Reflections on Genesis

This weekend I was able to attend a wonderful retreat in Seattle.  The subject was Family Life Lessons in Genesis and I thought the message was quite powerful.  Although I can’t sum up quickly what we learned in the period of 5 hours, I thought I’d share with you some dominant things I am thinking about from this study. 

From Adam and Eve:  God created Eve to be with Adam.  God could have just given Adam an animal companion but instead He chose to give Eve as Adam’s family. Likewise, in the Kingdom we will be part of God’s family so we need to interact with that family now.  Although it may be difficult for us to get along with certain people, God is using those family interactions to teach us how to be part of His family.

From Cain and Abel:  We know that Cain made a mistake in his offering to God, but instead of humbling himself upon his mistake, he became angry with God and Abel, who had done the right thing.  We must learn from our mistakes instead of letting them become the grounds for us walking away from God in bitterness.  Also note that, like Abel, we can’t fix our brothers and sisters, but we can be patient and kind with them hoping that they will choose the right path.

From Abraham and Sarah:  There is a lot to learn about marriage relationships from what we see of Abraham and Sarah.  For example, notice how Abraham discussed with Sarah the matter of having children though their servant, Hagar.  When the plan they made to have Hagar conceive Ishmael as a son to Abraham went wrong, Abraham doesn’t point the finger of blame at Sarah, but rather realizes that they  needed to find a solution together.  Likewise, in our marriages, we must be slow to point the blaming finger and instead focus on finding the best solution for our family.

From Joseph:  The speaker very aptly summed up Joseph’s motto in life as: Who Can I Help Save?  Despite all the wrong his brothers did to him, Joseph focuses on their salvation instead of his own anger.  Focusing on the salvation of others can take away our anger towards them.  We should always be looking for who we can help save. 

There are so many more things I wish I could share with you, but these our the points I love the most.  Hope you are having a wonderful day!

A sad reminder.

This girl breaks my heart.  

Hillary Kind died 4 days ago, just 2 days before her 26th birthday.  Melanoma can be deadly and is the most common cancer in young adults. We can do so much to prevent it. And yet, our culture tells us that we are most beautiful if our skin is tan. It's not true!! Every time your skin tans, you are damaging it. It doesn't matter if you put on SPF 10 before you tan, it is still damaging it! Love your skin-- it goes through a lot of wear and tear. Don't make it go through skin cancer too.

Choose Joy Tuesday

Today I am joyful because…

Well today has just been an all-around good day.  I had no headache, my classes were easy, and I got off work early (while still getting paid for full-time!) So it’s not hard to be joyful today.  I don’t have a lot of schoolwork so I went out to dinner with my lovely friend Beks and it was great to spend non-school time with her (our normal hanging out consists of carpooling and hanging out at school when we get the chance).   OH, and I’m going to Seattle this weekend for a much needed youth retreat where I will get to catch up with some wonderful friends and be refreshed.  What are you joyful about today?

Wishing you much joy,

Danielle

Rushing Through Life.

Ever feel like you are always going, always waiting for some more ideal moment, a moment in the future where you think you’ll finally be perfectly content?  That moment when you can finally stop “waiting” for happiness?  I used to do that a lot.  I’d always be waiting for something better but lately I’ve been thinking—why do we always think like that?  Why do we rush through life, waiting for this part to be over before we are perfectly content?    

Life is short.  Really short.  I’m only 21 but, man, I sure feel like my life has flown by.  All I want is for time to slow down.  To breathe.  To enjoy every moment.  To stop rushing through semesters and complaining the whole time about how I can’t wait until they’re over.  To be content today.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. - Phil 4:11-12

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Heb 13:5

So here is my reminder to you today: Slow down.  Seek God.  Love with all your heart.  Stop comparing your life to the life of others, because as Roosevelt so wonderfully put it: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”  No matter what you are running after, you will never get there if you don’t put God first and be content in TODAY. 

Choose Joy Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! Today, I am joyful because:

1.       I am going to a FOR KING AND COUNTRY concert tonight!! If you haven’t heard of them, check them out! I love these guys and am so excited about it. 

2.      Flowers.  Flowers have this amazing ability to cheer me up instantly.  Like this one—doesn’t it just take your breath away?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.      Apple season! I have been enjoying delicious honeycrisp apples.  They taste like drinking apple cider.  SOOO good. 

4.      I think I did really well on my exam today!  I was pretty nervous because it was a LOT of information (it’s the 8^th week and we just had our first test) but I feel good about it. 

