An Open Heart

As individuals, we allow God access into our hearts. We control His limits, we open the door to allow Him in. We can do this with all the lights on and every door open; with no walls up for us to hide behind. Or we can do the opposite. The choice is ours.

God wants our entire heart. He wants us to allow Him access, He wants complete access. Because God is a gentleman, He won't overstep the boundary line we place before Him. He allows us free will, but His desire is for us to welcome Him in.

When we get an unexpected guest, before answering the door we scramble to pick up as quickly as possible. We turn on the Scentsy and we wipe the tooth paste marks off of the bathroom mirror. We shut the door to the bedroom and any other room that might not be completely presentable. This is normal, I've done it and I know you have too! (None of us are perfect people here!) The problem is that sometimes we do that with Jesus.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.”

(Amplified Bible)

He wants to have fellowship with us. His desire is to take us as we are, to help us and change us for the better. We love that the God of the universe wants to know us and have a relationship with us, so of course we gladly allow Him in. But, only to the areas that are presentable. Only to the kitchen and living room, because those areas are in order. We're afraid of letting Him see the dark corners, the things behind the couches or under the rugs. We don't want to let Him down, we don't want to look bad. So, we would rather just not go there. We have sensitive areas so we put up walls, to block from all access. We've been hurt in the past so we avoid pain at all cost. We try to put this image up that we are doing great when that's just not always the truth. 

No matter how many walls we put up, how many lights we refuse to turn on for Him to see, rest in this: He already knows. Of course He does, He's God, we know this but we still try to hide. He knows our hurts, He knows the areas that need work, He's aware of our short comings and failures. God knows the mess and He still wants in! God's desire is to fellowship with us, to be intimate with us, He desires US. All of us. All of our heart, the in order and the completely insane areas too, yes all of us! His love for us is almost unbelievable, He knows it all and He still knocks on our heart, He still wants in.

God can only help if we open up. He can only heal if we allow Him to and He can only teach us if we allow Him to instruct. We have to let down our walls, turn on every single light, draw back the curtains, open the doors and let Him do His perfect work. Welcome Him in, there's no point in pretending, we can't fake Him out like we can with others. After all He is our creator, He knows our hearts because He made them, He holds them in His hands. If we open the door and allow Him access into every little crack and crevice, He will help! 

He can expose things for what they are, expose the enemy for what he is; a liar. We might be gripped by fear or even scared to let Him in, but perfect love casts out all fear; (“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18 NKJV) Jesus is perfect love. With Him all fears are gone and in exchange for fear, He gives us His perfect peace. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)

Be open and honest before God, He is our first love, He is our constant helper, He is for us! Don't believe the lies of the enemy that God is out of reach. He's right there, waiting for you to open that door so He can come in and fellowship with you! 

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

(Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

Have a magnificent Tuesday people!

Xoxo, Melissa

Fall is here!

I don't know about you, but fall is my favorite season. Cardigans, crunching leaves, scarves, boots, beanies, hot chocolate, pumpkins, fires, the colors: orange, yellow and red. The list can go on...really there are so many gorgeous things about autumn. Oh. So. Many. Things!

Yesterday was the first day of fall and my heart is truly happy. If you could see it, it would be smiling! I decided to celebrate the season by wearing booties and a chambray shirt. I wanted to add a scarf but I probably would have had a heat stroke. It's still in the 90's here in central Cali. What is wrong with this city? Haven't you heard that fall is here?!

(I'm not sure why I'm only raising one eyebrow in this picture, but we'll just pretend like we didn't notice that!)

One thing that excites me about fall is the cooler temperatures! The trees change colors, we can drink hot lattes and snuggle with cozy blankets. We also celebrate the wonderful holiday, Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is such an crucial holiday because we are reminded once again that we are truly blessed by God. It opens our eyes to the gift He has given us, we have been saved by His marvelous grace. We have been washed in His precious blood, redeemed and set free! Thank you God! There are so many things to be thankful for, salvation is only one of them!

Justin also loves this time of year. What excites him? Buying masks and scaring small children, haha! (Can you say Spirit Halloween?) he likes to get a reaction out of people, even though most people don't get scared. I know I do; those masks freak me out. He usually scares me when he comes around the corner with it on and I'm not expecting it. He tries to scare me all the time...every once in a while I get him back and maaaaan is it hilarious when he screams! (Don't tell him I told you that)

We needed to buy a shovel for our new back yard (we're going to be planting grass here soon, yay!) so of course, he was dragging that shovel around with his mask on inside of Walmart. His head was tilted, ever so slightly and his shoulder was dropped just enough to make him look abnormal. It's awesome when people smile, laugh and enjoy his happiness! Sometimes life can be too serious...we all need a little adventure to brighten up our lives, to add some excitement to our day. This guy makes me smile! 

