Busy. Busy, busy, busy. Rest.

 Hello wonderful people! I know it's been a while since my last post. Part of it has been that I've gotten rather busy lately (yes, honestly). Part of it has been that in the midst of the busyness I've learned some fantastic lessons, but have lacked the time to compose them into a post. And then by the time I do have time their message has been packed down into a sentence or two that can't really be a post any more. However, I think I now have something that is worth posting about...

 Ever been madly busy in day-to-day life? Like you don't have a spare minute anywhere in your week? Personally, I couldn't relate until a few weeks ago. My life had pretty much always had spare time. I read a lot, chatted to friends online, pottered about. OK, less since I started senior school. Life got full then. I read a lot less, and pottering about was all but eliminated. But still, I had spare moments. Then, just recently, I got a job. It was necessary, but all of as sudden... whoah! Where in my week am I supposed to fit up to 10 hours of work? I cut down my social time, reading got pushed out completely, and stuff blogging for a while!

 That first weekend I had church youth camp. I went feeling like this would be my deep breath of social air and free time before I plunged into full-time busyness (yes, I did forget youth camp was supposed to be about connecting with God :/). But God had other plans. He spoke to me multiple times on camp about resting in Him. Oh, that's right! Resting in God during the busyness. That's probably a good idea, isn't it? Better than stressing.

 So I determined to rest in God, to do everything in His power, not mine. Guess what? Things have gotten a lot better. And even when I feel overwhelmed, I am reminded of that reminder: be still and rest. And I find peace that blows minds, that goes above and beyond understanding.

 There's also a few things I've kept in place that help cultivate this peace and keep me on the right track.

1. Daily times with God. Spending time with God each day is something I've always known I need to keep in place, even if things are madly busy. Trust me, keeping that time aside to retreat into your sanctuary with God is a huge must. The other Saturday, I woke up after a sleep-in, went downstairs in my dressing gown to work out with my grandparents who were staying with us what they wanted to do to day. Then, I thought, I would go back upstairs and have my time with God. Well, we figured out they wanted to take the bus to the city, and by that time it was almost time to leave, so I rushed around getting ready and we bolted out the door to get to the bus on time. I hadn't had my time with God, and I can tell you, the rest of the day I was irritated, ruffled, and seeking after the wrong things to get rid of my restlessness (i.e. chats with friends). Peace only came when I had my quiet time that night.
2. Keeping the Sabbath. Practically no-one does this any more, despite it being one of the Ten Commandments! However, my parents, to my eternal gratefulness, have always encouraged our family to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest. And I know that brings to mind images of hypocritical Pharisees and Jesus rebuking them for be so legalistic, but the Sabbath can be kept without nitpicking! Personally, I simply don't do anything that is 'work' to me (beyond, of course, the very necessities, like clearing the table from breakfast). I don't do school. I've let my supervisor know I can't work Sundays. Instead, I relax and re-create by slowing down and spending time in things I love - reading, blogging, playing games with siblings, etc. I might have a longer quiet time or read challenging or encouraging Christian books. My Dad might garden, because he finds that relaxing. I can't tell you how awesome keeping the Sabbath is! It's not a drain, it's a chance to slow down and be re-created (that's the meaning of the word recreation). Although I've never really experienced the downsides of not keeping the Sabbath, I certainly know the positives of keeping it! You might think you can't spare the time to just relax on Sundays, but in actuality, if you chose to keep Sabbaths as holy and to trust God with all your 'pressing needs,' you will be incredibly blessed. 

 So in the midst of my crazy life, I've learned (in part at least; I'm not nearly all the way there) to lean on God and rest in Him. And it reaps great rewards.

 Do you have any stories about trusting God with your time, or any other things you keep in place to help you rest? Feel free to comment, or email me!

Cassie xoxoxo

A Numinous Life

{Dictionary.com}

nu·mi·nous

  [noo-muh-nuhs, nyoo-]

adjective

of, pertaining to, or like a numen; spiritual or supernatural.

{American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language}

nu·mi·nous  (no̅o̅′mə-nəs, nyo̅o̅′-)

adj.

1. Of or relating to a numen; supernatural.

2. Filled with or characterized by a sense of a supernatural presence

{Vocabluary.com}

       numinous [adj]

      evincing the presence of a deity

 

Oh God, let me live a numinous life! One that glows with evidence of Your presence in me! Let people see You in me! Let me live a numinous life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I discovered this word thanks to a friend, and loved it immediately. I wanted to post something about it, so here it is. Maybe I will add to it in the future. Maybe I won't. 

