Bible or Bust: Strong and Couragous

There's this nifty little glossary in the back of my Bible that has different verses under emotions. Like if you were feeling depressed it would direct you to Psalms 40:10. If you were enjoying life- Psalm 98 would be the answer. I looked up strength and found Joshua 1:9.

For some reason it really made an impression on me, and now it's my favorite Bible verse.

"I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened or dismayed for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."- Joshua 1:9

How true is that? God is commanding us to be strong and courageous because He will always be there to catch us if we fall.

If you read a few sentences before that, Joshua 1:5-9, it says 3 times. Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS.

In the actual events where this passage takes place, Moses just died and God is appointing Joshua as the leader. God is telling him that he will lead his people like Moses did and that the Bible should never depart out of his mouth.

God's commanding him to do this, just like He's commanding us to.

Joshua goes on to tell his people to be strong and courageous in the second part of the first chapter

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of the book.

In my fairy-tale mind I think of strong and courageous as being the hero of the fantasy- the knight in shining armor. I'll never be that knight. I am way to chicken to fight a dragon. In my dreams, literally I pretend I'm dead so I don't have to fight all of the scary people. :)

But think about it in real life.

You can be strong against bullies. Against temptation. Against the devil.

You can be courageous by standing up for others, for what you know is right. Be courageous by going over your comfort zone to help others.  Be courageous by showing the world the God you know and love.

Don't be scared because God is holding us up. Literally.

This verse has had a major impact on my life. I showed my mom and she shared in my "find." I had a friend over and she's been through some hard times. I told her about this verse, and she couldn't stop talking about how much it means to her.

The most meaningful way this verse has touched me is when I was at the dentist.
Yeah, just a typical setting for miracles, right? :)

So my brother was getting his teeth cleaned and I was filling out an audition form. One of the questions was, "What is your favorite Bible verse/quote?" At that point I memorized the "Joshua 1:9" part of it, but I didn't get the whole verse. So timidly, just in case the hygienist wasn't Christian, I asked my mom, " What was that Bible verse I liked again?"

My mom answered, "Just look it up." She handed me her phone and I looked it up. Then the hygienist asked, "What's the verse?"
And I told her.

I will never forget her reaction. She was really touched, and she compared the verse to Phillipians 4:13, you know, "I can do all things...?"

We were talking about how the Joshua verse didn't have as much popularity, but had equal to more impact.

The hygienist said, "It's so cool seeing how you love reading those verses. I remember my dad made me read the Bible, I didn't really want to. Seriously, it's awesome seeing this." I can't agree with her wholly because I am not always super pumped to read the Bible, but it made me feel really good inside.

She kept talking about how when you're older the Bible means more to you. After the checkup, she said "Make sure you have a Bible verse for  me next time you come."

I waved goodbye to her and couldn't stop smiling. Right then I realized this verse could  be very significant to many people. I felt that God spoke to her through me with that one verse. I felt special. I felt happy. I always want to relive that feeling. It was like my birthday, Christmas and summer rolled into one. This time it was more of an accident-but God apparently wanted it to happen- and it taught me not to be afraid to show  that you are Christian or Catholic.

So if you see someone down, say "Joshua 1:9." Or you can tell them the verse. But I like leaving them hanging so they will want to go home to check out the Bible, and maybe they'll find some other verse and hey, two flies with one swat! Or however that quote goes. :)

Your life may be full of ups and downs- I know for sure mine is- but be strong. Be courageous! Don't be afraid to show your faith. God's there. He's always there.

The Downs of Self-Pity

Okay, back to the show I auditioned for: Tarzan.

I did get called back (which means the directors want to "audition" again to see if you would fit particular roles),for the whole time. There was actually two different time slots, a dancer time slot and a character time slot. Some only got the dancer slot (which was only about a hour) and some got the dancer and character slot. (me! :D)

I was super pumped getting called back, and I actually felt pretty good. I have gotten called back numerous times before this show, but never have I felt so satisfied with my performance. I sang a song (wow, that's a surprise) and did a few scenes with other people. When I was up performing in front of others, it made me realize how much I love to sing, dance and act!

One of my favorite scenes that I did was when I was Jane and some one else was Porter (the dad). I knew I would never get Jane, but it was still fun to try! The most important thing was, though, I finally got to use my British accent for the better of the community. :)

After callbacks I went home and daydreamed about my roles. Now, from past experience I learned not to have my hopes too high. In one show I was almost certain I was going to get a role, and guess what? I didn't. So I went home and cried and felt sorry for myself, but now I know better.

The cast list took an unbearably long amount of time, which makes sense because so many great people auditioned. I was literally pulling at my hair all night long in anticipation for the grand announcement to appear out of the dark.

And finally.... it was up. I found out in the weirdest way, actually. I was getting ready for school and my mom bursts in and says "It's up!"
And ya think after a few days of torture I would know what she's talking about.

