Jesus is not the reason for the season.

she will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins."

all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

matthew 1:21-23
____________

i heard an incredible message at a service i went to at cricket arena this morning with my family. the pastor asked the question "is Jesus the reason for the season?" followed, of course, by a sea of people responding "yes!" before he said "don't answer this before you hear the message...i'm tricking you."

[this guy also looked just liked tyler durden from fight club. don't know why, but i just had to say that.]

the scripture was matthew 1:21-23 and the pastor spoke about how Jesus is not the reason for this season. the reason for the season is me. it's you. Jesus' birth would have been irrelevant if it weren't for those He came to save. if it weren't for sinful people, Jesus wouldn't had to have come in the flesh and died for all of us.

we could not get to Jesus, so He came to us. we can't get to Him today with good deeds, unceasing prayer, by going to church everyday or anything else we try to do to "get to Jesus." He comes to us. daily, hourly, every minute of the day He is with us. God with us. oh, how we tend to forget.

Jesus did not need this "season." He is the reason for everything, year-round. WE are the reason for the season of His birth and we should rejoice in the fact that the most precious gift we ever received was sent to meet us where we're at.

what a refreshing message to hear this morning! i would probably have to say that the past few months of my life have been the most challenging i've ever experienced personally, and i was having a hard time even remembering that Christmas is in two days. i came into the season exhausted all-around and unfortunately feel like i haven't even had an hour to think outside of myself and get into "the spirit." and being the Christmassy jinglchelle that i am, it's been hard for me to feel like i'm just going to have to let this season pass me by and put on a fake smile and get through the holidays. i desperately needed to hear those words from God.

people often ask me why i pray so hard for God's will or why i really do want to do what God wants for my life. they ask why i don't just go completely selfish for awhile and try to make things happen for myself because obviously i can always go back to my roots -- why not take a little time to do what michelle wants instead of worrying about God all the time. i've thought about that a lot lately, because honestly, answering "because i love God" or "because we're supposed to" just doesn't cut it for me. and that's not why i do it. the reason i want to please God is that it's the least i can do. plain and simple, no fancy explanation...i don't see much point to a life lived for myself - a life that satisfies for a season and leaves you completely dissatisfied in an instant.

God sent his son to be born on earth to die for me. i'm the reason and i never quite got it. and now i feel "the Spirit" in a completely different way that i ever have at Christmas - God with us.

i'm thinking i'm going to buckle down and start writing the book i've always wanted to. i do need people to keep on me about this, b/c i'm used to at least semi-instant gratification and this could take years. but i really want to do it. and i want to speak about it when it's done.

long-term goals, people!

if anyone has anything to say about this...anything at all...let's hear it!

(especially if you're an editor, artist, photographer, etc...and i know way too many of those, so c'mon people...)

i think that i think too hard
and i don't give enough credit to my heart

i need Thee every hour

i don't know if i'm just emotional or what (well, i KNOW that i AM emotional, but i don't know how much more or less than anyone else)...

but it seems like everyday is a roller coaster for me lately. and everyday i also come to a point where i am completely content and at peace with my faith in God and not understanding and controlling everything around me, even if it's only for an hour before bed...

then i wake up again in the morning and start over. dang it! i find myself praying every night "Lord, please help me to remember this mindset and peace tomorrow when i start to feel overwhelmed or upset" and it does seem to get a little easier each day.

good thing God doesn't give up on me. i'd give up on me.

"do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will."
romans 12:2

i feel like i should put a disclaimer on this post.

i hate being a girl sometimes.

a lot of times.

if you're a girl, you understand. if you're a boy, it might be a good idea to read this for understanding; however, i will tell you upfront that you will never completely understand. there is no explaining the mind and moods of a female. if i can't do it, then surely you can't.

but hey, that's what makes us mysterious and attractive, right?

sick.
_______

interestingly enough, i am having a big, long conversation with my "ex" online right now (sorry to refer to you that way, but i guess it's true?!) about how i've completely screwed myself over in terms of relationships since we broke up almost two years ago.

