Wisdom

"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.  Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.  Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it will cost all you have, get understanding." Proverbs 4:6-7

Looking back on all of the situations in my life, I learned that I would have handled things much differently if only I had focused on gaining wisdom. Why is wisdom so important? God gives us the Bible for a reason, and that is so that we may become knowledgeable in His word and when life throws situations at us, we are better equipped to make life decisions.  Whether you are making decisions about where to go to college, who to date, what to major in, what friends you should have, or where to live, the Bible will always have your solution. Another reason we should gain wisdom is because Jesus did, and we should all follow in his footsteps, right? "And Jesus grew in WISDOM and stature, and in favor with God and men." Luke 2:52 So how do you gain wisdom? 
1. We should ALL dig into scripture daily- even though we lead a busy life, we should all take time out of our day to simply read God's word.  Even if this means getting up 30 minutes before you normally do, or reading before bed, we should take as much time out of our day to study His word.  Analyze scripture, ask questions, and share with others what you learned about. 
2. Listen during church! I know this can be so hard for some of us.  Our mind tends to wander during worship and we are thinking about where we are going to eat that day, what we are going to wear tomorrow, boys, friends, what color to paint my room, and the list goes on and on.  I am definantly guilty of this, but I think I found a pretty good solution.  Take notes, highlight scripture, and really put yourself into the lesson.  Write down things that really jump out to you because it may end up helping someone else down the road.
3.  Have spiritual discussions.  Sometimes discussions may bring up things you never knew about or you may even teach the other person something they don't know! "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10
4. Finally, you gain wisdom through experience.  Learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others.
"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men." Proverbs 4:13-14
 People tend to base their spiritual lives on emotion and rely on "whatever feels right."  Although emotion does play a part somewhat in our spiritual lives, will it keep us from sinning? Become wise by taking time to read, listen, discuss, and learn, because wisdom will "protect you and watch over you."  And remember, "Only scripture will keep you from sin, and only sin will keep you from scripture."

I CAN :)

"I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

The first picture is my "I Can, Can."  This can be used by anyone with anything! When I went to eat with one of my best friends (Lyndsey) last week, she reminded me of this great idea! This is something that one of my favorite professors at UNA told us about.  When she went through breast cancer, she made one of these cans and filled it with sayings to help her get through it.  Like, "I can have joy even though I am struggling," and "I can fight breast cancer."  It can be used in a classroom with students as well.  For example, "I can try my very best in everything I do," or "I can be a friend to someone in need."  Here are some of mine:
"I can put others before myself."
"I can stop worrying about tomorrow."
"I can have a positive attitude."
"I can be joyful and at peace."
"I can exercise and eat healthy today."
"I can be patient and rely on God's timing."
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
We all have those days when it seems like certain things are impossible. But remember: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." Believe in the Lord and believe in yourself, because the Lord believes in you.

Friendship

My very first best friend is Jordan (in the picture above.) We were at each others' very first birthday parties! There are too many memories to talk about, from riding bike adventures, to eating about 10 popsicles a day, playing barbies and house, and so much more. My childhood would not be the same without her, and even though we have gone our seperate ways, I still and always will consider her a best friend!

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."

Choosing friends can make or break who we are or who we become.  Therefore, choose friends wisely because they can influence our lives in ways that we don't even realize! This post will discuss the importance of friendship, how to choose friends, and how to be a friend.

Friendship is important because they can hold us accountable, pick us up when we fall, encourage us, forgive us, and be there to just listen. “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:10.  I have known people in my life that live to please.  They want to be good friends with everyone.  If you have this attitude, you will end up pleasing people by giving into temptations because not everyone lives to please God! “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

How do we choose friends? Choose friends that have Christ-like qualities. That’s it.  Find someone who will make you a better person. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” We all strive to be spiritually wise, right? So find someone that can build you up instead of tear you down.  As for the “friends” that end up telling your secrets, scheming behind your back, calling you names, and well you get the point… RUN. Don’t try to “get them back” in ANY way. Simply show a Christ-like attitude by being a good example.  One of the fifth graders I tutored told me that his friend was calling his brother names and making fun of him.  So, he said, “tomorrow I’m gunna beat him up!” I tried to talk him out of it but he insisted still. So just when I thought I ran out of things to say, I simply said, “What would Jesus do?” And he sat there with nothing else to say.   I have had some negative experiences with friends and learned that “what didn’t kill me, made me stronger.” I am not saying I handle all situations well, but I learned that the best thing to do in those situations was nothing at all. Be the bigger person (spiritually) and I promise the Lord will reward you! “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

