Dominican Republic Trip 2017

As many of you know, I just got back from a mission trip. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to go, and I will never forget it. To be honest, when I first applied to go, I was very nervous, but I knew that this was what God wanted me to do. As the trip got closer, my nerves gradually went away, and I was very excited to see what God was going to do there. I was part of a team from my youth group that consisted of 11 people, and very early on a Sunday morning, we headed out.

We partnered with another youth team from Oklahoma, and worked together to bring the Gospel to the people in the Dominican Republic. It was so neat that even though we had never met the other team before, we were able to quickly get to know each other and form friendships. We spent an entire week with them, and it was great. We went everywhere together, crammed on a bus that was always full of conversation, singing, or laughter. It was a huge blessing to work with their team, and I miss them a lot.

 During the week, we helped a group from the Dominican church with a VBS. It was so much fun to dance, sing, and play with the children that came. One of their favorite things was getting piggy-back rides, which we loved to give them! Their faces would light up when they recognized us, and their laughter was contagious. The days were long, and we were hot, sweaty, and usually pretty tired, but there was always more energy to give the kids. In Bible class, they loved answering questions and learning the rhymes and songs about the lesson. It was wonderful to see them eager to learn, and our mornings were full of love, laughter, and so much fun. We would try our best to learn their names and talk to them in our clumsy Spanish, which sometimes ended in helpless giggling. I was motivated to work on my Spanish even more! It was an incredible blessing to be with the kids, and I miss them. Of course, the week passed so quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye.
(On a side note: I realized on this trip just how much I hate goodbyes. We met so many wonderful people and only got to spend a certain amount of time with them before having to leave, and when we did have to leave it was hard. It makes me realize the importance of using our time with other people wisely. Don't waste the time you have!)

After VBS, we had a weekend youth camp. A huge group of teens piled into buses on Friday afternoon and made the drive to camp. We spent the weekend worshiping together, playing crazy games, getting to know each other, and hearing incredible testimonies of God's goodness. It was so amazing to meet and hang out with all of the Dominican teens, and even though we didn't all speak the same language, there was no barrier too big for God. I met so many amazing people that weekend, and there are so many stories and jokes that I will never forget. There was always more people to meet, more things to learn about each other, more games to play, and more opportunities to praise God. Again, saying goodbye was extremely difficult, and I was once again reminded of how important it is to take advantage of the time we have with people. In the few days we had together, we were able to hang out, play games, look for tarantulas (and we found some!), or just sit and talk. Our days were filled with amazing memories, and they passed so much faster than we wanted them to. I miss it so much.

One of the things that I learned from this trip was how amazing our God is. I learned a lot about trusting Him for everything in the process leading up to the trip, and while I was on the trip, I experienced what happens when I put complete trust in Him. He works through anything, and when you let Him work, he does amazing things. We heard testimonies at camp, and it was so encouraging to hear how he worked in others' lives. His love and grace was (and is!) put on display through the people that shared. I am so grateful that He never changes, and that He is always faithful to us.

I mentioned this before, but I also learned a lot about how valuable our time is. We are given so many opportunities to share the Gospel, to show love, to serve, to form relationships, and yet we often waste our time doing trivial things. I was deeply convicted of how I spend my time. How much time do I spend hearing God's voice and reading His word compared to how much time I spend listening to the world's voice and reading social media? Do I spend more time in intentional, deep conversation with others, getting out of my bubble and forming relationships, or do I more often choose to stay in my own comfortable space? I have really been thinking a lot about that lately. It is so easy to waste time and not even realize you are doing it until it is too late. I want to be aware. I want to intentionally and fully live in the place God has put me, doing His will and seeking His glory in everything I do.

If you are feeling led to apply for a mission trip but you aren't sure if you want to, don't hesitate to do it! It isn't always easy to push past nerves and fear, but with God NOTHING is impossible. I now know from experience how amazing it is when you take the leap and let God work. It is absolutely worth it. ♥

eighteen.

