Hello friends! Tiffany Dawn here and I am
filming here in Greece with the beach on
my left hand and our Airbnb on my right
hand -- it's pretty awesome, so...and today I
want to take a minute and share with you
four things that God has been teaching
me for the past few years now, and they
are just changing my life. Like every
year that goes by, the more I get these
things, the less fear I have, the less
shame and guilt I have, and the more my
heart is just at rest to just like enjoy
this adventure of life with my
Father-God. And so I want to share these four things
with you all today.
Number one: Sanctification is a slow
process. I actually started reading this
book called "Slow Church," and it talks
about how in the American culture we've
kind of taken these ideas of efficiency
and quickness and drive through fast
food and put it into the church, and just--
just be fast. Like here's 10 things you
do to get your life right and fixed
immediately, you know? And we forget that
sanctification and discipleship are a
slow and messy process. I'm always in a
process of sanctification -- becoming more
like Jesus, made more into the person God
wants me to be, and it's going to take
time. Sometimes we just are in such a
rush to get fixed and God's not in a
rush -- I really believe that. It's always
good to you know walk in a way that's
honoring to God - absolutely, and I think
it's great to constantly be growing and
learning, but at the end of the day like
don't be too hard on yourself,
I guess is what I'm trying to say. Like
it's okay to not be perfect; it's okay to
not be fixed, and to be messy. Like out of
our brokenness I really believe God is
glorified because there's this verse in
2nd Corinthians that says that in
earthen broken vessels the glory of God
can shine out of it. And coming to terms
with that and just embracing that
process -- that slow process of
imperfection, it just has been -- awesome.
All that frustration I tend to heap on
myself doesn't need to be there, and I
can just remind myself like -- this is a
slow process and it's okay for the
process of becoming more like Christ to
take a while; it's okay.
Number two is to look for the gifts hidden along your
journey. I like to think of life as like
a treasure hunt, kind of like an egg hunt
on Easter. Like there's all these little
gifts that God hides in every season of
our lives, like even every day of our
lives I think. And so even if it's a
terrible season full of a lot of hurt
and brokenness, there is some gift that
God has put there for us to find -- I
really believe that. And the darker the
season the more incredible and
life-changing the gift is, if we'll look
for it. And so it kind of puts a
different spin; it puts hope into every
situation, and it makes everyday life
feel like an adventure with Jesus.
Because it's like what's the gift does He have
for me today? My husband has started
asking me on days when I'm really
frustrated or just annoyed with how life
is going or regretting something I've
done, he's just like, "Have you found the
gift in it yet? What's the gift in it?" And
I love that. It just changes the
perspective on everyday life. A speaker
I heard one time said the reason that
gems and diamonds are displayed on black
cases is because the gem stands out all the
brighter. She said in dark times, look for
the diamonds -- like look for the treasure
God has hidden for you in that darkness.
And I think that has absolutely been true
in my life. In the darkest, hardest
seasons of my life, God has hidden
incredible treasures.
Number three, healing and freedom are
just by-products. The end goal of our life
journey is to come closer to God: to know
Him more and be known by Him and make
Him known; to love Him and be loved by
Him and love other people. Like that's
our goal, and a lot of times I think I've
gotten distracted by just looking for
freedom or healing from my struggles.
Like, "Jesus you need to set me free right
now; like I know you can, you're the God
of everything. Like I know you can set me
free so why haven't you? What am I doing
wrong? What do I need to be doing to
find freedom?" And I start searching for
the freedom instead of searching for my
God.
I think that healing and freedom when
God chooses to bring them in this life
are by-products. They come as a result of
seeking first the kingdom of God. There's
that beautiful verse in Matthew that
says seek first my kingdom and all these
things will be added to you, and I really
believe they're just by-products.
They're not meant to be our end goal -- the
thing that we're seeking. We're meant to
be seeking God, and as we seek Him those
things come in time -- in His time and when
He chooses to give them. And that brought
a lot of -- took a lot of pressure off of
me, from being like. "I have to get free
from this thing immediately," like with my
eating disorder, it was like, "Why have I
been struggling with this for five years
and I'm still not free? I need to be
free! I'm trying to find freedom!" And
eventually I learned like this is an
opportunity for God to do something in
my heart. There's a gift hidden in this
season and He could set me free in one
second if He chose to, but He's not --
so there's a reason for that. And so that
process of freedom which took time --
really as I started seeking Jesus in it,
it changed my life -- it changed my entire
world. Like I have a closer walk with God
after that journey than I ever would
have had if he had set me free in one
second.
And I think that's beautiful.
And the fourth and final piece is that you are
so loved. And I know a lot of us grew up
in church hearing like, "Jesus loves me
this I know for the Bible tells me so,"
but we don't always get it like for
ourselves -- like really deep down get it --
like your God delights in you! He's not
just tolerating you; He's not just
putting up with you; He's not just like,
"Clean up your mess already and get your
crap together and then come to me," no He
like delights in you -- in every detail of
your life. He wants to be a part of
it all. You have a God who wants to share
in each detail of your life -- who already
sees it all but He wants you to invite
him into your world -- your, your little, our
little worlds, you know? Like they're so
tiny compared to the hugeness of our
eternal God, and He wants us to invite
Him in to share those moments together.
I've spent a lot of my life and I still
do, trying to prove myself, trying to
prove that I'm a daughter God can be
proud of or that I pray long enough
prayers or read the Bible long enough or am a
good enough Christian. And one day I
remember God just putting in my heart
like, "Tiffany just be with me, like just
be with me, I just want you to be with me." No
matter what, my God delights in me and
He's not forgotten about me and I'm not
invisible to Him.
And I am not an accident; I was purposely
created by my Father Creator God. He sees
every detail -- there's nothing hidden from
Him. Even if I try to act like I've got it all
together, He sees everything and He loves me.
And my heart can rest in that because it
is unchanging. Literally, there's nothing
in this world unchanging except for
this: That your God loves you and delights
in you and will never stop. So I
hope that this can really encourage you
girls the way that these things have
really been life-changing for me. And the
more I learn them every day of my life,
every year that goes by, I learn them
more and it breaks away a little more of my fear, and it just kind of takes a
lot of pressure off that I put on myself.
So comment below thoughts that you have:
Which of these speaks the most to you?
Or if there's something God's been
teaching you that has been life-changing,
comment that below. I'd love to read it!
Thank you for being here with me today; I
love sharing Tuesdays with you all. And I
am actually home! I know I'm filming this
in Greece a few days before we head home,
but the day that you watch this will
actually be my first full day home in my
apartment in New York. So I'm very sad
and excited -- so both.
I really can't wait to sleep in my own
bed. And I'm going to make some travel
vlogs for you all! I have taken a
ridiculous amount of photos and video
footage and so I'm going to be putting
together some travel vlogs. So keep your
ears and your eyes out for those coming
in the next few weeks! Love you girls. Bye
from Greece!
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