Dare to be a Daniel

Dare to be a Daniel

Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose firm and dare to make it known.

Being bold in your belief is hard, especially when you are the minority. In order for us to dare to be a Daniel, we have to stand up for what we believe in. Even if we feel like we want to follow the rest of the majority and blend in. I struggle with this a lot because I don't like to stand out and be different, but the Bible calls us to be just that.

Lets take a look at the life of Daniel.

Daniel and his friends first showed their courage when they would not eat the Kings delicacies. Daniel stood up for what he believed in and eventually asked for a test. Daniel 1:12-14 “‘Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.’ So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.”

After the ten day test Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego appeared so much more healthier than the other young men. Because Daniel obeyed God rather than men, God blessed them. Daniel 1:17 “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature an wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”

A time later when king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, he called his wise men to him because he needed a interpretation. But he wanted them to tell him his dream and none of them could, so he began to kill all of his wise men. When Daniel heard of this, he went to the king and asked for time. And what did Daniel do with the time he was given? He went to his friends and they all prayed. They asked God for mercy and understanding.

God heard their fervent prayers, and through a night vision, gave Daniel the interpretation of the kings dream. All the while, giving God the glory for the interpretation. Daniel told the king both his dream and its meaning. (I encourage you to read Daniel 1 and 2 for the whole story!)

So what makes these four brave men stand out among the rest? Well, for starters, they stood  firm in their belief, despite the temptations and challenges. And another thing is, they had a strong connection with the Lord. They prayed fervently, and had faith in God. They trusted His will in their lives. They were faithful servants. And because of this, God blessed them and made a way for them.

That’s pretty amazing, am I right?! I don’t think I would have had the willpower, the trust, and the strength, to do what they did. But they didn’t crumble under the pressure. They didn't compromise their belief just to “fit in.” And that, my friend, is something we must strive to do in our daily lives and in the decisions we make moment by moment.

So I encouraged you (and myself) to stand firm in what you believe. Stand firm in the truth of the Bible.

Dare to be a Daniel. Even if that means standing alone.

How are some ways you dare to be a Daniel? Tell me in the comments below! 

I Survived... (Promised Post About Our Tough Mudder Adventures)

As promised, I am posting about our...*Drumroll* *Confetti* *Mud* *And all of the above*... Tough Mudder adventure! 

About mid-September, me, my mom, sisters, cousins, Auntie, and my older sisters boyfriend and his mom all decided to be a team in a Tough Mudder. Overall, It was a bunch of fun, and I can't with to tell y'all about it! 

Without knowing it, I have kind of made a blog series out of my "I Survive" posts. So, from now on, if I do any crazy, epic, muddy, triathlon, 5k-ish things, I will add to this series! Page coming soon with them all listed. Also, on a side note: Pages coming soon for a Health page and a My Beliefs page, so stay tuned and bare with me. Because they are coming! :)

Read about my first "I Survived" post HERE. 
And the second "I Survived" post HERE.

Lets begin, shall we...

You ask, what exactly is a Tough Mudder? Well, let me tell you, a Tough Mudder is very similar to the Mud Gauntlet, in that it is obstacles in the MUD and it's as long as a 5k. But, instead of the 35 smaller obstacles like the other mud gauntlet we did, this had 10 bigger and more challenging obstacles!!! Throughout the course, some of the obstacles were so hard that their was no choice, you had to work together as a team. Even if that required you to trust some stranger while you dangled into mid-air! 

We decided to make a weekend trip out of it, and drove down the day before. It took us most of the day to get to our hotel, and when we did, we went swimming! 

After sundown, we drove into Nashville and walked up and down broadway! All I can say is WOW and another wow! It was so cool to walk the streets that famous country singers walked, especially when first starting out! There was one girl who played the fiddle and tap danced in her cowboy boots, she was really good! 

And yet, on the other hand, it was sad. I have never seen such a crowded city! Shoulder to shoulder, and stuck in the middle of a sea of people. Lots and lots of people. Homeless people, drunk people, all kinds of people. I felt sorry for them, and wondered if they were happy with where they were at. I just don't understand it. I especially felt bad for the homeless people with dogs.

