Blue-Eyed Breather

"Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly." Sometimes, I need a little motivation. It's easy to get stuck in a rut of doing the same things day in and day out. It's easy to live a life based on the "checklist mentality", subconsciously (or consciously, either way) getting tasks done without much thought behind them or time spent processing your actions and beliefs. It's easy to have surface level relationships with people, to always work for another day, to ignore the blessings that exist in your life right now.  However, when life is structured around a checklist like this, can you really experience full joy and contentment? Can you really live a life that you'll look back on when you're on your death bed and praise God for everything that occurred? Can you really know people, and I mean know who they are in the very fiber of their being, and develop those lasting, legacy-leaving relationships? I ha...

So, in case you haven't noticed, it's Valentine's Day, also known as Single Awareness Day. Being completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of the holiday. Why, you may ask? For one, it's a very cliche holiday. It's pretty universal for a guy to get his woman flowers, chocolates, a teddy bear, or some combination of those items. Companies that sell cards, like Hallmark, make enough money on Valentine's Day to stay in business for a whole year. And if you don't get your significant other a gift, you are looked down upon as being a bad boyfriend or girlfriend, even if you both mutually decided to skip the hoopla and the celebrations. It's also a day to remind all the single people that yes, in case they'd forgotten, they are indeed still single. You thought you could enjoy your singleness, but alas, it is thrown back in your face as all your dating friends have a special day/evening with someone they care about. Now, maybe I'm being a little unfair...

This is an entry I wrote for my ΣΦΛ sisters at retreat. Enjoy! Life is a journey. A never ending roller coaster full of ups and downs. It's sometimes a perfectly ripe apple, sweet, intoxicating, and good. But It's sometimes a mushed up banana, slippery, disgusting, and repulsive. It's the delighted laughs heard from the playground, but it's also the tearful cries heard in hospitals. It's the screams of good news and the dejection of rejection. Life is unexpected. It is surprise parties, joyful reunions, and unbelievable friendships. But it's also pain you thought you'd never feel, despair like you'd never imagined. It's full of sudden twists and turns and halts and somersaults. Life is a mystery. It is confusion, chaos, and questions. It is like following clues to a treasure trove at the end of the path. The way ahead is only identified step by single step, keeping you constantly guessing about the future. Most importantly, life is a gift fr...

I wrote a Facebook post earlier that was a bit forward, so I decided to explain myself further in a blog post. It said: "Beyonce is not an idol or a role model. Yes, she's an amazing singer, but she objectifies herself as a sex object. I want to be known for my heart and my love for Jesus, not for my body or my ability to shake my booty." Let's unpack this a little bit, starting from the beginning. Beyonce is not an idol. No human being can ever be perfect, no matter how awesome he or she may seem. Having idols in general is against God's clear words. Many times, we idolize human beings by saying, "I want to be just like them" and trying to emulate their actions. This is not right. We should be striving to imitate Jesus because He alone is perfect. The second part of that sentence is that she is not a role model. This one is hard to explain. I understand that she is better than many celebrities in that she gives back to society and tries to raise money...

There have been too many shootings in this nation. How can a person go out and kill 27 people, including many precious, innocent children? The shooting that happened in Connecticut today makes me sick to my stomach. How can someone consciously choose to take a little one's life, when the child could have many happy years to live? How can you take a child's innocence so quickly? How can you formulate a plan to do such insurmountable horrors? Parents should never have to lose their children, especially not this way. Since the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, shootings have become almost chronic. Something needs to be done in this country so that these shootings do not happen anymore. We need a change; innocent people should not lose their lives to these insane actions. My prayers go out to the victims of the Connecticut school shooting. May God give them divine comfort in this difficult time.

Even though it's only November 26, the Christmas season has begun. A short walk through any sort of shopping area and you see busy buyers, rampaging the store's shelves in search of this or that gift that Johnny or Susie just have to get for Christmas. Public places are decorated with festive lights and Christmas trees. The weather hasn't caught the seasonal memo, but everything else is pretty much on board to celebrate the holiday season. Christmas is such a fun time. For starters, it is a celebration of the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords. What a cause for jubilation! Secondly, Christmas is a time to enjoy family and friends and a time to show love to others. I love finding the perfect gift for the precious people in my life and watch them smile as they open their presents. It brings me joy to make them happy! Thirdly, although I always have to have a course of IV antibiotics over the holidays, I don't have to worry about school work, deadlines, or tests....

Tonight, my small group from Highland decided to carve pumpkins. Not just any ordinary pumpkins, mind you. We went all out with the pumpkin extravaganza. My roommate and I carved Texas into our pumpkin, with the words "Sic 'em" in a line next to our great state (Technically, my roommate is from Louisiana, but she lives here now, so she can count Texas as one of her states :) ). Another group carved an ice cream cone into their pumpkin, and the final pumpkin was made into a traditional jack-o-lantern face with a twist--one eyebrow was slightly raised. However, the judges (aka our host home "parents" and their three year old daughter) picked my roommate and my pumpkin as the one with the best design. Sic 'em pumpkin carving! Although scraping all the pumpkin guts out of the pumpkin and carving into it was fun, my favorite part of the evening was when I got to play with the two kids. The youngest was absolutely fascinated with the moon. He kept saying "m...

Confession: I am not perfect. No where close, actually. I am a fallen being. I am controlling, selfish, and prideful. I want things to go my way, and if they don't, I tend to get pretty ruffled. It is hard for me to trust other people because I don't want to get hurt, yet I often crave human attention. My choices often revolve around what will be best for me, not necessarily what is best for other people. Long story short, I am a broken woman. But God. But God loved the whole world so much, He sent His only Son to die a gruesome death on a cross so that humanity can live forever with Him in Eternal Paradise instead of Eternal Torture. But God is totally and completely sovereign. Time is not a limiting concept to Him. He knows all things past, present, and future. He is in control of every single situation. No detail escapes His gaze. But God is the keeper of my heart. He alone exemplifies perfection. He is the only One who can fill the gigantic void in my heart. He alon...