Oy vey

Raise your hand if you've read WAY too many articles on being a single, Christian, young adult lately.

You can't see me, but I'm raising my hand as high as I possibly can.

In my opinion, these articles are SO annoying. So is it hypocritical that I'm posting a blog aka article on this very subject? Maybe. But this is my blog and I do what I want. 

It seems like everytime I get on Facebook or Twitter, someone else has posted an "amazing" article about Christian dating for young adults. Usually, the articles posted are aimed at single young adults that love Jesus. They tell us to have faith that God will bring that special person into our life when we're ready. When we have a solid relationship with Him, then we can have a boyfriend. *sidenote: this thought process always made me mad. I have no doubt that I have a solid relationship with God. That is not dictated by whether or not I currently have a boyfriend.* 

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. Maybe I'm just frustrated at seeing all of these articles. Maybe I'm tired of people telling me that "Oh sweetie! You will meet your husband eventually! Don't you worry!" or asking me "do you want me to set you up with my best friend's sister's cousin? He loves Jesus, yall would be perfect!" or "how have you not been snatched up yet?!" 

My favorite conversation went a little something like this: 

He who shall not be named: So you're planning on doing non-profit work? That won't make any money!!

Me: Nope, it won't! But I've accepted the fact that I'm not gonna be rich so that's okay! I'm not in it for the money anyways. 

He who shall not be named: Well do you have a significant other that's gonna be make all the money?

Me: Nope! Not at the moment!

He who shall not be named: Well you're gonna need to find one of those! 

Well thank you. That was a very encouraging talk I just had with you, kind sir. I'm glad that according to you,  my success is measure in whether or not I have a rich husband. 

Oy Vey. 

 

 People. Stop worrying about my dating life. I'm not worried about it. I'm still in college and I still have 4 years of post-graduate education to complete. Lets all just calm down.  Obviously I want to be married  at some point. I don't know when it will happen, but I do know these things:

1. My relationship with Jesus Chris comes before my relationship with ANY human being. I could be head over heels in love with someone and that relationship would come second to my relationship with Christ. 

2. I have things I want to do in my life. Things that I know I'm called to do with my life. Now, I'm not saying a significant other will be a hindrance. I actually mean the opposite. My future spouse will be my ministry partner. But until, and even after, that person comes along, I'm gonna be doing things for the Kingdom and not just hanging around waiting on my life to start.

3. Just because a boy and girl roughly the same age love Jesus, doesn't mean they're going to fall in love. This is a subtle hint at me begging you to stop setting me up with people. I'm sure the guy you have in mind is a great guy. But just because we are both 21 and love Jesus, that doesn't mean that we will love each other. But thank you for the kind thoughts. 

4. I know exactly what I want in a relationship and I will not settle for anything else. I literally have a written out list of things I'm looking for in a spouse. These aren't things like "must have blue eyes" or "must (not so) secretly love TLC like I do." No, these are things like, "must live out his faith in Jesus Christ every single day." My list is a list of things that I will not budge on in a relationship no matter what. I pray over this list and I pray for the person will one day fulfill everything on my list. I have no doubt that they're out there.

5. Lastly, I know that there is a huge difference between a guy that believes in God and a guy that is a solid man of God. These are two very different types of people and I've seen firsthand how each guy acts.

At times, it's incredibly frustrating to see other people around me that are married or in serious relationships. Especially here in the Bible Belt where "Ring by Spring" is not just a silly saying but a way of life for some people. However, I know that my relationship status sure as heck doesn't define me.

This was all very rambly and all over the place, so as a reward for making it to the end, you get to watch this video! 
 

Cheesy pick up lines are my absolute favorite! I think they're so funny! 

Hold Fire

I had a wonderful weekend spent with two of my friends in Waco. We did lots of "Wacoan" activities including tortilla tossing, eating at Georges, and going to the zoo. While we did have a ridiculous amount of fun, we also had a lot of really good conversation. Don't you just love those friends that you can have a blast with but also have deep conversations about life with? I know I do.

