Boy Crazy

Okay, guys, I'm really not that boy crazy. Not at all. But, I have been thinking about my last post a lot and I decided to post something short and sweet tonight. 1. Because I'm super tired and 2. because I think that a lot of girls feel like I do at this point.

Let's be honest here for a moment. I have this big crush on a guy here on campus. Yes, I know; it's a shocker. But, for some reason, I feel that he likes me back. I just don't know. He sends me so many mixed signals, that by the end of our time hanging out together, I don't know which way is up. I've been hashing out everything with my roommate and even she is super confused.

But, then I would sit back, reread my post from last week and I would have so much calm wash over me. Why should I be worrying about this? Why am I so stressed out about this? I know that it's super natural to feel the way I feel, but I just get so frustrated some days.

Like today, I sat down and just started making a list of what I want my future husband's traits to be. Not to say, that he has to have every single trait (but, a girl can dream, right?) Well, I'm going to share my list with you and I feel that it can help a lot with a girl's boyfriend. Ready? Here it is:

I want a guy who:

• Prays for me
• Plays with my hair
• Writes me notes
• Takes the time to look at my eyes
• Lends me their coat
• Is good with kids
• Picks flowers for me
• Goes on walks with me
• Knows how to make me smile
• Wants to protect me
• I can talk to for hours
• Calls me beautiful
• Is honest
• Will wait for me
• Knows how to be goofy
• Looks at me and smiles
• Sings with me
• Laughs with me
• Loves life
• and most of all loves God

This list will be posted on my bulletin board to remind me that there is a guy out there who will be those things for me. But, only God knows when and how I will meet him. And I'm okay with that. Now, I'm just going to lean back into my Father's arms and let Him find the right guy to give my heart to. It's all a part of His timing and I have to trust Him with that.

So, that's my post for the day. Sorry it isn't as heart-felt or Scripture-filled as usual, but this was on my heart, and I thought I would share. I hope everybody is having a wonderful week! Love you all!

Unwanted

It's hard being a teenage girl. Who's single. In college.

This past week, a lot has been waging a war through my mind. I'm about a month into my freshman year at college and it's proving to be a lot more difficult than I thought. There are multiple times during my day when I wish that I had someone to be with. Yep, I find myself wishing for a boyfriend, often. 

I joke a lot about my single life. I admit that. I use the #foreveralone in my tweets and I make fun of my being single in Facebook posts. To me, I can tell that I'm being sarcastic. To others, it doesn't come across as well. (That's a problem with social media, but we'll get to that in another post.)

I got told this week that it isn't "becoming of a woman of God to be so 'desperate'". I literally wanted to scream my head off. I am not desperate for a boyfriend. I'm not. I am perfectly happy being single. I can focus on other things that have greater importance. I know that it doesn't look good for girls to try and be desperate. I try and tell myself that when I find myself crushing on a guy. 

So, let's talk about something that a lot of us feel at times in our lives: 

UNWANTED.

This is a word that I've told myself a lot. I told it to myself when I was a freshman in high school. I told it to myself as I harmed my body. I told it to myself as I watched couples walk around campus last week. I see those people and I sigh and wish for something like that. 

I want to hold hands with that guy who makes my heart flutter and my knees go weak. I want to be the one who he wraps his arms around. I want to be able to laugh and cuddle with him. I want to be the one he kisses as he drops me off at my class. I want....et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

You get the gist.

I have those days and then I have days where I'm happily running around with friends, getting coffee, and talking about our lives. I have days where I'm not worried about what I'm wearing or how I look to guys around campus. I have days where I love curling up in a hammock by myself with a good book. I have days where being single is the best thing I could ever wish for.

We all have those days. Just like couples and parents and siblings and friends, I have good days and bad days. It happens. And I'm used to it. 

Don't get me wrong, I know that I am loved, that I am blessed, and that I am wanted. I know that. I just need help in remembering that no matter how trivial my "single probs" may sound, God cares about all of it. He cares about the way I feel when I see that couple sitting together at lunch. He cares so much about me, and yet, I choose not to share my problems, because I feel that they are too trivial for Him. Silly, huh?

I can't put it in a better way that LPM puts it. (Living Proof Ministries) "I mean let's be honest, sometimes a girl just needs (and wants) a male perspective to talk everything out with. Not to be needy. Not to be clingy. And certainly not for everything to be fixed and happy, but I think it's healthy to long for a mate to do life with. The Lord created us male and female so that we would compliment each other. Be a helpmate to each other." (Unwanted)

See? It's perfectly healthy for you to feel that need for male perspective. It's not wrong to feel that way. (And I believe it's partly the church's fault for making girls feel that they should embrace the single life without complaining.) 

I'm not going to make singleness sound like a great big party, because it isn't. It's tough. And it can hurt, a lot. It's not fun.

But, I do know that I can believe in God's word no matter what. He has given us promises in order for us to be able to trust and know Him. 2 Timothy has helped me in this firm belief.

