Beauty.

"Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

1 Peter 3:3-4

Beautiful women of God, please take this verse to heart. We spend so much time each and every day planning what we're going to wear, how we're going to do our hair, our make-up, ect. But why? To please the world?

God is so much better than the world! He created us to be perfect and beautiful in His sight! There's nothing we can do to make ourselves more beautiful to Him! He's the Only One who's opinion of us matters! I can honestly say that I definitely struggle with self-image more than I really should. I'm always thinking: "If only I was thinner, a certain dress size, had longer hair..." The list could go on and on. But why do I want these things? To please myself? To please society? I should only be focusing on what God wants to see. He doesn't want to see me spending all of my time dieting or buying the latest fashions or spending an hour doing my hair and make-up. He wants my heart to be fully devoted to Him. Our Father wants our spirits to be humble, gentle, and quiet! This is want truly pleases Him. Shouldn't that be our focus in the morning?

I challenge you to remember this when you wake up in the morning! Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you're beautiful--because you are! God made you completely beautiful to Him; He delights in you! What I find helpful is to write on my mirror (in dry erase marker) this verse:

"The King is enthralled by your beauty." Psalm 45:11

Every time I look in the mirror and start to think of all the things I want to change, I see that verse and find comfort knowing that the God of the universe thinks my beauty is enthralling. PTL.

Have a great day, beautiful women of God!

happy 5 1/2 to me!

Today is my 5 1/2 year anniversary with my wonderful boyfriend, Craig. It has really been an amazing 5 1/2 years I might add too! God has been too good to me for blessing my life with Craig! I am really excited to see what God has in store for us.

Happy Anniversary! (:

O my Strength!

"But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies."

Psalm 59:8-10

Things have been extremely rough for the past month, which officially makes this the worst semester yet. There have been so many things in which I have just been struggling with! Academics, Craig not being up here, things with my mom and sister, and all of my internal battles. I've been feeling so depressed and weak, and alone. But why?

Because in all of the mess that the world has thrown at me, I have fallen victim to it. I have failed to cling to the One who paid it all for me! The One who gives me strength for anything that comes my way. After an entire summer filled with serving God and growing immensely in my faith, I though that "I" would be strong enough to manage all of these things. But there's a problem..."I". "I" can't do anything apart from God. And that's what I've been trying to do. God has finally opened my eyes to this.

Last night before Bible Study, I was reading in Psalm. I randomly opened up to this verse and I was filled with total comfort. God is my strength and my fortress! He is ALL that I, or anyone, needs! The world has nothing for me and I need to stop trying to get my fulfillment in the world! All of the battles in which I am going through, God is getting me through in order to make me stronger! To help me grow! And one day, "God will let me look in triumph on my enemies." I cannot wait for that day!

Until then, I need to constantly cling to Him and rely on Him to get me through the day and NOT myself or other worldly things. I'm ready for whatever else God is going to bring me through. I know He will take great care of me and make me stronger!

I hope that you can reflect on this verse and think of what it means to you. What are some enemies you're dealing with? Remember that God is fighting with you and He will never let you down. He will never let go. Cling to our Father above all else!

what a week!

Okay, so Thanksgiving has come to an end, and so has the awesome Thanksgiving break. It most certainly wasn't long enough. School is now back in full swing and I have two incredibly hard exams this week which I did not studying for over break. But, I'm not one to complain.

These next few weeks are definitely going to be a test to see just how much I need to rely on God for my strength and NOT my own! He has blessed me with an amazing week of being out in the woods, spending time with my wonderful boyfriend, awesome family time, and the best part yet, He provided me with my very first deer!

After putting in countless hours since opening day and not seeing ANY deer all week, I was really beginning to wonder if this was going to be the year that I got a my very first deer. But on Saturday evening, a little after 4:00pm, God provided me with a 1 year old nubbin buck with which came within 25 yards of me before I shot. It was quick and painless. And I did it all on my own (apart from God). I was in the tree stand alone, shot when I wanted to. Of course, my boyfriend was hunting not too far away from me so he helped me drag the deer to his truck. Now, the deer is all self-processed (yes, I butchered it myself with a little help from Craig's dad) and in my freezer. It's enough meat to feed my grandparents and I for quite some time!

