Self-Harm Awareness Day was March 1st. March 1st is also the same day last year that my best friend was going to commit suicide. Now, a year later, she went into March 1st fighting her struggles and letting God go before her. She and I even wore orange, which was the the color for Self-Harm Awareness Day. :) Shout-out to my bestie! So proud of you, chick!!
These past few weeks I've been sick over and over. We're talking cold, fever, headaches, not being able to get up, etc. It was bad. But one thing I have been able to come away with is how much QUIETER my life has been. I think God is preparing me for the mission trip I'll be going on in April, and he knew that I probably wouldn't slow down and be still unless I was terribly sick;) I feel very different, and I know he used this time in my life to teach me the value of being still; show me things I didn't see before.
I will say it has drove me crazy to have to sit so much, but I've been able to spend more time with him and I've had time to do things I probably would never have got around to doing otherwise. I've realized, that sometimes its not good to be running all the time. It helps to slow down every once in a while, it really does.
Do you stress out? If so, what happens when you do? Do you try to solve whatever is stressing you?
Talk about stressful moments!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
How He Loves Us
Music is a big part of this blog, and this song is one of my favorites. It is originally sung by David Crowder Band, but I happen to love Kim Walker's version.
So, now that I'm done boring you with the facts, I want you to know, reader who just stumbled onto my page, that no matter what you have done, no matter how great your sin is, no matter what you have been through and no matter where you have been, Jesus loves you SO incredibly much. Sometimes we make things in our lives too important to us and they become idols that control us and make us do unspeakable, terrible things to ourselves and to others. And whether they leaves scars on our arms, our hearts, or both, God wants to take those scars and make them beautiful and give you a taste of Heaven that will change you FOREVER! You will never EVER be the same again!
Listen to this song and really think about it and get into it. Let it move you. Don't exit off halfway through. If you don't have 8 minutes to spare, come back when you do because this song is so amazing. I hope you have a blessed day.
So, now that I'm done boring you with the facts, I want you to know, reader who just stumbled onto my page, that no matter what you have done, no matter how great your sin is, no matter what you have been through and no matter where you have been, Jesus loves you SO incredibly much. Sometimes we make things in our lives too important to us and they become idols that control us and make us do unspeakable, terrible things to ourselves and to others. And whether they leaves scars on our arms, our hearts, or both, God wants to take those scars and make them beautiful and give you a taste of Heaven that will change you FOREVER! You will never EVER be the same again!
Listen to this song and really think about it and get into it. Let it move you. Don't exit off halfway through. If you don't have 8 minutes to spare, come back when you do because this song is so amazing. I hope you have a blessed day.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Hello 2013!
This is my song to bring in the New Year. God is worthy of every single thing, he is holy, he is life, he is everything. He deserves everything I have, my whole life and everything that is dear to me and everything I have ever placed above him is coming down.
Happy new year!
Happy new year!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Life Is War
I am still not sure what to say about the shooting on Friday. It is shocking that a person can look at the faces of 20 children and shoot them. I don't care if he was mental, that's not an excuse to have no value for life, especially one of a small child.
And I am also in shock at the speeches Barack Obama made. I don't know if I should trust it or what to make of it and if he meant it, I don't know if I can trust that he is going to follow through.
Regardless of his good or bad intentions, what he said was true. We have to change. All of us. I cannot express this enough, people have been too lenient for far too long. Our society has gone insane, we embrace sin and indulge in the things we want. We get caught up in our own little worlds, unaware of the bigger story.
That argument you had with your coworker isn't going to matter in eternity. The outfit you wore to that gathering that didn't match? That won't matter either. The mess your kid spilled on the kitchen floor today, the fight you had with your parents yesterday, even the loved one that passed into Heaven last week--none of it matters in an eternal perspective. The man who shot all those people was angry over an argument he'd had the day before, and that's how he decided to deal with it. Sounds like ungratefulness and lack of reality to me.
If we don't change, this will continue. People get violent because they don't think the consequences are that large, and they think that only their feelings matter and no one else's. We all must stop looking at ourselves except to see what needs to change, and the rest of the time? For crying out loud, just love each other! There is no reason for any of this. There is a huge difference in simply disagreeing with someone and/or disliking them, and flat out hating them. That is what leads to these kinds of things happening. Stop hating the person, and start hating what they do! That is what will bring others to the truth, is when we show it to them in a loving way instead of treating them like they should know better, like they are the scum of the earth for not seeing it your way. If they aren't in ignorance, we must still be patient.