So I just turned 18.

I am an adult now. (wait, what?!) I don't feel like an adult, but how many people really do when they are this age? *please tell me I'm not alone, peoples* 
As a little kid, I always thought that eighteen would be a magical age when you get all the answers and figure out everything for your life. In fact, if you talked to me a year ago, you would know that I had big plans for this year. I definitely had a picture of what my senior year would look like, but God has a way of showing us that HIS plan is greater and usually much different than our own!

To be honest, this year was tough. For a while, it seemed like nothing could possibly go right again. I felt stuck. I felt alone. And I struggled a lot with fear. I was worried and stressed about things that were quite insignificant, really. There were so many things happening all at once and everything inside of me was screaming against it.

No, I didn't know that I was going to struggle with fear. I didn't anticipate losing a pet. I didn't want to find out about that "friend." I didn't know that I would reach a point where I didn't have any clue what was happening or why it was happening.

But it happened.

And it was necessary, because God used my struggles for good. He is using them for good.

Through my battle with fear, I have come to know the importance of vulnerability. When we tell a trusted friend about the things that hurt, the things that we dread, and the things we struggle with, we expose them. We bring them to the light, and the darkness is dispelled in the blinding truth of the Gospel. The hurt is healed by the love and grace of our Heavenly Father, and we no longer dread what is to come because we are never alone.

After all that happened this year, I found it difficult to feel excited about next year. However, I have realized how important it is to remember that God is still in control. Everything is working out for good. Even the hard things that brought me down are shaping me into who He wants me to be, and they are bringing me closer to Him. I am learning to let go of my fear and hand it to God. On my own, I can't handle it. I really can't. But through HIS strength, I can. And so can you.

You can live loved, because you are. You can live confidently, because you have victory in Him. No matter how inadequate you feel, no matter how small, unimportant, or awkward you think you are, just remember this: If you are a follower of Christ, your identity is found in HIM, not what you feel like, what you did, or what people think of you. You are chosen. You are loved. You are forgiven. And you can't ever change that.

No matter what your year looked like, you don't have to stay in a place of doubt. There is grace for every day, and every morning, you can start over. Start each day with renewed faith in God, with hope, joy, and excitement for the amazing plans he has for you. Trust me, He has AMAZING plans for you! Not only that, He gives you just the right amount of strength that you need to get through today, and He is not going to abandon you.

It is hard, but I am learning this every day. I am learning to let go. I am learning to replace the fear with faith, the doubt with trust, and the dread with hope. But most importantly, I am learning to give my frustrations and fears over to the only One who can truly handle them. Because that is the only way to truly find freedom. 

♥♥♥

Thank you for reading this rather rambling post..I haven't blogged in so long, and it felt SO good to get my thoughts written down, no matter how un-sorted they may be. :p

Much love! ♥

grow.

Can you believe that January is already over? We have made it through the first month of 2017! *claps* 
 I have always been big into goals and resolutions, but this year I really just wanted to learn and grow, both in my comfort zone and in my relationship with Christ. Life is hard, but it is so amazing. And God. God is so good. Even just this month, I have really seen Him working all around me, and it has been incredible. He is teaching me so much, I am finding things that surprise me every single day, and I have experienced so much grace and love. It is overwhelming. I have a lot of growing to do, and there is always so much more to learn, but I am finally getting to a point where the thought of growing up and experiencing new things isn't as scary.
Take the leap. One of the big things that I wanted to do this year was grow and expand out of my comfort zone. I am graduating, a lot of things are changing in my life, and I really wanted to just take this year to grow and experience things that I normally wouldn't. I get nervous about things very easily, and lately I have really had a big struggle with fear, but I have decided not to let that stop me anymore. The only way to overcome the fear is to quit listening to it and listen to God's voice instead. I am taking chances that I would normally be totally freaked out about, and I am choosing to listen to God's calling on my life, instead of letting Satan's lies control me. There is such freedom in acting on faith, and while I know it isn't going to always be easy, I know it is what God has called me to do. So I am taking the leap. I'm doing the thing. And I refuse to give in to fear anymore.

