Bloom Where You are Planted

1 Timothy 6:6-8

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

Godliness has always puzzled my mind. I am only a mere human being. I sin hundreds of times each day, and there are moments that I reject God and choose the world. How can I be godly? How can I be like God? The creator of the universe, the one who spoke the world into motion by his very breath, and loves without an end. I found my answer in 2 Corinthians 3:18. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the spirit.” Becoming like God, starts and ends when we look to God, and make every effort to pattern our lives after the perfect life he lived on earth. There is no gain found living in the world, but there is an opportunity for believers to radiate and reflect Christ, and offer great gain to those around them. The problem is our flesh. Everything within us fights against imitating Jesus, and being his hands and feet. Every week we sing, “take me deeper than my feet could ever wander,” but we don’t really mean it. We love our comfortable lives. We love the shallow end and whatever makes us feel safe. We love to go to church on Sunday, and go back to being ourselves on the weekdays. Very few can say that they are genuinely satisfied in the love of God, alone. There are usually other earthly things, such as people, jobs, titles, money, and various possessions, that momentarily fill our lives with bliss. We are content with what makes us happy, but we are not content in Christ as he calls us to be. More often than not, I am not content with Christ because I know that it requires change, the one thing I truly hate. But this year, God is setting me free. Remaining comfortable in my own little bubble, means missing out on the incredible things God has in store for me all the way in the deep end. I can genuinely say that all I desire is to be in the deep end. I do not want to be comfortable anymore. I want to be radical and I want to grow. There is nothing on earth that will cause me, or the world around me, greater gain than becoming like God and radiating his light. My mom is the perfect example of a godly woman. When I was younger, I battled anger and rage, and my mom always received the brunt of my tantrums. I can rarely remember her ever yelling back at me, all I remember is hearing scripture softly spoken in my ears. When I was in my room screaming, she was on her knees praying. It was evident that she had experienced the glory of the Lord, because it was so clearly displayed in her actions and words. She gives light and love more than anyone I have ever met and I am forever grateful to have such an incredible woman in my life. 

Application: Today, I will make a list of godly characteristics that I find in my devotions and I will pray that God will help me to be satisfied in him and him alone. 

Before and Beside

Psalm 16:8

“I have set the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”

When I first read this verse, I was encouraged and yet, confused. This verse says that the Lord is before and he is at my right hand, but what does that mean? I get it, God is everywhere, but I still do not understand how the Lord can be before and beside. Then God reminded me of what he has done in my life, and how he has proven to hold my hand and guide my way. In 2008, my dad lost his job for almost two years. I was just entering Jr. High…as if life weren’t awkward enough. I tried to hold it together, and show the world how strong I was, but inwardly, I was crumbling. I grew up in the church, so I knew how to wear the mask well, but my soul longed for something more. No amount of money, no nice house, and no fancy meal could fill the holes in my heart, and I knew it. I felt like my life was falling apart, but truly it was falling into place. At the time, I was blindsided by my pain and I could not see the presence of the Lord, but he was there. Oh, how he was there. Amazingly, during those two years, my parents were able to send my brother and I to private school, and I was able to continue pursuing dance four times a week, due to the generosity and grace of many people. Saying these words out loud blows my mind. God is faithful and he is good. I didn’t ask for God to give me trust without borders, but he knew I would need it then to prepare me for the years to come. He knew that I would need his supernatural strength and faith to say no to college, and yes to IGNITE. Now that I look back, the trial was so worth it. In that time, my faith became my own. I had to decide if God was real and if he honestly loved me with an everlasting, always and forever love. Though I couldn’t see him at times, I could feel him. I felt his hand intertwined in mine, I saw his light ever before me, and I heard his tender voice whispering in my ear, “We are going to make it.” God is real and God is good! Isaiah 30:19-21 says, “He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” When you turn to the right or to the left.” How beautiful. My God is before me and beside me. Though circumstance may rock me, it will not move me when my feet are anchored deep in the everlasting rock. I may not know what God is doing, but I do know who he is, and in that my soul finds rest and overwhelming JOY. 

Application: I want the Lord to be ever before me, every single day. This week, as soon as I wake up, I will pray that Jesus will guide me and that his light will illuminate my way. Psalm 73:23-26: “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Hello from Guatemala

