The short & sweet version of what this blog is about:
The purpose of, and my hope for this blog, is to be able to share inspiration, thoughts, insights, quotes, encouragement, etc. on how to live the best life possible. There is God’s way versus man’s way, and a stark contrast between the two. God’s way is far better. In fact, that is an understatement. There is no comparison. That has been proven since the beginning of time, through thousands of years of history and billions of peoples’ lives.
I love seeking and sharing God’s wisdom and instruction on how to live the best life possible. He is the only One Who can transform people and their lives. There is only one way to truly live life well. Whether you are someone who doesn’t believe in God, doesn’t walk by faith, follows a certain religion, are seeking out faith for the first time, are a believer who is struggling spiritually, or are a believer wanting to continue on wholeheartedly for the Lord, the answer for all of us is the same. And God’s way is life changing, and infinitely better than seeking mankind’s tarnished version which is consumed by worthless things. Choose the way that leads to true fulfillment and happiness.
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That is it in a nutshell, but I could never really sum it up in two paragraphs. There is so much more to say. So here’s the more in depth version:
When I first thought of starting a blog, the word “inspiration” immediately came to mind. I have always been someone who loves seeking knowledge and inspiration on how to live the best life possible. I find the right words and quotes instantly uplifting. They stimulate me and challenge me to do better and try harder. Inspiration is defined as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something”. I think all human beings love the feeling and process involved when they feel inspired. Words of wisdom and words to live by are incredibly powerful, because we are all seeking happiness and fulfillment. But it goes far deeper than most people know. Where is this concept derived from in the first place? The awesome part is that I don’t have to come up with my own ideas or notions on the concept; I know the answer.
Being truly inspired, happy, loving, loved, content, fulfilled, joyful, wise, secure, confident, respectful, knowledgeable, successful, resilient, virtuous, and every other good/positive adjective comes from only one place: God. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above”. All good things come from Him, and any wise or positive thing we hear or do is actually based on the Bible and Biblical principles, even if people don’t give credit where it’s due.
I am blessed beyond measure to have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and be a born again Christian. For far too long, I didn’t value my relationship with Him the way I should have. I took it for granted and barely did anything to maintain it. But I refuse to waste any more of my life living that way. I have seen how different my life is now that I am following Him, studying the Bible, and living by the truths & standard of His Word. I used to live just like everyone else in this world, doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to. That may sound like freedom, but it is actually bondage because it caused me to continually miss out on what really matters in life.
Despite being saved, I was complacent, and was blind to how much better my life could be. Everything seemed fine; my life was full and fun. I had “everything”: a loving family, my health, youth, intelligence, a college degree, a great lifestyle full of travel, lots of friends, a gorgeous house, spent tons of time going out & making fun plans, etc. While none of those things are bad, I was leaving the most important thing out, and the Lord gave me a wake up call and showed me that I was wasting my life away. I was selling myself short, and primarily seeking meaningless things that were superficially keeping me “happy” and “content”. It was a foolish, empty cycle — a tremendous mistake and one of Satan’s greatest deceptions: convincing us we are fine on our own, fine just the way things are, living a life either completely without the Lord, or putting Him second.
When we as Christians are “content” to not seek Him further, it should be a huge warning to us that we have slipped and strayed too far. But the Lord is perfectly loving, amazing, gracious, & merciful. He restores us. He calls us back to Him. And it’s incredible how quickly He does it despite years of backsliding. Thankfully, the Lord opened my eyes to how easily I could have a whole new way of life. I could clearly see the precious time I was wasting by not seeking Him first. My life is infinitely better now. I know real contentment. Contentment that is unwavering. It’s not a false contentment or happiness I have to seek by filling my life with as much as possible. It’s a true, deep contentment planted deep within my soul. It’s uplifting, powerful, and a whole new way of life. I see such a contrast between the lives of people who don’t follow the Lord and the lives of people who do. I have witnessed (and lived) the difference, and following Him is far better. There is no comparison!
