52 Summer Will-Do's

1. Play in the rain
2. Watch the sunrise
3. Climb a tree
4. Lie in the grass
5. Watch the sunset
6. Stargaze
7. Swim in the ocean
8. Jump from a rope swing
9. Write a short story, song, or poem
10. Build a sandcastle
11. Buy something silly and spontaneous
12. Help plan family vacation
13. Catch a lightning bug
14. Skip stones
15. Start a good habit
16. Make a playlist of summer songs
17. Run through a sprinkler
18. Turn the music up loud and dance with my brother
19. Watch fireworks
20. See a Tigers game at Comerica Park
21. Make s'mores
22. Fly a kite
23. Rollerblade with my daddy
24. Go on a picnic
25. Bike ride someplace new
26. Volunteer selflessly
27. Go to a farmers market or fair
28. Go mini-bowling in Canada
29. Restaurant hop
30. Take a hike
31. Drive to a Great Lake and visit a lighthouse
32. Draw with chalk
33. Help in a garden
34. Go to an outdoor concert
35. Try something new
36. Go to the Woodward Dream Cruise
37. Go to a drive-in movie
38. Light paper lanterns and sparklers
39. Swing high in a park
40. Play frisbee
41. Canoe, kayak, paddle boat, or jet ski
42. Read a comic book
43. Do a puzzle
44. Go for a run somewhere new
45. Try/conquer something new and difficult
46. Make ice cream
47. Read a non-fiction book
48. Witness/be part of a miracle
49. Have a water fight
50. Go on a mission trip to another country
51. Share my testimony with someone new
52. Make an album of all the things I complete on this list

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.

Wearing My Heart on My... Hand?

"Are you married?"

"No, I'm not."

"So why do you have a ring on your wedding finger?"

"Umm.. well, I uh..."

This is a conversation I've had on many an occasion with the curious first graders I volunteer with. Such a simple question I could answer so many ways. Usually I answer with something like: "I wear it on my ring finger because my future prince is that important to me."

However, here is a more elaborate version:

My purity ring represents not only a promise I made to my future Prince Charming(guys: Cinderella), but, in a way it also represents my heart. Although it has met some hard times, and has gotten scratched and bruised; it's still all there. Whole. Here's a mental picture: if I were to give in to temptation now it would be like cutting a piece of my ring out and throwing it away. Cutting a piece of my ring out would be foolish simply because it would become sharp and poke at me. Just like cutting a piece of my heart out would be foolish because it too would become sharp and hurt at me. To be completely honest, giving your heart to someone you think is "the one" at seventeen is a silly thing to do: even sillier when you change your mind and re-give what's left of your heart to the next "the one" two weeks later.

Think about what kind of reaction you would get if you took the piece of your ring that you cut out and gave it to the same person you gave the piece of your heart to. Would they value it and say, "Oh thanks! I'll treasure it forever!"

Or would they say, "Wow, how useless." and simply throw it away. Even though it's not all that meaningful to them, it sure hurts you.

If you asked me, "What if I've already given away these pieces? Can't I get them back?"

I would have to tell you no. You can't get them back. And even if you did, all you'd have is pieces. However, in all this gloominess there is hope. God came to the earth and died on the cross representing a heart/body so beaten and cut it was unrecognizable. By doing this, He built a bridge to God-the Master Jeweler/Heart Mender. Although God won't bestow on you a new heart, He will help you put all the pieces back together (because in Him you are made new.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.2 Corinthians 5:17 . But only if you're willing to give up control and let Him do His perfect work. He will also help your future Prince Charming/Cinderella look past your past, and love you for the precious person you are. If this person doesn't want to be with you because of your past, he doesn't really love you. If this is the case, you should wait patiently until God sees it right to introduce you to you real Prince/Princess. "I charge you brethren, do not awaken love until it so desires." This is so important, God wrote it not once, not twice, but three times in Song of Solomon.

I pray that my ramblings mean something to you; and if you read this all the way through, thank you. :) If you ever have a topic you'd like me to write about, leave a comment!! And if you don't want me to know who's asking, write to me anonymously!

In Him,

Tiffany Raye