Things I Learned in 2013

Over this Christmas break I've been reflecting over 2013, so much has happened in my life over this year. God has blessed me with a loving family and amazing friends, and I thought that my little lessons might be too much for a Facebook status, so I saw it as a good excuse to break out the old blog. 

Here are several things that I have learned over 2013.

2 0 1 3 ' S    L E S S O N S

-family is forever 

-graduating from high school was an incredible feeling 

-I loved being homeschooled 

-Ramon noddles are nasty no matter how you fix em 

-Jesus is faithful to His promises 

-everyone you encounter has a story and something they can teach you

-there's a huge difference between redneck and country 

-communication is extremely vital

-I seriously overpack for trips 

-puppies grow up

-love never fails

-Starbucks is overpriced, but I won't stop buying it

-every kids favorite PE game is sharks and minnows 

-what's one more cookie?

-I am not defined by what I can do 

-trust God in every situation 

-I don't like cats 

-I have a huge urge to travel 

-ain't is a word

-be intentional in all that you do 

-I am slightly competitive 

-alone time is needed time 

-Netflix is literally the best 

-there really is no place like home 

-check the weather before you go camping 

-Pinterest crafts and projects are not done by real people 

-transparency with others is important 

-your never too old for a coloring book 

-I am one of the only southerners who doesn't like sweet tea

-but I am a fan of some Cheerwine, so I think that makes up for it

-laughter is the best medicine

-God loves to restore people and relationships 

-I am directionally challenged 

-my mom is my hero 

-I love home cooked meals 

-I dislike the season of winter and the temperatures it brings

-never listen to fear 

-I love the Carolina's

-always think the best of yourself and others

-my sister is my best friend 

-I hate running

-The Lord rewards those who diligently seek Him

-so much can change in a short amount of time 

-life is so much fun!

-positive thoughts are the best thoughts 

-I adore people with accents 

-I like to be busy

-always push yourself outside of your comfort zone

-getting totally lost can be fun, and teach you a lot about yourself 

-I love God's presence 

There ya have it! Some of my top points from 2013! 

I learned so much this year, about myself, about The Lord, and about others. 

I'm so thankful for all the family and friends that are in my life right now. 

And I am so ready for 2014!

I'm gunna own it!! 😉

A Lamp

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Psalm 119:105

His Word is a lamp....

Through all of my life I've always been one to be asking, what's next? Hey! Lord, what's going to happen?! And I always want the full picture, right now! 

But when I was reading this verse, I realized that the Lord doesn't guarantee that He's going to give us all the details as soon as we want them, but He promises that He will be right there with us, as long as we stay in His Word, we will have a lamp to guide our footsteps and our path will be illuminated for our eyes. 

In Bible times there obviously weren't any extra bright flashlights around, they used lamps, lit by candles when the sun went down. And we know that candles give off a very dim light, so while using a lamp, they were only able to see the next step, unlike flashlights, which allow us to see a long way down the path ahead. 

This verse reminds us that we need to let the Word of God guide our next step. And as we continually take those small steps that His Word opens up for us, no matter how small or insignificant they seem, we find that we are walking down the path that Lord wants us on. 

Hello, Beautiful.

Four Percent.

This statistic is crazy and blows my mind. Four percent of woman around the world consider themselves to be beautiful. That's it.
I came across this subject yesterday when I saw a video made by Dove, who conducted a social experiment to see how women view themselves. The results are crazy!

A former forensic artist for the San Jose department met with and asked a group of women to describe to him the way they look. They were separated by a curtain, and he asked them specific questions, and wanted detailed explanations of their hair length, the structure of their face, and their best and worst features. While asking the questions he drew each of the women according to their explanation of themselves.
Before the study was conducted each women was asked to get to know one of the other women in the group, then describe this other women's features in detail to the forensic artist. Just like they did for themselves.
After the sketches are over, the artist brings in the women and shows them two sketches, the one that they helped him draw, and the other one how the other woman viewed them.

Definitely watch the video below! The impact is amazing!

Why do we view ourselves so critically? I know I do it all the time, judging every little feature about myself that doesn't fit the perfect image of how I think I should look. And then feeling self conscience about myself, what I wear, and always wanting to always "fit in".
Why do we let the latest fashions, and magazines determine how we feel about ourselves?
And why do we let that runway model make us feel insecure in our body and dissatisfied with our figure and complexion.

The Bible has lots to say about this topic.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

                                                                                                    -Ecclesiastes 3:11

God didn't create any junk! He didn't create anything to be ugly! He has made everything, that means us too, BEAUTIFUL!

 Song of Solomon 4:7 says,

        "You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you."

Even when your hair is all crazy and you smell bad, and you feel ugly. Or when your sick, or having a terrible day, the Lord still sees you as His gorgeous child.

And guess what? You were beautiful to Him before you were even born!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand-- when I awake, I am still with you."

 

                                                                                  -Psalm 139:13-18

He formed you and knit you together, He loves each tiny detail about you! His thoughts are precious towards you, He thinks about you all the time, and He is crazy about you! Don't criticize yourself.


Are you convinced yet? Realize and believe that, YOU. ARE. BEAUTIFUL.

Love

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:14 NIV)

It's a new year! 2013: another 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, and 3,153,600 seconds of learning, progress, and new experiences.
(Well, now it's a little less cuz it's almost February!)
Anyways, with the new year always comes resolutions, gym memberships, and other cool stuff. I always write out new years resolutions at the beginning of every year, most the time I get super over ambitious and write out so many it's impossible to do them all.
This year my list consisted of reading a book a month (which would be a huge accomplishment for me), and then I'm gonna try to write a blog post per month....and I have several other personal goals with like my schoolwork and hobbies. That sorta stuff.
But this year my mom asked what fruit of the Spirit each of us kids wanted to 'resolve' to work on or focus on this year.
Galatians 5:22-25 says:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with it's passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep step with the Spirit.
So I got to thinkin bout it, and I could without a doubt use work in every area! But one that really stood out to me for this season in my life was love. It seems so simple, but loving people, God, and yourself can be super challenging (at least for me)! I feel like God's really pointing that out to me, because lately I've run into some people that I don't particularly like and even some people that have hurt my feelings in the past! And I've gotten myself to the point of honestly strongly disliking some of these people and wanting to hate them even! And when I get to feelin like this, I feel like God says, "Ashley, I made that person in My image, he/she is My favorite! He/She is My child!"
It sets me back a little and I think about all the times God has loved me when I have been the definition of unlovable!
If you read 1 Corinthians 13 it explains love super well..

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NIV)

Love is like really important! I saw a little phrase on a missions newsletter I got in the mail that said, love has no borders.....I see how true that is in Corinthians. Love doesn't draw lines or build walls up.
In 1 John 4:8 it says that "....God is love."
And as Christians we are striving to be like our Heavenly Father in every aspect of our lives, so that means we must be love as well. That means loving our enemies and the unlovables. And even loving ourselves. Not in a selfish or proud way, but in coming to the realisation that God made us in His image exactly how He wanted us made and we have to accept ourselves and love ourselves if we're going to love and accept others.
This year and for the rest of my life I want to look like love, and love others for who they are and not for the reflection of myself that I see in them. I want God to saturate me with so much love that there will be no more place for hate.