Life is A Beautiful Struggle
"You have come from God, you are a spark of His Glory. You will get peace only when you again merge in Him."
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Hey everyone,
Because of the way Tumblr changed their layout, and I can’t do a lot of the stuff that I used to do, so I have a new site. I promised a lot of y’all that I would continue this blog, and I’m not one to back down on my word. I’ve listed my new website below so if any of y’all are interested in checking it out, you can just head there. Thank you so much for being such a blessing to me. I’m so excited that I’ve gotten the opportunity to reach your lives through my blog, and I am even more excited to have the opportunity to continue being that person for you. I will stop by every now and then to check messages and stuff, so please don’t hesitate to send me a message. I love reading all of your encouraging words. (: I hope that y’all will love it and that you’ll continue to read it.
Love you all,
Life is a Beautiful Struggle
Here is the new website for any of you that are interested:
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1. Darling, the world’s not really against you. The only thing that’s against you is yourself.
2. There is something beautiful about all scars, whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with.
3. Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your life…you give them a piece of you. They didn’t ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn’t your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness so simple a phrase like “maybe we should be friends” turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just the imagination. Not just in the mind. It’s a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.
4. I feel like everything in my life has led me to you. My choices, my heartbreaks, my regrets. Everything. And when we’re together, my past seems worth it. Because if I had done one thing differently, I might have never met you.
5. It’s crazy because I don’t even know when you became so important to me. It’s like watching a snowstorm. You see the flakes falling, but you don’t realize how they’re adding up. Then suddenly, your whole lawn is covered. All these little things have added up, and you’re my snowstorm.
6. God causes things to happen at exactly the right time! Your job is not to figure out when, but to make up your mind that you won’t give up until you cross the finish line and are living in the radical, outrageous blessings of God! The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you’ll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.
7. You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later, they’re as dull as a brick? Then there’s other people, when you meet them, you think, “Not bad. They’re okay.” And then you get to know them and their face just sort of becomes them. Like their personality’s written all over it.And they just turn into something so beautiful.
8. Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we’re waiting for.
9. Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.
10. Today, forget your past, forgive yourself, and begin again.
11. A heartbreak is a blessing from God. It’s just His way of letting you realize He saved you from the wrong one.
12. Someone once told me that some of us are actually afraid of the dark; we’re scared of what it conceals from us. We’re afraid of having something with the potential to hurt us standing right before our eyes and not registering it as a threat. People can be like that too.
13. Sometimes, I think that the stars are actually a huge connect-the-dot puzzle, and if we could only find the right pattern in which to connect them, then maybe we could figure out what they’re trying to tell us. And I think that there is a different pattern for every living person, every person that has ever lived, and every person that will ever live. So in a way, we’re all written into the night sky. And we gaze up at the sky, lying beneath our fears and dreams, and futures, and if we could find the right pattern, we might be able to know where we’re supposed to be. But the night sky is bigger than I can even begin to grasp, so I lay down on the damp summer grass amidst laughter and sips of wine, and I trace my finger along the brightest stars I can find, and I smile. The stars can keep the burden of knowing where it is that I will end up, because I am happy with where I am right now. When they twinkle, I think they’re winking at me, like they know something I don’t know, but I don’t mind. Sometimes, I like being in the dark, and right now, I don’t mind at all.
14. Sometimes, we are so busy chasing the sunlight, that we forget that the darkness is chasing us.
15. I am and always will be- the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes. The dreamer of improbable dreams.
16. Dear best friend, I love you more daily. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you and I wish you could love yourself the way I love you. And above all, I wish your life is everything you deserve because, in my opinion, you deserve the world. I will stand by you forever. My heart will always belong to you.
17. How do you look at someone you love and tell yourself it’s time to walk away?
18. Be contented. Yes, there are people greater than her. There are people who are more attractive, more intelligent, more caring, and more fortunate. That’s life- full of temptations. But don’t be deceived by those things. Because didn’t you ever realize that there are people who are also greater than you? Yet she chose you.