Love and kindness are always worth it. You know those people who make your day so much better just by one little thing they do or say? You could be having the worst day of your life, but talking to them or even sometimes seeing them and getting an encouraging smile is all you need to feel better. I know people like that and it blows my mind to see the love that they show other people. They have made a habit of kindness, and that is an extraordinary thing. Kindness is something that seems scarce in the world, especially right now. Things that bring differing opinions also bring harsh language, rude comments, and angry insults from both sides. I'm not saying we should all agree; I am saying that our disagreements can be handled with dignity and love. The world would be a much, much better place if we were more kind about the way we communicate.

Life is truly beautiful. The beauty of life is in the snowflakes falling softly on the ground, it's in the laughter in a group of friends, it's in the giggling of a baby, it's in the inquisitive little squirrels gathering seed, it's in community, family, nature, silence. Life is not only full of gifts, it is a gift. And with the life that we have been given, we can share that gift. Be the gift. Appreciate the gifts God has given us. It is hard, and even seems impossible at times, but there is nothing quite like the joy that you experience from searching for the little gifts and being truly thankful to the Giver for them.
 
A solid group of friends is priceless. This month, I have come to realize the importance and treasure of my Christian friends. It is such an encouragement to have a place to be vulnerable, to share struggles, and give each other advice and support. Community is extremely important. Believe it or not, everyone is going through something, and when you can talk about your struggles together, you may even find that someone else is going through the exact same thing you are. It is always important to have a group of people to keep each other accountable and work through struggles together with lots of prayer. I am beyond grateful for the real, authentic friends that I have in my life right now. You guys are extraordinary and beautiful souls, and I cannot say enough about how much of a blessing you are! ♥ 

God's Word is so important. I have really begun to realize the value of the Bible this month. It is the most powerful weapon against the devil's lies, it is comfort when I am worried, it is full of convicting truths and advice about literally everything that could happen in my life. It is so, so valuable, and I am experiencing the sweetness of God's Word more and more every day!

I will never be perfect, but God is. I am someone who loves things to be in order. I tend to be a perfectionist, and when things are messy or unorganized, it drives me crazy and I feel like I have to fix it. That not only goes for things around me, but also for my own character and life. I know my flaws, and I want to be perfect. I want to fix myself. But the thing is, God did not choose me because I was perfect. Jesus did not die because I was flawless. Instead, he died for me because I was just the opposite. Because I am so flawed that I cannot possibly change without Him. Because He loves me even though I am a sinner. And that is a beautiful thing. I am learning that I don't have to "clean myself up" so God will accept me. He has asked me to give Him all of my broken, messy, ugly humanness, and let Him change me from the inside out. When I allow Him to exchange all I am for all He is, that is where I need to be. I will never be perfect in this life. It is not possible. But I am being changed and transformed by a God who is perfect and who is full of mercy and love. He has taken my broken mess of a life and is weaving it into His story. That is an extraordinary thing, and I am so, so grateful!

Dear World...

Dear World...Once upon a time, you were perfect. You were spoken into being by the words of the Almighty, crafted so beautifully, filled with all good things. There were people—a man and a woman—they were perfect too. Flawless from the hairs on their head to the soles of their feet. There were plants of every kind imaginable, animals that played together, water that ran crystal clear, a garden like none other.  

Life. Peace. Joy. Love. 

Then there was a serpent. A beast full of evil, who tempted the woman with fruit and lies. A deceptive question, a twisted answer, and sin. Sin in the perfect world that suddenly became no longer perfect.  

No longer did everything seem so beautiful.   

Hatred and anger took the place of love and joy. 

Chaos took the place of peace. 

And the ground that grew life was stained by the blood of the dead.