Cassie xoxoxo

Hugs and such

{Photo owned by Andrew St Clair}

 Ah, yes, it's a question that is frequently asked nowadays How close is too close? How far is too far? And while this is often asked of physical boundaries in a romantic relationship, I don't actually want to address that. I want to address the questions in the context of casual friendships with guys.

 I've had to ask myself the question "how close is too close" as I've become closer friends with various guys in the past few years. (It's all a relatively new adventure for me, as I never had any true guy friends until we moved to where we live now a few years ago.) Hugs? What kind of hugs? How long for? How close can I or should I sit/stand next to them? Etc, etc. So what are my answers? Well, there are a few guidelines I think every girl should operate by...

1. Watch your motive! Is this hug/whatever a perfectly innocent gesture of friendship? Or are you trying to get close to him deliberately? The former is fine, the latter is not. If you're fighting off liking a guy, it can be easy to let yourself get too close to him. Be careful. Be honest with yourself and with God. Watch your motive. Back off from the urge to get too close.
2. Preferably, let the guy initiate most times. Of guys and girls, guys struggle the most when it comes to physical contact. Do him a favour and let him initiate when he knows he'll be OK. Don't push yourself onto him by initiating hugs all the time. No, I'm not saying never initiate a hug. But to be on the safe side, let him call most of the shots.*
3.  Just. Be. Careful. Ask yourself, "would I do this with Jesus? What if my parents were right next to me?" Remember that what is OK can differ from situation to situation and guy to guy, but don't use that as an excuse!!! If in doubt, don't do it. It's not how close you can go along the road to temptation, it's how far away you can stay from it. 

 So that's the general guidelines. Now for some specifics that I try to operate by. 

1. A-frame/'man' hugs. This basically means contact with your upper chest and shoulders only. Alternatively, the side-hug achieves the same purpose: minimal body contact. I reckon that most of the time one of these hugs should be used when hugging a guy. 
2. Keep an appropriate distance when sitting or standing. I can't make this one specific, I really can't. Situations differ, guys differ, etc. But it's definitely something to be aware of. It's crucial to be honest with yourself, and make sure you're not getting too close. 
3. Don't lean against a guy. I know many girls sometimes lean against a guy when sitting or standing, and I know many guys who accept that as appropriate. But in my opinion, it's getting too close and intimate. It's entering a guy's personal space - something I reckon should only be done on occasions. (I.e. a good-bye hug, or a comforting hand on the shoulder are are examples of OK intrusions into a guy's personal space.)
4. Be wary of other touches. Things like rubbing a hand on a guy's back (or his on yours), tickles, etc, I think are inappropriate. In our culture, these things are often norms. But we, as children of the Light, should be questioning norms, looking at things in a Biblical perspective, and making sure our actions are pure. Don't be extremely paranoid... but, be careful.

 I'd like to clarify something: there is no line of physical touch... but there is a direction. Joshua Harris says in I Kissed Dating Goodbye, "True purity... is a direction, a persistent, determined pursuit of righteousness. This direction starts in the heart, and we express it in a lifestyle that flees opportunities for compromise." I can't set blanket rules about this. I can't say "this is right and this is wrong." But I can point to a direction. 

And yes, I'm talking to myself too. Most certainly. I've stuffed up with this stuff, gone a bit too far. Recently, in fact. But praise God, he helps me learn from my mistakes, working through them for good!


Your sister in Christ's grace,
Cassie xoxoxo


*Please note that I am referring to Godly guys here, those who have both his and your purity in mind. Only with these guys should you let them call the shots. Otherwise, don't let a guy dictate your contact.

A little correction...

After my dear mother, who I know agrees with what I at least meant to say in that statement commented "dissagree," I knew I had gotten the wording wrong. :/ So to clarify: 'dating to find a marriage partner' means basically not dating for fun, but to discern the suitability of someone you strongly think (and have prayed about) you might marry. That means not dating until you're ready to start thinking about getting married soon-ish.

Sorry about that. :/

Cassie xoxoxo

A little experiment

I want to do a little experiment on my blog. A trial. It may have one component. It may have two. Possibly more. I'm not quite sure yet. Basically it's to get a quick handle on what the majority of people who read my blog think in one area.

Anyway, for this I need 'audience participation.' It's the only way it's going to work. I'm going to make a statement. I would like you to post a very brief comment. Just one word: "Agree" or "Disagree." That's all you have to do. But if people don't do it, this won't work. So please, please spare 30 seconds to write a comment. :) Thanks!!

Here's the statement:

The purpose of dating is, or should be, to find a marriage partner.

So: do you agree or disagree???

