What is Our Purpose in Life?

What is our purpose in life?



That is the million dollar question...one that people have been asking themselves for centuries! Philosophers and teachers have been arguing and debating this one question coming up with many different answers!



So what is our purpose here? We have to be breathing for a reason...right?? I sure hope so!

Is it to have the coolest job? Have the most money? Have many fans and friends? Have the best kids? Or is it to find true love?

Is our purpose in life to have great success???



Many people believe that success is our sole purpose in life! Wow....I would definitely be failing in life then...just saying!!

But once you get to the end of your life does money, love, jobs, house, etc really matter?

As believers we live for something so, so much more!

We live for Christ!!

Which, can I just say, is the greatest honor given to mankind?!?

God created us in the very beginning of time to glorify and praise Him!

We live for something greater than ourselves! Sure, we think that we are pretty great and that living for ourselves wouldn't be so bad, but it is so pointless!!!

Can you take success, money, fame, friends, and family with you once to die? We would like to think we could...but we can't!

So glorifying God is the number one purpose of life!!

It honestly just makes sense that we should worship and glorify the very being that created and brought us to life!!!!

Spreading the gospel to unbelievers is another one of our purposes in life!!



God commanded us to share the gospel!!! And why wouldn't we want to??

If you know something exciting and it has drastically changed your life don't you want to share it with everyone?? Sure!! It is something exciting and important to you and you just want everyone else to share in the excitement!!
For example...you found your soul-mate...the love of your life!!! You are so excited and happy that you just want everyone else around you happy too... so you try to match up your friends and make them happy!!!

How is that any different than wanting to share God's love and redemption story with everyone around? Except for the fact that a person's eternal salvation is on the line, while match-making friends isn't!!

Our purpose in life is to glorify God and share the gospel!!! Not too hard right?? Hahaha... if only our own selfish desires didn't get in the way... right?

Behind The Line Of Fire

**Warning...this post is not a light-hearted one!!**

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Timothy 3:12

Here are some facts about persecution....

Each month:
-322 Christians are killed for their faith
-214 Churches and Christian properties are destroyed
-772 Forms of violence are committed against Christians (such as beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests, and forced marriages) 

(opendoorsusa.com)

So, from these statistics...I think we can gather that Christian persecution still exists today!

No, it is not just an old biblical thing.

The thing that really sparked the idea for this post actually happened about a month an a half ago! Oh well, I needed time to really think and pray about this one!


Well...my wonderful grandmother, knowing how much I love the World War 2 era and any kind of spy...thing, took me to a presentation about Female spies during WWII! It was amazing!
I got to hear about all of these strong women, dedicated to their country and their mission!
I think I aspire to be like them after hearing some of their stories!

What really hit me was the fact that these women carried out their mission to the very end! Even if it meant having to sacrifice their life!

I was just so inspired by that! The fact that they kept going, even if their cover was blown!

I was thinking about this in relation to my own life...How does what they did apply to me? Right now...in the 21st century....for a 17 year old...or for anyone for that matter!

Well...I began to think....this could really relate to persecution!

I began to think of all the people in the various countries being held in prison, tortured, and the such, all because they refuse to denounce Jesus Christ as their Savior and turn their back on Him! They are the true heroes in my opinion!

They are there, never swaying from what they believe in, fighting the good fight! These Christians are dedicating their life to sharing the Gospel.

I have read stories of persecuted Christians that actually witness to their persecutors! They are that in love with Jesus that they want EVERYONE to know about His love, and grace!

We all face some kind f persecution in one way or another! Sure, in America we are not publicly persecuted, but we can be in little ways!

So what can we do with our persecutions?

Well we can start by praying for faith and perseverance just like our brothers and sisters in the other countries!
Christ will give us strength to get through anything! No matter the struggle!

What can we do about our brothers and sisters that are getting tortured and imprisoned for their beliefs?  

There is this amazing website called Voice of the Martyrs that is helping these people in tangible ways! Not to mention they give you personal things that you can pray for!

http://www.persecution.com/

Well that's it folks! Sorry for taking so long to get this out!! I kept rewriting it because it never sounded right! So...here is the 4th Edition!!

Love,
Cait

What Has Happened to Community?

I know, I know! I said that my next post would be about missions and my mission trip experiences, but....................................

I got distracted!

It happens a lot....maybe I have ADD.....see there it goes again!

Oh boy...

Okay, well, I have been thinking about this lately with the Baltimore Riots happening and all that.

I asked myself..."Why did this happen? What started this?" Yes I know...

