The Little Mermaid

We just finished watching The Little Mermaid....and wow! I'm sure many of you are familiar with this Disney movie. Ariel, the mermaid, falls in love with a human Prince. Her father finds out and gets so angry he destroys all of her human collections including a statue of the Prince. Ariel is devastated and she cries inconsolably. Ursula's sidekicks come to her. Isn't that just like the enemy, to approach us when we are most vulnerable, when we are hurting, when we are so sad, and when we are feeling desperate. "Poor unfortunate souls" sings the sea witch, Ursula.

Ursula first tempts and convinces Ariel to give up her voice for the chance to unite with the Prince. Although Ariel knows it's wrong, she accepts because Ursula dangles Ariel's wants in front of her eyes. Dangling our wants instead of our needs is how the enemy works in our lives, too. God will provide all our needs. Ariel signs the contract, the Prince has to kiss her before sunset on her third day on dry land. If she doesn't get that kiss she will belong to the witch. How naive?? Did Ariel really believe the witch was going to give her her heart's desire? It never crossed Ariel's mind that the Ursula would do everything in her power to prevent the kiss from happening. Wow...she really did become human.

Just when Ariel believes her dreams will be coming true here comes the sea witch in disguise and steals the Prince away. Ariel finds herself in trouble and turns to her father. She shouts to him that she is sorry. Her father gives up his throne to save his daughter. In the end the witch is destroyed by the unselfishness of Ariel and the Prince.

The enemy is always disguising himself in order to tempt us out of the blessings Jesus would love to give us. We humans don't realize that God gives so much more than the enemy could ever provide. Our Lord Jesus also gave up this throne to save us. When the sea witch dangles happiness, Jesus provides joy. Joy is everlasting, happiness is temporary. Which will you choose?

Marisol

You Lord.

Lord, we trust You.
I trust in You.
You are in control.
There is no one else that can come close to You.
Your power is magnificent.
Your love in unconditional.
You are merciful.
You are forgiving.
You are REAL.
You give peace.
You cry when we cry.
You laugh when we laugh.
You hurt when we hurt.
You know every hair on our head.
You hold every tear we shed.
You are the voice of Truth.
We should not be afraid, You are with us.
You are our hope.
You rescue us.
There is no condemnation in YOU.
You speak to us.
You listen to us.
You are wonderful.
You watch us as we sleep.
In the morning you give new mercies.
You are compassionate.

You are faithful.

You are strong.

Your love endures forever.

You are good all the time.
You never leave us nor forsake us.
There are not enough words to describe Your Glory.
We love you, LORD.

Marisol

Today

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. What does that mean? I remember my mom had a plaque with those word in our living room and I never really understood it.

God loves us so much, He gives us new mercies every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. How awesome is that? Every morning we have a beginning. Every morning we have a new opportunity.

What are you going to do with God's great gift He gives to us EVERY SINGLE MORNING?

• Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Today I will surrender it all at His feet. Today I will ask HIM, "What is your will for me today? I will do it." Today I will rejoice for this is the day the Lord has made.

Marisol

I'm not on your top 5?

Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube......guilty. Why are we so addicted to these websites? Why is it so easy to chat, post, status, moods, bulletins, and what's on your mind?

My addiction was ebay...more the ebay discussion pages. I could spend all day talking, discussing, and arguing with strangers. I haven't been on ebay for over a year. Last year we allowed our girls to open a myspace page, so I opened one up for myself to keep an eye on my girls. Nicole fixed up my page for me and it started all over again. I became somewhat addicted, this time the kids would make fun of me saying I was too old for myspace. My feelings would get hurt when I wasn't someone's top friends, especially my kiddos or my younger brother-in-law's top friends. We all want approval from others, but why is it so important?

Myspace got old for me really fast. I didn't care for the ads they post and I really didn't care the pictures some of the members post. I didn't understand all the different options. It wasn't something I needed to keep in touch with others. But wait....that didn't mean there wasn't something else lurking to tempt me....FACEBOOK.

Facebook has been fun. It allows communication with family and friends that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. It's easy to move around and post pictures. It's fun to see what everyone is doing and how everyone is feeling. I do limit my time I spend on Facebook otherwise I would be on it all day like I was on ebay.

I wonder if Jesus had a Facebook or Myspace would it be easier for us to communicate with Him? I am convinced that it would be easier because we have become a society of convenience and high tech. So if we can easily sit at the computer for hours, why can't I sit with Jesus for the same amount of time. Is it because I can't see Him face to face? Or our mind is easily distracted? What ever the reason, there is no good excuse.

