Are You Who You Want To Be?
As I was listening to RDIO.COM at work this morning, the song I’m A Survivor by Reba McEntire came on. It was a popular song a few years ago and was the theme song for her self-entitled television show. But, have you ever really stopped to consider what this song is actually saying?
She was born too early and wasn’t given much of a chance, but she is a survivor and will keep on living. In the song, she’s a single mother with two children that works really hard and loves her children so much.
Something that really struck me are the words of the song: Who I am is who I wanna be …
It got me to thinking, and so I pose this question to my readers today. Are you who you want to be?
Think on that for a few minutes.
If you are NOT who you want to be at this stage of the game, what is stopping you from being all that you can be? Is there a way that you can make a change that will lead you to where you’d like to be? Would you consider setting a goal and then putting steps into place for you to achieve this goal?
It doesn’t have to be any major life changes, just little things that you can work toward. It is possible. Just don’t think you can make a change over night. Give yourself time to think on this, pray about it, and seek God in ALL things. Then, set your plan into motion.
You CAN be who you want to be … and love every fiber that makes you who you are!
Equestrian Ministries
If you have been with us for any length of time, you know that we have a special fondness and love for gentle giants, aka horses! These massive creatures leave us in awe each time as we watch them in all of their greatness and marvel at these gorgeous animals that God has given us.
Here at Light Love Hope we strive to share the message of God’s light in the dark world that we are living in, His unconditional, never ending love for us, and hope for a future and for eternal life in Heaven with Him!
Last year we became horse owners. It is something that we have always dreamed of and had an interest in, but we hadn’t taken that step. When we did, though, we jumped in with both feet into horse ownership and now have two paint horses, a dark bay quarter horse, a pinto pony, and a Shetland pony. We feel we have a good mix, and oh boy do we love to gaze out at them in our yard as they are grazing.
During this past year as we’ve adjusted to life on the ranch tending to our beauties, we wondered if there was a way to incorporate the two things that our family is passionate about: Jesus Christ and our horses. After researching this topic, we found that there IS a way to do both, and so we have just recently joined the Equestrian Ministries in our state!
What, exactly, is the Equestrian Ministries and what do we do? We are a nonprofit, nondenominational organization consisting of individuals and fellowships throughout the state that have united under a mutually agreed upon statement of faith for the purpose of fellowship and ministry to our local communities. We believe there is one God who exists in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in the Bible and the words that God has given us to live by. We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, that He walked the face of this earth and lived a sinless life. We believe He performed miracles, and we believe that He died on the cross for all of our sins so that we may have eternal life through Him. We believe that He rose from the dead, is now in Heaven, and that one day soon, He will come back for His children. We also believe that we were made in the image of God, but we have been corrupted by the sin in the world. However, there is still hope for lost souls if they believe in Jesus, have faith in Him, and ask Him into their hearts. Their sins will be washed away, and they will have the gift of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ!
We are very excited as we embark on this new journey with the Equestrian Ministries. We ask for prayer as we reach out to those in the community. Everyone needs Jesus, even people that ride horses! Why not try to reach as many people as we can, in whatever ways that we can? That is what we are here on this earth to do – to share Jesus with lost souls.
Joining the Equestrian Ministries wasn’t just a move to ensure that we get to go trail riding. No, no, no. It’s a much bigger picture than this. Sure, we love trail riding like the next horse person, but it’s about believers coming together to share the message of Jesus. Do I like the fact that we will be camping out and riding the trails with people of faith? Yes! Absolutely! I don’t have to worry about what my ten year old will be subjected to while on a trail ride now, nor do I have to worry about conversation around the camp fire. I have the assurance with the company that we will be keeping that there won’t be anything that her little eyes shouldn’t see or her little ears shouldn’t hear.
But, there’s more.
My daughters will get to share in this with us as much as they would like to be involved. We will use our horses not just for pleasure, enjoyment, and the thrill of the ride. Now we will be using the strong and mighty creatures that God has given us for His Honor and His Glory as we try to lead people to Christ.
Pray for us as we embark on this new journey.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After writing this post, I saw where Karen used the prompt word “Dream” for Tuesday At Ten. It seems to fit right in with our post, so I am sharing it on her blog as well for the link up today. Join us!
