WOW....2017, you've been a good one!!
Filled with lots of laughs, lots of adventures, lots of Thomas Rhett, tons of hugs, a little bit of tears, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I can say that this year I've truly come to learn that the joy of the Lord is our strength. This kind of joy is not based on circumstances, solely on the love of Jesus. His love is mighty, reckless, all powerful, & sure is a pretty darn good reason to smile....even in the roughest of times!!
So here's some of my favorite memories of 2017 that I hope to never forget!!
1. New Years Day in SC
2. Hiking in the rain- still one of my favorite adventures of the year!!!
3. Sadie Hawkins Dance
4. The day spent with Grace (aka g-swizzle!)
4. Birthday dinner for my sweet mama :)
5. Spring break- waking up to see the sunrise & go shopping with Grace.
6. Painting pottery
7. HIKING!!!!
8. Dinner @ Osaka with Alyssa and Grace
9. My first time tubing, slightly terrifying but overall pretty fun!!
10. Turning 15!!!!!
11. Camping at Hanna Park for my birthday w/ the boos!!! Definitely one to remember!
12. Any adventure that consists of ice cream or Popsicles.
13. 4th of July
14. Pool party before nationals
15. The day we dressed up as cows to get free chick-fil-a & got free slushies because it was 7/11. I'll do anything for free food.
16. Trip to Washington D.C.
17. Bubble Run
18. First day of school!!!
19. Homecoming!!!!.... IT WAS THE 14TH OF OCTOBER!!!!!
20. Going to GA to surprise Kala for her birthday!!
21. All the football games!!!
22. Mud run
23. Decorating the tree!!
Can't wait to see what 2018 has in store!! You know what they say......the best is yet to come.
I have this mental checklist in my head. It goes something like this- once exams are over I will be able to relax and spend more time in the word of God; once competition season is over I will be able to breath; once this busy week is over I won't be so stressed; once I can drive, making plans will be sooo much easier. This list goes on to bigger things too like, once I get accepted to college all the worry will disappear or once I get married and have kids life will just be a bubble of happiness. I get it in my head that once I reach a finish line my worries will just fade away.... some how just magically poof away & i'll be free. Honestly it doesn't even make sense why I think that because every time I reach a finish line, another one pops up.
I want to look at everything and see it like I've never seen it before. I want to approach everything in life with excitement and an eagerness to love. I want my eyes to be filled with wonder. I don't want to miss a single detail of life because I looked at something like I've seen it a 100 times. When you look at something a 100 times, on the 101st time you just briefly glance. You miss the good stuff....the real stuff, the stuff that our hearts are craving to find. Yet we continue to crave it because we blind ourselves to beauty that's all around us. We will never see how wonderful God made this crazy life until we look at everything with wonder in our eyes.
This past weekend I was at a church retreat. Our whole theme for the weekend was to live a life without filters, to be real. We live in a filtered society. We try to cover up every ounce of ugliness and turn it into something beautiful. Truth is sometimes things are just ugly. We just need to accept that we are broken people that live in a broken world with broken relationships & broken perspectives. Brokenness does not need a filter to fix it, brokenness needs healing.
Okay is it odd to anyone else that right now you are reading this with 2 little round things in the front of your head that we call "eyes"? or that we stand on two legs that are oddly longer than any other part of our body? or that attached to our odd shaped feet are 10 stubby little things we call toes? like whattttt, why on earth are we like this?? here's the one that really gets me, hair. I mean besides that fact that I would look like an egg without it, why is it there? When I really think about the detail & intricacy put into each and everyone of us, I have nothing else to say but WOW. God truly is hands down the greatest artist ever. We are all so detailed & unique, it's crazyyyyy. I forget this truth a lot. Society makes us believe that we have to think a certain way, look a certain way, & act certain way. Often times I get caught up in trying to pursue this "certain way" & by doing so I cut out a lot of the beauty & potential God has for my life. Our beauty is found in the name of Jesus, and the name of Jesus is heard when we live a life true to ourselves. By trying to form ourselves to the standards this world sets for us, we are just saying that we're normal. Normal can be a good thing if we are talking about something like our health, but as a person, I don't want to be normal- that's boring. We are all so oddly unique & interesting, yet we still label ourselves as normal. If God wanted normal he would have made us all an army of identical robots, but he didn't. Instead He made you & no one else comparable to you- so stop striving for normal because your better than that.
whenever a "what if" question pops into my head, I try to ignore it. I think about it for a second & then talk myself out of whatever I was thinking about because answering the question comes with risk. & before we start let me get this straight, i'm not talking about stupid stuff like what's going to happen if I jump off this bridge?? no no, please don't do that!! I'm talking about the kind that we probably should do, but we don't.
