If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can't buy.

My name is Bethany, and it has been...5 days since my last posting? This is unacceptable. Now how do I choose just what to write about that happened over the past 5 days? Traffic court for expired tags? California Dreaming with sisters in Christ? Results of the job interview? The great teen devo? My atrociously dirty piece of metal on wheels? The new healthful lifestyle Kierra and I are taking on together? The LOST finale? Or maybe...all of these? Probably not, because I like to ramble a bit too much. ;)

Number one: Traffic court seemed intimidating to me before I went. I didn't know what to expect, but it was really nothing. The officer just called me up there, wrote something on my ticket, and told me to go pay $30 up front. The judge hadn't even gotten there yet.

There was a lady there who had a ticket for $89, and she told the officer she couldn't afford it that day. She needed 15 days to come up with it. This made me realize again how blessed I am. I am only a teenager without a job, and I could afford $89 if it was needed. I have so much wealth that I often forget how blessed I really am. My parents both have jobs and I have more than enough food to fuel me every day (which leads to the need for that healthy new lifestyle I mentioned). Though I am comparatively rich, I know many people who are even better off than I am. Their parents buy them everything they want, they have huge houses, expensive cars, every video game console I could ever want, 2 or 3 vacation houses on top of the one the usually live in, etc. Sometimes I look at them and think to myself, "I sure wish I had a house like that with 3 stories, 4 extra bedrooms, a pool in the backyard, a fancy dining table, a 100 inch television, etc." "I sure wish I didn't have to save up my own money to buy an iPod." "I sure wish we could afford to go on vacation to (insert destination here)." As appealing as material possessions may be, there are an abundance of Bible verses that warn against them. I just want to examine a few.

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" ~Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

All I need is God. God is all I need. I have to remind myself of this all the time. I start telling myself that I am lacking in some area of my life, but then I must wonder if that flaw really has any bearing on my eternal soul. If not, I do not have to time to worry about it. For example, I recently rearranged my closet by color only to realize...I do not have a single orange shirt!! What a tragedy! Honestly though, I don't need to make an emergency run to the mall to buy an orange shirt and make my wardrobe 'complete'. If that's the kind of attitude I have, I could make a million more reasons to go out and spend my money. I'll be okay without an orange shirt.

"And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'" ~Luke 12:15 (ESV)

I have seen/heard of many parents who, instead of spending quality time with their children, they give them quality things. They try to buy their children's love and respect. "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Having designer clothes and spectacular light fixtures neither gives us life nor happiness. I would rather live in a tiny house with a loving family than in a mansion with a broken family any day. I picture a house where nothing is ever said between occupants; it's kind of like a hotel. Everyone wakes up early in the morning and does their own thing. Parents go off to work and children catch the bus to school. Kids get home and go to their room where they do who knows what and parents come home, pop a TV dinner in the microwave, and go to sleep. Their is no encouragement going on, no love being shown, nothing being discussed. They may seem happy, and even begin to believe it themselves, because of the physical comforts they enjoy, but what they don't have is that emotional, spiritual stimulation that every human needs because the Lord put that desire in us.

"And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." ~Mark 4:18-19 (ESV)

Material things are deceitful. Deceit is one of the Devil's most successful tactics in drawing Christians away from the Faith and keeping non-Christians from ever being a part of it. He makes this world and the sins in it look so spectacular and beautiful and appetizing, but does not show us the part where we eternally lose our souls for a bit of physical enjoyment. Those "sown among thorns" hear the Truth, but are tricked into thinking that "riches and the desires for other things" are better/more important. In the end, though, "every knee shall bow" to God (Romans 14:11).

Of course, I am not saying that it is wrong to have material thing. There's nothing wrong with having a big house or a large TV or a Wii. The problem arises when one lets it rule their life instead of living for God. The problem comes when one is willing to work longer hours even if it means not having time left to spend with family just so they will have the money to buy that TV. The problem is present when saving up for an XBOX 360 cuts into the contribution one makes to the church or the money they are willing to spend to have someone over for dinner. The minute a person loses track of their priorities, there are a million things just waiting to jump higher and higher on the list that shouldn't be. The minute I put money before God, I have sinned.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." ~Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

I'm LOST, and I don't want to be found.

