the peace of God!

‎"The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

- Philippians 4:5-7

Average Girl

So what I'm not your average girl I don't meet the standards of this world Chasing after boys is not my thing See I'm waiting for a wedding ring No more dating I'm just waiting Like sleeping beauty My prince will come for me No more dating I'm just waiting 'Cause God is writing my love story Boys are bad that's certainly not true 'Cause God's preparing one for you If you get tired waiting till he comes God's arms are the perfect place to run

- BarlowGirl: "Average Girl"

Courageous Enough to Grow Up

This quote seems remarkably fitting to many thoughts I have been having recently:

“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.” - E.E. Cummings

Dancing with Delight!

‎"The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance."

- C.S. Lewis

Living a Life of Thankfulness

"What a difference a day makes..." or in my case, a weekend! Lately, my emotions have been rather out of control as I let the transition to college, overwhelming assignments, exams, and papers rule me. This weekend, though, I finally stopped, took a deep breath, and realized that my focus had been completely wrong. I had been focusing on all the [comparatively] trivial things of this world and completely forgetting that I am a daughter of the King of all Creation! In light of this amazing fact, what do the other things matter?

So, ever since this weekend, I have been making a concentrated effort each day to live my life remembering who I am and who I serve. When things get stressful or annoying, I take a deep breath and remember that God is sovereign over all these things! It is truly amazing what a difference this has made in my attitude, my days, and my overall college life. I have smiled so much more lately. I have been singing (much to the annoyance of my roommates) more often. I have laughed, just because I can. I have remembered that God is my Father, and this truth has given me a joy that I was lacking before! Do I still get stressed? Of course, but instead of focusing on that and letting it ruin my day, I focus on God and everything He has done in my life, instead. All of a sudden, I find that I can manage what I have to do, step by step and a day at a time.

More than anything else, I have found myself much more thankful lately. As I spend my days focusing on my amazing Savior, every little thing is another reason for praise and worship. Even the annoying things usually have some aspect for which I can be grateful.

Most of all, I am grateful to God for refocusing my attention this weekend and making me live a life of thankfulness to Him! I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my time!

Finding Beauty in the Creator

‎"O God of hosts, restore us to our own; smile upon us and we shall find deliverance. For wherever the soul of man may turn, unless it turns to you, it clasps sorrow to itself. Even though it clings to things of beauty, if their beauty is outside God and outside the soul, it only clings to sorrow."

- St. Augustine, Confessions

Better is One Day in Your Courts!

‎"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

~Psalm 84:10-12

"the lion of justice and the fair maid of hope"

"It seems to be one of the very principles of our enlightened nature to believe that God is just; we feel that it must be so, and this gives us our terror at first; but is it not marvelous that this very same belief that God is just, becomes afterwards the pillar of our confidence and peace!......My faith rests not upon what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, what he has done, and what he is now doing for me. On the lion of justice the fair maid of hope rides like a queen." ~Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

Made, Chosen, and Adopted by GOD!

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth..." (Genesis 1:1) This is such a familiar verse that people often brush over it without a second thought. Tonight, as I was reading my Bible, I stopped right there and thought about it. God created the heavens and the earth. God created this earth. He chose to make this place where we reside. He was not lonely, He did not need us for any reason, but He chose to make us...for His own glory! This is an amazing thought to me!

Taking it a step farther, He chose to make me! I often fall back into the thought that I just exist, or that God created me because He had to, like He set up an assembly line of creations and I just happened to be on it - almost like I was a mistake. Then I realize the wrongness of this thinking. The fact that I exist on this earth is evidence that He desired to make me, exactly as I am! And, as if this was not amazing enough, He didn't just make me and leave me on the earth. He guides my every step and ordained my whole life! He didn't just leave me as His creation (an honor which is enough to call for a lifetime of worship), but saved me and chose to call me His daughter!

I have been created. I have been saved. I have been chosen. I have been adopted. I am loved!

