Perfection is just an illusion

Ezekiel 28:15

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Perfectionism is something I struggle with immensely. I was trying to dig deeper into this topic, so I could share the truths of it with you. I think, maybe, I’m not the only one out there that struggles with this.

The reality is that perfection is just an illusion. We think if we do things a certain way or if we give it our all until we have absolutely nothing left, we’ll reach this perfect place in life. But the reality is, that “perfect life” will always turn out to be an illusion and we’ll fall into this cycle of discontentment.

Perfectionism leads to discontentment and comparison. We try so hard to achieve this thing called “a perfect life” yet each time we take a step towards it, it moves farther away. We see other people’s lives all around us, we begin to think that they’re perfect when the truth is we’re just looking at the surface and there is so, so much more to the story.

Perfection is simply an illusion. There was a short time on earth when life was perfect, pure, and holy like it says in Ezekiel 28:15, but then iniquity and sin happened (Genesis 3). Since that point in time, perfectionism has been an illusion that humans try to achieve yet fail over and over again. It’s not something we can achieve and until we realize that, perfectionism will only lead to comparison and rob us of so much joy.

One way I’ve learned to overcome perfectionism is by applying Ecclesiastes 3:11 to my life. It says, “He hath made everything beautiful in his time…” I don’t have to chase this  fantasy of perfection if I’m already doing my best for Christ. He will make it all beautiful in His time, in His way. We don’t need to run ahead and try to reach for something that isn’t even there, something that’s just an illusion. We will only land in a deep pit of disappointment. I’m not saying we shouldn’t try our best, we certainly should try, not for perfection, but for Christ.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He hath made everything beautiful in his time…

I’ve learned that if I just keep my eyes set ever so tightly on God, I won’t get distracted by this illusion of perfectionism and comparing myself to other people’s lives. When you keep your eyes set on Christ, suddenly all the comparison ends and this beautiful thing called compassion blossoms through your life. That compassion leads to opportunities to love others and bring them closer to Christ.

Once we learn to let go of this idea of perfection and grasp the beauty of grace and authenticity, that’s when we will truly be able to connect with others and bring them closer to Christ. Once we accept that we aren’t and can’t be perfect, that’s when we’ll able to shine God’s perfect love more effectively into the life of our family, friends, and even maybe a stranger.

Let’s strive to live a life of authenticity and grace, not this illusion of perfection that we often chase after.

Once we learn to overcome perfectionism, authenticity will shine through.

I’ve learned that letting go of perfectionism is such a beautiful, beautiful thing. Learn to be okay with being perfectly imperfect, because only by His grace, we are what we are.

Love and blessings, Moriah

 

 

 

 

 

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A Willing Heart Leads to a God of No Limitations

As most know, I took a few days off of social media, really just to refocus and pray about what God wanted me to do with my blog and even life as I entered this new year.

It was so great to just be still and listen with no distractions, I feel like that’s when God moves the most.

Psalms 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God…

I spent much of my time just surrendering myself to be a vessel for His glory, just kind of opening my heart to be more willing to do His will.

And while doing that, I began to realize that a lot of times I limit God and who He is. At the end of last year, I posted a blog with a new year journal prompt challenge. I was on Christmas break and I kind of did it just to give me something to do, I honestly thought no one would join and questioned why I was even doing it. Which is laughable now, because I serve an incredible God of no limitations! I was absolutely blown away by everyone who joined the challenge and how many thank you messages I received. So many people shared such kind words and stories of how they were sharing the journal prompt challenge with friends and how much they loved it. That’s when I realized that if I’m just willing to do what God puts on my heart, the limitations could be endless, because that’s just how great my God is.

Ephesians 3:20

Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

I decided I don’t want to put God into a box anymore, I don’t want to limit the work He is capable of doing. I could come up with a million and one excuses of how I’m not capable enough to be used by Him, but the reality is this: We don’t have to be extraordinary, incredibly smart or even super talented, because all God wants is a willing heart. If you have a willing heart, He will undoubtedly use you as a vessel for His glory.

