Jesus > Chacos

I remember the day I bought them. My Chaco ZX/2 Yampa sandals.
I had been oogling them for at least a solid year. Almost every camp counselor or youth leader I knew owned a pair, and I quickly jumped on the Chaco bandwagon...but because they were so expensive, I actually bought a look-alike brand first! So when my grandmother offered to buy me a true pair of Chacos (the real deal y'all), I was pretty pumped. I giddily went with her to the local sports store and sat on a bench as the sales associate brought out different colors and sizes at my every command before finally settling on a rainbow version with a toe strap.

They were perfect. I could hardly take them off and probably wore those poor shoes for the remainder of that week! I loved Chacos for multiple reasons: they were comfortable, versatile, and I thought very cute. But I think there was another reason that I didn't fully realize that day for why I so desperately wanted Chacos, and I think it was actually rooted in something deeper, my identity.
I have to confess that perhaps one of the reasons I wanted Chacos was because I was placing my identity in them. I wanted to look like those camp counselors and youth leaders I knew. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it became that way for me. Camp counselors and youth leaders are great role models to look up to, but they are no match for Jesus. And as a disciple, isn't it really Jesus I am desiring to follow, not so much a worldly person? I'm afraid that when I got my Chacos, I was focusing more on my Christian friends and their cultural appearance than Jesus and His spiritual identity. I thought that if people saw me wearing them, they'd think, "She's a Chrisitian!" And while, sure, it's true that they might think that, is that really going to lead them to Jesus's love? Or does it just make me look cool and adventurous and like a Christian in my appearance...however the world views that?
Another tiny problem with my view of Chacos was that I thought they somehow made me look better, therefore making me better as a person. I suddenly felt the need to wear them everyday, like 24/7. It might sound super silly, but I would sometimes feel insecure without my Chacos, worried people would judge me as not the Christian good girl I wanted to be seen as. The thing is: that Christian good girl just doesn't cut it, and if I really believe in Jesus, I must not forget that my worth is found in so much more than my appearance. In fact, my worth isn't found in anything about myself...it's all about Him. My identity in faith is a daughter (wink wink @ blog title) of the most High King! When did I need some silly shoe to prove that?!
I am not saying Chacos are bad at all. I love Chacos and totally recommend them to every person who asks me about them! But I've learned to realize that they aren't my identity, and though they may make me look like a "Christian", they aren't really a tool for ministry, and what will really set me apart as a loving follower of Christ is not my footwear--it's my heart.
So I just want to encourage you, whether you own Chacos currently, want some, or even just don't get what all the craze is about, to remember where your identity is found and what being a Christian truly looks like. It doesn't really look like a certain brand of clothing or a special organization that you're in. It doesn't even really look like posting mission trip pictures and Bible verses on Instagram (although these aren't bad things). It is doing life with the greatest dad ever. It's not being afraid to step out of your comfort zone to love another person because you know He goes with you. It's having peace when you're faced with a scary situation because you trust He works all things together for your good. It's knowing you don't have to prove your worth as a person or your religious beliefs because faith is less about appearance and more about action, and identity is more about Jesus and less about your accomplishments.
Believe it today. Live it. And remember that Jesus is always better than Chacos. ;)

I'm About to Get a B...and Why I'm Okay With It

Hi. My name is Hope. I just got my very first B in school, and honestly, I'm OKAY with it.
Months ago, if you had told me I'd be getting my first B in my Algebra 2 class, I probably would have sobbed and thrown a little hissy fit. I've been a straight A student all my life, and that's something I've always prided myself on. It was also something I always planned on maintaining, and if I didn't, well...I wasn't sure what I would do. I guess I thought I would self implode?!
Well, clearly that didn't end up happening because I am standing here today to tell you about it...which brings up a good point. Getting a B was not the end of the world. It wasn't life threatening. In fact, it doesn't really mean much at all in my life when I really think about it. I doubt that I'm going to look back when I'm in my seventies and say, "Well, darn. That B in 10th grade really hurt everything." I also doubt that Jesus looks down and says this is a life changing moment for me. If any change it has made, it's positive! Because even when my GPA and rank change, His truth doesn't. I'm so thankful for that. I don't have to rely on perfect grades or even a perfect Christian life. Friends, we just have to rely on Him!! Oh what stress we could save ourselves if we knew that, if we truly believed it, if we lived it. Would you join me in believing His grace truly is enough to cover our imperfections, whether it be grades or mistakes or sins? He covers us in His love. He gives us a new name in Him. I am no longer straight A Hope, or Hope who just got a B. I am Hope, just His loved and cherished daughter. I am His, and you are too. Don't ever think a grade or accomplishment could ever change that, friends. You are so loved!
I don't know where you're at in your life right now. Maybe you just passed finals week and are doing everything you can to deny those one or two less-than-fantastic exam grades. Maybe you just feel stressed with life, like you can't measure up to the demands of this world. But wherever you're at, I know the Lord just wants to sweetly remind us: we are His. Even if just for a moment today, let's rest in that. Let's believe that He says who we are, and He calls us very good.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus Takes Our Junk

