Some may call it a Burden, others a calling, and still some may choose to label it a weird blessing, but no matter the name associated with it we each face it. Every day we wake up, step out into the world and witness destruction. Destruction of homes, lives, and lifestyles........we might stand there motionless uncertain of how to handle what is going on......or we might be silent with fear......but no mater our reactions each time we look upon the world our hearts break! 

I don't know if it is the same for you but ever since I was young this has been my life story! There are times when I am frozen...motionless in uncertainty and times where I have been silent, not uttering a word in rebutle all because fear gripped my spirit. However, each and every time I come face to face with the world, its lies, hurt, brokeness, and evil my heart breaks. My spirit becomes mournful....sometimes I want to cry, sometime I want to grab the person and say "Do you not know how much you are loved and treasured?" and other times I just don't know what to do because I am in such despair. My heart breaks over multiple things....it breaks when I see girls compromise their standards for a guy or because the world tells them too. My heart breaks when I see the evil that captivates off guard subjects. My heart breaks when I hear of hunger and sickness in other countries and even in my own country. My heart breaks when I hear of young girls being trafficked and trapped withing a dangerous and evil society. My heart breaks when I hear of young women who sell themselves because they don't see their worth in their Heavenly Father's eyes. My heart breaks when I heart the lies the world screams at all who live here. My Heart Breaks. 

I am always captivated by the words in Hillsongs Hosanna which say:

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like You have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause

As I walk from earth into eternity.

 When our heart break Jesus heart breaks!!! In order to fully understand the heart of God we must ask Him to show us what breaks His heart and as us to break ours also!!! We must be willing to have our eyes opened by the one who sees everything and who mourns for his lost children. 

We....each of us.....me......each one of you reading these words has been given a "Divine Burden."

What is this "Divine Burden?"

"A moment when God blesses you with a divine burden [is a moment that] something bothers you so deeply, you're moved from complacency to action."

 (Groeschel, 207).

Has something ever bothered you so deeply that your spirit was moved? If not ask God to show you something that makes your heart break on behalf of Him. He will truly bless and does bless you with a burden. 

God DID NOT put us here simply because he needed stick people to move around on his dioroma...NO! He placed us here for a reason....to do good work....to carry our the great commission.....to be the hands and feet of Jesus! 

To be Lights (John 8:12)

City on a Hill (Matthew 5:14)

Children of the Light (1Thessalonians 5:5)

However, when we discover the divine burden that God has given us, we might want to ignore it.....for recognizing it means that we must step out of our comfort zone and be willing to follow Him! I know that for me, stepping outside of my comfort zone is the SCARIEST thing I can do and have done!! God has countless times pushed me beyond my limit and those times were only in small things (though they seemed like giants in my eyes)....I cannot even begin to fathom what it will be like when he pushes me beyond my limit in bigger things. However, we are not meant to hide or live small....we are meant to live BIG for we have a BIG GOD and he has given us a BIG calling!! 

I want to be like Nehemiah who saw a problem and was so affected by it that he was greatly grieved and moved to tears by it. However, he didn't stop there.....he realized the burden God had placed on his heart and he acted upon it! He saw the crumbling walls of Jerusalem and the crumbling lives of all who lived there. He didn't stay home and watch Netflix and eat ice cream. NO SIR!!!! He got up out of his bed went to Jerusalem and started rebuilding the walls and the broken lives of the people!!!  Man, if that isn't motivating I don't know what is!!!

He might have been threatened, accused, made fun of, mocked, and told that the task was to big.....but that didn't stop Nehemiah.....his response was God is BIGGER and with God ALL THINGS are possible!!! This is who I want to be....I want to be a modern Nehemiah.....I want to get up, go out, and act upon my divine calling!!! I want to rebuild the crumbling walls of the world and I want to move beyond my self and self-focused all to normal life and live out the weird blessing that God has called me to!! 

However, I must admit I don't entirely know what that "Divine Blessing" is!!! However, I have realized over the last 6 months that God is calling me to something greater, something bigger, something better, something weird....."For such a Time as This!" (Ester 4:14). 

Maybe that is why I started this blog? Actually that is one reason :) I wanted to share the things that God places on my heart and leads me towards, but I also want to encourage you who read these posts that you are not alone! You are not alone in your struggles and you are not alone in your Divine Callings. We are all called to something and each of us is finding out more each day about what God is calling us to do! I may have ideas about what my Weird Blessing and Divine Burden is from God....for I know the things that break my heart, but I an at a loss for how to act upon them. However, I know that when I ask God to show me what breaks his heart and allow my heart to do the same he will lead me to the path and be the one who is GREATER than I!! 