Since we moved into our new apartment we HAD to buy a new door mat! It's pretty stinking adorable, thanks again Target for being so on point all the time. We love you. 

It's time to break out the pine cones. Last year I used a paint brush, mod podge and gold glitter and created this gold dipped pine cone effect. I adore it! They smell like cinnamon and they add a touch of fall and gold to the home. Does it get any better? I don't think so. If it does, please let me know :)

To welcome fall, a cozy candle is completely essential. This is a soy candle that a lady in my sisters church made! I pretty much want to eat it, that sums up how good it smells! 

I hope you are enjoying the time of year and (hopefully) cooler weather! Let's look back and recount the blessings God has allowed us to experience so far this year! Even when times are hard (we all have bad days) God is our constant. He is always there holding us up when we don't have the strength on our own. He is truly something to be grateful for! Happy fall!

Xoxo, Mel

Memory Box, savoring life's moments!

We all have those little trinkets and cards we can't possibly part with. If you're anything like me, I have quite a bit. I tend to be sentimental. Am I the only one that still has notes from years ago? I have saved every note and card Justin has ever given me and he did the same. Looking back on them makes me giddy, I feel like we've known each other forever because we have so many little things, they're precious to me! 

We also have old family pictures (Justin when he was little) notes from close friends, Christmas cards, and little random things from our life!

Like I've mentioned before I'm not a fan of random piles. They make me crazy! So instead of letting things pile up, I decided to get a cute box and collect memories with that! One of my boxes I've had since I was a little girl, back then I collected things and saved them in there...this sentimental thing goes baaaack! 

Now, I have three memory boxes and I'm sure we'll have more in the future. With everything there has to be a balance right? We don't save every little thing because that would be called hoarding and I'm not into that; a few boxes aren't too bad right? Besides they fit like a puzzle piece stacked in the top of my closet (Ok I'm being dramatic)  They're tiny boxes filled with organized clutter, contained chaos if you will; that's exactly how I love it!

That time when we went to sea world, or when we went to the Monterey aquarium. When I used to have random trips to Flagstaff. The day we took our engagement pictures. The hotel room key when we went to San Jose for a marriage retreat!

We all have little things that remind us of good friends or happy moments. Don't throw them away, treasure them! You can never get those moments back :)

That little hat in the box above is one of the hats I wore all the time while I was going through chemo. There are so many things that we wouldn't allow ourselves to part with. So many things we don't know where to put, like that adorable hat!

The box with roses on it, yup that's the  one I've had for a long time. 

P.s. Isn't that tiny orchid gorgeous?!

The wonderful thing about memory boxes is that throughout the years you can go through them and they will be sure to make you smile! 

Xoxo, Melissa

Requests, thanks and gratitude to God

I was recently challenged in my heart to start writing down what I'm grateful for. It doesn't matter if it's a big thing, or a little thing. When I think about my life I am filled to the brim with gratitude, but a lot of times (if I'm being honest here) I take things for granted and I don't praise God for them. 

About a week or so ago I thought up this idea to write down what I'm grateful for. Then I thought, "Well why not add prayer requests?" Then all the ideas started flowing and this is what I came up with:

1. Prayer requests

2. What I'm grateful for

3. Give thanks

I realized that no matter what we go through in life, God is so so good! He sent His son to die for us and has saved us from eternal torment in hell. Instead of punishment, He gives us forgiveness and heaven as an eternal home! If nothing else good happens to me in life, I will praise Him forever just for that!

Each one of us has been so richly blessed by God! Look around and write down the good things He has blessed you with! Like I said, some things are small and that's ok! I'm grateful that I have a journal and a pen to write these things down with. I'm also grateful for my wonderful husband and a roof over my head. The list is really endless and it's incredibly easy to think of things to be grateful for!

The best attitude is gratitude!

When we begin to be grateful, we truly will be content. It doesn't matter what situation we are in, God is always worth of our praise and adoration! 

Below are a few pictures of my journal and some things I am grateful for, things I'm asking Him for and things I'm prasing Him for. 