i won't go into all the gory details, but basically i was so afraid to commit to someone again for a certain period of time that i ended up hurting other people who were interested in me and who i actually really did care about. then, when i was finally ready to commit, it was to someone even more commitment-phobic than myself.

so here i sit, burned and broken...not angry, not mad...i really don't hold any of this against anyone at all b/c i have understanding of what happened, but i fear that it will be a difficult thing for me to believe that someone has solid, non-sketchy, strong, shout-it-from-the-rooftops feelings about me again and that really makes my heart ache because that is what i want. and that is what i want to be for someone else.

i guess it makes me the most sad b/c i used to be a person who had complete confidence in my relationships -- in the other person and in myself -- and now after this ridiculous drama-filled time in my life, i feel sometimes like i have a very weak person leftover to show for it.

am i making any sense?

then there's the L-O-V-E word. i feel like i have been so overwhelmed by people who express their "love" for me repeatedly with their words and emotions that i wonder if i can ever get back to the place where i have a pure understanding of the word "love" used in a romantic relationship. not to mention the fact that many times, these words were not followed up by actions and therefore have made me into an untrusting, paranoid mess. (not good since i am a firm believer in "luv is a verb" -- thank you, dc talk)

all-in-all, i hope and pray that i will be able to have enough patience and discernment to know when God calls me into a relationship so that i don't further the craziness that is michelle efird.

see, i told you that you would/wouldn't understand.
_______

are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
luke 12:6-7

what a week.

it has been quite the week. thursday on my lunch break, i called my mom only to find out that she was on her way to the hospital to consent to moving my grandmother to hospice and cutting her off all treatment besides oxygen and medication to ease the pain. i packed my things and headed home that afternoon.

there are so many things running through my mind right now that i want to write about...so many things i've thought about, questioned, been blessed by, etc. a few things:

• i am seriously overwhelmed by God's blessing of the friendships in my life; i am not talking about acquaintances (which are good to), but i'm talking serious, true, deeply caring people in my life that surround me on a daily basis. of course, some of those friends are the ones i live with or interact with daily and spend lots of time with, but some of them are even those i don't get to see that often or talk to, but we love and care about each other as if we spoke everyday. i spent the night in the hospital on thursday night so that my mom could try to get some sleep, and i had friends calling and staying up online to talk with me so i could stay awake. i know that people have felt like they can't "do" anything for me right now, but just knowing people truly care is quite enough.
• i won't really go in depth about this right now, but i am amazed at how quickly this life will go by. i hope and pray that at the end of my life, i am pleased with the focus of my life...and above all, that God is pleased.
• i was watching a video on our grace website just now (http://graceccnc.org/ - it's called "Easter Sunday testimonials"), and cannot control my tears about the truth that speaks through it to me. on the video, josh comments about some things that have happened in his life this year, saying that it was definitely God trying to get his attention. i see that so many times in my life, and although those times are usually utterly painful, i am so thankful. i praise God that He cares enough to help me re-focus my life and put things in perspective. and from all these lessons, i am usually able to help others go through the same things.

i came back to buies creek yesterday for lindsay's shower, and i am continually blessed by being a part of her whole wedding process, and hopefully learning a lot ahead of time. :) it was a really good time and it was great to be with people who mean a lot to me.

this morning, i found out that nanna passed away at 6am. it's somewhat surreal and i wondered if i would be upset if something happened while i was gone, but honestly i think God was protecting me. i think it might have been too hard to be there when she actually passed away. and i did get to talk to her a few times while i was home when she was awake, so that's what i'm thankful for.

thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayer and phone calls...they have truly helped me to get through this time. please continue to pray for my family, specifically for my mom and grandfather.

