Part of trusting the plan is trusting that if God has a husband for me, He'll make sure we meet! Nothing I do or don't will change His perfect timing, so I don't need to waste time, energy, or worry on trying to meet someone in my own striving. If it's gonna happen, it'll be in God's timing. Singlehood isn't some bachelorette season to wile away, drinking mimosas & pinning wedding vision boards. What if God does have a spouse for you? Are you ready to be a good spouse? While you're waiting for Mr. Perfect, are you working on being the good wife he deserves? What if God doesn't have a spouse for you? Are you gonna waste time wishing that you could change the perfectly orchestrated plan for your life because the broken world tells you it's not okay to be called to be single? We can't waste the season(s) of singlehood naively complaining that God's perfect plan-- for your good!!-- doesn't reflect the expectations of a broken world.
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Know your limitsYou are allowed to eat or sleep rather than squeezing in that last bit of work. Allow yourself to set and respect personal boundariesFocus on your priorities when you say yes or no. Encouragement aboundsMusic, quotes, and more! Don't let yourself slip into a wallow. Surround yourself with quotes that spark something inside of you. Curate a playlist when that makes you feel on top of the world. And don't be afraid to face-lift your encouragement often! Reach outParents, friends, roommates... Sure, it might not be their job to "fix it", but ask them for their support! Cut yourself some slackEvery day does not have to be perfect, but motivate yourself towards the potential of the moments. Social distancing does not mean self-isolationHello, it is 2020. We have SO MUCH technology and media that we can use to stay connected. Almost every platform that you already use plus a bunch of others offer video chatting features. You can still safely go to your favorite places AND this is a great opportunity to scout for new places. Note from me...Hey readers. I wrote these before quarantine and stay-at-home regulations, but the draft fell into the "I'll do that later" category. The fact that there is a pandemic happening should not surprise anyone who calls yourself Christian. The world is broken! No, this disease is not by or from God, but you know what? God is still in control. He did not send it, but He allowed it (Job 1:12; Job 34:10). It is not from God, but He will work it to the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Even with this confidences, I still can't tell you WHY. But an idea?... Has your relationship with God become a "do that later"? Not ~religion of~ God, but a ~relationship with~ God. God is not oblivious to your grief, panic, anxiety, stress, overwhelm. Talk to Him. Sit with Him. Lean in, and know that we will all get through this. <3
Today, I"m blogging to blog. I put this poem on this post because I like this poem and I've had it saved on my computer. Over the past few months, I've realized that I need to listen to myself, every part of my self. If I want to do something, it's probably because (shocker) I actually want to do it.
Purely, simply, deeply, joyfully. I use a planner I keep my space organized I am growing three aloe plants in novelty mugs, and I am nourishing a mini succulent that I've had for 3 years I go to bed early some nights I stay up passed midnight playing Nintendo Switch with my friends some nights I exercise a lot some weeks I don't exercise for a few weeks I spend time making myself a brewed coffee even though I can walk across the street and buy one that tastes better (read: has way more sugary goodness in it) I room with my twin sister at college I choose how I worship God I learn American Sign Language I post inspiring quotes and Bible verses where I can see them daily I sleep snuggled up with some stuffies I write to my penpal in Michigan and to my Grandpa I adore all things snail mail and stationery related I spend four hours straight organizing in a state of calm bliss I put on eye liner on a non-occasion day to get back into practice with it I blog... all simply because I want to. Not everything in life needs to have a deep meaning. Not everything in your life needs to be approved by everyone else in your life. Just let yourself go and live out the smallest details and quiet moments of your life. Purely, simply, deeply, joyfully. Do you have a man-sized or a God-sized perspective of life? Photo Credit: Grace Community Church on Instagram-- here! The world is always displaying the biggest flashiest neon distractions in our face. Focus on this high!! Focus on this low!! Look over here at this!! Envy this person!! You must denounce this idea!! This is more important!!