To whoever is taking the time out of their busy day to read this blog, thank you! Thank you so much for your act of kindness and for connecting with me from thousands of miles away. I have been living in Guatemala for a month now, and already God has been blowing my mind and revealing himself to me in ways that I never imagined were possible. Just the other day, I read Hosea 14:5-7, and was reminded of the reason I named this blog, “A Fierce Flourishing.” The passage says, “I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall blossom like the lily; He shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine…” After reading those verses, God faithfully reminded me of a lesson he had taught me just three months prior to leaving the U.S. The season was finally transitioning from summer into fall. The grass lost it’s evergreen color, the trees shed their coats of crinkly, crackly leaves, and gloomy skies filled the air. It seemed as though the earth was mourning the loss of summer. But as nature sat wallowing, I arose rejoicing. I took heart and found comfort in a new transition of life. Though the leaves were dying, nature was hiding, and the earth was crying, the transition was simply beautiful. I marveled and sat in awe of the death and revival of God’s creation, each season sparking within my soul a different reason to sing, give thanks, and find joy. Joyfully, I realized that God is in the midst of every season. He sings through the birds, dances through the waves, proves his faithfulness in the rainbows, and shines brightly through the rays of light. His goodness is sprinkled about every season, every time of year. And isn’t this how God is through my season of life, through all of my transitions and adventures? He is there, always there. Right now, I am in the biggest season of change that I have ever experienced and I didn’t know it was coming until I was already in the middle of it. I remember reading the phrase: “Bloom where you are planted,” and it spoke volumes to my heart. That is the way I am supposed to live: willing and obedient to the purposes of God’s will, and wholly reliant upon the strength of Jesus. Not worrying about where he is taking me, what he is doing, and why he is pruning me of my branches and leaves, but simply blooming wherever he decides to plant me. It sounds so much easier than it actually is. It requires submission and it causes discomfort, but surely a tree must be stripped of all of it’s leaves in order to grow new ones, and the flowers must fade away in order to spring back up with vibrancy and life. I too must lose my leaves every once in a while. Pieces of who I am, must be cut away so that the glory of who God is, can shine through me. When I am stripped down to nothing, it reminds me that God is my everything. in order for beauty to spring forth and a heavenly blooming to take place, I must be deeply rooted in Jesus, firmly planted in his grace. God makes beautiful things out of the dust, and he causes a fruitless people to abound in his name, fiercely flourishing. Isn’t that just beautiful? I have never and will never know such great love. No matter what season you are in, may you bloom, blossom, and flourish on this earth. May people see that the Light of the World is shining upon you and transforming your heart from the inside out. May we welcome new seasons with open arms. May joy fill our hearts to overflow, at the thought of Jesus stooping down low and taking away pieces of us, to be fulfilled with the fullness of Him. God is faithful in and out of every season, may his love wash over you today. 

Stay Awake

Hebrews 6:12

“So that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit promises.”

In order to gain the full message of verse twelve, I went back and read verse eleven, which says: “We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end.” Until the end. That phrase cuts deep, and it has been appearing in my life every week since we have been here. Have hope always, until the very end of the race. Is it even possible to be that consistent? As Christians, hope is to be our motivation. It moves us and pushes us to keep running full force, until we see our King face to face and hear the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Wow. What a glorious day that will be to physically embrace my creator and Savior. It gives me chills just thinking about it! Sadly, for many believers, including myself, that hope of eternity and perfect communion with God is just not enough. Why? And whose fault is it? The answer: yours, mine, and ours. We allow our trials, hurts, pains, and past failures to weigh us down until we are flat on our face, head in the sand, incapable of looking up. We enter into this drowsy state of Christianity; barely alive, just getting by, and certainly not thriving. I was just listening to a song that explains my thoughts perfectly. One of the verses says, “somehow I have fallen in love with this middle ground at the cost of my soul.” That middle ground is apathy, complacency, and it will lead to our spiritual death if we do not fight back. Do not close your eyes to the hope that is gained in the love and knowledge of Christ. Look upwards and onwards that you might be “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit promises.” Hold onto hope, keep your eyes open, and walk in faith with all endurance. This is key. This is the life we are called to live. This is the vibrant, radiant, and fully alive life that God blesses. He blesses us when we hold on, and do not forget, he goes continually before you and is always beside you, holding you by your right hand. How amazing is that? Philippians 3:13 sums it up perfectly. “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Do not give up. Keep chasing, keep pursuing, keep awake. 

Application: I am easily discouraged and I am also a thinker. Often times I dwell on what is getting me down and it keeps my focus off of Jesus. Instead of looking to Him, I look to myself or the help of others. Instead of being consumed with God, I become consumed with me, and I lose heart. Today, I will keep track of all of the times I get discouraged and immediately, I will pray that God will resolve the situation and refocus my gaze on Him. 

Strengthened to Run

Colossians 1:10

“May you be strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, for all endurance and patience with J O Y.”

In it of myself, I cannot do good. I am weak and I do not have the ability to run my race with all endurance and with joy. An athlete spends years perfecting their skills, strengthening their bodies, and training in order to win, and as much as believers need to train and run to win, we also have a gracious and loving father who calls us to come and be filled now. 2 Timothy 2:2 says, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” That phrase, “be strengthened,” literally means to draw our strength from. God knows that we cannot live life on our own. We cannot empower ourselves. We will run out of strength, we will give up, we will lose the joy of our salvation. The weakness of our flesh is inescapable, but the strength of Jesus and his overflowing grace is overcoming, empowering, and captivating. Be strengthened according to HIS might, according to the riches of HIS grace. Hosea 11:3 says, “Yet it was I who taught Ephraim how to walk, I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I had healed them.” One of my biggest downfalls is not recognizing God’s strength and grace in my life. I am independent and strong willed. I think that I have made myself whole and I forget that it was Him who took me out of the pit and cleansed my heart. It is God who breathes life into my bones. It is God who picks me up when I fall. It is God who carries me when I am too exhausted to even try and carry myself. May we not forget our Savior and all that he does, all that he is doing, and all that he will do. The thought of God, the creator of the universe, stooping down low to hold my hand, to look into my eyes, to be near to me and pour out grace upon grace upon me, leaves me in absolute awe and wonder. Jesus wants me. He wants a wretched woman like me to be his beloved daughter. That fact gives me life and joy, pure joy. I do not deserve anything, but God has given me everything. So I will run, and I will run to win. And winning does not mean finishing first and with the fewest mistakes. Winning is allowing God to take my ugly, wayward ways and make them beautiful. It is surrendering my pride and weaknesses, for the beautiful exchange of his power and his grace. It is not about how often you fall, but how you get up when you fall. Thank you Jesus for loving me and making me STRONG. 