19. You are loved. You are valuable. You are crafted with beauty and purpose. I treasure you and this world needs you. There is no one like you. You don’t need to look like the rest, or talk like the rest, or be like the rest. There is no truth in the lie that you don’t mater. The world needs you as you are. You are loved and you were put here for a reason. You were not an accident. You are not a mistake.
20. Dear future husband, I hope our love is the kind that I don’t even have to think about. I hope I never have to convince myself to love any certain part of you because I hope it all comes naturally. I hope our love is the kind that is quiet on the outside, but loud on the inside. I want to love you like the space between lightning and thunder- electrified and alive, but silent and knowing. And I want you to love me like clouds love the rain. You’re going to have to let me go on my own sometimes, but I will always come back and we will always be two parts of the same thing.
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So, I’m trying something different tonight. For some reason, I’m getting a little bit of inspiration to just write. No quotes, no pictures, just words on a blank sheet of paper.
I’ll admit; I’ve never been a writer. I’ve never been a person that’s totally comfortable writing about myself or about the things I’ve been through. Maybe it’s because I’m not totally comfortable with myself or maybe it’s because I have a really hard time just letting go and learning how to trust people. I feel like people get really frustrated with me because I have a really hard time letting people find out who I really am. Sometimes, I feel like if I give everything away- my thoughts, my fears, my feelings- that once that person decides to leave (which they always do at one point or another), I won’t have anything left to myself. I love my best friends, and I have no earthly idea what I would do without them, but they don’t know everything about me, and sometimes, it’s really hard because I want to feel like I can tell them everything. I’ve been told so many times that I just have an absolute perfect knack for pushing people away. Maybe the reason why I purposefully push people away is because I’ve been burned too many times and I’ve learned to just keep it all in.
I’ve learned a lot this last year- who I am, who I want to be, what I want out of life, what my deepest fears are, what makes me so happy, and who I am in Christ. There are still a ton of things that I have yet to learn, and for me, life is constantly showing me that I don’t know everything. I’m still learning. I’m still learning how to be a better person. And how to be a better friend. And how to be a better daughter. And how to be a better student. I’m not perfect- far from it. It frustrates me when people think I’m perfect or that I try to act like I’m perfect because I don’t smoke, drink, or throw my body at men. People always ask why I’m not a typical college student that goes out and drinks and seamlessly flirts with guys, but the thing is, I’m not trying to be perfect. At all. I feel like people won’t respect you unless you have respect for yourself. People should love you for your heart, not because of what you look like or the things that you’ve done. You shouldn’t have to get drunk or smoke or have sex with random people just so people will like you. If you show people your heart and how much you care about them, people will like you for you. And if they don’t, well it’s their loss. I think that one of the biggest things that I’ve learned this year is that there’s so much to people than meets the eye, and people are so much bolder and so much more beautiful than they give themselves credit for. Just remember, that sometimes, the way you think about a person, isn’t the way they actually are.
None of us are perfect, and we’re trying; constantly trying- and struggling- to make sense out of this crazy world. We’re expected to know exactly who we are and who we want to be, and what we want out of life. We’re expected to know whether we want that white house with the picket fence or how many kids we want; or even if we want to get married. We’re expected to have that 4.0 GPA in college and get into medical school (or law school) and become as successful as we can. There’s so many struggles and so many pressures that constantly weigh down on us. But the reality is, we all make mistakes. Every single one of us. Even me. But there’s only one person that I can think of that doesn’t make mistakes - and that’s God. God created you for a reason. And God doesn’t make mistakes. And if there’s one thing I know- I am perfectly content with not being perfect.
I’m sorry for just kind of jumping around with my words tonight. I’m still kind of new to this whole “writing out your feelings thing.” I hope that what I’ve written tonight makes sense, but if it doesn’t, I promise I’ll get better in time! I promise that my next post will be more organized and clearer! I am so blessed by every single one of you and I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read my posts-it means so much to me. I want you to know that I’m so overwhelmed by the messages that you’ve sent me, telling me how wonderful my posts are and how life-changing they are. I’m so incredibly glad and I’m so in awe that I can be that person for y’all.