Isn't that journal adorable? It was a gift from a sweet friend :)

Some times we all need a reminder of what God has done in our lives! It's healthy for us to look back and see His faithfulness. He is our Father and we are His children, He has given us life through Jesus and promises to never leave us!

Also I just thought I would share, I'm working on a little painting:) cute right? 

Let's rejoice in the blessings God has given us! Mark them down so you can look back and realize just how blessed you really are!

Xoxo- Mel 

He is our Rock, Refuge and Redeemer!

It is an important thing to know who we can trust with our lives. We need to know who our rock will be when hard times come. Who will we fall on when our world is shaking? Who will we lean on when we are weak and weary? Who will catch us when we fall? Jesus! 

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalms 18:2 (NKJV) 

What peace we can have in our hearts knowing, that whatever we go through Christ is there. He is forever faithful. He is constant. He is our help. He is our fortress. He is our strength. He is our salvation and He is our rock!!!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. 

Psalms 28:7 (NKJV)

We can trust in Him. He is reliable, He is for us, He is without flaw. He will never leave us or forsake us. Before you put your trust in any human, it should be in Jesus first. This is because He is qualified more than anyone else. 

He knows the future before it happens and He is prepared to help and guide us through it. 

In my own personal life I have gone through trials. Living as a Christian doesn't mean life will be without heartache or pain. It's not like we get a special pass that won't allow struggles and heartache to happen to us. That's just not practical. (Even though that would be quite wonderful, right?) I believe God allows us to go through things in life to give us a chance to grow closer to Him, it's His way of showing us that we truly aren't ok without Him!

One thing that is true is this: when I went through storms He was there! I called upon His holy name when I didn't  know what to do; He helped me. I knew where to go. I fell on Him, and even though I didn't know what the future held, He did! And looking back I believe that my relationship with Him is stronger now, I have more appreciation for my Savior. I can look back and remember His faithfulness, and if the devil tries to tell me lies, I know the truth is that God loves me and is my rock; because He was in the past, so He will be in the future. The Bible says He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) This is true for you as well!

This is one of my favorite scriptures!

The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.

Psalm 118:14 (NKJV)

God didn't create us to be our own rock. We can't bear the burdens of this world without Him. He tells us to cast our cares upon Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) If we try to carry it all ourselves, we will break. We will fail. He is there for us, to hold us up and to pull us out of the pit! 

That's the beautiful picture of salvation, we are lost, broken, have fallen and need a Savior. He is our Savior. He continues to help and save us, our entire lives. Salvation, is just the beginning!

The scripture below is 2 Samuel 22.

It's the entire chapter, so I'm warning you now about the length of it (haha!) I did feel like it was important and needed to be included in this post. Take time to read over it. It paints a good picture of our Lord, and how He is our rock! 

Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said: 

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils. He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me; For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes. With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip. I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them. Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, And I spread them out. You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation! It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.” (II Samuel 22:1-51 NKJV)

20 scriptures to show us God's love

Today I wanted to share some scriptures that show us the love that our God has for us. Sometimes the enemy attacks our minds and tells us that God doesn't care, that He has better things to deal with and that we can't go to Him. I hope these will refresh your memory and encourage your spirit. The love that God has poured out upon us is so very rich, nothing can compare!

John 3:15-16 “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (What love is this that God would give His son for a sinful people? Wow, God loves us so much!)

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (This show us that God didn't wait for us to become "perfect" to save us.)

 

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (He not only saves us from the destruction of sin and eternity in hell, He transforms us into a new creation!)

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (He is faithful to continue working on us until Jesus returns, He didn't stop at salvation, salvation is just the beginning!) 

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (No matter what you have done, Jesus will accept you and forgive you! Thank God!)

Psalm 8:4-7 “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field.” (We have become sons and daughters of God, He hears us when we pray to Him.)

Romans 8:37-39 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (With Him in our life's nothing is impossible! Nothing can separate us from God's perfect love!)

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

(There is NO greater love than the love God has shown us!)

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (He took our sin upon Himself and went to the cross and died in our place, so that we can be free!)

Galatians 3:26 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

(He adopted us into His family!)

Ephesians 3:14-20 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

(He gives us perfect peace.)

Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (He is our provider, He takes care of His children.)

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (He isn't too far away, if we seek Him we will find Him!)

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

(His desire is for every single person to be right with Him.) 

1 John 4:10-11“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Claim these scriptures, keep them close to your heart! God's love for us is almost unbelievable. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He still loves us, despite our short comings and sin nature. His plan is for us to be blessed and show others His love!