12:30am?? Good time to write, of course.

it seems that i am continually reminded of how undeserving i am of God's grace, and of the blessings He pours on me.

consequently, i am also reminded of how selfish i am towards the people around me...hoarding everything that i am blessed with as if it was deserved.

i was so thankful that lindsay reminded me of this verse this week:

"freely you have received,
freely give."
[matthew 10:8]

so many times, i get caught up in what i want, what i deserve, how i feel, what's not fair to me and what i just can't understand when really, i don't deserve anything. i don't deserve what i want or good feelings and i certainly don't truly want what would be "fair" to me. and obviously, i will never be able to understand everything and if i could, i'd worship myself (which all too often, is what it seems when i convince myself that i'm pretty dang smart).

a good friend (and student) of mine recently reminded me that when God promises you things for your life, He does them. it sounds simple, but when you start to worry about your life, it's easy to forget. even though it might sometimes feel like God has forgotten the desires that He put in my heart, He most certainly has not and i know that He will remain faithful to me b/c He never fails. i think it's extremely hard for us to trust someone that deeply...trusting that God will never, ever fail us...b/c we really have no tangible concept of infallibility. we fail others (and ourselves) everyday, over and over, and other people fail us too, so it's hard to put complete and total faith in someone, especially someone we can't visibly see. this causes us to worry and be overwhelmed, creates pressure and bad, split-second, emotional decisions b/c we feel like we have to control what happens to us...that there is no way things will work out unless we do it ourselves.

so i'm working on trust and recognizing how selfless God is with me, and how important it is for me to show that selflessness to everyone i encounter...friends, perceived "enemies," people who have hurt me, people who take advantage of me, people who don't like me one bit. who am i to judge, and play favorites and choose who i will love and who i will refuse love to?

"by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another."
[john 13:35]

lots on my mind.

what's on my mind? a better question would be "what's NOT on my mind?"

now, i know i give tons of "advice" and hopefully help a handful of people, but i still come home everyday and wonder what in the world i'm doing. we talked about a lot tonight in Bible study, b/c i just decided to go ahead and throw all my questions out on the table...it definitely helped me to sort through things a little more, but i wanted to put in my two cents about college dating (this goes out to some of my admissions students, as well as myself, of course.)

• as far as relationships go, i think that when you're in college it's really easy to get wrapped up in who fits correctly into your lifestyle or friend group, or who everyone tells you would be "perfect" for you or looks "cute" with you. i've realized, even just shy of one year out, that none of that matters (and i wish i had thought more about it before i graduated). what it really comes down to is who would you be stoked about outside of your college setting...when you're not student body president or a star athlete or mr. personality on campus. who will you be just fine with when no one remembers that about you, and who can you laugh with even when things absolutely suck? who will be able to pray for you and be with you through the hardest things you'll ever go through, and be incredibly excited during the biggest joys? who will you still love even when they piss you off beyond belief and you want to hit them (b/c let's face it, that will happen)? basically, who are you willing to experience life with...all of it, even the stuff you don't know about yet (and that's a risky gamble). i'm not saying you'll definitely find someone in college, but it's just something to think about while you're looking.

i know that might sound corny, but it's really true. yep.

whew.

so much to think about after home fellowship every week, for sure. a few highlights and things that we continued to talk about in the car on the way home...

• brad mentioned tonight how different it is to live in america, and i started thinking about how much that has effected the way i view God, Christianity, heaven, the purpose of life, etc. sadly, i realized in the car that i don't have a huge desire for heaven...i don't think about it very often b/c, to be honest, i really don't have it bad here. i started talking about it in the car and nick mentioned the fact that so many times, we think about heaven as more of a "materialistic" thing. as immature as this sounds, it was like a light when off in my head that i haven't really thought about often, if even at all. when i think of heaven, i try to imagine the "streets of gold" and all the "beauty" that we will find, but that doesn't really appeal to me because i'm quite satisfied with the things i see on this earth. when i do this, i am ignorantly forgetting that when i get to heaven, i will have a full and complete knowledge of God -- and this is what i crave each and every day in my life and in my prayers. i can't even fathom how wonderfully satisfying and awesome it will be to understand everything i've struggled with or blindly had faith in for so long. not to mention the fact that i will be completely physically healed; this in itself is absolutely enough for me to long for because i have no concept of that feeling. i have always believed that i am luckier having never felt "normal" when it comes to my physical state, but when i think about heaven, i definitely consider myself luckier to feel complete healing from this earthly, broken body. the thought actually makes me want to weep.
• brad also talked about how in other countries, people are "fatalistic," meaning that they wake up everyday with the expectation that things are going to be bad or even that they may die from the various things they deal with or encounter on a daily basis, whereas in america we are the opposite. we wake up everyday with the expectation that things BETTER go our way, or we are completely thrown off with nothing but pity for ourselves. this is exactly what i deal with on a daily basis, and the part of me that i am so trapped inside and loathe at the same time. what an interesting country we live in; a blessing a curse, as so many things are in life (the curse being our own fault, of course).
• justine also brought up how we are to figure out what to do with our lives, and we discussed that on the way home. we talked about something donnie said a few weeks ago, when he said that the job we use as a source of income on earth is really just a means to do what we are really here for on earth. this is really important to me where i am in life right now, b/c i have a hard time justifying doing anything outside "the ministry" b/c of how unimportant i tend to think everything else is...but at the same time, i don't feel a calling to be in "the ministry," or what people generally think of that as. interesting stuff.

