I am a huge foodie. I have been my entire life.
So much so that, when I was younger, my mom always thought that I would become a food critic when I grew up because I enjoyed every meal that she lay before me. Friends who know me well know how much I love food because of how vocal I am whenever I eat a good burger or how excited I get when I talk about a good meal I've had at a new or favorite restaurant.
With my hair pinned back in curls, half-inch heels tightly strapped to my feet, and a flowing red gown draped over my small frame, I was ready. As a wide-eyed 11 year old, I couldn't wait to wow the judges with my wit, charm, and fake eyelashes. I knew they would adore me.
Stepping into the interview, I smiled big (braces and all), introduced myself, and gave the three pageant judges a little wink. With only three minutes on the clock, I couldn't waste a second.
Happiness; a word that holds so much meaning, yet people spend their entire life endlessly searching for anything that will fill them with that warm fuzzy feeling. At times, happiness can be found, but always temporarily, waxing and waning like the moon, never to stay in one place for long. How can one find true everlasting happiness?
I was crazy about him. I had never met someone who understood me so well, who loved God so passionately. Everything about it was perfect. But we broke up, and now I’m so confused. God kept giving me all these little signs—like everything about it was right—and I was so sure he was going to be the one.
So why didn’t it happen?
Reading through the email from a blog reader, I nodded along—because I understood the spot she was in all too well. I’ve been there.
When we first begin our relationship with God, it’s amazing how the Holy Spirit becomes our guide and teaches us how to become more like Him. For me, I never realized how much I lacked self-confidence until God started to reveal my identity in Him. I am still learning what it means to live and walk in freedom, but I’ve learned a few life lessons along the way about how to be my true self or my Christ-confident self.
The Lord speaks about living truthfully and full of praise, and social media is a wonderful avenue to share His love. I definitely want to note that I am not an expert – I have many imperfections, I am so hard on myself at times, and I am always learning, but I pray we can take these truths and wisdom from our Creator into our day to day, and even tuck them in our back pocket for when we need a reminder in the incredible days to come that He's paved before us.
Enjoy these tips to keep Christ at the forefront online and in "real life!"
I struggle with the whole concept of "rest."
I'm one to want to keep going all the time and do multiple things in order to busy my mind, in order to not slip into thoughts the enemy so plentifully floods my brain with. Much like Parks and Rec's beloved Chris Traeger says; "if I keep my body moving and my mind occupied at all times, I will avoid falling into a bottomless pit of despair" - I can't say I'm as dramatic and grandiose as Mr. Traeger, but I very much relate to what he says here.
Right around seventh grade is when the voice of “you’re not good enough” began to whisper in my ear. It came through comments and snickers of fellow classmates and sometimes even people I considered friends. Comments like, “she’s ugly,” “her nose is too big,” and “she dresses funny” began to tarnish what I thought about myself. The voice was persistent enough that I began to believe what other people thought about me, and gave into the pressure of wanting to be liked at any cost.
Taylor Swift released another single from her new album a few weeks ago. The song Call It What You Want is about her relationship with her boyfriend, explaining how he makes her feel special and loved. He doesn't care about her reputation, and he loves her just as she is.
We’ve all heard these responses before: “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” or “don’t cry over spilled milk” — yea, because normal people cry over things like that. Without much thought, we anticipate that the response (when we share our struggles) will be “it’ll get better,” “pray about it,” or “God’s going to work it out." But sometimes words just aren’t enough when you’re feeling discouraged or down!