Does God "Punish" Us?

Yes and No.

I believe that God is teaching us all the time. And I also know that people sometimes learn to avoid something by having a negative result from a bad action. See, there is a huge difference between punishment and disciple. Punishment is having a bad consequence from doing something wrong. On the other hand, discipline is having a bad consequence to teach us that what we are doing is wrong. Instead of just being an awful event, there is a reason for this event. This event is meant to mold us and shape us into being more like Jesus. 

For instance, I notice that I tend to lean on God and spend more time with him when I am in need. I spend time with him when life is spiraling out of control and I need something from him.

This is awful of me, I know. I am that friend that only comes to you when they need something from you. Because once life is going well and I have no huge concerns, God falls to the back of my mind. Our conversations go from being long chats before bed to a quick mindless prayer before dinner.

This is what has been happening lately. I have all of my basic needs met, I am getting married to my amazing and most perfect for me soul mate, I have amazing roommates, incredible friends and family, and overall have such a blessing-filled life.

Suddenly, it seemed like everything was falling apart.

My transcript to the college I was planning to go to had somehow not gotten through. I found a random hard lump under my skin in my face. I cannot find someone to sublease my Kalamazoo apartment in the summer, leaving me out $1200. I will not be getting my usual 4.0 this semester. There are so many things to plan between moving back to my parents, then moving to Pennsylvania, and also planning wedding. My fiance lives out of state. And my insurance is giving me issues. While a lot of these things are so minor, I've been so overwhelmed lately.

Then I noticed that I have not had a good chat with God in a very long time. My prayer life has been suffering. My heart has not been into our relationship. So I started praying. I prayed intensely, apologizing for God, begging for peace of mind and heart, and praising him for all the beautiful blessings he has given me.

And what do you know it, my prayer life has been so much better ever since! I am sending prayers up to the Big Guy all of the time, and before bed, our chats are much more intimate and lengthy. I actually feel him, as opposed to talking to nobody.

So does God discipline us to sometimes help us realize how much we need him? While I cannot be for sure, I tend to think yes. In Hebrews, he says

^"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all." -Hebrews 12:7-8

So God's discipline is because he loves us and is teaching us as our Holy Father! He is showing us that we are his children, and he wants the best for us.

While this may have been a huge random rant, I am so glad that God disciplines me sometimes. Usually, it is exactly what I need.

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye

P.S. After I prayed and started getting my Jesus on much more frequently and heart felt, the following happened: I got into the college I applied to, discovered the lump on my face is nothing to be worried about, and overall felt much less overwhelmed  So while every problem in my life did not magically go away, God did lighten my load quite a bit!

OOTD and Bridal Shower

Sorry about the delay in posting, the last couple weeks of the semester have been intense! Papers, exams, preparing to move back to my hometown, and wedding planning have been quite the time suck...

Not to complain too much, I love my life. It's just a wee bit overwhelming at the moment. Good think God doesn't give you more than you can handle, because I feel like I am about at my limit!

Alright, enough talk about boring things, onto my outfit of the day (long overdue)

Dress with belt: Rue21 

Boots: borrowed from my roommate...I think she said Maurice's?

I love this dress because it is flowy, light weight, and cute, yet doesn't make me look like a hoochie. It was so easy to dance in, and I did not have to worry about my dress riding up or my boobs pouring out. As my roommate Katie said, "It's such a line dancing dress."

So this is my line dancing outfit. I went out line dancing with some girlfriends on a Saturday night. Since I am engaged, I was a little weary going out at night to go dancing without the man. It did not want to have to worry about creepy guys and the likes. But line dancing was not like that! It was so much fun! The steps weren't too hard to learn, it was almost all girls out dancing, and it was a blast! The place was just a little honkey-tonk place that was almost a barn, but it was so cute and so much fun. I definitely want to go again. 

I also had Bridal Shower #1 that weekend! Boy, my aunts went above and beyond the call of duty! I had a chocolate fountain, a s'more bar, a waffle bar, and lots of other breakfast food! They had a photo booth  gorgeous decorations, and even some homemade decor with my soon-to-be new last name for me! I am so blessed to have such an amazing family to throw me the shower of my dreams! Only downside: it may outdo my wedding...;) 

Here are some pictures of the day:

My outfit for the shower

Pearl necklace: gift from the man

Pearl Bracelet: Payless

Dress: Rue21

Shoes: Khol's 

The head table with some gorgeous decor! My aunt is giving me those pictures too! Yay for turning the man's place into our home soon :)

My gorgeous bridesmaids 

Jan (my mom) and I using the photo booth. Don't you love my ghetto party veil?

Ladies at the photo booth...with the mustaches :)

Hope you enjoyed my obnoxious photos and sporadic blog post!

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye

Fasting and Tortellini

Yes, fasting and tortellini were a part of my day today.

How you ask?

Well, I partook in an unplanned fast today. And to be honest, it started from pure laziness. I had woken up but did not have to be up for a few hours. So I laid in bed while browsing blogs and Facebook. My tummy started to grumble, but I was so comfy I decided to not listen to it yelps for food. 

After an hour or so of this, fasting randomly popped into my mind. I was raised Catholic, so fasting is a familiar concept for me. Voluntary fasting, however, is not. But you read about it all of the time in the bible. 

Matthew 4:1-2

New International Version (NIV)

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry."

2 Samuel 12:16

New International Version (NIV)

"David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground."

Ezra 8:21-23

New International Version (NIV)

"There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions."

These are just a few examples of fasting in the bible. It shows that we can fast to draw closer to God, to humble ourselves, to resist temptation, and to just intensify our prayer life. 

So what did I learn from my day of fasting?

1. It was not near as hard to do as I thought it would be.

2. Somehow, using my hunger pangs as a reminder to pray really helped me have much more God time today. 

3. The flesh is weak...I gave into my fast around 4:00 as I had a small snack and prepared dinner for my roomies.

Which brings me to the tortellini part of this post...

For my roomie meal. I made a tortellini dish wish tomato cream sauce and spinach! Omnom! It turned out amazing and was so easy! Here is the link to the recipe. I did not use sausage as I'm currently in college and on a budget, but that would have tasted amazing! I also put my crockpot on high for the last hour to really cook the spinach.

Overall, a day of hooking up with God and yummy tortellini just can't go wrong.

Love and blessings,

AnnmarieFaye

My New Blog, Take 1

So sometimes I get annoyed by how much people share on Facebook. It seems like their whole life, with every single description of their day, is posted as multiple status updates.

But on the other hand, I do understand wanting to keep friends and family updated, especially if you do not live close to them.

So as I am starting a roller coaster ride of marriage and moving in the next couple of month, I figured the least annoying way to document my adventure, rant, and keep people updated, was through a blog! (Also a little prodding from my younger brother didn't hurt the cause either...)

So welcome to my new roller coaster of life as my venture into the world of planning my wedding, moving to Pennsylvania, getting married, and still working journey to God.