Many years later, there was a baby. A small, helpless infant, born in a barn and laid in a feeding trough. A picture of humanity in its lowliest form. But he was God. He was the Almighty....the Creator. The One who was rejected time and time again, shunned and cursed by the very people he created. He stooped to our filthy, humanly level and became one of us. Fully God, yet fully man. Emmanuel. The Great I AM. 

He lived a perfect life in a sinful world, loved by a few, followed by some, and rejected by many. 

 He came to die. He took on himself the punishment that we earned for ourselves with our own sinfulness. 

And the thing is? He didn't stay dead. He is alive and has returned to heaven with the Father. Someday soon, He is coming back. This spinning globe will not last forever, and there is an eternity of either life or death. We can choose God and live forever with Him, or we can reject Him and experience eternal death.

Dear world...don't reject Him. He is real, and He loves you. 
Lay your burdens at the feet of the One who will carry them for you, and give Him your life. 
He is waiting with open arms.

"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

Hello 2017

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope you have had a great 2016! I always look forward to a new year. It is really exciting to have a fresh start!

The first half of 2016 was amazing. I had so many fun things happening, I started my senior year of highschool, I really grew closer to some amazing people, I turned 17, I got really involved in writing, my blog really started to grow, and life was great. Things couldn't have been better! 

The last few months have really been a difficult, but growing time. I went through a big personal struggle, I found out things about some of my friends who I thought were a certain way and ended up being completely the opposite, I missed my long-distance friends, we had to put our dog down, and I ended up being pretty sick. It was all really discouraging for me to look back at the year, because that was all that I was seeing. But I had a perspective change after realizing that there really were good things that happened in that time! Even the bad things that happened had their good parts. 

For instance, I found out that I am going to be an aunt (which is super exciting!!), and I have been able to talk and pray over Skype and email with a very close friend of mine from a long time ago about our struggles and life. Our bond is growing stronger, and I am so thankful for her! 
I discovered how awesome things like Skype, emails, and texting are, because my Ohio sister and I were able to have a Christmas party even though we were hundreds of miles apart! We have been able to communicate and keep our friendship strong, which is a huge blessing!
Through my spiritual struggles, I have really seen God's hand in my life and I have grown so much closer to Him through it. He has given me passion like I have never felt it before, and I am already able to look back on the last few months and see how much he has brought me through.
I am learning how to rest and that it is ok to take a break once in a while so that I can recover. I have learned to treasure the friendships that are genuine and deep, and I am learning thankfulness and joy in every circumstance.

When I think about the year that way, I see it in a completely different light! I am able to pick out the beautiful things, and be thankful for the lessons that the hard things taught me. A big thing that I have learned is that growing cannot happen without struggling. Those are the things that really push us and stretch us. To be honest, I am someone who likes to be comfortable. I don't like being out of my comfort zone, and the thought of doing it freaks me out! But I have realized that it is necessary for growing, and I really want to embrace change and new opportunities for growth this year. 

Something that I sort-of announced recently was that I am going to be changing my blog! I have really felt like God has placed it on my heart to do more of a devotional style of blogging, and I am going for it. I will be sticking with this blog, instead of doing a completely new one, but the content will be changing. I still have some things to iron out, such as figuring out the best posting schedule and such, so posting times will most likely be a little random for a while. Each Thursday, I am planning on doing a Thankfulness Thursday post, and I want to do a thoughtful/devotional post another day of the week. This is something completely new for me, but I am looking forward to it! Prayers would be appreciated as well, because this could not happen without God's guidance and grace! 

So...goodbye, 2016....hello, 2017! This year is going to be a big one, and I am looking forward to it! (I'm graduating and turning 18 Y'ALL HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?!?) I used to come up with big lists of aspirations and goals, but this year, I just want to really focus on my relationship with Christ and grow spiritually. I want to learn true faith and confidence in Him, because, as I realized this past year, that is the only place I will get it. I want to hide God's Word in my heart, because I have learned that it truly is the best and most powerful weapon there is, and I want to see God in everything and be thankful for everything, because everything is a gift from Him.

