Feelings
TagCultivating a Heart of Praise
Do you ever feel like God gives you more than you can handle? Do you sometimes feel like, “wow, God, what are you trying to do to me? Another trial, another hardship?”
Recently, I’ve gone through one of the most trying time periods of my life. I say “time period” because just when I thought one trial had ended, another one began. There was a point where I was scared of something going right because I kept having a feeling that something would go terribly wrong if it did! Long story short, my puppy ran away, got hit by a car, (she’s better now), baby Nolan, (who was 4 months old at the time) and I got in a car accident and my car was totaled; I was out of a car, had back pain, a minor fracture in my wrist, stress, anxiety, the baby was teething, Dylan and I weren’t sleeping, we were easily upset, and a multitude of other issues all happened within a month. I was in and out of doctor appointments every week it seemed like.
I was scared. I was tired. I felt lost.Have you ever felt this way?
The Lies in the Mirror
The car pulled in the driveway, I got out and walked into the house and went up to my room. I looked in the mirror at myself and let out a heavy sigh. How could I have left the house looking that way?
Why are my legs so big?
Why is my hair so flat?
Why can’t I keep a clear face?
The list of what was wrong with my image ran through my mind a million miles per hour. I couldn’t stop judging myself..
How to Be a Woman Worth Pursuing
We’ve written several articles in the past about how to be a godly woman in a difficult generation, we’ve talked about singleness, we’ve talked about relationships, but I thought it would be a good idea to address the topic of how to be a godly woman worth being pursued by a godly man.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what is required. Sometimes you wonder if you are doing something wrong if you’ve..
Navigating the Undefined Relationship
It’s the agony and the ecstasy, isn’t it? An amazing godly man shows interest in you, and you want to know if this is “the one.” Like, now.
Fear looms on the horizon and the emotional stakes are high. You want to do the right thing, you long to honor the Lord, but what does that look like in this undefined relationship? How do you risk the chance at love while guarding your heart from unnecessary anguish?
I spent long years wrestling with this question, and it has been the subject of countless conversations with other single friends. We girls long for clarity, guarantees, and a fail-proof method for falling in love with the right guy at the right time.
But there are none…
I Don’t Want a 50/50 Relationship
Because I’m a young single twenty-something, people often offer me advice about relationships.
They tell me to make sure I’m not being taken for granted.
To make sure I’m getting something back in return.
To make sure the relationships I enter into are two-way streets.
To make sure that I’m appreciated. That my gestures are reciprocated.
I brought you a cupcake at work. Now it’s your turn to bring me one.
And I appreciate all of you people giving me this advice. I know it comes from love. It comes from wanting to see the person you care for valued in her relationships. It comes from being protective. But I have news for you:
I don’t want that 50/50 relationship you’re talking about…
Taking True Love Into Your Romantic Relationships
Somehow she knew he was looking her way. She slowly glanced in his direction to find out. His handsome face smiled at her. Their eyes locked for several long seconds. She shyly smiled back. Invisible sparks flew as butterflies erupted in both of their stomachs.
True love just hit the scene.
Or did it?
The word love comes in all shapes and sizes today.
We, as a culture, use it in a casual moment after we bite into a hot slice of pizza, or a monumental moment as we stand at the altar on our wedding day. Love. Such a short, but powerful word. Most of us say the word love in the moments when we’re feeling happy. When the object or person in front of us is making our life better.
Romantic love takes things a step further.
A Letter To My Twelve-Year-Old Self
June fifteenth of this year marked my eighteenth birthday. By God’s grace, I’ve successfully circled the sun enough times that I’m considered an adult.
When I was twelve I was encouraged by the leader of my Bright Lights group to write a letter to my future self. It’s funny to see how dreams can change over the years. I wanted to share with you the letter I wrote, and a response I wrote to my twelve-year-old self.
Sometimes it’s encouraging to look back and see that some things really do work out how you hoped. And at the same time, the things that don’t turn out how you want them to are God’s way of saying He has something else planned for you.
Confessions of a Lusting Christian Girl
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It had started out as a simple girls night out then it turned wrong. You were spending the night at your friend’s house with three other girls. They decided to watch a movie that you had never seen before. It was a romance comedy. You thought it would be fun to watch and you were also curious to see what this movie was about. Even though you knew your parents would have wanted you to ask them if this was a good movie to see you went against your better judgment and decided to just go with it.
Then you saw it. The sex seen that has stayed in your mind months after even watching the film. You keep telling yourself that it was just a silly movie and that you should just forget about it but when you are in your room and it’s dark, your mind replays that scene from the movie.
Confessions of a Relationship Obsessed Girl
When I was younger I was nailed to the idea that I would be married by age 16 and have my first adorable baby at age 18. I was so excited to grow up and meet my future husband and marry him. I told all of my family and friends that I wanted to get married at 16 and they would giggle and say good luck.
I held on to my dream and wished upon every star and dandelion weed that God would give me a husband to marry. Every boy I met I would “romanticize” my life with. I would match my first name with his last name and write it out on paper to see what it would look like. (Who hasn’t done that, right?)
Well, when I turned 15 Mr. Charming came into the picture. He was perfect. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, and even 3 years older than me. We began talking on a regular basis and he even asked me for my phone number.
Youthful Imaginations that Destroy Us
Have you ever heard of the ripple effect? When you do something that sets an entire plan into motion, when you make a decision that will effect the rest of your life that ripples into other choices you make int he future. The ripple effect is when we do something that ripples into others lives, into your future, into the future of your children and even you grandchildren. The ripple begins with a decision that is made by you.
Decision making is the most important, life defining, memorable, crucial thing you will ever do in your life. The decisions you make are very important. How you make them, how you follow through with them, and how they will define you is even more important…