Tetris

            I love the game Tetris. It was one of the only games on my mom’s phone, so I would play it over and over and over. I actually got pretty good. I finally got an “okay” instead of a “you stink and should go back to kindergarten to learn your shapes!” If any of you are thinking, “Wow, she got an okay! All I’ve ever gotten is an ‘I’m sorry, we cannot tell you your score at this time. My super-computer doesn’t count that low.’” you should know that I am free to sign autographs any day of the week.

            Even though it is a fun game, it doesn’t make any sense. The point is to catch the shapes that the computer is dropping in such a way that they form a line and disappear.

            It is kind of like our lives. We are the computer, the shapes are our sins, and God is catching our sin to make it disappear. He is wiping our sins out of existence if we drop them and ask Him to wipe them away.

What if the computer decided to keep all of the shapes for itself? If the shapes weren’t just dots on a screen, but took up actual space, the computer would be bogged down with all of the shapes that it had stored. The computer would eventually crash because all of its space was used for storing the shapes.

What if we decided to keep all of our sin? If we said, “God, I can take care of it. I’m big and smart enough!” and kept all of the sin stored up inside, our conscience would bug us to death about every little thing we had done. Finally, when our sins became too great for us to hold on to, we would either crash or cry out to God for help.

God is standing with His arms open wide asking us to give Him our sins and troubles. He is ready to take our sins and make them disappear.

I could easily say, “I don’t feel like catching shapes today, so I’ll read a book instead.” God could easily say, “These humans don’t get it! I’m ready to take their sins, but they just hold on to them and call them ‘My precious’ over and over again. I’m done.” And He could easily walk away and leave us to suffer. But, thankfully, He doesn’t. He stands there and coaxes us to give Him all of the rotten things in our lives.

I only have the Demo version of Tetris on my mom’s phone. We didn’t think that is was worth the dollar to own it. However, God doesn’t just own the Demo version. He bought the full version with His blood! He paid a lot to catch our sins for us. We should let Him.

Every one of us has some sin that we’re holding on to. Let it go. Every one of us is stupid enough to think that we should keep our sins to ourselves and not allow God to dispose of them. All we need to do is ask. He is standing there waiting for us to drop our sins and give Him control of our lives.

Anyone want to play Tetris with me?

Camels, Needles, and Rich Men

I am a packrat. I have kept everything that I have ever received. Every letter, pencil, and constellation. I just recently threw out all of my McDonald’s toys. I don’t consider myself rich, but I have grown very attached to my things. If a robber were to come, miraculously find some worth in my possessions, and steal something I would be heartbroken.

            In Matthew, it says that there was a rich man who came to Jesus and asked what he had to do to get eternal life. Jesus answered that he must keep the commandments. Commandments such as do not steal, murder, commit adultery, or lie. You must honor your parents and love your neighbor as yourself. The rich man said that he had kept all of the commandments, but that he was still missing something. In the NIV version of the Bible, Jesus answered:

            “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

            The man couldn’t do it! The rich man walked away and left eternal life behind, just so that he could keep his gold and fancy foods. Jesus continued and said:

            “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

            Wow. Would I be able to give up all of my belongings? My yo-yos, erasers, and deer bones? I don’t know if I would be able to give up all of the things that I have come to love. Luckily, Jesus continued by saying:

            “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

            I don’t have to worry about not being able to give up my trinkets and do-dads. If I ask God to help me let go, He will help me. This doesn’t just apply to letters and yo-yos. It applies to everything. Your house, computer, friends, family. In order to enter the Kingdom of God, you must give God your parents, children, and best friends.

            “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

            We are all rich. We all have a family and a Heavenly Father who loves us. In Little House on the Prairie Pa learns that a person is rich not just with possessions, but with people as well. If that is true, we are all extremely rich because of all of the people in our life. We are especially rich in God’s love. But, in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must give up all of the people in our lives. We must give them to God.

            Are you willing to give your money, family, and future vacation to the moon to God? If not, you will never receive eternal life. For it will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for you to enter the Kingdom of God. But you don’t have to do it alone. You can ask for God to help you give up everything that is dear to you!

            “With God all things are possible.”

Time Travel, Bucket Lists, and Devouring Chocolate Factories

As school begins to approach I tend to go school shopping, pack my backpack, and search the land for a time machine. I would love nothing better than to zoom to the future. I would land on the day of my college graduation. Finally, I can fulfill my dreams of becoming a teacher! I would have a diploma and no strained brain muscles. The only bad part about skipping my schooling is all of the experiences that I would miss. Such as school plays, youth group events, and sleep.

            I have, also, heard about the side effects of time travel – puffy eyes, wobbly legs, and an unexplainable urge to devour an entire chocolate factory. The last one doesn’t sound that bad, but the first two are not on my bucket list.

            Even though I would love to travel to the future, I must say that I have a pretty good life. God knew exactly what each of us was going to do in the future and placed us in the life He wanted us to be in. It may not seem ideal at the time, but God knows the future and will take your experiences and use them for good. So, let’s trust that God has a plan. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t look for a time machine!

