Bedtime!

It's been a long but good day. Started out just lazying around, sleeping in. Talking with friends. The I headed off for a haircut, and decided to go visit my aunt, and talked with her for a few hours, had a great time. :) Then I got to go to bible study and see the best crew, an finally ended the day at arby's sitting and talking for a spell. Got to talk to some wonderful people today, not only my best friends, but people I don't get to talk to often, some of them actual family, and some my adopted family. :)

Today, I thought a lot about being thankful for those we have in our lives. A lot of times we take people for granted, and forget their true value. Take today for instance, I talked to a good friend of mine for forty minutes on the phone, then I doubted that it was a genuine friendship. How dumb is that? Sometimes we nit pick the conversation, and try to find underlying problems that 95% of the time aren't even there. We shouldn't worry and just enjoy the moment. Remember, you are you. You have allowed these people to influence YOUR life. It's their loss if they decide to leave. Keep your head up!

And today, a bundle of laughs, and some pictures that may get you thinking.

All Alone, or are we? ;)

Classes and working today! Luckily, the fair starts downtown, and a lot of people will be spending time down there, so I don't expect it to be busy. Tomorrow I got loads to do, but thank goodness I don't have to wake up early! On another note, I got to be someone's campaign advisor last night, helping her come up with a campaign slogan. gotta say that was pretty dang fun. I was thankful for the opportunity.

Today, I was thinking about something that is kind of hard to define. It's the idea of missing someone. No, I'm not talking about someone you like, or are in a relationship with, but friends, family, anyone that you know you cant talk to at that moment. It cam along after I was texting some people today, and they had to go because they got busy, well then I missed talking to them a few hours later. This is something I think we all go through at one time or another. For me, not talking to people is VERY difficult. I love the ability to share life with people, and I feel almost impeded when I can't do so. BUT, I didn't take the time to mope either. I took the time to do something I enjoy,. in this case, I sang. It helped me remember that my friends and family are still there, I just have to wait. I'm learning that I have to support myself, and not depend on others to be my confidence. I have great friends, because they are the ones who showed me that this was necessary. I have felt so much better since I have learned to do this. Take a moment to find out if your leaning too much on anyone, besides the one who commands you to lean on Him. ;)

and as promised, a double portion of laughs today!

Forgive and Forget

Again, another eventful day! Had a car show at work today, which unfortunately got canceled, so it became casual Monday. We had fun just joking around, but it still got pretty busy. It seriously poured right after my shift ended, so I stayed talking for a bit. I work with a wonderful group of people. Tomorrow is equally as busy, but I am looking forward to it. :)

Today's thoughts are on Forgive and Forget. We here this phrase often, from friends family, almost anyone. A lot of times it's right after a hard decision was made, or something was done against you. Actually, after a little research, I found something interesting. Never in the Bible does it say "Forgive AND Forget" Many times, we are commanded to forgive, here are just a few examples.
Ephesians 4:32    

32 hBe kind to one another, tenderhearted, iforgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

 

Luke 7:47-48 “…Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Jesus speaking to the accusers and the woman caught in adultery)
But never does it tell us to forget. Just like we remember that a hot stove will burn us, we remember that certain people have the ability to hurt us emotionally. I think the idea the Bible is going for is: we forgive the offense, move on with the relationship, and put up proper defenses to not be burned again. I think we all know those people who are friends or in a relationship that look so happy, then you hear about them fighting, but the next day look like nothing happened. I am not saying that fighting that often is a good thing, but it is the model that we are looking for when you do have a quarrel with someone. You find what you love in that person, and remember those things when moving on. It should seem like nothing is wrong, because nothing is. We as humans are flawed beings.  We all have shortcomings and downfalls, and yet we look past it. Here is a quote I came up with awhile ago, "The hope in the human race is our ability to move past conflict, see the good in others, and love through it all."

 

As I'm headed off to bed, I cant post any pics tonight. :( Ill post a double portion tomorrow though!

 

 

Chameleon

Today has been a crazy day. Woke up early to head off to work, got out at 2. Had a Nerf and talk with my crew, and cleaned up and ate at home for the first time in awhile. All in all good day, looking forward to getting into this week. Fair downtown starting Tuesday, and hopefully I'll be down there quite a bit. stoked!