“In order to have a friend, you must be a friend.” So, some friend DO’s are: Pray for them, Be there to listen, give spiritual advice even if they don’t ask for it (it may be hard sometimes, but they will eventually thank you for it!), be loyal, be encouraging, and when they give YOU spiritual advice, take it to heart, and finally, LOVE them. Some friend DON’Ts: Don’t limit them to only being friends with you (I’ve seen this a lot), and don’t let jealousy take over (I’ve seen this too many times, too).

So, to sum it all up, God wants us to have friends because they help us through our struggles.  I truly believe God comforts us through friends that live for HIM. So I hope you will take what I have said to heart so that when you find yourself down in the dumps, you can call someone up to grab some lunch, go shopping, get your nails done, or most importantly, discuss God’s word and PRAY…together.

DIY Rings!

These are some very easy to do (and cheap) rings! I have had several compliments on them and everyone asks me how to do it, so I thought I would share it with everyone! This is all you need:

-Antique clip-on earrings (found at antique stores or flea markets)

-Rings (Hobby Lobby)

-Hot glue gun

-Scissors

So, all you do is take the antique earring, pull off the clip on part (on the back) with scissors (it takes some muscle), then hot glue it onto the ring! Simple as that and very inexpensive and adorable!

Stress and Worry (something we all deal with!)

"Come to me, all you who are WEARY and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and LEARN from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is EASY and my burden is LIGHT." Matthew 11:28-30
I think it is safe to say that we all deal with stress in some way at some point.  Whether it is from school, work, boyfriends, family, or friends, we all have it.  A little stress can be a good thing though! It is good for your immune system and it motivates you to get things done.  But, there are negative effects to excessive stress such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and not to mention your attitude and outlook on life can completely change! I have experienced some negative effects. Mine include break outs, bad moods, and maybe a little overeating. (ha) So, how do we deal with it?
The first step is admitting you have stress in your life.  No, this isn't an AA meeting :) but really, you always have to acknowledge the problems you have in life.  God knows that we have stress, it's pretty natural.  That is why He gives us several verses in the Bible that address this issue.  So, I am going to start with my absolute favorite verse in the Bible:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
So, lets break it down.  In the Bible, the Lord addresses stress as "worry" or "anxiety." So, he simply tells us to not be anxious about ANYTHING.  The moment we feel stressed out, we should pray. Tell Him everything you are worried or stressed out about.  Then, when we pray, we should ALWAYS give thanks.  After all, He has blessed us in more ways than we deserve, so why be selfish by just simply asking Him to take our stress away? I still remember when I was in 8th grade, a preacher from Mexico came to speak to us at church camp.  He told us his story about all the struggles he had in his life and how his family still did not have much.  But, I specifically remember one thing he told us and that was "If you do not wake up every morning and immediately thank God for everything He has blessed you with, shame on you!" He was so passionate about focusing on the positive things in life, that he didn't seem to care about things that other people may consider negative.   Finally, if we do these things, He tells us that we will have PEACE.  This is something we all want, right? 
So, how do we cast all our anxiety on Him as 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to do? Well, it's simple.  We should "seek ye first."  We should in everything we do, put HIM first.  If we do that, everything will fall into place.  Maybe not the way we want it to at first, but the most important thing is that we are living for HIM.  When you worry, you are doing nothing but putting yourself first.  It seems pretty blunt, but that is the way it is. For example, when I am worrying about my grades, I am putting MY cares and concerns first.  When I worry about relationships, I am putting myself first.  Another blunt fact about worrying is that when you worry, it just means you are not trusting God.  So, all we can do is try our best, and trust that God will do the rest. Spending time on worry, just takes up time that you could use to focus on time with God.
We have a great college minister at Sherrod Avenue, and we just recently discussed this topic.  One excellent point he made was that we should focus on meditating on God's Word and focus on praising Him.  For it is IMPOSSIBLE to be stressed and praising Him at the same time. Great point, right?
Next time you are stressed, just remember: take a deep breath, pray, give thanks, focus on HIM and then maybe eat some chocolate ice cream as you watch your worries disappear. :)