The Basics: Worship

So basically, I've been thinking about the basics! I dont know why, but for some reason every time that I pray, I am reminded of when I began my relationship with God and  the basic steps that I took to get closer to Him. Every one of us, if we are true Christians, desire to walk closely with God...even if it's not your greatest desire, you can't deny that being in His inner circle would more than likely be pretty legit. :)

It is my desire to see my fellow H2O students, and the younger ones coming after us, to experience some of the incredible things I have had and do have the opportunity to experience in God. I want others to know what it's like to TRULY fall in love with God and live a life above the normal lives of this world...I want them to know what it is to live with Jesus every day, and not just live like a christian. While, of course, keeping a christian attitude and good morals are very important, I want them to exprience the reality of Him.
There is so much more to having a walk with God than just praying and reading the Bible. When you REALLY get a hold of Him, your eyes and your heart are opened up to so much more. You're opened up to a whole new level of reality that most people don't even know exist. It's so difficult to describe just how incredible every single aspect of life becomes when you're walking with God. Everything literally becomes ten thousand times more beautiful and meaningful to you. When I'm my closest to Him, I feel as though my life has taken on a deeper meaning and that my mind has become one that has more depth and understanding than it normally does. You actually think differently. It's amazing.

Of course, building a relationship with God requires a lot of discipline, but I don't think it is necessarily something you should force yourself to do. In my opinion, it's all about the approach. People always say that if you want to develop a relationship with God, you should start with small, daily goals. Those goals would usually consist of praying five minutes a day, and reading one chapter a day, then gradually increasing each one while mixing in a bit of fasting...growing up, I was certain that this was the recipe for becoming "super Spiritual". While yes, these things are necessary, and if you can, you should definitely approach a Godly walk from this direction, it was never that easy for me. You see...I'm not exactly the most disciplined person. I would set goals and mark my calendars over and over, but somehow I always found myself starting over. I could never keep up. It wasn't until the first time that I lost myself in worship that I realized a relationship with Him would be worth it. When I was a preteen, I made a point to get to every prayer meeting and youth event that I could get to. While I hadn't developed a full relationship with God, I had felt His presence. By exposing myself to prayer meetings, I was pushed towards worship and love for God. I made a point in every meeting to completely focus my mind on God, and just worship Him. I wanted a relationship, but I probably would have given up on trying if it werent for those times in group prayer. I didn't pray every day. But when i was praying, I worshipped...that's when I learned how to pray. The more I worshipped and focused on the words coming out of my mouth, the more I realized for myself that they were true. Just from focusing on the times I was in His presence, I grew...and from that, sprung a desire for more growth.  I wanted to know more about God, and feel more of His presence. When I worshipped Him, I fell in love. I never wanted to stop, because I could feel His presence so strongly, and I never wanted it to go away. See, God loves worship. Especially true worship from the heart. He can't stay away from you if you're really giving it your all. Even if you haven't prayed for a few days...once you really get tapped in and worship, God just runs to you. You're surrounded by Him. Soon, you'll find yourself wanting more of it. You'll find yourself praying more and having this really weird desire to read the Bible. And you'll even find yourself understanding it! :)  When you fall in love with God through worship, the whole "Christian walk" thng becomes more interesting and desirous to you. This is the way that I developed my relationship with God...It all started with worship. Pray for a love for worship...with it comes reality, depth, and a much easier walk with God.

Just a Stroke of Reality...Or Something.

Lizard guts and octopus tail...octopi don't have tails. Either way, I'm thinking about that. I'm considering starting my own dictionary. There are so many noises I have made with my mouth that I so desperately wish were words! If I were to create my own dictionary and, the words were
to become ones legitimately used by English speaking people on a daily basis, the world might possibly be a funnier and more raw place...or at least tender... Okay I don't know
what I'm talking about with raw and tender...perhaps my body is craving meat and I wasn't aware of it? Anyways...If I could write my own dictionary, certain notes hit while singing would become
part of the English language. Those notes would be adjectives that referred to beauty and grace. Or they would be different expressions of peace and love. Or, maybe, they would be noises to indicate that we wish for the listening party to have bleeding ears? Maybe all of the above...who knows!? I wish I could write more descriptive words...I feel as though there aren't enough of them to detail everything I see. There just simply aren't enough  words to fulfill my desire to express myself. And what's more troubling, there aren't even sufficient words to define the words that I would create and write even if I could write them!
That may not make sense to you... My mission in writing a personal dictionary would be to help me get the real me out for everyone to see. When I say the real me, I refer to the inner part of me
in which I rarely even see myself. There are so many parts of my brain and heart that I have recently left unexplored. I have been overcome by so much of this thing that we call life that I have all but pushed pause on being Elizabeth. ...It's strange to understand, but it's both possible and true. I long again to look and think like the girl who loved everything around her. I think now about the stars and water and the world that surrounds me, and I don't allow myself the time to express my love for it all even in my head. I have been concerned with growing up, which is goood, but my fear of growing out of that unique place I had found might possibly be coming true.
Well...I shan't allow it! :) I really shouldn't make delcarations like that. The truth is, I haven't a clue what I'm talking about or whether my words typed from this hand are even legible. I don't even know if I used the word "legible" right!
I pray for my mind to slow while my actions continue to mature. I pray, again, to fall in love with the things God has given me, and to lead a life of appreciation for those things, while also progressing positively as a young adult. No one should lose sight of what they're passionate about. Pray against that every chance you get.
 I know I will be. Lhord Cheesus help me!