The thought of not knowing what's going to happen absolutely terrifies me. I like to know the answers. I like to know the plan. I simply just like "normal" & most of the time, the answers to "what if??" are out of my "normal" and that doesn't settle well with me.
I can think of a lot of "what if" questions that I don't want to know the answer to.
what if my dad loses his job again?
what if my family gets in a bad car accident?
what if someone I love gets sick?
I don't want to know the answer to any of these. But there are 2 kinds of "what if's" in life- the kind you have absolutely no control over & the kind that it's all on you.
The ones that we have no control over we, need to let go of. Worrying doesn't change the outcome of anything. So for my planner obsessed, control freak friends out there- we just need to breath. When we were born, Jesus didn't give us a book perfectly in order with numbered pages and no tears or bends labeled with your name on it. Wouldn't that be nice!! Instead he gave us a book that's out of order with scrambled up words. But that's okay because when we finally finish the book, it will be wayyy better than we ever thought it could be. filled with so much more adventure and excitement than any perfectly organized chapter book could ever give you. The moment I finally accepted the unexpected is when the weight of stress & worry were not as heavy on my shoulders.
Now as for the "what ifs" that we have control of, that's a different story. When I get to the end of this crazy life, I do not want to be saying
what if what if I looked up from my phone a little more often?
what if I didn't care about being "too nice" because I don't want to be thought of as naive?
what if I learned to love every situation life has to offer?
what if I gave someone a genuine compliment everyday?
what if I listened to all the little nudges at my heart of God telling me to do things?
what if I stopped listening to the harsh words & lies of the devil and filled myself with the unchanging truth of the gospel?
what if I had the guts to forgive people that are so-called "unforgivable"?
what if I didn't automatically think the worst of people?
what if I stopped living in fear of failure & just lived?
what if I sat and listened to someones story instead of it always being "me me me"?
what if I stopped hating people just because they did or said one thing to offend me?
what if I just took a minute to stand in awe of God's glory in the midst of chaos?
these are not questions I want to be floating in my head when it's all said and done. I want to be living the life filled with answers to all of these questions- not wondering what if. I don't want to just sit back and wonder anymore, I want to know. I can only imagine what our world would be like if we found answers to our "what if" questions by living them out. so what do ya say will you stop wondering with me & go out and find some answers?
lots of love, j
One day this will happen.
One day all heads will bow.
all knees will hit the ground.
all hands will be lifted high.
all hearts will be surrendered.
& all tongues will be saying only one name, Jesus.
Do you ever just have those days where you are just flat out tired of fighting for things to go right? your hair looks bad, failed a math test, & more and more just keeps piling on to this list that never seems to end. any of this sound familiar?
The devil is always ready to fight & y'all he's good at it too. When he fights he's after only one thing, your joy. That's it, all he wants is your joy. The devil doesn't care about your health, job, family, relationships- he doesn't want any of this. He wants to steal your joy right out from under your feet.
I don't know about y'all but I hate to lose, & the thought of losing my joy to the devil just makes me furious. So if the devil is stealing your joy right now, don't let him.
Keep fighting the good fight.
On those days when things just won't go right, fight. In the midst of disappointment & chaos, fight for your joy. Don't let the devil win.
Know that your situations here on earth do not change the hope we have in our Heavenly Father. Know that your joy comes from unchanging love of Jesus. So keep on fighting friends- the moments you want to give up the most, are the ones that it's the most crucial to fight the good fight & win back your joy.
lots of love, j
i always joke around saying that i could be born in a different generation & i would love it! i think it's just something in me that loves the idea of living a life that's just straight up simpler. ya know? now don't get me wrong i love me some social media and all the other new things that we have access to, but i do believe some of the generations before us had it right with somethings!! somethings that we might forget & that's kinda scary because i believe it's things that we need even more than ever in our world right now.
1. write letters. we have it at our finger tips to send a text to someone within seconds. while this is all fine and dandy, a letter means soOoooOoo much more friends!!!!! one of my sweetest friends sends me letters every few months & man do they put a smile on my face. something about the fact that someone took the time to write you a letter to share a piece of their heart with you is just super special. so slooowww dooowwwn & take the time to write to someone. it doesn't have to be super long- just send em a bible verse, encourage them, tell you your praying for them (& then do it!). i guarantee it will make someone's day!!!!!!!!!