Ferguson happened

and then

Freddie Gray happened

but I'm trying to think deeper! What is the underlying problem here?

Now....I was hesitant to write this post due to the controversy of this particular subject, but I just shrugged my shoulders and said "Ehhh, who cares?" I'm a rebel like that!

Anyway, the underlying problem....what is it?

I had a discussion with some of my family members recently and kinda answered my question.

The underlying problem is (I think, in my limited 17 years of observation)

The church.

I know! A shock! We Christians are supposed to be the ones who promote peace and help people!

We are the GODLY people! We don't start these kind of things!

Or do we?

Jesus talks a lot about community and loving each other.

For example:

Hebrews 10:24-25
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Mark 12:31
"The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Last one;

Romans 13:10
"Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

But honestly...

We as a church body are pretty bad at this.

We are not in our community like we should be! We focus so much on the structure of the building, the 'ministries', the various activities that are provided for church people and their 'friends', but you don't see people outside of the church in their community! Sure, you do sometimes, but it isn't common.

Maybe the actual 'church' building is a hindrance for us...maybe we go there on Sundays, and for that one activity that you do weekly, etc.

Maybe we shouldn't even have a building! Okay that might be taking it a little far, but the point is that I think we get so wrapped up in the building and the various ministries that we forget the people outside of those walls! 

I work for a secular nonprofit that does almost exactly what we should be doing!

They are out there providing for people's needs and truly loving on people. People feel safe as soon as they walk through those doors! There are workers that go out into the community just helping out a family that lost a loved one, or a family that just had a baby, or even just a listening ear!

Why don't we do that?

It is the church's job to be providing for people's needs, both physical and spiritual, but why is that not happening?

Why are these secular programs and the government having to step up and do that?

I mean, the government is setting up all this welfare stuff to 'help' people with poverty.

But isn't that our job? To help people, build relationships, and share the gospel?

Why don't we start doing what Christ told us to do! Stop being SO singly focused on what is happening INSIDE the building and start focusing on the people OUTSIDE of the building.


Well guys, this was kind of a harder post, a little less carefree! I just had that conversation and just felt like I needed to share!

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Love you all!!

~ Cait

The College Student's Nemesis

It's an omnipresent part of life. It can trigger the "fight-or-flight" response, which can cause hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body.

Stress...a college student's nemesis!

 


As a college student, I struggle with stress every single day!

I'm constantly running through my mental and physical lists of everything I have to complete! It's exhausting!

I try to balance getting good grades, homework, social life, relationships, and work!

I've come to realize that I can't control the common stressors in my life.....but I can control how I react to them!

Instead of getting frustrated and taking my anger and frustration out on people and my poor punch bag ( yes, I do punch things when I'm upset) I can pause and reflect on the root problem here.

The root problem is that I'm not trusting these problems and things that are stressing me out to Christ!

I've been trying to get into the habit of speaking truth to myself in moments of overwhelming truth and I do this with some Bible verses that kind of speak about stress in some way, shape or form...

Here a couple:

James 1:2-4

"2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I guess you could call some of my stressors, trials, but regardless I love this verse because I can either view my stressors as either a curse or a blessing! I can view this stressful time as a time where God is reminding me to totally surrender to Christ and rely on Him!

Psalms 94:19 

"19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Pretty much all I can say to this verse is AMEN!!!! 

Romans 8:6

"6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;"

By taking EVERY thought captive and truly analyzing it, we can determine whether truth is running through our minds or lies, planted there by the cunning devil. If we are listening to a lie we can quickly turn it around and speak truth. 

Now this verse or should I say... verses is a pretty cliche one for anxiety and stress, but I don't think we should discount it because there is truth dripping from the very words! 

Philippians 4:6-7

"6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Hmmm great words to ponder huh?

Now, how do we combat stress? I guess we talked about it a little, but I think we should look at a few tangible ways....

*DISCLAIMER: this is not a formula! These are things that work for me...this doesn't always work for everybody!*

 

- Learn how to say NO!!! If you are anything like me, saying 'no' is the hardest thing to do! I could have a ton going on, but if someone asks me to do something for them or to join something, I just can't say no! But saying no has prevented a lot of stress in my life! The more things you add to your life the higher your stress levels will go up! 

- Exercising!! Trust me! It really works! I'm not going to go into all the science behind it, but exercising releases the adrenaline hormone resulting in a much clearer head! When I'm starting to stress out about something the punch bag and the gym become my best friend! Punching the bag is much safer then punching someone else...right? Plus you can get a nice work out in! Hey! Stress can be good for something! 