I hope someday, those people will find that God can fill the holes and emptiness a whole lot better than when they try to fill them with worldly things. (Romans 12:2) (John 16:33) 

The next morning, we got up bright and early. For breakfast, I ate half of a waffle at the hotel. We got to the place where they had the Tough Mudder, and parked in a big field. Once we got "checked in" we wrote our number on our arms with a sharpie. Our team name was "The young and the rest of us!" Our start time was at 9:30!

We stood in the start line, crowded with participants. They did the National Anthem then they revved the crowd up. We started out at a slow jog. We went through this big field until finally rounding the corner to a MUD PIT! :) Following that first mud pit, there were hay bales to climb, a obstacle called that was 0.2 miles of smaller mud pits in a row, a 300 yard hero carry, a slanted wall (maybe 6'), "Everest 2.0" Which is a very tall sloped wall you run up and grab people at the top to pull you up, and lots more! (Note: everything was super slippery!)

The one at the end was, by far, the hardest obstacle.

It was called "happy ending," and was a steep, slightly slanted, slippery wall. You had two choices to conquer this last test of strength, you could just use the provided rope, or make a "rope" out of your team. And can you guess what we chose to do?? 

Yes, our team, with the help of three others, chose the hard way! How you made a "rope" was basically we stood onto of each other to make a tower of bodies up the wall, so that others could crawl up. 

Auntie was on the bottom, and for some reason, I got up next (at that time, I really could not comprehend what my job would entail!) So, I stood on my Auntie's shoulders and leaned up against the wall. My younger cousin went next, standing on my shoulders. Then, my older cousins crawled up us to the top, and helped those who climbed up next.

There was a point when my knees were buckling. The weight on my shoulders from people climbing up was so heavy, that "very heavy" was a understatement. I wanted to give up, to give in. And I felt so sorry for my Auntie, who had to carry more weight than I! I don't know how we did it, but our whole team finally made it to the very top! What an accomplishment! We were so happy to have made it. And at the top, we slid down a slide into muddy water! 

Guys, it took a lot of self-talk and and encouragement to make it through that last obstacle. 

Mud runs aren't the only places we experience obstacles in our paths. Every day, we encounter obstacles that tower over us. They are intimidating and scary. And sometimes, we just can't overcome those obstacles on our own, we need encouragement from those around us. We also need to realize that we need Someone bigger to help us through. God is that Someone, and He already knows the paths you will take and the obstacles you will overcome! Let Him be your steady hand when you feel yourself falling. 

After we crossed the finish line, we picked up our t-shirts and showered off! Overall it was a blast! It was challenging, but it was so so so fun! 

The drive home was filled with LOTS of country music singing! Hours and hours! Our overall favorite to sing together was Champion by Carrie Underwood! :)

10 things we all can learn from a Tough Mudder:
1. Teamwork is a must!
2. Go for it! Commit and just do it!
3. Cheer each other on.
4. Give it all you got, and do the best you can!
5. Stay positive.
6. It is ok to need help.
7. The muddier the better!
8. When you feel like caving, don't.
9. YOU can do it! 
10. God will bring you through! 

Here's some pictures...!

Before the fun began!

Starting off! Look at all those people!

 After floating in the mud under that fence! 

Best friends forever! 

 After showering off...

Standing on a mound of mud! 

End of "Happy ending!"

Yay! The finish line!

Have you ever done anything like this? Are you a good team player? What are some way's that we can encourage each other through the obstacles they face in their day to day lives? I hope y'all have a awesome October!!! 

Lets talk in the comments below!

