I'm Not the Judge

'Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God' 1 Corinthians 4:5


Okay, so I'm going to be completely and entirely vulnerable for a moment or two here, and all I can say is that before you decide to click away from the page--just take a moment to hear me out.


I do not know. I do not claim to know; therefore I will not tell you what is and isn't right unless I am entirely 100% certain that what I am teaching is correct. It is not my place to judge, it is not my place to condemn, and it surely isn't my place to say what should happen.


Therefore...


I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I adore the state and I grew up getting to know the bipolar changes, the streets, the people...everything. And a few days ago homosexual marriage was legalized in the state.


You can imagine that there was a variety of reactions. People that I've known for years, people that I usually look at to be good Christian people, were slandering the entire thing with nasty words and comments about the 'disgrace that the Earth has gone to' or whatever.


Should we take a look back to the verse I posted above? You are not God, it is not your place to say what is and isn't right.


Guys; I'm not saying that homosexuality is all dandy, I'm not saying it is the greatest sin. I'm saying that I don't know.


What I do know is that Christ told us to love, to support one another, to show his love and his kindness and his way of life through the things that we do. I know that every time you spit out hatred toward someone, especially when you do so in the name of God, you are pushing people away and you are wrecking God's harvest.


Sin is Sin and there is no 'better or worse' between them. So while you curse the man that wants to marry another man, you are forgetting your own dirt that stains your face. Christ turned NO BODY away when they came to seek him. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Matthew 7:1) So don't you dare push away someone simply because of their 'sin'. Because if that is the case, maybe the world should point out your own issues.


We sin everyday. We continue to sin. No one is perfect aside from Christ himself.

'When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7


So my view is that I don't know. My view is that I will continue to love these people and show them Christ's love through my actions. It may not be biblical--it may be wrong; but I also know that a majority of my decisions are wrong as well.


So please; for once just stop this hate. You aren't God and your hate won't do anything but destroy what he has built. The only person who has the right to judge anybody is God. Keep that in mind next time. Thank you.


'Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.' James 4:11

Pick and Choose

On my phone I have an app that gives me a daily verse. I adore reading them and they give me perspective into the things that I'm not doing or things that I don't think much about. It's great for an attitude check. However, sometimes there is something that I'm not too fond of.

Have you ever come across a verse and so casually thrown it out of your mind? I know I have.

When it comes down to the hard truth, the Bible is not there for a personal pick-me-up. It isn't there for a inspirational quote--the Bible is the living and breathing word that speaks what God has to say. And sometimes it will say things we don't want to hear.

Walking Christ's path is about forming your life to fit him, not picking and choosing the things that we want to see. It's about changing aspects in everyday life and actions to reflect a Christ-like image.

The Bible spits out the details that we want to shove under the rug. It isn't all happy--I don't want to be told that my friend isn't secure in eternal life. I don't want to decline certain aspects in the world just because some pages tell me to. But they aren't pages. They are God.

So let me ask you this: Do you listen to God? Or are you looking for some nice words to go in a picture?

This is a way of life, a change of heart, and a mindset to live by. It is our redemption and our life-line. It is our judge and our consciousness. It is HIS love, HIS gift, and HIS rules. If you claim to be Christian--then live by what is set in front of you, and don't ignore the things you don't want to hear.

As We Grow

The little girl ran, pumping her arms harder than she ever had before. Her cheeks were flushed with blood and her breath came out in short puffs--but she HAD to get there. Jumping over a log, she twirled once--twice--and nearly tripped forward as her sketchers caught underneath her. The sun was high and a soft breeze blew through the small park where the children played. But soon enough, she saw her. Giggling, the girl threw herself into the arms of her mother and she snuggled her warm cheek into the familiar neck. Her mother's arms wrapped around her and they sat there, content. 

I remember when I was younger and I was enthusiastic about everything. My grandma has recordings of me as a child singing and exclaiming (proudly) that I loved Jesus and I knew that he loved me. I was that kid who loved playing outside; who was a princess one day but a spy the next. Essentially, there wasn't a care in the world. So here is my question, where does that enthusiasm go?

Let's focus on the Jesus aspect (naturally), because I'm still that girl who wants to imagine that she is a spy, but where did the important excitement go? When I was in first grade I would proclaim the knowledge to Jesus to everyone I knew. When I was in fourth grade I would memorize up to five verses a week. But as I grew older, it began to fade.

I'm not completely off when I say that this is how it works for a lot of people.

So why?

The girl had grown. Her sneakers turned into flats and her pigtails grew into curls. Her eyes got bigger and her mind grew wider. She began to see the world around her. Standing in front of the mirror, the 15 year old turned one way and then shifted the next, her heart in her throat. There was too much fat here, not enough curve there. Her friends looked differently, they looked better. They had boyfriends. Someone had commented about her clothes earlier that day. She needed to watch what she ate. 

"Honey, we have to leave if we want to make it to church!" Her mother yelled from downstairs. Drawing in a deep breath, the girl bit her lip and met her own eyes in the clear reflection. She wanted to cry. She really didn't want to go. 