"All scripture is God breathed..." (2 Timothy 3:16)

"So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:17)

God is good and there is always purpose in His goodness. I know the character of the Father. 

And God knows me. Inside and out. He knows you just as well. So, there is never any point in trying to keep things from Him. Talk to your Father. Tell Him what's going on in your heart. What you're dealing with. He wants to hear from you.

Recently, I've been trying much harder to talk to Him. I've been telling Him all--and I mean ALL--of my problems and doubts. He comforts me. He holds me close while I cry. He whispers everything I want to hear in my ears. He loves on me.

That word I mentioned earlier? Unwanted? Yeah, you see, here's the thing. 

I'm not. He's not. She's not. You're not. None of us are unwanted.

We are treasured and valued by the King of Kings. He pursues us and wants to know us. He has a plan for our lives. We just need to stop stealing the reins and let Him take over. We aren't in charge. We were never in charge. 

Just remember what you are:

WANTED.

Hypocrite

Happy Wednesday, everybody! It's time for another blog post!

Today, I wanted to bring up a very touchy subject for a lot of Christians. Before I get started, I want to make a disclaimer that I am not trying to say that I am perfect. Cause I'm not. I am going through a lot of the same things that you all are going through. I sin. But I am forgiven by the Father and that is what makes me want to go on living from my mistakes and not repeating them anymore. 

So, do not feel that I am trying to say that I am better than anybody else. I know that I am not. I struggle to be who I really am, but with the love and compassion I receive from my family, friends, and God, I know that I don't have to try so hard. I just need to relax, and be me. 

Anyway, for the topic today, I feel that I may push a few buttons. But that is what this blog is for. Please feel free to disagree or to make your argument. Say whatever you like. Just, try and keep it clean. (Thanks.)

So....

Hypocrite. 

What does that mean to you? By the dictionary it means 'an impostor'. Someone who says one thing and then turns around an does the other. To get it all out there, we are ALL hypocrites. All of us. Don't deny it either. The bible even says, "For all fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) And it is completely true. We do. We sin. We are sinners. 

James 4:17 says, "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."
Some examples of hypocrisy are gossip, being judgmental, disobeying parents, lying, unhealthy habits, cussing, idolatry, etc. I will touch a bit on a few of those aforementioned. Ready? Here we go...

Being Judgmental:


Here are two verses that I want you to look at. 

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matthew 5:10-11)

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

These verses talk about us being judgmental towards people. We all do it. Whether it's making fun at that guy who sits by himself at lunch or that girl who wears hand-me-down clothes. It's not cool. But we do it. I do it. And I'm not going to deny it. I feel so guilty after doing it, but I still make fun of them. 
You see, there is this book called unChristian. I've read it. And in it, there is one entire section that focuses on the topic of being judgmental. It is crazy and very eye-opening to read.

We are supposed to be building each other up. Not tearing each other down. It's very cliche, but don't judge a book by it's cover. 

Idolatry:

I'll be quick on this one because it is a topic that is very easily understood.

Idolatry is a big part in our life. We get distracted by things other than God and end up getting addicted to them. To put it simply: If you have to think about it, it's an idol. 

Don't let any of the material things get in your way of a perfect God. He should be the only thing that you are 'addicted' to. 

Gossip:

This is a topic that I will delve deeper into at a later date because it can get very sticky. I am going to try to not go too far into this subject but, gossiping is something we do A LOT. Everybody does it. Little kids, teenagers and even adults. Every one of us is guilty of gossiping. And I really do mean every one. We always have to be in somebody else's business, when in reality, it's their business. Not ours. We don't need to talk about them behind their backs, because we don't want people gossiping about us. 
Just because Johnny did this with Susie, doesn't mean you have to go blab it to the entire school. Susie told you that in secrecy. Now, the whole school knows about it.

Bottom line: don't spread rumors/gossip.

Cussing:

Don't lie. You know that you have cussed at least once in your life. I will admit that I have too. There have been moments where I really want to yell out some choice words. (Especially when I'm driving. I'm no too bad, but there will be some drivers that really grate on my nerves.) I've accidentally let some slip, but I try really hard to swallow it and keep on going.

Honestly, I should always think before I say something like that. I should ask myself, is this crappy driver really more important than shining my light for God? The answer will always be 'no'. Just remember that. It will always be 'no'.

Unhealthy Habits:

Unhealthy habits include lust, drinking, smoking, illegal drugs, etc. Our unhealthy habits are leading us away from God and towards the wrong path.

Usually, peer pressure is the main cause of our unhealthy habits. Our friends do it, so we think we have to do it, when we don't. We need to shine His light to our friends and say "no, I don't do that kind of stuff." Just think, the earlier you start shining His light, the easier it will be to say no to peer pressure. 
These things are a very big deal. You get addicted to them and it leads you from the right path to the wrong path. 