To my incredible best friends who read these- you make my heart so happy when you let me know that you read these. I’m so blessed to have such wonderful, incredible, BEAUTIFUL people in my life. I’m so grateful that you have always been there for me, even though I’ve given you every reason in the world to not be friends with me anymore. Thank you for being there through all the frustrations, jealousies, fights and anxiety attacks- I am so grateful to have you in my life. I promise that I’m trying and I’m learning how to be a better friend to all of you. Thank you for the ups and downs, and most importantly, for the good times. I miss all of you, and I hope to see you soon! I love you all more than you’ll ever know. Y’all are my rock.
Last, but not least- to my wonderful family- thank you so much for supporting me and loving me everyday. I’m so blessed to have such an amazing family that really cares about me and constantly encourages me to fight for my dreams. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family that has molded me into the person that I am, and I love each of you so, so, so much. Y’all have been my light in times of darkness.
“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.” Psalm 139:13-14
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{one.}
All relationships have one law: Never make the one you love feel alone, especially when you’re there.
{two.}
Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.
{three.}
Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I can be the biggest hypocrite ever. I backslide, I stumble. I fall. I stray onto the wrong path. But God is working in me. I may be a mess, but I’m His mess. And He is slowly straightening me out. And the day will come when I will be by His side, His work in me completed. And until that day, I will take His hand, and let him do in me whatever needs to be done, no matter how painful it will be for me. When He is finished, it will be all worth it.
{four.}
You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter.
{five.}
The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you.
{six.}
And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you. Because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
{seven.}
What defines us is how well we rise after falling.
{eight.}
In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.
{nine.}
Sometimes, God lets you hit rock bottom, so that you will discover that He is the rock at the bottom.
{ten.}
If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.
{eleven.}
Our lives are storybooks that we write for ourselves; wonderfully illustrated by the people we meet.
{twelve.}
No matter how many times you’ve blown it, God’s grace is bigger than your mistakes and His plans for you are perfect.
{thirteen.}
We are the silver lining in any and every dark cloud we could ever find. There is no need to go looking for the light when you bring it with you.
{fourteen.}
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, and don’t put up with people that are reckless with yours.
{fifteen.}
People think that being alone makes you lonely, but I don’t think that’s true. Being surrounded by the wrong people is the loneliest thing in the world.
{sixteen.}
I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.
{seventeen.}
You’ll meet only a few people in your whole life who are truly abandoned houses- rundown, worn out, collapsing at the seams. I’m not asking you to take a hammer and nails and pin up their rafters, fix their leaky faucets, or put new panes of glass in their broken windows; I’m asking you to simply open their door, and spend a little time memorizing their floor plan. Get to know them. And when the time comes, I want you to draw back their curtains and, once and for all, let the light in.
{eighteen.}
Guys should have to touch your heart and mind first, before he touches your body.
{nineteen.}
Religion is man, searching for God, but Christianity is God, searching for man, which is why salvation is freely mine, forgiveness is my own. Not based on my efforts, but because of Christ’s obedience alone. In every other aspect of life, you know that logic is unworthy. It’s like saying that you play for the Lakers, just because you bought a jersey.
{twenty.}
God doesn’t love a future you, He loves you today. Because our whole lives, we’ve feasted on sin, and we couldn’t pay the tab. Yet, Jesus walks over to our bill, and says “I’ll take care of that.”
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1. Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics. You are all stardust.
2. Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.
3. Maybe you don’t see people looking at you because you aren’t looking at them. Maybe you don’t hear all the good things people say about you because you’re too focused on the bad. Maybe you’re a lot more wonderful, beautiful, and special than you ever give yourself credit for.
4. Sometimes, I wonder why things happen the way they do.
(Johnny Cash’s love letter to his wife)
5. To those who stay put, the world is but an imaginary place. But to the movers, the makers, and the shakers, the world is all around them, an endless invitation.
