Character Sketches with Kat: Philemon and Onesimus

Dearest sisters,

Have you ever wronged someone? I'm not talking a petty wrong-doing either. I'm talking, you did something really awful that hurt someone very much. Maybe you stole something of value, maybe you skipped out on something you were going to be responsible for, maybe you cheated someone out of something. No matter what it was, I'm sure you know the feeling of regret that goes along with it. That feeling you carry, knowing you were in the wrong and you did something you shouldn't have.

I know that when it is myself, I become so ashamed! I will do a lot to avoid having to come out and apologize to the person (which is not at all something I'm advocating..). Sometimes, it seems like it hurts more to bring it up and make things right, than it does to sweep it under the rug and forget about the problem. And if you're anything like me, you know what it's like for someone to step in and help you take responsibility. For me, it's usually one of my parents. They don't hold my hand, but they do a lot to help me take responsibility for my actions. They encourage me to set things straight, and if it's a situation really bad, they will often talk to someone on my behalf and remind that person of how good of a person I really am.

You see, we all make mistakes sometimes. It's a part of growing up. It is impossible to grow up without trying to do things on your own. When you try to do things on your own, you will inevitably have to make a difficult decision and you will (again, inevitably) make the wrong decision at some point or another. And sometimes, we need other people to step in for us to clean up the mess. We don't need to rely on other people, but in some situations we do need help to pick ourselves up and set things straight.

In the book of Philemon Paul is the one "helping a brother out," quite literally. Paul praises Philemon for his "love and faith..toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints," (Philemon 5 NKJV) and personally, I think Paul was trying to remind Philemon who he was as a Christian. Sometimes when we have to make a difficult decision we need a reminder that we are Christians to ensure we will make the best decision for bringing all glory to God.

After Paul butters Philemon up a little bit, he drops the metaphorical bombshell. "I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains.." (Philemon 10 NKJV). Based on the rest of the book of Philemon we know that Onesimus was a slave of Philemon's. Onesimus ran away from Philemon in order to work with Paul. Paul was unaware of that, but once made aware, he wanted to set things straight- he encouraged Onesimus to return to Philemon. At the same time, Paul encouraged Philemon to make the best decision possible. Paul told Philemon that Onesimus had been a strong influence on the church. He pleaded with Philemon to allow Onesimus to continue his work.

Paul doesn't ask for Onesimus to be let off completely debt free if the situation did not call for that. Paul admits to not knowing the full situation, but hear what he has to say to Philemon: "If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account" (v 17-18 NKJV). Paul knew that Onesimus needed to face the consequences for his actions, but at the same time, Paul knew Onesimus' worth and was willing to go out on a limb for his brother. There are so many different things to learn from this story. I will try to keep this brief!

1) We should strive to be like Paul. Paul saw the good in his brother and he also saw the bad. He did not label Onesimus based on the wrong he had done, but he did not simply let it be either. He encouraged Onesimus to set things straight. Paul also recognized his influence on the situation and strived to keep peace. He used the influence he had to help both Onesimus and Philemon.

2) We should strive to be like Onesimus. Like I said, as we all grow up (even if "growing up" takes place well into our 80's..) we will inevitably be faced with difficult decisions and we will not always make the right decision. We are too beautifully flawed to make the right decisions every time. But we should be listening to our elders and we should allow them to talk sense into us from time to time. We need encouragement or guidance to make the right decisions or make the wrong situations right. We can't be indifferent!

3) We should be willing to hear people out. I don't know the end of this story with Philemon and Onesimus but I do know that as a Christian, I am always striving to hear people out. Trust me when I say how difficult it is to hear out the girl who blatantly defamed you to her friends. It's difficult to hear out the guy who mistreated you or played you. But isn't that what we're called to do? I can almost guarantee it was hard for Philemon to forgive Onesimus for running away. But I have a feeling that Philemon knew his duty as a Christian would be to give Onesimus the same love and forgiveness that had first been given to himself by Christ Jesus.

Ladies, I have had such a wonderful week and I pray you all have too! Please, as always, feel free to leave a comment for either me (Kat) or Mia!

God bless you all this week!
Kat

"For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you" Philemon 7 ESV.

Negativity -Mia

              Hi friends!

              I hope you all had a good week! Finally, summer is (fully) here! I’m not going to lie- I’m so glad the academic year is done! Summer and all of its fun activities are finally here!

              But don’t you hate it when sand gets in your shoes at the beach? Don’t you hate it when your ice cream cone melts down your hand, and it’s chocolate, so it stains your favorite white capris? Don’t you hate the long lines at literally everywhere? Don’t you hate sunburns (if you don’t tan, like me)? Don’t you hate it when you planned something outside, and it rains?

