Tag: faith

Freedom to Believe

Freedom to Believe

How I broke free from the American Church and found my faith. themessymingling.com I never realized how much the Church had a hold on my faith. Not a particular church. Just the church in general. The ways, the rules, the traditions all seemed to lead 

A Thrill of Hope

A Thrill of Hope

I walked upstairs and started picking up. I walked into the game room and noticed the Little People nativity. This is one of my favorite Christmas items. We have had it since my twelve year old was a toddler. The boys flock to it every year when we get it out of the storage tub. It doesn’t matter how old they get. They always play with that nativity set.

When I looked at the nativity, I noticed some of the characters had moved. One of the boys (I am assuming it was my youngest) had moved the wise men, the shepherds, and the animals to all face the manger. Each character was looking at Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Huh. I never thought to make them turn and look. I always had them all facing out.

Just look.

Seeing the nativity set-up this way got me to thinking about that night so long ago. Everyone stopped to look. Here was this intriguing mystery that grabbed the worlds attention. A baby born in a manger to a teenage girl fulfilling a prophecy spoken many moons ago.

It’s easy for us to keep moving when something major happens that really has no bearing on us. If it’s not in front of our face, we typically move on. But, something stopped those shepherds and wise men. Something made them look.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

They saw a star. The moment they looked, they knew a king was born and they must go. In a split second, their lives forever changed. All because they looked.

Some of us are still on the fence about this faith thing. It doesn’t really impact our daily lives, so we just keep walking. Or, it’s all so confusing and overwhelming that we look every where else thinking that’s easier. When, in reality, all we need to do is look. Look to Jesus and he will guide our steps.

God gave these men a star in the sky to lead them to their Savior: to the one who was born in order to save. They didn’t need to accomplish a check-list of things to get to him. They didn’t need to overcome their past or better themselves before they went to worship. They didn’t need Google maps. They just needed to look. In looking, they found hope.

When we stop and ponder the lyrics of “O Holy Night” we experience the power and peace that came with Christ’s arrival. The moment the shepherds and wise men looked at the North Star, they experienced the thrill of hope. When they decided to look, Jesus filled their souls with the thrill of hope.

Maybe you are waiting to experience that thrill. You’ve looked here, there, and everywhere hoping to experience a thrill that is other-wordly only to wind up empty. Or, you think you don’t deserve the thrill of hope because life has been hard. God is calling you to experience that thrill: that unending sense of hope you’ve been longing for. All you need to do is look.

Love & Blessings,
Meg
“Be joyful in hope.” Romans 12:12

All The Feels

All The Feels

How to respond when other people’s feelings are difficult to process. I am a Dateline junkie. It actually doesn’t have to be Dateline. Give me any crime story and I am mesmerized. One thing I notice a lot is when the detectives talk about suspects. 

A Mighty Giant

A Mighty Giant

The real giant will show itself and it isn’t attacking our immune systems. It’s attacking our hearts.

Live Messy Podcast: The One About Getting to Know YOU

Live Messy Podcast: The One About Getting to Know YOU


Live Messy Podcast

Hi.

How are you?

Have you ever asked yourself that? It is so important to get to know yourself. You can’t be content without knowing the ins and outs of you. Your energy will be all over the place if you don’t know who you are. Be challenged and motivated to find out who you are and who God created you to be by listening to our latest episode.

We would LOVE and APPRECIATE it if you could give us a review! Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Find  more on Instagram @livemessypodcast or Facebook Live Messy Podcast

So Hard

So Hard

Don’t be so hard on yourself. themessymingling.com I have a sister-in-law who fights for me. She fights for me to stop being so hard on myself. She sees in me what I can’t see in myself. I get texts and DMs from her encouraging me 

The One About Holiday Expectations

The One About Holiday Expectations

Apple Podcast Spotify Stitcher Google Play The holidays. They are upon us. There is no escaping them. Well, I guess you could lock yourself inside, hide under a cozy blanket, and watch a never-ending stream of Hallmark movies and avoid it all but who wants 

A Life Surrendered

A Life Surrendered

A surrendered yes to where ever you are leading.” Ellie Holcomb

Calling. Purpose. Life. These are words we contemplate to give ourselves meaning. We need to matter; have an impact on this planet greater than ourselves. We long to have purpose. But man, that can be tough to figure out. Life is constantly changing. We are continuously adapting. The world never stops spinning.

Here’s what I have learned about my calling. It has changed and morphed over the years. I have changed and morphed over the years. What I did ten years ago isn’t what I am supposed to do today. My calling, my life purpose, should align with my passions. My calling may also make me a little uncomfortable and challenge me. Sometimes, our calling takes a lot of work. It doesn’t always come naturally.

God will often call us to something without giving us next steps. Our first step is always obedience. Always. We obey even if next steps are unknown. Take the first step of obedience and the rest will follow one-step-at-a-time.

I had to learn to let God evolve my call. I am a planner. I like to know what is coming next so I can prepare. I have multiple calendars because I like to visual my days and months. Allowing God to evolve my call is a tough one for me. Unfortunately, God isn’t hanging out at my kitchen table on January 1st helping me with my visions and goals. He also has his perfect timing which typically doesn’t mesh with mine. He tends to be late all the time. Ugh.

I had to learn to let God…

I can look back on my life and know specific moments when God placed a call on my life. However, that call did not come to fruition right in that moment. I have taken man different routes to get to that call living out a different purpose along the way. When I pushed against God and what he had for me in that moment trying to rush the call, I often experienced frustration and heartache. 

I have also learned not to force the call. It’s so easy to want to jump in and get started on a dream. I get so excited to get started and tend to rush things that weren’t meant to be lived in a hurry. Thankfully, God was genius enough to pair me with a waiter. Not the kind of waiter at a restaurant (although that’s how we met). My husband is a guy who can wait with the best of them. Which, in turn, forces me to wait.

You want that couch? Do you mind waiting two weeks? 
You want to get married? Let’s graduate college first. 
You want a kid? Let’s get a house first. 

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Waiting is hard. I don’t like waiting. But, sometimes God has to evolve us before we can live out our call. He needs us to live some life and have some experiences before jumping in. I would rather do a cannon ball than stick my toes in first. However, I have learned the value of the wait. Living out my calling after some time has passed makes me better and more equipped for what my calling may bring.

We, especially us Christians, pine after our calling like a seventh grade girl and her crush. We need to know what we are supposed to do for God right this very second. If God isn’t going to tell us, then we are just going to have to take matters into our own hands and force something to happen. This never works out too well for us. 

I like what Ellie Holcomb says, “A surrendered yes to where ever you are leading.” You are leading right now. Yes, you. You are leading in your home, in your workplace, with your friends, and with your family. The question is: Are you leading with palms open or fists tight? 

Surrender.

Obey.

Let God evolve your call.

Take one step; one step of obedience. And then take the next step. And then the next. Your calling will flourish in the steps.

Love & Blessings,
Meg