If you would like to learn more about Audrey Hepburn and her life, please visit the bio. website. :)
Monday, May 4, 2015
Happy Birthday, Audrey Hepburn
If you would like to learn more about Audrey Hepburn and her life, please visit the bio. website. :)
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Today I'm especially thankful for my salvation through Jesus; God's love and protection and the peace that I have only ever found through Him, as well as His faithfulness to provide exactly what is needed at exactly the right time.
On that note, I'm also incredibly thankful for my boyfriend, Matt, who was a complete surprise blessing, and who continues to bless me every day since we first reconnected. I'm humbled by his gentle encouragements to be better, and I'm thankful for witnessing the way a loving relationship is supposed to be through how he treats me and prays for me/us, and I'm so thankful for the many (many, many) laughs we share on a daily basis. God placed him in my life at precisely the moment He knew was right (even if I wasn't aware of what He was doing at the time), and I couldn't be happier now. I love you, Matthew (:
I'm thankful to and for my parents, who have shown so much love and support over the last few months, and who stood by my side and faithfully prayed for me as God worked in my heart to give me healing and peace. I wouldn't have gotten through
On a final note, this year has been tough, and while I've been thankful right along for my experiences, the joy and thanksgiving in my heart is especially prevalent on this day. This year has been filled with more uncertainty, strife, heartache, and turmoil than I'd felt in years, and I've grown so much from it. In the end, I have no clue what the future holds, but I do know Who holds my future...and I'm no longer afraid of what may come next.
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Praise Him, bless His Name." - Psalms 100:4 TLV
"I will thank Yahweh with all my heart; I will declare all Your wonderful works." - Psalms 9:1 HCSB
"Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." - Psalms 106:1 NKJV
"The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so I put my hope in him." - Lamentations 3:22-24 GNB
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Dear You: A Thank You Note to My Ex
Dear You,
You will probably never read this, but that's okay; it isn't really for you anyway.
I'm writing this to thank you. I know; a little over a month ago, I would never have dreamed I'd utter those words, let alone mean them...yet here I am.
A little over a month ago, you broke my heart. No, you shattered it. It was an ache and devastation I had never known, and never knew I could (or would) experience. For years, you had promised to always be there; you would never leave me; you would love me forever. So, on that day when my worst fears [at the time] came to fruition, I felt helpless and lost. I cried, I begged, I pleaded, I asked you why, I told you you were wrong.
The incredible, mind-blowing, absolute truth of it is...you weren't wrong. You were completely right. You were right in saying we weren't meant for each other--the immediate relief and peace I felt when we were officially over was the first indicator. Was I devastated? Yes. Heartbroken? Absolutely. But at the very core of what I was dealing with was the "peace that surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).
I won't lie; the few weeks that followed were not easy. I cried more than I ever had before. I mourned you and our relationship and the future I had built up for us in my mind...and then one day, I woke up, and I was okay. I was okay with not being your future wife. I was okay with no longer having you in my life. I was okay with all those years simply being memories and not the foundation for the life together I had originally thought we would have. One day, all of the pain and heartache just seemed to melt away, leaving me with one overwhelming thought: everything is going to be okay. "And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans," (Romans 8:28 TLB).
I am not on the path I thought I would be on, but I'm exactly where God wants me to be. He not only thought I would be here, He knew I would be--in fact, He planned it this way. And you know what makes this even better? I'm so much happier than I was. I have more joy in my life than I thought possible, and through a seemingly tragic situation (at the time), the Lord is more real to me than ever before. The anxiety I dealt with nearly every day is gone, and my heart is on the mend. It would be foolish to say I am completely healed, because you certainly did quite a bit of damage, but I definitely am not pining after you any longer. By the grace of God, I no longer miss you, nor do I have any lingering questions of "what if" or "why". Now that I know what a relationship is supposed to feel like, I have learned to appreciate the lessons you taught me, whether intentional or not. While I never expected to be in a relationship so soon after our breakup, I wholeheartedly believe God's hand orchestrated the way he and I came together. I don't hold the future, nor do I pretend to know how the future will end up, but I do know the One who controls every facet of my journey on this earth, and I also have a whole lot of hope in the outcome.