Over the time I was away from social media, God really laid something on my heart, so I’m taking on the challenge to post a monthly journal prompt for you! I’m going to post them at the beginning of each month, so that way you’ll be able to do it whenever you want throughout the month. I’m so thrilled to just grow closer to the Lord in this way with you all, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about taking on this challenge. As a missionary kid my life is constantly changing and really, I was just worrying about not being able to keep up or even do it, but one thing I refuse to do is limit God. Worry is what robs people of amazing opportunities, so  I refuse to sit around and wait for my life to become “normal”. I’m choosing to make the best of each and every day that He gives me. I’m choosing to wholeheartedly serve Him this year and honestly, I just can’t wait to see how He works.

Many know that I do the journal prompt challenge over Instagram and that I share my journal pages on there. I would absolutely love to see yours and how God is working in your life. Feel free to post them or put them on your story and hashtag #quintessentiallylivingjournalprompt. I promise, it was the most inspiring thing in the world to see all your journal pages and your beautiful hearts shining through the  words.

I just wanted to update you all on that, wish you an amazing year ahead, and remind you to not limit God. Have a willing heart. Be a vessel for His glory. He always does some extraordinary, unimaginable things and it’s pretty awesome to be a part of that.

Love and blessings to you,

Moriah

 

 

 

tips on a long-lasting friendships

John 15:13 (KJV)

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I aspire to be genuine and authentic through my writing. I often write about the joys of the mission field because it’s so much easier than writing about the struggles, but in the challenge to be more genuine and encouraging I’m opening up my heart and sharing a struggle of mine.

The hardest part of being a missionary kid for me has always been the goodbyes and it only gets harder when it’s your best friend you have to say goodbye too.

It’s been two years since I have seen my best friend, but I’m not here to share how hard it has been, I want to share the things I have learned during that time and how our friendship has only grown stronger despite the distance.

I’m not really a pro at the whole long-distance friendship thing, but over the years I have learned a few things.

First of all having an uplifting, loyal, encouraging, Christian best friend is essential and its even more essential to be that type of friend. Friendship involves two or more people that earnestly care and have an endeavoring attitude, no friendship would ever last if one person was in it only to get something out of it.

I believe friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts to us and that its so important to have good friends in your life to encourage, laugh, smile and love Jesus with.

friend: A person who helps or supports someone or something.

I also believe that it’s just as or more important to be a good friend than to have a good friend. I think friendships would last so much longer if we did it God’s way instead of the world’s way. If we loved selflessly, if we were in it to be a blessing, to encourage, to bring others closer to Him. The worlds definition of friendship is so shallow, so selfish, it’s saddening to me. I can promise you that your friendship will last longer if you do it God’s way and follow His Word.

Galatians 6:2 (KJV)   Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Here are a few tips that I’ve learned over the years for having a long-distance and long-lasting friendship!