On The Other Side Of Pain

On The Other Side Of Pain

Written by Brooklyne

On the other side of pain 

You grow stronger

On the other side of pain 

You grow tougher 

On the other side of pain

You grow closer

On the other side of pain

You grow wiser 

~~~

Whether emotional or physical

On the other side of pain 
Pressures will refine you

On the other side of pain

Whether long or short lived 

On the other side of pain

You will withstand the test 

On the other side of pain

~~~

Throughout the pain you endure

You make a choice 

To suffer and suffer

Or to suffer and grow

Throughout the hardships you face

You make a choice

To give up hope 

Or to fight through the pain

~~~

The pain will not last forever, and if it lasts

You have not healed 

Wounds will fester  

And you grow weaker

But if you heal, if you let God heal you

You have made the choice

To learn from pain 

And you grow stronger

~~~

Against all odds

Despite all opinions 

Facing all fears 

Enduring all pain 

When you get on the other side 

When its all over and gone 

When the pain is in the past

When you are free from the burdens 

~~~

You will grow stronger

You will grow tougher

You will grow closer to Him 

You will grow wiser  

You can conquer 

You can succeed 

You can learn 

You can listen 

~~~

Choose to fight through the pain

Let God heal you

Grow through your trials 

Because on the other side of pain 

You will be stronger 

Give your burdens to Him

Make the right choice 

Grow through your suffering 

Because on the other side of pain 

You will be stronger 

~~~

If you are hurting. 

If you are dealing with pain 

Whether a broken bone or a broken heart,

Give it to God 

Because the ultimate Physician 

Will lift your burdens and heal your pain 

Keep fighting, and once you are on the other side of pain 

You will realize that you have grown stronger! 

Because pain and sin have entered the world, we have to suffer. But we have the ability, with God's help, to turn our suffering into growth. This morning was very sad for me and my family, last night something got our bunnies. Death of even the smallest creatures is so hard. I can't imagine losing a loved one. I wrote this poem the other day, and now I know how real it is. Everyone is going through something, whether it be physical pain or emotional pain. And although pain hurts and is hard, God WILL comfort us if we let Him. He has the ability to heal us, and we CAN grow from our pain. 

Have you ever grown stronger on the other side of pain? How can we let God heal our pain so that we can become stronger? How do we move past our pain and learn from it instead of dwelling on it? What did you think of this poem? 

How is your September going? Are you looking forward to cooler days? 

Lets take a vote on whether or not I should write a post of our latest fun in the mud?! Y'all want to hear about our tough mudder experience? P.S. This is my 30th post!!!
Lets talk in the comments! 

I Survived... Again!

Instead of posing a poem or devotional like I normally would, I thought I would share with ya'll something that was TOTALLY FUN we did on Monday... *Shoots off fireworks* *Throws confetti* *And mud in this case, or whatever else you throw when your excited*... We did a mud gauntlet! 

If you are thinking to yourself that this introduction sounded very familiar, your right! This post is going to be very similar to my triathlon post... if you are new around Showers of Blessings, then feel free to go check out my first "I Survived" post HERE!!!

So, I survived... again! Well, it was more EPIC fun than a survival, but I can still say that I have successfully completed a mud gauntlet! 

What is a mud gauntlet? It's a super fun obstacle course in the MUD! It was as long as a 5k with over 35 obstacles to work together as a team.

On September 3rd (funny how the triathlon was on June 3rd too) my family and I woke up super duper duper early (5am) and after our animal chores were done, we drove out. It took us a VERY long time to get there but we listened to music and ate/drank our breakfast, which was FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE DRINKS! (<-- I had no idea I liked them so much, but I think by now, the whole blogosphere knows how much I like them!)

And guess what, my stomach hurt! Advil was only making me dizzy, but you know, the moment we started, I felt completely fine! God made it possible for me to do this mud gauntlet, and I am so glad He did, because I made some great memories with my family! 

Before pictures...

When we arrived, we waited for awhile and collected our packets. During this time, my cousin drew on us with a sharpie maker our team name "Dirty Dozen." 

Fireworks burst in the air as we crossed the starting line. The first obstacle was to climb over a "mountain" of stacked canoes. Very fun, but slippery. We jumped round bales and and 4' walls. We slipped and slid into mud pits, and crawled through tunnels. We jogged part of it, but mostly just had fun with it. There was a hiking stretch that was mostly up hill with rope to climb up the steeper hills. Our team was very encouraging throughout! Lots of "Dirty! Dozen!" shouting, "Dig! Deeper!" calling, and counting to 12. We helped each other over walls and the rope swing (only a few people actually made it over, I was one of the ones to land in the muddy water below...) 