actually, i think that's enough for tonight. my little human brain can't take much more at this point.

down to earth

Jesus was a human being just like me. i have to keep telling myself that.

actually, a LOT worse happened to Him than has or probably will ever happen to me. and most importantly, He knows how i feel. i tend to forget that and believe it impossible in my times of self pity and in bitter sadness and upset. but He certainly knows how i feel when i cry out to Him and that is so comforting. He will take care of me.

i was reminded during my trip to ohio that God has already promised us so many things in our lives. He also has a purpose for us and regardless of ourselves, as long as we genuinely desire it, He will do what He wants with us. i had a really remarkable talk/prayer with a student/friend of mine in ohio who God used to literally speak to me through. it was absolutely amazing, something i don't think i've ever quite experienced in my life and something that i hope to experience repeatedly.

it was so comforting...i have been praying for months saying "i feel like i never know what You want me to do...i can guess, i can try, i can pray all i want, but i know i'll never get an email or a phone call from You telling me what to do about all these things that i an anxious and unsure about. i can't see you or hear you or even sometimes feel You and i wish things were more clear b/c i'm more scared of ME screwing things up than You." so God used someone else to talk straight to me. prayer is good.

He told me to keep doing what i'm doing and spoke directly to me about specific things i had been praying about. even though some of these things weren't exactly what i would have liked to hear, i felt completely at peace b/c i knew it was God speaking to me.

i won't really detail anymore here, but if you're interested in hearing about it, i would love to share. it's just too much to write on here, too hard to explain. but i did want to share the point, and that is prayer. there is nothing else we can really do to save ourselves from ourselves.
___________

i have also realized that i would probably recognize and understand what God wants for my life more easily if i actually knew God better. it's just like your friends and family: i know exactly how my best friends and family members would react in any situation, how they would reason it out and what they would tell me to do. if i knew God half as well as i know my best friends, i would really probably do better at making decisions about my own life and reaching out to other people in their lives. how do we do that? pray, read the Bible...

[side tangent: why in the world do i have such a problem finding time to read the Bible when it's basically an instruction book for my life?!?! i
certainly have time to listen to music and go out to dinner and work out when i want to]

...meditate on the Word, and on God Himself and simply talk to Him and let Him speak to you.
___________

i also think i've finally realized how God speaks to me. i've always been jealous of people who said "God spoke to me...blah, blah" b/c i was always thinking "HOW does He speak to you?!?!" God speaks to me when i meditate...meaning, when i actually turn off the music in my car or lay in bed at night and talk to God and sit and let Him put thoughts in my head instead of filling them up with my own. God "speaks" to me when i get ideas...things that i know i didn't come up with on my own or things that i say to people that i never even thought of until they came out of my mouth. it's refreshing to say "i didn't think of that at all" b/c i know God has spoken to me and through me.

just like He did through my student, who i am so thankful for. :)

why do we have emotions??

any takers? i'm plumb out of answers for that question.

maybe, instead of trying so hard to learn more about MYSELF,

i should try to learn more about GOD.*

by doing that, i would (hopefully) learn more about myself anyway, since i was (gracefully) made in His image.



