When You Want Something, You Get It.

Matthew 19:26

 

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

 

 * * * * *

 

 

Before the saying in the picture is taken out of context, I would like to explain where this saying has brought me this far in my life. These are just some of the instances. There's too many to list.

The first time I told myself, "When you want something, you get it!" I was 14-years-old. It was the cheerleader in me and the Christian in me coming together to create the perfect pep-talk for where I wanted my life to go. 

I focused on journalism in high school and even as a young teenager knew I was destined for that career path. I was incredibly intimidated by college, but I still wanted to do more. Something different. Another challenge. So I decided to take it one step further and leave town. I wanted to be the first of the six kids to continue my education at a different university, in a different city. The thing was, I had never been away from my tight-nit family before. I didn't have a car and I wasn't financially stable enough to be on my own at 18-years-old. But I promised myself I would stick to my short term goals in high school, so I could see that long term goal materialize. 

In my final years in high school, with the helpful advising from my journalism teacher, I told her and others that  I wanted to focus on sports broadcasting and one day work for ESPN. To some it sounded crazy, to those that knew me very well...it sounded like something I would say. To me -- consider it done. And not in the materialistic, bratty type of way. I'm talking hard work, long hours, tough days and an elbow-greasing work ethic. Because ultimately, what you think about you bring about.

Time flew by. "When you want something, you get it!" Was written on my text books, scribbled on notepads,  lip-lined on my mirrors and posted on my bulletin boards in my dorms. The most inspiring was when I would fall victim to the tough days, and my own words were thrown back at me by my family and friends. So I kept going and going. I interned at about every TV and radio station in that town.

 

 

 

It was tough relying on my roommates to drive me around. I decided  I wanted a car. It didn't make much sense considering I was a broke college kid. But it was too late. I said I wanted it. I was determined to get one.

 

The Lord answered, "I can do anything! Watch and you'll see my words come true." -Numbers 11:23

 

One day during summer break, I went to New Mexico with my parents to visit my sister. We drove a couple hours away to Santa Fe. I stared at the miraculous spiral steps that were made of wood, water and pegs. I was at the Loretto Chapel. No one knew the man who built the steps, but it is said Saint Joseph did it himself. The structure and design was beyond it's time and is still to this day considered a magnificent display, which in a way, floats up without any support. I stared. Those Sisters of the Chapel were in need of a staircase. But the church was to small to fit one to reach up to the space intended for the choir above. It just didn't make sense and wasn't going to work. But those Sisters, they didn't give up. They made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. Out of nowhere, a man came with minimal tools, created it and left, unpaid. This is where I believe, when you want something so badly and you place your prayers and petitions in front of the Lord, He will bless you inline with the desires of your heart and as He sees fit.

 

 

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." -Matthew 7:7

 

 

We prayed together and asked God to hear our prayers. To give us a sign. We went to the gift shop and I just wondered around, ready to make the trip back to Albuquerque. I came across this green, beaded rosary that hung right in front of me. It caught my attention. So I decided to buy it. When my sister saw what I was getting, she said, "Did you even read this? It's for a car's rearview mirror! Why don't you get a different one?" 

 

I looked down at it. I was shocked. I had no idea. But He did. I felt a strange amount of joy and hope. I smiled and confidently said, "I know. It's because I'm going to get a car in a couple of months. This is for my car."

 

She raised her eyebrows, tried to cover up a confused chuckle when she saw I was serious and then shook her head as to say okay, okay whatever.

 

A couple months later, I hung that green, beaded rosary in my red, 1999 Dodge Neon that I found on my own in great condition and paid in cash. Today, two cars later, this rosary still reminds me...

 

 

 

 

  * * * * *

My time in college away from home, was one of the biggest learning experiences of my life outside of the classroom. It toughened me up. Made me independent and molded me into who I am today.

 

And. Just. Like. That. 

 

I looked up at my entire family in the arena and walked across the stage in they city of Lubbock. I received my degree in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Exercise and Sport Sciences from Texas Tech University. It worked. I got what I wanted.

 

A couple months later was my first TV gig in Amarillo. Then El Paso. Then I was hired by ESPN Dallas, and at the time it was owned and operated by Disney. In a huge sports city. The real deal. An amazing experience.

 

 

Then it was ESPN El Paso. Today, It's ESPN San Antonio. With a whole lot of little goals met in between. All because of that saying.

 

And now...

Whatever I pray, want, need, hope for and work hard for...

well, that's next.

 

;)

"Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4

 

 

 

#crystalscorner

 

What to Expect, When You're Expecting...

Not a baby, I'm talking miracles.