This Burden is SCARY.....I will not lye!!!! It takes courage.......courage like I have never had before......I have to take risks!!! 

You have to have COURAGE......you have to RISK!!!

What does that courage look like. One word or name.....DAVID! David was a young boy, the youngest out of a line of brothers. He was just a young lad looking after the sheep while everyone else (his brothers included) were out doing battle with the Philistines. Well, lo and behold that God would ever use anyone who was already great to carry out His work....he always used the least likely of candidates but that is what makes him so so AMAZING!!! David was simply minding his own business when suddenly the Philistines brought out their biggest warrior....a giant of a man named Goliath......well, you know what happens next, all the men in the army ran away in fear and wouldn't face him. However, David, this young shepherd boy armed with only a sling shot and stones stood up and said "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God (1 Sam. 17:26)?" While the other soldiers who ran away saw a scary giant, David saw an opportunity and large target that there was no way he could miss with his sling shot (and God's help of course). It was through the courage of a small shepherd boy that a giant was killed......and it is through that same courage that God gives us the power to face our own GIANTS every DAY!!!!!

However, even with a burden like Nehemiah and courage like David we may still find it hard to face our Divine Callings and step outside of ourselves to make a change. Sometimes we need to get a little angry! Not mad fuming fire out of the nostralls angry but a mad righteous anger!!! Where do we see this in the Bible? Remember that little Israelite baby that was put in a basket and sent down the Nile river to escape being killed by the Pharoah? Yeah....that baby....Moses. When Moses was older and living in the Pharoah's house he witnessed an Egyptian beating an Israelite, well Moses was so angered that he killed the Egyptian (Ex. 12:12)! Now, I am not saying that we should go out and kill the people who make us angry, but Moses had an excuse for this righteous anger. It was this act, somewhat cruel as it may seem, that showed the passion Moses had for the Israelite's and his anger at how they were being treated which started the ball rolling for God's plan to have Moses lead the Israelite's out of their captivity. 

Now....do you see how God works in the unlikely situations of life to bring about a Diving Calling for the ones he has called? He moves us through what we see and experience around us. Have you ever realized that there are some things that effect us more than others? What could be the reason for this? Have you ever considered that what moves you more...what brings tears to your eyes and breaks your heart into a million pieces are things that God is specifically aiming directly at you? I know right now I can think of a number of things that break my heart more than others for whatever reason.....and when I think about it more I do realize that it is as if God specifically aims them at me! As crazy as it may sound it is true!!

Thus here is the thing......if God is the God of all creation, the one who created you and me, the one who sent the world into motion, and the one who knows the future.....don't you think he knows what he has called us to? He knew since the day we entered this world what he wanted us to do and he knows the exact moment in our history that he will choose for us to act upon our divine calling and glorify his magnificent name!! God has given each and every one of us gifts, talents and passions. Do not think that those are meant to go to waste....he gave them to us to carry out what he has called us to!!! He has equipped us with all we need to find what breaks out hearts and call upon him to guide us on the path of our Divine Burdens. 

So ask yourself this and answer in the blank:

"My weird blessing is to have a burden for ________________."

You may feel overwhelmed with thinking that you need to do everything, but take heart that God has many children and each of them has a Divine Burden. You cannot to everything, but every little thing you do is something. You may not be able to save every starfish (Story Here)but your vigilance can make a difference to one! 

As I was reading the chapter in the book that inspired me to write this post, the author started throwing out suggestions for allowing yourself the freedom to take action. As I was reading through the sentence I was struck by one suggestion he wrote: "Start a Blog". I went "Wow, what are the odds!!" 

Maybe (like I mentioned) this is the reason for this blog? Maybe this blog is only my jumping off point? Maybe this blog is to connect me to others who have a similar calling so that we can come together and bring Glory to our Heavenly Father through our Divine Burdens? Whatever the reason, I know that this blog is no accident. I started it for a reason. I know full well that God is allowing my heart to break for the things he is calling me towards! I know one day soon He will show me how to take action and I hope when that day comes I have the courage to step out of myself and RISK!!

I want to be a modern Nehemiah and rebuild walls, I want to be a modern David and face my Giants, and I want to be a modern Moses...filled with righteous anger for the things that break my heart!!

In closing I leave you with this prayer from the book WEIRD:

"May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection and starvation, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. May God bless you with the weirdest blessing possible---his divine burden."

If that blessing doesn't inspire you to the depths of your soul I don't know what will! 

Blessings to you who seek to live as Nehemiah's, David's, and Moses's in a world that tells us it cannot be done!!!

What is something that breaks your heart or something that God lead you to when reading this post?

