Author: Hannah_Wandling

Posted on

“Be Still”

I wear glasses for two reasons: first they help me see where I am going and secondly because they are just so cute. I could wear contacts and I did the other day. I went to the pool and wore contacts to be able to wear sunglasses. When I came home I tried taking out my right contact which would not budge. I proceeded to take out my left contact with ease so I tired for my right again and again and again. Nothing happened! I was so convinced that my contact had fused to my eyeball that I ended up irritating my eyeball. Eek!  I went to the eye doctor the next morning still convinced it was there. They put yellow dye in my eye and looked and looked. They proceeded to tell me there was no contact. What! You mean I have wasted hours of my time and scratched my eye and there was no contact!? I couldn’t believe it yet it made me wonder how this applies to my own life.

How many times do life events or circumstances or fears come into our lives and become all consuming and chaotic. How many times do we think that something is wrong or we need to fix something or be perfect to allow God to use us?

_Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth._

Recently I have been battling the choice of school. Where to go? What to study? I want to be able to move so bad yet I have not taken the time to stop and realize God has already taken the contact out. He has already set the plan. All I need to do IS obey and walk in faith.

I have become dizzy and uncertain. I have avoided texts and calls because I continue to try to see past today. See past what I know. I keep trying to calculate my entire life based on this one choice. Yes this choice will effect my future, but the extent to which I am trying to plan, I have no control over. I don’t know who I’ll marry, where I will live or get a job. I may move states or leave the country. I may have kids or not. I can’t put the weight of my life on the college and degree I receive. That leaves no room for faith. That leaves no room for me to breathe or to allow God to breath into my circumstance.

I have posts about stepping out in faith and God doing more then you could imagine.  I have stepped out in faith. I think that each step in faith gets bigger and scarier and higher. It also comes with more intimacy with God and blessing beyond your wildest dreams. I know all these things and yet… I am paralyzed, frozen by the fear of letting down God, fear of not getting married, fear of running from who I truly am. 

      FEAR.

It screams in your face. It’s always on defense to what God has for you. It doesn’t want you to see your potential. Your ability to make the basket. Because once you’ve done it, you’ll do it again and again. God will use you more and more to advance his kingdom. He will bless you.

It is finished. The decision has been made. The contact is out. Celebrate that He has risen. The new has come. It is ok. God will use it. Stop searching and panicking and thinking. Praise God for this thing and move on. Take the step of faith. He wants you to have this. He wants you to thrive as His daughter or son. He needs you to trust Him when he says the contact IS out. Go in peace. Your sins are forgiven and your new life may begin. He will use this for more than you know. Stop reading into everything. Listen to your doctor. He cares about your heart health. He cares about you. 

Posted on

33 Degrees and Waiting

Where I live it snowed for the fifth time this year this past Saturday. This snow has been much better then any previous snow we’ve had. You see winter in Kansas is like a moody teenager, one day its in the upper 50’s and then it drops to the 20’s. Winter is also a season that usually represents the end of something however what if winter was the preparation and beginning of something?

Winter is__________.

The day it snowed here in Overland park it was exactly 32 degrees fahrenheit. Why is that significant you might be wondering? Well at 33 degrees fahrenheit the massive snowfall would have been rain. God put the perfect temperature in place for a magical snowfall. What if the season in your life is a “winter” right now but not in the “ending of an era” kind of winter but a “start of something new” winter. Though this season is typically a very cold and “annoying” season for many, getting bitter about the bitter cold. What if we lack so that God can bless us. What if the blessing is going to be something we can’t even imagine? What if the one who creates looked down on you today preparing you for your perfectly 32 degree day?

Ok so the snow has fallen but 3 days later it is still here creating a beautiful wonderland. The trees are laden with snow. The once dead looking lifeless trees are bound by blankets of pure white snow. What a beautiful picture. Imagine with me these trees. Some of them have large branches broken off. This picture reminds me of John 15.

The True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He[a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Typically when I imagine being a branch of the Jesus vine I see spring and flowers and all things filled with color. Yet we are called to abide in God in ALL seasons. Not all seasons of life are filled with color, that is the reality of being human. However this also brings me hope because He continues to prune me (whatever that may be) in every season of my life.

