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YOU'VE GOT TALENT
February 3, 2016 Wednesday
Hello Beautiful,
Read Matthew 25:14-30
The second parable to live by can be drawn from the scripture above. The parable of the talents teaches us not to waste the special gifts that have been given to us. When we read the Parable of the Talents, many times people think it refers to money. However, that is only part of the big picture. This parable or life lesson can be applied to many areas of our lives, but we will discuss the main three: talents, time and money.
You have talents. You may not even realize all the talents that you have yet. I am still discovering talents that I never knew I had. Each of us are talented uniquely. None of us have the same set of talents. Those talents, when put together, make a very special and unique individual. I am a hider. I like to hide behind the scenes, not be seen or heard.
You are talented, beautiful ... use them wisely
Photo of Karissa Hagemeister at Disney World
So in turn, I like to hide my talents - like the last guy in this parable who was thrown into the lake of fire. You see, our talents are not just gifts for us, they are gifts for others as well. We are to use the talents we have been blessed with to bless others. This is a hard thing for me to do but it is well worth it when you see it blessing other peoples lives.
Our time is another precious gift that we have been given and we should use it wisely. Life goes by very quickly. Sometimes faster for one person than another. We should use the time that we are given on this earth to make it a better place. There will be people that come after us and we don't want to leave them a mess. I am pretty good with my time but sometimes I place things as important that are not really important. I regret spending as much time on them as I did. I regret not spending as much time with people that I love. I regret the years that I wasted disconnected from life. But I'm thankful that I am still alive and can work on it while I still have time.
Lastly, money is a gift. Money is not meant to be hoarded or squandered. It should be another tool that you use to bless others. I'm really bad with this one too. I used to be an extreme tight wad. I would not spend my money on anything or anything. About five years ago when my life completely fell apart, I slowly went to the other extreme. Now, I constantly look around my belongings and wonder why I wasted money on this item or that. Something that I used to have so much control over, I can no longer control. But in both cases, I have been selfish. Keeping my " treasures" mainly to myself. I don't want to be that way anymore.
So beautiful, you have been blessed with many talents in many forms. Use them wisely but use them to make a difference in other people's lives. This is the second parable to live by. Have a beautiful week and be a blessing.
Love,
Karissa "Beautiful" Hagemeister
FOR EVERY ACTION ...
February 7, 2016 Sunday
Hello Beautiful,
Read Matthew 25:31-46
This story shows us that each action, no matter how great or how small, has a result or a consequence attached to it. This is the last rule of life that we should live by.
We live our lives, most of the time, for ourselves. I am the guiltiest of all. I would call myself a very selfish person and I have often seen the effects of my selfishness. It breaks my heart to see that I have caused pain where I could have brought healing. It is all because I wanted to care for myself first, or for myself alone. I want to change my mindset, to be less of a selfish person. The mind is where you first make the decision to do something.
If you read the verses above, you will see that our selfishness not only affects us and others here but when it is all said and done, we will be held accountable for all the things that we did or did not say and do.
Sharing is caring. Even in the smallest acts - like sharing an umbrella. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Photo of Karissa Hagemeister and Melissa Snyder - walking in the rain
God watches all the things that we do. When we choose not to care for those hurting or in need, if we turn our back on them instead, we are not honoring God with our actions. We are not being Jesus and love to the world. In turn, we drive ourselves away from God.
W.W.J.D. (What would Jesus do?) bracelets were a popular trend when I was a little girl. It was a good reminder for me to be like Jesus in every situation - knowing that what I did would either bring a smile or frown to Jesus' face.
I don't wear my bracelet anymore but I still try to remember to ask myself what Jesus would do in each situation of my life. I hope that by doing this I am becoming more like him.
I pray that you desire to do the same. It brings life to a more beautiful stage when we are not living for ourselves but for others.
Have a blessed week, beautiful. And be a blessing.
Love,
Karissa "Beautiful" Hagemeister
THE DAY AFTER
February 15, 2016 Monday
You may have had a really bad day yesterday. It might have reminded you of how single you are. Or maybe it reminded you of a bad relationship or an ex that you still care for.
Whatever the case may be, I want to share with you an excerpt from my prayer journal today. The topic was, “God would rather hear about your bad day than not hear from you at all.”
I wrote, “Father, I believe you are helping shape my mind, so as not to see days as bad days but to merely see each situation as it is. There are some little bumps in the road but you are helping me see them as little bumps instead of mountains or giants. Nothing is too great for you to handle. I know you go with me every step of the way. Never do you leave me and never are you thrown off by what happens. Instead, every day is a gift from you. I will thank you and rejoice and be glad in each day you give me, knowing that it is a gift to be treasured.”
Beautiful, whatever bad days you have ahead, I hope you can hear my prayer in the back of your mind. Be reminded that it is just a little bump in this journey of life. God is with you, if you let him, through it all. Have a beautiful week, beautiful, and embrace the bumps ahead.
Love,
Karissa "Beautiful" Hagemeister
Hello Beautiful,
Happy day after Valentine’s Day lovelies!! I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s day but I think that might be asking too much.
Valentine’s day is one of those days where you either love it or you hate it. Those that hate it are normally single. They like to call it “Single Awareness Day.” I am single, so I am not hating on the singles. I have never been in a relationship on Valentine’s day or at all for that matter. So, I have never gotten to experience being lavished with love and chocolate and flowers. I am sure it is a magical thing and will be wonderful when that time does come for me.
Even though I am single and have never “celebrated” Valentine’s day, I absolutely LOVE Valentine’s day. (It might have something to do with all the chocolate). For those who do not, this blog is for you today.
The best is yet to come, beautiful
Photo of Karissa Hagemeister
