We are the Light of the World

     This past weekend, the family reconvened in Oklahoma after a few months of not seeing each other. We celebrated the birthday of the cutest little girl in our family, and spent the days laughing around the table, entertaining the little ones, and creating memories we hope they will cherish forever. It looked like every other time we get together to take a break from the craziness of our everyday lives.      But life is changing for me, and my emotions were divided, my thoughts dwelling on what the rest of this year will look like, what my new routine will look like, how the rest of my life will play out. I was ignoring all of my anxious thoughts because I wanted to stop and enjoy where I was this weekend. I wanted to soak in the friendships and family ties that I would miss once we got back on the road home. So I did. I kept my dwelling down to a minimum and my spirits high for the sake of my sanity.      And much to my surprise (not real...

Disclaimer: For many months now, I have seen so many photos and posts on social media about leaving "toxic people" out of our lives. I ran across one that read, "Don't do selfless things for selfish people." And I grew furious. I cooled down after a few minutes, but that has stuck with me since I read it. I truly hope this blog does not come across as a rant (even though it may have started out that way). I just want to shed some much-needed light on the subject. The Truest Light. It’s not about how much others give you, it’s about how much you give others. People aren’t perfect, and communication isn’t easy.  But we justify how we treat others by the way they treat us? Matthew 7:12 “ Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets .” Is that what Jesus told us to do? Walk away when it gets hard? Ignore those who don’t love us as much as we love them?  Matthew ...

Hey y'all! I officially have 2 weeks of college under my belt, and I have already learned so much. Cliché as that may sound, I refer not to the classes that I am taking, but rather the experiences I have had. First, I want to start with some song lyrics that have been on my mind for a few weeks. "And nothing can stay the same, it's growing pains." Obviously, these lyrics inspired the rest of this post and the title as well. Although childish, these lyrics are from an emotional song out of the Descendants 2 movie. Maybe, I feel the emotions within the song so well because I relate to them.  My friend (of 6 years) was leaving for college at the time, and I was nearing my next adventure as well. I, admittedly, cried upon my first listening of this song, and my friend and I immediately made it "our song" (kind of jokingly, but in a little bit of seriousness). Well now that you have a background, I want to expand on the phrase I gave you. A huge part of me des...

I like my comfort zone. Anybody that knows me well, knows this. I love to feel at home and completely safe in where I am, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. BUT, God doesn't call his people to be comfortable. He doesn't call us to a life of 100% security. Life is not created to be risk-free. Before our Savior ascended into Heaven, he told his disciples what it was they were sent to do. In the final chapter of Mark and the 15th verse, Jesus told his disciples, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." These 11 (soon to be 12) followers of Jesus were sent into the wicked world to speak the truth nobody wanted to hear at the time. They were instructed to step into the war with full dedication to God and his will. There is no doubt that the disciples faced a difficult task. To step into several cities telling Jews of the Messiah they had been waiting hundreds of years for was not an easy task. Jesus never made it easy, and I ...

I'm tired of everything that ties me to this world. I want to be free of the holds homework, college, and my future career have on me. I want to be rid of the stresses of these little things that steal my silent time with Jesus...but I can't. To let go of these things, to be rid of these things, would mean throwing away my mission field. To trash these worldly duties is to reject the purpose God has for my life.  I was thinking about my near future and distant future today, so I went outside to get fresh air. I needed air. I needed wind. I needed sun. I needed the Son. As I was walking back into the house, I looked in front of me and the sun was in the perfect position in the sky to blind me. When I looked into the sun, I could not see anything else in front of me. I saw the sun, and I saw the place my feet stood. Following God and pursuing his will is much like looking into the ultimate source of light. When we focus on the Father and his plan for our lives, we can't see...

I'm not a particularly patient person. I'm a millennial, so many will say I'm a product of my generation. I'm a young person who simply must have what they want as soon as they realize what it is that they want. But, I think it's more than that... I've always been afraid of what I can't control. I have a need to know what is coming in life. But God changes all of that. As a follower of Christ, I should trust God with every thing. Sometimes, I catch myself trying to predict my future, and then I feel like I'm jinxing everything, so I stop thinking. I'm a thinker. I dwell on thoughts much more than I should. In pursuit of peace and an end to my restlessness, I write these thoughts out. They aren't solely for me because I know I'm not alone in my fear of the future. We all dread what we can't see and what we can't change. Some more than others (me). Don't get me wrong, I know God has laid out every moment of our lives. I find mys...