Do you feel there is a Divine Burden God is leading you towards?

What are your thoughts on this post?

-Madison

"WEIRD......Because Normal Isn't Working."

Did you read the title? Well, that about sums up today's post. WHAT? You are WEIRD??? 

Yes I am and proud of it!!

Okay, so maybe you are a little confused by my definition of "Weird" or how I use it in defining and describing me? If that is the case than all I have to say is that if you are reading this post right now you are weird too! Yup, you heard me....YOU ARE WEIRD!!! 

Okay, okay, I get that you might be freaking out right now and creaming: "Noooooooo......I can't be weird I have tried my whole entire life and live each day trying to avoid being just that....weird......weird isn't cool!" What might I have to say to that declaration? You are right, to the world weird isn't cool and each day you try to avoid just that...being weird. However, to God weird is what he is ALL about!!!  

Now are you confused? :) I see how you might be so lets clarify some things. 

1) WEIRD means odd, different, and unusual (does that describe you?).

2) "Do not Conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will." -Romans 12:2

3) Jesus calls us to be "not of this world" which means what it says...do not be like the world = be different, unusual, odd....BE LIKE JESUS!!

4) What Jesus teaches is WEIRD..... he teaches us "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other." - Luke 6:27-29

5) Jesus tells us to take the hard road, the narrow path...."Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

6) Jesus call us to "BE ONE OF THE FEW!"

Don't be part of the majority in the crowd that travels the wrong path that leads to destruction even though the gate is wide...but with a dead end. Be "one of the few" who takes the path less traveled, the rocky path which leads to the narrow gate that gives LIFE!!!

So what are you? Are you weird? Maybe you are weird but you hide behind a mask seeking to disguise yourself to fit in and be unnoticed. You probably don't want to be thought of as weird right? You might think:" If they knew I was a Christian they would think I was a 'Jesus Freak'". Am I right? While the weird I am talking about isn't necessarily the "freak" type of weird though it is close to it:) And I know that might sound scary but just think about how Jesus calls us to live? He specifically calls us to be set apart.....he is calling us to be weird, be different, be unusual, and be proud of it. If we lived our lives being weird, the "God kind of weird (p.17)" just think about how much people would notice us. However, if they notice us as weird it is crazy awesome to realize that the weird they are noticing is Jesus living in and through us!!! CRAZY!!!! MIND BLOWN!!!!

In the world of today that constant flow of humans seeks to live a life that is "normal" by their standards and the worlds. However, by trying to live normal we forsake the life that Jesus specifically calls us to live adn through that choice we then run into so many barriars, battles, and heartbreaks in life. 

In his book WEIRD, Craig Groeschel states a profound realization: "What if being the Christian kind of weird did not mean the same thing as the bad-weird, freak-show, annoying, carnival-barking, somewhat uncomfortable, weird-for-no-reason weird? What if the Bible is talking about a different-than-what-everyone-else-does, good type of Jesus weird?(p.17)" 

Just think, maybe there is a completely different world of weird out there? A world a weird that God specifically designed us to embrace as our destiny and confidently live out each day! It all goes back to what STANDOUTgirlTM is all about....Stand Up...Stand Out....Be Different! This is our DESTINY dear sisters!! This is what we were born for! Lets embrace the "God kind of Weird" and go live like Jesus!!

Maybe you know you are weird, you have accepted that fact, maybe you even already embrace your destiny as a "God kind of weird" and live it out each day. Maybe you are one of those girls who tried to be normal for a day but failed? I tried being normal for a day, let just say I gave up and the next day I didn't even try to be normal:) 

Maybe you are a girl who still struggles with the looming fear of being labeled as "weird"? Maybe that scares you so much, or maybe you just don't want to let go of being like everyone else, being accepted, cool, part of the popular crowd? Is this you? Do you worry that people will call you a freak, laugh at you, make fun of you? Let be honest, that might happen, but here is the promise we have, that in whatever situation, in whatever we are going through, no matter what people are saying about us we have God on our side (Romans 8:31). He gives us the strength to conquer all (Philippians 4:13). He doesn't give us more than we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13), so if life get tough just know he has faith in your abilities and will be with you every step of the way (Psalm 46). He is our shield (Psalm 28:7), our Fortress (Psalm 18:2), and "With God ALL things are POSSIBLE (Matthew 19:26)."

Take heart that you are never alone! We are all called by the same God with the same destiny. Let us not go with the flow on the wide path but be "one of the few" on the narrow path which lead to life and not destruction. Lets together embrace who we are called to be and be weird together!

What do you think about "God kind of weird"?

Are you weird or do you hide it?