Thank you Lord for another year!! ♥ 

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. 

2 Timothy 1:7

Thankfulness Thursday (but sort-of Friday) | Week 2

Helloo, lovelies!! First of all, I am going to state the obvious. I completely missed posting this yesterday! I am so sorry about that! But I suppose it is better late than never, right? 

Also, Blogger got an symbol/emoji option!? Now if that's not exciting, I don't know what is. (I'm actually not sure how much I will use it, but I'm still super excited)  

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?! I feel like it came up really fast! I have been so preoccupied with life and other things that I didn't realize how close it was until yesterday. *sarcastic applause* Way to be observant, Megan. 😛

ANYWAYS, this week is Week 2 of Thankfulness Thursday! (or Friday..haha...oops.) Here we go!

thankful for.... 

// prayer

// warm cookies (of course)

// anticipation

// letter writing

// being busy

// stargazing

// deep conversations

// exciting news

 // Christmas movies

 (yes yes I know it's still early but I love Christmas, ok?😊)

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰 

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; 

my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him. 

Psalm 28:7

i'm ok

the problems

the worries

the heartache

added up and

left me sitting here

wondering why and

what happened to my life

but in the middle of all that was when

i felt Him closer than ever

as He wrapped his loving arms around me

and whispered to my soul that

"I will never leave you or forsake you."

it's been a crazy month

i've hurt a lot

but i've healed a lot

i've been through a lot

but i've come out of a lot

and no matter what happens

i won't give up

i will keep fighting

i'm coming out of the fog

finally in the light

and i have a new appreciation

for deep and real friendships

for life

for standing strong

and fighting

but mostly

for my beautiful Savior

who taught me how to fight

and who carried me through the tumult of my fear

so yeah

things were tough for a while

but my God is faithful

and He never fails

and because of that

i can now say with all the confidence in the world that

i'm ok.

♥ 

___________________________________________________________________________

So after being so encouraged by the amazing amount of vulnerability in the blogosphere lately, I decided to share a little bit of my heart in hopes that it will encourage you. I have learned so much this month, and I am really excited to see what God has in store for me!

Have a lovely day! :)

~Megan ♥

**Also ALSO finally joined Instagram this week! I couldn't find all you lovely blogger frens so if you are on there lemme know so we can keep in touch!! ♥

currently {8.27.16}

//loving: cool summer days, walks, friends, music, lots of blogging, meeting new people, afternoon coffee, deep conversations, mornings
//wanting: more of Jesus, an excuse to wear sweaters, cupcakes, a pet squirrel
//missing: old friends, being little, giggling all night with my best friend, being carefree, swimming
//planning: novels, senior pictures, craft projects, blog posts, school schedules, music

//thankful: amazing friends, the lovely blogging community, senior year, sunsets, family, grace, candles, words, God's love, inspiration, coffee, towering trees, notebooks, memories
//anticipating: re-connecting with friends, hangouts, weekend trips, pumpkin season, holidays, plays, graduation  
//favorites: writing days, messy buns, deep conversations with friends, psalm 63:7-8, sister time, comforting candles, piano music, sunset walks, inspiration boards, throw blankets, typewriters, letters

The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their trust in His unfailing love.

~Psalm 147:11  

Of Plays, Closet Cleaning, and Popsicles

Wow, it feels so good to be blogging! The past two months have been a whirlwind with so much stuff, but life has slowed down considerably this week, and I am getting back to a daily routine again! I usually do one of my rambling, catch-up kind of posts to get me back into the swing of things as far as blogging, so today I am going to give an overview of what has been going on lately! If I have an impulsive burst of inspiration this week (which is highly probable), you will be seeing more posts from me very soon! :) Enjoy!

Enjoying: A good bit of my time this past month or so has been involving some sort of play. I was in a play that was performed the last weekend in March, and the week after that I went to see a play that several of my friends were in. I also had the privilege of  helping our local Christian school with hair and makeup for their play that they performed this past weekend. I love theater-related things, and it has been so fun this year to be able to participate in it! 

