Summer Thoughts

So many thoughts drift through my mind as I begin this post, each one tumbling over another, begging to be put to words. Thoughts of all that happened over this summer tied with imaginings of what God has in my future. I don't remember there ever being a season in my life in which I've learned so much.

This summer I went on a mission trip to San Quintin, Mexico then stayed ten days in Temecula, California. Both such stark contrasts to each other, I kept finding my focus drifting to various thoughts about why some people are more "blessed" than others and why everyone can't have both the beautiful friendships of Mexico all inside the wonderful comforts of a typical California home. Why do so many Americans continue on complaining about their first world problems such as not having the pocket change to fix the scratch in their Mercedes while only a five hour car ride going south to a place where people would love to have any kind of car at all! Despite me and my scattered thoughts of life's injustices, God continued to show me that no matter what, He always provides. Not in the same way for everybody, but always He provides, so often with more than enough.

Picture I took in Tadoussac, Canada along the St Lawrence

I want to tell you about everything all at once! As I struggle to continue putting my thoughts of the summer and what happened into words I pause to examine why I desire to put what I feel into words. Why I want so desperately to share with you the experiences that made up my summer. Maybe because I'm the kind of person who thinks good things are meant to be shared. Perhaps it's because I want to share my experiences with you so that you might learn from them. Or maybe even it's because I myself understand things better when put to words. Whatever the reason for my desire to write, God reminded me that in the big scheme of things my words don't even matter; His words matter! No matter what pictures I paint, or sounds I play with my words, they are just noise if His love is not included in them. (1 Corinthians 13) So being successfully knocked off my self-righteous pedestal built by selfish ego I am on my knees in prayer begging God to let you see not me in these words but that you'd see a mirror reflecting my Creator. It is so easy to get caught up in all the "good things" we are doing and completely forget about why we are doing them in the first place. I don't want to forget that the focus of everything I do should be on showing and experiencing God's love.

Honored as I am that you made time to read my silly ramblings I pray you make time to read God's word. Anything I write is simply my commentary on what I've read mixed with stories and life experiences. That said, I have several blog posts coming soon inspired by my summer adventures.

Blessings,
Tiffany Raye

Because this life isn't about me

Life is not about you. There. I said it. Life is about far more than that scratch on your car, that guy/girl that's being difficult, or that overtime you didn't get paid for. Life is about far more. In fact, if you step back (wayyy back) you'll see that the things that we get all hung up on don't mean much of anything at all. 

I don't know about you but this image makes me feel guilty about complaining that my clothes weren't in style anymore. Even more guilty about those times I had complained about being hungry and not liking the food my mother put in front of me. Guilty about saying that my life sucked and I wished for different; these children would do anything to have the life I seemed to hate so much. Should you feel guilty if you were born into a life that is so blessed? "Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest.” ~ D.L. Moody "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." Matthew 5:42 
"Why in the world would I want to help them? It's not like they can do anything for me." "Because this life is not about me."

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 If you woke up tomorrow with only what you thanked God for yesterday, what would you have? 

My desire and sincere goal is to show how thankful I am for God's blessings by giving and loving everyone I meet, in every way I can, in every moment I am given. It can be difficult but I want to love not just my friends and those who can benefit me but everybody. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Matthew 5:43-47

Talents

If you choose to hide your talents rather than work and refine them, don’t be surprised when you are in the same place in twenty years as you are right now. I have been pondering a certain parable Jesus tells and how it relates to me, my future, and my unique talents-this got me doing some serious thinking. God gifted us each with special talents uniquely our own. God gave me talents unique to me just like He gave you talents unique to you. Now I would like to tell you a story…*

“A man, who was going on a journey, called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.” We are not all gifted equally but we are all accountable for how we use the talents we have. “The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” I am personally guilty of burying my talents because I am worried about getting hurt or I allow my shortcomings to cloud my view of all the things I COULD do. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” Wonderful things happen when we work hard and use the gifts we have been given! Likewise bad things happen when we fail to have faith and give into laziness. “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest” And if that weren’t bad enough, the master goes on to say, “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have in abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

It hardly needs to be said that we each have unique talents. I have heard it said that I make an awful imitation of others but I am the only one who can be Tiffany Raye as well as I can. The same goes with every single other human being God breathed life into. Are you breathing? Guess what… you are talented too!

A wise man I know once told me this: “If you want something you’ve never had before you must do something you’ve never done before because everything you already have is result of what you’ve already done.” I need to stop burying my talents, hoping to leave my mark on the world. Instead I must start putting them to better use.

Changing gears a bit, I want to point out that because of a thing called inflation, that original talent of money decreased in value. You may think that not using your talent isn’t that bad. Think again. Hiding that talent deep down is like robbing God of what was His. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be that third guy who lost everything.

Let us not forget that we live in a country that still remains free. Freedom of speech would be wasted if those gifted in writing neglected to take advantage of it. You may be musical, academic, athletic, giving, thoughtful, good with cooking, or friendly. All the parts of the body are important-so are all the different talents important.

I beseech thee, (yep. I really wanted to sneak that in someplace) reflect upon your life and see what talents you might have hidden. God bestowed upon you, talents. Talents to be used for purposes only you can truly fulfill.

Blessings,

Tiffany Raye

*The parable above is found in Matthew 25.