Jesus Sees Me
We are taught this, and we know this going through life. Jesus sees us all. He knows us inside and out. God made us with His own hands, and He knows the number of hairs we have on our heads. He knows things about us that sometimes we wish He didn’t know and didn’t see.
How did we learn this, though? We were taught this as small children growing up in the church. This was instilled in is.
As we grew more mature and into adulthood, we understood that Jesus wants a personal relationship with us. Yes, we are to come to Him to ask for forgiveness, which He will grant if we are sincere, repent, and turn away from our sins. If we believe in Him, confess Him as Lord and Savior, Jesus comes to live inside of our hearts, and we are promised the gift of eternal life through Him. Jesus died on the cross for you and for me.
Some times, though, it is hard for little children to grasp the entire concept of Jesus, an invisible man that they are told to trust that watches over them. We have faith although we cannot see Jesus walking the earth. We know He is in Heaven, and we are to trust in Him and believe in Him. We have faith in someone we have never seen before, but we can feel His presence so strongly at times in our lives. I know I have!
What if you had a tool to help make Jesus more real to your little ones? Do you think it would help them to grasp the concept of Jesus more easily if they had something tangible to hold on to? While I know we have crosses that we can give to our little ones to hold that represent Jesus dying on the cross to give us eternal life, I have just recently come across a Jesus Sees Me Doll. When I saw it, I knew that my daughter would love to have one. She enjoys playing with Barbie dolls and regular baby dolls, so I thought why not an actual doll that will teach her about Jesus … with none other than a Jesus doll at that?!
This Jesus Sees Us Doll came with a book that my daughter could not wait to read. She held Jesus in her hands, hugged Him tight, and then sat down with Jesus to read through this book. She liked it so much that she took Jesus to school with her! My daughter attends a Christian school and was so excited to be able to share the Jesus doll and book with her friends. How perfect right before Easter, too! The doll and book may have been invented with preschool aged children in mind, but my ten year old and her fellow classmates LOVED the concept behind it all. The teacher had never seen anything like it before either, and she really liked it as well. I think that says a lot.
My daughter gets scared at night as most children do in their childhood. Whether they are afraid of the dark, despite the night light shining in their rooms, or whether they are afraid that monsters live under their beds, it brought my daughter great comfort to know that Jesus was with her. She said it helped her to feel safer. While she knows that this is just a doll and that the real Jesus is watching over her in Heaven, it did comfort her to be able to snuggle into bed with Jesus right beside her to help her have pleasant dreams. She even carried Jesus with us to Chick-Fil-A recently to eat and watched television with Jesus right beside her. She positioned Jesus just right so He could have a good view of the movie they were both watching. That was very sweet!
If you are not sure what to get your children for their Easter basket this year, why not consider a Jesus Sees Me Doll? It is a tangible item that they can hold in their hands and arms to make Jesus real to them. Yes, share the stories of Jesus in the bible, and yes, make sure they know the real Jesus … but what better doll can they possibly be playing with than a Jesus doll? Think about it! For us, it was the perfect gift, and her little eyes lit right up, quickly followed by taking Jesus into her arms to give Him a big hug.
The one thing my daughter did notice about this doll is that they did not have holes in His hands or feet where they nailed Him to the cross. She commented that Jesus would have scars on His hands and feet due to how He suffered on the cross for our sins. She’s right! That is the only thing I noticed about the doll, too. Other than that, the doll was perfect. His arms are outstretched welcoming your little one to embrace Jesus, and His little sandals on His feet are just precious. I enjoyed looking at the Jesus doll and reading the book myself!
What a great tool to make Jesus real to your little ones! While we don’t want them to have any idols, we just have to explain to them that this doll is not the real Jesus, just like the man in the Jesus movies are not the real Jesus either. They will understand this, and it will still comfort them to have the Jesus doll by their side. They could even have this doll propped up as they kneel down beside their beds at night to say their prayers to the real Jesus in Heaven.
I think this Jesus doll is a great reminder that Jesus is always with them watching over them. Consider getting your child a Jesus Sees Me doll for their Easter basket this year!
A special thanks to Fly By Productions and Jesus Sees Me for a courtesy Jesus Doll.
“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”
