"You Are Experiencing Spring."

"You are experiencing spring." Those were God's words to me. Simple and sweet. 

God has been showing me that change doesn't have to be a bad thing. Change is something that scares me. I don't like the unknown so I worry. "Trust Me." I try. I'm learning to trust and I'm learning to not be so worrisome about change. So when God compared my experiencing change to something as beautiful as spring, it changed my perspective a bit. 

"Change takes time. Spring doesn't all happen at once." I'm learning to wait in a time of in between. Not yet started or finished. When I don't see immediate results, I get worried. But the time in between can be beautiful if I find the beauty in it. The transfer from winter to spring is a wonderful thing. It's exciting and with it comes a clean slate. Everything is new and hopeful. 

So I wait.

And wait.

And wait...

... And I start to get worried and lose hope. But then God comes and comforts me and whispers to me "I've got you sweetheart." So I take a deep breath and look around. I notice the little things. Like a beautiful sunset or rainstorm. Music. Books. Dance. Clouds. Sunshine.... Wildflowers. I am a wildflower. And right now I'm just now poking my head up from the dirt. So I remember God's words, "You are experiencing spring." and I know I'm going to make it just fine.

"You are my beautiful wildflower. Continue to grow in me."

Love Not Like

I believe you can love someone with a special set apart love, but not like them. It's this odd feeling of "eeerrrrrggggggggg you irritate me!!! Drop dead..." but also "Tell me if you hurt, why you hurt, how you hurt. I want to know and I was to make it better!" It's so strange because these feelings so contradict each other.

I am going through these strange feelings at this exact moment. Something that I've found is that often, these feelings will arise because what that person is going through is similar in someway to something you're going through, or have gone through. Often a characteristic that someone has that irritates the heck out of you... Is something that you struggle with as well, in some way.

So I believe God puts these feelings of love and compassion in you so that you can love this person in situations where others may not.

Don't get me wrong! You. Do. Not. Have. To. Be. Best. Friends. With. This. Person!!!!! But all those times that that person pops up in your mind throughout the day, pray for them. I'm telling you!! For a while, every time this person popped up in my mind I would think ugly thoughts and how much I was upset at that person, but praying for them... MUCH more peaceful and fulfilling. It makes me hopeful and calm.

So don't let that love go to wast. Let God love through you.

Philippians 1:6 He who began a good work in you with be faithful to complete it.

Food for Thought

If someone brings you down, makes you feel bad about yourself, does not make you happy in any little way, and is not a necessary person in your life, do not make them a priority in your life. I mean, there are DEFINITELY some cases where God will put you in someone's life and them in yours to allow us to learn something and to maybe bless or be blessed. Sometimes it's really funny (and maybe a little frustrating) who God will put in your life to love, and no matter how much you want to hate that person, God puts that love inside you. But that being said, there is a time for everything and when the time of having that person in your life has ended, you have to be willing to let go (which can be a very hard and painful thing to do) so that God can bring something or someONE new and better into your life. Being able to let go is so important. And being able to love even when you want to hate someone who has hurt you is even more important.

So yeah... that's my food for thought from God on this lovely night as I sit here with my tea, my journal, and the sunset.

Philippians 1:6 He who began a SPLENDID work in you WILL be FAITHFUL to COMPLETE it.

Free

We're all a little crazy aren't we?
Even the most logical person has a free and silly side.
Even the most grown up have the inner voice of a child telling them to not worry so much.

We all know someone who is so silly and crazy and adventurous and... free. I don't know about you but I love those people! They make me want to be less logical and less of a worrier. Those that know me know me know that I'm quite the logical person.... all the time... Which can be good but also can hinder true happiness, joy and freedom. One of my biggest prayers is for God to teach me to be free. And I'm learning bit by bit.

Some ways to be free and happy:

1. Travel

2. Spend time with people you love and care about

3. Not worry so much about details

4. Eat good food

5. Hug (a lot)

6. Dance in the rain

7. Explore

8. Trust

9 Sing (even if it's off tune)

10. Call someone up you haven't seen in a while

11. Not worry so much what others think

12. Learn to accept change and the good that comes with it

13. Spend time with people who make you laugh

14. Read

15. Remember to keep those who bring you higher, teach you much, make you happy close, and those who don't, be willing to let them go

16. Write

17. Exercise

18.  Learn

19. Try new things

20. Most importantly, pray


I continue to learn everyday. It's not an easy process, but one worth while.

Philippians: 1:6 He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete and perfect it. 

Blessed

Do you people know how blessed we are? I mean reeeeaaaalllyyyy know how blessed we are??? Do you? For the simplest things. A house to live in. Not just a mud hut either. A real house. Good food to eat. Not just gruel either. Yummy fruits and meats and vegetables. A education. It may not seem fun now, but many people don't even get that opportunity! Clothes to wear. And not just a cloth sack, cute clothes. Warm clothes. Clothes just for fun! We have so much!!!!! Even in our hardest times we have to remember what we HAVE been blessed with! I'm going to be honest with you guys. I have been dealing with feelings of rejection and loneliness lately. And I am having to work hard to remember how blessed I am to have people who love and care for me! I have so many friends who have shown me so much love all the time! But these feelings are what I have had to deal with! And it gets better all the time! Praise the Lord for all He has given us! We are truly blessed!

