April 30, 2023
Last update of April! I pray you all have had a great week and are looking forward to a fresh start as we go in to a new month! As many of us come to the end of our 2022-2023 school year, I wanted to take a second to share a few insightful things I have been reminded of this year. The first being thankfulness. I will be the first to admit, being a junior in high school and having been through 14 years of school, I find myself reluctant to go some mornings. I wake up and all I want to do is literally anything but go to class. However, when I really think about it, there is no reason I should feel this way. We truly are so blessed to be able to get an education like we do here in America. There are children all around the world who would literally die in order to learn how to simply read a book. Yet here we are being given a free education in hopes to be able to support a family one day. Now I am not here to say you should wake up every day over the moon about going to school, but what I am saying is that we should ALWAYS be thankful for the ability we have to get an education.
Now, as we approach summer I want to encourage all of you to use this break from school to challenge yourself. Whether that challenge be to go on a 30 minute walk everyday, to pray every night, to spend more time with your family, I want everyone to choose a goal to achieve end of August. That gives you exactly four months to pick and execute a goal. It doesn’t have to be anything huge but I want you all to see that just by choosing a simply task to set your mind on, you will find yourself being so much more productive. 2 Chronicles 15:7 says, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
I pray that all of you have a great week! Please remember to fill out at least one B3 box for someone you know. I love you all so much!
April 22, 2023
Good afternoon everybody! I hope you have all had a great week! Can you believe we are on our last update for the month of April? I was talking to my brother a few days ago about how this year has truly flown by. I never really felt what all the adults in my life say that, “time only goes faster as you get older” Now, I see exactly why they say it and it is so real. It feels like just yesterday was New Years and now we are almost halfway through the year! I remember when I was younger and it used to feel like the days were so long, and now I cannot seem to find a break and would do anything to slow time down. However, I do understand that God has everything happening when it happens for a reason. Knowing that, I have peace in the idea of time going by because I have excitement for what my future holds. Which kind of leads me into what I wanted to talk about today. So as many of you probably have heard, last week my older brother got the call he has been waiting so patiently for. He has officially been accepted into his dream college; The Army West Point Academy. He is beyond excited and my family is right there with him. I do not know anyone who deserves it more than him and it is amazing to see how God paved this path for Owen to take.
While I am overjoyed for him, it brings so many emotions about. First off, I am scared. I know God tells us many times throughout the Bible to “Fear Not” but I cannot help it. The thought of my twin (we are only only 10 months apart) leaving to go off to college is scary enough but the fact that he is going to New York and a military school ups that fear by about 10. I am also nervous, I am worried about how not only me, but also my family will handle such a large change. Owen will be the first to leave the house and I know it is going to be extremely difficult for all of us. He is such a strongpoint in our family despite our arguments, He brings so much laughter along with him and lights up the room everywhere he goes. With all of this said, I have peace in knowing God is in control. He allowed for Owen to be accepted which gives me a calmness in trusting that it is a part of God’s Perfect Plan. While the fear and anxiety will probably always be there, I have been finding reassurance in the verse John 14:27 which states, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” In the next two months or so that Owen will be here at home, I am going to embrace every minute I get to spend with him and when it does come that time, I pray that God will lay His hand over me, Owen, Saylor, mom, and dad, and give us a stillness in knowing who is in control.
I pray this little life update gives you all the hope that it gives me and it will excite you for what your future holds as well! Have a great week! Love you all!!!
April 7, 2023
Good afternoon to all my peeps! (Get it, it’s almost Easter) I pray that you have all had a great week and are looking forward to celebrating Easter this weekend. I cannot believe we are already here, time is literally just flying by. I don’t know about you, but this past week has been full of emotions for me. As were many, we were out for Spring Break and my family decided to go to the beach. It was so much fun hanging out with my family and I even got to meet up with some of my friends. It was so nice to get a break from the hectic lifestyle I live and be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the beach. However, something happened while we were there that left me feeling a way I haven’t felt in a long time. Something that left me feeling less than, not good enough, weak, and forgotten about just to name a few. It was a situation I had been overlooking and did not expect to happen whatsoever. Yet, now a few days later I am feeling a little better and am able to see it is all a part of God’s work. There is a reason this situation happened and although it may not have been what I wanted or thought was best for me, I am now able to rest assured knowing God is going to use this trial to strengthen me. Not to say it doesn’t hurt anymore because let me just tell you, I have not shed that many tears or felt that upset in a long time but, I find reassurance in the fact that this difficult time is going to help me in the long run. As much as it did pull me down, I can now feel it lifting me up. I had been praying for guidance surrounding this thing for a while and I can now clearly see God sent me multiple signs that I simply overlooked because of my sinful nature and my desire to do what I want to. To be on the opposite side now, it has allowed me to see that there is a reason this happened and I am going to grow from this becoming even more secure in myself than I was before.
A big fear that came along with this trial was the thought of people making judgements because they only heard one side of the story. I beat myself up thinking others would see me as the untruthful person in the situation even though I am fiercely loyal. However, it was in this time that my mom sent me a quote that really spoke to me. It was from a song lyric written by TobyMac and it said, “You don’t need to tell your side of the story. God saw it.” After reading this I felt a calmness inside of me. It reminded me that I don’t have to defend myself or worry about what other people think because God knows the truth and that is all that matters. I know what really happened and I know what I witnessed. I feel that now that I have had the chance to reflect, I made the right choice and I am so thankful God opened the doors for me to see the truth before the situation became worse.
I say all of this to remind you all that our trials can feel like the end of the world especially when we are right in the midst of the situation. We find ourselves feeling hopeless and worthless but I want you to know that God is in control. He has a greater purpose in our trials than we see and even though it will probably take some time for us to see that purpose. Find comfort in knowing it will come. Never give in to the foolish voices the devil tries to plant within our minds because God is so much more than a bad day, a lost job, a ending relationship, or a hard time in anyone’s life.