Guard your Ornament

Awkward title? Absolutely. 

Let me explain, a while back I was having a conversation with one of my sweet friends. It was girl talk, so obviously,  we discussed boys and where we were at in our relationship status. Don't get too excited,  the only man in my sight is my boyfriend Jesus, who is insanely jealous and consumes all of my time. 

As my beautiful friend spoke and gave her stories of past relationships and heart break, I could not help but think about how much power men have over our ever so delicate female hearts. This is where I came up with, what might very well be, the best analogy EVER! 

Stay with me on this one. Picture your Christmas tree and the most beautiful ornament on it. I always picture this gorgeous glass bell that hung on our tree. I remember my mom would not let my three sisters or I go anywhere near it because it was insanely fragile. She would take it out and place it on the tree. Once the Christmas season was over, I remember watching her wrap it up in tissue paper and strategically placing it in a spot where it would be safe for the whole year.

Now picture your heart as an ornament. It is so fragile, so delicate. It is also beautiful. It is opulent, magical, captivating, breath-taking, and the only one you will ever have. Imagine a diamond encrusted heart that sparkles at every turn. Tied at the top, in the most perfect of bows, is an exquisite red, silk ribbon. This beautiful ornament is the most precious gift ever given to you. You alone decide the fate of this heart. 

Every time you enter into a relationship you place your ornament into the hand of your chosen suitor. Once you have given your heart to another, they may do what ever they want with it. In many cases, men will hold the ornament at their fingertips, threatening to drop it at any moment. 

The tragic reality is that many times our ornaments not only break, but shatter. We try to pick up the pieces and glue it  back together; but, we all know it will never be the same once broken. 

Stop  placing your ornament in the hands of the wrong people. 

People often ask me why I don't date. Here is my answer .... because my heart is to delicate to be passed from one person the the next.  I truly believe that if you are patient and wait it out, the perfect man of God will come along. When I finally give my ornament away, I want it to be flawless, in mint condition. I don't want cracks, dents, or glued pieces; however, the perfect man will treasure your ornament, dents and all.  He will take it and place it delicately into a a luxurious box (I like to picture a Tiffany's box). He wont dangle it in front of you; instead, he will place that precious ornament in his jacket pocket, right next to his heart. There it is safe, warm, treasured, and most importantly beating right alongside his own heart. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Lots of Love

Katy 

I saw God Today

I want to share a story that inspired me to live differently today. I'm pretty positive that being cooped up in my room, with no contact to the outside world, due to the snowpocalypse, has driven me stir crazy. SO it comes as no surprise that when i finally got to go to church Jesus boldly showed himself to me through the most unlikely of people. 

I woke up like any other morning, feeling tired, delirious, and blind (literally .... my contacts weren't in). i got myself looking all adorable for morgan and I's traditional sunday morning at Beltway Park, followed by a meal at olive garden and shopping! 

We sat on the upper far right in what morgan referred to as "the nosebleeds." Then, because we both have issues, we moved to the front right. THis is where four unlikely people drastically altered my selfish way of thinking. 

In front of me to the left, were three tall, good looking, buff african-american men. I couldn't help but notice the way they worshipped (i am a people watcher through and through). The three boys had no clue what the other was doing but somehow they all seemed to be moving together as one. They had this rhythm and flow to their movements that was nothing less than beautiful. It was soulful and real. It was altruistic, passionate, and alluring. Not once did they open their eyes, speak to one another, or loose focus. They  were totally engaged in the presence of God. I admired this.

On another row in front of me to my right sat a small little girl. She was, I'm guessing, in sixth grade. Now, Girls can remember their sixth grade year quite vividly because for most of us, we were going through our awkward phase. For example, i had huge harry potter glasses (except not awesome), bangs cut straight across my forehead, hair that fell directly at my chin, and horrible vampire teeth. This little girl was precious, she was wearing an outfit that she clearly picked out herself and had four billion sparkly clips in her hair. 

While Pastor David McQueen was speaking i watched the little girl. She sat still the whole time, adamantly listening and filling in the blanks on the notes. As soon as the answer to the blank popped on the screen she furiously raced to her notes so that she could be the first to fill it in. While my focus waned in and out and i made side comments to both danika and morgan this little girl never once lost her focus. After the pastor spoke we went into worship.

For the first song, the little girl stood very still. She watched the three young men with her big, brown curious eyes. She starred them down taking in every sway, every fluid movement, and graceful beat. Then on the second song she began to dance. SHe started of slow and then soon she was jumping and praising god without fear or hesitation. Every now and then she would stop, look at the boys, and then continue you on in the same way they were. If they were jumping and screaming so was she, if they were swaying slowly so was she. It was a powerful thing to watch. 

The three boys reminded me of the trinity, all completely different but at the same time one. The little girl reminded me of christians all over the world. She was curious and wanted to learn and know as much as she could but at the same time their was part of her that would never understand. i long to have the faith and boldness of this little girl. Her faith, her worship style had nothing to do with her family or traditions instead she just wanted to be pleasing to god. 

I think we all get so consumed with our everyday lives that we forget to stop and take in these little moments. We are called to have a child like faith, one that is curious, one that scribbles down notes with intense vigor, one that listens longing to hear the words of god, one that dances because they are so filled with His love, and one that is so pure from the corrupt ways of the world around us. This little girl and three wise men challenged me to pursue jesus and come before him humbly.


Lots of Love 
Katy