We crossed the creek twice, and then there was more obstacles!

We all agreed that our favorite obstacle was the water/mud slide in the woods. Two black culverts cut in half to make the "Slide" and a water/mud pit at the end! Super fun! (Although the muddy water did not taste very good... just take my word for it!)

Towards the end, we got tired, but kept going. Mud was EVERYWHERE! Well, I guess we did kind of help each other get just a little bit more muddy! ;P

After we crossed the finish line, they had hoses to wash off and food (food was just ok, since I couldn't eat most of it because it was meat) and music. 

10 things we all can learn from a mud gauntlet:

1. Its ok to get messy, that's the point!

2. Have fun with it! 

3. HELP EACH OTHER! Work as a team!

4. Bring shoes to change into. (Unfortunately we learned this the hard way...)

5. Be encouraging. People need encouragement.

6. Stay hydrated!

7. Keep moving forward!

8. Try the obstacles even if they are intimidating...

9. It's OK to need help with it.

10. God will bring you through!

Here's some more pictures...!

After Picture! You might not be able to tell, but we are covered in mud!

My Dad and I!

My Mom and I!

Yum! 

 The weather was perfect!

Little Petey is not so little anymore! 

Poor baby was scared of the fireworks!

Feeling accomplished on the way home and ready for a nap! 

Actually, later that day we were driving and saw a rainbow. Rainbows are so comforting to me because it's like a refresher on God's promises. And I'm just now realizing that the day of the triathlon we saw a rainbow too! Isn't God amazing how He places His sign for us to see at just the right times?? 

Has anyone ever done a mud gauntlet before? Do you like getting muddy? Did you like hearing about how it went? Ya'll, It's September! What are you up to this month? Have you started school? How's your WIP's going? Any thing exciting happening this September? Lets talk about it! 

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The Weed Battle

It's that time of year when our gardens have grown and are starting to produce! It's a bountiful time, but things can get overwhelming, because good planted plants aren't the only things growing in our gardens, weeds have overgrown as well...

So, if you don’t “keep up” your garden, the inevitable is that the weeds WILL take over! They will crowd out any good seeds you have painstakingly planted and choke out the brave plants that have come up already. It’s up to us gardeners to prevent such bad things from happening to our gardens. After all, we put a lot of hard work into planting, planning, watering, weeding, harvesting and processing. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears. If you are a gardener, then you know what I’m talking about. And if you don’t, let me give you an idea. And don’t get me wrong, even though gardening is not always easy, I still LOVE it! 

After carefully planning where you will plant, you have to get the soil ready. That takes a lot of time, and wait—time? What time? Like seriously, gardening is something that we have to MAKE time for. *winks* Yes, even amongst the busiest of schedules.

I’m getting ahead of myself here. Before you do anything, you have to wait for the last frost. And where I live, you never know when that is. It’s a gamble. But really, the weather always is. For gardening, for haying, and for the horses! 

Anyway, once the ground is ready, then you have to plant your precious seeds, or transplant your precious plants that you have started inside the house to keep them safe from the cold. You dig the trenches for potatoes, you hill the ground (which in our case is clay) for squash, you make a trellis for cucumbers, and you get tomato cages for tomatoes, etc. All the while battling the heat and bugs!

As you step back after a long days work, you admire your handiwork. You can already see the fresh fruits of your labor being enjoyed at your family’s table. You take pride in your young garden. 

That is, until the enemy comes in the night. 

Yes, if you let only a small amount of time slip away. If you are unable to tend to your garden for but a short week, only a few days, some hours here and there, a minute, a split second, then the weeds WILL shoot up. They overtake and destroy your picture perfect garden! *cues scary music*

Ya, so, I think you get the picture! We all can relate in the fact that nobody likes weeds in their gardens. WEEDS ARE A PROBLEM! 

It's so hard not to get overwhelmed at the amount of weeds that grow in a short amount of time. 

When I arm myself with gloves, some water, and gardening tools, I'll look down the row of onions, preparing myself for the battle of the weeds. Kneeling down on my knees, I know that I will have too pull each weed, one weed at a time. It will be slow progress, but it it will be progress, nonetheless. Even though the weeding processes is hard, it IS necessary to get the harvest that we want. 

