I have a valentines date for you!

We all know that Valentine’s Day (or Singles’ Awareness Day, as I’ve heard it called) is fast approaching. It’s hard not to ignore it with school banners, stores selling all things pink and red, and those around us that are in relationships preparing for that special day. Sometimes, when not in a current romantic relationship, it’s hard not to get a little down when this holiday approaches. It can be tempting to rent a chick flick, grab some chocolate, and have a pity party. Where are you at on this holiday? Are you in a relationship? Is it complicated? Are you single? No matter where you might be, I have a challenge for you:

Have a date with Jesus!

That might have surprised you at first, and it may be tempting to ignore this challenge, but I hope you bear with me as I explain why you should do this.

It’s easy to get caught up in Valentine’s Day and put too much emphasis on this holiday. For those that are in relationships, it can be hard not to obsess about what the day may look like and where you'll go with your boyfriend. On the other hand, those that are single may obsess about their lack of boyfriend and plans. Either way, too much focus can be spent on this day and a date with Jesus just might be the very thing to put your priorities straight.

Make this date fun! I’ve had “Jesus dates” before and I always have a blast. Close yourself in your room or someplace secluded that you know you won’t get interrupted. Dim the lights, get some of your favorite chocolate, or other favorite sweet, and maybe light a candle. Put some soft music on and pull out the best Valentines letter you’ll ever receive-the Bible. Consider reading Psalm 139 and think about how much God loves you. Write in your journal what sticks out to you and then pray over it.

God knows you better than any boy ever will and He loves you beyond comprehension. He longs to spend time with you. He cares about you. He loves you.

So whether you’re in a relationship or not, set some time aside this Valentines to spend with Jesus. Be prepared for a special night.

In Christ,

Madison

Love Like Jesus

It’s 2011 and that means it’s HeHoldsTheKey’s first anniversary (Okay, so we’re one day late in posting since we officially had our first article on the 15^th, but hey, we’re close)! Thank you to all our faithful readers and supporters! Your encouragement means a lot. I have to say that we have not been the most consistent with updating our posts throughout 2010, but thank you for being patient with us! We’re hoping that 2011 will hold a more regular schedule. For this to happen, we need more writers for HeHoldsTheKey. So, if you’re interested in helping us out, be sure to email us and we’ll work from there!

Speaking of this new year, what are some goals you’ve made?

Every year I sit down and write out what I want my life to look like for the upcoming year. Along with little goals such as eating healthier, I also like to have one large goal or theme for the year. Last year’s goal was to serve wholeheartedly. This year, my goal is to love like Jesus.

I’ve been reading “Equipped to Love” by Norm Wakefield. It radically been changing the way I look at relationships. This book covers how we tend to look to others for our happiness. In reality, only Jesus can fulfill us, and when we look to human relationships to fit that bill we won’t ever find contentment.

Has this ever been the case for you when it comes to boys? Have you ever tried to make a guy fit Jesus’ spot? To make you happy? To make you feel good? To give you security? I know I have! When I do this, I’m shoving Jesus out of the drivers seat and stuffing a guy in His place.

Instead of looking to guys, or relationships in general, we have to set our eyes back on Jesus… and to love like Jesus. It’s impossible for us to fully love as Jesus loves because we are not God; that being said, we are capable of loving like Jesus. He’s given us the ultimate love letter, the Bible, to follow as a map on how to love as He loves us. As my good friend told me, we never have to lead and find the place to go, we only have to follow Him. God’s already got the blueprints of life and He has given us the Holy Spirit to direct us as we try and live like Him.

My challenge for you this year? To learn to love like Jesus. Follow His example. The journey may be difficult and it won’t happen overnight, but God will equip you with the tools you need to love as He loves. Learn to love guys out of a brotherly love, to see them as fellow travelers on the road to heaven instead of potential mates. I can assure you, when we let Jesus take the reins of our life and let Him be on the throne of our hearts, life is much more fulfilling!

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another about yourselves.” –Romans 12:9-10 (NIV)

Be blessed this 2011!

~Madison

Polar bears, milk, and snow?

Hello Ladies, It’s good to be back and writing again. College has made my life a little hectic these days. We’re currently on break so I thought I’d take the opportunity to write a post while I have the chance.

I’ve been looking into changing the color of my room. Currently, I have three lime green walls and one purple. I got to thinking about the symbolism and meanings behind colors as I contemplated what new shade to paint my room. I happened to look up what white stands for on dictionary.com and this is what I found…

White:
Rare morally unblemished
Extremely clean and white
Very pure, honest, and moral

The Bible definition stated:
A symbol of purity

Have you ever thought about what is white? Snow. Milk. Polar Bears. Yes, Christmas is coming up soon so my mind is traveling to things associated with it haha. Okay, so not all of this is necessarily Christmas related, but they sure have to do with all things white!

Snow is a mysterious thing. It’s heavy, but it can fall lightly. It doesn’t really make a sound, unless stepped upon. It’s cold, but if you made a cave, you’d be warm in it.

And what about milk? A mother’s milk to her newborn child is the best food she could give him. There’s not impurities in it, it’s the perfect temperature, and it creates a special bond between mother and child.

Polar bears. Polar bears are strong creatures, all white except for their claws, nose, and eyes.

All of these things remind me of God and purity. He wants us to be pure, white as His snow. He wants us to be close to Him, a relationship set on intimacy, just as a mother and her child. Purity may seem something for those who are weak, but that’s simply not true. Anyone can choose to be impure, it take strength to be pure, just as a polar bear is strong.