- The world is really, really loud. No matter what it is, good or bad, happy or sad, it’s loud. But at the beginning and end of the day and every moment in between, the Spirit is there, whispering to you. - Hey. Look here. Check this out. I have peace for you. I have comfort for you. I have a sense of contentment for you. I have rest for you. - I know this past week has been a nightmare for a lot of people. I’m not saying forget it, but I am saying, let’s adjust our perspective. Away from the world’s woes and towards God’s goodness. - The world might be loud and flashy, but God is constant. And that’s what we are all really looking for in the end. I learned so much about myself, my God, and my faith. My True Images Bible I got the idea in my head to read the entire Bible before I went to college I got the idea in my head to read the entire Bible before I went to college. I had never succeeded in finishing the Bible-- I had tried at least two other times to read the whole thing. I had, like most people, gotten bogged down in the Old Testament and just never pushed through. Of course, I had been reading my Bible, but I wanted to read it through its entirety. I wanted to read it before college because I knew that college, and the people I would meet, and the different lifestyles and ideologies I would encounter there would all challenge my faith. It was important to me to read the Bible then to have a refreshed understanding of my faith, and to understand it more before it was challenged.
I was getting ready to go to college, so, as I mentioned, I wanted to strengthen and take charge of my faith. And it was summertime, so I had ample time to dedicate to reading the Bible. I did the math and found that I had to read 16 chapters a day to finish the entire Bible in a summer. Ambitious, I know. If I had stuck to 16 chapters a day, I would have finished the Bible that summer. But, some days I was lax, some days I didn't have the brain power to digest what I was reading, and other days I just didn't take the time. However, I did finish the Old Testament before I left for college. It took me my freshman year of college and the following summer to finally finish the New Testament. I let reading my Bible fall down in my priorities throughout the school year as I adjusted to college, and, when I did sit down to read, I never read 16 chapters at a time. So, while it took me a year and a summer to finish the Bible, I know that at no other time in my life would I have stuck with it and finished (as evidenced by the past attempts).
I also switched churches during high school which hugely enriched and challenged my faith. I've learned about biblical authority (how the Bible is the authority of our faith) so I wanted to actually know what that authority says. I've learned that the entire Bible is about Jesus-- the New and Old Testaments. Life is about a relationship with Jesus. When pursuing a relationship, you learn all you can about the person. This became another reason that I was motivated to read the Bible. What I LearnedThe Bible is an amazing cornerstone to develop our faith lives on I learned a lot from my year-plus of reading the Bible. Overall, I learned that the Bible is an amazing cornerstone to develop our faith lives on. I mean, come on, it's the inspired word of God-- what better to build off of? Some of the biggest concepts in the Bible have to be meditated on and considered and prayed over, and you still might not understand them fully-- and that's okay. Every time I sat down to read my Bible, I would pray to God to send His Holy Spirit to me to help me to read what I needed to read, to hear what I needed to hear, and to see what He needed me to see. I also asked Him for focus and comprehension. I fully believe that praying these prayers before Bible-reading sessions is crucial and changes the experience entirely. The Bible says to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). So why shouldn't we pray for God to help us understand our Christian guidebook?
I will strengthen you and uphold you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still (Exodus 14:14). He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3). Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
There is a two-fold reason that we need to know the word of God. It allows us to wield the sword of the Spirit, which then prevents us from entering the spiritual battle weaponless (Ephesians 6:12-18). Big Takeaways & ApplicationAccept my human flaws and work towards bettering them in the grace of God I have two big takeaways from this journey. I always felt bad for skimping on reading the Bible. I realize that I have to accept my human flaws and work towards bettering them in the grace of God. With this, I made myself a "Stop, Drop, and Word" alarm that goes off every afternoon playing "Control" by Tenth Avenue North to remind me to stop, drop what I'm doing, and spend time studying God's Word. (I am so proud of the punny alarm label!)
a) God's love will never fail you b) He has a plan for your life
This was a personal goal that turned into a backdrop for a spiritual season in my life. As I move to the next one, whatever it might be, I can't forget this; rather, I need to apply what I've learned and grow from it. The idea that hindsight is 20/20 applies almost obnoxiously to spiritual seasons. During them, we tend to be blind to the bigger picture. But, once we trust God, and whenever He decides to show us, we get a glimpse of the eternal perspective and see that everything works together for the glory of God-- and we get to be a part of His amazing plan. Wow.
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