Post-Grad Life: First Month

Walking across that stage and taking my diploma in hand was one of the most empowering experiences I’ve ever had. Getting a college degree is an accomplishment that not everyone can claim. I can now tell the world that I’m a college graduate, but having said that, the title comes with a little weight.

Well, a lot of weight. The weight of the world, actually.

Even though I’m just a month in to this whole graduated, time-to-make-a-life-for-yourself season, I’ve learned a few things that I thought I’d share for those ready to knock on Graduation’s door.

1. It’s freeing

Honestly, college life was awesome, but being done with school is amazing. You don’t have to worry about research papers, straight A’s, credit hours, classes, and tests in the near future. Papers  I write, are papers I want to write. Books I read, are books I want to read. I can drink coffee at night because I enjoy an evening hot beverage not because I have to stay up late finishing homework assignments. It’s wonderful!

2. You can’t avoid the “what are your plans?” question

I know we mean well (I say we because I’ve asked it too), but it’s not a graduate’s favorite question. When you don’t have something specific lined up, it’s like answering how to harness a star out of the sky. The best thing to do is to have a logical, standard answer that doesn’t leave you babbling or sounding like you have no idea what’s going on. It’s a challenge, I promise.

3. Job Applications are the devil.

As you’re thrust into adulthood, you have the daunting task of filling o547129796ut what feels like 1000 job applications. In doing that, you create a resume, you write and rewrite cover letters, and then you either receive rejections or no answer at all until you finally get a job. If you’re lucky, all that work will be for the job you actually want. Just another yucky part of the working world that you simply have to buckle down and accept.

4.You will have self doubt

When you have dreams and goals to pursue, one of the biggest obstacles you will face is doubting you’ll ever reach them. We live in such an instantaneous society that the need to be successful yesterday sometimes clouds our judgement of reality. Your dreams will take time, perseverance, and hard work. You have to remind yourself that you are capable and that with God, you can handle anything.

5. People will give you advice

You will get a lot of suggestions from well-minded people. It may be overwhelming and confusing at times, but it’s best to listen to the advice from people who have experienced a lot more of life than you. Take it, listen to it, and apply it when you can. Don’t think that you can figure it all out yourself. You will quickly learn otherwise.

6. God is in control

“The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand…”

Isaiah 14:24

He knows your life a week, a month, a year from now, and He knows what He wants for you. If both your desires are on the same path, you can trust that He is in control of what’s best for you.

Jesus is the only true comfort I have as I go through this season of uncertainty, and I know He isn’t planning on leaving me anytime soon.

Searching is tough, not knowing is tough, figuring out a plan is tough. No one ever promised it would be easy, but as a friendly gentleman at the gym told me, “God has a plan before you have a plan.”

The road will probably get harder, but I know I can always trust in God’s plan.

God Bless!

-LJM

Jeremiah 29:11

Escaping Shadows

By Leah Jordan Meahl

 

 

These are the things I’ve come to know,

The Sun sets in the west, in the east it will rise,

But with abounding light lies a shadow.

 

When hope dwindles, the spirit sinks below

Into a cavern deep, dark, dry.

These are the things I’ve come to know.

 

As summer ends, the air swirls cold,

An earth yearns for color and is denied,

But with abounding light lies a shadow.

 

Peaceful days sense storms will follow,

And held back tears are painful cries.

These are the things I’ve come to know.

 

With snuffed dreams, nothing to show,

Life stuck frozen in fear and wondering why,

But with abounding light lies a shadow.

 

A fire needs just a spark to glow,

And a candle still warms a frosty sigh.

These are the things I’ve come to know,

But with abounding light lies a shadow.

 

-LJM

Psalm 91:1

Trendy Christianity

Beautifully expressed! When we try to make Christianity “cool” we are sacrificing a part of what it really means to follow Jesus. Give it a read!

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The Bible has no disclaimer saying “this might offend you, read with caution.” Similarly, this post will have no disclaimer at the end telling you that what you read is “to each his own.”

Let me tell you something, Christian to Christian, believer to believer. Maybe you are not a believer, but you have noticed this trend with your Christian friends. Here it is: WE (Christians) ARE MIRRORING THE WORLD.

What? Let me explain.

In trying to be inclusive and loving to everyone, which in itself is a good thing, we are becoming no different than the world around us, except for the big fat Christian label we place on ourselves. This is dangerous.