              Don’t you hate it when people are negative?

              We all have those brief moods when we hate the world, and we’re all grumpy from time to time (especially after just waking up!). But I’m not talking about the occasional bad mood that dissipates in a few hours; I’m talking about the pessimistic outlook 24/7. We all know people who are this way- hey, I won’t lie; I’ve caught myself being this way before too. Those people are- let’s be frank- not so pleasant to hang around. The ones who just won’t even return your smile- they can be a real pain sometimes.

              But before we go off on a rant criticizing them, let’s make sure we aren’t being hypocritical. Most of these people we immediately deem as “Johnny Rainclouds” (one of my all-time favorite quotes- thank you, everyone who recognized that movie!) are people we just ran into off the streets. They aren’t people we know; they’re just random strangers most of the time- isn’t that true? And if we don’t know them, then how can we rightfully judge their character, especially if we’re just in contact with them for a few minutes? Most likely, you just caught them on a bad day.

              They’re probably people just like us- they have their bad days and their bad moods. No matter how nice it would be, it’s defying reality for someone to be kind to everyone all the time. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but we all slip from time to time. And how much harder is keeping up that good mood for someone who doesn’t know the wonder and love and grace of God in their everyday life? Sisters, we know God personally, and that gives us joy. There is a difference between joy and happiness, but joy makes happiness so much sweeter and definitely easier to come by.

              We’re lucky- God is there to help us through those bad days. There are some people out there who don’t know him, and they don’t have that comfort. Perhaps instead of mentally deeming them a pessimist to avoid, we could go out of our way to be nicer to people like that. I know that’s a very hard thing to ask- I don’t have very much patience for perpetually grumpy people either- but imagine how they would feel when you return their frown with a smile and a kind gesture! I’m talking hold the door for the frustrated mom with four kids to corral, or let the person who just finished their shift take the place ahead of you in line, or bring a co-worker a fresh cup of coffee- it doesn’t have to be big. More often than not, those little things are the ones that really make someone’s day. In fact, just asking to pray for someone can be so much more effective than you’d guess. Because if you were the one having the bad day, wouldn’t you like for someone to give you a little break?

               “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them (Matthew 7:12 ESV)”- we’ve all heard the “golden rule” ever since we were little kids. This is definitely a great place to apply that verse, but it’s also a great time to apply another as well- Matthew 5:16. This verse says to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (ESV).” Chances are, these total strangers probably don’t know the Heavenly Father that we do. And that’s a huge reason to have a bad day.

              When we’re kind to the negative people out there (so few are- face it, we like to avoid them), they can see a little bit of God through us. Our kindness may cheer them up or it may not- sometimes you can never tell what affect you have on someone- but hopefully, our act will leave an impression on them. And here’s another bonus- when we do nice things for other people, we’re cheered up too (that’s basically scientifically proven. Or, well, close enough)!

              Ladies, we’re going to have bad days. It’s inevitable. But we’ve got our relationship with God to help us through those times. As for all the people out in the world who don’t have that relationship, you might be the only exposure to Christianity they’re ever going to have (for the record, I’m 99% sure I quoted that from someone way smarter than me…). Let’s make it a good exposure, shall we?

              This week, let’s give people the benefit of the doubt and meet their frown with a smile. 

              Never doubt the power of a smiley face!

                    Mia 

Character Sketches With Kat: Rhoda

Hello Beautiful Ladies!

I hope you all are doing well! It's a beautiful Monday morning here on the coast. It's also Memorial Day! It's a great day to remember the service that has been done for our country and the lives that have been laid down for us. Continue to pray for our country and our soldiers as they make sacrifices every day to keep us safe.

Today I'd like to have us look at Acts 12. I would hope you all read the entire chapter, but the character I will be talking about is only found in verses 13 through 17. Imagine you had just heard that your brother was being held in prison for something good. Let's say he was just walking out in the street, handing out Bibles to the homeless (this is only an example..) and the police decided this was unacceptable so they arrested him and took him in. And let's say that only a week before, someone from your congregation had been arrested and sent to prison for life for the exact same "crime." What would you do?

Something like this happened to the early church who knew Peter. And you know what they did? They got together to pray. They gathered at the house of Mary (John Mark's mother) to pray continually that Peter would be saved from the hand of Herod who had killed many of those who belonged to the church. After killing James, Herod had arrested Peter and was holding him prisoner.