Catching up: Ah, high school....Over the school year I got really behind in several subjects due to a lot of things that came up and really took over a lot of our time. Of course, I didn't mind having all of that stuff going on, but now that I have all of that schoolwork to catch up on, I'm realizing the effects that it had! I am so close to graduating, and it is looking more and more beautiful as time goes on! :p 

Experimenting: The weather got really warm this week, and one of my favorite things to do in the summer is make up dairy-free popsicle recipes. Today, I came up with a delicious kiwi-banana popsicle that I made with coconut milk, and it was amazing. In fact, I am considering posting a few of my favorite recipes on here this summer for you to try! Let me know in the comments if that is something you would like me to do!


Working on: This afternoon, I took on the task of cleaning out and organizing the walk-in closet in our guest bedroom. It has become more of a storage closet lately, but since we needed the extra space for clothes, I got everything neat and orderly in there and even went through and got rid of stuff in the process! Surprisingly, it only took me one afternoon, and I now have everything organized and put away!
  

 Reading: As far as reading is going, I just finished Anne of Windy Poplars, which was the book for this month. I am starting a little earlier with typing up my review, so hopefully it will be on time this month! *cough, cough* I will try my best. :) 

Writing: Sadly, I haven't gotten a lot of writing done this month. I wish I could be able to have an overflowing supply of novel ideas, but I have never really liked what I come up with. I seem to do much better with short stories, blogging, and smaller projects. Who knows, someday I might end up branching off into the novel territory, and NaNo might be that opportunity! :)

Random other cool things that happened:

~ I got my hair cut

~ My best friend's birthday :) 

~ Seeing friends I hadn't seen in a really long time!

~ The sun came out!! *squeals* That made me happy. :) :)

Now that my life has re-gained a "normal" pace, I am going to have more time to spend on writing and such! And that, my dear friend, is very exciting to me. :)

Have a lovely day!

                                  

~Megan ♥

blessings

early mornings • hugs • good books • warm sunshine • country music • laughter • brothers • old buildings • lightning • dog kisses • afternoon walks • pianos • candles • God's grace • old friends • apple crisp • beautiful words • wooden fences • antique shops •  hand-written letters • exciting news • best friends • love • family • late nights • new notebooks • road trips • homemade bread • crochet scarves • highlighters • old letters • the color pink • wind • inspiration • fuzzy socks • iced tea • random picture walks • puzzles • sweatpants • life

 ~Megan ♥

*Picture via Google Images

February 2016 | Month in Review

Hello!!! I feel sooo happy that I am finally able to blog again! I have sat down several times to do it this month, but for some reason, I never seemed to have anything to say. HOWEVER, I am back again, and I couldn't be more excited to blog today!! Since I was gone for basically all of February, I'm going to give a sort of update on what went on this month, most likely with a few other random things thrown in. I will kind of give a report card on this month's resolutions along with the update. I feel like it makes things more interesting to read. :)

Early on this month I got sick (twice!), so there was a whole lot of sleeping, reading, tea-drinking, and snuggling under blankets. I have to admit, it was nice to rest and relax, but I definitely would have enjoyed it much more if I was feeling well. *shame on you, sickness!*

Play practice, memorizing lines, and character development have been a significant part of this month as well! I am really enjoying the play this year. Being involved in a play is hands-down amazing. There is beautiful bonding with the cast, hilarious memories, and unceasing amounts of laughter during practice! (Hooray for comedies!) Our performances are only a month away, so things are going to be crazy pretty soon, but it is SO. MUCH. FUN. I just got my costume, and I am super excited about learning how to do the 1940's hairstyles, makeup, and all that fun stuff!

Thankfully, there has been a good chunk of time that I wasn't sick, and in that time, I did a good bit of experimenting in the kitchen! That was one of my resolutions, and I am really glad that I was able to fulfill it. I found some delicious ways to make sorbet and dairy-free ice cream, which was a complete WIN. It was so much fun to get into the kitchen and let my creativity loose! I love cooking.