We have seen how the snow is a blessing and a pruning devise, I have one more analogy so stick with me. Have you ever been so stuck on a plan that you can’t see any alternative? What if God wants to show you His perfect purpose filled plan but your too distracted? He will cover it with snow and you will have to trust Him every step of the way. Faithfully God will guide!

Ultimately the snow is a blessing that God’s been preparing you for, a way He can prune back your life and a chance to faithfully fallow His lead. Like in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, “It’s just right”.

Posted on

Just NOW!

Have you ever re-watched your favorite TV series? When I first drafted this post I was on my third round of New Girl and now I am currently on round two of Gilmore Girls. Why do we re-watch TV shows? We already know the outcome, how each character develops and where life takes them. Their mistakes and wins. AND that is precisely why we (or at least I) re-watch TV shows. We get to play God or at least feel God-Like.

While in my current reality, my idea of God’s plan may not be playing out how I thought He wanted it too (or really how I wanted it too), So I load up Netflix.  I do that for two reasons: to escape my unknown reality and because I am satisfied knowing that each character’s life will turn out fine. I no longer have to worry, I just sit back and become apathetic with the time God has given me.

For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

2 Thessalonians 3:7 (ESV)

I know I am not the first to experience this desire to take God’s role away from Him. Jonah certainly wanted to stay in his home town rather than preach where he was called. Abraham and Sarah took God’s plan into their own hands. The funny thing is that even after we have played all our cards, striving for our own plan or what we think God’s plan is, He knew the hand we were dealt before we made a move. Our lack of trusting and obeying Him was already worked into His plan. God uses it all to bring us right back to Him.

For example: Over the summer I was rapidly growing nearer to God and then I moved to Manhattan, Kansas and it felt as if He didn’t move with me. I felt terribly lost and confused and uncertain that He would actually want this for me. I tried to figure out his plan rather than accomplish His plan with Him. After wrestling with this reality for awhile, I came to the conclusion that I must do life with God not for God.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.                                                                                                               

2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)

I could blame my growing up in the technology era or I could admit that its human nature to want what I want now. God’s time doesn’t work in the constraints of 24 hrs, 1 week, 3 months, or 5 years. He works outside of our understanding and timing. Although striving to figure out God’s plan tends to be our default, bringing on stress and a lack of living in the moment, this is one puzzle you can never solve.  However, you and I can be with God everyday. Lean into Him and find out what He desires for TODAY. When we focus on today and enjoy each moment, we gain an abundance of peace.

Matthew 6:25-34 Reminds us of God’s daily love and longing for us to trust in Him. If God takes care of the birds of the air and flowers of the fields, He most certainly will give you all that you need, which exceeds your wildest dreams. He cares so much for us that we can experience a simple,  yet pleasant, over-flowing joy in Every. Single. Moment.

Posted on

Rendered Speechless

Over the summer I had the opportunity to be an intern at Life.Church. This experience stretched me in ways I couldn’t imagine and I am truly thankful for this experience. One activity we did every Tuesday was communication practice. For those who know me, getting up and talking in front of my peers isn’t my style. I’d prefer to be unseen and unheard, sitting in the back. However, that wasn’t a choice. I HAD to stand up and talk to prove I wasn’t this shy, walked all over, type of girl.

Ok so communication practice number one was fine. I talked about something I enjoyed and though I thought I might faint, made it through. A few weeks pass, and we are told to pick an item out of a box. The item we pick will be the basis for a 5-minute sermon we must prepare. I am not a stranger to writing content to prepare and share with others, so I sit in a quiet place, pray about my object, and just start writing like nobody’s business. However, when it was my turn to speak, I choked.                              

I feared my peers would reject my words before they were spoken.                 I feared I would say something wrong.                                                                     I feared looking like a fool.                                                                                          All this fear was so consuming that I did in fact, poorly deliver my mini sermon.

Since then I have been learning how to feel freedom in who I am in Christ and NOT waiting for others’ approval to pick a major, wear a shirt, go to the store, etc. In this new-found freedom, I would like to share my object sermon. Hopefully you will gain some insight on the biblical value of Lysol wipes…

What is the purpose of Lysol wipes? TO CLEAN!!

1. In Matthew 23:26 Jesus calls out the pharisees for “cleaning” the outside of the cup, aka performing for people, rather than “cleaning” the inside. I enjoy the simple things in life, such as washing dishes, however, it would be rather pointless to clean the outside of my coffee mug and not the inside where the mess is. The same is true about our selves. When we look  at our heart condition and ask God to cleanse us on the inside we will become radiant servants for christ. We no longer have the need to please others but can enjoy the life God has blessed us with.

