bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

When we don’t know what’s next

When we're busy looking for the will of God we miss the opportunities in front of us. We’ll probably never know all the details of what God has in store for us. And if we did, we’d probably be overwhelmed. What we do see, is what’s placed in front of us each day. We know we have to go to this class, make that phone call, pick up some bread and ketchup at the grocery store, send that email, go to the gym, take the dog for a walk, meet her for coffee, go to the post office, turn in that assignment, etc.

And that’s all He asks—for us to be faithful with what we’re given and to trust Him. We don’t have to have an extravagantly detailed five-year plan (although sometimes He might reveal that). We just have to faithfully take care of the day to day. Not in such a way that we waste our time but making the most of it. Working while we’re waiting. Preparing for whatever He might have us do next while going about our daily lives.  

Instead of searching for God’s will we need to realize that He’s already revealed it to us through the Spirit moment by moment. When we live each minute conscious of the fact that it is God ordained, we are walking in His will.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that” ~James 4:13-15

 

bluebirduncaged for artists, Things I'm learning

a letter to Jesus following artists

…fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience…~1 Timothy 1:18,19

 

Dear Jesus following artist,

I know you’re at a crucial place in your career. It’s time to make a decision; is this what you really want to pursue? You think it is, you think this is where God is calling you. But it’s so dark, it’s messy, that environment is not entirely healthy. You’re wondering if you’re even ready to handle that. I mean, what if you fall away from the Jesus path? In other words, how do you keep your faith in the arts world?

Good question. Every Jesus following artist wants to know how to be in the world but not of it. It would be easy if we could condense it to a formula or three-step plan but learning to answer this question is part of the journey. Here’s a few things I’ve learned so far. 

First of all, Don’t let the fear of “losing your faith” keep you from pursuing what God has called you to do. If God is calling you into the arts, go for it!! Yes, it might feel safer and more comfortable to stay in our little, Christian bubble but would that be walking by faith? To put it bluntly, would it be obedient? We were put on this Earth to be lights in the world (Matthew 5:16). Know and live confidently in the promise that if He leads you somewhere He will equip, guide, and protect you on the journey while glorifying and drawing people to Himself (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Most importantly, keep your eyes on Jesus. Immerse yourself in scripture so that you will be ready for anything at any time (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3). Renew your mind with His Truth so that you will be able to distinguish what is wise and right (Romans 12:2). Also, constantly check your motives and goals. Ask Him to mold your dreams and desires to His (and be ready for this to be a painful process). Let Him be your ultimate goal and you will be fulfilled. 

I know sometimes it feels like we’re all alone. And as much as it sometimes seems appealing to be an island, we’re not meant to be. Surround yourself with like-minded community both in and outside of your environment (Hebrews 10:24-25). There’s something about being around other people that inspires, connects, and encourages us in our work. As the body of Christ, we’re instructed to work together to further the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Also, find a mentor; allow yourself to be vulnerable with and honestly accountable to someone. It really helps. 

Sometimes the lines can get a little fuzzy when we venture into the territory of standards. We often overcompensate with a bunch of rules when we should be listening to the Holy Spirit. Yes, our lives will look different from those around us but be careful not to major on minors. Let your life be different because of the work of the Holy Spirit within you, rather than the rules you follow. Ultimately, living out our faith is an individual process that looks different for everyone but whatever you do, do not compromise the standards God has set. Your career is not worth a conscious decision to live in sin (Titus 2:7-8). Remember that everything from our attitude to our actions represents Jesus (Phillipians 2:13-15)

I’m going to be honest. It’s a hard road. And it’s not always clearly marked. It’s a walk of faith being led by the Holy Spirit day by day. I know sometimes it feels like all the pressure is on us to rep Jesus well. But we have to remember it’s not, he can rep Himself just fine without our help.  Yes, we will make mistakes along the way but you know what’s beautiful? We serve a God of grace. A God who will equip and prepare us to handle whatever situation we’re brought through. He’s the One who will speak through us in our weaknesses and use our tiny, broken stories to invite people into His great big, beautiful story.

Be encouraged. Make your art. Be inspired by the Master Artist. Boldly proclaim His freedom. Confidently embrace the creativity He’s given you. Fearlessly pursue the dream He’s planted in you. Remember that you’re not alone and keep shining! 

…stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain ~1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

 

Standing with you,

Rebekah

 

 

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

the head, the heart, and middle school

I originally wrote this as a guest post for Caitlin's Keeper or Creeper series. Head on over to her blog to check it out.

