Christmas

Christmas Time

Posted on by lainamunoz

So for the first 50 days of my #100daycreativechallenge I allowed myself to be a little lax in what I was creating. I did anything creative and a lot of days and would also write a small section of lyrics on my phone or something. I’ve kept up with my Instagram if you want to check out any of the days so far.

I’ve decided the last 50 days are to be dedicated to Songwriting. Today I had the honour of writing a Christmas Song with my BEAUTIFUL cousin Renee.

Here is a link to it!

Lyrics:

Hang your stocking and
Wrap your gifts cause it’s
Christmas time once again
////
Gather family and
Hold them tightly it’s
Christmas time once again
////
Sing it now sing it loudly
As angels gather around to hear
Hold your loved ones closer
For times like these can be so rare
////
Hark the Harold the
Angels sing now it’s
Christmas time once again
////
Come Emmanuel
Come and here the sound
It’s Christmas time once again

I won’t post each thing I do on here, I’ll just stick to insta, but feel free to share, join the challenge (a little info on it), follow or think through your life choices and the amount of creativity you’re producing 🙂

Happy Merry Christmas guys, love you all.

Obsessive Compulsive Details

Posted on by lainamunoz

I recently painted a mug at one of those places where you paint a pottery item and they fire them for you to seal on your artwork. It’s a pretty nice looking mug. I’d show you but it’s also a Christmas present for someone so I can’t exactly post a picture on here because they just might read this.

In which case, they now know they are getting a mug for Christmas.

I used 9 colors for this one mug.

It had a load of details etched into the sides and even the handle, so I took my time and made it look as awesome as the person getting it for Christmas.

When I first started on painting I was excited to get to all the cool ideas I had for each groove on the cup but as 1 ½ hours passed and I was still on the final, very tedious steps to complete the cup I began to lose patience. I wondered if the effort I was putting in would be appreciated or if they’d even realize how difficult it was to keep my hand steady for as long as I did. I began to want the world to understand how careful I was with my process and I wanted recognition.

This all came out in the form of me telling my mom over and over how freaking cool the mug was.

I wonder sometimes if G-d wants us to just notice. I wonder if while He was painting the colors of the trees if He thought, “Maybe if they see how much effort I’m putting into this for them they’ll appreciate me a little bit more”. I don’t think G-d NEEDS our appreciation for all of His works, but I do think He wants to tell us something. I think He might be telling us the story of how it always works out for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes because HIS purposes have already been established and we get to step into this pre-blessed work of good. I think that in the details He might be reminding us that HE is faithful and doesn’t get impatient in completing a good work that began in you. I feel like in the details, if we notice we might see a beauty about creation that can inspire awe and wonder around the things that He does and the person that He is. I feel like maybe we could learn a thing or two about beauty.

I’m so thankful that the Creator isn’t as sidetracked as I am. I’m thankful that He IS in this for the long haul and never grows weary of the tedious tasks of correcting, comforting, reminding and loving us. He raises the sun everyday and spins the earth into seasons. He forms something out of nothing on the daily and allows the smallest of faiths to move mountains. He is a G-d of the details and I feel like when I focus myself and my mind and sometimes my camera I find Him there.

((He is beautiful and I am paying attention.

Jesus I will trust You / I know You never fail / I will trust You / the only thing I know/ is G-d You’re in control/ in every little detail You are close / I’ll never be alone / here in the unknown / the power of Your presence fills my soul

Attitude Check

Posted on by lainamunoz

I reckon I still deal with this is many ways and in some other ones I just look back and laugh at myself. I have for sure had plenty of opportunity in these last 5 or so years to practice patience and see growth in that area of my life. I think I’m just finding that there is no ‘fix all’. It’s just a matter of waking up and needing Jesus.

Please enjoy this #ThinkBackThursday

I’ve found out something about myself tonight: I am not patient.

I’m in Georgia for Christmas and my cousin has been on a crocheting kick. I’ve known for a while how to do a simple chain stitch (for those who aren’t over 40 or weren’t homeschooled and don’t know what that is – it’s the simplest and most basic stitch you can crochet). For a short time I thought it was super interesting that one piece of yarn could end up making a full hat, scarf, or even blanket. I decided to expand my knowledge on this old-woman hobby and learn how to make a scarf. Except, my patience over break is low and I lost interest and ended up making a ring instead of sitting there for hours making a scarf.

Renee made a scarf. It looks nice.

