What Is the American Dream?

My English class has been discussing the American Dream for a couple of weeks. Within this unit, I have heard several ideas about what my classmates see as being the American Dream.

"To be wealthy."

"It isn't real because not everyone has the same opportunities."

"To eliminate worry."

"To be happy."

"To rise above your current standing in society."

... and the most common, "To be successful."


I personally believe that "to be successful," is the American Dream. However, that is a broad statement. My definition of the American Dream depends on how I define "success."

Success is generally seen as accomplishment of wealth or fame. This is not how I see it.

I do not see gaining wealth or fame as "success" because those things are futile and will fail.

What doesn't fail is my faith and its resulting joy.

My definition of success is: being in a growing relationship with God, using the talents He has given me to the best of my ability, and being content with what I have.

A relationship with God fills my spirit with an incomprehensible joy. When I am with God, I WANT to things to the best of  my ability. Why waste what God has given me by being lazy. I want to serve God by doing my very best in every situation. If doing my very best results in wealth or fame, then that's great. But, even if I do my very best and still end up in poverty and disease, then so be it. I will give God glory because His spirit is what blesses my life and what fills me up. If  I am loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and use self-control. I am successful. If I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, strength, and love my neighbor as myself, I am successful.

       Galatians 5:22-23Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

               But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness,          faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

        Colossians 3:23(HCSB)

 Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

Matthew 22:37-40 (HCSB)

 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most importantcommand.  The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Even though I see these things as successful, success isn't my ultimate goal.

Jesus, the Son of God, left the comforts of heaven to come to this earth, live a perfect life, and then die a painful death so that I could be forgiven of my sins. This sin separates me from God and there is NOTHING that I can do on my own to get rid of it. But, because Jesus died to forgive me, if I repent, my sin is forgiven and forgotten. But that's not the end of the story. Jesus LIVES! He rose on the third day and defeated death. My Jesus is powerful and I live to serve Him, follow Him and honor Him.

I do have goals and dreams for this life, but the things of this live are not guaranteed to me. If I never gain worldly success, I am not a failure. God has rescued me from the achievable standard the world places on me. He can rescue you too. He loves you. He died to save you. Accept Him. Follow Him. Then, you will have success.

Philippians 2 (HCSB)

Christian Humility

2 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Christ’s Humility and Exaltation

5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
7 Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

More on the American Dream

David Platt 1

David Platt 2

God vs the American Dream- Relevant Magazine

Blessings :)

God Never Fails

There are people in our lives that we trust. We look up to them. They are our mentors, our role models. But, they are human. They mess up. They don't understand everything. They offend us, or let us down.

But God never fails. He never forsakes us.

" Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

We love our friends. We love our romantic relationships. But we fight. They betray us. They lie, or they leave.

But God's love is unconditional. God's love is eternal.

 "I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you."
Jeremiah 31:3

"Lord, Your faithful love reaches to heaven,
Your faithfulness to the clouds."
Psalm 36:5

Look in the mirror. What do you see? Do you think....ugly? Hopeless? Unwanted?

God tells you that you are wonderfully and remarkably made. You are beautiful in His sight. He has a purpose for you and He will fulfill it.

 "Acknowledge that Yahweh is God.
He made us, and we are His —
His people, the sheep of His pasture."

Psalm 100:3

"For it was You who created my inward parts;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well."

Psalm 139: 13-14

"Yet Lord, You are our Father;
we are the clay, and You are our potter;
we all are the work of Your hands."

Isaiah 64:8

There are those people who hate us. They want to see us defeated. They persecute. They want to destroy your worth.

But God is our refuge. He is our stronghold. He holds us in His hands.

"We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed."
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

"God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble."
Psalm 46:1

"Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

"The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom should I be afraid?"
Psalm 27:1

We worry about the things of this life. Can I get into this college? Can I pay this bill? Do they even like me?

But God tells us not to worry. He cares for the birds; He will care for you. He says to pray to Him. Tell Him your worries. He will give you His peace.

               

 "Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:25-34

We try so hard to do the right thing. We want to be loved, trusted, forgiving. But, we can't. We sin. We are dirty. We fail.

But God sent His son to die so that our sins, our failures, our shortcomings can be FORGIVEN. We can be made right through Him. We don't have to work for His love or for our salvation. If we believe in Jesus's sacrifice and repent of our sins, our sins, our failures, our shortcomings are COVERED by His blood and we will live eternally with Him.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 3:23

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16

" But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!"
Romans 5:8

We have a God-shaped hole in our hearts. We try to fill this hole with the pleasures of this life. Do you try to fill this hole with your boyfriend/girlfriend? Athletics? Drugs? Sex? You could even be trying to fill this hole with worry. But not matter how much we try to shove into this hole, God is the only One who fills it. He is the only one who can satisfy the longings in your life.

