JESUS, HOW ARE YOU ROMANCING ME TODAY?

Some of you might be confused by the title: "this girl is crazy. Jesus isn't her boyfriend. Jesus is the Lord and Savior. He's not supposed to be romantic." 

And that my friend, is where you are wrong. 

We are called to love God. We are called to serve God. We are called to long for God. 

Well, Kaley, where are you going with this? I've heard all those things a thousand times. 

God longs for US too. He wants to spend time with us. He wants to captivate us and have all our attention on him. 

He wants to make us HIS. 

I'm sure you've heard a thousand times: God is a jealous God. 

God wants to captivate us with his Beauty just like each and every woman wants to captivate a man in her life. 

God wants YOU. 

As I was reading my favorite book, Captivating, (the book you will here about a lot) I got to this and just stopped: "Jesus, how are you romancing me now?" 

God wants to know you intimately. God wants to know everything about you. God wants to capture your heart. 

So look around you. Do you like sunsets? Look at the one in the sky and how beautiful it is. That's God talking to you. 

Let yourself be vulnerable. Let Him romance you. It changed my life. 

The Life of a Key

On Wednesday night at youth group, we learned about how we are like keys. This lesson was one of the most interesting lessons I have ever learned and I felt really called to share it with others. 

Rejected and reclaimed: 

a key is created uniquely with a specific lock in mind. It's sole purpose to operate that lock. 

If the lock is lost, the key goes into the reject box. The key can also be dismissed or lost. It is labeled, "Not worthy of the key ring" or "not useful anymore" 

Set aside. Cut wrong. 

To no fault of their own, they end up in the box. Just like us. We find ourselves in that box because of how the world has put labels on us. 

R E J E C T E D. 

Have you ever been put in the reject box? Or felt like it?

It may have been because of your choices or the choices of others, but you still feel like that is where you are. 

Life happens. 

We make mistakes. People hate us because of who we are. Things just happen. 

God restores and reclaims the ragamuffins by His redeeming power. 

 The definition (By Merriam-Webster) is: a child who is dressed in rags and is usually dirty and poor

We are ragamuffins. A ragamuffin should be selfless not selfish, obedient not rebellious. Soft heart, not hard heart. Builds others up, not push them down. 

Seeks good, not the bad, defender of the weak, a block to lean on, not to stumble over, one with deep trust in God.

God is a God of redemption and he will redeem you. 

Redeemed means to buy back, to reclaim, recover, repossess. 

GOD WANTS TO DO THIS FOR YOU. 

All you need to say to him is:

For better or worse, I will live for YOU, God. 

He has done the work of redemption on the cross. Give your life over to Christ and he will redeem you. 

When life gets bad, we struggle and want something different.  we will always have God to redeem us DAILY. 

Galatians 6:1 says, "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." 

Romans 14:13 says,

"Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother."

A good song that I hear constantly is "Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave. This song is so beautiful and gives me chills every time.  

God restores as life happens.

You don't have to stay in that reject box because God wants you to come back to Him. 

Fact: There are at least 17 different kinds of keys. 

Then, when the lesson was almost over, we were given keys that Kevin, my youth minister, had spent his time hammering each key. 

On each key, it says "PERSUE, HEB 13:8" 

1. "God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow" -Heb 13:8

2. PURSUE: To pursue hard after God everyday. 

This is a good reminder that everyday we need to pursue God constantly and keep our eyes on him. HE is our freedom. 

3. That our youth group may be a place where everyone can find that restoring reclaiming and redeeming power of God. 

Each key is different. Each key turned out a different way. Each key has it's own story of why it was put in the reject box. 

Just like you and I. We have been rejected by the world but called back by God. 

Remember: 

YOU ARE WORTH IT.

A giving God and wonderful sunsets.

God is a romantic guy. He sends us signs constantly, we just have to look harder. He wants to know YOU and what YOU love. Sunset skies are my deepest passion and he knows that. I am so thankful. I am in love with the Creator of the Universe. 

I've been reading a book called "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge. It has encouraged me to start a blog and talk about my journey of becoming a woman that God created me to be. It has taught me to be thankful for the things that God gave me and continuously gives me daily. It has taught me to find myself through God and God alone. It has taught me to find happiness through God and not others. It has taught me to forgive those who have hurt me in the past. And I think I'm finally ready. So join me on my journey! It's gonna be a good one!

I'm trying....