2. pick up the phone & call. just do it girl. texting is really great most of the time, but sometimes ya just need a good talk with your girls (aka my boos - s/o to y'all for listening to all my probs over the phone!!!) but seriously just trust me, it's refreshing for the soul;) and also, call your grandma if you can- they loveeeeee to hear your voice!
3. print out pictures. i loveee pictures, there is nothing better than just snuggling up with a cup of hot coco and looking through old pictures. so print them out!! don't just swipe through on your phone - it doesn't have the same affect. plus it is super easy. all you have to do is get the Walgreen's app and upload photos straight from your camera roll & then go pick them up! you pay in store so you don't even have to put in your credit card information! also a good tip is wait till they have a deal going on because it is wayyy cheaper and they always have them going on. printing out pictures may seem like extra work for no reason, but i promise you it's worth it!!
4. no calls at the dinner table. just don't do it girl. it doesn't matter who you are with; friends, family, a date- talk to them!!! i know it can be super hard not to check that text really fast or open the snap to see what your best friend just sent, but it can wait- i promise. spend time with the person right in front of you. there is no better time than eating yummy food to get to know someone & talk about life....don't miss out on it ;)
5. the term "gentleman." okay, this is an important one that is getting sooo lost in our generation. what does the word "gentleman" mean to you? for me it's the guy that holds the door for you. the guy that has the guts to ask you on a date in person, risking you saying no face to face because your worth the risk. the guy that listens to what your saying. the guy that treats everyone he comes in contact with with respect. the guy that loves God more than you. yes, i said more than you. these are all the things that make "that guy" a gentleman. so while these things may be fading in our world, they aren't gone yet. it's our job to hold up these values- do not settle!!!! but also hold up your end of the bargain, act like a girl worthy of being treated like a princess. okay now don't get confused, every girl is worth being treated like a princess... but what guy is going to want to be "prince charming" to one of Cinderellas evil step sisters, ya know what i'm saying?
6. being neighborly. spread the love man!!! smile at people. give someone a hug who is having a rough day. hold the door. bake some cookies. live as Christ did - to serve others!!
xoxo, j
oh and also everyone should watch the Brady Bunch, that should never be forgotten... like ever.
5. the term "gentleman." okay, this is an important one that is getting sooo lost in our generation. what does the word "gentleman" mean to you? for me it's the guy that holds the door for you. the guy that has the guts to ask you on a date in person, risking you saying no face to face because your worth the risk. the guy that listens to what your saying. the guy that treats everyone he comes in contact with with respect. the guy that loves God more than you. yes, i said more than you. these are all the things that make "that guy" a gentleman. so while these things may be fading in our world, they aren't gone yet. it's our job to hold up these values- do not settle!!!! but also hold up your end of the bargain, act like a girl worthy of being treated like a princess. okay now don't get confused, every girl is worth being treated like a princess... but what guy is going to want to be "prince charming" to one of Cinderellas evil step sisters, ya know what i'm saying?
6. being neighborly. spread the love man!!! smile at people. give someone a hug who is having a rough day. hold the door. bake some cookies. live as Christ did - to serve others!!
xoxo, j
oh and also everyone should watch the Brady Bunch, that should never be forgotten... like ever.
I think our society sometimes only focuses on romantic relationships & friendships, and all the others just kind of get glimpsed over. But i believe the word love means more than that. I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t have these relationships because my goodness without them, i don’t know what i’d do. I love my friends & family with my whole heart, but i think we can do even more with our hearts. God made us to love. He made us with a heart that beats about a 100,000 times a day. A heart that was MADE TO LOVE. so let’s use it. Jesus tells us to do everything with love. He didn’t say to love only the people we like or the situations we are happy with, He said to do EVERYTHING with love. Yes, by everything that means the girl that is just a pain in the butt. The boy that broke your heart. Everything means everything. The toughest of situations- we need to learn to love them. Be grateful in them. It’s often the worst of times that i feel closest to God, so let’s embrace them. We need to not only love the people around us, we need to fall in love with life itself.
The coffee dates with your girls.
The “wear your pj’s all day” kinda days.
The eye opening sunrises.
The jaw dropping sunsets.
The pretty yellow flowers on the side of the road.
Love it, Love everything.
But we also need to love the crazy.
The rude people in the hallway @ school.
The stressful days.
The long days.
Ya gotta love em.
Without love we are nothing.
Learn to love. Love well. Love hard. Love because He first loved us with the purest kind of love.
but don't ever get love confused with idolizing, always remember who the King is.
but don't ever get love confused with idolizing, always remember who the King is.