Even though I wish that break was still going, God wants me to be here at school and so I need to continue on with this journey of my life. He WILL give me the strength I need, even when I feel like there is NO WAY I can possibly continue. God is so amazing and this week was exactly the refresher that I needed.

comfort of the day.

before i rush off to class for the day, i wanted to post a really awesome verse that i read at Bible Study on Monday night. i've just been thinking about it and it is so super awesome! it's from the book of John, which is an excellent book by the way!

John 10:11-18
"'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-- and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-- only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.'"

i am so thankful that i have a Good Shepherd who will NOT leave me when things get rough or scary. He lays down His life for me (and us) because He wants to! He freely gives us His life. No one can take it from Him. I could talk about this verse on and on, but i really need to get to class! let me know what you think! why do YOU love this verse!

have a great and blessed day!

well hello!

ok, i am so sorry that it has been two weeks since my last post. i certainly have had time to post, but there have been a lot of things that i've needed to take some time and work them through with God, who is super faithful and awesome by the way!

i just want to make a quick shout out and say that tonight was awesome! i led Bible Study ALONE tonight! my goodness, i was so super nervous but God knows how to use me and i am just in a really good mood right now. all of the girls are just so awesome and amazing and i feel so blessed to have been put in this hall (Burroughs, might i add) to serve Him! there is this one girl who is just so full of love for the Lord and i love it! it makes me so happy and i really cannot wait to see what awesome things God has in store for this Bible Study!

fall getaway is next week! i am so excited for it! there are going to be so many awesome Christians worshipping the Lord and having super awesome fellowship! God is just sooo good! the blog post for fall getaway will DEFINITELY be a long one! but, all for a good reason, i will have LOTS to say!

yesterday i graduated from my hunter safety course so now i can go hunting with my boyfriend and then actually get to eat some meat, which actually isn't something that i am super excited about, being a vegetarian is actually really nice! i feel so healthy and good inside! i really love it! but i will be able to eat the meat that i hunt because it will not be sent to a mass factory and hunting for your food is sustainable! yesterday evening, my grandma cooked up some trout and bluegill that my grandpa's brother caught, so it was nice to eat a little bit of fresh fish. but once again, being a vegetarian is fun!

ok, so this week is stressful. but, God is so good that He is going to get me through it! i came to that realization today (which is also why i am in a super good mood). everything that i am worried about now doesn't matter in eternity, it has no measure in eternity. so i am going to just take each day, one at a time, the way God would want it.

one of the women in my Bible Study wrote down on the prayer request sheet that the stress and busyness of school work would not take away from her time with the Lord. how important is that for us ALL to remember and pray about! college is just a step in our journey (the Lord willing) and God is giving us the opportunity to even go to college, so it is SO important to give thanks to Him and be spending time with Him! this is so important to remember, myself included.

so, with all of this said, have a great night!

mondays are not so bad after all

Well, despite today being extremely busy, it was a great day! You know those days where you wake up and just know that it is going to be a good day? I woke up with my alarm (no snooze necessary) and the sun was shining so beautifully through my dorm window!

Even though my Mondays are my 2nd longest day, it was still so glorious! God is just so good! Classes went by fast and I had a really good 4-mile run! The best part of the day was Bible Study for sure! My resident hall has been so blessed with a lot of girls who are so passionate about our Lord and they are so awesome! A few of the girls where so vulnerable tonight and it was so inspiring to see how God works through each of these women.

I have been feeling called to be a possible disciple to one of the women in my Bible Study so I'm sure next week I will be meeting up with her to find out if things will all work out!

I am in such a good mood! I love when the Lord gives me moods like this, it really makes me realize that there is so much to look forward to (ie FINALLY getting to meet Jesus) than all of the stresses of school. Having moods like this really gives me energy throughout the entire week and I really can't wait to see how God is going to work through me and others around me this week!

Things to pray about:
-That the women in my Bible Study will continue to be vulnerable and open with each other so we can bond and have fellowship as sisters in Christ
-My grandpa's health is failing and he could really use some prayers, mostly for God's will to be done and if God is calling him home, that my heart be prepared for the sadness
-School, that I don't get swept away with all of the work but can keep my eyes focused on Him!

Thanks everyone and God bless!
(: