one sentence

I was working on a job application a few weeks ago to a private school with religious affiliations.  The first page was all the typical stuff...  name, address, blah blah.  Then I flipped to the second page and was a bit surprised.  All of the questions on this page dealt with my faith.  Questions about my involvement in church, belief in Jesus, etc.  Then the last question said "Describe your relationship with the Lord."

Wow.

Have you ever tried to describe that in a sentence or two?  Ever even thought about it?!  Yea, me neither.  I'm one of those people who likes to thoroughly explain things.  I blame it on my former English teachers who always preached for more detail.  So I set the application aside trying to think of the perfect response to that question.  A few days went by and, finally, I got tired of seeing it sitting on my dresser.  I sat down and didn't write what was perfect, but it was certainly true.

I fail the Lord daily, but He never fails me.

One simple sentence.  And I really think that sums it up.  No matter how much effort I put into my relationship with God, I always fall short.  But ya know what?  He continues to put His blessings upon me anyway.  He loves me unconditionally.

On this Easter Sunday, what would your "one sentence" be?

Every year when I sit down and think about the true meaning of Easter, it gives me chills.  Take the time today to really think about Easter.  How merciful our God is.  And how blessed we all are.

peace

Today, I am thankful.  For the first time in quite a while, I am so at peace with life.  Is everything the way I want it to be?  Absolutely not.  But in the past week, I have truly just learned to let go.  It's not worth my stress.  I was feeling pretty crappy last Monday.  Ready to be married, bitter that Nathan and I can't see each other every day, peeved that summer has gone by so quickly, and, quite frankly, a little mad that God seems to just be turning his head when I call for him.  Of course, I know that's not the case... I'm just impatient ;)

I feel like for the most part, God has answered the prayers in my life fairly quickly.  For the first time, I'm truly having to learn how to be patient and trust him.  I figured out, though, that I can't just sit on my hands and wait for things to happen.  So, last Tuesday, I got up early and hit the gym.  It's a perfect start to my morning.  I immediately feel proud of myself and, since I now get home earlier, I am able to spend more time with my family.  What's not to love about that?!  I've also began a bible study online via She Reads Truth.

 
Joining in on this is one of the best decision I've made in a long time.  I strongly encourage each of you to visit their website and see how it works.  I've never been so excited and eager to dive into my bible each day.  Another positive influence has been this book by Candance Cameron Bure...

You probably recognize her as DJ Tanner from "Full House"  ;)

By burying my head in each of these, I can see a deeper relationship with God forming and I'm convinced that is the reason why I'm experiencing such a peace.  Plus, I have seen proof that God is near me via these two fabulous quotes:

"A seed of worry can build mountains but a seed of faith can move mountains."  via She Reads Truth.

"And therefore when He sends not the things we ask, He hears us by sending greater things than we could think or ask."  A quote from Richard Cecil enclosed in Cameron's book.

Oh yes, I needed both of those.

So now instead of eagerly counting down days and stressing over to-do lists for the wedding day, I'm enjoying this time in my life.  I'm only engaged once, right?!

Instead of being bitter that I only see my fiance 3 days a week, I'm thankful that he has a job and for all the things that job has given us.

Instead of being peeved that school is inching closer, I'm remembering all the wonderful memories I've made this summer.

Instead of wondering why God won't make things happen, I'm doing my absolute best at knowing that He has greater things than I can imagine coming.

But, God, if you're reading this... I'd really love if you'd give Nate a new job, make the next 46 days fly by, and make this semester stress-free ;)

Happy Monday, friends!

fear; what's it to ya?

Here's the post that I promised y'all.  I'm writing this with no idea how it will be organized and what exactly it will say.  I'm just hoping that the words will come to me.

Let me start by saying that, generally, I'm not a person who worries.  I know that the Lord is in control and have learned over the years to accept and embrace that.  However, a few weeks ago... I was really struggling.  Mainly due to the fact that in one year I'll be a college grad and desperately looking for a job.  We all know that the job market is not at it's best... but it's certainly disheartening when I feel like I turn on the TV each day and see that more funds have been cut for education.  For example, in the school system I attended, there will be a nearly $900,000 deficit next year.  Not the most encouraging news when you want to be a teacher.  Around this time, I picked up a book off my bookshelf that my parents got me for Christmas.  I had yet to read it, but the title certainly seemed to fit what I was going through.

Many of you have heard of Angie Smith... I hope you have.  She's an incredibly inspirational woman and I encourage you to find her website and read her story if you haven't.

Back to the book.  It was an answered prayer.  Each chapter is devoted to a different fear that women may experience.  The chapter titled, "Fear of Failure," certainly spoke to me.  Failure has been my biggest fear for as long as I can remember.  Angie shares bible stories and scripture about each aspect of fear in the chapters.  It was comforting for me to see that fear is an inevtiable part of human nature... it dates all the way back to the bible.  The important thing is learning how to deal with fear because it never truly disappears.

Throughout the past few weeks I have experienced peace with this issue. Yes, it is still in the back of my mind, but each time I feel the fear starting to set in... I just say a prayer and that's that. I know that God has a plan for my life and that he will guide me where I need to be.

If any of you out there are struggling like I was, get Angie's book and spend some QT with your bible.  I pray you find peace  :)

going viral

I'm not the type of person to spend hours on YouTube browsing at videos... but when I find something good, I feel like I have to share it with everyone!

Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus

"The church should be an ocean. It's not a museum for good people, but a hospital for the broken."

Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales

"If your marriage rests on anything but Jesus, it rests on something that's broken."

I hope I don't strike any hard feelings here... but my jaw hit the floor when I watched both of these. I love them both and there are so many lines I could take from it to apply in my life to improve myself.

Each video is about 4 minutes long and you won't regret taking the time to watch them :)

Happy Thursday, y'all! :)