Stage Fright, Inclines, and Sugar-free Squid Dumplings

           My knees would go weak, sweat would bead on my forehead, and my voice would climb a few octaves. I would suffer from stage fright. That was not good because I am often on stage. Whether it’s because I’m singing, acting, or juggling fifteen lit candles while eating a giant sugar-free squid dumpling. Stage fright wasn’t exactly welcomed into my life. However, I have overcome my stage fright by knowing that all things are possible with God. 

            I love biking and I love climbing hills, or “inclines” as we call them. If I am full of energy, I can zoom right up the inclines, but if I’m tired and my gel bike seat has mysteriously turned to stone, I need an extra nudge up the inclines. Especially if that incline happens to have the word “Mount” in front of its name. I basically make it through every mountain by singing songs and talking loudly to God. My conversations basically consist of, “God, why in the world did you put this mountain here? Why couldn’t you have placed it fifty miles away? Or at least installed an escalator?” However, every time that an incline has snuck up on me, God has pushed me up the hill and reminded me that all things are possible with Him.

            Whenever I get ready to step out onto the stage or see a giant hill stepping in front of my path, I remember that with God all things are possible. One little prayer gives me the courage to step out onto the stage, to zoom up the hill, or swallow the sugar-free squid dumpling.

Blind

I am pretty much blind. I have 20/100 eyesight! In order to see the name of a book three feet away, I have to lean in; in order for me to see the picture about five feet from my face, I have to squint; and in order for me to see the writing on the blimp soaring above my head, I have to get a telescope. Many times I have wished that I could jump into another persons head just to see what it is like to have excellent vision. To actually see the leaves on a tree instead of a green blob standing on a brown thing. To see a person’s face instead of assuming that they do have a mouth, nose, and fake mustache.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.”   What we know of God is even more unclear than what I see now! My vision will someday be better, whether it is by getting glasses or waiting until death and our new bodies. When that happens, I will probably say, “Wow! Look at what I missed! I thought that the sun was in the shape of a bent over zebra eating Jell-O from a triangular bowl! Now I can see that I had it all wrong. It’s in the shape of a circle! Wow!” I am missing so much. But someday, I will know the truth.

When we see God after we die, we will all be amazed at what we missed! Our eyes will be opened. That is a promise from God. We will know everything! Can you imagine that? Some of us are excited, but some of us are scared.

What if, when I got glasses, I found out that I am really a turkey that will be shot for Thanksgiving Dinner? I would want to take my glasses off and throw them in the fire. I would want to hide behind the lie that I am a human and hope that life could go back to how it was before. However, when Thanksgiving rolls around, the turkey will die, whether I have my glasses on or not.

In the same way, when we die we will face judgment. Some of us will be rewarded for our faith in Christ. But others will find out that because they refused to believe that God died for their sins and refused to repent, they must face eternity in Hell. They will want to throw off their glasses and retreat back to Earth. But they can’t. They’re stuck.

We will all die someday. We will all receive “glasses” and be able to see clearly. Are you ready for them? Or are you going to throw them off and try to turn back? Because once your glasses are on, they never come off. We are all blind, but one day we will see. Are you scared to see? You don’t have to be! God came to Earth and died so that when judgment day, Thanksgiving for the turkey, comes you won’t have to die. You can live eternally in Heaven instead of in Hell. All you have to do is believe that God did do that and turn away from your sin. Don’t be afraid of the “glasses.” You don’t have to be afraid of knowing everything. You don’t have to be afraid of death.

Right now, all of us are blind. But someday, we will all see!

Early Mornings, Ice Cream, and FBI Agents

Recently, I made a list of all the things I want to be when I grow up. It goes something like this: teacher, author, singer, actress, professional basketball player, FBI agent, President of the United States of America, and a few other reasonable jobs. Okay, so I realize that author and teacher are a little out of my reach, but President of the United States is a very reachable goal.

Can’t you see it now? I can. I’m behind a big desk, making laws, and pigging out on a whole half-gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, a gift from the Queen of England. But, if I eat too much ice cream I might get sick and I’m not the biggest fan of puking. Maybe President of the Untied States is not the best job for me.

How about an FBI agent? Too bad I’m no good at solving crimes. Well, that idea is out the window.

Then I’m going to be a professional basketball player! I know what a basketball looks like. And I know that bouncing it up and down is called dabbling. At least I think it is.

I’m not the best author, and there are plenty of people with better voices than me.  Being a teacher requires getting up early, and acting is a hard field to get into.

I don’t know what I want to be. But that’s okay, because I don’t know everything. Maybe being the garbage woman is what I was gifted to do! I don’t know.

But, I could have my entire life planned out, but be told that I wasn’t created to complete the goals I spent so long perfecting.

Two fishermen were called to shore and told that they weren’t supposed to be fishing for fish, but fishing for men instead. They were supposed to be gathering people for God’s use.

I can make all the plans I want, but God will still have me do what is best for everybody. What is best for me.

Walk on Water