Life is not ever going to be easy, Jesus guaranteed that.
Life is war, and we are supposed to fight for our souls and for each others'. We are all called to serve God and each other, no matter what that may require. And when we are down and wounded, we can call on God to help us. Always. And if we refuse to trust God and see that...it's only downhill from here.
We just have to stop. That's all it requires. If we keep doing the same thing, we will keep getting the same result. Nothing changes until we do. Get over yourselves and your problems, we only have a short time on this earth and we have to make the best of it. Life is war, so get up and start fighting. And not each other, our war is with the unseen.
Goodnight everyone.
And I am also in shock at the speeches Barack Obama made. I don't know if I should trust it or what to make of it and if he meant it, I don't know if I can trust that he is going to follow through.
Regardless of his good or bad intentions, what he said was true. We have to change. All of us. I cannot express this enough, people have been too lenient for far too long. Our society has gone insane, we embrace sin and indulge in the things we want. We get caught up in our own little worlds, unaware of the bigger story.
That argument you had with your coworker isn't going to matter in eternity. The outfit you wore to that gathering that didn't match? That won't matter either. The mess your kid spilled on the kitchen floor today, the fight you had with your parents yesterday, even the loved one that passed into Heaven last week--none of it matters in an eternal perspective. The man who shot all those people was angry over an argument he'd had the day before, and that's how he decided to deal with it. Sounds like ungratefulness and lack of reality to me.
If we don't change, this will continue. People get violent because they don't think the consequences are that large, and they think that only their feelings matter and no one else's. We all must stop looking at ourselves except to see what needs to change, and the rest of the time? For crying out loud, just love each other! There is no reason for any of this. There is a huge difference in simply disagreeing with someone and/or disliking them, and flat out hating them. That is what leads to these kinds of things happening. Stop hating the person, and start hating what they do! That is what will bring others to the truth, is when we show it to them in a loving way instead of treating them like they should know better, like they are the scum of the earth for not seeing it your way. If they aren't in ignorance, we must still be patient.
Life is not ever going to be easy, Jesus guaranteed that.
Life is war, and we are supposed to fight for our souls and for each others'. We are all called to serve God and each other, no matter what that may require. And when we are down and wounded, we can call on God to help us. Always. And if we refuse to trust God and see that...it's only downhill from here.
We just have to stop. That's all it requires. If we keep doing the same thing, we will keep getting the same result. Nothing changes until we do. Get over yourselves and your problems, we only have a short time on this earth and we have to make the best of it. Life is war, so get up and start fighting. And not each other, our war is with the unseen.
Goodnight everyone.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Better Days
I hear the popcorn popping. Dad whistling. My mom laughing. My favorite singer on The Voice (Cassadee Pope) singing on the television. I see the lights on our tree, Libby's pretty face, and I think, "Is this real?"
Dad has a new job, and he is like a changed man. You can tell the weight has come off his shoulders. I saw my best friends last night, and I love them to death. Kelsey is even getting into fashion, and she can totally rock the vintage look. My little sissy is growin' up!
And miss Kimberly..precious child. She makes me smile every single time I look at her.
Last year, I posted that all I wanted for Christmas was a chance to find better days. I can say honestly that this has been a very, very tough year. I can't believe we made it. Out of all the pain, the anger, the struggles, depression and even death of loved ones, God has still managed to bring me better days.
Yes, I know, we don't have long till the world "supposedly" ends. Which, by the way, is scheduled before my 16th birthday!! No fair!
Anyway, I thank God for better days. And here is a shoutout to the many people I know who are going through tough things in their lives-
Do not ever give up, my friend. If you are reading this, I know that you doubt you may ever make it, but I am telling you that if you stay patient and push through, you will. God will be there for you every single step of the way. He may not fix it, he is not a genie in a bottle. But he will work everything out for good to those who love him, even the ugliest things. Those things that are glaring in your face and you can't see past them. Addiction, fighting, cancer, strained relationships, financial troubles..whatever it is, let God take it. Just throw it. He is just simple, it is people that complicate it. He will give you truth no matter how hard it is to take and will love you through each and every thing.
I love you. Don't give up.
(Note: sorry this is secular, I couldn't find the Christian version. Lyrics are unchanged, I previewed the video.)
