joy
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What Won’t Change When You’re Married
As a young child, I could hardly wait for my twelve torturous years of school to be over. I would count down the days until I would no longer be chained down by paper and pen. I would finish each school day with the exciting thought that someday soon I would graduate. I would be an adult, and this tiresome time of lessons and homework would all be over.
Yet now that kindergarten through sixth..
Can You Create Your Own Happiness?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve needed to be my own “knight in shining armor”. I’ve tried desperately to protect myself from getting hurt or from being hurt by others. Needless to say, it can’t be accomplished. Pain is unavoidable, or so I’ve learned-the hard way.
Many times, I’ve fought to keep myself from doing things, or going places, or involving myself in things that might hurt me. I..
Remember Who You Are
The other day might have been quite possibly one of the most frustrating difficult days of the entire year for me. I was frazzled, frustrated, scared, lonely, and hurt. I was at the end of my rope and about to break down at any second. I remember walking through the store about to burst into tears so I went into the bathroom to be alone. When I walked in and looked in the mirror I let loose. I cried and cried. I had been holding onto way too much junk and not talking to anyone about it. As I cried I looked down at the sink and saw a piece of a paper towel with handwriting on it. I picked it up and read these words: “Remember who you are”. There were little seagulls drawn around those beautiful words. I don’t know why but this note comforted me more than you would have thought.
A complete stranger had written those words and left them to be found by another stranger. God knew I needed that message. God knew that I needed to remember who I was. And who am I? These last few weeks that is exactly the question I have been asking myself. Who am I in this world? What is my purpose? What if my dreams and desires aren’t what God has planned for my life? What will I be doing 5 years from now? Who am I?
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 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.
Confessions of a Modern Christian Girl
Katherine Hudson was a normal girl living in California… She grew up in a Christian home with her little brother and older sister. Her dad was a pastor and her mother was involved in the ministry as well. Katherine loved music. She loved singing and she loved hearing new music-especially secular music which was not allowed in her home. Katherine knew that when she grew up she wanted to be a singer. She planned on it her whole life growing up.
When Katherine was 13 her parents gave her a guitar. She practiced as much as she could until she was really good. Something happened within the next 5 years of her life. Katherine began sneaking secular music into her room. She broke her parents rules. The more sneaking she did the more she slipped into a secular lifestyle.
When Prince Charming Hasn’t Come by Age 21
( Guest Post )
Since graduating high school almost 7 years ago, I have attended, 6 weddings, been a bridesmaid 4 times, caught 2 bouquets and have attended 9 baby showers all by the age of 24. After being in or attended so many weddings, people start to say the ever popular ‘you’re next!’ phrase. When that happens, simply say ‘we will see’, smile and keep on dancing away.
It’s extremely easy to..
Conquering My Inner Feminist
It’s not fair. Three little words that sparked the feminist movement. Women didn’t think it was fair that men were treated more importantly than women. They thought they were viewed with lesser value than the men and it wasn’t fair. In some aspects this was true and in some cultures today women are treated with little to no respect. But in my personal opinion I think America has become infested..
Being On Fire for God in a Desensitized World
Remember when you first got saved? Remember when you finally realized what it was like to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? A lot of people use the following expression to explain the feeling they had; “I was so on fire for God!”
When was the last time you were on fire for God? Excited about the work He’s doing in your life? Excited to read your Bible and hear from the Lord? Are..
Can I Really Trust God With My Future?
“If I do things my way I will be happy. I can’t trust God with something like this!”
“God’s ways are too religious for me, I need to make things happen my way or else I won’t be happy.”
“Only I know what I need. My future is my problem. Jesus can just come along with me for when I need help.”
“This is too precious a thing to trust God with.”
All of these statements are made from people who have..