September 28, 2019
I hope you are doing well! I have had a great week so far. With my BBB booth last Saturday, to my birthday this past Monday, to getting all set up and ready to send my first few B3 Boxes, and now I am getting to post another update. This is my favorite day of the week. This is one of my favorite days of the week because I love updating BBB. This week, I really struggled with keeping my separation anxiety down. Both of my parents went out of town for a night which meant that neither of them would be here. However, since I challenged my anxiety a few weeks ago when I went to Six Flags, I was pretty positive that I could get through it. I will never ever forget the many times that my counselors would tell me that the only way to lower your anxiety is to continuously challenge it because the more you give in, the stronger it will become. I hope that now since you have heard this, you will start trying it out for yourself because it really does work for me. I feel like by doing the opposite of what that "voice" in my head tells me, not only am I getting stronger, but the anxiety is getting weaker. I know you can do it too.
This weeks lesson: Putting your trust in the Lord
Have you ever heard the story of David and Goliath? In this story of the Bible, the Israelites were in battle with the Philistines. David's father sent him to the battlefield to give supplies to all of his brothers. When David arrives at the battlefront, he could not stand all of the mocking towards God. So with only a sling and 5 small rocks, David was able to defeat the giant Goliath. This story is truly inspiring if you think about it. If it wasn't for David's trust in the Lord, he never would've been able to defeat a giant. You can apply this to your life because this shows that by trusting the Lord, miraculous things can happen. The Lord can get you through any and everything He wants for you. So don't be afraid, just trust. Read 1 Samuel 17 for more about this story.
September 21, 2019
I don't know about you all, but this week has been very inspiring for me. It is hard for me to believe that on Monday it will be my birthday and not only will I be celebrating turning 14, but also being at home and not in residential treatment. Anyways, quite a bit happened this week that was just so encouraging and I really felt God doing a work in my life. From a great time in church on Sunday, to an amazing lesson on Wednesday. Thursday we went to a women's event called Fearless. The main focus of this night was Embracing yourself, Embracing your story, Embracing your strengths and struggles. This night of worship was very encouraging for me. Then, I am going to have a booth today at the Roopville Homecoming Festival for BBB. I am beyond excited because I have this feeling that B3 is really going to launch. I am going to be advertising my new idea of inspirational boxes. Long story short, my mom and I were talking one day last week and both at the same time came up with the idea of Bounceback Beautifully Boxes, or what I like to call a B3 box. Pretty much, these are going to be free packages that I will send to different people who are in need of a little bit of encouragement. They will include things such as a canvas paintings, Bible verses, prayer cards, anxiety relievers, little distraction items, and much more. I am hoping that this mission will really expand and become something that many people begin to use. I have already sent my first box and am looking forward to more. My hope is that people will order a box for someone they know that may be struggling and need encouragement. If you do not know of anyone who could use a B3 box, I am also taking donations. Monetary or donations of small items that you feel would go well in these boxes. I will also be taking orders on BBB t-shirts soon. When I start taking orders, I will make sure to announce it.
If you wish to send a box, just email me with :
Your Name
Teen receiving the box's name (If you are not comfortable with sharing the name, just give the family last name)
Their Age
Their Address
You do not have to be specific about what or how this person is struggling. My hope is that by other teens receiving these boxes, they will get that little push of encouragement to remind them to keep going and not give up.
This weeks lesson is about : Asking the Lord for Wisdom
Do you understand that you are never alone? The Lord is always with you. Where we can not finish, He can. In 1 Kings 3 Solomon asked God for wisdom. When God heard Solomon's request, He was so pleased that he blessed Solomon with more than he had asked. When all of the people saw what the Lord did for Solomon, they began to fear the Lord. So, what is holding you back from asking God to give you wisdom? I know for me, it is this feeling of being unworthy. Sometimes I don't feel like I deserve the gift Solomon received. But as the Lord says in Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Just as I am a sinner, so was Solomon. Therefore, we should not fear to ask God for wisdom. I love you all and pray that you have a great week. See you next Saturday!!
