Whistle While You Work

Generally, I come to write with a specific purpose, knowing, for the most part, what I want to say. Not exactly the case this time.. Tonight, I am just wanting to write. I'm overwhelmed with the holiness of my Lord and feeling the need to share some of the ways He's revealed Himself in my life recently.. Just to reflect on His omniscience and abundant majesty. 


[inhale. and here comes the long-winded exhale.]
God just does so many things to reveal to me that I am where He wants me in my life at this point. He shows me that I am safe in His wings, that I have begun heading in the direction He is leading me in.. One of the things I know for certain is that the Lord wants me at Auburn. (God told me to tell you, 'War Eagle.') But seriously, I can specifically remember the moment when I was perfectly sure that I was where He wanted me.. [story time]

This is pretty much what it looked like, except that I was a few rows up in the line.. and in motion. But as I marched down Donahue for the [Iron Bowl?] 4-corners pep rally this year, I was suddenly overcome with the Lord's confirmation. He flooded my soul with an incredible peace. I was overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounded me, and He just let me know I was exactly where He wanted me.. That pieces of His will for my future would be assembled here. That there was work for me to do for His Kingdom in Auburn, Alabama. I'm way pumped.

So i'm praying steadily about what the Lord wants me to do. He is pulling my life closer to Him every day. But through the studying and listening I do, I've realized the importance of fellowship with other Christians. It's so important to have a group of people backing you, supporting you, speaking words from the Lord to you, and correcting you when you're wrong.. This realization drove me to getting a small group organized and I am SO EXCITED for what the Lord is gonna do in our lives through this. We'll be strengthened and nourished to go out in confidence of what He has in store for us, but more importantly- it is an opportunity to bring in lost souls. To let them "smell" the fragrance of the Lord and guide them into personal relationships with Jesus. The bible tells us of the importance of Christian community.. We are NOT supposed to go at this walk alone.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:23-25

 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Through my 40-days of no make-up, i'm being taught the importance of sacrifice. No, it's not easy. Sacrifice isn't easy at all, I kind of have to go out of my way to do it. It isn't convenient. But it's what the Lord has told me to do. Our entire LIVES are intended to be sacrifices to Him. *Sidenote: I just thought of this- If we struggle sacrificing things like make-up, food, music, TV, our free time, etc. how in this world can we even claim our lives are a sacrifice to the Lord? Each of those areas in clearly a part of your life. So, just something extra to think about, I guess. . Anyways, I've been feeling the Lord has wanted me to make an sacrifice that is less-than convenient for me, but beneficial to His mission. So I started praying about what He would have me to do and He laid creating care-packages on my heart. Once I realized this, I was all aboard the thought train to sending them to Africa, or impoverished children of other nations. The Lord claimed that baggage and rerouted my train back towards home.. more work on my part. Less convenience! An opportunity for creating relationships.. but there are so many people here who need Him! So I was led to share this calling with The Way Church today, in hopes of support and ideas that the Lord has laid on the hearts of these people I love so dearly. . I'm super excited about where this will go, as well!

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 1:22

Lastly, (i think.) I have been reading through the book of John.. Last Saturday, John 10 was part of my morning devotion. Then Sunday, John 10 was a part of Sunday School. And then John 10 was the sermon in the main service. Then, John 10 came up in one of the podcasts I listened to last week. . That is a lot of 'coincidental' John 10! It's not coincidence. It's the Lord at work. Knowing this, I went back and reread it. Still though, I don't feel that I've fully uncovered what God is trying to impress upon me through this chapter. I'm praying and believing He will make his message clear to me in His perfect timing.. at a time when it will probably rock my world. And though I can't figure out why He's made it so prominent in my life at this point, I'm crazy excited to find out why.

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be full and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:4

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long.

Psalms 25: 4-5

So, lots of excitement in my life at this point. The Lord is working (which explains the length of this). I'd be sorry it's so long, except i'm not, because it is only a testimony to the Lords infinite eminence. 

Stay gold, Pony-boys. (is that reference appropriate here?)

Mollie.

What's That Smell?

[behold, another long one.]

"A woman should, at the very least, always smell good."

Amen. I read that statement and it just put my motto into words.. I take a lot of "pride" in smelling good. One of my very favorite compliments is "Oo, you smell good!" Why thank you! I'm not sure why I find it so important. Perhaps it's because smells are inviting? Or because good smells are attractive? Maybe because it represents cleanliness? Though, I think my primary reason is because it is something that is very unique. Nobody else will ever smell like me.. ever. You may use Old Spice soap and Versace perfume just like I do, but we will never smell the same. Our bodies are different. We secrete different pheromones, which are responsible for the way others perceive us and behave towards us. Crazy, right? These chemicals are the reason behind so many other "natural" occurrences in our life, but what I really want to express is that they are yours. Specific to you. Designed by God and produced through you; nobody else will ever smell exactly like you. So when you wear perfume, it reacts with the pheromones to give you a scent uniquely yours.

But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Wow! Our knowledge of Christ is a perfume. Our lives are a fragrance rising up to God and our fragrance is Christ-like. The way YOU smell to God, reminds Him of JESUS! Is that not incredible?! You wanna talk about the best, most attractive smell ever? That's it. Can you imagine being so much like Jesus that when God catches a whiff of you He thinks of His Son? Especially considering how unique our fragrances are. So, that has become my new goal, to become so Christ-like that the Lord smells me and thinks of His Son.. Just like a fond memory evoked by a sweet smell, something we can all relate to. Popcorn = Movies. So, Mollie = Jesus? .. I can't wrap my brain around it. But I am trying.

So what affects this? The KNOWLEDGE of Christ. You must be constantly seeking Him. You can't be "like" something that you don't even know about.. But then there is another thing. In my life, it is the more difficult of the two. We have to be a fragrance perceived be others. We have to make sure others smell us. But more so, we have to make sure they know WHAT they are smelling! I have no trouble reading my bible and gaining knowledge of the Lord, but when it comes to speaking- I clam up. It says our fragrance is perceived differently, depending on the who is smelling it.. It's like waking up on Saturday morning to a great smell filling the house, you aren't sure what it is, but it's breakfast time and YOU WANT SOME. So you get up and get it. Perhaps this is what the scent is to those who are being saved. They smell it, it smells good, they want it, they chase it. . But the Word says the same sweet smell that God delights in smells like death and doom to those who are perishing. So i'm thinking about this and I'm doing my best to figure it out.. I think maybe these that are perishing have gotten a bad whiff of the "Christ-like perfume" at some point in their lives, and nobody has taken the time to just sit with them and let the true fragrance of the Lord fill their nostrils. If I am smelling like Christ, it is because I AM LIKE CHRIST, right? In that case, it is completely my responsibility to go out to those that are perishing and introduce them to the beautiful, sweet fragrance. To spend my time with them, and show them all that the Lord has in store for them.

So to bring it back around.. My Christ-like life reminds God of His Son, my Savior, and He has designed my knowledge of Jesus to present a sweet and inviting smell to everyone I come in contact with. And In order to act as He has designed me to, I must constantly seek further knowledge of Christ and become more like Him.

I want to smell like Jesus. I want others to want to smell like the Jesus they smell on me. I want the Lord to delight in my fragrance. This is one of my newest goals.

Until next time,

Mollie.