As I mentioned before, there was a lot of time for me to do reading, and I also have amazing friends who secretly bought me Anne of Avonlea and had it shipped to my house! I was sooo surprised to get that in the mail! It had me squealing with happiness!  (Seriously, who doesn't LOVE surprise packages?!)  Since I finished the book way too early in the month, and because I knew that I would devour the entire series if I didn't take drastic measures to restrain myself, I read that lovely book all over again! I am really happy that I own the entire series now. So, so happy. (many thanks to my dad for that thrift store win!!) I am going to post my review for Anne of Avonlea very, very soon, so be looking out for it!

As far as school goes, I am learning a lot about pace. I tried to cram in order to catch up, and it just wasn't working out. When it comes to setting goals, I am very idealistic. However, I tend to crash when things don't work out like I anticipated. I did not completely catch up on everything like I wanted to, but I am blessed to be homeschooled and be able to learn at my own pace, which matters a lot more.

Something I have been working on this month is a sort of schedule or guideline for blogging. I am considering picking one day of the week as my "blogging day," and that way I will publish one post a week on a set day. I really like the idea, but I will need to do some more thinking and planning before putting it into action. 

Another thing I want to share is this video from Sadie Robertson. She made some great points about finding your confidence in God, instead of seeking it in yourself. I found it really encouraging and I hope it is the same for you. It is definitely worth taking the time to watch!

Have a lovely day!!

~Megan ♥

~ la vita è bella ~

Life is beautiful.

The more I live it, the more I realize how true this is. There is so much beauty to take in all around us. The delighted giggle of a happy baby, a golden sunrise behind the trees, the warm embrace of a dear friend: all of these are things that I experience almost every day, and yet far too often I take them for granted.

In today's world, everything is rushed. We rush to the store, we rush to class, we rush to work, and the whole time our lives are spent rushing, we forget how to live. We forget to take time to notice the beauty around us and the people around us.

There is so much pain and hurting in the world, and so little love and genuine care. What if we all slowed down and took time to help somebody in need, smiled at the little kid in the grocery store, or just come along side that hurting friend and give them the listening ear that they need. It really is amazing how ordinary things that we think are so trivial and simple can bring a huge smile to someone's face and make their day. How much different would life be if we went into each day thinking,
"In what ways can God's love shine through me to others today?" Believe me, spreading God's love to others is contagious. When you are filling others' lives with love, God's love is constantly filling your heart, and it is a constant cycle of joy.

"For I have derived much

joy and comfort from your love,

my brother,

because the hearts of the saints

have been refreshed through you.

Philemon 1:7

Joy. It is one of the best feelings in the world. The word joy is mentioned in the Bible 214 times!
However, I struggle daily with having joy. I get stressed out, worried, frustrated, and upset, and I forget that I am not the one in control, and I don't need to worry! Because of my salvation in Christ, I have been given a joy in my heart that no "happy formulas" on this earth can produce!
Joy and happiness are very different. Anyone can be happy. Circumstances make us happy, people make us happy, and stuff makes us happy, but it's so temporary. Something doesn't go our way, and our happiness is ruined. It is not until you have the Holy Spirit working in your heart and filling you that true, lasting, genuine joy can be felt.

Of course, I'm not saying we should all be a Pollyanna, where everything makes us "glad, glad, glad!". We will have our share of tears and pain. But when we can come out of that knowing that this is temporary, and God causes all things happen for a reason, we don't have to stay hurting.
There is the promise of Heaven and eternal joy for those who are saved through faith in Jesus Christ! That in itself should flood us with such a hope and peace. We are held in the hands of the only all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-loving God, and nothing can ever change that.

  
"Casting all your anxieties on Him,

because He cares for you."

1 Peter 5:7

He cares for us! The Creator of the universe loves us more than we could ever dream. Because of His amazing love, we can find beauty in the little things, the everyday things, and even the unpleasant things. We don't have to worry about anything, because our lives are dictated and orchestrated by the Almighty God.

