Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  With all of this thanking going around, you'd think that there would be nothing but joy in the air.  But let me tell you a quick story about what happened just several hours ago at my Thanksgiving...
All was going well, and my family had gathered at my grandma and grandpa's house.  They had a silent auction (with play money, of course) to get rid of some old things they no longer wanted.  Long story short, me and my cousin got quite competetive over some random items, and not in a friendly way.  More of a "this is going to be mine, and you are NOT getting it" kind of way.  Looking back, I see that I had completly lost my Thanksgiving spirit and was thinking only of myself.  I know that it was a petty thing to fight about, and there was no reason for me to get so selfish.  How can I say I was thankful for what I had when all I could think about was getting some random useless toy?
With that being said, let's try not to get too caught up in the little things as we move into this holiday season.  Here's the challenge:

Be legitimantely thankful for EVERYTHING, every time.

I'm talking everything.  Good times, bad times, boyfriends and break-ups, trustworthy friends and backstabbers, A's and F's.  Thank God for every one, because they are all going to make you better if you let them.  If you think your life is bad, think of this.  Got two legs? Got two eyes? Can you walk and talk and laugh and sing and dance and hug and smile and run?  You've got a lot of great things and you can do amazing things.  So be glad you have them, every day, not just Thanksgiving.

Boys. Enough said.

We all have to deal with them at some time or another... so how are we supposed to be like Jesus and at the same time have a crush on some guy?
First off, let's chat a little bit about the one thing that makes our lives so confusing- boys.  Quite honestly, they are just people.  People that make our lives interesting, yes, but just people.  And it's totally okay to like one of them.  It's natural, probably some girl hormone type thing.  But we have to protect them and ourselves, and that's where Jesus comes in.
A few key words: honesty and modesty.  First of all, honesty.  Don't lie, that's the first bit.  But second, be honest with yourself.  If this guy is going to be a bad influence, it's probably not good idea.  And there are better ways to make him a better person than to date him.
Modesty shouldn't even have to be on here, but sadly girls tend to... well, not be modest when they are trying to get a guy.  This isn't all of us, I know.  But to be blunt, he should be in love with you, not your body.  If the only way you can catch his attention is through flaunting yourseslf, it's time to be honest with yourself and rethink all of this.
The bottom line is, if you are doing what Jesus would do throughout all of your guy drama- which believe me, we all have- then you should have minimal problems.  If it's time to walk away, walk away.  If you need to end something, end it, but if it's fine to start something, start it.  When it comes down to it, these things are for you and God to decide, not this random blog.
You knew it was coming... the challenge!  This time, it's:

No matter where things go, keep Jesus with you.

Guys can make things pretty complicated in our lives, and they can get you in some weird situations.  But whatever choice you find yourself having to make, remember what Jesus did.  He died for us so that we could be saved, and He gave you life.  He can come again at any time, so make sure He's not going to walk in on something that He wouldn't be proud of.

Be BOLD!

It's not always- okay, it's not EVER easy to stand out in a crowd.  Whether you want to or not, it's tough.  And once you do stand out, it gets even harder.  But how are people supposed to know we are Christians if we don't stand out, stand up, and tell people?  There are two quotes I want to share (I'm paraphrasing here), and I wish I knew the authors...

Spread the good news.  When necessary, use words.

What makes you different than a non-Christian?

Lets talk about that first one. (Like I said, it's not exact.  Feel free to comment and give the proper one).  Anyway, this is a good one.  You don't always have to tell people about Jesus, you have to show people about Jesus. Huh? Show people? Think about it.  What would Jesus do?  Would He watch that kid get picked on by the football team, or would He try to stop it?  Would He laugh when the girl dropped her lunch tray, or would He pick it up?  So what would you do?  Be like Jesus, or not?

Secondly, what does make you different than a non Christian?  If people looked at you, would they say, "That girl is a Christian, for sure." or would they just say, "That girl."  Make sure people know you love Jesus.  If people have questions, answer them!  If people are doing something wrong, tell them to stop.  When people see you, they should know you're a Christian.  Leave no doubt in their minds!!  Just think about what YOU can do to.....complete this challenge!

Be an obvious Christian.

It won't always be easy, it definatly won't always be fun.  But do you think dying on a cross was fun?