air, never to be seen again. We can want it to, but it's a process. We don't grow all at once.

So while we're all growing together, let's all remember together that we are beautiful in God's eyes. Cheesy? Maybe. But you know it's true. And you know that charm is deceitful and you know you don't have to make yourself look different for other people. Our bodies are for honoring God, not gaining attention.

Mirror mirror, mirror on the wall

Telling those lies, pointing out your flaws

That isn't who you are, that isn't who you are.

It might be hard to hear but let me tell you dear

If you could see what I could see I know you would believe

That isn't who you are, there's more to who you are!

...I see you dressed in white, every wrong made right.

I see a rose in bloom at the sight of you, oh so priceless!

Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable,

Darling it's beautiful. I see it all in you

Oh so priceless!

- "Priceless" For King and Country

(and no spoilers - I haven't seen the movie yet :)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

See you later, beautiful.

-Kira

Take Care of Yourself

Everyone has a lot going on in their lives. Teenagers, adults, parents, everyone. Often, busyness means sacrificing something in order to make it all fit. It's only natural: there's too much to fit into a day, so you pick something to forgo. I am all for taking out the unnecessary things - it's something I need to work on and grow in myself. But today, I want to ask you to not get rid of taking care of yourself.

In the middle of all the things we have going on, there are a lot of obligations: to school, jobs, friends, sports, family, etc. So, when making room for all these things, it's easy to choose (whether on purpose or not) to stop caring for yourself properly.

A lot of times, this sounds selfish to me. I'm not supposed to be focused on taking care of me, myself, and I, right? There are other people around me and they're supposed to receive my love and attention.

And yes, that's true. Jesus tells us to love one another - it's how the world will know who we are. But now I want to ask you, can you really love your friends, family, coworkers, and that random person in Kroger to the best of your ability when you're tired and burned out?

The answer is no.

Taking good care of yourself isn't just something that's responsible and will make your mom happy when you go to college. It helps you to show God's unconditional love to the people around you. Plus, the people closest to you can usually tell when you're not doing a very good job of it.

There are a few major areas that each of us needs to focus on in ourselves before we can properly pour into other people:

Spiritual

Please please please do your devotions! As a sinner with ideas of my own, I skip mine way too much. But when I spend time with God in the morning, that's a peaceful time that starts my day off right. And not everyone's devotion time has to look the same. You don't have to spend exactly thirty minutes reading, twenty two praying, and ten and a half singing worship songs. I usually read a chapter or a section in the book I'm going through (Psalms right now) and then write a prayer in a journal a lovely friend gave me. It doesn't take very long, so please spend time with God. He cares about you and wants you to love others in a strong way that can only be done by His love flowing through you.

Physical

Everyone knows that if you eat the right things and get some good exercise, you'll feel better. So just do it. I'll admit, discipline is hard for me in this area. I like stay up late reading or watching a movie and then get up early to get started on things. So, yeah, add good sleep to the list of things to make sure you get. We all know that we feel a lot better and can focus on other people more when we're not tired, eating right, and getting a little bit of exercise. I know it might be hard to do all these things, but it's worth it.

Mentally/Emotionally

This one's pretty simple. Stay home and read a book. Take a nap. Watch a movie. Go for a walk. Make cookies. Do something you really like to do. But do it by yourself. Let yourself not be at all concerned with what anyone's going to think. Maybe even skip a party or social event if you don't have time for this one. I'm not telling you to have no social life - that's important too. But make sure you get some alone time every once in a while.

I am not saying these things in order to be presumptuous or look like I've got it all together myself. I'm doing it because I know what it's like to not take care of myself in these ways and I've seen my friends struggle with the same things. It's not good and won't get you anywhere you want to go. So today, I ask you again to please take the time to take care of yourself. It's not selfish and it's definitely worth the effort.

-Kira