*note: by the way, why isn't this an easy concept, since we have something in print to teach us about God. there's nothing in print to teach me about myself. at least i hope not.



i've heard about "meditating on God" and "on God's Word" for my whole life. i am so thankful for finally learning how important that is, even if i'm learning in little bits and pieces.

even if you don't have a Bible with you, talk to God and meditate with God. things will come to you like they never have before, and that's because it's not you.

"but He said to me,
'My grace is sufficient for you,
for My power is made perfect in weakness.'

therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me.

that is why, for Christ's sake,
i delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,
in persecutions, in difficulties.
for when I am weak, then I am strong."

.2 corinthians 12:9-10.

la vita e bella

i've just finished off a really weird week.

now, i have had some WEIRD weeks in my life, but this one has been particularly interesting in a number of situations that have really already taught me a lot about myself and life in general.

i found out on saturday that linda talley, wife of my pastor brad at grace, has an inoperable brain tumor. they found out saturday after linda had been feeling dizzy and light-headed for the week prior.

we found out today that it is malignant and is actually a very aggressive form of cancer, leaving her with radiation as her only option, and an estimated 2-3 months.

i just cannot imagine what that is like. today we got an email saying they were going to break the news slowly to her over the next few days...then later in the day, we received one saying "linda wants to live, but she is resting in God's decision. she believes that He has the best plans for her."

linds and i talked about this yesterday for awhile, and i really think that the reason it upsets me so much is for brad. of course i'm upset for linda and that she has to go through this and the treatments, etc. but to be honest, i think i would rather be linda than brad right now...i would rather be the one thinking about leaving than thinking about being left here.

i could go on forever about all the things i am already realizing from this whole situation and i am just ONE person! i am SO thankful for the connection i have to grace this year...i don't think i have ever really felt a "burden" for someone else like i feel for brad and linda. i know it's not nearly what they're feeling, but i have never wept over anyone outside of my family before and that connection amazes me. what a blessing my home fellowship & grace have been in my life.

i also realize that i have no concept of what God can do with a situation like this...who it will reach, who it will inspire, who it will touch. i have NO concept. i know this b/c even when i catch a little glimpse, i am overwhelmed. thank goodness God doesn't reveal things to us all at once; i am too weak to handle even small servings.

i can also see the importance of the person you choose to spend your life with. of COURSE, it's not something i've ever taken lightly or anything, but we get so caught up in the hear and now...and in things that really don't matter...constant attention, good looks, the way a person makes you "feel all giddy inside." i am certain that when brad and linda decided to get married, they had NO idea that linda would NEED brad in her life for this specific situation. he is just who she needs to encourage, strengthen and love her, and she is just what he neesd right now too. i have to believe that God will do the same for me. give me faith in someone who will be exactly what i need. i have no basis for making that decision right now b/c i don't know what the future holds, so i am thankful that i can let God make that decision clear for me.

there are so many more things i could say, but right now i am completely overwhelmed. just two weeks ago at home fellowship, linda and i talked through dinner, discussing my arthritis and everything that came with it. she felt awful that she never knew before, and i told her it's something i don't really realize that most people don't know about, b/c for so many years of my life, it was much more obvious than it is now. she and i discussed treatments and diets and she gave me recommendations for those things...she was so concerned about my life and really understanding everything about my condition. i am especially thankful for that conversation.

a very close "friend" of mine reminded me today that this is not over. there is hope for linda, b/c this is just prognosis and frankly, b/c of God. we can pray and weep and study together and see if God wills that linda make it through this. there is definitely hope, so i don't want to sound like it's finished. i KNOW it's not in more ways than one. but i have learned so much already, and at the expense of someone who is a constant and shining example of God's love and grace.

i'm sure i'll have more to say tonight after home fellowship...

james 4:13-15:

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

read the whole chapter...it's good.

a change would do you good.

why do we worry so much about our lives?!?

...what we look like everyday, what we're going to do this weekend, how much money we don't have to buy the things we want (notice i said want), etc.

especially when there are SO many other things in the world to worry about, mostly outside of this wonderful country we call america.

i think there are a number of reasons we still worry about ourselves, but probably mostly b/c we're ignorant to what's going on outside of our own little bubbles. and that's our own faults.

