When Lights Are Too Bright...

I've recently been meditating on the metaphor God gave us of being lights to the world.

Matthew 5:16
^" In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

We understand that we've been called to be a light to the world, but what kind of light exactly?

What started this thinking process most recently is the increasing amount of Christians that I see who are so quick and eager to correct others for doing wrong (myself sometimes included in that!). While I know it happens a lot outside of the internet, I think social media has made it that much easier for us to express our thoughts and opinions freely. We feel comfortable hiding behind a computer screen when we attack someone else for doing or saying something that we don't particularly agree with. But is this how Christians should act? Is this aggressive, sometimes violent, portrayal of faith an accurate representation of who Christ is? What kind of light is that?

I like to think of it like this (and I'm paraphrasing a message given by my brother a few years back):

There are a multitude of different kinds of light. There are flashlights, headlights, lamps, candles, lights for the garage, lights for the closet, chandeliers, sunlight, moonlight, the list goes on! All have the same purpose: to help you see things better. But what happens when one of those lights is used incorrectly? Let's take the flashlight, for example, because I think it's one of the closest things we have to the kind of light God wants us to be. When a flashlight is used correctly, it helps you find your way at night or it can help you see into places that are really dark. You point the light in the direction of the path or the thing that you want to illuminate. If you and a friend are walking together, you can both see the path clearly when the light is pointed in the right direction. However, if you take that light and you shine it in your friend's eyes, they can't see the path and neither can you because you're shining it at your friend and not at the path!

God calls His word a "lamp" to our feet.

 Psalm 119:105
"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

A lamp is a soft light. It's a light that is just enough to help you see, but not so much that you're blinded by it. Too often Christians are shining their light in people's eyes as opposed to illuminating the path...

My thinking is this--if you are supposed to be a light, your light should shine just enough to help others walk the path. It's a quiet kind of light. The very fact that you follow the Lord and are eager to walk in his ways is enough. His light shines through you--your LIFE becomes the flashlight. When you get overzealous and too eager to be in each other's faces about who is right and who is wrong, neither of you is walking the path. You're just blinding each other. The same is true if you're too busy boasting about how great of a Christian you are or acting "holier than thou". Your light is pointing at you and not at the path. Being God's light requires humility. It's a gentle, kind, and beautiful kind of light. It's friendly and welcoming and beckons others to walk in it.

While I know it's a growing process that's going to take a lot of time and effort to achieve, that's the kind of light--the kind of Christian, I want to be.

--Kayla

 

Blueberry Banana Bread

I tried out this recipe on a whim one day and it's quickly become one of my favorite sweet breads to make. The thing I love most about baking bread is the opportunity afterward to share it. There is something about bread that just seems to bring people together. It has such a uniting quality. I think that's why restaurants typically serve bread right before a meal out. It's like an opportunity to break the ice, to start a conversation, to have an experience with someone else that is the same. Whenever I make bread, I'm reminded that Jesus is the bread of life. He came to unite us while Satan aims to divide us. Jesus shares the bread of his life so that we may partake in a similar experience with him in the Kingdom of Heaven. I want so desperately to choose the bread of life.

 So, whenever I make bread, I try to share it. I try to connect with other people in hopes that maybe my gift of bread will help break down barriers and that we can share in the joy of life together.

"Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread." 
--1 Corinthians 10:17

BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD 

Blueberry Banana Bread, fresh out of the oven!

(makes one loaf)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
3 TBSP Coconut Oil
1 Large Egg
2 Large Ripe Bananas (Mashed)
1 Cup Blueberries
1 TBSP Raw Sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil, sugar, 1 egg, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas. Once the ingredients are combined smoothly, slowly add in the flour mixture just a little bit at a time and stirring as you go. Using a hand mixer, combine until smooth. Then, fold in the blueberries with a large spoon or spatula. Add the batter into your greased loaf pan, shake until it spreads evenly across the bottom of the pan, and then sprinkle the remaining raw sugar onto the top of the loaf. Bake for 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then remove from the loaf pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

--Kayla

Bountiful Harvest

What our garden looks like today.

Today I went out to the garden to harvest. It's so awesome to be able to pick fresh produce right from your backyard! Today we had quite a bounty. I'm so grateful for the blessing of fresh food. Every time I'm in the garden, I'm reminded of the verse in 2 Corinthians...

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." 
-2 Corinthians 9:6-12

Today's harvest!

I'm reminded that in order to reap a bountiful harvest, you have to be willing to put in the work. It takes a lot more work to plant a lot of plants than it does to plant a few, but if you plant more you get more out of it. The same is true for our Christian walk. The more work we put in to learn God's way, the more grace we will receive and the more fruit we will bear as Christians. The more generous and kind we are to others, the more generous and kind God is to us.

Having a garden this year has been such a wonderful hands-on way of learning about God. So many of the scriptures have come to life for me and I feel so blessed to be learning in this way.

Today, sow bountifully in your life so that you may also reap bountifully, not just for yourself, but so that you may also be a bountiful blessing to others.

--Kayla

Taking Time to Connect

Something my husband and I have started doing for the past few weeks is enjoying a nice big breakfast on Saturday morning, followed up with some great questions that help us to reconnect and actively discuss simple ways of improving our marriage. We got the inspiration for the questions from this blog, so be sure to check it out! They have some great ideas! I know they seem silly and we thought they were silly at first too, but it's been such a wonderful blessing to do this every week and I noticed changes almost immediately. Jon and I are pretty easy going for the most part, but they are definitely little changes that have made a positive impact in how both of us feel about our marriage day to day.

I've noticed especially that the simple act of asking each other how we can pray for one another throughout the week has really helped build intimacy and helped both of us feel loved and encouraged. I think just knowing that your partner knows what's on your heart and actively wants to pray for that particular issue helps you form a deeper connection with one another. All married couples should at least ask each other that question once a week. It's been a game changer for us! Inviting God  into our marriage instead of thinking that we can be each others' end-all be-all has humbled us and created a wonderful closeness that is simply indescribable.

Find ways to connect with your spouse throughtout the week and don't be afraid to ask him/her what they need from you in order to feel loved. I promise, it makes all the difference!

--Kayla