• communicate. The power of communication is so important, because without it I can assure you that your friendship wont last long. I know life gets busy which just makes it that much harder, but prioritizing your friendship is essential to having a lasting friendship.
• In a long-distance friendship learning to be flexible is one of the most important tips I could give, because time change and crazy schedules is no joke. It’s important to realize that sometimes life is going to be so busy that there will be hardly any time to chat. I know that this is kind of contradicting the communication point, but it’s important to know that even though life may get busy, that doesn’t mean your friend doesn’t care about you.
• Learn to be honest with each other, because there are going to be times where honesty is the only thing holding it all together.
• Learn that there is times when its ok for the tears to roll down your cheek, but that there’s also a time to get up, wipe the tears away and ask God for strength to keep going.
• If your a missionary kid reading this, learn to constantly remind your friend that the eternal reward will be far greater than what you’re going through right now and that perhaps is the greatest thing you can learn, because no matter how hard it is right now, no matter what your going through, no matter how much you wish you could be there for your friends birthday or anything special just remember that the eternal reward will make it all worth it. We have one life, lets give our all for Him. Remember to lean on Christ for strength, because in all honesty your long-distance friendships wouldn’t last long if it wasn’t for His grace, if it wasn’t for His strength.
• Tell your friend often how much you miss them and thank them for their friendship. Tell them that you know long-distance isn’t always easy, but that you genuinely appreciate them for staying by your side. I know holding together a friendship while millions of miles apart is extremely difficult, but it’s not impossible. If you do it right, your friendship will only grow stronger.
• Get yourself a friend who will do bible studies with you (even if it’s over video chat), who will tell you that it’s okay to cry but will remind you to be strong as well, a friend who will never fail to remind you that the eternal reward will make everything worth it, a friend who will encourage you in your walk with the Lord, a friend who will lift you up instead of tear you down, a friend who isn’t afraid to be honest and tell you the truth.
• Remember that we’re all human. Your friend has faults and news flash so do you! Be understanding and learn to apologize, life is to short to be upset and hold grudges over silly things.

Lastly, I want to remind you to not forget to be that type of friend.

Lift each other up, don’t tear down. Encourage. Do bible studies together. Love unconditionally and selflessly. Be kind and honest. Learn to apologize. Be flexible during busy times and crazy schedules. Pray for your friend, because sometimes they are going through things that you don’t even know about. Laugh with them and try not to take things too personally. Remind them of the truths in His Word. Be humble. Be there for them even when it’s not always convenient. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Call them on holidays and birthdays. Send letters.

I know these kind of friendships are rare, so if you have a friendship with someone like this thank the Lord for bringing them into your life. If you can’t find a friend like this, be this kind of friend to someone else and God will turn it into something beautiful.

Friendship… is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others. – C. S. Lewis

Friendships are a beautiful thing, don’t take the people God has put in your life for granted. I pray and hope this can be a help in one way or another!

Blessings and love,

Moriah

 

dear lonely one, you aren’t alone.

PC: Rebekah Rice

Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

I know how it feels when the devil completely attacks you with his lies.

I know, he will often make you believe that you’re all alone.

I know, because he has often tricked me into believing this as well.

Coming from an mk, tck, and someone who has moved around a lot thoughts of loneliness, sadly, weren’t a rare thing.

They were often pain filled, heart-aching lies from the devil.

A year ago, I would have and often did believe his horrible lies:

 You are never going to make friends. You don’t fit in, your just to different. With the language barrier and cultural difference, don’t even try. 

There was so many long nights, because the devil often attacked and I believed his peace robbing lies.

With a life filled of introductions and then soon after goodbyes, with many hellos and then shortly after a “see ya later” it was easy to believe these lies.

I had heard it many times “God is always with you. He’s your greatest Comforter.” but I often didn’t want to believe it.

My stubborn self often refused to believe the truth, my stubborn self refused to let it sink into my heart. By not believing the truth, the devil would use the opportunity to completely tear me down, his lies were so great I often felt lonely, upset, and discouraged.

There didn’t have to be tears or an aching heart if I would have just believed and accepted the truth, but the enemy’s lies were so great I was blinded for a little while of the truth.

I wanted to believe that, though my friends were scattered all across the world, we could still be close friends through social media and I could say goodbye to the loneliness that often crept in my heart.

The truth is, although I still have many friends that are so dear to me, the thoughts of loneliness will still be there if you refuse to believe that God is your greatest friend and Comforter. I assure you when you begin to look at the thousands of miles that lay between you and them, when your friend has a life that she/he needs to live and you have one that you need to live in two completely, different places the loneliness will begin to creep in, and if you don’t believe the truth, the aching heart and tear-filled lies will rob you of your joy and peace.

It wasn’t until I accepted the truth and let go of the devils lies by accepting that Jesus is my source of peace, was when the lonely nights began to slip away.

