Thirsty

I know I'm not the only one to notice this, but recently, I have found that while on Facebook, I'm seeing more of my high school friends posting pictures of their engagement rings, weddings, and even of their first born child! Sometimes I see these things and think, Wait...I'm pretty sure that you were just as single as I am...what happened in just a few months?

(I want to go ahead and point out, that I'm not condemning those who are like this. You have your life to live and I'm not going to tell you how to live it. That's not why I'm here, writing this tonight.)

Let's face it. In the world we live in today, love moves fast. Really, everything seems to move fast. Text messages, emails, Google, etc. Basically, with the technology we have in our society, we begin to get to know people faster than we would if we still had to meet face to face or a phone call here and there.

I agree that texting people is much easier than calling them and asking them where they want to meet for dinner that night. It saves time. I also enjoy being able to Google an answer to a homework problem rather than sitting for hours trying to figure it out.

So, from the above observations, it's safe to assume that our relationships move a lot faster than normal as well. However, we can also say that the frequency of how often someone is in our lives won't change the capacity to develop a real, lasting bond with them any faster than usual.

Our society...our generation is setting off fireworks and grenades. Yes, it is beautiful and magnificent, but it only lasts a short while until it dissolves into smoke. And then, we are only left with memories.

With that said, we aren't allowing the time to actually build these relationships with each other. Instant gratification is inherent in our society and it is becoming increasingly noticeable in our relationships as well. We want the next best thing and are willing to toss behind the old like trash. That is not what we are supposed to do with those that we love.

I understand the concept of "when you know, you know", but I still believe that we should take our time in kindling a romance. Learn each other's quirks and flaws. Be best friends first. Then, take a stab at romance.

Here at school, a friend of mine and I have talked about the "thirstiness" of the students here. Everywhere I look, I see new relationships popping up out of nowhere. Especially in the freshman class. Within the first two weeks of school, freshman are already in "serious" relationships with other people at Berry. That's crazy.

I feel like, part of it is Berry's appeal to us. Berry identifies itself as a close knit group of students and faculty. I remember coming here during my senior year of high school and I just felt like Berry was selling love in a way. Like, it felt as if it promised you would find your one true love/soulmate while you were here in school.

So, I feel like the students here are looking for that long term relationship. They want that happily ever after.

And maybe, they'll get it. I'm not saying that it's not going to happen. I just want to issue a warning out there:

Urban dictionary describes being thirsty as having an eagerness or desperation for something.

I go around campus all the time, hearing:

"Girl, he's so thirsty. He's always up in my inbox trying to talk to me."

"Bro, don't get involved with her. She's just thirsty, trying to get with all these other guys as well as you."

Et cetera. Et cetera.

I'll admit, there are times when I have acted "thirsty" for some guy. But, ultimately, it doesn't work out. I feel like "thirsty" could be another word for clingy. And not many people are into clingy types.

So, how about instead of having a thirstiness for a soulmate or for love, let's have a thirstiness for Christ and for God?

I don't know about you, but I really want to be desperate for God. I want to love Him so boldly and without fear that others will begin to love Him too. I want to be vulnerable at His throne. I want to live a life that is filled with His mercy and His love for me. I want to be so into His Word, that people have to delve into it to find me.

So, in a way, being thirsty isn't a bad thing. It just depends on what you're thirsty for.

Just something to think about.

In His Love.

Social Creature

(I told you guys I was planning on posting a lot more.)

For the past few days, I've had something weighing on my heart. I didn't notice it at first, but as time kept moving on, I felt this struggle get heavier and heavier. This morning, it felt as if it was going to burst.

But, that's what this blog is here for, right? To get things off my chest? To talk about what God is telling me?

[THIS IS A WARNING: This post may be a little longer than normal. This is because of what I have to say about this topic. I have a lot on my heart, and I just want to get it all out.]

So, let's talk about communication, shall we?

Communication is a major part of society at this point in time. We are social creatures. We want to talk to people and we want to connect with them. Because of this, we now have sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, etc. These sites help us keep in contact with people we don't live near or don't get to see as much. Social media is huge in our society.

But I don't want to talk about social media in this post. I'll save it for later. Instead, I want to talk about the different ways of communication we experience and what should and what shouldn't be done during those times of communication.

We all have different people we communicate with: boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, siblings, friends, enemies, etc. Communication is a key part of any relationship. No matter who you are, you must communicate with others in order to get somewhere in life. I want to talk for a bit about the different people we communicate with in our daily lives.

BOYFRIENDS/GIRLFRIENDS/CRUSHES:

Even if you are single, I'm sure you have talked to someone of the opposite sex--someone you have a crush on. It's definitely hard to do sometimes. I know that I get flustered and awkward when it comes to talking someone that I really like. I will start to laugh a lot and will get red in the face. When I talk to my crush whether it be through text, over the phone, over Skype, on Facebook, etc. I get butterflies in my stomach and I can never keep the smile off my face.

