Isaiah 40:28-31

Whenever I was about seven or eight years old, I was obsessed with

My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, and Puppy Surprise. I'm pretty sure that for about 5 birthdays and Christmases, I would ask for more pets to go into my Littlest Pet Shop. Oh, and Polly Pocket. I loved Polly Pocket. There was something so entertaining about pushing a lever back and forth on the bottom of a plastic heart or shell container to make Polly move around inside. But to make my point, I was obsessed with those early to mid 90's toys.

Of course, whenever you are 7-8 years old, you tend to think that the world revolves around you. I remember praying at the dinner table, "Dear Jesus, thank you for the yummy food. Please let me have more Polly Pockets for my birthday. Amen." I even thought that if I prayed really hard that Jesus would magically put a trampoline and a swimming pool in my backyard. I even prayed for a Barbie Dream House and I thought that because Jesus would hear me, He would have to convince my parents to get me one.

I thought that I was the center of their universe, and that everyone else should treat me the same. Now that I look back retrospectively, it's funny to see me make a complete idiot of myself. I would babble on and on about how much I loved Jesus and then I would give myself all of the credit when things went well - and then blamed Him for things that didn't go so well. I even did this in college.
I thought that college was going to be my own personal playground and I was going to do whatever I wanted. I put Him on the back-burner and didn't realize that I was, in effect, damaging my personal relationship with Christ. He reached out to me whenever my friend Amy convinced me to go to a Phi Lamb meeting my freshman year whenever they were just starting up, hoping to catch my attention. I wasn't going to church, I wasn't reading my bible or even living my life how a Christian should. I was living for myself - and I was about as self-centered as I could be. When things took a turn for the worse, it really caught my attention. I remember sitting in my empty dorm room bawling because I was so miserable. Metaphorically falling on your face in lieu of failure is not exactly something I was proud of nor was willing to accept.

I was watching "Facing the Giants", desperately in need of some encouragement and guidance.

"The more I read this book, the more I realize that life's not about us.
We're not here to get glory, make money, and die.
The Bible says that God put us here for Him. To honor Him.
Jesus said that the most important thing you can do with your life
is to love God with everything you are, to love others and yourself."

God put us on this earth for us to honor Him in everything that we do. Our purpose on earth is so much greater. When we succeed, praise Him. When we fail, praise Him. When we fall on our faces out of embarrassment or defeat, praise Him. In every circumstance, Praise Him.

"...The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:28-31