There are two things that have given me peace and comfort beyond measures when the lonely thoughts began to creep into my heart and I pray they can help you as they did me.

• God’s Word.

His Word was such a comfort to me whenever the devil began to trick me with his horrible lies. I accepted the fact that Jesus really is my dearest friend and I can now go to His Word, read it, and feel a complete peace and knowledge that He really is always with me no matter where I am in this world.

•   Prayer.

Prayer isn’t just something to do when you’re in a time of need. Prayer is talking to your heavenly Father, daily. It’s having a relationship with Him. It’s going to Him during the good and bad.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? – Corrie Ten Boom

I want to challenge you, if you ever have thoughts of loneliness the best way to defeat them is to grow in Christ – read His Word, and spend time in prayer. I promise, it will give you true peace.

While social media is great and I’m honestly so thankful for it because I’m able to keep in touch with my friends. I just want to remind you that it can’t give you a peace like having a relationship with God and reading His Word can. It may take away the loneliness for a little bit, but not completely, you have to believe that God is your greatest Comforter before the devil’s lies can be crushed and the lonely nights will drift away to never be seen again.

I challenge you, when you get up in the morning don‘t reach for your phone, spend some time in God’s Word instead.

This used to be a struggle for me, I would grab my phone first thing every morning. It wasn’t until I learned that God had to be more of a priority in my life that I realized I could find peace, joy, contentment, and grow in my relationship with Christ. It was something I had to change, so I challenged myself to reach for my Bible before I even looked at my phone. I’m definitely not perfect, I still struggle some days, but it has now become a habit to begin my day with God.

Social media won’t and can’t take away loneliness, only God can.

Since accepting that God is in control, that He is my dearest friend, my Comforter, my peace, and my strength I’ve been able to have true joy and peace. It all begins with humbling yourself, spending time in prayer, and believing His Word.

I promise you, He is your greatest friend, your biggest Comforter, and your source of peace, now it is just up to you to believe that.

blessings and love,

Moriah

The Waiting Period

Hey, Rebekah here! Just sharing with you all something that God put on my heart. I hope it can be a blessing.

Romans 8:25 (KJV)

