"I'll Pray for You"

How often do you actually pray for someone when you tell them you're going to? I find myself frequently telling a friend or coworker that I'll be praying for them. I used to fall into the habit of saying this and then realizing later that I never did actually pray for them.  I have also been in friendships where they would say "I'll try to remember to pray for you." or "I'll do my best to pray for you." While I appreciate the honesty of those two statements, I appreciate even more when you hold praying for others as a priority. Yes, telling someone you're praying for them is a great way to encourage them in a hard time; but what is even more encouraging is actually praying for them!!!

Something I've started making a habit of is that as soon as I tell someone I am praying for them, I pray for them right then and there. Whether it's in a comment on Facebook, a text message, in a letter, or in person, I take a moment right then to lift them in prayer. It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't even have to be out loud. But it does need to happen. Anytime I have the slightest thought about someone go through my head, I immediately send up a prayer for them, whether I know what it is that they need or not. It's the perfect opportunity to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and impact someone else's life.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thes. 5:16-18 (ESV)

What is so awesome about prayer is that it is literally just a conversation with our Creator, our Lover. We should talk with God the way we talk with our friends. We do that all day long, so why not talk to God all day long? Tell Him about the "hi" and "lo" of your day, or the funny moment that happened in class, or the stress you're feeling about an assignment. Ultimately, take the time to put yourself and your needs aside and pray for those of someone else, just as if you were encouraging them right there in front of you. Jesus knows what they need, and He wants to give it to them. Help them get what they need.

My challenge to you: Who are you praying for today, and I mean really praying?

Lesson 12: God is the only place we find true freedom

For most of my life I've known the importance of having God involved in my everyday existence. It's not been until recently that I've started to take note of the difference between the days that I invite Him to be a part of my day and the days that I ignore or refuse His presence in my day. Someone asked me this past week why I would refuse to let Him in my day if those days result in so much joy and peace. When she put it that way, it made me think a little harder about why I don't always let Him in. Do I enjoy being miserable? That seems a little odd...

Part of recovering from depression is relearning what a normal day is supposed to look and feel like - it's strange to someone like me to have all joy and roses everyday! But that doesn't mean it's wrong to have all good days!! That's just one more part of God's blessing of abundant life on His people! On the days where I ask God to join me, be my strength and my stronghold through whatever the day brings, and use me in whatever ways He desires, those days are the ones that stick out in my memory as being the most meaningful and profitable. The ones where I focus on myself and my pain, or look only to my own strength are the ones that hold their place in my bad memories, the times that are dragged up and thrown in my face when the Devil is trying to get me down.

This concept goes for anyone - not just those who are dealing with depression or other attacks - literally for everyday living. I am making it my goal to be able to say that I can recognize where God has been involved in every part of my day and consciously invite Him to walk through it with me, whatever it may have in store. My first thought when I get out of bed should be thanking God that I am able to do so, and my last one before going to sleep should be thanking Him for the ways He used my life that day, and all of them in between should be asking for His help and thanking Him for His strength at all times. He does say to "pray continually" and that's exactly what we should be doing!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.

Lesson 10: Treatment is something you have to do for yourself

Just like having faith in God is a personal issue, treatment is another one of those things that while you get support from those around you, it is ultimately up to you. I've been relearning this concept over and over again, and especially lately.

When I've been finding myself in low days or ruts, the defining moment of my day isn't the feelings I have throughout, but what I DO with those thoughts, feelings, and resulting actions. For example, I have the option of taking my thoughts captive, dwelling on my thoughts until they consume me, bringing God into the situation to ask for help, or finding as many friends to text as I can.

As much as I love my friends and all they do to support me, the responses I know will get me the best results are the ones where my focus is returned to God no matter what. This is really a struggle for me sometimes - I like to have attention on my problems because it gives me the sense that people care, so when I take it just to God and have no one to commiserate with, it is hard for me to really work things out. Part of that comes from the last lesson of pushing God away. It's a daily choice whether we will pick up our cross and follow Him, but that choice can change the entire course of our day.

And this brings me back to treatment (and faith) being our own personal issue. Here's the deal: yes, we are created to be relational and to share in one another's burdens. BUT that does NOT mean that we simply unload everything onto someone else and do nothing ourselves. It is good to have people that will pray for you and hold you accountable (even counselors do this), but when they replace God and your own efforts in your life, things start to spiral down very quickly until those relationships crash and burn.

