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Today, I went on a drive in the rain.

For those of you who know me, I go on a drive about once a week to take a step back from everything and to jam out in the confines of my car. I like to get away from all the drama and stresses of life to just relax and take some deep breaths.

I haven't been on a drive in a few weeks, and I felt that I needed one today, so I packed up my stuff and set out.

I drove all over the place. I went to the edges of the city of Rome and then back to Berry and up to Mountain Campus. Once up there, I parked by Swan Lake and settled in. Then, I did something that honestly surprised me.

I cried.

I cried and I cried and I cried.

I cried until I had no tears left. I sat in a car by a lake (while it poured outside) with absolutely nobody else around and sobbed my heart out.

Why?

Well, to be quite frank with you all, I was overwhelmed with life...with everything that was going on around me. So many different things were pressing onto my shoulders--burden after burden came crashing down--so that when I finally stepped away from it all, the waterworks started.

But here's the thing, I also cried because I remembered that while I have so much stress on me and while there are burdens coming at me from all angles, I have people--fabulous relationships--in my life who make it so much easier to live.

So, I wanted to talk about the relationships in our lives and what it means to have a Godly relationship with someone.

I have learned through past experiences--through betrayal, slander, back-stabbing, and gossip--that some relationships with people just aren't meant to last. They are what we call seasonal friendships and God only sets them there for a little while and takes them away again. We weren't meant to have those people in our lives. Yes, it hurts when they go away or when they do something against you, but God doesn't want you to be friends or have relationships with people who are a detriment to your growth and enrichment.

It's also not enough that we should only want someone who is trustworthy, loyal, and kind. It is so very important that we also strive to be that type of person to someone else. That's what feeds healthy relationships: that connection when both persons are loyal and kind to one another.

It is such a blessing to have people in my life who can tell when I've had a rough day or week. These people can immediately read my mood and will work to make me smile or laugh. They will pray for me when I need it or even when I don't need it. In fact, to have someone who prays for me daily with no motive or reason in mind is absolutely stunning. Not people who talk about me behind my back or judge me for how I act, but people who pray for me without ceasing.

It's not an easy journey--making and leaving friends. God essentially knows what you need and has an exact plan set out for you and for the people who will be in your life. He will quickly weed out those who do not fit in with His plan and when He does, it's easy to rebuke Him. But un-Godly friendships and relationships are detrimental to us. They feed us wrongful thoughts and lead us into temptations that take us further from God.

However, those Godly relationships that we have, build us up. The purpose of these friendships is to help one another in their walk with God. Proverbs 2:17 says: "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. This friendship is not a crutch for one person to lean on because each person is founded on God and not on one another. It is bonded by their love for God and for their obedience to His Word. It gives without expecting anything in return. That is what a Godly relationship is.

Earlier this week, I was having a rough time with life. I was stressed from the amount of tests I had and wasn't getting enough sleep at nights. I was exhausted and cranky and just didn't want to hang out with anybody.

Then, I got a text from one of my closest friends here at school. He wrote to me about how I am such a blessing to him and just wanted to let me know that he loves me and is always praying for me no matter what.

Obviously, that made me tear up because, unknowingly, I desperately needed to hear those words from someone.

That next day, I had the chance to sit with a friend and just talk about life. We didn't talk about anything specific, just pondered about life and what it holds for us and what God is doing in our lives. She didn't realize this, but I absolutely cherished those moments with her. I was able to get away from everything for a minute and talk about life with someone I care for very deeply. She is one of my best friends and I am beyond blessed to be able to come to her to talk about struggles and accomplishments.

That being said, I know I have friends who will always be there for me, who will never leave me and who will talk to me and with me about anything and everything.

Before I close out, I want to say something to my friends out there:

Thank you. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for believing in me and for accepting me; for praying without ceasing for me; for aiding me in my walk with Christ. I have no idea where I would be without any of you guys in my life and I can't thank my God enough for placing you in my life to begin with. I love you guys dearly and would not trade you for the world. 

Think about those relationships in your life. Who do you really count on when times get tough? Who is God telling you to move towards or away from?

In His love.

Student

So, tonight, I really want to talk about devotionals and what they mean in our lives, as Christians.