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

  I’ve moved a countless amount of times in my life, from the time I was two years old and had my first big move (across the world) and really, since than I haven’t stopped moving. Because of that, I had never realized how amazingly simple someones  life could seem compared to my own until I moved to Italy a year ago and by then I was just weary of moving so much, and I felt like the possibility of changing my entire future to something easier seemed so much better, even though I had no idea what my future would be like anyway. After a life of traveling and moving a countless amount of times, a life of permanence and limited change, rooted friendships and knowing a town like the back of your hand, and having a place to call home seemed amazing. I wanted to feel like I had a home,  I felt so lost in the world, I didn’t have a place and not moving again, well it practically offered me one. I wanted to finally just stay somewhere, the idea of it seemed perfect. Right now, I should say, having a place to call home is not a bad thing, but so far in my life it has not been what God wanted for me, if moving to Italy could have been my last ever move, I would have gladly accepted it. But, I had my home in heaven and I had to realize that was enough, I had my step by step directions shown to me in His perfect order and I wasn’t sure where I’d be in the future, but right now, right now I knew that I had to keep my path clear, I didn’t need to have my whole life planned out. I had to accept that I didn’t know where I was going with my life, and I had to accept that I was in a ‘waiting period’ for God to answer me in his perfect timing. Since I’ve accepted that I’ve felt so much more at peace and experiencing life has been so much more enjoyable, taking day by day not worried about when it will all change again. I can honestly say, that if I continue to move to different countries and continue to live this amazing nomadic lifestyle, I would do so happily. I surrendered my life to do whatever God wanted me to do, and by that, I now mean anything, and accept that part of that is simply waiting. A lot of kids my age are in that waiting period, trust me I’m there too. It’s like you’ve finished or are almost finished with school and you feel like everyone else your age is going to college or starting the next stage of their lives and you feel like you are just staring at a blank wall and you really want to do what’s right, but shrugging every time someone asks you about your future gets old fast and you want to tell them something, anything, and to be honest you want to have an answer yourself. In that period, I’ve come to realize is a test. A test of faith, and in this test, you have the options of worrying about the future, or trusting God with the future. Because honestly we’re pumped and full of energy, we want to be doing things, we feel ready for the next step and we feel like we are wasting time just sitting here and waiting for God to just say ‘I want you to start a ministry in PaPa New Guinea’ because hey, by than anything is better than nothing. I think that sometimes, well ok all times, God knows we need to stop, we need to think, we need to put all our faith in Him and enjoy life while we are still young. We still have room to grow, and to learn, we have this amazing opportunity to stay in prayer and continue focusing simply on Him and His blessings, we have this time to train to be in the Lords army. Maybe waiting is His way of saying ‘you aren’t ready for the amazing things I have in store for you yet’. Maybe, this ‘waiting period’ seems like it’s never going to end, but I want to remind you of two things right now. First, that you aren’t alone, their are so many kids who are in the same place as you right now. Trust me, none of us actually know what we are doing, we’re all just sort of winging it. And second, learn from this time, don’t be continually in question, because you can get so concerned about following God in the future that you forget to learn from Him now, I was in that same place, I just wanted an answer, or more like  a ten year plan handed to me with what college to go to, how many years I would be going, the last name of the person I was going to marry, and what country I would end up officially calling home. Now I’m learning to wait, and I’m learning to enjoy life every step of the way, and I’m learning that it’s not easy to give it all to God but it’s definitely worth it. Just because every adult you know is expecting you to have you life together by 6 pm this afternoon doesn’t mean God is expecting you to, and I’m not trying to disrespect these adults, don’t get me wrong they have amazing advice and are great spiritual leaders in your life, they mean well, and they don’t intend to pressure you in anyway, it’s just how they show that they care. (who knew I was an adult whisperer am I right?) Hey, We’re all in this together, and we need to just let God move in His amazing way right now. We need to focus on improving ourselves spiritually, learn about ourselves and learn to put our faith in God. The waiting period isn’t fun, but I promise it’s worth it because God is with you the whole way and amazing plans are on the other side of it. Make the right choices right now, be ready for the tests He’s going to throw at you, stop focusing on the temptation to worry, and on the temptations the devil is going to give you in this waiting period, and start focusing on God, start reading his word and spending time in prayer. Constantly remind yourself that it’s ok to not know yet because you are in the Lords army and that means you are on, what my dad calls a ‘need-to-know-basis’ which means you won’t know until you need to know and even though it doesn’t seem like a good thing now, you will realize that it is a good thing. It builds character, its builds trust and teaches you to put your faith in God, it’s trains you for the future, and gives you patience. Ha. So, so much patience. I’m writing this, because I need it just as much as some of you do. I’m writing this, because I stopped pitying my clueless self and looked around, and than looked closer. I noticed fake smiles, I noticed pretending not to care, but most of all, I noticed the burden of worrying about the future on every one else’s shoulder the same way it was on mine. A little secret, I hate being the same as everyone else, it’s childish I know, but when I realized my burden was like everyone else’s I dropped it like a hot potato. Now, I want you to drop it too, drop it at the cross, give it to God.  Focus on learning right now, focus on encouraging each other to do right, and stay patient, God is still moving but we need to obey when He calls. Be willing to learn, and to wait, so you can be ready.

– Rebekah Rice 

 

My testimony.

 

Hey, friends! Today marks a special day for me and this is why ->>

Here is my story.

Today, 9 years ago I made the best decision of my life. Today, 9 years ago I began my journey and relationship with Jesus Christ. Today, my heart is filled with joy and thankfulness for what Christ did for me on the cross. 2.26.08 

I remember the day like it was yesterday, my family was in the States on furlough and we were staying at a missions house in Lansing, Michigan.