Application: I often forget all that God has done for me and instead, I become caught up in my present struggles. Tonight, I will read through my old journal and thank God for all that he has done for me. 

True Life

Luke 21:19

“By your endurance you will G A I N your lives.”

If I were to lose my life, if I were to be hated by all, or if I were to be put into prison for the sake of knowing Christ, would it be worth it? In all honesty, my flesh says no. Denying Christ and living a quiet, comfortable, Christian life seems much easier. Preserving my earthly treasures and titles seems like a far greater gain than death. But within my soul is that gentle voice telling me, “No Charis. You have got it all wrong!” And I do. Life, as perceived by many, consists of 75 years filled with education, a steady job, marriage, a family before you are thirty, and a nice home paid off before your kids go to college. But all is fleeting, all is temporal, and nothing on this earth can satisfy the deepest desires of our souls; but God. In him I have found that which is truly life. My heart is never more filled with joy and subdued with peace, than when it rests in the hands of my father. When I am on my knees in prayer, when I am worshipping my creator, when I am encouraged and built up by the body of Christ, and when I am going through trials that require me to take refuge in Christ alone—those are the times that I feel the most A L I V E. Those are the moments that I live for; those are the moments that I was created for. Philippians 1:18, 20-21 says it perfectly: “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice…it is my eager expectation and hope, that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is G A I N.” This is life. This is the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Great gain is accomplished when we die to self. If we can kill our fleshly desires and flee from our complacent lives, then by God’s grace and strength, we will endure through every battle, until the very end. We cannot be shaken if our feet are planted on the unmovable word of God. If we experience great pain, or great earthly loss, we need not dismay. God goes before us and he stands beside us and he promises that not a hair on our head will perish. The losses we experience on the earth are worth nothing in comparison to the abundance we gain in the knowledge of Christ. 

Application: I will set aside time today to write out the many reasons I am grateful to know Jesus, and I will commit to memory Philippians 1:18, 20-21 by writing it out on a notecard and hanging it up in my room. 

Walking Worthy

Collosians 1:9

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

The first thing I noticed in this passage was the heart of Paul. He was a faithful friend and a lover of all people. It didn’t matter who they were or what they had done, he loved them through and through. He loved them so much that he would give them the truth at any opportunity. Jesus flowed through him, because he was a channel of Christ’s love, a willing vessel. Paul had a genuine desire to see sinners turn to Jesus and to see believers pursue Him more passionately. He cared little about himself, and deeply about the salvation of the souls that surrounded him. God had given him so much grace and mercy when he converted to Christianity, and it clearly filled his heart to overflow in grace for others. Do I love the flock this much? Do I love people to the point of falling on my knees? Am I devoted to speaking truth at any cost? Am I devoted in prayer for others? I love his heart. I love the way God shined and continues to shine through Paul to impact the world. His message to the church of Collosia was just as powerful. He tells them, “we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Doing what God asks us to do when we don’t know the why or the how, is terrifying. I am a planner. I like to schedule events and know the tasks I need to accomplish, ahead of time. However, if I knew the fullness of God’s plans for me, I do not believe that I would be willing or obedient to go as he has called. If I would have known a year ago when I was applying to colleges that God wanted me to do IGNITE, I think I would have fought his will. The comfort of college and gaining a degree sounds much more inviting. If I knew where God was going to take me after IGNITE, I probably would have been more hesitant to come here, too. The problem is that humans live life in constant fear. I live my life in constant fear of the future and the endless possibilities and “what if’s”. I submit to doubt because I listen to earthly wisdom instead of God’s voice. The Lord says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises…” (2 Peter 1:3-4a). Godly wisdom and understanding is rooted in hope and faith that God will truly be all that he says he is. It is believing and holding fast to the faithfulness of his character and the precious and very great promises that he has granted to us. He is just, faithful, and good to his children. Are we so in awe of God that we would do anything and give up everything to fall deeper in love with him? When we can get to that point, we will know the fulness of God’s will for us, and his presence will satisfy the deepest parts of our soul. 

Application: I want to be devoted in prayer for others just like Paul. I will pray for two people back home, and two people on our team every night this week. I will pray this blessing over them, that they might be filled with the fulness of God’s will.