Heart leaf

 

Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it ~Proverbs 4:23 NIV

For me, it started in middle school. Crushes, blushing, giggly sleepovers full of gossip as to who likes who, drama… you know what I mean. Those hormones kick in and we start to notice that maybe boys don’t have cooties after all, and we start picking out our outfits according to what “they” would think is cool. It all seems innocent until we let our imagination run away with our heart.

On my 13th birthday, my dad gave me a ring. Daddy told me the ring was to remind me of a few things, one of which was to guard my heart. And so began my journey of figuring out what exactly this meant and how to do it.

Our heart is our most vulnerable, sensitive, and fragile part of our soul. What we fill our hearts with determines what comes out of them (Matthew 6:21). And what comes out of them shapes our identity. Every choice we make sets a trajectory of how our hearts will respond in future situations. 

The condition of our hearts is evident in our everyday lives. Yet we don’t always realize how much of it we are revealing. Some parts are meant to shine through, yet some parts are meant to stay hidden only to be uncovered by one person. We have to find a balance between being real and vulnerable yet wise and discerning. But there’s also a thin line between fortifying the boundaries of our heart and locking it up in isolation to shrivel and harden. We have to keep our hearts soft and moldable, yet strong and discerning. 

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart,…For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks ~Luke 6:45 

Ultimately, learning to guard and focus our hearts is an individual process led by the Holy Spirit. We will never be able to shrink it down to a formula or step by step plan. But through wisely stewarding our actions, relationships, and emotional energy we take an active role in preparing ourselves for the future. In the meantime, here are a few things that have helped me: 

 

  • Find your treasure in Jesus
  • Know your identity is in Christ and who He says you are (not in someone else or their opinion/approval)
  • Combat wandering thoughts with prayer and the truth of scripture. Every time, a temptation or unhealthy train of thought enters your head, immediately counter it with a memory verse or prayer target.
  • Know your weaknesses and don’t put yourself in compromising situations
  • Journal it out. If that’s how you roll, getting it on paper helps organize thoughts and sift motives
  • Be vulnerable with a mentor. There’s something about being honest and accountable. 
  • Trust His timing. In other words, maybe stop looking.

When our hearts are in the right place, we are free to be who God made us to be. We become secure in our identity and live out our story without the fear or pressure of “making it all work.” Our confidence rests not in ourselves but the One who holds and forms our hearts. And when our heart is focused and fulfilled in Him, everything else falls into place.

How do you guard your heart?

 

bluebirduncaged Something to think about, Things I'm learning

We have so much potential because we have Jesus! We have a greater story to tell, we have absolute truth to proclaim, we’ve found freedom. Not because we’re creating something but because we know the Creator. Because by sharing our story, we’re sharing a bigger story. A story of brokenness and shame overcome by redemption, beauty, and grace. A story of love and sacrifice for the undeserving. A story of majesty in the mess. And through our art we can invite people into this story, because they can relate to it. Because it starts and ends with Jesus. 

 

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

Love gracefully

Deed and truth

Love…

It seems to be a theme lately. Not the sappy, romantic kind that everyone hypes about but the real, genuine love that knows no boundaries, sees people for who they really are, doesn’t change because of circumstance, and doesn’t hinge on personal judgment. 

A while ago, I decided to love people without judging them. I asked God to teach me to see people for the way He did. Slowly, I’m learning what this looks like. How do you love unconditionally? How do you accept someone even if you don’t condone their behavior? 

A few weeks ago, I was reading 1 John 3. Verse 18 really jumped out at me…
 

    Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and in truth
 

 Some days later, I thought of the phrase love gracefully. I don’t know, it just came to me and I thought it sounded cool. At first I was thinking graceful in the elegant sense but then it hit me–that’s exactly what love is, full of grace!

We manifest our love toward others in through our actions; extending them the grace we have received ourselves. We don’t have to agree with their choices or beliefs (that’s between them and God) but we can speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and point them to the One who loved us to the point of death. 

Love is a conscious decision to put yourself aside and see others the way God sees them. It’s treating others with the respect and dignity they deserve because they are made in His image. It’s getting past the outward manifestations of deeper issues and meeting people where their heart really is. 

May God continue to teach us to love gracefully in deed and in truth. 

Love gracefully

 

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

It's ok to admit that it hurts.
You don't have to pretend that you don't care.
But don't throw yourself a pity party. 

Choose not to look for answers.
Don't overanalyze it. 
You don't have to know why.

You are not called to live in fear.
Or worry.
Or bitterness.

All you have to know is that there's a bigger plan.
Your life is in His hands.
Rest in that.  

Let Him calm your anxious heart.

Live each moment in His grace.
Declare His freedom.
Invest in the paths that cross yours.