Hope your day is filled with joy!

Danielle

Time is a resource.

Time. We only have so much of it. Use it wisely. It is so easy to waste time, to not realize how you are using it, and to overestimate how much time you have. It can be stressful and frustrating. I definitely feel like that sometimes, so I'm going to share with you some simple and effective tips strategies I've found to stop stressing and get things done in the most efficient manner possible! No, I don't think that this way is perfect, and it might not be up your alley, but just try some of these things and you might be surprised. Remember, when you have a bunch of things in your head that need to be done it is a stressor. Your brain is working hard to remember all those little things and it is inevitable that you will forget some of them if you don't write them down. So write it down! Just the act of doing so will decrease your stress.

I keep both a planner and a piece of paper with me every day. My planner is where I write standing appointments (like classes and work) and events in the future (like a dentist appointment or physics exam).

However, for my day-to-day stuff I simply use a piece of paper. Begin by folding the paper in thirds. The top third will be your current day and the bottom third will be for tomorrow. On the left side are “scheduled” events and on the left are events that don’t have a time (feel free to assign a time to them if you’d like). The middle third will be a list of things that need to be done in the near future but aren’t immediate. As you go through the day, you will add to the list as you discover something new to be done. Confused? Probably. So I will just take you step by step.

Planner-- scheduled events such as classes, exams, doctor appointments. If you are not a student, this will be modified to whatever consumes your time.

 

 

 

 

Paper-- Includes everything that must be done that day. Every morning, I spend five minutes transferring scheduled events from my planner to my piece of paper. I decide what must be done that day and write it on the right hand side. Sometimes, I will even set aside a time for an important to-do (such as from 2-2:45- study Kins 155A notes). As you go through the day, add to the middle section as things come up. Write it down immediately so your brain does have to think about it anymore.

 

 

 

Hope you enjoy and find this helpful! Let me know if you have any questions.  If you aren't a student like me, you will obviously have to make adjustments. 

 

Joyfully yours,

Danielle

 

P.S. Sorry for the lack of posts last week... I had this post all written on Thursday but was having technical difficulties with the pics! It's hard being bloggy when you aren't good with technology :-)

 

 

Choose Joy Tuesday

Today, I am joyful because

1.      I didn’t have work OR physics yesterday.  How awesome is that?!  I mean, I do really love my job but it sure is nice to get a day off.  And I won’t even pretend to like physics so thank goodness that was cancelled.  What a happy day it made!

2.      I don’t have a headache today.  That is always a cause for celebration! Today, I am normal! J

3.      One of my dearest friends, Joy, is moving back!  Last year she moved three hours away and I just found out that she is moving TEN MINUTES away from my house.  How’s that for awesome?? I can’t wait for the day when I can come over to your house every day, Joy… you might regret that move (;

Joy, Babs, and I

 

What are you joyful about today?

Alarmed Baby.

Happy Friday!! I’m so excited for the weekend that I’m going to introduce you to…

 BABY DANIELLE!

 The sheer magnitude of bug-eyed pictures is a little ridiculous.  These pictures may be proof that I was a very alarmed munchkin. 

 

Or that I was very suspicious of cameras.

But I sure was cute!

Happy Weekend!

Spending Fast Update

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go here.  Well… my spending fast was FAR easier than I thought it would be.  In fact, it was so easy that I didn’t feel like I was doing anything.  Which is a good thing, right?  Because it means that I don’t really need those things that I’m always spending money on.  I have come to the conclusion that if we don’t give ourselves permission to “need” more stuff, we don’t actually desire to have it.  Seriously.  In the process of not spending loads of money on myself, I was actually deeply saddened by my attitude toward splurging.  I have always felt that if I work hard and can afford something, I should just splurge and treat myself.  But there are so many people out there who can’t do that.  They can’t just go get a pedicure, Starbucks or a new pair of shoes anytime they want.  Some might say that the fact that I can makes me blessed, but does being spoiled make me blessed?  Probably not.  I’d say it makes it easier to be completely self-centered.  Makes me realize why Christ said that it is easier for the rich to enter the Kingdom that for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  That’s hard.  I don’t have the answers.  All I know is that I don’t want these earthly treasures to impede my compassion and care for others.  I don’t want to become so self-absorbed that I think I deserve these things.  I want to love others before myself.  If you have found that balance in your own life, I'd love to hear about it!

Joyfully yours,

Danielle