Dad has a new job, and he is like a changed man. You can tell the weight has come off his shoulders. I saw my best friends last night, and I love them to death. Kelsey is even getting into fashion, and she can totally rock the vintage look. My little sissy is growin' up!
And miss Kimberly..precious child. She makes me smile every single time I look at her.
Last year, I posted that all I wanted for Christmas was a chance to find better days. I can say honestly that this has been a very, very tough year. I can't believe we made it. Out of all the pain, the anger, the struggles, depression and even death of loved ones, God has still managed to bring me better days.
Yes, I know, we don't have long till the world "supposedly" ends. Which, by the way, is scheduled before my 16th birthday!! No fair!
Anyway, I thank God for better days. And here is a shoutout to the many people I know who are going through tough things in their lives-
Do not ever give up, my friend. If you are reading this, I know that you doubt you may ever make it, but I am telling you that if you stay patient and push through, you will. God will be there for you every single step of the way. He may not fix it, he is not a genie in a bottle. But he will work everything out for good to those who love him, even the ugliest things. Those things that are glaring in your face and you can't see past them. Addiction, fighting, cancer, strained relationships, financial troubles..whatever it is, let God take it. Just throw it. He is just simple, it is people that complicate it. He will give you truth no matter how hard it is to take and will love you through each and every thing.
I love you. Don't give up.
(Note: sorry this is secular, I couldn't find the Christian version. Lyrics are unchanged, I previewed the video.)
Monday, November 26, 2012
A Link For You!
Read this. So well said! I can relate for sure.
http://chelsgentry.blogspot.com/2012/11/dear-reader.html
http://chelsgentry.blogspot.com/2012/11/dear-reader.html
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Untangle
Yesterday I was putting up our Christmas tree and all the branches were tangled and matted from being in a box all year and, as a lot of you probably know, fixing all those branches to look realistic can be highly frustrating!!
While I was getting impatient, mom walked in the living room and I exclaimed, "You see this, mom? This is my life! Full of stupid, complicated branches for me to untangle!" her answer was something along the lines of, "Yup, mine too."
I know that I should be thankful this week, but as more things mount the less thankful I feel. I thought long and hard about this whole "thankfulness" deal.
What was it about anyway? What good did it do? Would it really hurt to tell God thank you even though I am not doing okay right now? I mean, since when did Jesus ever complain about his life? If he could do what he did for me, who am I to gripe about my problems?
But then I wondered...if he wants me to thank him...then he must have a reason. What was the reason? Did he just like hearing how great he is? Not that he isn't great, but I would have a hard time trusting someone with that attitude, whether they were aware of their amazing ability or not.
I came to the conclusion that he wants us to thank him because its simply the normal thing to do. What do you say when someone does you a favor or gives you a gift? You say thank you.
God has done a lot for us. Waaaay more than we deserve. So whether our branches are still tangled or if they are beginning to straighten out, we need to praise him in spite of our circumstances. Not because he wants to take from us, but because he knows it will increase our joy and get our focus off of our problems and back on him, where we can be content with what we have. And with him, we have a lot.
In the meanwhile, he will help us untangle the branches.
Happy (late) Thanksgiving everyone!
While I was getting impatient, mom walked in the living room and I exclaimed, "You see this, mom? This is my life! Full of stupid, complicated branches for me to untangle!" her answer was something along the lines of, "Yup, mine too."
I know that I should be thankful this week, but as more things mount the less thankful I feel. I thought long and hard about this whole "thankfulness" deal.
What was it about anyway? What good did it do? Would it really hurt to tell God thank you even though I am not doing okay right now? I mean, since when did Jesus ever complain about his life? If he could do what he did for me, who am I to gripe about my problems?
But then I wondered...if he wants me to thank him...then he must have a reason. What was the reason? Did he just like hearing how great he is? Not that he isn't great, but I would have a hard time trusting someone with that attitude, whether they were aware of their amazing ability or not.
I came to the conclusion that he wants us to thank him because its simply the normal thing to do. What do you say when someone does you a favor or gives you a gift? You say thank you.
God has done a lot for us. Waaaay more than we deserve. So whether our branches are still tangled or if they are beginning to straighten out, we need to praise him in spite of our circumstances. Not because he wants to take from us, but because he knows it will increase our joy and get our focus off of our problems and back on him, where we can be content with what we have. And with him, we have a lot.
In the meanwhile, he will help us untangle the branches.
Happy (late) Thanksgiving everyone!
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