Marie's Prayer: Building 429's "Glory Defined"

there's always a bridge that needs crossings

Whenever I get through a difficult Time in my life, there Always seems to be Something else that needs to be done. I need to realize That when I need to cross a bridge I can Call on God to help me. Because no matter what, I will get over the bridge.

Marie's Prayer: Jars of Clay's "Unforgetful You"

I never thought to ask You
I always thought You knew

You know what? I never Actually asked God for anything Before. I always assumed He knew what I Wanted/needed. I know now that you can't Expect something to happen If you don't ask for it. Even though God is All knowing, you have To appreciate this fact And ask Him and He, being the Father, will listen and do What's best for me. All of a sudden there's This big lightbulb going On over my head: Eureka!

Marie's Prayer: Big Daddy Weave's "For Who You Are"

Seems too high for me to reach
To wrap my mind around the mystery

I'm short. This being the case, many things are too High for me to Reach. I like thinking of God this way because it is easier To picture. And being short, I have Learned many ways To make myself a little taller. Likewise, I can make myself Taller in reaching God by praying and Listening and just doing nice things.

Along with being Short, I am a writer. That is why I like the word Mystery. For a character to Be realistic, they have to be Multifaceted. Some of these Characters have so many facets, that it becomes Hard to distinguish which facet of them is the true self. I know that God is 3 persons, so I have to know which person Of God to direct things to. Being a mystery is one of the Things that makes God so amazing.

Marie's Prayer: Matthew West's "The Next Thing You Know"

Well, I wish I could say
I always stayed right there

I wish I could Always stay right there. Picture it, the best Day of your faith life. Now Picture everyday with you at that same place. Sounds nice doesn't it? It does To me. If I was as Enthused about God as I could be everyday, It would be amazing! But we stray, it's human nature, but What I also know is that it's Human nature to Want to be right there, as close to God as possible. So I strive for that, I strive to be right there At the height of My spirituality at all Times.

Marie's Prayer: Pillar's "Let it Out"

And I cry out, "Can You help me, please?"

I hate asking for help. I feel vulnerable and Helpless and I Absolutely hate it. What I need to realize is That I can't do it All on my own. So, for once, I will cry out For God's help, not because I'm desperate, but because God can and will Help me when I ask for it. Instead of trying everything else first And waiting to Ask God until I'm out of options, I will Call upon God first. Because if He can't help Me, no one can.

Marie's Prayer: Delirious?'s "Gravity"

Memories fade while experience beckons
I'm caught in the middle which way should I go

I hate Making choices. If someone comes up to me and says, "Pick which One you'd like to do," I will refuse to pick. I tend to get stuck in the Middle and don't know which way to choose. This proves difficult when I have To come up with a Solution for one of my characters when I write. But I tend to try and stick towards the memories Opposed to the experience because even though I know Experience is good, I always look at what could go wrong. So now I have to take The giant leap into experience. One, two, three, Here I go!

Marie's Prayer: Jump5's "Wonderful"

I'll never have the words enough to tell you how I feel

I could type for hours And hours explaining how this lyric applies to My life. But if I did, it would Negate what the words are Saying.

Marie's Prayer: Casting Crown's "Life of Praise"

Not just for the change You've made in me

This sentence really Interests me. I tend To be One of those people who Look at God as someone who changes You and is there when You need Something big to happen. But He's there even in the Silence. He's there when you Do the same thing you do Every other night of the year. It's not Just about change. Truth be told, I am Not a big fan of Change. Like most, I fear the Great unknown. Even though I have changed So much, even in this past year, I have to realize that God is there in the Sameness that is everyday Life.

Marie's Prayer: Michael W. Smith's "I Will Be Your Friend"

I'm saying I will be your friend

Saying doesn't always mean doing. No matter what you say, or how much you promise, words are only words. If you put meaning to these words and actually act like a friend, that's what counts. You can't just be a friend in name, that doesn't work. Also, friendships shouldn't just be convenient to you. A true friend is someone who will stop whatever they're doing to help you when you really need it. A true friend knows you're sad even if you say everything's alright. That's what I want to be. I don't want to be a friend in name, I want to be a friend in truth. And who better to look up to than God? He's the Ultimate Friend, He leads by example and hopes that one day the world will catch on. So I'm taking the hint and will never just say that I'm a friend.

Marie's Prayer: Kutless' "Let You In"

In my mind, I'm still fighting to understand

Okay, so I may not Have told you all this, but earlier in The year there was a point Where I thought I might Have cancer. Even now, months later, my mind is still fighting To understand that I'm okay. I have this fear that One day I'll get a call and have cancer. I know This is crazy, but it keeps happening. I keep feeling Like something big and Life changing is about to happen. I can't understand that I'm actually Fine. And it's scary, no joke. I'm scared that There's something wrong with me. But there's not. So I pray every night that God gives me the understanding I need.

Marie's Prayer: LaRue's "Waiting Room"

Oh, everything will be alright
And everything will be OK

I try to believe With all my heart that one day Everything will be ok. Because If you don't believe that things Have the possibility of Looking up, then you are not Going to enjoy anything. And for that matter, If you don't believe God can make everything Ok, then you really have No hope in anything, which is truly sad. So I look on the bright side. Or at least I try to because, everything will work out Like it's supposed to.

