We Moved!

Hi there!

I hope you are well this Christmas season. This has always been one of my favorite times of year!

In light of the Christmas cheer, I have decided to move my blog. You can now find me at sarahmoog.com! Join me there for life updates, deep thoughts, and fun.

Whatever we might find there, may God be all the glory.

If you decide to stop by, please subscribe to my new email subscription list. You will find it on the top right side of the screen. And while you’re there, check out my latest blog-post Effortlessly-Insignificant Night.

Merry Christmas to All!

Sarah Moog

Still

You said I was your favorite Sarah and that would never change.

Am I still?

We promised to go on a bear hunt, and to catch all of the Indians on Cherokee Trail.

Will we still?

You played even after your mind couldn’t remember the words. Your hands still new the strings.

Do they still?

We watched baseball games, begging you to cheer for the winning team. You always would.

Will you still?

Your voice went lower than I could ever attempt in the first refrain of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

Does it still?

Your hands clapped after every single one of my choir performances, cello recitals, and graduations.

Will they still?

Sneaking extra pieces of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving was always our favorite part.

Is it still?

You promised to love me until time stood still.

Is time still?

Here and Now

The bathroom hasn’t been cleaned, my dogs haven’t been played with, and the ten job applications on my desk haven’t been filled out. These are a few of my worries today. I become overwhelmed as my to-do list reaches page 3 of my miniature notepad. To-do lists simplify things. They help me prioritize and strategize. What is the path of least resistance? Which order is the most efficient and time-preserving? Deep breath, I write #1 next to getting the oil changed and #2 next to dropping off the dry cleaning. The list continues.

As I prepare for my errands, my mother and I strike up a conversation about being comfortable and playing it safe in the game of life. Aren’t my problems small in the grand scheme of things? Wouldn’t people all around the world or even in the south side of Atlanta trade places with me this very moment? How blessed I am to walk this path. How loved I am by those around me!

Jesus, what are real problems? My little sister is in Honduras today, holding the hands of a baby girl who doesn’t have clean water and who can’t afford to go to school. Are those real problems Jesus? You promised rivers of eternal life to those who drank from your cup [John 4 & 7]. My blog friend, Ellie, tells stories of starving children with no clothes or parents in Zimbabwe. And, LORD, you named yourself the bread of life promising we would never hunger again [John 6]. So, Jesus, what are the problems you called us to charge first into battle for? If you have provided for their earthly needs, should I then not concern myself with their soul’s needs? Should I not spend every ounce of energy I have on pointing people’s hearts towards you?

Is someone undoubtedly aware of the Holy and Living God because of how I loved and served them today? Does someone feel the love of Jesus because I lived today?

I cannot just drop everything and move across the globe today. My time has not yet come. I have been called to this place and to this life. So my only hope is to take comfort in my Savior. But that doesn’t mean I am useless to the kingdom of God.  I can pray for Jesus to send His hands and feet to the lost. And in my here and now I can live out the gospel. Because, Christ commanded we go and make disciples of all nations [Matt 28,] and all nations still includes my piece of North Atlanta.

Not Ready for No

Dear Jesus,

Sometimes your answers look like “no.” But Jesus, how am I expected to accept your final answer when your no means watching a 9 year old die? I just can’t. I’m back on my knees for a re-do, a double-check, a miracle. Shuffle the deck if you have to, because I am not in the business of burying 9 year olds. His mom and dad didn’t sign up for this. He has a 12 year old sister and an 8 year old little brother! Jesus, they don’t deserve the short straw. They’ve been fighting this war far too long Jesus. They’ve been fighting a war since little man was born, and God we aren’t done with him yet. They weren’t done teaching him games or mathematics or the best way to sneak a cookie from the cookie jar. I am begging you Jesus, not today.

And LORD we have been begging for a new heart for our fighter, which means we have been consequently begging for a child to lose a heart. And Jesus I begged for that to not be the answer. Because our little man needs a heart, but so does the little man it would come from. And there are prayer warriors, family members, and loved ones surrounding that little heart too. And Jesus that’s not fair!

No one should have to bury their child. It’s not right to build, fill, close, or lower tiny caskets. It’s barely “ok” to do it to a big casket, but Jesus it’s a LITTLE ONE.

But Jesus now our fighter’s brain stopped responding. And mom and dad are losing hope. The doctor’s came and told us that our fighter is too weak for a new little heart. So they’re giving the little heart to another little body. Jesus WHY ARE LITTLE BODIES HURTING?!?!?! They haven’t had time to damage their bodies themselves. They aren’t weakened by substances or age or worry or heartache. They are tiny bodies that should play double-dutch and eat ice cream and hold hands with friends.

