The voices in my head...and my heart

Sadie Robertson (yes, from Duck Dynasty!) posted this list on twitter a few weeks ago:

Why is it so important to develop the skill of discerning God's voice? Because we know things go awry when we listen to Satan's voice instead of God. In Jeremiah 7:23-24, the Lord commanded his people, saying "'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.' Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward." 

Sometimes I have so many thoughts running through my head that it's tough to just STOP and determine what is real, aka GOD, and what is a lie. Unfortunately, no one is exempt from Satan's distracting voice - even Jesus, who heard Satan in the desert. (Matthew 4:1-11) Still, we are commanded to "resist the devil," and in return promised that "he will flee from" us. (James 4:7) For me, this means closely examining the voices in my head:

The voice giving me anxiety about the future...

That isn't God.

The voice telling me I'm not good enough...

That isn't God.

The voice making judgments about the people around me...

That isn't God.

The voice in my heart reminding me that "all things work together for good" if I fix my eyes on HIM...

THAT, my friends, is God.

By the way... not only is this list a reminder to listen to God's voice, it is also a reminder to emulate his voice. "Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children." (Ephesians 5:1); "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction." (Proverbs 13:3) As Christians, we should filter our words through the list above - regardless of who we are speaking to. We need to start asking ourselves:

* What is the purpose of my words?

* What will be the consequence of my words?

Who is speaking to you now? Whose voice are you emulating now?

The "It Factor"

I've known Gail for almost my whole life, and I have never heard anyone speak a bad word about her. After all, what bad is there to say? Gail has this way of making each person she comes in contact with feel special - I believe she accomplishes this so easily because she truly cares about each and every person she becomes acquainted with. She just has that "it factor" - the quality we all aspire for - that makes it easy to put her on a pedestal. Gail is the picture of joy, strength, and most importantly, trusting God through trials and tribulations.

Photo by Jacqueline Leigh Photography

(Also, she's beautiful, right?!)

Jesus himself identified this "it factor" in Luke 11:33-36 (NKJV) when he explained, “no one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light...Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

The enemy tries to steal our light every day. Sometimes, things get so bad that {{forget the light switch}} Satan tries to blow the entire fuse box! Gail learned about Satan's thieving ways better than anyone when she endured the tragic loss of her son a few years ago. However, the light of God - the "it factor" within Gail - still radiates from:

every word she speaks

hug she offers

and smile she passes on from across the row.

Jesus's love is contagious, when you come into contact with Gail, it's impossible not to catch it! 

Let's all aspire to be like Gail this weekend, and let the "it factor" - the light of Christ - shine through us to inspire the people around us!

Before and After: Kitchen Tile!

Hubs and I are so excited to finally have our kitchen tile done. It was essentially our first "renovation" in the new house. 

It's unbelievable how many types of tile there are, and all of the aspects you must take into account when choosing! (Besides price, because some can get super expensive!) Personally, I love travertine tile. However, it's not the most durable - so it wouldn't have been the best idea for a high-traffic area like the kitchen/hallway. We contemplated ceramic, but it also cracks, so we decided to go with porcelain.

We looked at a few local tile distributors, but believe it or not, Lowe's had the cheapest prices for porcelain tile! The one we chose is called Ivetta White. My favorite aspect is its natural look, which you don't find often in the less expensive tiles.

Without further ado, here are the before and afters!