Hypocrisy destroys yourself. It starts building up walls to block you from the good things, keeping you with the wrong things (sin). It destroys your relationship with God and pulls you away from Him.

Eventually, after making the church look bad, you make every single Christian look bad. I found this quote from this girl online and thought you guys should read it.

  "Christians, they love to talk about how loving, dutiful and compassionate they are, yet I have yet to meet ONE who does not practice hypocrisy to the highest degree.  Their willful ignorance of the Bible combined with their two faced idealism to preach it, has made us sick, hasn’t it?  For nearly two thousand years Biblicists have been lecturing people on the importance of adhering to the Bible’s teachings on ethics, manners, and morality.  They quote Jesus and Paul profusely, with a liberal sprinkling of Old Testament moralism.  The problem with their approach lies not only in an oft- noted failure to practice what they preach, but an equally pronounced tendency to ignore what the Bible itself, preaches.  Christians practice what can only be described as “selective morality”.  What they like, they cling to and shove down other’s throats; what they don’t like, they ignore vehemently.  That which is palatable and acceptable is supposedly applicable to all; while that which is obnoxious, inconvenient, or self-denying is only applicable to those addressed 2,000 years ago.  Their hypocrisy is so rampant that even the validity of calling oneself “Christian” is in question."

This is what people are saying about us. This is what non-Christians believe about us. And you know what's funny? We are the cause of all of it. We are hypocritical and the atheists are just waiting for our one slip-up so they can blame an entire group of people. Us being hypocritical is the number one reason for atheism in the world. We ruin people's chances of salvation.

As one of my friends said, "If it weren't for Christians, there would be more Christians."


So, my final question for you today is, when you leave your house, are you shining the light of God?

Beauty

Okay, guys...it's time for me to start blogging again. (Yikes.)

I wanted to start off my weekly posts by talking about something that has been on my mind a lot since I started my freshman year of college.

BEAUTY.

Yes, you read that correctly. I want to talk about beauty. This is something that a lot of (if not all) teenage girls struggle with, daily. It is truly, something that I struggle with a lot, too.

Before getting into Scripture and what God says about this topic, let me ask you: What do you think of when you hear the word 'beauty'? Popularity? Your body type? Hair? Make-up? Models? Skinny? Tall? What about when you hear the word 'ugly'? Fat? Loser? Short? Pimples? Greasy hair? Big feet? Flat chest?

What is beautiful anyway? What about ugly?

In God's world, the word 'ugly' doesn't exist. There is no such thing as 'ugliness'. We know that Satan was the most beautiful angel of all, yet he was a fallen angel.

We don't request how God makes us. We don't get to ask for blonde hair, a skinny body, or pretty eyes.  WE DIDN'T CREATE OURSELVES! That is and always will be God's job. He molds us into the people He wants us to be.

Looking in Genesis, we are told that we are made in God's image. We are made to represent Him. Genesis also explains that what God saw after making us was good. God said that we were good just the way we are in this moment.

If we look at different cultures throughout the world, we find that each culture is different in how they define beauty. Because of this, the way that culture defines beauty is arbitrary. However, it is NOT arbitrary with God. With God, if you exist, then you are beautiful.

Now, let's look in Psalm 139; verses 13 through 16.

"For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully
          made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the
           earth
     your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
     were written in your book
     before one of them came to be."

God is completely HANDS ON. He is actively engaged in his creation. God loves who and what He makes. We should respond with PRAISE because God has created us in this way. God created us with VALUE, WORTH, and BEAUTY because He chose to make you, you.

Proverbs 31:30 says:

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

Beauty is so, so vain. There is so much more that is more lasting and substantial than any outward beauty.

Then, there's 1 Peter 3:3-4:

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of fine jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

Beauty is NOT skin deep. We have already seen from Proverbs that outward beauty fades. Peter tells us that the beauty that comes from a gentle and quiet spirit never fades. And God puts great value on that. He sees past all of the outward "adornment" and see straight into our hearts.

Don't let anybody tell you that you aren't beautiful. Because you are. You are beautiful in every way imaginable. If you don't believe me, believe God. Read the Song of Songs. It is a love letter from God, to us. He is telling us that we are beautiful.

Think about the beauty of a certain place that you have been. We are captivated by it. We take pictures because we don't want to look at anything else but the beauty of that place. That's exactly how it is with Jesus. We have CAPTIVATED His heart. You are His FAVORITE. He loves you. You are BEAUTIFUL in the name of Jesus.

How about a challenge to start this blog off right?

Take a piece of paper and write down all those words that you call yourself when putting yourself down. Whether it be fat, gross, loser, or just plain ugly, write them down. After writing them down, take that piece of paper and tear it up. Throw those pieces away. Your heard me. Tear them up and throw them away.

You are not what those words depict. You are beautiful and you are loved by the Father.

Read this poem:

http://www.scrapbook.com/poems/doc/31955/372.html

and know that He loves you.