It took her a moment or two before she grabbed onto her old worn Bible and tore her eyes away from the mirror. It wasn't as if she had a choice in the first place. "COMING!"

As we grow older the world starts to unravel in front of us. Our innocent and naive minds start to open up and suddenly we are sucked into this dark world that is laid in front of us. We are born human with human thoughts and with human sins; but thankfully Christ was set in front of us to open up the light and the path that we need to follow. Yet the older we get, the harder it becomes to see Him. Whereas these stories aren't particularly about me, I can certainly relate with some of the moments and thoughts that come with them. I remember planning to go to church and then suddenly turning around and not wanting to go. I'd rather be watching TV, or reading, or even just lurking in my own 'miserable' thoughts.

As we get older the tides change. Christ's light begins to fade, and the World's haze takes its place. Try as we must, it is a hard journey and it takes a constant thought. There is a reason that Christ's path is a narrow one, because you have to want it and you have to seek it.

The woman sat at the kitchen table and sipped at her coffee cup. Somewhere in the background she could hear the baby crying, and in the other room her husband was getting ready for church. She should be getting dressed. Inhaling, she shifted her kindle in front of her and read through the first few lines of a chapter. 
"Hey, we are leaving in ten; shouldn't you get dressed?" He asked while walking into the room--he was buttoning up his shirt. The woman took another sip of her coffee--she was so tired. 
"I think I'll stay home today. The baby is in an irritated mood." Another excuse. This had been the fourth one this month. She didn't know why he kept asking. 
He looked at her for a minute before turning away and filling up his own mug with coffee. "Yeah. Okay. Next week then." 
"Next week." She agreed. 

It is easy to get caught up with the world. It is easy to forget and to tuck Christ away. How often is it that we turn Him into a checklist? Something to cross off the list and move on with the day? Do we not realize that Christ is EVERYTHING that we could possibly need with the world? That he is of us and we should be of him? That he loves us and cares for us and protects us? That he died for us?

Guys, God is not a chore. He is not a motivational tool to pick you up only on rainy days. He is GOD. And he deserves to have a relationship with us. He deserves our enthusiasm and we will never be worthy of what he has to offer us.

Sure, we will never be as innocent as we once were as children. And we now see the pain that the world holds--but instead of looking at it as a wound, glance at this as a shift. God simply shifts from the role of 'Jesus Loves Me' sing song to the Father and protector that we all need. He is our light and he is our path and he is our way.

And finally, he will never let us go. God is relentless and he will speak to us time and time again; and it is up to us to listen. We are Christ's children and he loves us more than anything.

A girl will always be her father's 'little girl', whether or not she still wears pigtails; and we will always be God's children. It's just time for you to look up and rekindle the relationship you once had as a child. Because it's never to late.

Be Still

So recently I got an amazing opportunity to hear Bill Nye speak at my school (Yes guys, it was THE Science Guy). He had some amazing things to say about how the world worked and how we could all do a little to make things better. However, he then moved into mentioning the debate he had recently about the age of the universe--and in doing so he began to mock The Bible.

Obviously I was not okay with this.

He was asked what it would take for him to believe, and trust me, its a whole lot. Some people just have to have proof.

So that's what I'm moving into now, the fact that so many people want this proof that God exists. And I can tell you now, there never will be--at least not 'true' proof. But in my opinion, there was never meant to be.

''He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."' Pslam 46:10

BE STILL.

There is a reason that it is called faith. God wants us to love him and come to him without this 'proof' that so many demand to need. That is like me wanting proof that my parents love me before loving them in return; it doesn't work like that.

God is everywhere. He is in the sunset and he is in the oceans that rise. He is in every breath and he is with every second. There is nothing scientific about him because he was not created by science, he is the creator of all. You can not prove that God exists.

Sure, you can put meat behind Christ's existence and behind the prophets that walked the earth. You can match up certain points in history to show where things occurred, but when it comes down to the juice of who Christ was, and what he did...well if you are waiting for some material proof, it will never come.

Science would not exist without God, so explain to me why he would need to prove existence of himself?

BE STILL 
Maybe there is not 'magic' in the world, but replace the term magic with the essence of God's creation and his beauty instead; it is then that you will see it everywhere. I find it magnificent how the human body works--you can't tell me that came without a creator. I see a butterfly flutter its wings and take flight--you can't tell me that evolved from evolution alone. I look out to the earth and I see mountains, and trees, and hills, and rivers; all of which form a miraculous picture--you can't tell me that is because of a random bang.

It doesn't work that way.

So no, Science Guy, there is no scientific proof that my creator exists. There's just proof of him and him alone in everything.

Maybe it's time that we stop debating and we just live as He wants us to. Maybe we use words at times, but WE are part of the proof that he left behind. So be convincing. Be strong. And try to be as beautiful as he created you.

It's Not JUST Sex.

Remember the time when sex was used to seal a marriage? Remember when it was only for that honeymoon night and the days that followed?

That's right lovelies, we are talking about sex today.

As a 18 year old female, I have to say that I see sex EVERYWHERE. I have been told for the past few years that it's just something you do when you love someone, when you've been with the same person for awhile. When it's the right person.

