God

He Sees Me

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Silly starts early
Always singing
Our Wedding Day

When I look in the mirror, I can only see myself as I am today.  I mean, sure, if I stare at myself long enough, I might remember how I used to look a few years back. Especially those fine lines gravity enjoys leaving behind as a reminder of its power.  I can look at past pictures of me, and recall how I used to look as well.  But it’s hard to know exactly what I will look like 5 to 10 years from now, should I still be here on this earth.

Crazy though, is the thought that when God sees me, He see my past, present, and future all at once.  It’s amazing to think: He knew me before I was covered in flesh.  Before I took my first earthy breath.  He knew what every day of my life would hold … what every moment would bring.

Take, for instance, the day when I came home and looked in the mirror, tears streaming down my face wondering why rejection hurt so bad.  Or that day I came home from elementary school in a bad mood because at PE I got picked last on the dodgeball team…..again. (TBH: I’m horrible with sports so I wouldn’t have picked me either).  Ah! But then, there was that glorious day I looked in the mirror flashing my new engagement ring on my left ring finger!  Dreaming of my wedding day.  The day I would become Mrs. Ross Magsig!  Even before that day, God had already seen my wedding day, the birth of our three children, our future together….the days that are still ahead of us.  Everything!  All of it!

We can only see what is.  We can only remember what was.  But God sees all of that and so much more!  He doesn’t see us in the limited way we see ourselves.  Or in the limited way others may see us.  He knows our entire story at just one glance!  And when He puts His eyes on us, He sees everything about us.  And amazing still, is that He loves every part of us!  His is truly an unconditional love.

He was there from the very beginning.  He’s been there through it all.  And He’ll be there straight into forever!  Straight into eternity!  What a glorious thought.  Recognizing the infinite love God has for you and me, makes me ask: What else do we need?  Nothing!  His everlasting love  means everything to us.  No one can see us the way He does.  Which is why no one can love us the way He does.  May you walk in the beauty of this truth today! You are infinitely loved!!

Love ❤️  -Cindy Magsig

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”   -‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:16-17‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”‭‭   -Ephesians‬ ‭1:4 ‭(NLT)

“For His unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!”  -‭‭Psalms‬ ‭117:2‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

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Your Passion Leads to Your Mission…

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Not long ago, I took our 3-year-old godson to the mall. In no time at all, he spotted a small carousel of rides that he wanted to ride. I began scrounging up some quarters so he could ride one of the mini action vehicles…..the helicopter one, to be exact.

Around that time, a little girl came upon the scene. Excitedly, she hopped on one of the vehicles and loudly exclaimed, “We need a mission!”

After I laughed at the cuteness of it, it hit me….”We need a mission!”

Every organization, every business, every church, every institution is birthed and exists because of a mission.

If you individualized this, I believe it holds true as well. We all need a mission to accomplish. We are hard wired FOR purpose, ON purpose.

When people cannot take hold of a mission that gives them a sense of purpose/meaning they can end up feeling very lost.

We all long to give a part of who we are to something that goes far beyond ourselves. It is central to how God created us so that we would help one another.

Can you identify your mission in life? This year is a great time to start focusing on what that is, and how you want to see it come to fruition in your life.

When we give ourselves to a mission, our sense of meaning and purpose increases exponentially.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “does my presence here on earth make any difference to anybody but me?” The answer is: YES it absolutely does. And, YES it absolutely can!

You alone can choose to make it so. It’s your life. Your passion. Your will. God will do the things you can’t do, while you are busy doing the things you can do to accomplish the mission to which you feel called.

Don’t let your passion for the mission die. It is what brings life to purpose and meaning for you, and for those you serve. Welcome to 2014. Go ahead! Be determined to make it a great year!

Love & Blessings,
-Cindy

Dig Deeper….
Read Genesis 24 (NLT)
Great story of a man on a very specific and important mission.

Questions for Personal or Small Group Study:
1.) What was the purpose of the servant’s mission? And why was it important? (v.1-4)
2.) Through whom did the servant’s mission come?
3.) What were the servants’ fears/worries about the mission? (V.5)
4.) What did the servant ask God to do to help him know his mission was on track? (v.12-14)
5.) How do we know the servant recognized God’s hand upon him? (v.26-27)
6.) What are some things that could have gotten in the way of the servant’s mission?
7.) What are the fears you have about the mission to which you feel called?
8.) What things are getting in the way, and preventing you from accomplishing your mission? How can you deal with them?

What is Your Pattern?

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As we look to begin a new year, many of us will be making resolutions that almost never seem to make it past the first six months. Wanting to “do better” is great, but I think there is something we can look at that might prove even more valuable/worthwhile to us as we chart our course, and head into the future.

This year, for me, has been one of the most self-revealing years ever. Mainly because I have wanted it to be so. I have searched deeper within myself with the resolve to get more honest with myself than I’ve ever been. Trust me when I say, when you make a decision to “see” yourself as you really are -you will.

It’s not all been a pretty sight. But just as I was uncovering these layers of life, a close friend asked me if I saw any patterns in my decision making that were my “go to” when things got tough. Can you guess what the answer was? Yep! …It was a resounding, yes.

Well, it got me thinking: we all have “patterns” or modes of operating that become familiar to us when we are faced with crisis, questions, uncertainties, turning points, or big impending transitions in our lives. We don’t always take chances and try new methods when it comes to seeking solutions.

I’m convinced our patterns reveal something about our character. With this in mind, what do your patterns say about you? When we look in the Bible, we can see glimpses of people’s patterns:

Jonah was really good at running away
Gideon was good at second-guessing
Thomas was good at doubting….

Those “patterns” were the very things God dealt with in each of their cases. And the same holds true for us. Fortunately, God’s power is greater than our patterns. That is, IF we are submitting ourselves to His lordship in our lives. Would you agree that sometimes our patterns of behavior are unhealthy? If so, what are some of the patterns in your life that have proved this to be true?

To gain a better understanding of your personal patterns, go back to one of your most recent crisis, or seasons of transition. What are the things you did to cope/deal with it? Do you tend to run away from the crisis? Do you retreat or isolate yourself? Do you do the opposite and talk people’s heads off about it? Do you eat more? Shop more? Sleep more? You get the idea. You “do” something, and it’s usually the same pattern for the next crisis, and so forth.

Let’s pause to look at the bright side, though. It must be stated; there are also GOOD patterns in our lives. I certainly don’t want to overlook those. And neither should you. The fact is: we can choose good patterns over bad ones if we so desire. However, we will never up-root the bad patterns if we refuse to become aware of them, and how damaging they can be to us, as well as to those we love.

I’ll close with this challenge: Look at your 2013 patterns of behavior. Which ones are worth keeping? Which ones are worth up-rooting? Which ones do you see God bringing up again and again in an effort to get you to allow Him to renovate your character? He wants the very best for you. And it’s o.k. for you to want the very best for you, too.

Love & Blessings!
-Cindy Magsig

Scriptures:
Philippians 3:17 “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.” (NLT)
Ephesians 5:15-20