I think it is adorable and great if you get butterflies still when talking to your boyfriend/girlfriend. It means you still like them and are excited to talk to them. And even if you don't get butterflies, it means you're comfortable talking to them and feel comfortable around them.

That's very important in relationships such as those. The ability to feel comfortable while speaking to your boyfriend/girlfriend is a good sign. You should never feel uncomfortable or awkward when talking to them.

I will admit, I'm single. I don't have a boyfriend and have never really had a serious one in the past. However,  I've been able to watch my friends' relationships and have been able to determine what is good and what isn't when it comes to communication.

You have to have trust, openness and faith in a loving relationship. You have to be able to speak to one another about insecurities, fears, praises, troubles, etc. You can't hide behind secrets. You should be able to share your thoughts with your boyfriend/girlfriend/crush without the fear of being judged. If that person really cares for you, then they won't run away and they will support you no matter what.

Through the many crushes I've had, I've had trouble with it. I want to hide my past from others sometimes. I don't them to know that I've been down a dark path and I don't want them to judge me based on the scars on my body.

However, I've recently discovered that being open at the beginning of any relationship I'm a part of, my openness and willingness to share really makes a difference in how I connect with the other person. Whoever my future boyfriend or husband is, I want them to know straight off the bat that I've had struggles in the past and that it was a journey to overcome them.

Just remember that it's better to start off a relationship with honesty and clarity rather than lies and deceit.

FRIENDS/ENEMIES:

We all know what the Bible says about enemies: love them as you love yourself. Don't speak harsh words and kill them with kindness (as my mother always tells me).

We know what it says about friends too. We are supposed to lift each other up in Christ and to love and forgive one another. "For all fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

Friends are a great way to vent and ask for advice. I actually spent most of the morning with one of my best friends talking about the guys in my life and asking for her advice on everything. She was so supportive and gave me some of the best advice.

I always enjoy talking to my friends. We listen to each other and lift each other up when we're feeling down. They support me and love me for who I am. With my friends, no holds are barred. We are open and honest with each other about everything. That's why I love those friendships. They mean the world to me and I wouldn't want to change them for the world.

GOD:

I could say so much about communication with God. For me, it's the most important part of each day. I wake up thanking Him and go to bed praising Him. Constant communication with God provides us with clarity and relaxation. Instead of talking too much about communication with God, I will redirect you to THIS POST that I found that explains it better than I ever will.

Prayer is important in a Christian life and while it's not the only way to communicate with God, it is one of the main ones.


I feel that communication will always be a big part of our lives. We have to communicate to connect with people and to get somewhere in life. It's a part of our everyday schedule.

You see, I've just had some struggle with communication recently.

 With my friends, it's been hard explaining my feelings and trying to get my opinion across without it sounding pretentious.

And with guys, I'm having a hard time getting my feelings across to them in general. I really want to outright say things that are on my heart, but I'm scared that it would scare them away and I don't want that. It's a struggle finding the balance of the right time to talk about certain things.

However, I'm working on it all and I hope to get better at communicating with the people around me. I also plan to work on my communication with God in prayer and devotionals. I want to be more Christlike and I feel that I should always be in communication with Him in order to do that.

But anyways, that's all I wanted to talk about today. My heart feels much lighter and I'm thankful to be able to express my feelings on this blog. In closing, here are verses that talk about communication as a Christian and what it should look like:

Love one another -John 13:34 & John 15:12,17.

Forgive one another -Ephesians 4:32 & Colossians 3:13.
 
Be servants to one another -Galatians 5:13.

Show hospitality to one another -1 Peter 4:7-10.

Pray for one another -James 5:16.

Build up (edify) one another -Romans 14:19,1 Thessalonians 5:11.

Greet one another -Romans 16:16,1 Peter 5:14.

Forbear one another -Ephesians. 4:1-2 & Colossians 3:13-14.

Do not judge one another -Romans 14:13.

Do not speak evil of one another -James 4:11.

Do not murmur against one another -James 5:9.

Do not bite and devour one another -Galatians 5:15.

Do not provoke and envy one another -Galatians 5:26.

Have the same care for one another -1 Corinthians 12:25-26.

Receive one another -Romans 15:7.

Teach one another -Colossians 3:16.

Admonish (counsel) one another -Romans 15:14 & Colossians 3:16.

Submit to one another -Ephesians 5:21-22.

Confess your sins to one another -James 5:16.

Do not lie to one another -Colossians 3:9.

Be kind to one another -Ephesians 4:32.

Comfort one another -1 Thessalonians 4:18, 5:11.



In His love,

Kaitlyn