Earthquake

Well, I keep talking about starting a blog about my life and training and I keep getting people that ask me about it all the time. So, I figured it was about that time especially since I can only tweet 120 characters at once and most of the time I have a TON more to say! So here we go....

I have a deep desire and passion to help change the world by showing others God's love. I have a passion and desire for the lost! In the world we live in today we are constantly bombarded with issues whether it is relationships, work, children, abandonment, rejection, abuse, lonliness, humiliation, anger, body image, stress, cooking, cleaning, etc etc etc. I am sure you could all go on and on. I feel that we often get caught up in these things and start to let other "lords" rule our lives while taking our focus and gaze off of the one true Lord, Jesus Christ! Trust me, it is easy to do and Satan is good at bombarding us with junk to make it even easier. Of course we all have responsibilites that we need to take care of including daily tasks and families to take care of and feed, yet through all of my life experiences, reading and talking with others, all of those responsibilities become even harder when we lose focus of our rock and foundation, Jesus. When we start to build our lives on material things of this world our lives start to get shakier and more unstable. Have you ever been in an earthquake? I have been a couple of times, yet the first time was when I was a little kid (probably too young for most to think I would remember) yet, it was definitely one of those scary and memorable moments. I was in a hotel with my family visiting my Aunt in California. At first, I did not know what was going on I just remember that the floor underneath me one minute was stable and supportive and the next minute was swaying and causing me to stumble and I was having a difficult time standing. When an earthquake happens according to FEMA you are supposed to:

•DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.



•Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.


•Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.


•Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.


•Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
 
(http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/eq_during.shtm)
 
In every instance you should stay away from things that could harm you, break, or are unstable. You should protect yourself and especially your head, you should find something that is strong for support, and when things get back you shouldn't try and leave or move to a different spot.
 
Sometimes life can be one big earthquake! We all go through these seasons in our lives and you may even be in one right now. Maybe your boyfriend broke up with you, you can't seem to find a job, your are living on credit cards, don't know how you are going to pay the bills, are struggling with an addiction, or feel lost. Although on the outside you might try to look like you have it all together most of the time we are all struggling with something. We all have our "things" and our struggles.
 
Yet, God is soo dang good that he even inherently designed into the earth and our world glimpses of Him and His word. Even through something that can be so bad and tragic like an earthquake, we can find Him! Life is very similar to an earthquake and definitely can be sometimes. So when life starts to look like or feel like an earthquake remember FEMA's rules of safely but remembers God's rules for a life of survival and freedom:
 
FEMA's rule: DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.


GOD's rule: DROP to the ground in prayer, "carry your burdens to the lord in prayer" (Psalms 55: 17) and DROP all of your burdens, sins, struggles, addictions, and pain at God's feet; take COVER by getting under God's sturdy covering and love for you; and HOLD ON tight until the shaking of life or your stuggles stops. God loves us unconditionally. "I pray that you ... may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge" (Ephesians 3:17-19).



FEMA's rule: Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.

GOD's rule: Stay away from Satan and his lies and the things of this world that are unstable and do not lead to an eternity with God. Satan has filled this world with lies and "when he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). He is also filled the world with great temptations and hungers to tempt us into his trap. "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 12-14) God is good and "the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

FEMA's rule: Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.

GOD's rule: Stay in and rest in God's character, His word, and His promises. "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." (Psalm 9:9-10) and God should be your "hiding place; [He] will protect [you] from trouble and surround [you] with songs of deliverance." (Psalm 32:7-8). Allow your soul to "find rest in  God alone; [your] salvation comes from him. He alone is [your] rock and [your] salvation; he is [your] fortress, [You] will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2). Hold onto His promises and protect your head with God's word, and "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).


•Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.

GOD's rule: Use God as your shelter because He is ALWAYS in close proximity to you and you KNOW he is strong and supportive and will carry all of your burdens and struggles. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6) "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)


FEMA's rule: Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
 
GOD's rule: Stay inside the path that God has drawn. When you try to leave or step off that path, that is when you feel the pain and the struggles of this life that God never intended. Ask God to "direct [you] in the path of [His] commands, for there [you will] find delight" (Psalm 119:35). Remember you should "make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; keep your foot from evil" (Proverbs 4:26-27).  
 
As a little kid experiencing an earthquake it is definitely something you don't forget. Luckily, had previously asked my parents what to do just in case of an earthquake. They gave me the best advice, find something sturdy that won't fall when everything else is shaking, like a doorframe, and get under it and hold on tight! When your life begins to shake and you find it hard to walk because the things of this life you have built up as your foundation can no longer support you, remember God's rule's for your life's earthquakes...find something sturdy that won't fall when everything else is shaking, like God and his word, and get under it and hold on tight...