With that being said…listen. The church is not for us. It is not a sanctuary for ourselves. The church’s purpose is to glorify the Most High, the Father of the Universe, the…

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When You Fail at Your New Year’s Goals

New year, new you.

New weight goal.

New job goal.

New reading goal.

New personality goal.

The list of new resolutions is endless around this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with setting up goals to achieve, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with striving to be a better person. These are biblical concepts because even Jesus had goals to achieve before heading to the cross, and He has even more goals to conquer before He returns.

This year has so much in store for you, and I want you to get the most out of it as possible. That being said, here is my advice for what you can do to help with that new you.

Take some time in the morning to spend with God. 

Plain and simple. He is the one who provides for us day after day, year after year. Through all of the ups and downs, resolutions and failures, He is there wanting you invest the time He’s given you in your relationship with Him. After all, He is the one that does the work in you so that you can become a better you.

 

And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

Specialists say that eating a good breakfast can help you get through the day. Your average person may say a strong cup of coffee is the best way to start your morning. While I partake in both of these, I think God is the best source of energy, and there’s no better time like the peace and quiet of the early morning to power up.

So what are some things you can do in the morning?

bible-reading

1. Read the Bible

Spending time with God requires the Word of God. It is the ultimate way of getting to know Him.

2. Read a devotional

Some of my favorites are: Jesus Calling, God Calling, and Our Daily Bread. You can also find some websites that provide devotionals like Desiring God and Proverbs 31 and Christian Devotion Ministries. Don’t forget to check out the appstore to see what kind of daily devotionals they have to offer as well.

3. Pray

Talk to God. Tell Him about the day you had yesterday, or the one you’re going to have. Share your thoughts, concerns, and joys with Him. No detail is too trivial for our Heavenly Father.

4. Take notes

Jot down some thoughts or questions from your time in the Bible. Write down a list of your daily blessings. Write out encouraging Bible verses for you to hang onto throughout the day.

5. Worship

Put in your ear-buds and sing some soft praises while making your morning coffee or breakfast. Blast the Christian station on your way to school or work to give you an uplifting boost.

6. Remember

He is in control. He loves you. He wants to be with you. He is teaching you. And He will never leave you.

 It’s okay to fail.

I won’t hold it against you if you decide to skip a day at the gym and go to a Chinese buffet instead. I won’t hold it against you if you are rushing one morning and forget to read your Bible.

God won’t hold it against you either. He is there to help you reach your goals, to encourage you to keep going, and to pick you up when you fall.

With each failure comes the possibility for success. 

Don’t be discouraged when you lose motivation, or when you look at the long list of failed attempts. It’s so easy to be absorbed in self-pity and to want to give up, but you can’t finish the race without having to crawl out of the mud every now and again.

Join me in starting your year off right. Share your resolutions with me, I would love to hear them!

God Bless!

-LJM

 

 

 

I’m a Christian who Celebrates Hanukkah

I love decorating the dining room table for festive occasions, a trait I’ve learned from my mother who’s skilled in this particular area. Crystal candlestick holders, my parent’s wedding china, and a new freshly pressed blue tablecloth are spread about. The perfect fixings for a fancy table.

At this time of year, you no doubt assume I’m decorating for Christmas, but as the title may have given it away, my family decides to light up the candles instead of the tree.

Common misconceptions that people have about the celebration of Hanukkah are 1) It is the Jewish equivalent to Christmas and 2) it is exclusively a Jewish holiday.

Let me inform you of how Hanukkah is a treasure to Christians and Jews alike. After all, the Jesus that we love and serve was/is indeed a Jew.

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(Our Hanukkah table 2016!)

Hanukkah commemorates an event in history that occurred approximately 160 years before Jesus’s birth. It was a revolution to take back Jerusalem and the temple of God from a governor who oppressed the Jews and outright insulted God.

Judah Maccabee, a strong warrior and leader, allowed God to fight on his side to overcome the Greeks and ultimately restore the temple of God. The Maccabees remind us how crucial it is to stand up for what you believe in, especially when it comes to God.

Hanukkah has several names including the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication. The Bible even records Jesus being in Jerusalem for the winter Feast of Dedication (John 10:22).

The observance is called the Feast of Dedication because the Jews had to rededicate the temple after the Greeks had severely defiled it.

In honor of this feast, this time of year is the perfect time to rededicate your heart, God’s temple, to Him once again. We all have been dealing with junk in whatever way or form, and the need to get rid of it seems so much more prevalent as we enter into the new year.

