Colossians 1:12

"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." ESV

I had this reference written on my hand for two days in order to remind myself to look into it. Not the whole verse, but rather one word. "qualified." I didn't like that word. It rubbed me wrong. After the hundreds of times (literally) I have read Colossians, this is the first time that one word seemed to jump off the page at me. Why did it bother me? I couldn't say at the time, so I let it sink it and left the verse on my hand. The pen started to fade, so I re-wrote it, knowing I had put it there for a reason, but being crazy me, had forgotten why.
After reaching the point of brain mushness, but not exhaustion, doing homework, I decided to read my Bible for a while before bed. God kept telling me go back to Colossians, so I did and the verse being in the first chapter was reminded why I needed to read Colossians again. In context the verses says:

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light." 

Okay, so what's wrong with the word "qualified"? I still didn't know, but it definitely still bothered me. So I took another course of action and decided to see what other translations said, in hopes that one of them changed it to a word I liked better. (Not that me liking the word was the point, but at least a word that explained it in a way that made more sense.) English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and New International Version all use the same word there. The verse is actually almost word-for-word in all three of those translations. After this research being very unsatisfying, I wrote down all my questions on a post-it note, stuck it inside my Bible and went to sleep, knowing I would come back to it when I could. 

BACKGROUND: For those of you who don't know. Languages are my thing. I love them. I soak languages in and am always striving to learn more. My latest craze of a language has been French, and it's actually coming along quite nicely. I found that the easiest way to learn for me is to read books, so for Christmas I asked for a French Bible, which my amazing grandparents got for me. It is an amazing tool to help when in a situation like I am currently explaining. 

The next morning, I got out my French Bible and it satisfied me much more, but I still couldn't tell you why the French was more satisfying than the English, when it was basically saying the same thing. 

"Rendered capable to be a part of the royal inheritance."  

Okay, admit it. It sounds cooler. But I realized that is why I liked it better. Because of how it sounds. Literally translated from the Greek (which I don't know how to read, so I have to trust others on that one) the verse does not say "qualified." It says "made to fit". Yes, it is a subtle difference, if there is one in your head at all between those two phrases. 

"Qualified" makes it sound like a game to me. "You qualify." Yippee? It also makes it sound like something I did. I didn't die on a cross. I didn't pay for my sins. Why should I get any credit for this? This answer is, I shouldn't. The word "qualify" makes it seem like somehow I should. Yes, I do see that it says the Father qualified us, but it still has a strange ring to it. Even coming straight from the Greek, "made to fit" doesn't sound quite right either. God didn't say "Well, this person is one of mine, so I'll just sort of tweek a few things to make this work." No, God took this very seriously. He sent His only Son to die a brutal and horrible death so that His people could be united with Him again. That doesn't sound like a game to me. 

I fully believe the French says it best. God rendered us capable to be in His kingdom. We were not able to be a part of His kingdom until Jesus died on the cross and rose again. It was impossible. But God made it possible. He rendered it possible. That doesn't mean that everyone is saved though. He rendered us capable. Not everyone will believe, but it is a possibility now. Especially to those outside of Israel. 

I have been leaving out the next verse until now on purpose. Colossians 1:13 clears everything up and makes that one little word not so significant. It adds to the seriousness of the situation and clarifies what the intent of verse 12 is. 

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." ESV 

Praise be to God! 

P.S. (to those who will understand "But how did he make the transfer?!?!" and to the rest who have no idea what this means, it's okay. It's an inside joke. :D) 

So far in 2017...

• I went to the Art Institute for the first time since early elementary school. It was amazing! 
• My baby Eddie Bear turned 1!!!
• I went to my first trampoline park. Epic does not even begin to describe places like that....
• Had many ice cream dates with Bella B
• I went to the church volleyball game. (Out church has two teams, so I went to watch them play each other.) 
• WinterJam!!! Tenth Avenue North, Colton Dixon, Crowder. Enough said. 
• I have finished my first term of classes for the year, One more term before summer break!
• Teaching the elementary school Sunday School class
• Teaching/learning a new sign language song at church
• College group shenanigans :) 

So far this year has been an incredible adventure, and I am super excited to see what God has in store for the rest of it!

2016 in a flash

This past year went by in the flash of an eye, but here are some of the highlights from my crazy year.

• Taught Bella kindergarten 
• Helped with Katherine and Josiah's fundraiser concert for their mission trip
• Found out that thermometers can be sarcastic lol
• Welcomed baby Michael into the world
• Learned a ballet solo to one of my favorite songs
• Bella graduated Kiki school
• Attended Summit Summer conference
• Got my drivers license
• Spent my first birthday away from home
• Started nannying for two new families
• Completed my freshman year of college and started sophomore year
• Finished my last math class for forever :D 
• Made many new amazing friends
• Changed my major to Biblical Education with the goal of linguistics 
• Began year two at my new dance studio
• Spent eight months with the amazing, beautiful, fantastic Madison. 
• Was accepted into Summit Semester!!!!!!!! 

