Chef Nick

So every morning at 5:45 am, my sweet incredible husband gets up and makes this!

Nick dices onion, spinach, and red bell pepper. Then he sautees that while he separates the eggs so we eat egg white omelets. Then voila! This is my breakfast to start off my workout every morning, so sweet!

I know it's silly, but it is little things like making breakfast for me every morning that make me love Nick. He is so giving and loving in many ways, I am so blessed to have him. 

This is to you my dear Chef Nick! Smooch!

Only One Thing Is Needed

I have had a week of a lifetime I feel. I have not felt this full, this loved, this beautiful, and so close to the Lord in a while. The story of Mary and Martha is such a crucial story in my life that God uses so often to draw me back to what is most important in life.

Being in ministry is working for the Lord so most people assume that working for the Lord is very fueling, you are always with God, loving Him, serving Him, and being full by pouring out. Yet, it is probably close to the opposite of that. We see when Jesus comes to the house of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 that Mary immediately sits at the feet of Jesus as Martha is BUSY doing preparations for Jesus. When Martha asks Jesus to intervene, he looks over and says, "Martha, Martha..., you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

I experienced this first hand last week. I had been slowly moving God down my list of priorities and through hurtful and hard circumstances, God brought me to a place of brokenness and sanctification. I was in the crucible as Jesus said to me, "Caitlyn you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. You have to choose what is better, and it will not be taken away from you." Hearing those words is one thing, until I actually ran after what matters with all that I am.

God is a faithful, steady, loving, merciful, gracious, God who longs to sit with you, commune with you, and speak to you. Yet, in life and in ministry life we often never slow down long enough to say, "Here I am Jesus, my mind, my body, my soul, refine me, use me, speak to me, your servant is listening."

My ministry peeps, remember that your soul and your relationship with God is what matters most. You may think that your "work" your Bible studying for your lessons is really fueling you and that is your quiet time with God. Yet, would you read about your girlfriend or boyfriend in order to get to know them, or would you converse and listen to them? If you feel as though every day you are at work you are digging from your reserve, check yo self, check yo tank, meet with God.

I no longer want to be a Martha: I will no longer check my email before sitting with God, I will no longer study in my quiet time to simply find that scripture for my devotional that night. I will no longer clean my whole house before sitting in my favorite chair with my coffee, journal, and Bible. I refuse to allow excuses to get between me and Jesus.

I believe God moves and speaks through many avenues, here are a few that I have heard from this week.

Only one thing is needed.......to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen.

Freedom

If Jesus died to break the chains and give us freedom why do we continue to allow ourselves to live in bondage? Just as Romans 6:17-19 says, "Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously you let yourself be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy." Now I know this and believe it, but I have been struggling with living it. 

We live in a world, in a community that expects the best in every area of your life, no matter the cost. Girls we live in a world that bombards us with thin, sexy, beautiful, airbrushed women in magazines, movies, music videos, and advertisements. I am one admittedly that has bought into this, and yet with every step I take closer to the ideal woman in America, the farther I walk from God and holiness. 

Vanity is often never addressed when in all reality we struggle with it. I mean how often do I catch myself looking and lingering in the mirror only to continually tear down myself and come out very unsatisfied. This all leading to more hours in the gym and less calories in my day. 

Then there I was, broken, lonely, tired, and hungry! Then there was God, "You are fearfully and wonderfully made!" You are beautiful more than you know, no matter what your pants size, no matter what your body shape, no matter your fat percentage, you are gorgeous and even more beautiful on the inside. Cliche, yes I know, but the truth of the matter is, I will never be good enough in the world's eyes, and I am ok with that.

 I wish more girls heard how beautiful they were, imagine the impact this would have on a girls life if they heard that more from their father and mother than they ever did from their first boyfriend.

I don't want to live any longer in these chains, Jesus already won, why live in the loss. I am a slave to righteousness, running after the things that matter most, Jesus, and storing up my treasures in heaven!