Leave the rest up to Him.
He's got it.

bluebirduncaged Guest posts, Things I'm learning

Guest post: Imitators of God

It was an overcast Saturday afternoon and, aside from the casual gust of soft breeze, all was still. I was hiking higher up the mountain, aided with the support of a crudely-shaped walking stick. As I went on, I tried to use the moment I had apart from the group to do some cleanup in my head. Much was on my mind. Aside from the occasional thoughts that pass through one’s head on any given day, my mind wandered from how I was missing swim practice that weekend, to my aching feet, then onto the steaks awaiting my eager stomach at the house. This continued for some time. As I look back on the moment, it is interesting to see how much “me” was in the equation. I tried to move my focus to God and away from myself, but it seemed that nothing was doing the trick. Then I began to pray. I simply told Him “thank you” and gave Him praise. But even then, it seemed that it wasn’t enough.

It had been roughly five miles since I set out from the base of the mountain, and the going was getting tough. The hill inclined sharply and my feet seemed to be giving in, not to mention the increased pressure on my injured knees. I was getting tired. I didn’t want to stop, for I wanted to see how high this trail would go. As I pushed forward, I began to realize that the seemingly never-ending rows of trees were lessening. Sky was in the distance… I was nearing the top. I climbed faster up the slope, and the ground under my feet began to level. It was a good feeling. Then the trees opened out into a field. And as I stepped forward, I felt a soft breeze flow over my face. I looked around. There were trees surrounding the field, except for a small gap about a hundred feet in front of me. Through this break in the trees, I could see mountain after mountain. The rows appeared to extend for miles. The scenery was beautiful. 

It was then that I felt His presence. I think it was almost as if God was telling me, “just look at how great I am. Cast all your thoughts aside and look at me… trust in me, love me, live like you love me. I created all of this with the words of my mouth; I spoke and everything came to be…” At this I couldn't help but fall on my knees and worship the only One worthy of any praise. 

Many times, I think it is exceedingly easy to fall into a rut… a rut of only going through the motions and not actually living life out as if we really are children of God. Often times, we get so caught up in ourselves and all that is going on around us that we lose sight of our true purpose in life. God calls us to be fishers of men, a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand… He calls us to be imitators of Him, to not be the lukewarm Christian testing out the waters; but rather, He wants us to be a glowing ball of fire for Him. He wants us to be all in; anything less is dishonorable to His greatness and majesty.  

 

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” [Col. 1:16]

Caleb is a motion media student at Savannah College of Art and design. Visit his blog below.

image from www.diaddigo.com

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

Boxes and Labels

As humans, we like to organize our world by placing things in categories. In order to create order, we group things together. Bugs with six legs are called insects, those with eight are arachnids. History is the study of past events whereas math deals with numbers and their relationships. We box things together in order to consider them as one unit and label them for easy reference. This is great for organizing physical things but when we start to do this with people, it can be detrimental.   

Granted, the boxes people put us in and the labels we try to portray help shape our identities. But is it really who we are? Personally, I would like to bust out of a few boxes people have put me in because they don’t fully define me. Sometimes I’m proud of the labels attached to my name but sometimes, I wish people wouldn’t view me that way. When other people place expectations on us, we either feel pressured to conform to them or rebel against them. We all know what it’s like to have boxes and labels put on us, but have we thought about it from the other side?

Often, we’re so quick to place people in our categories of stereotypes and preconceived ideas that it hinders our ability to see people for who they really are. George MacDonald writes “We are all very anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much more necessary—to understand other people.” What if instead of dismissing people, because of the category we think they belong in, we looked for opportunities to love on them and find ways to understand them fully? What if we tried to extend grace to everyone like God did to us instead of being so quick to judge?

Maybe the guy who just ripped you up with criticism really just needs some encouragement and affirmation. Maybe the rude checkout lady has more going on than you can imagine and needs a friendly smile. Maybe that lazy and annoying co-worker could use a friend.

Let’s break down the boxes, rip the labels off, and try to understand the people around us.

 In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ~Phillipians 2:3b-4

bluebirduncaged Something to think about, Things I'm learning

For you were called to freedom,…through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" ~Galatians 5:13-14

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…Beyond all these things put on love which is the perfect bond of unity. ~Col. 3:12-14

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments…are summed up in this one rule. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. ~Romans 13:8-10

bluebirduncaged Books, Things I'm learning

Not safe but good

“Who is Aslan?” asked Susan.
“Aslan?” said Mr, Beaver. “Why don’t you know? He’s the King. He’s the Lord of the whole wood, …”

“Is–is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and son of the great Emperor-beyond-the Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion–the Lion, the great Lion”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he–quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and that’s no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just silly”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe?  ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you”
                                            ~C.S. Lewis
                                             The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe