Thank You Abba.

  Fathers day. Eh.

    This morning, wasn't too fun.  I went to church as usual.  The church that I attend is beautiful.  Seeing the generations of love, faith, and commitment to Jesus Christ, well, it is just a beautiful thing.  The admiration and respect I have for the leadership and members of First Baptist is immense.  There are so many families that you can witness generation after generation of service to Jesus Christ, actually I think that about 95% of our church is related haha. It is actually what attracted me to attend First Baptist and I have never regretted going there, I truly love it.  That is what I want for my future. I want to be the change. I want the family I have to be one that serves Jesus Christ wholeheartedly.  I want my children and grandchildren to be faithful to serving and loving Jesus.

     That being said, being a young single person attending church alone isn't always easy.  All of my life, I went to church with my mom at a different church.  It is a church with wonderful people, but there were some things I didn't agree with doctrinally, and I felt called to attend First Baptist. My senior year I started attending there.

   All of that is a preface to this morning.  It was a normal Sunday morning.  I walked in the sanctuary, fashionably late of course, and found a seat.  Like I said, my church is HUGE on family stuff, which I think is really awesome.  This morning was fathers day.  This summer has been really hard.  I'm not going into detail, but, my dad isn't really part of my life and hasn't been for a long time.  Seeing all of the dads stand up, all the dads get their little books for father's day, seeing kids hug their dads, seeing facebook posts about people's wonderful dads.  Well, its hard and I've been jealous.  There, I said it, I've been jealous, really jealous.

  I feel like all huge things in my life, I can relate to an epic run.  Weird, I know, but running is a way for me to get everything out.  Its just me, God, and my running shoes hitting the pavement.  Tonight was one of those epic runs.  God really convicted me of my selfishness.  He convicted me of focusing on things that have been taken away rather than all of the blessings that He has lavished on me.  I've been focusing on losing my hall/leadership family for next year, the hard things I'm facing rather than all of the incredible ways He has blessed me. I am His daughter, He is my Daddy, Abba.  Tonight as I was debriefing on what I felt God spoke to me during that run I came accross this passage of scripture that I found so comforting and uplifting.

Galatians 4:4-7 "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."

  He chose to adopt me.  He chose to be my Dad.  He chose to take on the challenge of raising sinful, awful, rebelious me.  He knows everything I've done, He knows every thought that has passed through my mind.  He sees all and knows all and He chose to be my Abba.  He sent His only, perfect Son to die a horrible death and carry the weight of sin so He could adopt me. He chose to be my Daddy.  He chose to make me an heir.  He didn't just save me from my chains of sins and an eternity of suffering in Hell, He chose to give me an inheritance, to treat me as His very own. 

  I have so much to be thankful for SO MUCH.  I really can't get over it. I'm tearing up out of joy right now.  I could write a hundred page blog about all of the things I am thankful for, but I don't think many people would read it haha :)  For this blog I just wanted to end it with a specific thankyou to two of my favorite people and the best family I could ask for.

    Benjamin Allen Doughty, you are the MAN!  I love you so much, as my roomate, Rachel would say, bastante.  You have overcome the odds, you have fought through hard battles, you have chosen to follow Jesus.  Words can't describe how proud I am of you.  How proud I am to call Ben Doughty my brother.  You are amazing, you exemplify the characteristics of Jesus Christ in the way that you treat me.  You are probably the hardest working man that I know, yet you also genuinely care about people.  You can rip and tear in yardwork, but you still are an awesome cook :)  Thank you for being my big brother.  I love you so much.  Whoever gets to marry you is going to be an incredibly blessed woman, but she will have to get through me first ;)

  I'm saving the best for last.  My mom.  I don't think I could ever tell her enough how much she means to me or how proud I am of her.  She is an amazing woman.  Her prayers have gotten me through so many hard times.  I don't tell her nearly enough how much I love her or how thankful I am for her.  She derserves the biggest "Happy Fathers Day" because she's done both. She's worked hard to help my brother and I go to school and provide for us.  She is one of the most beautiful people I know. She's put up with my shenanigans and seen me through the best and worst times.  She's my mom, but also one of my dearest friends.  She follows Jesus, even when life is really hard.  I admire and love my mom so much.

  I am so blessed for God to have placed me in this family.  Everything He does is in His plan.  He is amazing, perfect, loving.  Glory be to His name.  I love you Abba and thank you.

To the Ladies

    So, something that you know if you've known me for a while is that I like watching people.  I like observing the people around me and figuring them out.  I like to observe trends, actions, and cultural differences.  I also like observing common attitudes and mindsets.  Something that I've been observing quite a bit lately is how we as women percieve ourselves, what the culture we live in is telling us, and what some Christians tell us.  To be honest, a lot of the time I think all three have it wrong.

     I will not disagree with you if you say the pressure we face from the culture we live in is huge.  From modern society, we are expected to try every new diet, brand of makeup, and embrace the common sensual, provocative attitude we see displayed everywhere.  We are told our value is based on our appeal and allure. These lies destroy everything beautiful about femininity.

Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,I know that full well.

Proverbs 30:31 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

     I think that every woman has fought the lies of insecurity.  I know that it has been a battle for me.  I've been guilty of falling for the deceptions of modern, fake beauty.  I've been guilty of seeking people's approval for security.  I've been guilty of trying fad diets and buying special makeup or clothes all in the name of beauty. Thinking about all the ways I and countless other women have bought into lies breaks my heart.

 1 Samuel 16:7  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

     Who I am in not what I look like, my Father isn't impressed by the same qualities the world is.  He is more concerned about the condition of our hearts.

 This being said, I don't always agree with how Christians seem to approach the area of "self worth" either.  I've read a few books and many of them focused on finding SELF esteem, SELF worth, SELF image, SELF fulfillment.  Something I have learned is that life is not at all about me or "self".  Trying to find self worth or self value by accepting who you are is not going to bring you true fulfillment or satisfaction.  As daughters of the King, we are called to take the same path as Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:5-8 "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself NOTHING by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!"

Mark 10:43-45 "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  

     True beauty radiates from a woman who is in an intimate love relationship with Jesus Christ.  True beauty is exemplified in a woman who has has learned the secret that fulfillment is found when she is serving, giving, and loving like Jesus.  She is too caught up in serving her Master and others to be concerned with herself, her woth, her image and fulfillment.  As a matter of fact, she has lost complete sight of herself by being completely captured by her awesome Creator, Lover and Hero.   Rather than worrying about her appearance and who does or doesn't like her, she is focused outward rather than inward.

     "When Christ overtakes a woman’s life and transforms her from the inside out – she becomes truly feminine – a picture of elegance, grace, and loveliness blended with sacrificial selfless devotion to her King. She becomes a true lady, carrying herself with poise and confidence, yet deflecting all attention away from herself and toward Jesus Christ. She is enchantingly mysterious, holding her inner life sacred and guarding her heart with quiet tenacity.  Noble, breathtaking, captivating, Christ-centered femininity is truly a sight to behold. It’s a beauty that does not draw attention to the woman, but to Jesus Christ. It’s a radiance that is not dependent upon age, circumstance, or physical enhancements. It’s a loveliness that flows from deep within – the refreshing beauty of Heaven, of a life transformed from the inside out by Jesus Christ. " -Leslie Ludy

    I want to become that type of woman,  I want to continue to fall in love with my precious Savior and lose complete sight of myself. 

How beautiful are the arms, which have embraced Christ – the eyes which have gazed upon Christ, the lips which have spoken with Christ, the feet which have followed Christ. How beautiful are the hands which have worked the works of Christ, the feet which are treading in His footsteps have gone about doing good, the lips which have spread abroad His Name, the lives which have been counted for Him. -Christina Rosetti