Temporary wall tattoo

We knew we were only going to be in our first apartment for a short time.  How long exactly, that's unknown, but temporary all the same.  We discussed painting the living room but quickly decided that it wasn't worth it since we'd have to eventually paint it back to its original color of plain ol' white.

The living room remains plain ol' white but I decided to spruce up a section with a verse.  We didn't have the extra $20-$30 laying around to purchase a ready made "graphic embellishment."  So, I went with the craftsy basics: paint, paint brushes and my own unsteady hand.  Now, I'm no artist.  So my technique and tools are far from correct.  But I'm happy with it.
It's a pretty bold verse to plaster across the wall for all to see.  Caleb and I talked for awhile about which verse we want to speak for our lives.  There are tons of verses we could have gone with (and still lots of verses that speak for our lives), but the verse we chose, our reasons are 2 fold.

1) It's a personal charge for our lives and to remind us of what lies ahead.

2) It couldn't be extremely long because I only had so much room to work with.

Philippians 1:21

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

 

This is my favorite wall in our apartment :)

 

Philippians begins with Paul in prison for sharing the Gospel of Christ.  He hopes that he will in no way be ashamed and that he will have sufficient courage so he can always exalt Christ, whether he is alive or whether he is being taken away to face execution.

This verse for Caleb and I means that life is Christ.  Our lives shouldn't mean video games, marriage, vacations, shopping, you name it, our lives are not full unless it is centered on and around Christ.  He's it!  He is life.

And to die... is even better... it is gain.  To be in the presence of the Lord God Almighty, to worship Him forever, is the ultimate gain for believers.

Ode to C-bass

My husband... Caleb James Redelman... also known as C-bass.  I do not refer to him as C-bass but that's his nickname among college friends.  If you're outrageously curious, ask him how the nickname came to be.

But regardless of his name, he is my husband.  He is an amazing gift that the Lord has blessed me with.

What is today?  Just your average Wednesday (although today happens to be Ash Wednesday) but apart from that it's a normal day where I'm deciding to write an ode to my husband.  It's one more day the Lord has granted me time with him.

The things I love about Caleb James... C-bass

• His genuine smile
• His kind eyes - this is the first thing I noticed about him when we met.  It was almost as if I could see who he was just in his eyes.
• His giving heart
• Servant
• Boldness in sharing Christ
• Driven
• Intelligent
• Passionate in all he does
• Respectful
• Loving
• His ability to grow a full beard in 5 days
• Helpful
• Sensitive and empathetic
• Challenges himself, me and those around him
• Wise
• Godly
• Makes me laugh
• Great with children
• Kind
• Fearless
• Goal oriented
• Genuinely cares about my thoughts and feelings
• He makes me a priority
• Equips people
• He sides me with except when he needs to calls me out and speaks truth.
• He is selfless and will expend all his time to be there for others in times of need.
• Desires God at the center of our marriage and will fight for that with everything he has.

My husband is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  He is the best part of me.  I am humbled daily by this gift the Lord has given me and am so thankful that the Lord brought us together.

Caleb... C-bass... I love you and am honored to walk beside you in this life, hand in hand, through the ups and downs.  May we sharpen each other daily.

 

                                                               
Proverbs 27:17

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

Ecclesiastes 4:12  

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Free will... beautiful yet frustrating.

Free will.  It's beautiful yet frustrating.  You know that person that keeps making all the wrong decisions and you just want to shake them and yell, "How do you not have this figured out yet?!"  Frustrating isn't it?  

How can you knowingly make a decision that results in you falling down in the dirt.... on your hands and knees... again... and every time you start to get back up, you make yet another decision that pushes you right back down in the dirt.  This time flat on your face with a big ol' mouthful of dirt.  You're tired.  You're irritated.  You're dirty.  You're angry that you are going nowhere but down.  Down in the dirt.

You're fed up.  You begin to resent people.  Everyone is to blame.  They're the reason you're being pushed around.  No one can be trusted.  Everyone is your enemy.  Everyone is out to hurt you.  

Well... part of that is true for certain miserable people in this world.  But we have been given a gift.  We can choose.  We can choose many things.

We can choose what people we want to be surrounded by.  The negative Nancys, the mean Marks, the joyful Jacobs, the encouraging Elizabeths.

We can choose to be content and be thankful for what we have.  Or we can choose to complain and be discontent.  You'll get a big mouthful of dirt on that one.

We can choose to surrender our lives and let God work.  Or we can hold onto our pride and refuse to understand His truths.  You'll be flat on the ground for good on this one.

I am so thankful that the Lord chose to give us free will.  Free will enables us to choose to accept His free gift of eternal life.  He's not standing above us with an iron fist forcing and manipulating us to love Him.  
No, that is not the God we serve.  He loves us so much that He gave us the most unbelievable gift imaginable.  The verse we know and love says it all,
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life."

Yet, some refuse this gift.  The most precious gift on earth, the one gift that is free yet came at the ultimate price... this gift, as beautiful as it is, is refused by so many.  Frustrating isn't it?

Why are you making the same mistakes?  Why are you continuing to hold on to your anger?  Why do you choose to wallow in discontentment?  Why do you choose to look out for only yourself and blame others?  Aren't you sick of choosing these things and ending up in the dirt again?
It's your choice.  But if I have a gift in front me that offers peace, joy, truth, understanding, and eternal life with the one true God versus living life on my own, falling in the dirt over and over, feeling anger, bitterness, loneliness... I know exactly what I'm going to choose.

Do I fall in the dirt now even as a follower of Christ?  Absolutely.  But here's a secret.... **Whisper** God is there to pick me up, wipe the dirt off my face, and say, "It's ok... let's try this again."  And I continue with the Lord.

Free will... beautiful yet frustrating.  What will you choose?