2. Use what you have… I was only given some wipes, but I made a sermon. The resources we feel we may have on earth don’t put restrictions on what God can do with what we have. In Matthew 15:35-38 Jesus multiplied seven loaves and a few small fish to feed over 5,ooo peeps. Our little human brains can’t fathom the magnitude of what God can do with our resources. On the days that I feel overwhelmed by the stacks of homework and my lack of time I ask God to multiply my time.. He never fails me. God is our provider and will give us what He knows we need in each season of life. If you struggle with having enough time, food, sleep, etc. I challenge you this week to ask God to multiply where you feel lack.

3. We each have a purpose. You may use Lysol wipes to clean the counter but you’re not going to use them to clean the dishes! This doesn’t deem the wipes useless. When we highlight our individual talents we can have good functioning offices, classrooms and homes. In Matthew 4:18-22 Jesus calls out to some fisherman and asks them to come join him. He says they can be fisher of men, using the talents they had for the kingdom of God. What talents, hobbies, future goals do you have unique to you that will further the kingdom of christ? Don’t discount ideas write them down and pray over them. God will use you in ways you couldn’t image.

So whether doing the dishes and cleaning the bathroom excites you or not I hope you see how to look inward to cleanse your soul, be thankful with what you have, and remember that God can multiply those resources!

YOU each have a specific purpose and only have to live for Jesus!!

Posted on

Construction Zone: Slow Your Heart for God

I couldn’t repair your breaks, so I made your horn louder” – Mater from Cars

Have you ever gone for a drive but then there are traffic cones everywhere? Your Sunday drive has become a dodge of all the construction equipment, workers, cones and holes.

Have you ever considered that YOU are a construction zone??

Well let me be the first to say I didn’t think of myself that way until the other day when I was driving around town. There were orange cones everywhere. God was like “Hey, you’re a construction zone”.  In a world of plastic surgery and diet plans, you may think this is a cosmetic article.You’re wrong….I’m talking about the inner you.

Last November I started to be discipled. When I started, I thought that by the end I would be this perfect person, employee, friend and future spouse. Then this summer I started an internship at a church and thought after THIS I will be the perfect person, employee, friend and future spouse.

I was wrong…

You see when we read Gods word, sharing studies with each other, that’s the construction equipment; holes are areas that God intends to reveal to us. But, he doesn’t reveal them all at once, otherwise we would get stuck in the hole. Cones are things that God has said no more to or not yet. And workers are everyone you encounter, whether a family member, fellow employee, neighbor down the street or a long lost friend. Each of these aspects are in place to help us grow on the inside.

2 Timothy 4 English Standard Version (ESV)

Preach the Word

4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sounda]”>[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. 

The take away is, don’t be discouraged but INCOURAGED!! you have come this far and GOD will continue till He calls you home. You just have to be willing to do what is seemingly unpopular and uncomfortable so that on that day you will hear, “Well done good and faithful servant”

Posted on

Paralyzed By Fear or Jumping for Joy

Lately I’ve been growing a lot in my Faith and building Trust in the Lord exponentially. When pondering my recent faith transformation and how this transformation will be ongoing for life, (Because #TeamJesus), I thought about the illustration of Jumping.

When I was in Girl Scouts, I remember going to a gymnastics place to play one day. All my friends were jumping in this foam pit and while it looked like fun I was too scared.  I approached the edge several times, each time pondering the unknown. I  determined since I didn’t know what was going to happen that I wouldn’t jump. Five minutes before it was time to leave I decide what the heck! And…I JUMPED! I was so happy and thought it was so much fun! I was sad I when wasn’t able to jump more. That first foam pit jump is equivalent to our decision to follow Christ. We MUST be all in!!

The faith you have only has the potential to grow or become stagnant.

In Matthew 17:20, which is ” He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, You can say to this mountain, move from here to there, And it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” All it takes is having the faith the size of a mustard seed! That’s what the first foam pit jump is. Saying YES to Jesus! As your scripture intake increases, your prayer time increases, and overall you spend more time with Jesus, He’ll ask you to make bigger jumps.

Low dive? High dive? Skydive?