Namaste.

I've got LOST on the brain. Of any TV show I've ever watched, LOST has been my favorite thus far. No, I have not been watching it for 6 years. Not even one I don't think. I started watching LOST a couple months before this final season started. At the beginning I didn't expect much and thought it would just be another of those I'm-stranded-on-this-island-and-then-I-get-saved kind of show. It turned out to be SO MUCH more than that. I just can't even describe how amazing that show is, minus the sexual content and foul language of course. The story is so complex. There are just so many different elements to what we see on the screen. This show makes you think and plays with your head...just ask Carl how much it messes with mine. :P But now I'm quite sad because on Sunday (probably Monday for me), LOST will be over. FOREVER. :'( I suppose all good things must end at some point. Well, except heaven.

My point, though, is not to advertise for LOST, but to get your opinion on something. I need a LOST shirt. I got some birthday money recently, and I want to spend some of it on a LOST t-shirt, but I simply can't decide which one. There are lots (some I like and some I don't) on this website (http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/losttv?page=1) and then some others scattered that you may know of. Just let me know, kay?

One more thing...theories. For those of you who watch LOST, I want to hear all of your theories no matter how silly/stupid you think they are. You never know with LOST, right? Theories about the ultimate end to the series, theories about questions from past episodes and seasons that have yet to be answered, theories about questions that have not even been brought up in the show. You know, they don't even have to be theories. They can be thoughts or links or...I dunno. Whatever. Just anything. Anything you have to say about LOST, I want to hear it. Now don't be shy, ya'll. ;)

Forever LOST and hoping the same for you,

~Bef

My first car wreck...ever. Plus its aftermath.

Well, here's the long awaited (by me) posting about the 'wreck' I had yesterday. I was on my way from my job interview at Black and Decker to the mall to turn in an application at Journeys. It had been raining all day of course. It's a funny thing because I was thinking earlier that day about how much busier the police must be with car accidents on rainy days. There were two just on the way from my house to the interview. But then I became one.

A person two cars up from me turned without their blinker, so the person in front of me slammed on her brakes. I, obviously, had to put my brakes on, too, but they didn't quite work right. My car skidded and would not stop. I tried pumping the brakes like they taught us in driver's ed, but to no avail. I also tried turning enough to miss the car ahead, but that also did not work seeing as that would have put me in the way of oncoming traffic. In the end, I just broke the plastic on my front right headlight and scratched some paint of her bumper. I guess I did pretty well in improving the situation under the circumstances, though, because I did not hit her very hard. I'm pretty sure it was more mellow that a bumper car at the fair. Now let me make something clear, and I'm not just saying this. I was neither going too fast nor following too closely. It was simply the brakes along with the rain that caused this little problem. Also, there was nothing wrong with my brakes. Any car can skid on a wet road.

Well we called the police and waited for a little over half an hour until they came and said that we could just exchange insurance information and not be given a ticket. So we exchanged information...yada yada yada.

Now this is all fine and dandy until we get a call from their insurance company telling us that she is filing an injury claim. This 20 year old girl and I sat there and had a conversation for half an hour while waiting for the police. We even discussed the fact that there were no injuries because we were saying it would be horrible if it was a worse accident and someone was hurt and they took that long to show up. I hope she is not hurt badly. If she is hurt, I hope she recovers quickly and we can work it all out.

Giving her the benefit of the doubt, maybe the injury did not show up until later. At first I just assumed 100% that she was lying, but a friend helped me to see that that's NOT the only possibility. I mean, she seemed like a nice enough girl. I suppose I don't know the whole situation. I'll just have to wait and find out. I really need to get better about jumping to conclusions. This type of thinking violates several principles set forth in I Corinthians 13: Love suffers long and is kind, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, rejoices in the truth, endures all things, etc. I also need to take a closer look at how to judge with righteous judgement and how not to judge with unrighteous judgement. I've always had a problem with that, but I'm going to start working on it.

Tomorrow, I'm going to their insurance claims office to have pictures taken of the 'damage' to my car. Please pray that I can get it all worked out alright.