If you've ever been in a scary situation and felt what it was like to pray together, you know how incredible that is. But these early Christians witnessed something even more incredible: as they were praying they realized the answer to their prayers! Peter came to the door, asking to be let in. Rhoda heard the knock at the door and went to see who it was. I imagine her reaction was much the same as mine would have been. "He's here!! I have to go tell the others!" She saw with her own eyes the answer to the prayers she had just been praying with her brothers and sisters in Christ. Is that not just incredible??

Everyone thought that Rhoda was crazy, but someone else went back to let him in. They all were beyond grateful to see Peter. In fact, they were so grateful that Peter had to tell them to quiet down so he wasn't caught. See, here's the thing: Rhoda was so excited, but no one believed her. Did the fact no one believed her mean she was wrong? No. Was she wrong for being excited? Clearly not because everyone else was excited too when they saw him. Sometimes we, like Rhoda, are given an opportunity to glimpse something good before everyone else is. Sometimes we will see something exciting and other people will think we are wrong, but that can't stop us.

For example, if you see someone changing for the better, you may see a glimpse of the strong Christian they are being molded into. Other people may look at you and call you crazy. They might say things like, "They're not who you think they are. They won't ever get better." or "She isn't good enough. She won't ever be good enough, don't even worry about her." But did Rhoda falter in her knowledge that it was Peter behind the door? Did she start to question herself? She didn't. We shouldn't either. Maybe we are wrong. Maybe my best friend won't change his ways. Maybe that girl at church really won't become less shallow. But we shouldn't be afraid to give them the chance if we see potential in them. Sometimes people just need one external force to reinforce them. They need one person to believe in them so that they see their potential. I know this isn't what Rhoda did exactly, but doesn't the same idea apply? I'm striving to be like Rhoda. I shouldn't be talked out of something just because someone else doesn't see what I see.

Sisters, I can't tell you how much I love you all! I love writing for you and I love that you read my words. I pray that your weeks are all blessed!

I love you with the love of the Lord
Kat

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you... These things I command you, that you love one another." John 15:12-15, 17

Gifts -Mia

              Hi friends!

              Memorial Day weekend is here! And that means hectic traffic, busy restaurants, and lots of lobsters pretending to be people (such as I will be if I forget my sunscreen…). And it also means family events and fun times and food! Oh, glorious food… barbeques, fish fries, cookouts… It seems like I’m forgetting something (not the mustard- I have that, I checked).

              And I think it’s something we all forget, all too often. But luckily, the very name of the holiday reminds us- Memorial Day. That’s what it’s really about. But… memorial of what?

              Gifts. We’ve all received them from time to time. They often come wrapped in colorful paper, but I’ve learned that they best ones usually don’t. People worry about getting the perfect gift for a birthday or Christmas or an assortment of things. But do you know what the best gift a human can give another is (in my opinion)?

              Blood. I know it sounds weird, but if you really think about it, it is the very definition of the most selfless gift one could give. Leviticus 17:14a says “For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life…” When you put it like that, it’s pretty obvious- blood is the gift of life. I’m not saying all of this to campaign for the Red Cross blood drive, but I do have the highest respect for blood donors- they saved my dad’s life, and they save countless more every day. If you want to give blood- please do it! It’s a very selfless act that saves lives, and you have my undying admiration for sacrificing for that cause.

              But blood donors aren’t the only ones who give the gift of their own blood. Memorial Day is a holiday dedicated to honoring the soldiers who have given their lives for our country. These people have given the gift of life and freedom to us, and they deserve our respect for being so willing to sacrifice everything for people who often aren’t very grateful for their service. Soldiers give the gift of their blood to us for our protection and freedom. They may not save lives by directly transferring their blood, like the blood donors, but they save millions from the annihilation and desolation of war.

              These people all give the greatest gift they can. But God can give an even better gift- eternal life! You see, Jesus gave his blood as a gift to us as well, and as 1 John 1:7b says, “…the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” He sacrificed his life for every one of us, sisters. I know we’ve all heard it many times, but take a moment to think about how AMAZING that is! Very few people in life would die for another- perhaps if the “other” was a parent or a child or a spouse or a best friend, if anyone. But Jesus died for everyone in the world- everyone who ever was or will be. That “everyone” includes people who hate Him, people who scorn Him, and people who don’t even know who He is. But Jesus gave the gift of his blood- eternal life and cleansing from sin- to all of them and to us as well.

              Freedom is not free, and neither is eternal life. But they are both gifts given to us- gifts paid for with blood. So this Memorial Day, let’s not get so wrapped up in the barbecues and cookouts that we forget what the holiday is really about. Let’s take this holiday to honor not only all of those brave men and women who served our country but also Jesus, who gave His life for us as well.