Marie's Prayer: Falling Up's "Divinity"

And take, take your time
But move so fast

This really strikes Me. How many People will tell you To take your time When all they Really want is For you to do/be there now? I do it. I'd be lying If I said I didn't. That seems To be how people Are. They're all about That instant gratification. The Want for something to be done As fast as possible. But what people Don't understand is that sometimes things Take time. And maybe you ask God for something and The next day you don't get it. That doesn't mean God Didn't hear you, it may just mean that He's working on it. So let people take Time to accomplish things.

Marie's Prayer: Matt Maher's "Everything You've Done"

Celebrate everything you're doing

I don't celebrate myself enough. I realized this yesterday as I celebrated the successful start of my collaborative vlog. Actually, I don't think I've ever actually celebrated anything I've ever done. And that's kind of sad when you think about it. I've celebrated things others have done, but never me. So I'm going to try and do that more often. Because if I can't celebrate me, what can I celebrate? I need to learn to appreciate me because God made me in His image and I should celebrate that. Yay God!

Marie's Prayer: Andy Colininger's "Ascribe to the Lord"

To redeem the lost

I have been lost so many Times that I have Lost count. Ha ha, yeah I know How weird that sounds. But no joke, Whether it be Lost in person Or lost in mind or Spirit, I can't keep track. How nice Would it be to one Of those Times Just have someone there to say,"oh yeah, go That Way,"? I would much appreciate that. I realize That God is there to do this, so Maybe I should Look To Him when I'm lost. And I will. I know that If I lose my way I can look To Him and He will save me.

Marie's Prayer: Charlie Hall's "All We Need"

You can have all my hands can hold
My heart, mind, strength and soul

I am constantly trying to strengthen my mind, I read almost constantly. I recently finished an amazing novel by John Greene called Paper Towns. This book was funny, but also got me thinking about the way I see things. Anywho, I give up so much of my time widening the capacity of my brain by reading, but I should also start widening the capacity of my soul and heart by praying. I have trouble with this because I like being able to read off things or write them down myself, but praying for me is just saying what's on my mind. I find it hard to read or write down precisely what I want from prayer and that really bugs me. I need to just set time aside and talk, and then listen. I like listening because it is hard for me to voice my opinion. It is easier for me to listen, but I have to remember to ask to, for help when I really need it.

Marie's Prayer: Tim Hughes' "Oh Happy Day"

I'll never be the same

Thinking about this lyric reminds me of how many times I change my mind at the last minute and I never have the same opinion on the things I thought I was so sure of. Lately I have begun to wonder if I am Bipolar. I have reason too because my grandma's nephew is Bipolar and I have to admit I have wild mood swings. I don't usually have the same outlook on things one moment to the next and I am never the same. This really affects my spiritual life because one moment I can be "Alright, prayer! Yes!" and the next thing I know, I am doubting everything I believe. I have to realize that I probably will never be the same. And sometimes, that's okay.

Marie's Prayer: Jars of Clay's "Dig"

there was a time when i might have surrendered
but not now

I have made a decision about myself very recently. I have decided that I will stick to things even if people look at me funny for doing it. Or if the task becomes difficult, I will stick to it. I used to surrender so easily thinking that it was easier to be passive and not get into the middle of things. But now I realize how many things I've missed out on because I let others win or take control. The only person that can control my life besides me is God. No one can take my freedom from me and I have to speak up for myself. Just because people whisper or get upset doesn't mean I should miss out.

Marie's Prayer: Falling Up's "Symmetry"

When you complicate, you are left behind

I have a friend that is straight to the point. He hates when people aren't up front about things and hide their feelings. I find that when I say something, but mean something else, he doesn't catch on because he's so up front that he expects everyone to be that way. I like this because there's no hiding, no complication. When you complicate things, you leave the reality behind waiting to be uncovered. And it sometimes is never uncovered, left to rot in the hole that you buried it in. Then one day you realize that this hole is inside you and it's eating you up. Nothing is ever left behind when you really think about it. So when you choose to complicate things you might think you're leaving it behind, but you aren't. Everything you felt or did has some impact on your life no matter how small the situation seems, so don't complicate it. Be right to the point with what you feel, even if it's hard.

Marie's Prayer: Jump5's "Throw Your Hands Up"

Never stop, we'll keep on moving

This world is a go, go, go place and we never stop moving. That is one of the things I want to work on, making time to just sit and think. Everything is fast pace and people want to move faster and before you know it, you've moved past someone that might mean a lot to you. I just don't want that person to be God. We should never be in such a hurry that we lose sight of the important things.

Marie's Prayer: Salvador's "Shine"

I’m not the man I was before

Everybody changes more than they can possibly imagine. I never thought that I'd have written a novel or be started on one that is basically my emotions on paper. I never thought of myself as a writer before highschool. I'm not the same person I was even last year. Life experience change people's views on a daily basis. Oddly enough, I wouldn't go back to who I was. Why would you want to undo anything, even bad things, when they have the possibility of making you a better person? Obviously those things happened for a reason. Even if I don't know the reason right now, I know that it was what God meant for me. I just have to remember this on days when I'm particularly down in the dumps, like when my depression acts up. Because if it's meant to be, it's going to happen according to God's will.