But no. I dumbly replied, "What's up?"

Finally, I got the jist and pulled the phone out of my mom's hand and started reading. Turns out, there's a double cast! And also...

I'm an ensemble.

Again.

For five shows, and now for my sixth, I have all been in the ensemble.

Let's admit it, I was disappointed. Like, I didn't have my hopes up really high, but I thought I would get at least a minor role.

But no, ensemble it is.

Tears were actually in my eyes, and I put on a smiley face for my mom and sister who is also an ensemble, and stayed in my room alone and felt sorry for myself, again.

I tried so hard, I wanted to be a main part so hard, why couldn't God just give me it for once!

I think we've all had that feeling before. If you tried out for some sport and didn't get in. Or entered a competition, and didn't win.  That feeling of total self-pity brings us down.

One of the directors famous quotes was, "You have 24 hours to feel sorry for yourself, cry that you didn't get the role, or celebrate 'cause you did. But the next day, you gotta be ready for work."

I am sorry to say that is not me. I need the whole show to experience self-pity, and then in the next show get over it.

But I am working on it. (like many other things in life)

You know, my parents, my directors, my friends- the all say the same thing. God put you in that role for a reason. And I need to start believing that.

I am not going to have fun if I sit around rehearsals and shows, not talking to anybody, just dreaming how good I would be in a certain role.

I will have fun, however, if I quit whining and get up and do my absolute best. Give everything I got, even if it isn't what I wanted. 'Cause the Big Man Upstairs had a different plan than what I wanted, so I'm going to go with it because I know it's the right one.

Maybe getting a main role would've been too stressful. Or maybe I might of had an emergency on one of the show days, and couldn't make it. Maybe it's for the better,

'Cause God made it turn out this way for the better.

And things could be a lot worse. I could be the only ensemble with a group of little kids. Or maybe I would only be on for a few scenes. I could have no friends with me.

So really, I am pretty lucky.

And there's always a next show! Always a next time.

But for now I should focus on what I have, and not what I want.

It's like if you were in kindergarten, and the teacher is going around, giving different colors of paper to each kid. And you want blue. You really, really want blue. Because it's the best color of the world, and you love it so much.

With a smile, the teacher hands you green.

And you know what they say, "You get what you get but you don't throw a fit."

After a minute of whining, you decide to do something with that green piece of paper.

And you but all of your effort and ability into that one sheet of green paper, and make something amazing. Like a green horse, or a pretty green sea.

And the teacher takes your paper and shows it to the whole class for them to see and says, "Look at how a nice job Billy Bob did with this paper!" And you feel happy.

And green's your new favorite color.

So that's how we should treat disappointments in our lives. Give it up to God and say, "You know, I really didn't want this, but your giving it to me so I can do something awesome with it and give it right back to you. So help me appreciate this wonderful opportunity that you gave and be with me the whole way."

The challenge of this post is either: If you feel disappointed, try your best to give it to God. Or, if you see your friend down, help them by telling them it's all God's plan, and it's going to work out splendidly. No British accent included. :)


So a word of advice to you, and me when you're feeling disappointed..

Take a deep breath, suck it up, and give it to God.

Little Things

It scares the best of us. It's late at night, the moon is out and sparkling and the darkness covers the basement like a thick blanket.

You left your phone in the farthest corner and you know, you can't live with out the cellular device. Fast-walking and not trying to think about what is waiting to grab you, you stuff your phone in your pocket and skedaddle upstairs before the air conditioner and toilet sounds start creeping you out.

Good 'ol basement fears never will leave, will they? Sometimes I have the embarrassing urge to ask someone to come with me, but I just suck it up and make my visit as quick as I can.

It's these little things when we forget we can ask God for help. It's either too small that we don't remember, or we're embarrassed to ask help for getting through the one minute round trip of the basement. I try to remember to ask God for help, saying a little Hail Mary or Glory Be. I remember one time when I went in the basement I started singing a worship song. Hearing my voice in the darkness comforted me, as did God's peace that I felt while singing the song.

So whether it be the basement blues, help with dishes or just to catch up, send God a quick message. If we can text our friends "hi" if we're bored or ask them "when can you meet up?" Why can't we do the same for God? Talk to Him, He'll want to listen. God will reply instantly, if you let him. If everyone else has heard about your hard earned A on the Social Studies test, tell God.

Through the big and the little, God will listen.

Nervous Nerves

Right before an audition. Butterflies in your stomach while your up to bat. Those tiny little tingles as the teacher passes out your finals.

We've had them forever and they'll never go away. Pesky little annoying nerves.

Today I am going to have an audition for a musical at CYT and yes, I am kind of nervous. This will be my 6th show there, and with each one I have grown as an actress, dancer, singer and Christian. The auditions thankfully are pretty relaxed, not like those really uptight theaters that cut a bunch of people. I doubt anyone will be cut this show, but still. Those nerves...

