Caity Alice's Blog: Caity's Element, page 2

Try New Things

"Do not wait for inspiration, it comes while working."

-Henri Matisse

*quotes artist like I know what I'm doing*

Narrator: she had no idea what she was doing.

Memorial Day

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

Today we honour those who laid down their lives in order that we could enjoy freedom in our land today, by remembering their sacrifice.

These brave men and women are a revolutionary representation of the radical love God has and proved for us in sending His only Son, Jesus, to lay down His life as a sacrifice, that we might be free from sin and death when we repent and place our faith in Him alone.

Humbly and gratefully, remember both today.

(Photo:pinterest)

New Day, New Mercies

His mercies are new every morning...

(From Lamentations 3:22-23)

When we embrace and rely on the mercies with gratitude and praise we won't be attempting to control the morning, and things are less likely to go wrong.

When we are attempting to control the morning we aren't fully noticing and enjoying the mercies, and things are out of order from the get go.

The only "disorders" we find ourselves dealing with in this sin-fallen world are those we have created for ourselves by getting things out of order; putting our way ahead of His perfect way that He set in place for us.

If you're encountering bad day after bad day, and struggling with anxious thoughts and worries, try remembering this and practice reaching out for His mercies rather than the morning; leave that with Him.

RIL - Rest in Life

"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms..."

Deuteronomy 33:27a

Harbor of Neutrality

Sin is sin.

When you mangle the Bible until it "says" what you want it to 1) you don't know how to read the Bible, and 2) you are still living to yourself.

Even if perhaps we want to believe a certain sin isn't so bad (usually the one we've invested ourselves in and enjoy) if we are living for Jesus and if we believe His Word to be true we MUST see that sin for what it is and repent of it. Your preferences and opinions formed before no longer matter because you have put off that old man and are a new creature in Christ - we die daily to ourselves in favour of the life He offers us in Himself - thus our desire is to love what God loves and hate what He hates. Right?

If that makes you uncomfortable or you hesitate to confirm it, hold up! but be encouraged; we are all human, fall short, and need His grace and help in living for Him, on the daily.

While admitting that a truth makes you uncomfortable doesn't allow you to discard it, it does allow you to identify where you're most likely at, as well as the steps you may need to take (or get truly *biblical-church counseling on) be it salvation, surrender, or sanctification (which never ends, btw.)

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee."

Psalm 51:10-13

Anxiety = A Feeling

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2)

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind..." (1 Peter 1:13)

Follow this link to learn more about my book- "Gentle Revolution".

Let's debunk social crutches together!

The End of Your Rope

What's at the end of your rope?

I can tell you (and deep down you may already know) because it was at the end of mine.

You have found yourself at that tattered, biting bit of rope, and the reality that your desperate, sweaty grip can only hang on for so much longer...

And now you recognize God's loving, patient, steady hand...stretched out to you - ready to relieve you in arms that feel no weight - as it has been all along while you've been clinging to the rope...yourself...your job/finances...your friends...the government...the media...the church...anywhere but the stark truth of your own weakness and God's might.

I don't mean to imply that we always do this deliberately or out of spite; but how much easier if we would deliberately place our hand in His from the get-go, even before trouble comes.

Dwell in His hands. Don't just save them for a "rainy day."

The moment your hand leaves His, the clouds start gathering, and the downpour is inevitable.

His promises are true, weatherproof, and they don't tatter as rope does.

Glorify Him - Today

I'm not the hero, even of my own story.

You're not the hero of yours.

Are you ok with that?

No, really. Think about it for as long as it takes.

Are you ok - and humbly surrendered - knowing that God is the point of everything and the theme of every story and He doesn't need your abilities though you and I certainly need His?

The pivotal moment in every story is whether you will turn to or from God and His finished work on the cross through His Son Jesus, either in belief and repentance or denial and rejection.

When we choose to turn to Him we gain not only a cause, but His moment-by-moment aid and comfort in living for it.

Choosing to turn from Him leads to an empty life with no purpose (because He is the purpose and we are in rebellion to that fact) and a continual cycle of trying to be "enough" on our own when that is entirely futile.

Christian, do whatever you can - to whatever scale - to honour Him and bring Him glory: today. Don't wait until doing something will get you noticed or make you a "hero", or that you are confidant enough in to do "on your own."

We must acknowledge that any work done through us is still accomplished by Him working in us, and not of our own merit. We must prayerfully take our motives to Christ and ask Him to renew a right spirit in us; He knows them already.

"The Stones Cry Out"

"And when he was come nigh...the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."

Luke 19:37-40

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I don't know about you, but I don't want to be outdone by a bunch of rocks when it comes to praising our Creator.

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Boldly, shamelessly, constantly, tell of what God has done and is doing, both in your life and all throughout time! not because of anything we have done, but because of Who He is.

Fanny's Hope Chest: A Review

A little different than my normal posts - my reviews mostly get posted to my review blog - but I want to spread the word about this revolutionary short story here as well!

This little story is bigger than it seems and is itself a hope chest of sorts.

I know I needed to read Ellie and Fanny's stories, and that any other woman (whatever your age) who is struggling or has ever struggled with singleness will be encouraged both by the feeling of not being the "only one" like we so often lament, but also by the exhortation and truth that remind where our hope must be founded.

I appreciated that while the reminders are clear and helpful, the reality of this being a real, ongoing, emotional rollercoaster for many is also there! The reminder isn't a "one and done", and we should never feel - and certainly not make others feel - like there is weakness or shame in needing a word of encouragement, understanding, and ultimately perspective-adjustment now and then and even often. God talks so much about desires and His comfort and provision during times of loneliness, despair, frustration, and discouragement that I think it's safe to say He knew this would be an area His children would need Him and His Word often.

That being said, read this! It's a quick read but flows well and is packed with so much emotion, truth, and restoration.

Follow this link to the Amazon listing!