In times of uncertainty...

Philippians 4:6-7 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

So much uncertainty comes with graduating college. I thought I eagerly anticipated this time period of slowing down and waiting... but now that two months have passed without any job offers, I can say I have felt somewhat defeated.  But some days are better reminders than others- I am on the right track whether I see the purpose behind God's plan in plain sight... or not.


Coming from working 40-50 hour weeks (between 2 jobs and classes), I feel like this free time is a stranger to me. Cooking for two hours, followed by a workout for three hours, time to eat again, then four hours spent watching Friends on TBS and Pinning on Pinterest. 


Perhaps this is God's timing to let me reflect and breathe. Because as I have been told numerous times again and again- I will never get this down time once thrown into the working world. It is time for me to seek out a path that I know I am supposed to travel down... that allows me to be who I am and who I'm supposed to become. 

Psalm 121:3-8

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. ...

1 Peter 2:1

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

 

Happiness Now

The Daniel Fast Starts in T-6 Days

Taking a Break from Facebook and Twitter

Going to read one more whole book for pleasure before the chaos of classes

The Dog Days are Over

My One Word

Happy 2011 Everyone!
Sorry I went a little MIA in the past few days, just a lot of things going on that being able to get on the blog has been a little tougher than usual.

But I am excited to be back in the swing of things! So here we go...

First off, have you checked out these lovely ladies' blogs?

 Fotojenik

Southern Hospitality

If you have, then you know just how wonderful they are! If not, head on over there as soon as you can! They are beautiful people with beautiful words (and pictures) to share with you

On both of their blogs, you can find earlier posts about the New Years and how they chose one word to focus on. By focusing on this one word, it will bring them a wonderful year to come. 

It got me thinking and after a day of pondering, I finally came upon my word in the aisles of good ol' Costco

Right above a group of colorful bouquets, I saw a sign that read:
"Beautiful Blossoms"

The word "Blossom" referring to the bright green bulbs bursting with small petals of oranges, pinks, and reds. 

"Blossom" kept spinning around in my head as we mazed between aisles
So I have decided, that is my word for this year.

In 2010, I grew a lot. I feel like I was a seed finally poking my head out of the dirt into the sun. I was able to learn by trying new things, becoming more involved in things I loved and forming the foundation I needed to flourish. But I am ready to take everything from last year and show everyone out there my true colors.

I'll be graduating in December this year. Do I know where I'll be then? Absolutely not. But I promise everyone out there I will do my best to Blossom into the confident, driven, successful woman I know I am seeking to become...

Now It's Your Turn...

What's Your Word?

R(in)R#2- Get to Know God Better

This resolution was the biggest one on my list for last year.
I know it's lengthy but if you read only one of my blog posts from now 'til next year, I pray it's this one:
It meant the most to me, and has had the greatest impact on my year by far.

Like I had said before, I sat in my bed on NYE when these resolutions came pouring inside my head... but this one was the only one to really reach my heart

I have always held fast on my faith in God. I have read His word, have believed every syllable in His book, and knew He was there... But sadly, it was almost like he was a long distance friend I only occasionally called on the telephone on an idle Wednesday night via collect...

And it was that NYE that it hit me... I NEED to change that

(If you didn't already know, I talk in Metaphor A LOT, and this post is no exception)

I could go on for days about how this relationship started forming, how it really started to turn from a ball of clay into something worth putting on display from within my own heart.
But I will do my best to keep it sweet and simple....

I started out in January leaving sticky notes around my room to make sure I was keeping up with this promise I made...

In the beginning, I had to answer these reminders with "Shoot! I need to get on that!" or "I forgot to do it! I ran out of time"

But after some time, I was able to pass these reminders and say "Yup! First thing this morning!" and my favorite, "Yea, several times already." It wasn't long until those reminders weren't needed anymore.

Now, I look back at those original statements and those excuses... 

they just don't even seem realistic anymore. 

They are virtually unacceptable.

I started meeting new people, Godly people that overflowed with Love and Genuine Faith. I started really GOING to church... really understanding what I was digesting through each message my pastor was giving. I took those lessons, the challenges we were set out to conquer throughout our week and really put them in play. I took time out and prayed at least twice EVERY DAY, and not just the traditional "Now I lay my head to sleep..." prayer, but having conversations with God just like I would with my own parents...my best friends... Really thanking him for giving me everything I have in my life. The friendships that have built me, the heart and mind that He gave me that supplies me with the courage, motivation, and drive to be who I am for his purpose. 

Finally, this summer I wanted to take everything that I had achieved, became, and was working towards from the past several months of my relationship with Christ and I got baptized on the beach with over 80 people from my church. I cannot begin to write out what the feeling was like. One of my best friends baptized me... I can't put into words how special it was to have someone baptize me who really helped me to reach that point with God that I could strongly stand firm and say "I give my life and ways up to Him". It was such an enormous blessing.

I pray my faith is not only growing in my own heart, but can overflow to fill others as well.

Now, when I go to surf at 5:30am and sit on my board, I not only have a great time with friends, but I also have great conversations and meaningful prayers with the One who gave me this ocean and this body to surf with. I go on runs and praise God for the ability to breathe his air and the legs that take me out there in the first place.

I am still growing, and I know this New Years Resolution has transformed into my way of life.
It's not something that you should work on for a year, a few years, a decade. It should be something you decide to follow from the point you know you're ready... for the rest of your life.

R(in)R#1- Try Something New

I knew that I wanted this year to be good, and I knew for that to happen, that meant trying something new. Something different than anything I had experienced in the last year. This may not sound like a very good resolution due to it's ambiguity and simplicity, but one that may be too easily accomplished. Throughout the year, this resolution made me realize that sometimes the simple goals that we reach towards may bring us the greatest fulfillment.

Something New #1: Complete my first Triathlon. 

For five years I ran. Just ran track. Never even considered combining it with biking, let alone swimming. But thanks to the support of friends and family, I bought a road bike and goggles, and traveled to Charlotte this summer for my first Tri! 

(And it won't be my last!)

Try Something New#2: Live away from home for the first time in the summer

This summer, I spent my time taking classes at school in North Carolina. It was the first time living away from home and it honestly was a tough decision to do so. But it was worth it. I met some amazing new friends, grew closer to existing ones, and got an incredible opportunity to work with some incredible children (Look ahead to #3)

Something New #3- Work With Children

I will be nothing less than honest: I have always loved watching children grow and learn... From Afar.

I never truly took the time to listen  to them, to really spend a day interacting with them until I got the job as a Camp Counselor at Myrtle Grove's Youth Christian Athletic camp. Going into it, I was scared to death. 

"What if these kids don't like me?"

"What if I don't know how to handle them and their questions?" 

But I knew that trying something new also meant jumping out of my comfort zone, so I decided to take the leap.

And I know that it was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.

(see post)

Other "Something New"s include: Create my first life size snowman, sing karaoke in front of a real live audience, and starting THIS VERY BLOG ;)

I hope some of these inspire you to go into the new year with the desire to
"Try Something New"
Because once you try something new...try something out of your comfort zone, you'll wonder why you never tried to do it before...