So what's the moral of this story? Even if something is an accident or not directly your fault, there are still consequences. In a religious sense, sinning on accident is still a sin that will separate you from God. Take, for instance, the story of Uzzah. (II Samuel 6:1-8) The ark was being brought to Jerusalem and, instead of carrying the ark, it was put on a cart. There was a command for no one to lay hands on the ark of the covenant. While it was being moved, the oxen stumbled, and the ark began to fall. Uzzah reached out to protect the ark, touched it, and was struck dead. Sincerity is not enough to please God, and many today are sincere in what they do and truly believe they are following God, but are still wrong (Matthew 7:21-23). So what do we do about it? How do we know that what we are doing is right if there is so much deceit in the religious world? Study God's Word over man's. Study and re-study to make sure that the things you are told are truly what God intended and have not been altered by the teachings of men.

I know this is long. I'll try to make them shorter in the future!

Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite! :)

~Bef

Catching Up

Okay, first off I have a question. Is it totally crazy to post twice in one day? *sigh* Oh well, I'm going to anyways. I figure if I have something to say, why hold back?

I was told I needed to write about my applesauce biscuits by a certain person named Kierra, so here goes. Red Lobster has wonderful biscuits. If you haven't had them, drop by sometime. they should hired me for advertisement. But when I was younger, we went there all the time and they used to give me applesauce with my kids meal. For one reason or another, I decided to put the applesauce on the biscuits...and it was amazing. Just...I don't know. You can take my word for it or bring applesauce with you next time you go to Red Lobster. Take your pick. Several years passed in which we didn't go to that restaurant...I don't know why...but, unfortunately, they stopped selling applesauce within that time. So now I have to settle for pina colada sauce. I must say, though, it is quite acceptable. It's a good replacement. But I miss my applesauce. :'( Happy, Kierra?

Next up: yesterday's job interview. I applied at lots of places in this shopping center near my house. The one I would want to work at least out of all of them is Black and Decker (a tool and appliance company), but of course they are the only ones that have called me so far. I also applied at the Fudgery (I would love to work there!) and they said they would call me closer to summer. Well I went and interviewed at Black and Decker and the guy just asked stuff like hypothetical questions, why I wanted to work there (:/), etc. He said he had a hard time coming up with questions because I have never had a job before, so he couldn't ask me about those. I suppose it went well. I dunno. In a way, though...I feel like such a selfish spoiled jerk who's not grateful for opportunities I have...but in a way I hope I don't get the job so that I don't have to turn down another job if someone calls where I'd rather work. Advice? Suggestions? What if he calls and says I got the job? Should I take it? I mean, money is money, but...

Okay, I was going to tell you about yesterday's car wreck, but I think this post is long enough...so I suppose I'll just make a third post of the day? Sorry if I annoy you. I never knew I had so much to say.

Ta ta for now.

~Bef

What's Cookin'?

This Saturday, the teenage group at my church is having a devo a Gary and Christy's house and I am going to make cupcakes. Why is this important? Making cupcakes is a piece of cake (Haha). Just follow the directions of the back of the box. But this is different. I'm going to make cupcakes from scratch. That's right. I've never made anything that wasn't the store bought just-stick-it-in-the-oven type of thing, so I hope they turn out okay. But these cupcakes are going to be super awesome. Wanna know why? Because I'm going to make the frosting from scratch, too. They're going to be peanut butter icing on chocolate cake.

I think I've decided I like to cook. I can't wait till I'm a wife/mother and have a family to plan meals for every day. I can use recipes instead of noodle boxes and make grocery shopping lists! :D Now, I know ya'll probably don't see the fun in this, but it's quite intriguing to me. There are just so many possibilities for cooking. There are so many different directions in which one could go! I mean, one night we could have Italian tortellini, the next night have a Chinese pizza, and after that some homemade chicken and dumplings. So much to choose from.

I hope everyone has a splendid day!

~Bef

Starting Out

I'm quite new to this, so bear with me. This blog is more for me than for my readers (if I have any), so take a look if you're ever bored out of your mind. That's probably the only time it will seem acceptable. ;) On the other hand, I'm not saying that since I'm doing this for me, I don't want other people involved; I do. That's what blogs are for, right? :D

So why am I blogging, exactly? That's a good question. I'm actually quite excited to be starting this thing. It's uncharted territory for me, an adventure, and a small step out of my safety bubble. I'm naturally an introvert, so I usually don't talk about myself unless I'm 1) asked a direct question or 2) just trying to make small talk. I don't know where this will go or even if it will go anywhere. Who knows? Maybe I'll be good at it.