As crazy as these examples may seem, they portray aspects of purity. Purity is gentle like a soft falling snow, it creates intimacy between us and our Father just as a mother and her child, and purity is not wimpy, it is strong just as polar bears emit strength. Purity isn’t just about the physical, it touches every aspect of our lives. Whether it is being pure like our Savior by not cheating on a test or whether it’s choosing to be nice to our friend even if they’ve not been treating us well, purity affects all sorts of decisions we make. As Christmas is getting closer and break will be coming soon, let’s focus on letting purity be the drive behind our thoughts and actions.

In Him,
Madison

More News!

Did you say more news? Yes, I did! Recently, we got a makeover for the blog and Lydia joined our team of writers. We have one more exciting thing going on-we are now partnering with the blog, Lilies Among Thorns! LAT is dedicated to writing articles on godly living. You can check out more by going to their website: http://www.liliesamongthornsmagazine.blogspot.com/

After you've checked out LAT, look at Passion as well. HHTK isn't a partner of Passion, but we do support what they stand for.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out those sites!

Happy Fall!
~Madison

New Writer & New Layout!

Yes, I'm still alive! Sorry I haven't written on here in awhile.

I have some exciting news. We have another writer for the blog, Lydia! Scroll down below to read her post and get to know her a bit more.

Also, we have a new layout! I thought it was time for a change-lemme hear your thoughts on the new look!

Hope all is well with you!
God bless,
Madison

A Message From Lydia!

Ladies,
So much of purity depends on your heart. It seems that a lot of the “gray area” in sin boils down to what your heart is in the matter, and I feel like it applies to purity, as well. For instance, take modesty: there are culturally modest clothes, culturally immodest clothing, but then there’s a wide array of clothing with varying lengths, tightness, sleeve thickness, etc., that may or may not be modest. Ultimately, I feel that these cases depend on the wearer’s heart, because that’s what God cares about. Additionally, the heart is a big factor in actions, as well as the way a woman carries herself.

Purity seems like the same sort of deal. There’s “pure” interactions with boys as well as “impure” interactions with guys. Put an impure heart behind them and the action immediately becomes sinful no matter how pure or impure they were to begin with.

So, how do we recognize our heart’s position? Although sometimes our motivations are obvious, there are usually subtle purposes that we miss that only God can point out. David knew this; in Psalm 139, he reflects on how well God knows him, how intimately acquainted God is with him. God never misses a thing! So, finally, David simply says “Search me, O God, and know my heart; / Test me and know my anxious thoughts. / See if there is any offensive way in me, / And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139: 23-24, emphasis added) David is asking God to point out his sin to him. And, girls, I believe that when we do that, God answers.

If you’re committed to purity, I think you need to constantly, prayerfully examine your heart and make sure it’s in the place God wants it to be. After all, what’s the worth in “acting out” a pure life if our motives behind it aren’t pure? It’s like what Jesus said to the Pharisees: “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?” (Luke 11: 39-40) Jesus is talking here in a parable about the way that the Pharisees seem like they have a clean act, but on the inside are corrupt. Take it from Jesus: your heart is, ultimately, what counts. Now that’s not to say that if our hearts are correct that our actions automatically convey the same thing; often, we can be mistaken or misunderstood. But I believe God cares more about what your heart is than in what realization this takes form.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We want to please you with our actions, our thoughts, our interactions. But, more than those things, we want to please you with our hearts. Lord, may our hearts be pure and our motives true, unselfish and blameless in your sight. Father, please search us and reveal to us our sins. Show us more and more how to live like you. Melt hearts our hearts of stone, and make them hearts of flesh. May our lives and strive for purity be a fragrant incense to you.

In your Holy name,
Amen.

I'm a professional high school student with high hopes of becoming a missionary one day. I love to sing (especially to my Savior) and I'm very involved in the choir. God's blessed me with an amazing friend group, great teachers, and an outstanding family. I and a couple of my friends try and prayerwalk every week around our school (great experience). Jesus is the absolute love of my life, and I intend to keep Him there with God's help. May God bless and keep you!

Brownies and Dating Part 2

Well, so much for not taking so long with this post! My excuse? I'm busy (yeah, like you haven't heard that one before). Well, would it make you feel better if I apologized really profusely? I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so soooooorry!!! That any good?

Seriously, all funny business aside, I'm terribly sorry about taking so long, I am starting college this year and things are more hectic than usual for me. Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's move on to part two of Brownies and Dating!

Okay, so what's wrong with staring at brownies?

I mean, they're beautiful, right? And what about the couple, you can't really help it - they're right in front of you for pete's sake, right? But hold up a minute. Is it the couple's intimacy that you're taking in, or is it your lack of it? A lot of teens and adults waste time in pointless dating, but I think that those who don't date face a time-wasting trap to doing nothing other than........waiting, and waiting and waiting. They sit around, waiting for Mr. Right or Princess Charming to fall right into their laps doing.... nothing. Wallowing miserably in their singleness and not trying to find out what God wants them to be doing with this season in their lives.

When you're hungry and your staring at the brownies, what's the best course of action to get your mind of what you can't have? Get it on something you can have! Get busy - do something else: sweep the floor, wipe the table, go outside and spend time with your family. If you're still hungry, have a piece of fruit or something but don't just sit there thinking "I'm not gonna! I'm not gonna! But boy do I wish I could!!!"

It's the same with singleness.

Don't just sit there going "I'm not gonna date! I'm not gonna date! But boy do I wish I weren't so alone." Get busy with something else - do what God has planned, if you don't know what that is, this would be a great time to find out! There are so many opportunities to serve Him just around your house! If you have younger siblings, spend time with them, write encouragement notes so widows and nursing home occupants and Christians in jail. Focus on God and what He wants you to do and He will fulfill you more than a husband or boyfriend ever possibly could!

Love y'all,

Elaina