Privileged

I am privileged. I live in a privileged world. I come from a privileged family. I have grown up living a privileged life. I do not take the life I have for granted. In a world with so much heartache, pain, and suffering, I can find comfort knowing that I had the privilege of growing up somewhere I did not have to experience so much pain, so much suffering, so much sadness. I'm not saying I've never felt pain and that I've never faced heartache, but the challenges I've faced are so different than the challenges other people face. Sometimes, I feel that I might take my challenges for granted. While the concept may be difficult to grasp, I know I need to be grateful for all of the challenges that I have faced. The challenges I have faced have helped build my character, but they have never been overwhelming to the point where I felt that I needed to quit. 

Life's daily obstacles are there to build character, teach lessons, and encourage us to keep moving forward. God will never give us more than we can handle, He will never push us past our breaking point, He will never leave us with a problem we cannot solve.

Life is a challenge, but it is also simple. Life is chaotic, but life is pure. Life is a gift, one that should not be taken lightly.

Finding beauty in all things is one of the many gifts God has given us.

Contrary to what most people say, don't live everyday like it is your last. Live everyday like you've just been given life. Live everyday like it is the first day you've been born. Try new things, participate in new experiences, broaden your horizons, and never lose faith. There is beauty all around us, but that beauty is only visible to us if we take the time to seek it out.

Move forward, live your life, but never lose sight of who you are and what you have been given. Do not look down upon your obstacles, but embrace them. Turn your weaknesses into strength, use your strengths to defeat your negativity, and most importantly, believe in the person you are today, but also the person you will be tomorrow.

This One's for the Girls...

Sometimes, we get so caught up in life that we forget to take a step back and look at where life is taking us and where we have been in the past. I can say with absolute certainty I wouldn't be where I am today without my girlfriends. 

People say that after high school, you start to lose touch with your old friends and move on to make new friends. While I've made new friends in college, my high school friends will always have a special place in my heart. There's a special bond there. Maybe that bond stemmed from knowing one another for almost your entire childhood, or maybe it's because they were the ones who comforted you when you had your first heartbreak, your first fight with your parents, your first fallout with each other, and they were the ones who were always there to pick up the pieces and put them back together. I'm not saying there hasn't been heartbreaks and fights since arriving to college, but I do know that you just don't forget those sorts of things. People like that don't just walk out of your lives. You keep them around, whether that means skyping now and then or seeing each other a couple times a year, that bond never really goes away. Your friends are your friends, and they'll always be there for you, even if they can't physically be there. 

I could not be more grateful for the friends I have today, old and new. I know that at the end of the day, no matter what, I'll always have someone to lean on and a shoulder to cry on. 

God Bless the Broken Road that Led Me Straight to You...

I absolutely love this song. I can't help but smile whenever I hear it. Every time I listen to this song, I think about all the struggles and setbacks I've faced and I look at how they have shaped the person I am today and led me to all of the beautiful blessings I have in my life today. I am so grateful for everything I have in my life. I never thought I would reach this point in my life where things are just starting to fall into place. I am starting to feel more independent and more accountable for my actions. I am eagerly awaiting what the future holds for me, and at this time in my life, I feel like I have a true sense of self and what I want to do with my life. I'm applying for my student teaching soon, I am in a serious, committed relationship, and I have a loving family. I don't know what else I could possibly ask for, and I am thankful to have all of these blessings in my life.

Be Content.

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

-Philippians 4:1

Sometimes, we face stressful situations in life, and sometimes those situations involve dealing with stressful people. The best thing anyone can do in a situation like that is turn the other cheek. Despite the feelings of anger and frustration, it's important not to lower yourself to another level. It's important to stand your ground and stay true to who you are, it's important to be very best form of the one and only you. There is nobody on this earth like you, for God created you in his image, and you alone can fill your own shoes. It's easy to lose sight of what is truly important in life, for we are constantly surrounded by worldly desires and worldly needs, when in reality we need to focus on our spiritual needs and what God needs from us. It's important to always keep this in mind when times are tough, when things go wrong, when it's often hard to determine what do next. While things aren't always clear right away, time has a way of working things out. In time, we gain clarity; in time, we learn patience; and in time, we find ourselves.

Things are looking up.

Sometimes things aren't so great, but that doesn't mean you walk away. I know I've been doubtful and distant lately, but isn't everyone entitled to their space? While I may not be 100% certain that things are going to work out as planned, but I know I'll be okay. I know what I want, but I don't know if it will work out. I can only hope for the best and that the future holds good things. I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm not sure of what is to come. I just know that if I keep taking things one step at a time, they will in fact work out. I need to stop doubting and start believing, because nothing can ever be fixed if someone is only giving partial effort. 