Embed from Getty Images

Finally, Hanukkah is celebrated primarily by lighting the lights of a Hanukkiah, a nine stemmed candelabra. Inside the temple, God commanded a set of menorahs, the seven stemmed candelabra, to be lit constantly.

Though the lighting comes from the remembrance of a miraculous legend, the act is a good way to remember how God shines the light in our hearts so we can then shine it out to the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

Just because Hanukkah has been labeled as Jewish, God’s people, including us Christians can still honor God in our remembrance of a significant time in history and focus on God’s continual work in our hearts.

God Bless and Happy Hanukkah!

-LJM

A Sonnet to Self

By Leah Jordan Meahl

 

How wonderful it is to be so rich,

With beauty like a precious stone of quartz,

And shine with light so glittering and clear.

No one can hardly stand but notice you,

Your steps so strong and eyes that rise above

It all. The Sun marks clear the way before you,

Even the Sun, the Moon, the stars bow down,

The crescent moon smiles brightly at your face.

 

But though, when earth hangs still and stops its turn,

When pleasure wrought with fleeting specks of dust

Then drift away amidst its fruitless praise,

What’s left but dreams and visions long past due?

The glory, spent as with a heavy sigh,

Could be avoided if—myself—deny?

 

Matthew 16:24

 

America Black and Blue

Black lives matter. Police. Protests. Mourning. 

These words flood my Facebook feed, and you may be like me and think, “If I see one more post about this stuff…”

All I have to say is, today is the perfect day to practice what Jesus preached.

It goes without saying that recent events have been nothing but heart breaking. The tragedies we’ve witnessed within the last couple weeks have no reason for happening except for the devil showing his face.

But we should not react like the world. Jesus’s heart is stirred just like you and I, but with wayyyy more righteous anger. However, His response should be ours. Life and all its turmoil, evil and all its assailants have given us Christians an opportunity to do the unthinkable.

Pray for the officers.

Pray for the protesters.

Pray for the victims and their families.

Innocent or not, all need God equally.

“But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” 

– Luke 6:27-28

God loves them as much as He loves us. God sent Jesus to die for the man we call evil and the man we call innocent. We aren’t the judge, He is.

God sent Jesus to die for the man we call evil and the man we call innocent. We aren’t the judge, He is.

If you take away anything from this, please recognize who the real enemy is. Satan, the Devil, the Adversary, whatever you want to call him, is the mastermind of it all, and he is simply giving us a taste of his capability.

Praying is not simply giving our condolences to God for the souls who have brutally lost their lives. But by praying, we are combating Satan’s demons with God’s warrior angels. We are putting God in control of the problems at hand. Most importantly, we are allowing God to not only impact the lives of others, but also our lives as well.

Fortunately, in the midst of all this devastation, we can rest in the hope that Jesus has already overcome the world and that He will win in the end.

John 16:33, Romans 12:14, Matthew 5:44

The Purple GT

My summer job allows me to turn up the Christian radio and sip on my coffee as I spend the mornings driving all over town making deliveries.

Those closest to me know that I’m not a huge fan of driving, so this job is definitely God’s way of pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Anyway, for the past couple of weeks I’ve been seeing this bold, purple Ford GT (I think) in different parts of town. It’s not a soft purple either, it’s about as strong and vivid as the skin on the ripest eggplant you’ve ever seen. Not to mention, purple is my favorite color, so the car is definitely hard to miss.

I even saw it this morning, and I can’t help but believe it’s the same car.

Why am I telling you this, you wonder?

After watching the violet beauty speed by me down the road, I felt God minister to my heart. The Father reminded me that we don’t even realize how many of the same people we cross paths with on a daily basis.

People we don’t even take notice of.  And why should we, we don’t know them?

But God knows them. Not only is He aware of every random face we see, He knows all about them and more importantly, He cares about them.

The woman you brushed by with your shopping cart? He loves her.

The guy that handed you your food at the drive-thru? He’s ministering to him.

The child that obnoxiously screams in the restaurant? He wants to soothe.

The stranger who started following you on Instagram? He knows them.

The couple who just got married, or the teenager who just graduated high school, God is present and His spirit is working in their lives because He cares for them and loves them.

I’m glad I can rest in the fact that the Father pays attention to all, not just the people that know Him personally. We should follow His example and treat everyone as if we already know their whole story and love them as a result.

God bless!

-LJM

John 13:34, Psalm 139:13-15, John 14:18

 

Glory be to Me!