September 14, 2019
Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing week and are looking forward to this upcoming week. I know for me, this week has been a little bit of a struggle with my daily devotions. If I am honest, I often times get so worried about getting my schoolwork done, that I rush through my time with the Lord. I feel guilty, I feel like I am not really giving Him my all. Is there anything that distracts you from your "quiet time" with Christ? I don't know about you, but I really want to continue to grow closer to Him, and I want to constantly be increasing my time in His Word.
As far as my anxiety, depression, etc. I am going to tell you all the truth, I still struggle with all of those things at certain hard times. For example, one of the biggest struggles for me lately has been separation anxiety. This is definitely not my first rodeo with separation issues. I faced the exact same thing when I was in 4th grade, but after a couple of weeks in therapy, I overcame that anxiety. Unfortunately, I have been hit hard with it again. I truly think that this is a way the devil thinks he can get to me. I am working on making this anxious voice small to where I hardly even think about it anymore. The way I am doing this, is by doing the exact opposite of what it tells me. I am actually doing something to challenge this anxiety today. I am going with a few of my friends to celebrate one of my best friends birthdays. My mom and dad are not coming, so it will be just my friends and I. While I am nervous, I know that we will have a great time together.
Now to this week's mini lesson : BEING DIFFERENT
Do you ever look at yourself and wonder why do I have to be so different? Why don't I look like this? Or how come everyone fits in but me? Well, I know for sure that I do this. What I have to do is go to my bible and read Romans 12:2, the Bible says, "Do not be conformed to the things of this world". This means that God calls us to be different, He is calling us to stand out, He doesn't want us to follow the things of this world. I know your probably thinking, "So He wants me to get bullied and be made fun of?" I am here to tell you that is not want Christ wants for you, however, He wants to see you do whatever you have to do in order to show His love for one another. He wants you to be willing to stand out and be an example of Him. Read 1 Corinthians 10:31.
I hope you all enjoyed this week's post and come back for more next Saturday. I love you all so much and remember BE DIFFERENT FOR THE LORD!!!
September 7, 2019
Can you believe it is already September? Only 118 days until we will officially be in 2020. That is so crazy to think about. I hope everyone had a good week. This week has been good for me. I had a very important prayer be answered, and I really feel like I have came closer to God this week. Now, I'm pretty sure everyone knows about Hurricane Dorian. I mean it was and is so devastating for all of the people who have been through it. I have been trying to think of the positives in what we see as negative. I was sitting thinking to myself about all of the help that has already been sent out. Just think about all of the mission trips, (not only church wide but also trips just to help with the destruction) all of the people who are being showed love, all of the people who are going through this trial that are going to grow and strengthen in their faith and relationship with Christ. While in the moment, a lot of things might seem bad, everything that happens is for a reason. God says in Psalms 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass." We must trust in Him in order to get through the unknown.
Which leads us to this weeks main topic : Trust
Do you remember the story when Jesus sent the disciples on the boat while He went up the mountain to pray? Well, Jesus knew at that very moment that the disciples were going to be faced with a storm. When the boat started shaking and rocking because of the forceful wind, the disciples were scared for their lives. But, to their surprise a man began walking towards the boat (keep in mind the boat was at sea) the disciples cried out in fear. Then the Lord said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Paul began to question if it really was Him, so in verse 28 Paul asks, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus replied "Come". When Paul got out of the boat and began to walk, he cried out to Jesus as he began to sink, "Lord, save me!" Jesus caught Paul and said, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?".
As you can see, in Matthew 14, Jesus wanted to test the disciples to see how much they trusted Him, and that is exactly what He is doing to us when we are faced with trials. We are Paul, and we must trust in Him. I saw a quote while I was at counseling based off of Matthew 14:22-33, and it said, "Faith comes at a great cost, it comes at the expense of being willing to get out of the boat." Is that not so true? We must be willing and we have to put all of our faith in the Lord to carry us though.
I love you all and hope that you have a fantastic week. Don't forget to share, send prayer request, and don't hesitate to email me.