How Can I Help YOU?

With life hitting you hard every chance it gets, taking time to give importance to the little joys in life is key. And nothing makes you as satisfyingly happy as helping another brother or sister. It helps your focus on God when you take the routine self-centeredness and center your focus on someone else's needs. After watching What Would You Do?(an ABC tv show that uncovers how people react in adverse situations), I'm reminded that sometimes it takes a leader to do the right thing in order for others to harness that same courage.

Working in retail at Old Navy is one of those challenges that constantly puts me in my place to put others before myself. Retail sounds easy but there are angry and annoyed customers out there who really just have it out to make you miserable sometimes. I used to be really bitter towards this job until I saw that God was giving me an opporunity to interact with people one-on-one and truly make a difference to someone's day.

Dying to yourself is so hard, and yet it was one of the qualities Christ exemplified best. Through all of his roles as passionate leader, advocate for the weak, and sacrifice to the world, all required a level of servitude only the Holy One could be fully committed to. Time and again, he left his own needs wanting in order to show pure and unconditional love to an undeserving audience.

My hope for this week is that God would present me with opportunities to serve others, giving my own desires little regard. 2 Corinthians 9:19 has resonated with me continuously, "Though I am free and belong to no man, I am a slave to everyone so that I may win as many as possible." And that's our job here: dying to ourselves in order to take up the cross which Jesus gave us the honored duty to carry.

God, give me the strength to leave narcissism at the door. I want to serve as You do, with my whole heart.

Diane Elise

Weary and Satisfied

This week has already been so crazy. There have been tests, quizzes, hoework, group assignments, work, the list goes on. I've been running all over the place trying to get all this stuff done but my sense of peace and comfort has not left me thankfully.

It's taken me a long time to figure out that God gives us what we need and also what we ask for. I think without turning to Him constantly this week I would have been frazzled and frustrated. But with His help I've been surprisingly grounded and carefree even with all the work I see ahead of me.

Life has proven time and again to be tempestuous and unpredictable. It's so much easier now though that I've found the One True Constant. He has given me unprecedented strength and peace this week and I am so grateful to be beyond the worries of this world.

Thank you God for the patience you've supplied me with this week,

Diane Elise