Everything in this world will FAIL.

But GOD NEVER FAILS!!

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Blessings! :)

A Douse of Doubt and Spoonful of Softball - My Story

(Continued from the January 3rd blog, Calling All Doubters...)

   
     I went to church camp in the 6th grade. While I was there, I finally understood the burden of sin and the power of Christ's sacrifice and forgiveness. I also began to understand the importance of building a relationship with the Lord. I had been a believer for quite a few years (having basically growing up in church) but this was the first time that everything, well, clicked. My faith had become my own.
    The "camp experience" quickly wore off, but I continued to read my Bible regularly. I read nearly EVERY day for a year. After that first year, I became more lazy about my Bible reading. I didn't "feel" like reading my Bible and its daily importance began to wear off. I soon began to doubt. I didn't realize what I was feeling until May 5th, 2012. I was headed to Lexington, KY with my dad to watch a UK softball game. I told him, "Dad," *insert tears* "I'm starting to wonder if God is even real."
     Doubt is conflicting. I KNEW God was real. I had felt His Holy Spirit moving inside of me. Why was I starting to question His existence?
     My dad let me dish out everything that was in my heart for 1 hour of the 2 hour drive to John Cropp Stadium. He told me that I was normal. He also told me about the power of prayer. Finally, he told me a story about a man named George Mueller.

George Mueller

     George was working at an orphanage with 300 children. They didn't have any food, but they all sat down at the table and prayed. A minute later, a man knocked on the door. He had made bread for the orphanage. My dad told me to pray and watch my prayers be answered, just as George did.

      Heading into the busy city of Lexington, we hit rush hour traffic. We were cutting it close to game time and my first prayer of the night was, "Lord, please let us get there before the first pitch."
      When we pulled into John Cropp Stadium, 5 minutes after the posted start time, we saw an announcement for a rain delay. There were clouds ALL over the sky. God answered my prayer. I thought, we won't miss the first pitch....there won't BE a first pitch!  I prayed, "Lord, please don't let it rain."

John Cropp Stadium

     As we were waiting to hear the news on the rain delay, the UK players started coming out of the dugout. They were going to sign autographs! I ran to the truck and grabbed a softball that was lodged in between the bottom of a seat and the floor board. I had spent time studying the team roster and reading about the team, and now I would actually be able to meet them! Soon after I had all the player's signatures, the coach, Rachel Lawson, came out to tell the girls to get ready to warm up. The clouds had lifted and the game would go on! I was extremely happy. I told God, "Thank you, Lord."

Meeting the UK softball players

   Since the rain delay knocked the game back two hours there was no entry fee. My dad and I found our seats and watched the UK Wildcats and the LSU Tigers warm-up. It wasn't long before the first pitch was thrown.
     I had brought my glove with me and I prayed, "God, please help me catch a foul ball." I was in anticipation that a ball would come my way for about 3 innings. At the height of my anticipation, when I began to get aggravated, an announcement was made to return any foul balls to the booth behind the stadium to receive a piece of candy. I all the sudden no longer cared to catch a foul ball. Instead, I set my eyes on a t-shirt.
     Whenever the UK pitcher, Chanda Bell, threw a strikeout, t-shirts were thrown to the fans. I prayed, "Lord, since I don't want a ball anymore, please help me catch a t-shirt." After every strikeout, I would jump around like a maniac but a shirt would never come my way... until the 6th inning.

     Chanda threw a strikeout, I jumped up and started doing jumping jacks to get the t-shirt thower's attention.. I had on a very cheap belt which were holding on to a pair of shorts that were way to big for me. The belt popped off, my pants went slack, and the shirt flew into the air. I had my sights set on it. I would catch it. I reached out in front of a group of people and grabbed the size 2X shirt from the air. I threw my fist into the air and said "YESSSSS!" Then, I quickly sat back down and re-clasped my belt. I hope no one caught that on video.
     The game was coming to an end. LSU had a two run lead in the last inning, UK had runners on second and third with two outs. I prayed, "Lord, please, please, please let UK win!" Emily Gaines was up to bat. She hit it short, right to the left fielder. I cringed. There was no way they could win now. Then, all of the sudden, after a round of cheers from the scarce LSU crowd, 00 in the outfield dropped the ball. It just fell out of her glove! It was a total angels in the outfield moment. The runner on second made it home and UK won the game! The stadium went electric, and so did my heart. I said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, God!"

    I went home smiling that night. I told my dad about all my prayers that were answered and that I no longer doubted God. Sometimes I look back on this experience and think about how selfish I was the entire night. But, that night had renewed my faith in God. I know He hears me. I know that He is always with me.
     I have had other doubts and I'm sure I will have more. However, I know that no matter the doubts I have, my God is real. My God is faithful. He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me.

 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:16 



Follow great softball by following the UK Wildcat softball program!

Blessings! :)