Each jump is bigger and requires more faith and more equipment and/or skills. For the foam pit you just need to jump – which is equal to believing in Jesus. For jumping off the low dive and high dive, you must be able to swim, a.k.a. spending time in the word, developing your relationship with Jesus. As you grow your skills, such as being able to tune in to Jesus, He’ll ask you to take bigger jumps.

In the last 6 months I have taken a series of jumps that I would never have done on my own, but through the power of Jesus got there. Starting a life group, serving at a new church, giving up things of this world I enjoy –  like TV shows , while difficult, God has seen me through each jump.

After the initial jump each one becomes more exciting! Seeing what God can do through us, with us, and for us is the most special feeling!! I urge you all to move when you hear your creator giving you instructions, I guarantee it’ll be more than worth it! I am so glad I said YES to my Creator, Father and all time Best Friend!!

Posted on

Walking on Water or Swimming Through the Motions

Hello y’all!

Have you had “dry spells” in your devotion time? Still in the valley and can’t see how you could be joyful? Tempted by the shiny things of this unglamorous world?…. Me too. I am going to share 5 little things I do each day to keep God at the front of my day.

  1. PRAY- You are probably thinking Hannah, this is a duh! Of course I should pray, what a “church answer”. 6 months ago I thought this same thing.  According to Dictionary.com, the definition of pray:to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship). Growing up I learned the five steps of prayer, but as I have been meditating on the Psalms, I’ve realized that David was raw with God. He would tell him how angry he was and then praise God for seeing him through a difficult time. I no longer think, ok now I have to pray. I think , I GET to pray!
  2. LISTEN- While it is important to talk to our amazing creator, we need to listen to Him too. He has so many plans, blessing and little things he wants to convey to us each day. I love to talk,  and while God loves hearing what I have to say, we can’t have a real relationship if we don’t listen to him. I pray that my thoughts, desires and dreams would be set aside so that I can truly hear/see what God has for me. My prayer for you is that your eyes , ears and heart would be open to all his plans for you.
  3. ARMOR of GOD- Before I start my crazy day I go to Ephesians 6:10-18. I speak out loud the entire section of verses. From Verse 16, I list flaming arrows the devil may distract me with so that I am 100% prepared to fight and stand tall each day.
  4. JOURNAL- Like the Psalmists, I have found that this is a great way to get all my emotions out and collect my thoughts with God. I tell him what I’ve been experiencing and sometimes he will reaffirm truths to me which I also write down.
  5. READ- The bible is amazing! I never thought I could learn anything for my daily life from the OT (Old Testament) but I was sadly mistaken. The word of God is very much alive and will speak to you, where you are. This is one of the main ways God will speak to us too.

Bonus thought: While God loves to hear from us all day long, I strive to start my day with God because then I feel more aligned and ready to take on the day. I already know He has gone before me and my day.

A relationship with God is personal and exciting. While these five things have filled me with joy and Jesus daily , you have other things you do to connect with God. I would love to hear from y’all. Comment below and let me know what you do to grow your faith and grow closer to Jesus!

Posted on

Rain or Shine

Recently I went to NOLA (New Orleans, LA) to visit my grandpa with my family. One of the days it was raining pretty hard and as we pulled into the driveway my mom mentioned that the rain was pushing the roses down. How sad the roses were getting beat up.

But THEN I took a step back (in my mind of course) and realized how this is a wonderful analogy to my life and life in general.

Scientifically speaking flowers need water to grow. Without water, flowers would stay seeds in the ground and we wouldn’t know their beauty. When flowers get their water; whether thats from a watering can or rain/storms, it fuels them and they grow.

Like flowers, God waters us right where we are planted. Sometimes he may use a “watering can” as  positive influences he puts in our lives or a “rain storm”,  a season of difficulty. But through the seasons of watering, God is shaping us to become beautiful flowers to radiate all that he has created us to be. You see, without the rainy season we would never become all God created us to become. We must preserve and lean into God during the rainy season and then praise God in the sunny season.

While God waters us we must also water our relationship with Christ. Otherwise we become stagnant in our faith. When we become stagnant in our relationship with God all other areas of our life stop growing as well. In Matthew Jesus talks about having faith the size of mustard seed. When we first believe in God, our faith is small but by studying God’s word and growing to know him more ( watering our faith) it should grower bigger and take control of all areas of our lives.

