A shopping day with Daddy!

It was another raining day here in Seattle and I was spending the afternoon with my younger sisters. We had been at home enjoying the evening, we had made some dinner for ourselves and had plans to bake but found ourselves in a dirty kitchen that we had made and all of sudden that passion to bake something yummy went away. I have no idea where it went! As my sisters and I were waiting for my dad to come home, they came up with a brilliant idea! They said "why don't we call dad and have him bring us some cookies!" ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Such a great idea! This way, we can still feed our sweet tooth without much labor! Got to love having a dad right?! So right away they ran to the phone and we all gathered around and presented our request to our dad. My dad being so wonderful and of course his love for his 3 daughters held no hesitation on saying yes! Whooo! We planned the night out... we would have a mini-girls night! So my father came home... and my youngest sister decided that she would go with him to the store to go buy these cookies that we had so graciously requested. Later on that night in a conversation I had with my sister, she said some words to me. The words that came out hit me right in the face... It was like a light bulb went on in my head! You see, I had been struggling inside of me for a couple of weeks. Trying to figure out what exactly God was doing in my life. I had been on a journey that I felt I knew where it was going and then all of a sudden it turned. I could not figure out what God was doing. But that is not what bothered me most. I've lived my life on uncertain roads. I have always known that God's plan is the best way to go and so I've tried not to question. However I was happy where I was at! I mean, I was in a place that I had desired for so long! I felt good, it felt great! I was happy being happy! What bothered me the most was why did God take this one thing away from me? Something I had been praying for and it was like He was giving me a tease. I then realized that I was being content. I was happy in the temporary situation but knowing what was ahead, I knew in my heart that I would look back one day and know that I did not truly see the full blessing that God had for me. I knew that if I moved forward I would have settled for less than what God's blessings had for me. So I say all of this to utter the words my sister said .... "I FEEL SO PRIVILEGED WHEN I GO WITH DAD TO THE STORE" ... "Why do you feel that way?" ... "BECAUSE HE GETS ME WHATEVER I ASK FOR!"

We are missing this concept! How easy do we forget that we serve a Father who will give us ANYTHING we ask for! No matter how crazy or how high or seemingly impossible it may be He will get it for us! We keep this mindset that as long as I'm content than I'll be fine! But what if... just what if... your version of "content" is God's version of mediocre! I don't want a mediocre life! I want an extraordinary life! I don't want to just dream, I want to live my dreams! And I have a heavenly Father who can get me anything I want! Wow! I think it's time we let God take some of us shopping and truly experience what He has for us! Stop hiding behind the second hand stores! He wants to take you the top! He wants to take you to the spiritual name brand stores! So many times I've seen girls who keep shopping at the spiritual thrift stores when God wants to take them to a spiritual name brand store and buy them anything they want! So girls, it's time to go shopping with our daddy! And this time... you can get whatever you want!!

VC

The Heart of the One I Love...

I recently came back from a trip to the "happiest place on earth" --- Disneyland, of course! It was a day full of fun as I tried to get on as many Disney rides I could. At the end of the night, as tradition everyone gathers around the Cinderella Castle to be entertained at the magical night of fireworks. If you have ever been to any Disney park, you know what I mean when I say that it is every little girls dream. I sat and watched as little girls paraded around in their princess dresses without a care in the world. They did not find it silly that they too were trying to be a real life princess... in fact, to them they were the real deal! They too had magically transformed into a real life princess! As I stood to watch the fireworks, I dazzled at this concept. See, many times before I had stood at that same spot, in front of the Cinderella castle, wondering what it would be like to live as a child again; no care in the world, to live to know that anything truly was possible! These little girls did not just look at that castle and say "Wow! What a pretty house!" ... NO! They looked at that castle as a symbol of their life song! A life song that would sing in their hearts as they grew up. A symbol that one day someone will embark on the journey to that castle and eventually fight the battle that will lead them to their hearts. He will capture that beautiful princess and ride off into the sunset with her as his prized possession. Sounds like it came right out of a child's book, I know! I stood there, all of these thoughts coming to my head... wondering why so sadly in today's world, woman are no longer seen as "something worth fighting for" but rather an object given away so commonly. Women want to be pursued, sought after. They want to know that they are worth something! Most woman have that desire that whoever desires her will go great lengths to find her and eventually embark on a journey to win her heart over. EVERY women... no matter what she says... desire this! She wants to be wanted. As I looked at these little girls, twirling, sparkling, smiling, playing with their dress as they secretly looked around to see who was admiring them... and then... out of no where... someone will say "wow! you look so beautiful!" She looks up with a huge smile on her face as it glows with pride... to know that in that moment she is being admired and she is living in the place that God created called "FEMININITY". She is taken in by the awe that someone sees in her. Then God spoke to me.. He said just as you desire to be sought after... with no limits or excuses... that is how I desire my children to seek after me! To love me unconditionally, with no questions asked. To seek me, to pursue my heart! To embark on this great journey in life with the goal of pursuing the one who gives life and the one which they love! Just as a woman desires to be sought after, so God desires His children to seek after Him. So many times we think that God is seeking us and yet we forget that we need to seek after Him. Pursue Him in the hopes that He will share a piece of His heart with ours. When a women gives herself to a man... she becomes vulnerable... She opens herself up not knowing what will happen. She takes that step into the unknown... to put something so precious and sacred not knowing what will happen in return. God wants us to become vulnerable with Him... He wants us to pursue Him with an open heart. He waits at our hearts... calling out "Choose me! Love Me!" Greatness is not obtained through passivity! God has not called us to be complacent... He longs to be pursued by us. To seek after His heart with no limits or excuses is what I long for. It's time to seek after the heart of the one we love and long for. To set aside every excuse and say "I will seek You, no matter what the cost is!" That is the heart that God is longing for in His children.

VC