One For The Ladies (And Maybe The Guys!)

Okay so this is more ladies! But maybe you guys might like to read this one too. There are parts that aren't just for girls (just change all the him, he, princes etc... to her, she, and princess.) and the parts that are, maybe it will act as a encouragement to you guys. That there ARE girls out there that...well I guess you'll have to keep reading now to see. ;)

Okay so girls this one is about love, guys, modesty, and how God fits into all of this. As young girls I think most of us dream about being Cinderella and having a prince charming come sweep us up off our feet. Then we would get married, ride off in a beautiful carriage, and live in the castle. Haply ever after. Then we get older and the dream of a actual prince coming to sweep us of our feet is not as strong but now we want a man, strong, sweet, polite, and for me the big ones were and still are having a tender heart for the Lord and being a BIG gentleman. But then....we look around and we see the guys in our life...for me, being homeschooled it wasn't as big a deal because most of the guys I was being raised around were in Christian families. But still... NOWHERE near what the princes in my movies acted like. They were loud and thought gross things were funny. They weren't gentlemanly! They thought teasing us about everything and treating us like well...boys, was okay. Because to them...well to them...they have no idea WHAT we are! We don't think making noises with our bodies is funny. We don't like getting messy. Bugs are gross. And birds are for looking at and not shooting with sling shots! We make no sense to them! So I was a bit discouraged. But listen to me ladies!!! Those gentlemen DO exist!!! I have met so many just at CAIA (my school for homeschoolers I told you about in my other post.) They open doors, carry books, lift things we girls can't lift, say please and thank you etc... But we as girls have to help them out by not dressing in immodest  ways. Just a little on the top or bottom arises things in them that shouldn't be arisen at this time in their lives.

On the rare occasion that a girl is dressed immodestly at our school, the guys tend to migrate away from them, almost avoiding them. Why? Not because they don't like that person! But because they are protecting their eyes. They are christian young men that don't want to have thing arisen in them to early. And right now is to early. So I am encouraging you as the women God put in those men's lives right now, to help them become those prince charmings by dressing modestly, encouraging them when they DO, do something sweet or gentlemanly, and I have found that if you let them help you even if you can do whatever it is they offered to help you with, it makes them feel wonderful! They feel like heroes! Yes I know it might seem silly to us to let them do something we could easily do ourselves, but just try it! Try it for me! You'll see wonderful things happen. You're doing all these guy's future wives a HUGE favor by just doing these simple things!


Another thing to remember is that God is writing your love story! You just have to wait! What if the reason a guy doesn't like you, is not because you're not pretty. But because the man God meant for you lives in Canada and God is preparing him for you. Cinderella had to work for her evil step-mother for a long time before HER prince came! Don't worry, God has him somewhere, preparing him for you!


My dear, sweet brother who is only 11 even said "When we see something, it is burned into our minds and we cant stop thinking about it. Even if we really want to!!"That's why if a girl is dressed immodestly I purposely don't look!' See girls? That's coming from a eleven year old! So just cover up! Do it for your brothers, brothers in Christ, uncles, cousins, grandfathers! Do it for them!

Lord!!! Please Use Me

I am 14 and currently the secretary at my home away from home, The Center for Home Education or as all the kids still call it, CAIA, which is a small out school for homeschoolers. (yes I know that's a oxymoron!) I also work at my church (Gateway) in the children's ministry. So obviously I, being in these positions, have a say in what goes on in the environment around me. But even in being in theses positions where I do have a say, I for the longest time felt that as a young person couldn't do anything for God's kingdom. That I would have to wait until I was old enough to drive, vote, get a job etc... to do anything big enough to make a change. You see, my mother is a person used greatly by God in so many different ways. God has changed soooo many people's lives through her. She was a children's pastor at our small church, for the three years we lived in Odessa and changes countless children's lives there. To me she seemed/seems a hero and I wanted so bad for the Lord to use me like her. That's when the Lord spoke to me. He said. "My daughter, I will, and have used you in more ways than you can possibly imagine. In every place I put you in, I put you there for a specific purpose. All I need you to do is listen to what I am saying to you and do as I tell you to do without hesitation." And I did... Well most of the time. I didn't always listen to what He said. Nor did I always do what he told me to do. But He was and still is patient with me and continually brought me back to where I need to be in His ever gentle way. Now... Well now I am still listening and still trying to do what He tells me to do without hesitation. I still make tons of mistakes!!! But I am trying my best to let him work through me! And when I mess up, my ever forgiving God welcomes me back with open arms and gentle words. So now the question falls to you! Will you let Him work through you??