                    Let’s never forget the sacrifices people have made to give us that gift of life. Especially not the sacrifice of the One who gave us the greatest gift of all.

              Let’s keep our military in our prayers this Memorial Day. And enjoy the barbeque!

                    Mia

The Power Is In Your Hands -Mia

              Hi friends!

              I’m so glad to finally be back! Sorry for the wait; finals week was a nightmare! While I’m on the subject, I’d like to thank Kat for something she did for me on Friday. Around noon, I had basically hit an all-time low during my study time. And then she texted me out of the blue, asking if she could pray for me about anything, and that totally made my day!

              Sisters, you know how it can be. Sometimes you just feel like you’re alone and forced to  take care of things yourself. Now, there’s so much teaching about “God is always with you!” that we’ve learned to know better. Sometimes that feeling of being alone is still there, but most of us aren’t shy about taking a moment and sending up a quick prayer anytime we’re feeling down. Prayer is always an open avenue, and it honestly does make you feel better to take a moment to pray- just try it!

               So for a lot of us, prayer isn’t a problem. Maybe we don’t pray about every single problem we have, but if you asked us, we would say we have a fairly healthy prayer life.

              But let’s think this through. We may have a great one-on-one prayer life with God (by one-on-one, I mean we pray to him about our own issues), but what about our fellow Christians? In James 5:16, we are told to “pray for one another, that you may be healed… (ESV)” and in Galatians 6:2, it says “bear one another’s burdens… (ESV)” But, and let’s be honest here, how often do we do this?

              I’ll be honest- when I think about it, it seems kind of awkward to just text someone and ask for prayers with something, especially if, in my mind, it’s a “small thing.” And it shouldn’t be that way. I know that my Christian family would gladly pray for anything I ask them to do, and I shouldn’t feel awkward about asking for prayers. Because seriously- if the issue is important enough to be on your mind, it’s important enough to tell God about. He doesn’t view anything as “no big deal;” He’s happy whenever you come to him with problems, no matter how “small.”

              (As a side note, there’s one thing everyone needs to know that we don’t seem to stress enough: YOU ARE NOT WASTING GOD’S TIME. He loves you because you are His child, and He is glad to hear from you.)

              No matter what the issue, big or “small,” you CAN pray about it. You can pray about anything. And you know what the best thing is? “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16, ESV).” I really love that verse, and I really love the way it’s worded in this particular version. Our prayers have power. They can accomplish things- things that seem nearly impossible. And that’s the thing- if one person’s prayer is powerful, how well would the combined prayers of so many other fellow Christians work? And not only are the prayers effective, the encouragement that comes from sharing your problems with your Christian sisters is absolutely AMAZING.

              We shouldn’t be afraid to ask for prayers, but beating each other to the punch and asking each other for prayer requests is even better! Not only do we grow closer “bearing each other’s burdens,” we will also remind each other that there are people out there who still care. Let’s face it, sometimes we feel alone, and we forget that we have sisters who are there for us.

              Let’s not allow people to forget that. This week, let’s remind people that they are never alone.

              When all else fails (and before), pray!

                    Mia

Character Sketches with Kat: Hannah

Good evening beautiful ladies!

I have a confession to make to you all... I did something silly! Haha. Okay, are most of you familiar with those character quizzes you can find online? Things like, "Which Star Trek: Next Generation character are you?" or maybe even, "What is your spirit animal?" Well silly me, I decided to take one of those quizzes. It's obviously kind of fake (or a lot of fake), but sometimes it's just fun to see what characters you may be like. The quiz I took told me that I was like the woman of the Bible, Hannah. According to the quiz result, I am perseverant, patient, I never doubt God's abilities and in the face of bullying I prayed fervently and was eventually awarded. I may be one or two of those things, so I was pretty excited about this! But once I got to thinking about it, I really didn't know much about Hannah.. I knew that she had a child after praying to God for a really long time. But aside from that, I didn't know much so I decided to learn more. 

First, I had to find where Hannah was in the Old Testament; that led me to the book of 1 Samuel. I read her story and immediately felt sorry I hadn't known her better already- she is so inspiring! Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah who loved her very much. He cherished her even though she was unable to provide him with children. However, Elkanah was also married to Peninnah who did provide him with children of her own. Elkanah was sure to take care of Hannah even though she was barren but Peninnah, out of jealousy for Elkanah's love, would taunt Hannah year after year. Eventually, it got to the point where Hannah would cry the whole time they were out to make their yearly sacrifices and she would not eat at the feast for their family. (1 Samuel 1:1-7)

Elkanah was worried about Hannah in much the same way that many men today worry about the women they love. He wanted what was best for her, he wanted to treat her right and he desperately wanted to help her. He couldn't understand why he wasn't good enough for her and she still wanted a child. And in the situation, I think Hannah responded the same way most women respond in times like this: she wouldn't talk to him or tell him what was wrong. (1 Samuel 1:8-9) Verses 10 and 11 say, "[s]he was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, 'O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head'" (ESV).