I'm so excited to write to you all today!
Just a forewarning: this post could be a little gross and TMI, but it will be so worth it. I promise. I have a reason here. Just bear with me, if you will.
So...living in a house that's 90% girls means we have messy bathrooms and cry sessions every night (okay, well, not every night, but close!). It also means that our shower can get really super clogged with hair after weeks and weeks of washing. (I know, ew!) We end up having to call our sweet dad (the only male in the house) to come and clean out the drain every couple months. He's awesome and always bears with it no matter how gross it is....which, trust me, it is! But on our most recent drain clean out, his willingness and gentleness in this humbling task caught me off guard. Rather, the Lord kinda caught me off guard through the moment. It was the most odd and surprising situation to hear from Him, but honestly, I really did-the Lord spoke this sweet beautiful truth into my heart that night, one that I so often forget but that is so so true, and I would love to share that with you. :)
You see, in my pops cleaning the shower, I saw more than just a kind dad who (somewhat begrudgingly) completes a necessary chore; I saw the love of our Savior in the most awesome way. Standing there over him at 11pm, when he could've been in bed or reading or doing something else more relaxing, he chose to come back to kindly do this thing he really could have left to my sister and I...yet we probably wouldn't do it near as well as he could. He could've complained there on his knees as he reached into piles of yucky hair mess. He could've ranted on us about not cleaning the shower enough or not telling him enough. But he didn't. And neither did Jesus make us wallow in our own sin. I'm so glad He didn't!
So let's take a look at this a little closer. As I thought more about this sweet truth, the Lord kept presenting me with more connections between my little shower cleaning experience and Jesus's mighty love for me, for all of us. Here's some of what I found...
-He does what we can't. He takes on the impossible for us and does it for our sake, out of nothing but pure LOVE. I had trouble believing it, but my dad made it sound like he really wanted to clean the shower for me. And so I think it is the same sometimes with us and Jesus, that He willingly forgives our sin and restores our hearts through His mighty salvation. We might not like or understand the idea of giving it all over to Him, but He does it. And it helps us SO MUCH.
-He takes our junk. We are undeserving and make mistakes, we feel like we should and really deserve to clean up our own mess. But Jesus gives us the greatest gift in saying that we don't have to clean up that mess. He takes it for us, gladly. He knows we can't clean our showers alone, and it is His joy to help us in that.
-He won't leave us in our junk. Out of His great great love for us, He chooses to take away all that nastiness that's clogging up our lives. He takes it out so that we might live freely, with His goodness flowing through us more fluidly than a freshly-cleaned drain.
-My father said he just wished that we had told him about the drain earlier so he could have cleaned it for us sooner. How often do you think God looks down/has looked that same way down upon us, wishing that we would stop putting it off or stressing about it and just bring our struggles, mistakes, worries, and sins to Him? He's the only one who can really take them and handle them, and He's so beyond willing and eager to go ahead and take these burdens for us.
-It's all about Him, not us. 'Cuz He is able to do more than we could ever do and everything we cannot do in our abilities. When we feel bad that we can't clean our showers, He's totally okay with it. He doesn't bully us for not being able to get it right all the time. He just willingly takes our sin where we are and guides us in that through His great love, that we might know His Love and His Way better.

{Can I just say there is nothing like a clean shower?!}
If a dad cares for a child like this, how much more will God not care for us? His word declares this powerful truth for us: “'Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!'”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:9-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Friends, He LOVES you and wants to take whatever burden you may be facing now, whether it's a sin or a struggle or a fear or really anything at all! “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you," child! (1 Peter 5:7) Won't you run to His arms?
That night I was left feeling a lot better and a lot more at peace, reminded of my Father in heaven even through my earthly father. I thank Jesus for this sweet message of hope and light in the scary world that today can be, and I pray for you as I write these words, that you too would be filled with the fullness of His love. Love you always, though He loves you even more. ❤️

Dancing Through Discouragement

I love my dance class. Really, I do. It's just that I'm not quite the dancer yet...and that's been causing me some troubles lately.
Last year I began taking Dance 1 as a freshman, and now as a returning student and part of Dance 2, I'm starting to learn some more advanced moves. Calypsos and jete leaps and tilts are beautiful, believe me, it's just that I can't really do them--like, at all. For this perfection-craving girl, not being able to do something is a MAJOR problem.

