Message Received

When I started this blog a couple of days ago, I had no intentions of actually making it something of actual worth. I was more or less picking up a new hobby, just an outlet for my blabbering self to put all of my thoughts somewhere. My blog had been posted for about 2 hours, when my grandma texted me “YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK!”

Thank you, Barbara.

Then, my family also said I should keep this blog going. I was definitely planning on that, but with no expectation for people to read it. I then decided that I might could make this a fun-to-read sort of thing for people! I soon realized “I can’t just make a blog about my random occurrences in life if I actually want people to read this, no one actually cares about that.” So the brainstorming began! For 9 hours straight (okay, not straight… I had food breaks and Disney trivia and House Hunters and Pinterest breaks), I was wondering what in the world I could blog about. I’m not exactly a “fashionista,” I cannot cook, nor am I a healthy-eater. So that takes out a style blog, a cooking blog, or a health blog. So what was something I knew enough about that I could constantly write about? DISNEY WORLD, OF COURSE!

…….do not fear: this blog is not going to be about Disney World, as much as I love it. New topic. I pondered for another hour or so (with a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter break) when I signed back onto Blogger and saw my best friend Abby’s blog she just made about how she started one to provide encouragement through scripture.

Hm.

Later, I cozied up in my fuzzy blankets and started a new devotion my mom got me for Christmas - Perfectly Unique. I was checking out the back cover where it was giving information about the author, Annie F. Downs, and it mentioned she was a blogger.

Hmmm.

I continued reading, and she states in the book: “Declare the beauty of the Lord to the world around you.” Now that is just a beautiful combination of words! I’m not going to lie, I stared at the majesty of that sentence for a solid 45 seconds (mainly because it had the word “declare” in it, and I love that word). But another thought came into my head quickly after I was done obsessing… How exactly do you declare the beauty of the Lord? I’m certain you don’t just run around loudly shouting, “THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD!” I sat and I thought. Then, concluded: You can declare God’s beauty in any and every situation. If I’m walking down the street, fall down a few steps, then have to go to the hospital because I broke all of my ribs (not a true story, don’t panic), this could be a beautiful situation! Maybe I meet someone at the hospital who teaches me a thing or two about gaining a deeper understanding for Christ. Or MAYBE, I am the one who teaches someone else something by either talking to them, or just acting/speaking/thinking with a pure, giving heart. Long story short, all of those thoughts went through my mind in about 3 seconds (my educated guess is that that’s equivalent to about 240 mph). I could share my experiences and how God is showing me His beauty… through my blog.

P.S. For future reference: I occasionally get “hunches” that God wants me to act on something, but I have always struggled with trusting them and following through.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Maddy: “Lord, if you really want me to do this, please give me some sort of sign.”

God: “Did you really just say that?”

Maddy: “Yes, yes I did.”

God: “My Word (I added this because His Word is the Bible, and I actually LOL’d at this), have I not been clear enough?”

Maddy: “C’mon, I’m stubborn! Surely you can just give me an extra little sign!”

Okay, so I kind of made up God’s lines in the previous recollection, but I really did send up a little prayer for confirmation! And of course, God (being the merciful, patient, loving God that He is), complied with my request… in the clearest way possible.

30 minutes passed, and as I was just twiddling on Pinterest, I get a message from a friend on Facebook:

“I believe that God will use your blog to reach people and bring them to Jesus. With that being said, keep it up and know that God is in control with plans for you to prosper.”

HELLO. Now, you very clearly understand how the title of this blog post comes into play!

I received a message that not only clarified what I needed to use this blog for, but that my “hunches” are calls from God. “Hey Maddy, it’s me, the Almighty. Just calling to letcha know that I want you to walk over to that guy sitting all alone and start up a conversation with him. I’m not gonna tell you why, just trust me.” That’s what it’s about, right? Listening and answering those calls, and trusting that God knows exactly what He is doing. But how can you expect to GET those calls if you aren’t even listening for them? Trust and listen for your “hunch.” Turn your life off of “vibrate” and turn on the loudest, most obnoxious ringtone possible! (Just imagine a mix of “Crazy Frog” and “What Does the Fox Say” playing at max volume.)

Basically, this blog is no longer going to be a personal blabber-journal for me. This is going to be a blog about God’s beauty, and finding it in every situation. There will still be plenty of Maddy-isms (maddy-ism: an experience in Maddy McRee’s life that is either quirky, wonderful, or really awkward), because, well… this is my life and I don’t have much else to go off of. I want this blog to help ME grow closer to the Lord and recognize his blessings (I accidentally just typed “blogs” instead of “blessings,” can you imagine God’s blog?! Post #1: ‘Well, today I created the heavens and the earth...’ I’m LOL’ing again). But I really hope to help you recognize God’s beauty and how He is working in YOUR life, as well. Keep in mind, I’m only 17 years old and I’m not a spiritual guru yet… I don’t have 100 verses in the Bible memorized and I still have many, many, many, many questions about God (but hey, if you don’t have any questions about Him, I would love for you to come over and explain the meaning of life and existence to me). So don’t expect Pastor Maddy to be writing posts anytime soon! I’ll do the best I can, but with that said, I always love looking to this verse for encouragement:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.

-1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

I think all young people should read this verse daily (including myself), it is seriously so awesome.

There are a lot of beautiful things about today. I got to do a little college planning earlier with my future roomie, Reagan, and she is just golden. I was definitely blessed to be able to have one of my super good friends choose the same college as me (University of North Georgia, by the way, WOOHOO!), and she is such a good example of someone who trusts God with whatever she does. Also, I’m currently curled up in a fuzzy blanket with a lavender-scented candle burning, and it’s the kind that crackles when it burns. AND IT SOUNDS AWESOME. I’m also listening to Revive Worship’s Made Alive album! It will completely humble you, it’s more than worth the download. The scene is complete with string lights (as if it couldn’t get any more tranquil)! I’m thankful that God gives relaxing nights like these to slow down from the busyness of life and focus on Him.

And lastly, I’m thankful that God gives second… third… and even fourth chances, so I could finally learn that I need to listen to my hunches, and answer the call.