-Cut somethings off your To Do list. Are there things that can wait until whenever you are less stressed? Cut them off! Save them for a less busier week! Or you could be like my best friend and get everything done BEFORE you get stressed so it is already done! Yeah she's crazy! 

- Plan things out! For all my visual friends out there...get a planner and plan out what you are going to do each day! The key is to ACTUALLY do it though! No procrastinating here, which leads me to the next point..

-DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!!!! I can not say this enough....

Procrastinating = A Ton Of STRESS. So just don't do it!

 

- Express your feelings. Don't bottle them up! Talk about it! Talking through the things that stress you out will not only give you a chance to process what you are thinking and feeling, but it will also allow someone to help you problem solve and come to a solution. 

- If all else fails....resort to chocolate! I can't personally tell you if this works because I don't like anything sweet! Least of all chocolate ( I know I'm weird...people tell me that ALL the time) But I know plenty of chocoholics and they say it works!

 
 Personally, I prefer chips and guacomole and some hot tea ( weird combination I know...don't judge)...that's my comfort food, but whatever works for you is good! Just looking at that picture makes me feel less stressed about whatever I'm stressed about! ( I don't even know what stresses me out sometimes!)

 

- I saved the BEST for last! This I know works for EVERYBODY! If you don't try any of those ideas, at least do this one! 

Prayer and being totally engrossed in God's word is KEY!! I can't stress how vital this is!! When you get up in the morning just spend like 5-10 minutes in prayer...it is a great start to the day! Whenever you start thinking you can't do something or feel like you just don't have the time, remember Philippians 4:13 " I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me."

 Well guys...I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did writing it! Maybe I will write something fun and carefree soon! 

Love you guys! 
~Cait

Finding the Light in Singleness

 I don’t really feel adequate writing on this topic, but it is something that I struggled, and still struggle with! I’m not a 26 year old where this is something that actually is a big issue, but I think I still have about the same thought process!

I cringe at the word singleness! Ugg, that word! Just, uggg! Okay I'm done! When I think of the word single I think of an old maid…. someone I would rather not be! No offense my old maid friends!

 I don't know about you (you meaning my single friends!), but I want to settle down and get married (when I’m old enough obviously!) I have had that dream for as long as I can remember! I have my wedding planned out, kid's names picked, dream home decorated…..etc!

Getting married and having that strong handsome prince charming is something that our society has…hmmm, exalted. Think of all those Disney princess movies that we girls (and guys…I’m talking to you too!!)  watched and re-watched when we were little! (*confession* I still watch them!)  

Hollywood has drilled the fact that in order to be happy or have a Happy Ever After… we must have a boyfriend or girlfriend! I hate to break it to you my friends, but though I have never had a boyfriend I can tell you that they can’t make you completely happy! They will let you down; break your heart, and a lot of other stuff! There is only one who can truly satisfy that craving for love and that is our Beloved Creator, Redeemer, Jesus Christ!

I digress…

I have struggled in the past with feelings of discontent because many of my friends around me were getting ‘asked out’, or dating, and none of that had ever happened to me! That really bothered me! It bothered me so much that it consumed me!

  

I felt sad and gave up hope that I would ever get married and be able to use those names for my kids, or decorate my dream house!

A little extreme and ridiculous? Yeah I would agree!

Those feelings were of someone who had not yet been satisfied in the point of life that God had put them in! Yeah that was me!

I can't remember the point in where God actually showed me this... whether it was book I read, a blog post, or a conversation with someone. But that is beside the point! The point is, God worked in that moment. He basically told me that I wasn’t letting Him be enough. I didn't trust Him! I was trying to take matters into my own hands and making a mess of my own heart in the process! (Now I know why we aren't center of our universe...because we really screw this thing up!)

It is super hard! I'm not denying that! Trust me I struggle with this every single day! So don't think for a minute that I am saying this is a piece of cake!

When I started to view my current singleness as a blessing, I began to think...Wow, this whole singleness thing is actually pretty cool!!! I can focus on the passions and gifts that God has given to me, I can be open to how God wants me to further his kingdom, and say yes to the opportunities that may arise out of the blue!

My friends...being married is a beautiful thing (at least I'm assuming it is! I'm not really knowledgeable in that department), but God created singleness too! He gave us a time to do everything that we want to do (those things we want to do should be what God wants us to do....just saying!) before we are having to provide for and take care of a family!

These single years are an amazing blessing my friends!!!!!

Love,

~Cait