Intro:
Happy Monday y'all! Ever wondered to yourself: What am I doing here? Did that just happen? What is my purpose? Where should I go from here? Do I need a fresh start? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, you're at the right place. Every person has a story, a reason they are the way they are, a past. Today I'm going to share mine.
Where I've been:
Looking back on my first 20 years of life, I can't help but laugh a little. Did I really say those things? Did I really act that way? And in some cases: What was I thinking?? We've all been there. I had the normal, average, run-of-the-mill childhood. I grew up in church, I did well in academics, and as a whole I was pretty well-rounded in activities. I first accepted Jesus "into my heart" when I was seven years old. I spent all of junior high and high school attending church, getting involved in our youth group, going on mission trips, etc... I had a pretty sheltered life, and I am still thankful to this day for that. When 8th grade came around, my focus on different aspects of my life started to change. I started caring less about God's opinion of me and more about people's opinions of me (particularly boys). I spent the next four years of my life in a constant battle of wanting to live for God, and wanting to live for myself. On the one hand I had God saying, "Come to me, live for me, let me love you, be my hands and feet", and I had the world saying, "This life is all about you, you need to enjoy it while you can, live it up." High school is still a blur to this day. I had a serious relationship, I was a cheerleader and involved in choir, I made memories with friends, and before I knew it, graduation was upon me. Then came college: (This is where things start to get a bit interesting). For me, college was a WHOLE new ball game. I had a very sheltered childhood.. remember? Needless to say, when I got to college my eyes were opened. My freshman and sophomore years consisted of trying to find out the type of person I wanted to be, experiencing new things, forming new friendships, going on dates, and furthering my education. TALK ABOUT A FULL SCHEDULE. Notice, I didn't mention God in the previous statement. During my freshman year, I felt myself start to distance from him. The world was starting to win the epic battle going on in my life. I continued the next year or so confused about what I stood for, what my purpose was, and who I was living for. I put up walls, distanced myself from the people who truly cared, and as a result, ended up in a very dark and bitter place. But then out of nowhere it happened.. my heart started to change, and for the first time in a long time I had a new found sense of hope.
Where I am now:
I now find myself finishing up my junior year of college, on the verge of my 21st birthday, with a whole new perspective on life. You see I am a firm believer in the fact that:
"If God brings you to it, he will help you through it."
"But you, O god, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never quit."- Psalm 86:15
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me!"-Proverbs 8:17
"Come, let us return to the Lord; he has torn us, so that he can heal us, he has struck us down, so that he can bind us up."- Hosea 6:1
God uses our every day situations to teach us, to challenge us, and to guide us along the path he has provided. It simply is not enough anymore just to "have him in my heart". As followers of Christ we should be striving daily to live for him, and ONLY him. Too often as believers we sprinkle a little "God" in our day, well I'm here to tell you that, for me at least, that's not enough! God should control every aspect of our lives, not just the parts we want to give him. Do you have something that you need to hand over to God today?? For me, I can sum it all up in one word, the future. I was so worried about what was coming next. When was I going to find my prince? Where am I going to live after graduation? What is tomorrow going to bring? In the bible, God reassures us that he has every beautiful moment of our life planned out and our job as believers is to simply trust in him and his word.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and NOT to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"- Jeremiah 29:11
1. When am I going to find my prince? I really want to take time to address this specific question because I believe that 99.9% of us single women have struggled with this at some point in our lives. Well I'm here to tell you, as a former worrier, that no you aren't going to end up alone with 30 cats, or on a couch with Ben and Jerry's, or the old maid sitting in her rocking chair in her unused wedding dress! In the bible God specifically tells us, "I will withhold from you no good thing!" All we have to do as believers, is seek him daily, trust him, and let our wonderful love story play out when it should, because it will. :) I'm also hear to tell you that hole in your heart, that space that needs to be filled, that longing for love, will not I repeat WILL NOT AND CANNOT ever be filled by anything or anyone besides God. It is only through reckless abandonment in him that we truly find our happiness. So I'm asking you today to breathe, relax, and realize that these single years, this precious time we have been given, is a Gift from God to grow closer to him with less distractions. This is the only time in our lives that we have when we are only responsible for ourselves! So I encourage you today to simply change the way you look at your situation. I challenge you to view your single years as a gift of precious time with God, and not a burden! I can tell you from personal experience, that when you do, when you finally give even this part of your life over to our creator, he will bless and use you in ways that you were too busy to find in the first place. He will place opportunities for you to serve, that you didn't want anything to do with before, and he will shift your focus from what's ahead, to "What can I do today for God?"
Where I'm headed:
This is the part I am most excited to share with you. :) I see God working in wonderful ways in my life. He is the potter, I am the clay. I see him slowing getting rid of all the "yucky" parts of me and molding me into a woman of God whose ONLY purpose on this is earth is to love him and love his people....yes ALL of his people, but that is a whole other topic that will be discussed in the posts to come. I will tell you that it is a process and it takes effort, but I couldn't be more excited to see what the future holds!
Where to go from here:
At this point you're probably telling yourself, "that was a good story" or "what was her point" and here it is: Lately God has just been breaking my heart for the young women on this earth. Whether you are in high school, college, or a young adult this blog is meant to strengthen you,simply give you a little bit of extra encouragement for the week, and let you know that there is a God who loves you very much!
Challenge for the Week:
For each post there will be a challenge for the week that follows. This week's challenge is to simply search your heart and ask yourself, "What is something that I need to hand over to God this week?" It could be a person, a situation, a big decision you have coming up, etc. Once you figure this out, my challenge for you is to spend some extra time in prayer this week about it, and really listen for God and his reassurance. Thank you all for taking the time to read this blog, have a wonderful week and God Bless!
P.S. I would love to hear how God is moving in your lives. Also, if you have any questions about anything feel free to email me at axosouthernbelle92@gmail.com
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