Hannah made a pact with God just as so many people today try to do, especially in movies and on TV. But I think Hannah was different. You see, Hannah had been fighting this for years. Also, Hannah loved God with her entire heart; she loved God more than she loved her husband (which should be the case anyways). (1 Samuel 1:19-20) Something else I think it important to note, Hannah did not ask for her blessing out of selfishness. Eventually, Hannah was awarded for her strength, her love, and her servant's heart: God allowed her to have a son whom she named Samuel. And when she was given the blessing she asked for, she continued to act selflessly for what she'd been given. In 1 Samuel chapter 1, verses 22 and 26-28, we see Hannah using her blessing (her son) the way she had promised she would. 

Whenever someone is deathly ill (again, especially in movies and on TV) it seems like these prayers, "God, if you would just _____, I would _____ for the rest of my life!" are the ones that take place. Many times, these prayers are not answered the way the prayer is asked for. Other times, the prayer is answered as hoped, but the pray-er doesn't hold up "their end" of the bargain. I don't know which situation makes my heart more sad- the desperate one-time prayer, or the broken promise after the prayer is heard. Our faith is not a code of morals, it is a lifestyle. Our prayers should be daily, not in life-or-death situations with strings attached. 

Hannah was rewarded for her prayer, but it wasn't simply because she prayed when she was hurting. It was because she had already proven herself worthy and God saw in her heart that she would continue to prove herself worthy. Of course we can all change for the better- we can receive the blessings we need to serve the Lord. But we need to prove we are ready first. A parent would not hand their 10 year old child the keys to their car, nor would they hand the keys over to a 16 year old who doesn't follow the rules. They hand the keys over to responsible children who are capable of using the car the way it needs to be used. Was it easy for Hannah to not have children? Certainly not. Did she enjoy being put down by Peninnah year after year? I am sure she didn't. But she handled those things as a servant of God and He saw that. Once she used God's blessing the way He intended for her to use it, God continued to bless Hannah (1 Samuel 2:21).

Very honestly, I'm not much like Hannah. I have a quality or two that she has, but I'm not quite there yet. But after studying Hannah, I do hope to have her heart. I hope to be the servant she was and have the same kind of heart that God saw in her. Although the quiz was watered down and wasn't really right about my similarity to this Bible character, I certainly hope to grow to be like her. I'm praying for you all this week!

In sisterly love,
Kat

"'There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed...He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail'" (1 Samuel 2:2-3, 9; ESV)

Life and Lemonade -Kat

Hello sisters!

It's been a busy week! I don't have a whole bunch of time to talk right now so I just wanted to make a brief post. Mia has been working so hard on school, she hasn't had the opportunity to write yet. I am so thankful to have a partner who takes this seriously and she has been so helpful to me. I decided to post for her this week so she doesn't have to add this to her list of stresses!

Just a few things I wanted to let you all know: my hope is to post as regularly as I can. My wish is to post Monday mornings. Mia has been posting a lot on Thursday, so I think that Monday and Thursday are the best days to catch up with us! As always, we greatly appreciate any, and every, comment! I have been running through a few ideas for future posts and I think I've decided to start a series called Character Sketches with Kat. Basically, I'd like to talk about some of the admirable people of the Bible. I know many Bible stories, but there are many I don't know well enough. My hope is that by studying these people together, we can all get to know some of the amazing people of the Bible. I'm undecided on the number of people I will outline, or who all of them will be. If you have any suggestions or any people you'd like to hear or learn more about feel free to drop us a comment in the comment box under this post or any of the Character Sketches posts.

Boy, summer is right around the corner! I can practically taste the lemonade on my lips and feel the sticky ice cream melting down my chin. As the school year comes to a close for many of us, let's keep trekking. Don't get discouraged, you're almost there!  Keep studying and working hard and try to remember that many people are really struggling right now. Send out an encouraging text message to a friend. Praying for our friends may be one of the best things we can do when they're dealing with stress. I may not know math well enough to help my friend Jed study, but I can definitely pray for him to find peace and that his hard work will be rewarded. Don't be offended if your best friend in the whole world ignores your text at 9 o'clock in the evening, she is still your best friend. As always, we (me and Mia) are so grateful for each and every one of you. Just remember who loves you. :)

(Hint: It's God. God loves you. :) )

Good luck ladies!
Kat