{The studio at school. AKA the site of my ultimate embarrassment each day.}

I mean, do I look like I can do a calypso leap to you? ;)
I find myself getting easily and constantly frustrated in my dance class. (It's one of the classes I look forward to most and also happen to dread the most at the same time!) I love dancing and seeing others dance, but when it's me out there on that wooden floor, I freeze up/freak out and end up basically wanting to run off, curl up in a ball, and cry. Why can't I get this right? What's wrong with me? I'm a horrible dancer! Just look at those girls, they can actually dance. I can't! Ugh!
I want it so badly and yet I feel so knocked down and hopeless whenever I try. It's not that I'm not used to putting forth the effort; it's just that I'm used to actually seeing results because I put in effort. But in dance class, that's not happening. And I'm pretty sure this won't be the only time in life I witness a similar situation.
So what can I do now? As I leave the dance studio each day, I'm faced with a longing and a question of what comes next. Lately, I'm starting to see things in a new light. The Lord has graciously, gently, and ever so sweetly reminded me of His grace during this time but in a way I didn't really expect. I have not felt suddenly better or instantly mastered the latest dance skill, but rather instead He's showing me the beauty of my weakness. One day, for example, as I left the studio, this one question hit me like a ton of bricks: Who said this wasn't good enough? That you aren't good enough?
That really hit me hard and caused me to think--because, really, who did decide that my dancing was so bad after all? And as I started to run this thought through my mind some more, I was reminded of this verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
Like whaaattt??!!
So this verse just totally topples all my thoughts and concerns and opinions upside down. My weakness makes Christ known? It doesn't make sense (like most things in this faith!) but in the most beautiful way.
In a small group time I helped with for some younger kids at our church, we talked about Colossians 3:23 and the concept of serving God in all we do and working in all things as if we were serving the Lord and not men, all to bring glory to Him. We had been talking to the kids about spiritual gifts and talents, what they did well, and how they could use that to honor God, and then the Lord just brought this idea to mind to share: the concept of glorifying God even in things we aren't great at. It wasn't something I had thought about much then, but in the coming days as I journeyed through harder and harder lessons in dance, I was convicted with the message I was really needing to preach to myself, not just to those fifth and sixth graders. If I want to serve Him in all I do, can't I serve Him too in even the things I don't do well? I might add that we can serve Him even more so in failure than when we do succeed. That's definitely what this verse says!
I am still learning to accept this weakness but not only that but to rejoice in it. He is worthy of the honor and glory and praise, even when my achievement and performance is less than praiseworthy. So friends, I would invite you to join me in viewing mistakes and failures a little differently, more like how our loving Father sees them. Let's allow Him to unbundle our stress, unload our suitcases of concern, and release our tight muscles that have so anxiously driven us to perfection. Let us just take a moment to rest in His arms...because perhaps not so much doing but rather relying on Him could bring even more glory and honor to Him than we could ever imagine or create on our own.

An Introduction

Hi there!
I'm so so glad you're here! For this first post I just wanted to make some introductions and welcome you to Daughter in Faith!
First off, allow me to introduce myself. ;)

{That's me on the left!}

I'm Hope, and yes, if you couldn't tell by the picture, I'm a twin! I'm also a sophomore in high school, aspiring writer, photographer, dog-lover, and babysitter...but most importantly, I am a believer in Christ. He is my good, good Father, and it is my joy to be His beloved daughter. Which brings me to why I started this little place called Daughter in Faith...
This world places many labels on each of us, and it's so easy to accept these labels as measures of our identity-whether they are good or bad. The world says we are just what we do or what we've accomplished, and while this is a part of us, that is not who we really truly are. And it's certainly not who we are in the Lord's eyes...because really He just sees us as His children and nothing else. And His child is the most precious title we could ever hold! As His child, we are loved and redeemed and cared for; the Bible tells us that His children/followers lack no good thing. Being a babysitter and an editor for the paper and a Christian are all important parts of my life, but they don't define my value, and while it's definitely hard for me to remember that at times, the Lord is constantly showing me and reminding me of the beautiful truth of how I'm seen in His eyes. And I pray that that is what He does for you in your life and that you'll maybe even get a little glimpse of His glorious goodness for you here on this blog as we journey through life together. ;)
The Lord is constantly surprising and amazing me with His gifts of truth and grace and love, and I am so excited to share those with you here. It certainly won't be perfect, but I trust the Lord will use this for His glory.
So sweet friends, know that I am praying for each of you reading this post and know that the Lord has crazy love for you. No matter where you are right now, He loves you. He takes you as you are. He loves you reading emails and cooking dinner for your family. He loves you at church and at school. He loves you in the mornings and the evenings, He sees you when you lie down to sleep and wake up each morning. And He LOVES you. He looks down with a smile on His face, blessed by the sight of His children. So child, won't you please come to Him today? Surrender all at the feet of the Savior, who loves and cares for you and will take care of all your needs. And if you will, join me on this journey as we discover more of the Lord's love and grace for our lives. His goodness is ever abundant and I trust in Him to take us where He is calling us to go!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." {Ephesians 3:20-21}

With love,
Hope