A hour or two before the audition is when it starts and man... it stops me from doing everything! I cant eat, or my stomach will hurt, I sleep because I'm so hyped up with nerves, I can't sing normal for some reason, and I can barely talk without my voice shaking! It just keeps building and building, and I have to talk to someone (with my voice shaking) to calm down a little.

Its the worst right before your turn. You walk up to the stage, heart pounding and hands sweaty. It's so hard to control your voice so it doesn't shake, but you manage to cut through. The music starts, you take a deep breath... and then it's okay. Throughout the whole song I manage to have no nerves at all, and I guess that's because I know it's my place on that stage. My hobby, my passion, so I do feel at ease. Some people cannot for the life of them run up to the stage and start belting out a song. I can't go to a baseball field and through a perfect throw from first to third without it hitting someone. Everyone has their different talents, but even if you are amazing at them (which I am not) you still have those nerves.

The good thing is the song only lasts for a minute, then you say a quick thank you and dash off the stage. I always find myself muttering a little prayer for the next person as they walk up the stairs, knowing how nerve-racking it is.

Then we have dance auditions which is easy peesy. You go in groups and you dance two times, once in the front and once in the back of the row. Its the same dance both times and most of the time they keep it pretty short. I'm not that good, but I do take lessons so it gives me a little advantage there.

So what does nerves have to do with God?

Actually, I don't know at this point 'cause I just wanted to rant about my nerves to keep them from coming. :) Let's improvise.

When you take your first steps with God, they're a little shaky, right? I guess I wouldn't really call it nervous, but something like you don't have full trust so your kind of watching out just so nothing bad happens.

And when you try to show others that your a Christian, things kind of get nervous there, right? One time there was this guy next to me in testing, and he looked really nervous and stressed out. He kept muttering something, and I believe it was "Jesus" over and over. I really wanted to say something like, "It's okay, you got it" or "You're doing great." But two things we're holding me back. One, nerves for what he would say and think about me. Isn't that weird? Why should I care what he'll say back? And the second reason is because my teacher was pretty strict, and if she saw me talking I would be outta there.

But isn't that weird? I mean, about the first reason. I was nervous about what would happen after? I think I was shrinking back into my comfort zone. The testing was 3 days long and I didn't say anything. Nada. Zip. Zero.

Looking back at it I sincerely regret it. I should of said something, and hey, who knows what could of happened? At least I tried. And I'm guessing it would get easier from there, like it did with the audition.

So don't be afraid to step out to others and be a role model, or help them, or console them. Even if you have those nerves that are telling you, "Just be safe and don't say anything." If you have a strict teacher, tell that kid out of the room (what I should of done). Take a breath and just let the words come out and you can make a major impression! Isn't it worth the nerves to make others feel better?

Well, that's  my little improvised speech thingy. How was it? :)

The challenge of this post is: Go out of your comfort zone just a little bit to help others.

You did it? You completed the last challenge? I would love to hear from you! Comment here, comment in the contact box, or shoot me an email at randommusings13@gmail.com. Seriously, I would love to know what you accomplished.

Thank you for viewing, and hope to hear from you!

All through Christ,
-Maddie

*NOTE:* I actually wrote this yesterday, so my auditions are over. They went very well and I actually wasn't as nervous as I anticipated! You'll hear from me soon on the callbacks and casting... :)

Welcome!

This really has gone fast. I feel like one moment I was planning out what I was going to write and how I was going to do it, and the next I was submitting my blog! None of this would have happened without the support of my parents, family and God.

So, let's start out with an introduction. I am Madeline, otherwise known as Maddie. I'm a 13 year old Catholic teen and so far loving it! :) Overall, I am a newbie at living the teenage years-but don't you worry, I will survive. Hopefully.

I made this website so the viewers could experience the same thing I witnessed a few months ago- a renewed relationship with God in which I understood why He created me and what I was made to do in this world. Hopefully the way my words are spoken (or typed) will impact you. For more of that information, just skip on over to the About my Musings page.

I am crazy, and I think I know it. A lot of the things I write about will  be random (hence the title of the website) and I hope it's not too discombobulated! And yes, I do like long and confuzzling words and expressions. I am going to try to have an organized site and maybe for once it will work. But hey, I'm young and new at this, so don't blame me if you see a mistake. :) We can all plow through this together.

I hope to be posting at least once a week- though sometimes I may post more and sometimes I may post less. I will be writing about everything- prayers, opinions, life, unicorns... well, maybe not everything. I will be including a variety of topics though, so that's good.

Thank you so much for taking your time to view this, and I hope you come back to read some more! Please feel free to share any questions, comments or suggestions in the comment box below.

All through Christ,
Maddie