So Jesus I’m lost. We all are. He lost brain function, now the heart donor, and all other medical answers. All we have left is to hope on you, and Jesus you are sovereign and good and faithful, And I know that your will is far greater than mine. So I trust you. And if I am honest I am just not ready for your “no.”

– Sarah

For When You Think You Can Do It All

This morning I woke up to feeling like my To-Do List is too long, my Dream List is too impossible, and my Can’t Do List is too large. This morning I woke up wanting to return my new found independence as a recent college graduate. Now that school is over, wasn’t this my big moment? Wasn’t this the time where I proved to the world, my family, and to myself that my college degree was worth every ounce of debt I now proudly hold?  After all, look at me now…

Since graduation, I’ve spent most of my time and money feeding the social butterfly I neglected while hibernating in the library for the past four years. When I’m not socializing I have about 5 half-thought-out inventions or business plans that will surely take me to the top. And when I’m not becoming the next Bill Gates, I am finding holes in my schedule for workout plans and self-help books that people have been subtly or not so subtly buying for me since I graduated high school. I’m an adult now!

So while I’m acting like I enjoy myself and am responsibly becoming the adult I was always meant to be, why do I feel this way? Why do I still feel like I am drowning in the mere hopes of a successful future? Maybe doing it all isn’t the solution.

I have so much going on- all good things from the outside looking in- that my overflowing schedule, agenda, and spending flood onto other aspects of my life- maybe even aspects or people who didn’t ask for it. I want to give my time and money and energy to those who need help, friends or strangers, but I can’t give them something I have already spent. Maybe trying to do it ALL is the problem; maybe I am just expected to do what I can.

So what if I stopped doing it all and just did some? Does life have to be all or nothing? I would like to argue that life can be fulfilling with just some. What if I spent some of my time and saved some of it for when a friend calls unexpectedly? Or maybe I spend some of my money and saved some of it for when my dreams actually need funding… or for when a friend’s card gets declined at dinner. (Because let’s be real… I’ve been the friend whose card gets declined on more than one friend date.) Maybe I work hard towards some of my dreams, the prioritized dreams, and channel my energy into making each one important and successful on its own timing? Then with my big shiny dream sitting on my shelf I can move onto some other dreams. Doesn’t having it all at a slower pace mean peace?

I vote for some right now and all eventually over all the stress of all right now. I hope you will too.

Cheers to doing some things well and saying “not right now” to others, because after all… look at me now!

– Sarah

Finding True Freedom this Memorial Day

 

Men and women lose their lives everyday so that I may gain mine. They stand and defend my hopes and my dreams. They protect and serve our country so that I may be free. But is living the American dream actually freedom?

I want to be a writer one day. I want to tell stories that make people feel something bigger than themselves.  Maybe for the 200-500 pages that they have allowed me to impact their life,  I can change them; let them find themselves or see someone else for who they truly are. Maybe, just maybe, they will experience Jesus in those pages.

But what if I don’t become a writer? What if it wasn’t the story written for me? Am I any less a child of God? Any less a woman? Any less loved?

I want to be a wife one day. I want to share the good times and the bad times with someone. I want him to hold me, and I want to be known by someone. I want to walk down the aisle and kiss my daddy’s cheek as he hands me off to my spouse. I want to grow old with someone. I want to experience Jesus with someone.

But what if I don’t become a wife? What if my novel has only one main character? Am I any less a child of God? Any less a woman? Any less loved?

I want to be a mother one day. I want to create life. If I am honest, I want to create three to five lives.  I want to raise these lives to love others well and to live to the fullest. I want to teach them to return hate with kindness and to go out of their way to show others they are valued. I want to watch these lives grow old and create new life. And I want these lives to experience Jesus.

But what if I don’t become a mother? What if my pages weren’t meant to be filled with multiple timelines? Am I any less a child of God? Any less a woman? Any less loved?

My story is already written by the Author of time. My life is continuously fulfilling what was written in His book. Therefore, why should I fear? If my desires are not of His will, I do not pray they come true, I pray they change.  My value is defined by Christ’s death and resurrection, not by what I consider success. He conquered the grave so that I wouldn’t have to. He didn’t conquer the grave to give me what I wanted; He conquered death to give me eternal life – to give me freedom.