We have weeds in our life. Our enemy, Satan, puts those weeds in our lives to crowd out and chock our good seeds and plants. Looking at our weeds (different for all of us) we often get discouraged by their number. It is so easy to want to give up and go inside to the cool air conditioner, but in the end we have to stay out in the heat, deal with the bugs, and weed the rows in order to get a harvest. We have to endure through the battles we face each day. 

We have to kneel down on our knees. God will help you pull each weed one at a time. Things might be slow, but don’t give up, slow progress is still progress. Weeding our lives is not going to be easy, it might hurt, but it IS necessary. You are not alone in your weeding process. Whatever you are going through, God is with you always. And then, as you tend and care for the good plants in your life, they will grow strong, giving you fruit of the harvest. 

Never give up, keep on fighting the battle of the weeds! 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

2 Timothy 4:7 

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

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Do you like to garden? What is your favorite plant to grow? Have you ever battled with weeds in your garden? How about in your life? What has God been teaching you this week? Lets chat in the comments below!

Stress Paralyzed, It's a Thing!

Y’all, being stress paralyzed is a thing. 

If you haven't watched Mom’s Night Out already, then go watch it! It’s a really awesome movie! My family and I, well, we like to quote movies every chance we get, and the one we use a lot from Mom’s Night Out is this, “I’m stress paralyzed!” In the movie there was kind of a mini debate on whether being stress paralyzed is truly a thing, but for me, there is no doubt that being stress paralyzed is a thing! 

Have you ever felt so stressed out that you can’t move, all you can do is stare at nothing in particular while your mind is racing? This is what it feels like to be stress paralyzed! 

Life gets busy, with to-do lists galore, schedule’s to keep, places to be, jobs to go to, until everything gets pushed back, put off, and thrown into a pile that rivals Laundry Mountain.

Sometimes everything gets so heavy, and we get tired of dragging our feet. We miss out on the little things of life. The things that we buzz by in our attempt to conquer our to-do list(s). We get so busy, that we sit at the end of our beds, overwhelmed and tired. This is when we become stress paralyzed. 

So how do we NOT feel stress paralyzed?

Well, first, I think we have to realize that our to-do lists won’t magically end when you have everything crossed off. It is a never ending list that just keeps growing. It’s like walking on a treadmill. Your legs are moving, running as fast as they can. The machine tells you that you’ve gone X amount of miles. Your exhausted and sweating, but the thing is, you are running on the same belt that just goes round and round. It is a never ending cycle unless you push the off button!

Lets take the treadmill analogy and say that the treadmill is ALL of the things that stress you out. Whether it be school, your job, your future, your worries, you name it. Think about it, ALL of the things you are stressing over, all of what you are obsessing over, all of the worries. No matter where you are at, there is always going to be something. The treadmill won’t stop unless you stop it. 

I'm not saying that you should throw your hands in the air and stop everything that is causing you stress, nope, that’s not how it works. Instead of giving up on everything, we should be giving it up to God. By pushing the off button, you aren’t stopping the stress, your giving the stress to Someone who already knows how everything is going to turn out. The thing is, nobody else can push that button for you. YOU have to make that decision to give it to God. 

When you feel like you can’t hold the weight of your stress any longer, when you feel stress paralyzed, you have got to say, “Lord, you know where I’m at. You know what I’m going through right now. And I trust that you know best. Take my stress, take my worries, my fears, this heavy burden. I'm lifting it up to you.” No matter what wording you use, just give him your stress.

By letting God handle your stress, you are saying NO to the stress treadmill. Next time you feel stress paralyzed, talk to God. God is the best listener. 

Psalm 55:22

“Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”

 Matthew 11:28

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”     

         

Have you ever felt stress paralyzed? How do you handle stressful situations? 

What is your favorite bible verse that talks about rest?

Guys, can you believe that the next post will be in August?? This month has seriously flown by!!! What are you excited about this coming week? 

Lets talk about it! Comment below!

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