Winter's arrival

Winter has come up on here in the Chicago area! Five inches of snow in one day. :D I love to see the snow on the trees and play with the dog after the first snow. She loves it!

My amazing, beautiful best friends.

I did it!

In Illinois, most kids get their driving permit between the ages of 15 and 16, and then their license the next year, after taking driver's ed. I decided to be weird (nothing new there). My parents told me and my brother we couldn't take our driving tests until we were 18, for many different reasons. My brother promptly got his permit at 18, and a few months later, his license. I, on the other hand, am now 19 1/2 and just got my license. Why did it take me so long? Because I didn't need it. Driving is a privilege I didn't feel the need to take advantage of since my family was completely willing to take me anywhere I needed to go, and was usually going somewhere with them anyway. Now that I'm working full time, 30 minutes away, it is a little difficult for someone to have to drive me, then pick me up a few hours later, when they have their own lives to attend to as well. So I finally got around to taking drivers ed online, and then yesterday, I took my driving test (and passed, might I add). What did I do with this new-found freedom? Go see Bella B, of course! Nothing like the first time driving alone forgetting about construction on a major road during rush hour. I am now pretty confident in my driving skills after surviving that adventure. :)

Beware world! I am licensed to drive and will
probably be using that ability quite a bit. 

The silly little nunkey was very happy about my first choice
of where to drive. :D

It's Worth It

Ballerinas work hard. Really hard. Hours and hours of pain, soreness, blisters, tears, and sweat go into every dance they learn. They work until everything hurts and they don't think they can move another muscle, and then keep going. It is insane. All of that for maybe five minutes on stage.

This begs the question why? Seriously, why put yourself through the pain and frustration to learn a routine if all you get is a few minutes in hot spotlights, caked in stage make-up, and many late nights with tired teachers and dancers?

Every dancer will tell you, "It's worth it." All the misery seems insignificant compared to the feeling we get on stage. Not because people see us, but because we're dancing. We're performing. That is enough.

If ballerinas are so willing to work that hard for about five minutes of euphoria, how much more should Christians be willing to work and suffer for an eternity of pure joy in the presence of our Saviour.

Christianity isn't supposed to be easy. Just like in dance, you know it's going to be hard. We are told to take up our cross. Yep, no biggie. Just pick up a Roman torture device and carry it around all day. That sounds blissful, right?

Pointe shoes are French torture devices, but are completely worth it. Shouldn't carrying our cross be completely worth it too? There is no greater reward than following Jesus with all our hearts. Working everyday to glorify Him in everything we do. It is a lot of work. It can be miserable and frustrating, with tears and the desire to quit before giving it a fighting chance because it hurts.

When this life is over, and we are looking at our Saviour face to face, the pain will seem insignificant. When a ballerina is on stage, they aren't thinking about how much it hurt to learn the dance, or how much work went into it. They are enjoying every second, every step, and every breath of the dance. We will be in such pure bliss once we are in heaven, the pain of this life will seem insignificant.

So why do it? Why work so hard? Because it's worth it.

Remember to Breathe

With everything so hectic in my world, and not having a lot of spare time to do much of anything, it is hard to remember the simple things.

Like breathing.

I was telling someone about all that I have going on in life, and they asked me, "When do you breathe?" They meant it as a sarcastic question, but in reality it sunk a lot deeper than that.

When do I breathe? Just sit and breathe. When do I take time to let my heart be still?

As I look at my schedule, I have to wonder to myself when I can have a minute of peace and quiet, a time of relaxing and not having any responsibilities to worry about. In reality, there isn't a time when school isn't looming over my head, or I don't have to be working on figuring out the schedule for the next week, or I'm not practicing dance. It all adds up very quickly.

This is the reality most people live in. A reality of having more responsibilities than possible to handle, and yet handle them throughout the week. Working several jobs to make ends meet, or to save up for the thing they really want or really need, is a necessity. People are staying busy, that is for sure.

But what about resting?

This doesn't mean sitting on the couch watching Netflix, even though it might involve a little bit of that. It just means not doing something that has to be done. It is doing something for the love of doing it, and not feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of having to accomplish anything. This might include watching movies, or reading a good book, or walking in the rain, or playing/listening to music, writing in a journal, hanging out with friends, or anything else that is not pressing to be done. It is a release. A calming, relaxing release of energy and stress that has built up throughout the week or day.

God set aside a day for rest. A whole 24 hours that is not supposed to be spent doing anything but worshiping Him and resting. It is important that we rest. God didn't make us to just go through the motions of life, but to be able to stop and see Him. "Be still and know that I am God." It is commanded to be still. To stop for a little while.

When do I breathe? In the little things. No, I don't have a lot of time to just chill out, but I love the time I have. It is at night when I'm laying in bed with no responsibilities, stretching for dance, sitting on the couch while the baby is asleep, writing in my journal, reading my Bible in the morning, and all the other quiet little moments I can steal throughout the day. It is in the moments when I don't have to do something, but chose to do it just for the pure joy of doing the task.