What I like to do is to picture Jesus sitting right besides me when I am driving, on the computer, or even watching TV. When things get tough I picture myself in His arms crying my eyes out. I use my imagination and you know what...it works. I begin to feel great peace knowing that He is truly with me.

Take time to talk to Jesus, sit with him, tell Him about your day. Share your feelings with Him, share your happy times and your sad times with Him. HE is waiting for you. You are in His top friends.

Marisol

I'm here for you, Babe.

Have you ever said to someone who is hurting, "I'm here for you"? Has anyone ever said it to you when you are in pain? What happened when you needed them? Or when they needed you?

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you (Psalms 55:22), He means it when He says "I'm here for you.". As humans we say a lot of things we don't mean, sometimes we have good intentions, but you know what they say about good intentions "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

I am guilty of the making promises that I don't keep and guilty of good intentions. Just today my younger daughter reminded me that I promised to purchase an online game for her two years ago. When she asked for this game I told her it would be a birthday present then her birthday came around....and okay we'll get next week-end. I guess she finally gave up because it's two years later and she doesn't have the game. Good intentions aren't good enough. It hit me today, God is always there and He always fulfills His promises.

If our goal is to be like Christ then we need to leave "good intentions" behind and fulfill what we say we are going to do. If you say "I'm here for you" then do all you can do to be there. This season in my life has taught me that I have failed so many people in my life and I want to take this time to ask for forgiveness from all of you who I hurt, who needed me and I wasn't there, and who I just plainly forgot. There is no excuse and I truly apologize.

• John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

When the calamities pass away I want to come out of this storm a person who is so in love with Jesus that my commitment to Him will not waiver. I want to be more like Jesus and want to do what I say I am going to do. Again doesn't that sound like good intentions. How do move away from "good intentions"? We pray without ceasing. We read His word. We believe His promises. He will move in us so much that we will not be the same.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Marisol

Let it Go!

In the words of Hannah Montana "Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days. Everybody knows what, what' I'm talkin' 'bout. Everybody gets that way.........If I'm not doin' too well, Why be so hard on myself?" My soon to be 16 year old loves Miley Cyrus, so I get to listen to all of Miley's music, lol. This song really touched my heart and I'll tell you why.

When my girls were very young they loved their Barbies and then came the Brat dolls. After they were done playing, if their Barbie shoes were in box with the Brats shoes it would drive me crazy. So, once I was done scolding them, I took the joy out of their playtime. This behavior was a constant for me. I knew everything I owned and where everything should be placed. I not only harassed my babies, I harassed my husband, and harassed everyone who walked in my path. What did my behavior produce?? It pushed everyone I loved away from me. They feared me and not in reverence. They were afraid to do anything wrong because they didn't want to deal with me. There was no true fellowship. And for me, it made me hard and hard on myself because I pursued perfection in everything and everyone. Seeking perfection brought me to a place of anxiety and anxiety caused me make bad choices and actions.

I am speaking completely of myself when I speak of OCD - Out of Control Disaster. I know OCD (obsessive–compulsive disorder) can be a very real disorder. I know I suffer from it and now I am being freed from it. Although I had been letting things go in the past few years, in my mind I was still hanging on. I don't know what was worse dealing with OCD in my mind or physically, either way it made me miserable. and it has brought me where I am today.

• I John 1:8-10 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

So where am I today? In a place of learning and change. It's all about change, accepting responsibility for my actions, recognizing my failures, and giving it all to God. I am in a place where I have been convicted and I am repentant. It's an everyday "thing", every morning, every hour, every evening, and sometimes every minute I give it God. He uses it as an opportunity to work in me and isn't that what it's all about. He has the answers all we have to do is trust Him.

• Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

I am far from where I need to be, everyday I am one step closer to my destiny, to my goal, and to my Father God.

Remember: Let it go and Let God. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff and it's not worth losing a minute of your precious time to the unnecessary. Instead enjoy every minute living your life through the way God designed you to be, peaceful. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Marisol

He calls me friend

Beth Moore, http://www.lproof.org/about_beth_moore.asp, she is someone I really enjoy listening to every chance I get. I love how she describes her relationship with Jesus. I use to think, how is that possible, I want a relationship with Jesus just like hers.

I loved her story where she describes putting on ballet slippers and just dancing away for her Jesus. Or when she stayed in the governor's mansion and reminds Jesus she is not at home in case He was looking for her.

How do we come to a place where we can dance for Jesus? laugh with Him? tell Him about our day? remind Him we're not home in case He is looking for us? I yearned for what Beth Moore has with Jesus, but I didn't know how to receive it. Unfortunately or fortunately, I am learning through pain and trials how to show Jesus my new shoes.