As Christians, we are called to constant study of the Word. God wants us to know His story and wants us to apply it to our story. These studies are more commonly known as our devotionals. They can also be seen as Bible Studies (usually found in churches). Devotionals are more for your personal time with the Creator.

Devotions are meant for daily use. They are not to be read and finished in one sitting. The point of them is to read a little bit each day and to focus on one verse or one story specifically.

Many people complete their daily devotions in different ways. Some sit in complete silence; some like to have praise in the background, etc. Since, I want to help you guys understand the importance of these devotions, I'll tell you about my daily time with God.

1. I usually start off with a dance party for one. I have a playlist with loud, crazy Christian music and I will dance around my room, singing along to each and every song. Granted, it may be off-key and I may be an awkward dancer, but God is the only one watching, so I give it my all.

2. I, then, make myself a cup of something warm (whether it be tea, coffee or hot chocolate, depending on my mood). I always feel more focused with a cup of something to calm my nerves. (Especially after that crazy dance party.)

3. I switch playlists to a more calming praise station. It still blares out my speakers, but it's more controlled. Thus, it helps me focus more.

4. I start with my 1000 Things to be Thankful for list. I talked about it in an earlier post (which you can read here).

5. Then, I find whichever bible study I'm working on at the moment and work on a chapter. Right now, I am in a series called "A Journey With God". I'm on the third book in the series and it is seriously changing the way I am living my life.

6. After my bible study, I usually read a chapter or two of my Bible. I am working through the entire Bible at the moment and am in the book of Malachi, which is the last book of the Old Testament.

7. I pray. (This is one of the most important parts of my time with God. They are the moments when I can release my burdens to Him. I can tell Him of my struggles and worries. I can thank Him for my life and for the mercies He has bestowed upon me. I can ask Him for those things that I need to ask for. It is so important to me that I establish that connection with my Father.)

8. I do a study called "5 Songs A Day" given to me by my best friend. (This is a new step as I just started it this weekend. )

      One of my really good friends here at school (his name is Thomas) sent me these little song of the day devotionals last year. I remember looking at them and skimming over them, but really didn't think of actually studying them. Well, I found them when cleaning out my computer this weekend and decided to open up the first one when I was doing my devotional yesterday.
      That devotional floored me. I had no idea my best friend was this good at writing out devotionals.
      So you understand a bit more, Thomas took five songs--five different, praise songs---added a link to the lyrics and then wrote about them. He asks you to listen to the song and to read the lyrics while doing so. (Personally, I listen to the song twice. Once to just listen and then again while looking at the lyrics.) Then, he writes a paragraph or two talking about what the song means (sometimes in his life) and what we should do with it.
      I haven't told him yet, but already, each of these little studies have brought me to my knees in tears. And it's only Day 2. I'm getting chills and tears just thinking about the study I did tonight. This guy...I had no idea how much he would bless my life. Thank you for being you, Thomas. You mean the world to me and I know how pleased God is with you right now.

9. Most of the time, I wind down with another dance party. Other times, with a cookie and milk. Haha.

But, that's just my devotion time line. Yours will be completely different. It takes time to find your groove, but it'll happen. Trust me. It took me almost 18 years to find a groove that was just me.

If you have any questions about doing a personal devotional or if you want to get together with me to do a group study, feel free to hit me up. Or if you just have questions in general about me, my blog, my story, my faith, anything, don't be scared to email me, text me, Facebook me, Skype me, whatever. I'd love to hear from you guys.

Before I sign off on this post, I'm going to leave you with the Quote of the Day from Thomas's study yesterday. I really liked it and just thought it was too important not to share.

“If there ever were a test of our faith- if there ever were a test of the motives of our worship- it is when a storm rolls into our lives. Sometimes God calms our storms. Sometimes He chooses to ride them with us.” – Casting Crowns

In explanation of their hit song “Praise You In This Storm,” Casting Crowns made this statement. Basically, the storms of our life is the biggest tests of faith that we will face. Whether it is the death of a love one, break-up, losing a job, etc, these storms are aimed by Satan to destroy us and turn us away from God by saying “where is your God in this time of trial. He has abandoned you.” Casting Crowns counters that argument by saying God is always present. In certain instances, He calms the storm immediately so we do not suffer much. But there are times when He doesn’t because He wants it to strengthen us. In this case, He is still by our side and gives us strength to weather the storm.

In His love,

Kaitlyn