friendship.

friendship. what a beautiful word. what a beautiful promise. to have someone by your side. to walk through life together. to build each other up. to give encouragement, as well as correction in love. how beautiful is this thing we take for granted. over the years, i have cherished friendships more and more. most likely because my circle of friends seems be getting smaller, and farther away from each other. i live in kansas while two of my closest friends live in minnesota, and california. what great lengths we go to talk to each other. but that's the beauty of it all, to know that even so many hours away i still have gorgeous ladies, inside and out, who care about me.
a big step in such blessed friendships is realizing who you are allowing yourself to be influenced by. this has been such a difficult lesson to me. recently i have realized that my circle of friends at the current moment, are not usually ever encouraging, or uplifting, or anything i desire in a friendship. i cannot allow myself to settle for something that is not healthy and does not draw me closer to the Lord. what a wonderful thing. to be poured into by friends. so as my gaze is becoming more heavenward, so my heart is finding people of the same spirit.
i am the happiest, right here.

making time.

never before have i felt so busy. working over 40 hours every week, can make one quite overwhelmed. but as i step into this chaos it makes me appreciate my Savior all the more. when working gets hard, i remind myself to work as if working for Him. when all i want to do is rest, i remind myself that it is time to face the day the God has given me. 

what precious times i have had with my Savior. there is such peace in His presence. playing worship music, and spending time in His Word, can do wonders for a weary soul. even in the midst of working i am trying to find ways to serve. when my head hits the pillow at night, i want to know that i gave everything i could, and i served with my heart, showing grace and mercy to those He has put in my path. what love can be shown when you work hard for the Lord. 

words.

words. thoughts. opinions. they are all so incredibly powerful. in the last few days i have been taught lesson after lesson about the influence of my words, thoughts, and opinions. i have realized that people actually care what i think, they care about my opinions, and they pay attention to what i say. this is key for us to understand. there are so many times i let things slip out of my mouth, and the only thing i can do is wish i could take back what i said, but by that time it's to late.

Proverbs 13.3 (NIV)
"He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin."

let us speak life. let us think love.

finals.

there are moments in life, such as finals week, that can really make you realize just how you spend your time. there can be many good things about finals week because we, as students, may actually....dare i say.... study! it's almost a miracle to see the library miraculously full, when on an average day there are usually me and five others that spend our time there...and are actually studying.
finals week can make you prioritize your time. i have found it's almost satisfactory to sit, even for five minutes, and just breathe and relax, and begin the studying again. but in the end we know the reward will be worth the time invested. that sweet sweet reward. it's almost in my grasp.

peace.

peace is something that i constantly want to feel. just to sit in the presence of our sweet Lord and realize that He is truly in control. but my mind races, and my thoughts wonder, and i feel anything but peaceful. i want to walk in His peace daily, it's a difficult task. but what joy  is found in peace. just stillness and peace.

adventuring.

i have moments quite frequently when i wish to only go adventuring. i just want to go to a city, and find little coffee shops, and boutiques. i want to take my guitar and a cup of coffee to a wide open field and just write, and play, and serenade anyone who dares to listen. all while looking at a beautiful canvas of trees and mountains. i long to take polaroid pictures of decaying barns, or abandoned buildings and try and imagine the people that used to live there, and the lives they used to live. i want to take a car out on old dirt roads and see the beauty in the prairies where i live. i want to walk country roads until dusk, and take an old quilt and look at the beautiful stars that always make me feel so small. i want and i desire all of this. and in moments when i so desire this, i just have to remind myself that adventures will come in time. and right now i just should thank God that He has given me such a personality to want these simple things, in such a complex world that we live in.