Shine your light, but don't live in darkness

"Do not set foot on the path of the wicked 

or walk in the way of wicked men."

Proverbs 4:14

Becoming friendly with sin is a dangerous! How can you not expect it to affect your life??

It is so easy to confuse loving others with accepting their sinfulness.
And, whether we want to admit it or not, we are influenced by those by those that surround us.
Keep shining your light in the dark, but don't use it as an excuse to live there!

"He who walks with the wise grows wise,

but a companion of fools suffers harm."

Proverbs 13:20

Thank God that God is in control.

I am freaking out! The end of this semester seems to have come out of nowhere, and I have to much to get done!

I just cannot let myself forget that God is in control.
I feel like saying that out loud helps me to remember. :)

God is looking out for me!
I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!

These papers will NOT be the end of me.
Next week this time it will all be over!

God is in control. God is in control. God is in control.
And, thank God that He is in control, because I couldn't do it without Him!

Apology

My life is not my own...

I have been living it like it is lately.

And, for that, I am sincerely sorry.

This semester I developed a new attitude.

I began constantly thinking,

"what about what I want?"

...in every situation.

For some of you, this makes no sense at all.

Why should I apologize for putting myself first?

Because...

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!

It just isn't. Life is so much bigger than me.

I have been called to live a life, serving God first, others second, and myself last.

I used to pride myself for doing so, 

and I am sorry that I haven't lately.

And, for those of you who think this is crazy...

From personal experience,

 I am much happier when I live my life for God and for others

than when I do for myself.

Now, to spare confusion...

This does not mean that I don't ever need to think about what I want.

It just means that I don't need to make myself center of the universe.

So, to my friends and family...

I am sorry for my selfishness.

I know that it is not something I can just turn off,

but I am working hard to fix my attitude.

Please pray for me to stay focused on God and the calling that He has for my life!

I love you all. <3

Michelle.

"We're the ones,

Gonna put it all in reverse,

Gonna die to ourselves,

Gonna live to serve,

Cause you get what you get when you walk by faith,

 Is it really so dumb to throw it all away?

They say it sounds insane,

We say that we've been changed,

By the power of...

CRAZY LOVE!

This world it looks at us, like we're ridiculous,

Baby, it's all because,

CRAZY LOVE!"

A year's difference.

Just a year ago my facebook status read:

 "Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far, far away from here.

Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far far away from here.

Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far away from here."

In a sense, that seems like just yesterday. But yet again, a lifetime ago.

The moment I wrote that, I was feeling:

Trapped. Betrayed. Scared. Alone. Hurt. Confused.

Little did I realize, God had given me wings to fly away a long time before I even wanted to.

The wings God gave me consisted of:

Faith. Hope. Courage. Strength. Wisdom.

It was up to me to use my "wings" and take myself to where I needed to be.

And after I used them I gained:
Relief. Peace. Joy. 

Don't wait for your circumstances to change. Take action to change them yourself.

Don't sit around forever wishing you were somewhere else in life.

Go there!

Seek what plans God has in store for you.

They are far better than what you could ever imagine.

Just realize, God isn't always going to stick you right where he wants you.

God opens doors, it is our job to walk through them!

Or, in my case... God made wings and it was my job to flap them. ;)

silver lining.

Embrace your trials and hardships.

No, I'm not kidding.

"Jesus warned us that we would have problems in the world.

No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering,

and no one gets through life problem free.

Life is a series of problems.

Every time you solve one, another is waiting to take it's place.

Not all of them are big, but all are significant in God's growth process for you."

-Rick Warren

God uses problems to draw us closer to Him.

The darkest times of my life are when I feel Him the most.

Suffering brings you to the feet of Jesus, and there is no greater place to be!

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit"   Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

Look for the good in every situation, and remember...

God knows what He is doing!!! 

And, believe it or not, He will never give you more than you can handle.

"...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that 

suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character;

and character, hope.

And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts."

Romans 5:4-5 (NIV)

Things don't always go as we plan them to.

In fact, they almost never do.

We can't see the big picture, only God can.

Draw close to Him in times of trouble.

Remember His promises, they never fail!!!

"What if Your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life, are Your mercies in disguise?"

Let's talk about how amazing my God is <3