This has nothing to do with morning sickness, trimesters or cravings -- but rather what to expect when you're expecting more from this life when times are troubling.

Take this moment. Think about a circumstance of which you feel is out of your control, a situation you have gotten yourself into that threatens to scar you for life or an illness a doctor tells you leaves you with only six months to live. Now breathe in a new frame of mind and exhale the overwhelming negativity this world engulfs you in on a daily basis. I hope what follows changes you, your mind and your life.

*****

Don't ever give up when life deals you a bad hand. There's always more than one way out. If you believe what everyone else is telling you is going to happen, you set yourself up to conform to the norm. Sometimes you may not be surrounded by the right crowd and their two cents may add up to nothing more than negativity and misery. Even pure reality gets in the way of hope, dreams and prayers. One of my favorite inspirational speakers/authors, Joyce Meyer, says it best: When you have a problem go to the THRONE not the PHONE.

While it's good to hear the advice of others or talk to someone who can relate to what you have endured, that shouldn't be your last stop in search of hope. It actually shouldn't be your first. Make daily pit stops with God. Check in. See if you're on the right path for that day. Speak aloud you're mess and await the Lord's message.

I have reached a point of maturity in my faith, where I can hear the voice of God. You've heard it too. But the key - is recognizing it. It sounds like my best friend's voice when she calls out of nowhere with encouraging words. How funny? How'd she know I needed that spiritual lift? It sounds like a voice on the television which seems to be talking to just me as I turn the channel at just the right time. It's an act of kindness from a complete stranger that looks at you like you've met before. Most typically, I hear the voice of God the clearest in complete silence.

It's time to break free from what's deemed the norm and patterns of this world and think positive beyond what your comfort zone allows. When you stay idle in life because you're afraid to take a leap of faith, you have fenced yourself in the ideals of this negative world. You stay still. You go nowhere.

The thought process of a realist is legit; conforming to all laws and rules. However, it's the life of a true believer that I want. I strive for. I know is possible. When I want something I get it and may I add - through the power of Christ.

When you're waiting for a miracle, sometimes it's hard not to give into the everyday realities and struggles of life reminding you, maybe you're in too deep. You've seen the results. You've read the statistics and you've heard history repeats itself. So why is your circumstance any different? Because quite simply -- you believe.

                               "We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight" 

                                                                                            2 Corinthians 5:7

The laws of gravity weigh us down. It's proven. If I let go of a glass vase it will fall apart and lay broken. But the laws of gravity must not hold us down. If I Let Go and Let God - my life will fall together.

When you roll out of bed mad at the day before it's begun, slapping the snooze button repeatedly and dreading the work or school day before your feet hit the ground -- I bet you're bound to stub your toe, spill your coffee and misplace your keys. 

Its the law of attraction. It's been said, what you think about you bring about. Your words are very powerful, so choose them wisely. A positive outlook on any situation in life gets you places beyond your highest expectations. My sister Monica, in her distinct and blunt way of saying things, reminded me in my weakness, "Remember you are a woman of God. When you wake up and your feet hit the ground you want the devil to say 'Oh Shhh! Crystal is awake!'" That's when you put the armor of God on.

        "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

                                                                                      1 Peter 5:8

I by no means, am not saying I don't fall victim to my carnal flesh. The ideals of this world. The temptations lingering at every corner or the negativity that drowns the airwaves and workplace. I have bad days. I hear my own complaints roll off my tongue too easily. But as long as I recognize it, and put a stop to it before it materializes into something bad, I can move forward and renew my faith in that moment.

“Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
                                                                                                                    Matthew 17-20

In the Bible, Matthew takes record that Jesus was not the only one to walk on water. In Matthew 14:22-33 it says Jesus asked Peter to get out of the boat and walk to Him. Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Peter stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. When he took his eyes off of Jesus and took notice of the terrible winds and waves he began to sink. He cried out to Jesus!

Immediately Jesus reached out and saved him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?

 *****

A plaque in my room reads, "When Life Gets to Hard to Stand...Kneel." I agree. I have learned that Jesus will save me when I cry out to Him, but I have also found the favor of the Lord at it's peak when I kneel down, give Him all the glory and thank Him instead of using Him as a backup plan. That's when I see God at His best. Replacing my mess-ups with miracles.

It's simply said, but it takes courage! So I hope you do not conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2) or let gravity hold you down. I hope you step out of whatever boat is keeping you from the Lord and may you give birth to a new outlook and attitude on life when you're expecting -- your miracle.


"It's honest to God the most important song I’ve ever written in my life, and it has the fewest words..." John Mayer on his song Gravity