On the days where I am overwhelmed and think that there is not enough time to get it all done ( homework, chores, work, etc.), I do my devotion time with God first and WOW he multiplies my time and gives me peace that I will get it all done. The little things we stress about on this earth won’t even matter in the grand scheme of things.

So remember, your rainy season will end with a sunny day! Lean into God and your faith and life will grow and prosper more than you ever imagined.

Posted on

Life Lessons from Painting

This semester I have decided to take a painting class. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but we have already turned in two paintings. I’m certainly no Picasso however by the end of this class maybe I’ll be an apprentice level.

Both projects are gray scale meaning we only used black and white paints and had to mix them to create different shades of gray.

Now being the novice artist I am, I was struggling to draw each painting before I began. Then mixing the paints to make the different shades gray. And painting with a pallet knife for the first painting was a struggle. I now know why we are taught to color inside the lines in kindergarten; So that painting with a pallet knife will be easier or so that we learn to follow directions. I digress. Anyway

…as I was going about my project I realized there are 3 life lessons we can gather from a simple painting:

  1. Don’t be afraid of the outcome, just go for it!                                                                          If life is the canvas and we just sit around and don’t do anything we will be left with a blank canvas stained with regret of not trying. Fear should be a motivator not a reason to shut down. If its not scary it probably ain’t worth it. One must climb the mountain of success, not wish it away but accomplish it.
  2. Sometimes we need help along the way and thats ok.                                                  Novice or expert we all need a little guidance along the journey of life. As humans we were created to rely on each other. Doing life together is important. The mountain can get scary with roadblocks and other such things we do not expect. Having people in our lives that can build us up, teach us and do life with us is important.
  3. Someone is always going to critique your work.                                                           Take what others say with a grain of salt. You may learn a new skill or find out  something you has previously missed before. However not every critique is positive and we need to learn how to move forward and not let others keep us down. There is only one critic that we should please: Jesus.

What can we conclude from this painting class?

That it is our job to try new things, learn and explore. If we don’t pick up the paint brush we will never know what the out come will be. Just go for it! Years from now it will be a memory shared around the dinner table.

Posted on

Brain Games or Action Steps

We are a week and a half into the new year. Everyone is high on motivation and getting those New Year resolutions completed. For many of us those resolutions are just empty words we cling to hoping that one day we will be: healthier, spiritually stronger or spending more time doing the things we love. STOP CLINGING TO WHAT COULD BE AND START DOING WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THERE.

Today I am going to share how I am taking control of my 2018 instead of watching it go by hoping, wishing and dreaming for a different outcome.

Dream Board in the Making…

  1. I got my butt off the couch and got some paper. I then wrote down all I wanted to accomplish this year under the different categories: health, hobbies, spiritual, school, work and financial.
  2. I then went to my local craft store and bought a poster board.
  3. Once I arrived back home I compiled all the craft supplies I owned and all the magazines I could find.
  4. You know what comes next…
  5. With my goals set and my crafting supplies ready I began to look through the magazines for pictures that were inspiring or represented what I plan to achieve.
  6. After 7 hours of looking, cutting and glueing I felt inspired for the year to come.
  7. Its not enough to just make the poster, hang it up where you will see it everyday inspiring you to make real change

Another fun way to get on track of your dreams and goals is to make lists. Not the kinda list that sits on your desk hoping to be acknowledged, a living list.

As a college student winter break can be exciting having a whole month to get stuff done or it can feel like a drag once you hit week 3. This year for break instead of wishing I would read a book, paint or get a coffee with friends I made a list of everything I wanted to get done this break. What made this list successful…

  • I wrote down everything I wanted to do
  • I then made a detailed chart of how it would look to accomplish each task.

For example one of my goals this break was to read. I expanded this in my chart by explaining that I would like to read 1 1/2 books this break. By expanding what reading looked like for me I then knew what I needed todo to accomplish this goal. Other goals my be a project coming this spring semester and planing how to get  it done without the panicked procrastination. Or maybe starting that hobby you “wish” you did. Whatever the goal it is possible. Just take baby steps.

If I’ve learned anything its that setting the timer for 30 minutes and then starting any task you want to achieve, time will go by in a jiffy. So don’t get to January 31st wondering what happen to the New Years resolution, make a dream board, make a list and then go achieve it.