"I'm Gonna DIE!"

I hear it all the time. Sometimes it’s in jest, but often the speaker truly believes that death is the only way their situation can get worse. Why is that?

Maybe non-believers have reason; subconsciously realizing that death will be much, much worse than life. But as a Christian (and an American), I really have no excuse - yet I often catch myself thinking it, even if I’m not dramatically spouting it aloud. God showers me with thousands of mercies every moment, and not to mention, I live in a land of incredible ease. So I skipped breakfast. Am I really starving by lunchtime? So my friends shun me, make me feel like a freak. Is the solitude really all that bad? So I stub my toe. Is the pain really bad enough to make believe I’m gonna die?

And that’s not even biblically correct. As Christians, through Jesus we have gained entrance into heaven. Death is fine, better than living here. For us, death isn’t a way for our situation to get worse; it means we can spend eternity with our Father. So really, in tough times, in pain, why do we say “I’m gonna die!” like it’s a bad thing? Shouldn’t we be saying “I’m gonna LIVE!”?

~Charli Rae |Job 39:19-25|

Fruitless

"A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
"'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"

~Luke 13:6-9

"Cut her down!" I keep expecting God to say. "I keep looking for fruit and find none!"

He's given me fifteen years. Maybe sometimes I've produced a small, barely-edible harvest, but much of the time I'm barren. Why should I use up God's resources? Surely they would be better used by another, more productive recipient. One who seeks out opportunity, who yields to His hands, who craves His soil.

{both pics via pinterest}

But He does not cut me down. Instead He sends me Jesus, Who has been put in charge of caring for the vineyard. Jesus' tender care makes me want to yield to Him, and His presence makes the soil so much richer. He calls me to blossom, to make His time spent nurturing me valuable.

I don't know the set time limit that I have, but I do know that, with Jesus' help, I will make the best of that time. One day my harvest will be bountiful, a sweet addition to the Father's table.

~Charli Rae |Job 39:19-25|

{surprising lack of} April Fools!

Not much went on yesterday in the embarrassment department. I didn't pull anything myself, trigger (or see, for that matter) any physical pranks, and only got hit by a couple "I'm going to tell you something and snicker while you take forever to decide if it's true or just an April Fools!". And then, you know, there were a couple horrendous tragedies and pregnancy hints on facebook, but nothing over the top.

Huh.

On a non-look-out-for-pranking-everywhere aspect, yesterday was a great day. Went to church and heard a fantastic sermon, after which I kidnapped my best friend and took her to the Sun n' Fun airshow in Lakeland. Despite the heat and overwhelmingly-bright sun, it was awesome.

(All these pictures are actually from Saturday--I didn't end up taking any pictures yesterday.)


My sister is the coolest. Just have to brag. She endured the *cough* torture of watching the Thunderbirds zoom overhead in their deafeningly loud planes, performing the most jaw-dropping stunts. Only the thought that one day she will be able to do this kept her holding on to sanity. I can't wait to see it.

Although, after watching the airshow, my mom thinks it should be illegal to have that much fun. ;)