If you have a support system like mine, you probably hear quite often that you need to take things to God, find time to be in the Word, pray, and ask for His help in choosing Him every day. And if you're like me, sometimes you cringe at those responses because you wanted someone to have a pity party with you. BUT in the end, those responses are exactly what you need to get yourself back in gear and get your focus back on God. Between you and Him, there is nothing (even treatment and recovery) that is impossible!!

Burden of Love

I have always been so grateful for everything my mom ever was and did for our family. I have been so impressed with how she would sacrifice everything she wanted or needed to make sure everyone else, even outside the family, had what they desired. I have always hoped that I would eventually be the same kind of mom mine has been.

The past few days I have become even more thankful for all my mom did because God is giving me the grace to understand and experience what it feels like to have a sort of "motherly" burden for those I love. A lot of people hear that and say, "Oh, so you're that overbearing friend who always makes sure people are following the rules and put a damper on the fun." No. That was never how my mom was, and that's not how I am either.

Look at it from the perspective of a parent for a second. God, as our Heavenly Father, loves us so extremely much that He does literally everything He can to be sure that we are more than taken care of. Because He loves us this way, we never have to feel like we don't have enough; but He also, then, wants us to be able to experience what is best for us, even if in the process there's a little pain or hardship along the way.

That is the sort of burden He is allowing me to experience for certain people in my life right now. I love them so much and just want everything in their lives to be perfect, according to God's will. He wants us to live abundantly (with way more than enough love, joy, peace, money, food, etc.). As a part of this desire to see people living to their utmost, God is beginning to remind me what it is like to have a burden of prayer for others again - something I haven't experienced really since my days at MCA. Every moment of the day I want to just be in His presence and praying for these people that I know haven't experienced Him to the extent that they could. It's called intercession, where your spirit literally cries out to God for that of another person whom you deeply love. I am seriously craving this constantly right now, and I thank God that He is allowing me to be that person for these friends and classmates of mine.

While I know that I can only do so much in helping them make the right choices and keep themselves healthy in mind, body, and spirit, I know that the Lord can do mighty things when even one or two people have just a small amount of faith. In the same way, then, I am believing and excited to see what God does through this new experience He is allowing me to have. While it's a slow and painful process, and I often wish I could just make people listen and do what God says is best, I know that's not how God intends it to be and I just have to wait on His timing to perfect what is broken or stained.

I'm Back - Please Read to the End

I had a reader ask me yesterday in a fairly intense conversation why I quit blogging. She told me she missed reading my uplifting and inspiring posts and seeing the love of God shining through the text of my page. I had to take a step back and really think about that. I see the views-counter all the time of how many people have been on my page, but the lack of comments and not knowing if people were even actually reading what I was saying made it hard for me to continue. What if I was spending all this time on these posts and no one even cared about what I was writing?

I'd have to say I fell into a rut, in more ways than one: dealing with some personal stuff, handling the stress of college life, and actually losing a good amount of inspiration to even continue writing. Even the pressures of performance, something I've struggled with since I was very young, trying to live up to what I perceive others expect from me and thinking that if I don't get a tangible response I'm not performing well. But I realized today how much I miss my writing, how calming, almost therapeutic, it is for me, and that I'm actually pretty good at it whether people compliment me on it or not. I realized that I can write just for ME and not make it about what other people want to hear. There are things God wants to show me through my time in His Word and journaling and writing with and to Him that are important for ME to have, not just to share with all of you.

So to sum all this up, basically, I'm back. And it may not be as regular as before, but I can promise it will not be months in between each of my posts. And things may get a bit more personal, and I hope that you all are ok with that because it is what matters to me. Being a human means that we experience pain, weakness, joys, successes, and so many other things. I am just as human as all of you and I have prepared myself to become more vulnerable with the people who can experience God through my experiences.

I pray you all experience Him today in a tangible and meaninful way that is unforgettable to you. I'd love to hear about it! Leave comments below with prayer requests or what has been going on in your day so we can all share in each other's joys and sorrows, rejoicing with God when He rejoices, and thanking Him when He gives us moments of teaching and correciton.