I stood backstage with my fellow cast members as we waited for the houselights to go down. The pre-show butterflies fluttered around my stomach causing me to pace. Finally, the announcements began. It was nearly time to take the stage again in front of a new audience.

This particular night, as the announcer prayed, I focused in on the words.

“And may everything we do bring you glory. Amen.”

It was the same recorded prayer that we had all heard every night for the past two weeks. A prayer that we spoke during our rehearsals and at every cast meeting.

I began to wonder just how God gets the glory through what we do. Theatre. Acting. Performing.

Then I felt God question my heart.

“Leah, how would you feel if you didn’t get recognized for the work you’ve put into this show? If no one came up to you to tell you how wonderful your performance was would you be satisfied? Would you be okay if no one applauded you, or praised you in the review, or if you didn’t recieve any awards for your efforts? If you didn’t get any glory for this show, would you still want to do it?”

These were difficult questions to deal with especially right before walking onstage to do what I feel I do best.

But God was right of course.

We say God judges the heart. Well I can honestly say in my heart, even though my prayer is that God would work in every show that I do, I wouldn’t be satisfied with any of the above circumstances.

I’ve realized over the years that there’s a fight between being a Christian and performing. Though we may say “To God be the glory,” we are ultimately the ones that go out and take a bow. We are the ones people are applauding for their entertainment.

Our selfish desires, the attention we seek, and the need for approval tend to manifest as we perform, and all of these things are contrary to what God wants for us. He wants to affirm us and He wants to give us attention all so that His power and love can be recognized through us.

Is performing wrong? No, of course not. After all, God has given many people the skill and talent to command a stage.

It is our purpose, our message, and our love for God that should motivate our performance. And that is something that God has been teaching me while growing up in the theatre world.

So, my friends who love performing as much as I do, test your heart like God tested mine. Our love for the things we do shouldn’t exceed our love for Christ because then it becomes an idol.

Make your prayer one that helps you find the line between our glory and God’s because our glory is only temporary, but His lasts forever.

God Bless!

-LJM

Colossians 3:17, Exodus 20:3, Romans 12:2

God, I will be so angry with you.

I had to usher Mom into the house, both of us on the verge of hysterics as we listened to the sound of one of our kittens crying out for help from atop a tree.

It was only a matter of time when one of our two kittens, about 6 months old, would discover how exciting it would be to climb a tree as well as how difficult it would be to get down.

At one point he was dangling by a thread, his shrill meow piercing our hearts. I thought for sure he was going to plummet, and that’s when I brought Mom inside. In the house, she paced praying “God don’t take him, please don’t take him.”

For a good hour and a half we all stood at the base of the tree trying to encourage our mischievous cat. Poor Sawyer would attempt to crawl down, but in a moment of terror he would scramble back up to a spot where he could rest his tired limbs.

The branches weren’t big enough for someone to climb, and no ladder we had could reach. Not even the fire department would come to our aid, telling us that the cat would eventually climb down. My head hurt from wanting to cry, hearing his frightened meows and not being able to help him.

Praying all the while, I had already given the situation to God. This wasn’t the first time one of our cats had survived a tree scare. But I couldn’t help but ask God, “Where are you? Are you going to help?” There were only two options for Sawyer: he could climb down, or he could fall and possibly die.

Mom uttered a tearful “Praise the Lord” over and over again. The woman has an untouchable faith, but after having tragically lost two of our cats in the fall, the struggle to trust God in this circumstance was very real.

I started to brace myself for the worst, that we would be burying another family member and Skipper, the sister kitten, would be all alone. “I’m not gonna lie, God; if he dies, I will be so angry with you.” I could already foresee the fight I would have to overcome to trust God again.

I even found myself thinking of the book of Job. How he must have felt. This was just a cat, one of our four to be exact. If God chose to take away another pet, should that really shake my faith in Him when Job lost his family, servants, and livelihood?

Throughout the whole ordeal, God ministered to my heart asking “Do you trust me? No matter the outcome?” I know in my heart that our Father is faithful and in control. Painful circumstances don’t change that fact. They merely provide hope and comfort when there are no answers.

Sawyer eventually eased his way back down, praise God! But for the rest of the day I pondered on what God had been showing me that awful morning.

Helpless situations remind us of our dependence on the Father. He is our constant in times of trouble and times of joy. The future holds both blessings and pain, we can’t escape that. What we can come to grips with is that our God is with us through it all so long as we choose to see Him.

God bless!

-LJM

Hebrews 10:23