Thankfulness!! :)

Oh man, there is so much to be thankful for in this life. Sitting here at my house on my couch just soaking in the day it hit me how blessed I am. I have an incredible family, amazing friends, and the best life I could ever ask for! Holy cow, I am not even sure I can list all of the things that I am thankful for. I am so blessed to have my mom who has been with me through everything, my dad who has taught me a ton about life and how to endure through everything. I am thankful for Mark, my stepdad, who has been there since forever. I am thankful for my sister, Fallon, who is my best friend and closest ally in everything! I love her so stinking much! I am thankful for my best friend, Adam, and that God brought him into my life. I am thankful for my youth group and the impact that they have had on my life. I am thankful for my cousins, who are God's gift to us. They are automatic friends in this world. I am thankful for all of my aunts and uncles who have spoiled me rotten since the day I was born. I am thankful for my grandparents, great-grandparents, step-grandparents, etc. I don't know what I would do without them. They are so awesome. I am so freaking blessed and I am so thankful for that. I am thankful for my school and the amazing women who I can now call best friends there. Marcy, Lindsay, and Rachel, have been all I need and more in my time there. I am thankful for Grace, my best friend of 4 years, and all the junk we've gone through together. I am so thankful for everything. I am so blessed, I have two amazing churches that I am a part of and I love them both and the people in them. God has dramatically shifted everything in my life and I am so glad that He has. Jesus is my everything and I love Him more everyday. I sometimes forget to be thankful for all that He has blessed me with, and in that I sometimes forget to spend that time alone with my God. He is so awesome. He is all I have to be thankful for, because everything good comes through Him. I wish everyone knew the love that I know through my God. It is so indescribable. I love life, because I love God. I love my family, because I love him. I love the pain, the joy, and the sadness that comes with this life, because God has brought me through it all. I hope you all are having as wonderful a Thanksgiving as I am. And that you remember that there is so much to be thankful for.

And we wonder why

Ladies,

I have something that I would like to tell to you all. This is something that God has laid heavy on my heart. We all want love. It's how we are wired, God made women to desire love, and men to desire respect. Neither one is better or worse than the other, but it's how we work. However, if we really want this true love, from anyone, then we must first love ourselves. We must first love God. The reason this has been laid so heavy on my heart these past several days is because of Halloween. Halloween has become a day where women can go out wearing incredibly inappropriate clothing without batting an eye. I have seen more skin in pictures these last few days than I would ever like to see. I have seen so many girls dressing this way and then wondering why guys treat them like they are easy. Treat them with a "love" that lasts for the night, but is gone as soon as the sun is up. Girls, why do we do this to ourselves? You want love, and don't tell me that I am wrong, because I know it's true. But what you are getting is NOT love, and when you continue in your pursuit of this "love", you will NEVER find it. The boys that talk to you can say all the "romantic" things, they can play the part, and when you're used and broken, they are gone. And you are numb. Left wondering why. Why would he does this? Why didn't he love me? Or worse, you are left thinking that THIS is what love is about. Oh my goodness girls, this IS NOT LOVE! This is lust, this is called being used, and thrown away like trash. You ARE NOT trash! You deserve better, so why do you keep putting yourself into these situations? Why do you show off your body like some piece of meat for men to ogle at? Why do you put your body on display like some sort of trophy? Imagine that you had a daughter or a little sister and you caught her dressing and revealing her body the way that you do. I would hope you'd confront her, tell her what she's doing to the boys all around her. And don't start telling me that it's all the boy's fault for lusting after you. That is so ridiculous. I have had friends tell me that they should be allowed to wear whatever they want, and that boys should just control themselves. Are you kidding me? Think about it. Is it really their fault? Are they really just perverts? YOU are the one showing more than you want them to see! It makes no sense. It's like putting a sign out for "Free Chocolate" in a dorm filled with women, but telling them that when they get to the table they can't ACTUALLY have the chocolate. They can only look. You are responsible for the men that you bring down in sin. I can't deny that men might lust even when you're being modest, but we should be looking out for our brothers purity in everything. Even in the way we dress. You are loved the way you are, and finding a man that will love you for you is important. God will bring him about in His own time and way, but you must honor God with your body. Don't be dragged into believing the lies this world tells you. Don't be convinced that you have to dress a certain way to grab guys attention. You are going to get the wrong guy when you live life this way. However, God smiles on us when we worship Him, even in our modesty, and the right guy will love us for protecting our body from the world.

He lives

God is so alive and active. I feel that often times, we get caught up in all the junk going on that we forget to spend time with our loving Creator. He is, has been, and always will be there for us, longing to have a relationship with us. I know for me, I have had a hard time praying. I get distracted and begin to let my mind wander to other things. Or I'll close my eyes and realize that I have begun to dose off. Or, the worst of the worst, I'll pray, not expecting to hear anything. Not expecting that God can do what I am asking, or even what He wants. I put God in a box. My God is bigger than any box I can concoct on my own. God cannot be put into any box. He is showing me that it's okay. It's okay to set up a certain time everyday where I go to Him. I didn't make time for Him before I set that time aside, and now I desire to talk to Him every morning and through out my day. He is telling me that it's okay to have your eyes open when you pray. I always felt like I wasn't "religious" if I opened my eyes during prayer, but if I close my eyes I cannot focus my mind. God is showing me that He is BIG enough to answer my prayers. He is POWERFUL enough to make me hear His response. He is GOD. And that seems obvious to say, but He is. I am not. I am nothing, without Him. It is so cool to fall in love with God. I love falling deeper into His arms everyday, and I can't wait for what the next day will bring.