I don’t like crocheting because while you’re in the process it doesn’t look like you’re accomplishing anything. I hate projects that don’t look like what they’re supposed to look like for a long time. Over this break I have also taken up the art or craft or need to make friendship bracelets (some of you will be getting these for Christmas… act surprised). While you’re in the process of making them they look NOTHING like what they are supposed to. I hate it. I didn’t like sitting there working on something that took forever and hardly looked the way it needed to in the end. In an expressive fit of exhaustion from not understanding how to make the dumb things I told my mom, “I hate things that don’t look right till they’re done!”

There is magic in hearing things out loud, or even paying attention to yourself.

I’ve been fighting this season in my life for a long time now. It’s been going on since probably around April, it got hard in June, and close to unbearable in September. I don’t like sitting in this place where I don’t feel I’m the person I’m supposed to be. I’m NOT good at enjoying the process of letting G-d take strand by strand; hook by hook; trial by trial; glory to glory and making me into something. And I have to be honest about this, at 20 years old that makes me sad.

I’m not sure why I didn’t just come out loving that part of life – the part where you are being built but I didn’t.

I do know that I am the only person who can change myself; more that I’m the only one who can let myself change. G-d does the changing. But sometimes He can’t change you if you don’t realize you need it. Somehow in the moment of wanting to quit on the bracelets and realizing that I had something wrong with me, deeply wrong with me I needed change.

((PFT, this was like an hour ago I NEED CHANGE G-D.))

Lord, please help me, I’m a 20 year old girl who needs an attitude check. I don’t want to be blind to the process and maybe there is even something inside of me that wants to ENJOY the process. But I know I can’t change that about myself alone, I NEED YOU.

            Bleh.

I’m in love with G-d and G-d’s in love with me. This is who I am, He’ll change me to who I need to be.

Out Of The Context: Christmas

Posted on by lainamunoz

Welcome to my #ThinkBackThursday this week, I wrote it shortly after my 19th birthday around Christmas time (totally on Christmas day). It’s more of just a prayer and not entirely a Jesus sermon, but it is where I’ve found my heart lately, in full surrender and hopeful request that G-d would be G-d and allow me to be me and hopefully use me everyday along the way. It’s all I really know how to do is lay my requests before G-d and wait on Him; and even with that I am terrible. G-d help me even now, 5 years later and a little bit farther into the path with you. Grow my heart towards You and let there be even more of a willingness to serve Your people and fill me to overflowing with grace. I am needy, but You think about me. Thank You.

For what it’s worth, I give you all I have.

I’m sorry it isn’t pretty, or all that much in the long run.

But I’m willing and ready to change if you want or need me to.

I give you a moldable me. I give you who I am in hopes that You’ll make me better. I give you me, praying that You’ll make me more like you. I let go of fears to give honor and awe to you. I let go of distractions so that You might have my full attention, not out of obligation but out of the LEAST I could give you. Starting now and going into the rest of my life I give it to You. May I never take lightly my service to You and help me to see and re-define who I should be for You.

I love you G-d and I know you love me too.

-Laina

Christmas always reminds me how ridiculously, and undeserving-ly blessed I am. I like all the gifts I got today and somehow I usually sit wishing I had more money or saved better so that this year I could give more. I’m always left with a few people to give presents to AFTER Christmas is over. I don’t see much wrong with that, I just wonder sometimes who stopped today to offer what they could to Jesus? It is after all – – About Him.

Blah blah blah… I’m not about to get on a Christmas lecture on how He is the reason we celebrate, if you don’t know that by now then you’ve been driving with your eyes shut and listening without ears for the months that led up to today. But, for what it’s worth, what have you offered to Him? Not because it’s Christmas, but because He deserves it? Daily. Ha <I can’t believe I started a sentence with a laugh. 8APR2015>, honestly take a look at yourself (I’m looking at my life thus far and the future promise I know I can hold onto) what can you legitimately offer to make the space you’ve taken up worth it? Nothing… Yet somehow when we mix who we are with who G-d wants us to be, HE makes us worth something. But He won’t force himself on you or change you without your allowance. You have to GIVE Him the gift of yourself. Which is almost comical when I think of my life ever being a gift I’d want to present to anyone.

((It’s ALMOST embarrassing))

I don’t understand why G-d chose to love me. All I know is that He did.

I don’t understand why I would somehow make an acceptable gift for the Creator. But somehow He sees it in me.

I don’t understand how G-d orchestrates all of our lives into a beautiful array of hope and progress. But oh, He does.

All I can do is be thankful that I live FREE, with a family that loves me, with friends that miss me when I leave, with jobs that are teaching me how to become who I’m supposed to be.
And despite how messy it is, I have a Creator who is constantly changing the image of who I am into who He is and what He wants me to be.

Jesus, I’m not much and I don’t understand what you see in me, but here I am.

My whole heart for You… Happy Birthday (ish)