Are there words to express the wonder of these truths?! When the world seeks to tell us that we're not good enough, these truths should be enough to shut off that voice! The world may hate us, but we have been chosen by the King!! Who cares about the rest?

Refocusing My Spiritual Lenses

So, I have been at Berry College for almost six weeks now and it's been a roller coaster ride every day of those weeks. I think I have covered every single possible human emotion in the past six weeks and, let me just say, it has been exhausting! Yet I have made it thus far. This weekend has been a time of reflection, contemplation, and refreshment for me. I have been so stressed, worn out, and pressured lately that I think somewhere along the line, I lost my focus and, to some extent, my identity. I started acting, to a certain degree, like everyone else and responding to stress and homework like everyone else would. I forgot that, for me, this world is not my home and this life is not meant to be my primary focus. I forgot that I am GOD'S CHILD! I am a daughter of the King! Even though I am in this world and in this world, there will be tribulation, I have a God who I can trust and lean on. I don't have to tremble and shake when the world attacks me, because I have an omnipotent God who fights my battles. I have been depending on my own strength far too much in these recent weeks. Last night and today, however, I have managed to stop and have been remembering that my thoughts should, first and foremost, be focused on Christ and then on everything else. When there are huge exams and papers looming, I need to do my best with the time I have, but while I am studying and working, I need to remember God's sovereignty and grace. He will get me through this and, if I depend on Him, I can stay joyful and peaceful, knowing that He is in control and He will be my strength!

In Pursuit of JOY

There is an adjective used in the Bible on occasion that I have found to be rarely used in modern societies in general - the word being "joy". So many people say that they want to be happy or successful or even content - not bad things in their own right. However, you rarely hear someone say that they want to be joyful. What is the difference between happiness and joyfulness, you may ask? Happiness tends to describe an outward, sometimes superficial and transient emotion, based often on the people, events, or objects in our lives. Joy, in contrast, is a deep-seated emotion that is not rocked by the beatings of this world or dependent on any one person or "thing", but transcends beyond them to a level completely unknown to those people not belonging to the King. I would even go so far as to say that joy is a form of contentment, or perhaps the other way around. When you are truly joyful, there is an inherent peace that comes with it. I think it is even possible to be joyful in one's sorrow. This may sound like a contradiction, but I believe in certain instances, it may not be. For instance, one may be joyful at the death of a loved one when one has the assurance that that one is with his/her Father...one will still be sorrowful for their own loss on earth, but there is a deeper feeling that eventually overcomes that pain.

I know that more than anything else in my life, I long to have true and complete joy! In the Gospel of John, we learn exactly where to find this joy:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:9-11)

My Observations

The title of this post is probably a good indication that college is starting to take a toll on my creative and analytical abilities. Though it is only a quarter through the semester, I can already feel my brain start to feel confined by essay prompts and thesis statements. After a long summer of writing freely - without due dates or regulations - it is difficult to get back into the groove of academic writing. Nevertheless, as my mentor reminds me frequently through her comments and her own attitude, writing academically can be just as satisfying as writing "freely" given the right attitude and enthusiasm. I am determined to improve my own writing skills and to increase my knowledge as much as is feasible through this college experience. So I will go through the sometimes stressful and frustrating process of college papers, trying to keep my attitude as positive as possible until academic paper-writing truly becomes enjoyable and fulfilling again. As a college freshman, I am surrounded with people who are much more skillful and accomplished writers than I am. This is a humbling experience, but it is also an inspiring one as I use their skill to motivate me to become truly good myself. I am convinced that staying in a place where you are the most learned of your field is not as profitable and rewarding as being in a place where you are constantly challenged, motivated, and inspired to reach greater heights of accomplishment!

Wanting to Want Him!

‎"If you don't want God, why are you so anxious to want to want Him?"- C.S. Lewis in response to a question about how to make oneself want to want God enough to really seek after Him