So slow down. Take a breath. Thank God for the everyday. And laugh. Because life really is beautiful.

            

              ~Megan ♥ 

*pictures via Google

bits & pieces

Hello cuties! First, I want to apologize for my sudden silence. I never realized how busy life can get when you have siblings getting married! There is excitement, sadness, joy, love, and crazy running-around-all-the-time that happens, and in it all, I just didn't feel like taking the time to sit down and blog.

The house is pretty much silent right now, so I took advantage of the opportunity to put together a spontaneous post about the things that have been going on in my life lately.
I've been experiencing inexpressible joy, pain, victory, and failure, but I am still ever in awe of God's mercy that has been poured out over me. And trust me, I've needed a lot of it this year!

 

♥ First of all, I have been getting in a lot of writing lately! I found some really helpful videos and websites that have been really instructive. Seeing as this is my first serious attempt at writing a really good novel, I have been very open to tips on creative writing. I still have so much to learn, but I am really excited just to be stretching myself with this! 

♥ Last week, my brother got married! It was one of those roller-coaster-kind-of-days when I woke up excited and happy about the wedding, but with a splitting stomach-ache, both from lack of eating properly the day before and also from my lactose intolerance. It went away pretty fast, thanks to some magic potion of water and vinegar. (Seriously, that stuff is works wonders! Add some sugar or honey to give it more sweetness, but it works well enough that I'm willing to put up with the taste.) Anyway, it was an absolutely beautiful wedding, and thankfully, everything went smoothly.

♥ In my last post, I mentioned my struggles with contentment and selfishness. Since then, I have had times where I have been doing really well, and I feel like I am finally improving, and that's when I fall again. It is then that I am constantly driven back to God's Word and to my knees. I am an ever-imperfect, messy, but oh-so-lavishly-covered-in-grace daughter of God, and I have so, so much to learn. I don't want to waste a single minute! 

♥  I am slowly but surely making progress with my violin learning! I haven't had nearly as much time as I would like to practice lately, but I am looking forward to starting up a regular routine of it again after this next wedding. 

♥ Speaking of weddings...the day to make my first wedding cake is getting closer and closer! I am really nervous, but I am super excited about this opportunity. I never thought I would be making a wedding cake this early on, but I'm up for the challenge! :)

♥ I have been so blessed lately by the constant reminder that God is with me. No matter what crazy things I do, or what stupid mistakes I make, He is always there to pull me out and flood me with His grace. I am so humbled and thankful for the ways He has so richly blessed me. Some of my favorite verses lately have been Galations 2:20-21.  
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness where through the law, then Christ died for no purpose." 
He has given us far more grace than we could ever deserve or even imagine! I am so thankful that God has not left us on our own, and I never want to take His grace for granted again!


♥ Because I am homeschooled, I have the awesome privilege of figuring out my own school schedules! I am really looking forward to a new school year! I can't believe that I'm going to be a Junior in High School! It's super exciting, but slightly scary. If anyone has any suggestions for scheduling and such for a homeschooler, I'd love to hear your suggestions! This year I really want to spend a lot of time on music and writing as some of my "extra activities." I will be starting up piano lessons again, and of course I will be continuing with violin. I want to make this year the best that I possibly can as far as leaning and time management. 

That's pretty much what has been happening around here and in my mind lately! (on second thought, you probably don't want to see what my mind looks like lately...you may get lost up there. :p ) Anyway, I will warn you ahead of time that I will most likely be gone again for quite a while, simply because another wedding is coming up, and my life will once again resemble the Batman ride at Six Flags. (Video here, in case you don't know what that looks like...)

And so, on that note, let me depart by saying thank you for taking the time out of your day to read a compilation of random things that are happening. I hope that you have found your short visit to my blog to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
                                                      Much love and warm hugs!
                                                            
                                                                                        ~Megan ♥