Time.

Things were starting to get better, you have to give them time. Things aren't going to miraculously improve overnight. I need time to process and think. Sometimes things aren't going to come instantaneously, and that's okay. There is nothing wrong with time. I just don't know what's going on right now, and I need to figure it out. 

Sometimes I wonder about the path I'm walking down and what that path holds for me. I'm surprised at where I am in my life right now, but I know that I will find the answers I'm looking for if I'm patient. Not everything in life is going to come easy, and I need to accept that. God does not give us anything He knows we cannot handle. Although right now I feel overwhelmed, I know that if I trust in God, everything will be okay because I will never be alone. No matter what happens, no matter where life takes me, I will not have to go through it alone. I am so thankful for that, and I take comfort knowing that God will always be here for me. I am grateful to have such an amazing God to watch over and protect me. I am so blessed to have the most amazing guardian angels anyone could ever ask for. Just thinking about all of the small blessings I have makes everything seem okay, it makes all of my worries melt away and my problems seem insignificant. I just need to be patient, because change takes time.

"But Joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God."

                                                                                         -Psalm 146:5

Home.

Home is wherever I'm with you. 

Walking Together.

"When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours."

It's important to have people in your life who can lift you up when you're down, who can comfort you when you need it, and who can turn to you when they need advice. I believe that in order to grow closer to God, you need to have people in your life who are strong in their faith and can encourage you to do the same. 

Right now, I believe that I need help growing closer to God, and I need someone who can be that rock for me. I just need a friend who can help me grow, I need a friend that can really be there for me. I'm not sure about a lot of things going on in my life right now, but of this I am certain. I cannot walk this path alone, I need a friend to bring me closer to God. I need someone to talk to about my problems and to help me grow. It's not an easy path to walk down on your own, and I suppose I've learned that the hard way. I've spent all this time thinking things would just fall into place, and now I'm realizing that they're not. I need to play an active role in the process,  need to actively seek God and make change. There is no one who can make these decisions for me, no one is going to fix my problems, and nobody is going to fight my battles for me. 

I am going to be that person, I'm going to take action. There's no use in sitting on the sidelines hoping things will change. I have to make things change, and I will.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

-Proverbs 17:22

If your world is crashing down, do you fall with it or keep fighting?

Things have been rough the past few weeks, really rough. I can honestly say I'm not sure where things are going, and I really don't know what the future holds for me. I know that things will get better, but I'm not even sure what that means. Get better? What does getting better really mean? Does it mean things going back to normal, or does it mean things will actually start to improve? I'm really not sure.
I'm starting to wonder what is really good for me and what I want for myself. Recent events have lead me to rethink many things about my life. I'm not sure that I'm happy, but I also don't know what I need to do to be happy. I'm going to start with the basics and focus more on my faith than anything else. I have come to the realization that I've been searching for answers in all the wrong places. I don't know what I want for myself or what I want to do. I'm hesitant to move forward, but afraid to move backwards. I really don't know what to do or what to think, I'm lost and confused and I think I just need some space.
I need time to think, time to process what's going through my head, time to figure out what I need to do, because right now I have absolutely no clue.
I'm happy and sad at the same time, I'm certain and scared, I'm excited and nervous about what the future holds.
I love him, but I don't know what I'm feeling. I'm curious, but I don't know if that will lead to anything. I'm confused because I have so many emotions running through my brain right now, and I really don't know which path to follow. It's frustrating and nerve-wracking  and there doesn't seem to be an easy answer, at least not any time soon.
As the days continue to drag on, the hours pass slow, I'm thinking about everything and I still don't know. I'm just looking for a sign, I'll wait patiently, but that doesn't make things any easier. 

I will love you for you.

I will give you the love, the love that you never knew.

There are times when I feel lost, confused, and uncertain about what lies ahwad. Being away at school has taught me so much about myself. I have learned that I am stronger, more capable than I ever imagined I'd be. My life has taken its fair share of twists and turns. 2 years ago, if you told me this is where I would be, I never would have believed you. I would've have told you that you are crazy. I never once thought I would be in a long distance relationship, I never thought I would end up changing my major three times and transfer schools, I never thought I would be the person I am today. I used to be so afraid and uncertain about the future, I used to be so scared. While I am still not certain of what exactly lies ahead of me, I am fully confident that I can handle any challenge, and I know exactly what I want to happen; heck, I'm almost positive I could tell you roughly where I see myself in 5 years. And I know that I wouldn't have it any other way, I couldn't be happier with the way things have played out for me. I am so grateful for everything I have and everything to come.