Before time began, God designed and foresaw my life; and yet He still chose me. He saw all of the hate all of the ugly and all of the darkness. Yet He still chose to write, to love, to create, and to die for me. Now I get to live largely and love deeply. I get to dream big dreams and to hope easily. I get to grow and be molded to be like Him and to share my purpose with Him. The only life Jesus took was His own. Every other life is given to Him in exchange for immeasurably more than we could imagine.

So to every man or woman who served or lost their life to stand for my life and my rights as an American, I THANK YOU. I am more grateful than I can ever express in words You have given me the American Dream – freedom. And to my Savior, my friend, and my life, thank you for giving your life so that I may have true freedom.

– Sarah

For the Next Time You Claim to be a Feminist

My entire college career I was made fun of for claiming to not be a feminist. Now before you blow up my inbox… listen to what I have to say. I believe woman deserve to be equally valued and to have equal opportunity. I believe that women are strong, independent, worthy of more credit than the world ever gives them, and beautiful creatures designed by a God who has a purpose for them.

However, I still do not claim to be a feminist. Because I believe that men are valuable. I believe that men have a purpose hand-chosen by a God who designed them. I believe that men play a role in society that we could not live without. I believe in traditional values, but I also believe that politeness and chivalry should go both ways.

I guess that makes me an equalist.

I don’t feel the need to single women out as the only ones who deserve rights of an equal sort. I believe that men, women, blacks, whites, heterosexuals, homosexuals, disable individuals, the police officers, the government officials, the cashiers, the impoverished, and the wealthy all deserve the same opportunities and the same value. We are all equally loved and valued by a God who took the equal amount of time to create our timelines and our plot twists. So why are you a feminist? Isn’t there a bigger fight to fight?

I have friends who identify as feminists. However, those friends, and others who hear that I do not consider myself a feminist immediately treat me like I am lesser than them. And this is why I won’t change my label. My opinions and my lifestyle are constantly devalued or degraded simply by a label that I choose not to have put on me.

Now I will admit that I am a female who grew up in a decent part of Knoxville, TN, and with parents who love me and each other dearly. This means that by society’s standards I am middle or upper class, and therefore people like to think I don’t understand oppression or the value of a dollar. Because I grew up with a close relationship with my father, and because I tend to have conservative points of view, I am usually written off as naïve and inexperienced. Because I have been a Christian my entire life and I try to be a rule follower I am considered a goody-two-shoes. And because I am a girl who enjoys nail polish and my favorite color is pink I am usually considered a girly girl who wouldn’t understand the first thing about hard work or strength.

But these people are wrong.

 

I have had a part-time or full-time job since I was 13 years old. I financially supported myself for both living expenses and school expenses as I maintained a 3.5 or better GPA through my state’s flagship school. I was the first in my immediate family to graduate from a 4 degree program. And my next adventure is to attempt to thru hike the Appalachian Trail.

I am independent. I am strong. I am smart. I am valuable.  I am beautiful.

And my opinion matters just as much as anyone else’s does.

So I would encourage you to take a moment and take off your labels. Have a conversation with someone and actually listen to what they have to say. Spend some time with a community who challenges you. Because your opinion matters, but so does the people’s around you.

– Sarah

Dear Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, I love you

source: https://syriaupdate.wordpress.com/tag/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi/

It’s not what you think, but I meant what I said. So if, by the one millionth of a trillionth of a chance, that Mr. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ever does read this blog post, I love you, along with the other ISIS leaders. As a fellow sinner and a fellow seeker of truth, I just need you to know that I care about you.

For all the people who may read this who AREN’T the current leader of ISIS, we can take hope in my message to him. So please keep reading and hear my heart.

Over the past several weeks God has really broken my heart for the people affected by the ISIS attacks. It’s just unimaginable. Truly. Almost 300 Christians have been taken captive. As I start to unravel that number and those people’s lives and their stories, the pain inside me just gets worse. And then I think about their families and the mothers who fear for their children. I’m just in awe of how this can be happening, and even more so that Americans are so dismissive about it.

I feel helpless for these victims, but my heart is broken even more for the oppressors. They are so far from Jesus, but yet so convinced they are right. And I am only slowly coming to terms with praying for them. I’m called to love them. The man who ordered the shots to be fired at those 21 Christians in orange… He and I have equity in the cross. I can’t take back his claim in the real estate of grace, just because I see him as less than me. Instead I am called to remind him of his shares. To remind him of the Son of Man who loves him and paid his debts. And he doesn’t have to do anything – good or bad – out of fear or out of joy – he just gets it freely! I admit that I am still working through praying for him and loving him… It isn’t easy… Everything inside of me screams condemn him. Crucify him! But these thoughts eerily echo the world Jesus walked on… This is how I know it’s wrong.