Cassie xoxoxo

P.S. Feel free to ask in the comment that your answer not be posted. That's fine. :)

Get Lost

Picture from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15798308-get-lost

Get lost. You. Yes, YOU!!! No, no, don't close down my blog. Get lost... in God!

"Get Lost" by Dannah Gresh is a book that I've read lately... and loved. No, make that LOVED. Wait, make that LOVED!!!!! 

Here's what the back cover says:

Have you ever ditched a friend for a guy? Filled your journal with more thoughts about guys than God? Found yourself jealous because that other girl gets all the dates? Maybe it’s time to get lost—in God.

Discover how to get so lost in God that a guy has to seek Him to find you.

Dannah Gresh traces God’s language of love through Scripture to help you pursue your heart’s deepest desires and seek love the way God designed it to be. Because once you identify your true longings and let God answer them, you'll know just how to respond when romantic love comes along.

With a guided ten-day Love Feast Challenge, Get Lost will help you see for yourself how getting lost in God opens the door to lifelong fulfilment.

Actually, this book is even better than it sounds from the back cover. More profound. More challenging. More life-changing. More God-focused. 

Check out the first few lines. I picked up the book in Koorong one day, flipped to the first page, and this is what I read:

This book is about God

          ...and guys

                   ...and how we get them mixed up.

Oh, do we ever.

"EEEEE!!! I love it already!!" my mind and heart scream. I put it on my Christmas list. I got it. I started reading it. I loved it more as each page progressed. You know when you read something that you just feel is truth? Well, that's what this book felt like to me. But it didn't just confirm what I knew. It went further than I had explored. It challenged me. And so when I got to the second half of the book, a 10-day devotional entitled "The Love Feast," that invited me to Get Lost in God... I accepted. With a huge amount of fear and trepidation, trust me. (After all, you never know what God's going to ask you to do when you get lost in Him!!! When He takes over your world!!!)

I can't say that I am utterly, completely transformed, or that I now hear and obey the Lord's slightest wish all the time. But I do feel that changes have taken place. Baby step changes, but still changes. For example, I now ask God to show me where He's at work every day (that's resulted in some interesting things, trust me!). I'm now willing to crawl out of bed at 6am to have my devotions (which is HUGE for me!!), so it's not crammed in just before I go to bed. Etc, etc. 

So yes, I very much recommend this book if you want to grow closer to God, so much so that guys come a distant second... (Which I can't say I've reached yet, but I think I'm on my way!)

Cassie xoxoxo

P.S. Yes, I am aware that it's Valentines Day. That's why I posted this today. Because "Get Lost" is all about love - a love (agape) relationship with Jesus. 

P.P.S. Go to http://g.co/doodle/425u35 and click on the heart to see what I made 'specially for you!!

Lesson at Youth Group

On Friday, I went to youth group. That's nothing out of the ordinary. But on Friday I saw something that reminded me again of how futile, and what a waste of time, crushes are.

Before small group time, a bunch of girls in my grade suddenly crowded around the window of the auditorium and exclaimed excitedly to one-another. Going to the window myself, I asked what was happening. The girls pointed to two dots of light down in the carpark and told me that one of the boys in the grade above us was asking out one of the girls in our grade. The boy, who I'll call Caspian, had candles lit and was waiting for the girl, who I'll call Amy, to come down.

After small group time, the new couple walked in holding hands, and all the girls exclaimed over how adorable it all was. How Caspian was so sweet, putting effort into make Amy feel special. I agreed that that was indeed "cute," and that Caspian was a cut above the rest (which actually isn't much of a huge compliment when you know the kind of people who go to my youth group). But my heart rebelled when my leader said, "Young romance, I just love it. Young love is so sweet!" I couldn't help but think back to a year and a half ago, where a different scenario played out...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were in the dinning hall at youth camp, just after a meal. Caspian was clearing and wiping tables. Actually, he'd done that most meals. I soon found out why.

"Caspian has a crush on Tasha! [Not her real name.] That's why he's serving, to try and impress her. Isn't that cute!!"

No, I thought, that's not cute. Tasha is one of, if not the most respected girl in youth. My guess is that she would hate the thought of someone abusing the act of service to impress her. And regardless of that, crushes are still not cute. And how long will it be till he forgets her?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That is what I remembered as I watched Caspian give Amy a hug. And... it encouraged me. It encouraged me to keep holding onto my convictions and my standards, because I don't want to end up dancing from one crush to the next. I want to hold tight to God, not a guy. I want to serve because I love my Servant King, not because it will impress someone else. I want to put effort first and foremost into my relationship with God, and then into my relationships with my family (both my literal and spiritual families). May this reminder encourage you to do the same. :)

Your sister in the Journey,
Cassie xoxoxo