One of the conversations we had was about politics. **Don't stop reading just because I mentioned the word "politics!"** Everyone knows people that are borderline obsessed with the current people sitting in office here in the good ol US of A. You know who I'm talking about. The one's that are constantly posting political ads on Facebook usually slamming whoever is currently in charge of our country.  The one's that no matter what the topic of conversation actually is, they bring it back to how much *insert politician here* sucks. And unfortunately, those are sometimes the ones that say comments such as "lets hope for an assassination" or "they need to burn in hell." If you're saying that about ANYONE, then I don't think you fully understand what Hell actually entails.  This goes for both sides of the spectrum. Someone can be incredibly right-winged or incredibly left-winged and they can both have these extreme emotions. Now, I'm not saying that you can't be passionate about something such as politics. However, I am saying that it's very easy to let that passion and interest morph itself into downright fear.

This might be naive and/or ignorant of me, but I honestly do not care about who is in charge right now. The reason I say this is because no matter who is in office, I DO NOT ANSWER TO THEM. I do not base my actions, beliefs, and lifestyle on politicians. My Christian witness trumps any and all political beliefs. Period.

Apostle Peter in 1st Peter 2:13, 14 and 17 talks about this is detail. “13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good…17 Honor everyone. Love the Brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor.”
This is also talked about in Romans 13 when it says, " Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

We are to treat them with respect. We can still disagree with politicians but that doesn't mean that we start hating them. Disagree with the law, but honor and respect the person sitting in authority. Shouldn't we be praying for these people instead of damning them to hell? When it comes down to it, we don't answer to people in office.  I live my life to answer to Christ and only Christ. I put all of my trust in Him. He is the only one that holds my future and it is a waste of time to even try and put that trust in the hands of any human being.


Disclaimer: You can disagree with me. I'm expecting some people to disagree. However, if you want to share your opinion (which is welcome!), please do so in a respectable manner :)

Uncomfortable

How is it already July?! I feel like I haven't been home that long but then I feel like I've been in Rockport for months. I go back to Waco on Monday to start Spanish 4 and as much as I love Waco, I'm not so pumped about going back. I love having the opportunity to take a random trip to the beach or have a spontaneous movie night with my friends. I love seeing people I know and love in HEB during the day. I love seeing my family all around town (cause lets be honest, I'm related to everyone). However, this time at home has been kind of weird. Maybe weird isn't the right word. Uncomfortable, maybe?

I've heard that when you're uncomfortable, God is doing the most work in your life. He wants us out of our comfort zone. This month and a half that I've been home has been full of God molding my heart. And I am not comfortable with it. I'm doing it and I'm trusting Him to the best of my ability, but I am sure as heck not comfortable with it. During my time in Rockport, I've been hurt by a few different people. People I never expected to hurt me. I've been hurt personally by some people and I've been hurt by the actions and words of some people that were directed at people I dearly love. I go back and forth between heartbroken and frustrated. I try my best not to be bitter towards them. I try to trust in God and His plan. But that's hard. It's uncomfortable.

However, as painful as it's been, it's also been amazing to see the things that God has taught me throughout everything. Mainly, He's taught that no matter how many times people fail me, hurt me, or betray me, He will never fail me. Every single person in my life will disappoint me at some point. They'll fall short. But God won't. Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." This sounds like such a simple thought. However,  we all know that people are what fuel me. I love being around people, helping them, and learning from them. I take what they tell me to heart. I love hard but that also means I hurt hard. It's been a painful process learning that He is the only one in whom I can put all of my faith. But it's been a necessary one. It's a lesson that I'm glad I'm learning early on in my life. I'm thankful for the people that are around me to encourage me and speak truth into my when I need to be reminded of who exactly holds my heart.

So, that's been my journey this summer so far. I've conquered two summer courses and I'm about to start my third. I've grown incredibly close to some amazing friends. I've gotten pretty stinkin tan without burning (except once)! I've been reminded of how much I love my hometown and the people in it. 

Now, I have a new challenge for myself and I'm gonna try to stick with it. I absolutely LOVE getting mail and I also love writing letters. I think there's something so exciting about getting a handwritten letter in the mail. I also think that a lot of things  and feelings get left unsaid between people. So all of that mixed with my love language being "Words of Affirmation," I've decided to start sending people letters. I have no idea who I'll send them to or what they'll say but I do know that a lot of people have poured into my life and influenced it more than I can ever comprehend and I think that those people need to know how much they mean to me. 

I also have a ton of cute stationary that needs to be put to use! I'm excited about letting people know how much they're loved and appreciated. 

Thanks for sticking with me through this rambly and long post. Maybe I'll get this all figured out one day. Just maybe.