I realize that Christian blogs most commonly appeal to other Christians. But I hope and pray it can also touch the hearts of people who have not explored what it is like to live by faith and open their eyes to what they are missing. Every single person on this planet has a God shaped hole in their hearts. They can deny it all they want, but it’s there. Christians are so happy all the time and trying to tell others about the gospel and our Savior because that’s how amazing it is to be a Christian–we feel like we are living out the best kept secret on the planet and everyone should know what they’re missing out on! If you aren’t a born again Christian, please refer to my other pages: Did You Know? | Happiness, Redefined | What Do You Believe?
Additionally, I hope this blog can be a tremendous encouragement to my fellow believers, wherever you may be in your walk of faith. I have been in all three of the following phases as a Christian. I can relate to all of them:
1) If you have completely turned your back on Him and feel nothing but distance from Him, disregard for Him and His ways, have a cold heart toward Him and are lost in sin, I’ve been there. He is waiting to draw you back to Him. He wants to restore you, & HE WILL if you let Him. I pray He opens your eyes to the fresh start He wants to give you.
2) If you are somewhere in between, and haven’t turned away completely but are struggling and aren’t growing in faith, I have been there, too. But you don’t have to keep living that way. He can revive you and bring you back to that place where His Word and prayer breathe new life into you, and bring you joy and exhilaration.
3) If you are already walking with Him, seeking Him daily and enjoying His love, I want to encourage you not to give up. Keep going. Grow in faith. Never let it go. He is our greatest love, so fight for Him! Fight the deceptions of Satan and fight for your relationship with the Lord.
Whatever stage we’re all in, whatever path we’re on, we all need continual encouragement from other believers. He wants us to be there for each other, encouraging one another in our faith, building each other up, not tearing each other down. We all need to be exercised to continue to weed out the old nature, the sin, the ungodliness in our lives, and fully put on the armor of God, come to Him in submission, humility, obedience, seek Him, walk with Him, follow Him, stay on the path He has for our lives, and cleave to Him and His will.
I will never speak out of hypocrisy, judgment or pointing a finger at anyone. Every word of the Bible and all of God’s commandments apply to every single person. I am only accountable for myself. I must always take all of His truths to heart, take a good long look in the mirror, and “walk the walk, not just talk the talk”. I am an awful sinner, saved by His mercy and grace. I am not perfect. I have lived both ways: with Him, and without Him. So there is no hypocrisy or judgment behind any topic or comment. I share thoughts that He has put on my heart, things I enjoy, find encouraging, or feel exercised about, in hope that they will be encouraging or thought provoking to others as well. I will share truths and God’s thoughts from Scripture. That is not the same as expressing judgment, or trying to push anything on anyone. It is simply stating what God’s Word says about a certain topic. We all struggle with different things. If something stirs you up, makes you feel exercised, or maybe even a little uncomfortable or upset at times, please spread them before the Lord in prayer & ask Him what He is trying to tell you. We can only share truths, speak the truth of the Word of God, and judge things according to Scripture, but He is the only judge. We are not to judge one another, and I have zero intention of saying anything in judgment of others, I only want to speak the truth.
I know that He is calling me to post the thoughts and messages that He puts on my heart every day, and I hope they are as encouraging to others as they are to me. I am excited to share my relationship with Him, the incredible lifestyle it brings, and how extraordinary knowing the Lord as our Savior really is! I love being inspired to do what’s best, what’s right, to try my hardest and live life well, because He inspires me through His Word every day. There are many great motivational speakers, sayings, self help books, etc. out there. But when I think of what truly brings a lifetime full of inspiration, of true words to live by, remarkable words of wisdom, it only comes from God, a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the leading of the Holy Spirit, the wonderful treasures found in God’s Word, the Bible, and the power of prayer. Every single day He inspires me to keep going, to trust Him, to listen to Him, to follow Him, to enjoy His love, to love Him in return, and to make my life on this earth purposeful and meaningful. So may you also find in Him a lifetime of inspiration, and a better life than you ever thought possible.