The truth is, when you broke up with me, you did me the biggest favor you ever could have done. I didn't see it then, but I surely do now. Though I would never condone the way you ended our relationship, I know you did exactly what God intended.
So, thank you. Thank you for teaching me some extremely valuable lessons over the years; what to do and what not to do in a relationship. Thank you for showing me my strength and versatility in ways I wouldn't have known possible otherwise. Thank you for the good times; we were better friends than we were in a relationship, and I sort of wish I had seen that sooner, though like I said--the experience taught me more than I could ever tell you. Thank you, also, for the bad times, which unfortunately we had much more of--without the challenges, we would never learn to appreciate the good that was in store for our lives, albeit separately instead of together. Thank you for listening to God's voice and ending things when you did, for I wouldn't know the absolute joy I now possess without first facing that loss. Thank you for breaking my heart. As strange as it sounds, that was the most invaluable lesson you ever taught me. I needed that broken heart to turn my world upside down so I could find it righted safely in the arms of Christ.
I wish you nothing but the best. I hold no grudge against you, nor does it hurt as much to think of how things ended between us. If someday we run into each other, I hope to be able to look you in the eye, smile, and tell you it was good to see you. I hope you find the joy I know you desire, and I hope you are able to break free from the bonds that have held you back thus far. I no longer know you, sometimes I wonder if I ever really knew you at all, but I am so thankful that I knew the you I thought I did. Thank you for being an incredibly important part of my life, even though you weren't a part of the ending I had originally imagined. I'm so thankful to be on this new journey in my life, and I'm thankful to have the man by my side that God placed with me. I have hope, but if my relationship with you taught me anything, it's to think clearly and listen to God's voice over what I think I want at the time...but I'm not afraid. Now I know for a fact I can overcome anything with God's help. Thank you. I wouldn't have known that without you.
Dear You, I wish you joy and happiness, and above all, I wish you the peace and grace of Christ. Seek Him. Love Him. Trust Him. I pray for you often, and I hope you live a life with minimal regrets. God bless you.
"The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18 HCSB)
"May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace." (Numbers 6:24-26 NLT)
"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God." (Philippians 1:3 NLT)
You will probably never read this, but that's okay; it isn't really for you anyway.
I'm writing this to thank you. I know; a little over a month ago, I would never have dreamed I'd utter those words, let alone mean them...yet here I am.
A little over a month ago, you broke my heart. No, you shattered it. It was an ache and devastation I had never known, and never knew I could (or would) experience. For years, you had promised to always be there; you would never leave me; you would love me forever. So, on that day when my worst fears [at the time] came to fruition, I felt helpless and lost. I cried, I begged, I pleaded, I asked you why, I told you you were wrong.
The incredible, mind-blowing, absolute truth of it is...you weren't wrong. You were completely right. You were right in saying we weren't meant for each other--the immediate relief and peace I felt when we were officially over was the first indicator. Was I devastated? Yes. Heartbroken? Absolutely. But at the very core of what I was dealing with was the "peace that surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).
I won't lie; the few weeks that followed were not easy. I cried more than I ever had before. I mourned you and our relationship and the future I had built up for us in my mind...and then one day, I woke up, and I was okay. I was okay with not being your future wife. I was okay with no longer having you in my life. I was okay with all those years simply being memories and not the foundation for the life together I had originally thought we would have. One day, all of the pain and heartache just seemed to melt away, leaving me with one overwhelming thought: everything is going to be okay. "And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans," (Romans 8:28 TLB).
I am not on the path I thought I would be on, but I'm exactly where God wants me to be. He not only thought I would be here, He knew I would be--in fact, He planned it this way. And you know what makes this even better? I'm so much happier than I was. I have more joy in my life than I thought possible, and through a seemingly tragic situation (at the time), the Lord is more real to me than ever before. The anxiety I dealt with nearly every day is gone, and my heart is on the mend. It would be foolish to say I am completely healed, because you certainly did quite a bit of damage, but I definitely am not pining after you any longer. By the grace of God, I no longer miss you, nor do I have any lingering questions of "what if" or "why". Now that I know what a relationship is supposed to feel like, I have learned to appreciate the lessons you taught me, whether intentional or not. While I never expected to be in a relationship so soon after our breakup, I wholeheartedly believe God's hand orchestrated the way he and I came together. I don't hold the future, nor do I pretend to know how the future will end up, but I do know the One who controls every facet of my journey on this earth, and I also have a whole lot of hope in the outcome.
The truth is, when you broke up with me, you did me the biggest favor you ever could have done. I didn't see it then, but I surely do now. Though I would never condone the way you ended our relationship, I know you did exactly what God intended.
So, thank you. Thank you for teaching me some extremely valuable lessons over the years; what to do and what not to do in a relationship. Thank you for showing me my strength and versatility in ways I wouldn't have known possible otherwise. Thank you for the good times; we were better friends than we were in a relationship, and I sort of wish I had seen that sooner, though like I said--the experience taught me more than I could ever tell you. Thank you, also, for the bad times, which unfortunately we had much more of--without the challenges, we would never learn to appreciate the good that was in store for our lives, albeit separately instead of together. Thank you for listening to God's voice and ending things when you did, for I wouldn't know the absolute joy I now possess without first facing that loss. Thank you for breaking my heart. As strange as it sounds, that was the most invaluable lesson you ever taught me. I needed that broken heart to turn my world upside down so I could find it righted safely in the arms of Christ.
I wish you nothing but the best. I hold no grudge against you, nor does it hurt as much to think of how things ended between us. If someday we run into each other, I hope to be able to look you in the eye, smile, and tell you it was good to see you. I hope you find the joy I know you desire, and I hope you are able to break free from the bonds that have held you back thus far. I no longer know you, sometimes I wonder if I ever really knew you at all, but I am so thankful that I knew the you I thought I did. Thank you for being an incredibly important part of my life, even though you weren't a part of the ending I had originally imagined. I'm so thankful to be on this new journey in my life, and I'm thankful to have the man by my side that God placed with me. I have hope, but if my relationship with you taught me anything, it's to think clearly and listen to God's voice over what I think I want at the time...but I'm not afraid. Now I know for a fact I can overcome anything with God's help. Thank you. I wouldn't have known that without you.
Dear You, I wish you joy and happiness, and above all, I wish you the peace and grace of Christ. Seek Him. Love Him. Trust Him. I pray for you often, and I hope you live a life with minimal regrets. God bless you.
"The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18 HCSB)
"May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace." (Numbers 6:24-26 NLT)
"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God." (Philippians 1:3 NLT)
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Faith > Fears
"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. ... For I, Yahweh your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you." - Isaiah 41:10, 13 HCSB
Every day over the last month, God has shown me exactly what I needed in one form or another, usually through a facebook post. The past couple weeks I've been dealing with an irrational fear of the future after the future I had been planning on for over five years completely blindsided me by blowing up in my face. My sweet boyfriend has been helping me to (SLOWLY) understand that it isn't up to me to worry about the future; I don't hold it anyway. God is the only One who has my entire life story already written--any plot twists were not plot twists to Him; any fears I've had have already been taken care of, whether I know the end result or not doesn't matter because I do know the One who has it all figured out.
So will I be completely fearless? Of course not; I think that's impossible. I can, however, have confident assurance in the knowledge that I am never, ever alone...nor will I ever be. The future is far too vast a concept for my finite brain to comprehend, but that's part of the beauty of it; God knows, and all He asks is that I trust.
Every day over the last month, God has shown me exactly what I needed in one form or another, usually through a facebook post. The past couple weeks I've been dealing with an irrational fear of the future after the future I had been planning on for over five years completely blindsided me by blowing up in my face. My sweet boyfriend has been helping me to (SLOWLY) understand that it isn't up to me to worry about the future; I don't hold it anyway. God is the only One who has my entire life story already written--any plot twists were not plot twists to Him; any fears I've had have already been taken care of, whether I know the end result or not doesn't matter because I do know the One who has it all figured out.
So will I be completely fearless? Of course not; I think that's impossible. I can, however, have confident assurance in the knowledge that I am never, ever alone...nor will I ever be. The future is far too vast a concept for my finite brain to comprehend, but that's part of the beauty of it; God knows, and all He asks is that I trust.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
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