I was thinking today about Chameleon Living, as I will call it. I think we all find ourselves living like those around us at one time or another. To an extent, this can be a good thing. The phrase "You are who you hang out with" comes to mind. But I think we, especially as Teens, find ourselves imitating those around to the extreme. I know that in my life, I tend to put other people's interests in front of mine so much, that my own are crowded out. We are commanded to put others before ourselves,

Matthew 22:36-40

New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b] 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”,

but even this can become unhealthy when you lose who God made you. Never lose sight of what you love to do, and always find time to do it. It will make you more interesting to others, and strengthen your self confidence.

Another thing that goes along with this is, Don't let others opinion of you drive you. Only God's opinion is what matters, and you should always know that he values you. I know that I tend to fall into a trap of trying to constantly win people over to be my friend by apologizing, by thanking profusely,  and by sending nice notes or text messages. Although these things are not inherently bad, your motives are what matter. Don't assume that people hate or are annoyed at you. As a wise person once told me, "Don't borrow trouble." By this I mean, don't assume there is a problem. Don't assume that anyone is annoyed at you, and that you have to constantly regain their favor. I promise 95% of the time, none of what your thinking at that moment is what's on their mind. :)

And as always, I'll end with some comic relief, because laughter is truly the best medicine.

 

Workin workin workin

Working my first ever 13 hour shift today, on break right now. Insanity! Old settlers day is coming up this weekend in my beautiful hometown. Hopefully, I'll be able to hang with some friends and get some elephant ears! :P Cannot wait!

 

My observation today is on overthinking. We as human beings tend to overthink everything. I'll use my sister as an example. Me and her are avid fantasy readers, and one of our favorite book series is the Eragon cycle. Before the fourth book came out, we had conversations for hours and hours about what was gonna happen in the end of the series. We were both taken by surprise with what turned out. (No, I wont ruin it for anyone! Read it, you wont regret it. Ya know, spoilers) But we do the same thing with life quite often. We think and think and think about how its gonna happen, with the evidence of a situation placed before us, and then the course of action takes us by surprise. It all comes down to worry. Do we trust that everything will work out for the better? Do we trust that God has a plan for our lives? God has our best interests in mind, and sometimes we can't see it, but someday we will look back and see how many times he was on your team. I fall back on this verse a lot, because its my life verse and it pertains to all of us.

"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

Don't worry, He's got me, you, and everyone else in mind. It's all gonna work out to the betterment of you and to the glory of Him. :)

 

And our daily comic relief:

 

The committee.

Finally, a real day off! Unlike last Wednesday, my plans got canceled by a gigantic storm. -_- But hopefully today will be better! it looks beautiful outside right now, so I hope it'll stay that way. Bible study at my place tonight at 4, then a Nerf war afterwards. I'm excited!
But then again, today has been interesting. Beating back some old worry, and thankfully succeeding. But its interesting. I think it falls into the same category of what I was talking about in my last post. My head is three months behind my heart. It still worries about things that are either gone and over, or things that I don't have to worry about anymore. Funny how our minds like to fall back into that comfortable place, even if it wasn't the best place to be. Just food for thought I guess. Here's a fitting quote that a very good friend of mine sent me when I was going through a rough time. It still helps me to this very day.

And now, as I will probably be doing when not posting on the go [aka on my phone ;)], here is some pictures for your comic relief!

The heart is Faster than the Head

What a day! Super busy, school and work. Got to talk to a good friend for the first time in awhile. :)
Even in the midst of all the hussle bussle,I made an important observation today, that I think is true for a lot of us. "Sometimes, our heart and our minds are not on the same page." What I mean by this is that your heart is the first thing you convince of something, but sometimes your head takes a little longer to catch up. For example, have you ever found yourself giving someone an old phone number or address? Your heart may have moved, but your head is behind. I honestly don't know how to control this, but I think its an interesting thing to think about.
And lastly, I have a few pictures to share. Hope this brightens your mood. :D

P.S. if you have any feedback on what I've been posting, question or comments, leave 'em below, or email me. I would love to hear what you guys think.