 I remember I was having a pretty rough day, and I was sitting in the bedroom kind of having a pity party for myself. A few minutes later my mom came and sat with me, we began to talk and somehow we got on the subject of whether I was saved or not. I remember her asking me if I knew where I would go if I died. Then the realization hit me that I didn’t know and I became scared. 

As a 7 year old girl I never really thought about it, and when she asked me I knew that I needed to accept Jesus as my Saviour at that very moment. I knew I was a sinner and needed to be saved by His Grace. That day I prayed with my mom and asked Him into my heart. 

Ephesians 2:8 (KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

I will always be thankful to my mom for caring about me and where I would spend eternity, but my true thanks goes to God, for without Him I wouldn’t have ever even had that choice to make.

I remember how much joy my heart held after I made that decision. I felt like the happiest 7 year old girl that had ever lived. I remember running to my dad to tell him and then calling my grandparents and telling them. 🙂 

Fast forward 2 years, when we were back in Peru, South America. At our church  there I took the next step of faith in believers baptism. 12.13.10 – it was such a special day. It was a Sunday and my brother, sister, a close friend, and I were all able to share that special day and step of faith.  

Now, fast forward 2 more years to the summer of 2012. My family spent a week at junior camp (Twin River Baptist Church), my dad was the guest speaker that week and I don’t quite remember what night, but he preached on giving your life to God. Surrendering it all. God touched my heart that night and I made the decision that night to serve God in any possible way He would see fit to use me. 

I’m thankful for His mercy, love, forgiveness, and grace, but I’m mostly thankful and humbled by the fact that he would want to use me. 

I cannot fathom how a Creator, so divine would be interested in a soul like mine. 

Now, I look back to the year of 2015 where I think I truly started to grow more in my faith and relationship with God. 

2015 was a completely insane year for me, honestly. It was the year that I found out we would be leaving the place I had always called home and honestly, I’m not proud of how I first took the news I’m rather ashamed. I can now say that I definitely didn’t have the faith and trust in God that I should have.

 The very thought of leaving the place I had always called or known as home completely crushed my heart. I didn’t understand, I mean we were serving God there why would He want to move us? It made no sense to this 14 year old girl. I had friends, friends that had become my chosen family and I couldn’t see why we had to leave them or maybe I could, I just didn’t want to accept the fact. 

Leaving people and a place you’ve grown to love so deeply is beyond hard, but looking back now I see how selfish it was of me to think that we needed to stay there. Looking back now, I see that Peru wasn’t the only place that needed the Gospel. I now see that there are others who need the Truth, others in a completely different country and it was entirely selfish of me to think that there wasn’t.  I now see that Peru had people who were sharing the Gospel and that there was and is so very few shining the Light here in Italy. It took a long time for me to see that and to even accept it. To this day it’s still hard for me to accept at times.

 I’m so thankful that God was and is patient with me though. I’ve failed to trust Him over and over again, yet He stood and stands by my side every step of the way. 

Leaving Peru, traveling all over the USA for 1 1/2 years, and then moving to Italy was the most faith building experience and I’m thankful for every moment of it. I’m thankful that leaving Peru taught me it’s just a “see you later” not a complete goodbye. I’m thankful for all the amazing opportunities (camps, youth conference’s, etc..), and  dear friends I got to make while being in the states. I’m thankful that God taught me to just have a little bit of faith and everything would turn out according to His plan when my family moved to a country that I wasn’t entirely excited about. 

                           Sicily, Italy.

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  

God used a big move that I completely dreaded to draw me closer to Him. Sometimes in life God brings us through things that we don’t understand just to get us to draw closer to Him. A little bit of faith can go a long way and things will always turn out according to His perfect plan. 

She looked back and marveled how far she had come…She didn’t wonder how she made it…She already knew the answer. Only with God’s help she powered through. For without His strength she could do nothing. 

  Abundant blessings,

                             Moriah