This earth is our temporary home (i say this singing trying to be carrie underwood but its failing:/)
But we can still enjoy the ride while we are here. You can spend a 10 hour car ride complaining & hating the whole thing OR you can sit back, relax and listen to some good music….. your choice. Ya might have some traffic, but hey ya get to listen to some more Thomas Rhett (or whatever gets ya jamming!)
Okay wow i took that cheesy analogy way too far but i think you get the point- enjoy the ride & love it, but don’t forget the destination and who is behind the wheel *hint hint He can walk on water*
Wow im still going with the analogy & im still singing “Jesus take the wheeeeeeeeelllll, take it from my handssssssssss”
okay i really need to stop, bye friends !!!
xoxo, j
hey friends!!
this week my family and I are on vacation in Washington D.C! on the drive up i was going through my phone & looking at old pictures and notes. is it just me or does everyone have about 2,000 pictures on your phone & half are random stuff you don't even remember? hopefully i'm not alone! but here is what i found,
2017:
I want to make this year a year of truly living!!! I want to laugh, cry, smile, help people, be crazy. I want to do things unexpectedly, go with the flow, and be adventurous. I want to take a lot of pictures, but still live in the moment. I want to be a true example of Christ in my daily life. I want people to hear my name and automatically think "oh that super sweet and down to earth girl". I want to be THAT GIRL. I want to find the good in every situation. Build relationships that will last a life time. I want to love like crazy. I want to grow closer than I've ever been to Christ and inspire others to do the same. I want to live each day like no more are coming, and simply ENJOY IT<3 here's to 2017!!
i honestly can't even remember writing this, which is kind of useless considering this was what i wanted my year to look like & i didn't even remember it! but ya know life is life, we get busy. but as i found this i was like "girl you still got time, 2017 is not over until December 31st!!"
since i wrote this, things have changed a lot!! situations, relationships, priorities. which is totally normal, its been 8 months since January 1st so things are bound to change- it's just apart of life. as shawn mendes says it "it's not changing in a bad way, it's just changing because that's what happens in life"!! i sure do love me some shawn mendes !!
so i guess what i'm trying to say in this is that if you made any new years resolutions that you haven't lived up to, it's not to late. but what you said at the beginning of the year might not apply to you now. if that is the case, then change them- make new ones! challenge yourself to make the best of everyday because every breath is a gift given from God.
in my case everything still applies, but i need to add something. I am adding to choose joy. everyday i want to wake up & choose to let the sun shine on my shoulders because God made a pretty big load of it. i'm going to choose not to cover it up with clouds and rain. God made a lot of those too, but not as much!!!!
so what do you say, let's make the most of 2017- everyday, every minute, every second, spend it worshiping the King of Kings.
YOU GOT THIS GIRL!!!!
xoxo, j
here's some pics from our family trip to D.C. ;)
2017:
I want to make this year a year of truly living!!! I want to laugh, cry, smile, help people, be crazy. I want to do things unexpectedly, go with the flow, and be adventurous. I want to take a lot of pictures, but still live in the moment. I want to be a true example of Christ in my daily life. I want people to hear my name and automatically think "oh that super sweet and down to earth girl". I want to be THAT GIRL. I want to find the good in every situation. Build relationships that will last a life time. I want to love like crazy. I want to grow closer than I've ever been to Christ and inspire others to do the same. I want to live each day like no more are coming, and simply ENJOY IT<3 here's to 2017!!
i honestly can't even remember writing this, which is kind of useless considering this was what i wanted my year to look like & i didn't even remember it! but ya know life is life, we get busy. but as i found this i was like "girl you still got time, 2017 is not over until December 31st!!"
since i wrote this, things have changed a lot!! situations, relationships, priorities. which is totally normal, its been 8 months since January 1st so things are bound to change- it's just apart of life. as shawn mendes says it "it's not changing in a bad way, it's just changing because that's what happens in life"!! i sure do love me some shawn mendes !!
so i guess what i'm trying to say in this is that if you made any new years resolutions that you haven't lived up to, it's not to late. but what you said at the beginning of the year might not apply to you now. if that is the case, then change them- make new ones! challenge yourself to make the best of everyday because every breath is a gift given from God.
in my case everything still applies, but i need to add something. I am adding to choose joy. everyday i want to wake up & choose to let the sun shine on my shoulders because God made a pretty big load of it. i'm going to choose not to cover it up with clouds and rain. God made a lot of those too, but not as much!!!!
so what do you say, let's make the most of 2017- everyday, every minute, every second, spend it worshiping the King of Kings.
YOU GOT THIS GIRL!!!!
xoxo, j
here's some pics from our family trip to D.C. ;)
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