I try to walk for exercise everyday, key word is try, lol. When I get out there I make sure it's "You and me, Jesus time". When I first started taking my walks I would pray for my needs instead of talking to Jesus. Now as I walk I begin to talk to Him and I picture Him looking at me from behind the mountains. I wave my hand and say "Hi Jesus, I love when you watch me walk". I know He loves to watch me walk and laughs when I trip, it happens. Lately I have been talking to Jesus out loud and then smile big when a fellow walker passes me by.

My trial has brought me to this place in my life with Jesus and I couldn't be happier. I am sorry it took my pain to cling to Jesus while I was drowning, but if that is what had to take place to get me here, praise God. I'm here now and I am not leaving this place.

I pray if you don't know HIM, get to know Him now. He's awesome and He is waiting to hear from you.

Marisol

Journal Entry 1-17-09

Lord, I turning it all over to you. I know I go back and forth but I only want to go forth. I repent of all my sins.

Romans 15
-I don't have to take the pain or insults Jesus took them for me.
-He took my suffering to understand me and to feel what I feel.

Psalms 141 & 140:8-13
-I trust you Lord. You have a plan.
-Keep me from evil.
-Keep my eyes on You.

Today I woke up, cleaned and went outside, where I heard God's voice. I was looking at my yard. We love our yard, it is still winter and everything is still dormant. I look at our bougainvillea (I posted a picture of it on the top of the web page) and I think "This dumb bush never blooms till the end of summer. I should pull it out". Then I felt a need to prune it.

As pruned it I felt God say "You are this bush. You don't want to be pruned. You don't even want to bloom until you feel it's time. You are on your time just like this bush you complain about." I begin to prune and God shows me something, "See the dead branches cut right off. There is no life in them. The branches with life fight. They are not easy to prune. But those are the branches of anger, hate, bitterness, and envy. Those branches must be cut off for the bush to grow stronger". "Yes Lord" I start to think. "Please change me!!" I plead with God.

Then I feel in my inner spirit. "There is hope! There is no hope for the dead branches. There is hope for you, Hector, Nicole and Tatiana. There is still life in you, because I dwell in you and I am LIFE."

I felt a peace. I understood for the first time what Pastors and speakers feel when they say they hear from God. I understood what it was like basking in His presence. (end of journal entry)

I would love to say that from that day till now my life has been filled with peace and joy, it hasn't. I am still struggling with my stubbornness of not letting go but everyday it gets a little easier as God continues to show me His mercy and love. It's a daily challenge we have with ourselves to let go and let God. When we do it...when it lay it ALL at His feet, then we feel the peace that surpasses all understanding.

I am very happy to let you know that that dumb bush that only blooms in August sometimes September bloomed in April this year. The picture you see is a recent picture I just took a week ago. My bush that I love so much bloomed. Now if that isn't God speaking to me, speaking to us, I don't what is.

My prayer for all who are reading this to allow God to prune you and make you stronger.

Marisol

I'm a Princess.

I don't remember really wanting to be a princess as a child. I saw myself more as the queen. Yep, I wanted to reign, unfortunately that feeling affected my whole life. My name is Marisol Padilla and I am a control freak.

It started out small. We don't realize as parents how all our actions affect our children. We spent all of time in Juarez as a child, true for most El Pasoans. So I remember on our return from Juarez as we would approach the bridge my mom would always tell me to choose what lane to go on. She would say, "Marisol always picks the fastest lane." No big deal right, wrong that's where my ego got started. It seemed like a innocent game a parent plays their child.

Looking back my mom depended on me for a lot of silly decisions but it molded me into thinking that I was in charge and that I could make adult decisions at an early age. It made me feel independent and that NO ONE could tell me what to do. How would that attitude affect me in the real world? Well me tell you, it only brought destruction.

• Psalm 10:4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
  

I had no room for God in my life. I thought I did, but I didn't, that doesn't mean He wasn't by my side because believe me He was there. I choose to ignore Him, because I was in control. I wanted to date who I wanted, I wanted to go where I wanted, I wanted to disobey my parents, I wanted to drink, and the list goes on. I never submitted myself to HIM. I never asked Him, "what are Your plans for my life?" I prayed and I attended church thinking that was all I needed to do to keep close to Jesus.....it's so much more.

Now that I am learning to place Jesus first in my life every day all day I do feel like a Princess. I don't have to be in control because my Father the KING is in control. All I have to do is wear my pretty princess dress knowing that in the eyes of my Father I am special. Every morning I jump on His lap and ask Him "What do you want me to do for Your glory, Abba Father?"

Through my storm I have come to know that I am a princess because my Father is the King

Marisol