So while trying to wrap my brain around this man and this organization and the state of the captures, and for that matter the world, I reached out to two sweet friends. One beautiful and wise friend offered me this comfort: Even Jesus had to say, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” She reminded me to pray for lack of finances and leaders for ISIS. She told me to cry out for the souls in power not only in America, but in other political groups and counties, and in ISIS. May their souls be saved by the true King.

Then another woman, just as wise and just as beautiful, told me that my eyes have been opened to what breaks the heart of God. And what more could a girl like me ask for? To peer into the despair of my Creator and to fight against what I believe is wrong.

It’s my joy to serve Him… These words pour onto my journal page and I think (Do I mean that?) I don’t get to take it back… Then similar thoughts swarm me as I sing, “Heal my heart and make it clean/Open up my eyes to the things unseen/Show me how to love like you have loved me./Break my heart for what breaks yours/Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause.”

So now I stand before you (well figuratively) as a sister in Christ, as a friend, as a lover of people, and I beg you to pray with me. Pray for Christ’s redemption; pray for the release of these captives; pray for peace in the Middle East; pray for hope to reach the leaders of ISIS; pray that funding stops reaching them; pray for the eyes of those involved to be opened and for them to recognize how far they have turned from Truth.

BUT THEN, pray for the body of Christ to have open arms towards these ISIS leaders and followers. Pray for us to love them like Christ first loved us. Pray for Christians to forgive them and rejoice with them, for they were once lost and there is hope for them to be found.

And pray for a man who needs prayer as equally as the rest of us do. Because after everything is said and done, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and you and I are all sinners in need of a savior. And maybe, just maybe, one day he will agree with me on that. But even if he doesn’t, we can love him through it. And rumor has it he likes football, and that’s something we can all agree on.

– Sarah

What Pinterest didn’t teach me about being a bridesmaid.

Being a bridesmaid is much more of a commitment than it first seems. But in the excitement and in the midst of all the cuteness, when your close friend “pops the question,” you don’t have a choice but to squeal and jump up and down! You get to stand by her on one of the most important days of her life!! How COULD you say no?! Who would WANT to?!

But I’ve now been a bridesmaid twice, and the thing I’ve learned the most is that being a bridesmaid doesn’t stop when your bestie says, “I Do” That’s just the beginning.

Now sure, picking out dresses and colors and flowers and center pieces are all part of the fun. (Don’t get me wrong… I have four wedding boards on Pinterest and they are organized and color-coded and could put yours to shame.) But your bride asked you to stand by her for a reason; and I believe, when you stand by her on her big day you are committing to stand by her and for her in these four ways:

1. You promised to stand up for her marriage. This means when things aren’t all dandelions and roses, you’ve committed to be the friend that reminds her of her promise. You remind her of her vows, and that marriage can’t always be a honeymoon. You comfort her and love her, but you remain standing for the covenant that she maybe can’t in that moment.

2. You promised to stand up for her husband. You defend him when she’s forgotten to or when others aren’t. I’m not saying every girl gets upset and let’s loose on her hubby’s flaws. But I am saying everybody has to vent every once in a while. And when she calls you, you give her a judgment-free space to talk things out, but you keep her accountable for her words towards her man, because he deserves that. Sometimes a bridesmaid can be the only one to remind a bride of that.

3. You promised to stand by her. When life throws a curveball, accidental or not, explainable or not, you stand with her. This is the best part. Life is hard, and her husband can’t always be the super hero. It’s not even his fault why life got hard. But sometimes, a gal just needs her friends. So don’t lose touch just because she’s got bigger commitments now. She loves you and needs you, and if we are honest, you need her too.

4. You promised to stand in prayer with her. For her marriage; for her husband; for her; for their future family; and for her extended family. When the preacher man looked out into the crowd and asked for any objections, and you didn’t oppose, that meant you were for them. That meant you lifted them up as a blessing from God, and would always support them. And if I’ve learned anything about friendships, it’s that prayer can be the best comfort you can offer.

So to Katie and Melanie, I love you and I hope you’ve already known I stood for you in these ways. And to Laura, and now Lisa, I raise my glasses to you and your fiancés. I love y’all!

Emmanuel: Where Imperfections Meet Redemption

I wrote in my journal this morning, Jesus I feel so defeated today. I feel hopeless. I feel like I’ve lost before I even started. I don’t feel like I can do anything. I feel like everything is too much, …