• have you ever heard of the "kimberley process," a joint agreement between government, civil society and the international diamond industry made to stem the flow of conflict diamonds (rough diamonds used my rebels in africa to finance way against their government)? you might have seen the movie "blood diamond" and came home saying "i don't even want a diamond now..." but that's not the point. fair diamond trade supports an estimated 10 million people globally, including the basis for much of the african government. be sure your diamonds are conflict free. when you buy conflict free diamonds, you could actually change someone's life in africa...for example, there are actually government-funded education and medical programs whose money comes solely from diamond trade.
• did you know that very recently, starbucks refused to negotiate trade agreements with ethiopia unless they agreed to play by starbucks' own terms? ethiopia filed last year to trademark three of their most famous coffees, allowing them to make more money off of their trade (an estimated 88 million more per year to be exact). this would also allow farmers to receive a greater share of the retail value, enabling better life in ethiopia. so what can you do? boycott starbucks?? i'm sure if YOU boycott starbucks, they will become open-minded and trade fairly...probably unrealistic. but maybe you could not go to the barista so often and save the $ you spend each month on coffee (maybe make it in your own kitchen??) and give that to an organization that does have the means to help intervene in this situation. (like oxfam international)

these are just two simple examples of things i have learned about very recently, which i've decided to actually look into and not just "protest" -- to actually find out what we can do to change things for the world.

when i start to read about these things and think about the blessings i have in my ABUNDANT life and the things i take for granted each day, life doesn't seem so bad. let's get real.

READ more (i don't think we know how to read in american half the time...i know i don't)

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/

http://www.diamondfacts.org/

or, even start simple...make your homepage cnn.com or something instead of espn or the always lovely facebook.com where we waste at least an hour a day.

honestly, it'll change your life. and other people's lives, most importantly.

it's very obvious to me that something in my life needs to change.

i don't think i'm actually depressed everyday or something, but i really do feel unhappy most of the time. i really can't pinpoint any one reason i feel this way either.

i do wonder a lot whether i've made wrong choices in the past or done something to "deserve" the way i feel, but deep down, i know that's not what God does. He actually does the opposite by providing us grace, but that still leaves me wondering why i feel like a mess all the time.

am i not taking advantage of the opportunities that will fulfill my life? i pray all the time that i will, and i pray to see the opportunities and that i might be used regardless of my stupid self-pity state. i love my church and my home fellowship makes my week every tuesday and i literally come home thinking "why do i worry if i truly believe God is taking care of me?" but sometimes i think i'm more worried/scared about MY part in my life than God's...yeah, i definitely am.

and to be quite honest, i'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that i feel like i'm finally ready to commit myself to another person again and i think i have much more of a perspective of what that means for me and i feel completely certain that i can do it, but there's no one to do that with.

as usual, i prayed/yelled with God in the car the other night, wondering out loud why i am by myself right now and why my desire for that type of companionship will not go away even though i constantly ask for it to be taken away so i can focus on other things. i told Him that i realize i was not made to be alone, and that i also don't think there will ever come a time where i feel like i'm "ready" for a relationship...i can't pray enough, think enough or even see enough counselors to make me feel like i can say "okay, i'm perfectly ready for this." i want someone just as crazy as me who i can go through crazy life with. to push me and challenge me, and let me do the same thing for them. to learn with and from. i realize that i can do things on my own...that i'm not paralyzed without "someone," but i feel that i could do 10x more with the right person b/c of encouragement and enthusiasm and someone to share my everyday, stupid, boring life with.

and that's the end for today. sorry this isn't fancy.

catharsis

"you know somebody, and they cry for you.
they stay awake at night and dream of you.
i bet you never even know they do,
but somebody's crying for you."

whew.

every day this week has been "one of those days."

i'm pretty sure guys cannot relate, but the ones where i know that it would be very beneficial if i just went to bed instead of thinking about my life b/c i feel so crazy and might do or say something stupid. and i know that if i just go to sleep, i will feel differently in the morning.

plus, i've been sick & can't even go to the doctor right now b/c i'm still figuring out my insurance nonsense, which is a 5-page post in itself.

i just want a little bit of order in my life, and i have none.

i don't like this 'growing up' business.