So what's in the name? I've been trying to come up with a display name and blog name since...7 o'clock PM. It is now 11:11 PM. I'm not a very creative person, so I mooch off of other people's creativity if you don't mind. Let's start with the username. I was playing off of the whole Tom Marvolo Riddle=Lord Voldemort idea (Yay Harry Potter!). I used a randomizer to scramble all the letters of my full name until I came up with something slightly acceptable. In the end, it turned into Sir Henry V. Osen-Beate. No, I am not from the Middle Ages, nor am I a man. I'm a teenage girl in the twenty-first century, thank you. Now the name of my blog - "Before the Difficult Days Come..." This is a direct quote from my Father found in Ecclesiastes 12:1: "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'" I chose to use this as the name of my blog because that's where I am now. I am in my youth, which is "before the difficult days come" whether I feel like that now or not.

I would like to briefly discuss this verse. I know many fellow Christians who did not know the gospel before they were adults, and I hear that it is very, very hard to break habits that one grew up with. They could not have remembered their Creator in the days of their youth to help them later in life if they did not even acknowledge Him. I am so blessed to have grown up in a Christian household with a faithful congregation to attend for the past 17 years. Still others who have grown up in the Lord's Church did not have faithful Christian friends their age to just be something to fall back on that understands their struggles as a Christian. I have also been blessed here with more than one amazing and godly friend. Christians are my best friends because they know what I mean when, on a hot summer day, I say something like, "I wish I could go to the beach, but alas, I can't." If I say that to anyone else in the world they would encourage me to go to the beach, not seeing why I can't, and that only makes it harder to resist. A Christian friend is worth more to me than any material possession. It is they that lead me closer to Christ and fight with me in the spiritual battle that is constantly taking place. The thing I will miss most when I go to college in a year is my church family. The thing that gives me the most comfort, though, is the assurance that I will still have the same God with me when I leave; the same God that put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and told Noah how to build the ark and made Joseph second in command in Egypt and wrote the words of the same Bible I read today.

One of the most amazing things to me is my significance in God's eyes as compared to my significance in the world. Kierra and I talked about this on the beach at about 11 PM one night. There are 6 billion, give or take, people on this planet. And how big is this planet? 13,000 times smaller than Jupiter and 1,300,000 times smaller than our sun. Yet we see this earth as so huge. But the sun is ginormous, right? Not comparatively. Our solar system is one of many in this galaxy, which is one of many, many galaxies. Instead of listening to me talk, just look at the pictures below. A picture speaks a thousand words, eh? Anyways, my point was that I am such a teeny tiny bit of everything that God created, yet he is my personal God. He allows me to speak to Him through Christ in prayer. I can talk to the person who created all of that. Picture a quark, then an atom, then a molecule, and an organ, a single person, a family, a country, a continent, this planet. Now picture the solar system as you've seen it in textbooks and diagrams. Then picture the next level: the whole galaxy, billions of solar systems. Next comes theuniverse...billions of galaxies that contain billions of everything else previously listed. We hear these numbers all the time, but stop now to really think about how vast those numbers truly are. When there are 100 people in one place, we say it's crowded. What if there were 1,000,000,000 people in one place? They would still be invisible from the perspective of the entire universe. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.

Ok, so I had trouble putting the pictures in how I wanted them. Please help me; I'm technologically challenged. :P That last one is a picture of lots of different galaxies. See how many there are? And that's not even all of them! Pretty cool stuff. Or maybe I'm just a nerd. Either way, God is amazing!

I need you to give me feedback. I didn't expect this post to be this long. Too long? Not too long? Font size too big or small? Any other pointers? Let me know, thanks. It also took me far too long for this first one. I'll have to work on it and hopefully get better. I'm sorry if this was dreadfully boring. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I was going to write about the job interview I had today and how I got in my first car accident ever, but that'll have to wait till the next posting. Looking forward to it.

Live long and prosper. G'night.

~Bef