Once upon a time parents in TV shows weren't shown in the bedroom because it implied the concept of sexual acts, but now it's in just about every show. Sex scenes, sex scandals, drunk sex mistakes. It's rare for me to find a young adult novel that doesn't have a sex implication within it.

The most recent example of this was in the last book within a series that I've read since 8th grade. I love the series and it is a very clean series, but in this last novel the characters slept together--it didn't 'show' it, but you knew it. What struck me as the off note though was the fact the characters were younger than me. and I'm young.

Guys, it's not JUST sex.

God created sex as a beautiful moment for marriage, it was his wedding gift to us. Being in a relationship is enough to form emotional bonds that you may never let go of--but sex just intensifies that. To be with someone in such a physical and passionate way results in parts of yourself being left behind with them. Kind of like ducktape. Put two pieces of that tape together, and then pull them apart, and neither are the pieces that they originally were--parts of the other are suck with them.

So yes, hate me if you want, but I stand by my firm belief that sex is something to be in marriage and marriage only.

Recently my mom compared sex to a Christmas present. That present is no to be peeked at, shaken, or touched until Christmas morning--otherwise the gift and the surprise is ruined.

I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, because that is your choice alone, but ill say that before committing THE act, think.

Think about your future husband and whether or not it would cause problems.
Think about the emotional commitment that comes from it.
And more importantly, Think about yourself. You owe yourself the respect of your body in the knowledge that you are special and you are a daughter of Christ.

I don't care if he loves you. I don't care if you love him. The greatest respect, and the greatest gift, is the fact that he would wait for you. Now that is commitment.

So yes, I went there.

Have a wonderful day everyone, love you all.
-Kelsey

If Only I Knew

I would like to start off by saying that I post things when I have something laid on my heart, not when I'm on a schedule. But with that said, I thought I'd just take a few minutes to talk about relationships or more importantly, God's hand in relationships.

Everyone wants to be loved and no one necessarily wants to be alone. We have young teenagers entering the 'dating' world at sixth grade; but why? It isn't as if these kids are searching for their future husband, but instead they've been raised in a society where dating is the norm. So we date, and we date, and we get our hearts broken countless times--or we are just stuck in a bad relationship with the wrong people. Yet it recently became very clear to me that every person that enters my life is part of God's plan. Or more specifically, I'd like to take a personal example when it comes to my best friend, and boyfriend, Alec.

My childhood friend had just joined band in desperation to keep up with her, I flew into it too. Ironically enough, about a week after I had gotten in, she had dropped out. Regardless, it was in that 6th grade band class that I met Alec. And sure, I grew a little girl crush on the guy as we goofed around and quietly whispered back and forth to one another for the entire year, but never did I think it would develop into something much greater. 

(It is now that I'd like to make a comment saying that if I could thank Emily for one thing--given that we weren't friends much longer after that year--it would be that because of her I joined band. A place where I really found my rooting and made friends. To me, that's God. Putting people in your life to take you certain places) 

Back to my story though, entering 7th grade and 8th grade Alec was always in the picture as I moved through classes, and we even tried to 'date' once (That is until he had a crush on my best friend and of course, I couldn't have that). But in the end we drifted into highschool two different people who really didn't talk all that much. That isn't to say that we didn't talk at all, in fact he was always that one person that no matter how desperately I was trying to hold in some emotion, he'd always manage to string it out of me with one look of his blue eyes. I never knew why. 

My sophomore year I got into a relationship with another guy and to make things short, I dated him for nearly two years. It was a learning experience being in that relationship but it was nowhere near perfect either. Point of mentioning it though is the fact that every time he'd see me talking to Alec or he had just talked to Alec (because they were 'kinda-sorta' friends) he'd come to me and get irritated saying 'He likes you, you know he does.' and my response would always be the same 'Alec? No. I don't like Alec and I won't ever. No.' To say the least, we know where this story is headed. 

I broke up with him in the summer and at the start of Senior year, I had started talking to Alec.  We'd text everyday, all day, and within that month we had started dating. I'm not even sure how we got there. So here I am, here we are, a year later and I couldn't feel any happier. For four years Alec was that guy in the background who I'd always notice, who I could always talk to, and who always cared about what was happening with me. I know without a doubt that God weaved him through my path--whether or not that is for the long run or if he is just in this moment, well that is for God to know and for me to live. But I know he is meant to be here. I know this is healthy. and I know this is a Godly relationship in ways that I never had before. 

Alec is my bestfriend. 

So don't worry about when and where that perfect person will come into your life. I've heard some crazy stories about how others have found their match, because when it comes down to it there is someone that God had placed aside for you should you follow his path. There is a reason that we are supposed to wait for marriage, because there will be people along the road that you just aren't meant to be with. 

So there's my spew about my love life, and this is not being written only to you but also to God. Because I thank him everyday for Alec. I really do. 

Have a wonderful day and check back here later this week for more! 

-Kelsey 

Welcome!

So to those who were following my blog 'The Stive' at thestrive.blog.com, well, the website wasn't really working so I decided to move it over! But we will be here from now on at 'Withthestrive.blogspot.com'. Thank you all and God bless!