6. Don’t ask for guarantees. And don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed to shore.
7. The ball is suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt, ‘cause that’s what New Year’s is all about- getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about “what if?” and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight, let’s remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight, but all year long.
8. I’m starting to believe that society has tried to condition every single one of us to feel as though we must be categorized in order to feel accepted. Peel back the layers of someone’s ethnic background, gender, sex, skin color, opinions and so on. At the end of the day, they’re nothing less than human. And every human is born with the need to laugh, the capability to fear, the tendency to love, and the inevitability to die. So why are we wasting our time allowing these convoluted labels and socially constructed notions interfere with the fact that we’re essentially the same? We all know how to feel. Let that be enough.
9. If you want someone to like you, then be yourself. Show them who you really are, and not one ounce less. Because if you want someone to love you, then they should love all of you. Every imperfection, every past mistake, every awkward moment. Everything. And if they don’t stick around because of who you are? Then they really don’t deserve you.
10. You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.
11. Some things don’t last forever, but some things do. Like a good song, or a good book, or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down on the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there.
12. I can’t stand it to think my life is going so fast and I’m not really living it.
13. Save your heart for someone who loves it.
14. If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light, take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.
15. Try not to confuse “attachment” with “love.” Attachment is about fear and dependency, and has more to do with love of self than love of another. Love without attachment is the purest love because it isn’t about what others can give you because you’re empty. It’s about what you can give to others because you’re already full.
16. Sometimes what you’re looking for comes when you’re not looking at all.
17. For God to teach you how to love people, He must bring unlovely people into your life.
18. Because His death was a proposal, He wanted you no matter the cost. Where some guys propose on their knee, Jesus proposed on a cross.
19. God’s “no” isn’t a rejection- it’s a redirection.
20. Sometimes, loneliness is God’s cry for friendship time with you.
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One.
I will love. More. So much love that no one will have any idea what to do with me. They will watch with a confused look and wonder why I give so much and do not ask for more in return. I will give it because giving is getting and there is nothing quite so important as emptying your heart every single day and leaving nothing undone, no declarations of it unsaid. I will never, ever believe in the words “too late,” because it is never too late to be exactly who you wish, do exactly what you should, say exactly what needs to be heard, and live the exact life you should be living.
Two.
You are more sinful than you could dare imagine, and you are more loved and accepted than you could ever date hope.
Three.
And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.
Four.
At the end of the day, there are some things you just can’t help but talk about. Some things we just don’t want to hear, and some things we say because we can’t be silent any longer. Some things are more than what you say, they’re what you do. Some things you say because there’s no other choice. Some things you keep to yourself. And not too often, but every now and then, some things simply speak for themselves.
Five.
For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope that you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
Six.
You need to have a little faith. Not everyone you love is going to leave you stranded.
Seven.
It’s a new year, and with it comes a fresh opportunity to shape our world. So this is my wish, a wish for me as much as it is a wish for you: in the world to come, let us be brave- let us walk into the dark without fear, and step into the unknown with smiles on our faces, even if we’re faking them. And whatever happens to us, whatever we make, whatever we learn, let us take joy in it. We can find joy in the world if it’s joy we’re looking for, we can take joy in the act of creation. So that is my wish for you, and for me. Bravery and joy.
Eight.
So tell me this- when are you going to admit that there is something glorious about you?So that you don’t have to wake up every morning and walk on eggshells, and you can look at something that you built because you love it, and it’s honest and true to who you are.
Nine.
True beauty emanates from a woman who boldly and unabashedly knows who she is in Christ.
Ten.
All you need is 20 seconds of INSANE courage, and I promise you- something great will come out of it.
Eleven.
The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you’re not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don’t take it personally when they say “no”- they may not be smart enough to say “yes.”
Twelve.
They told you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What they failed to tell you is that it is best seen with the eyes closed. What you look like isn’t important. What is important is who you are inside and the choices you are making in your life.
Thirteen.
Life is a school for angels. Love is the Teacher, so do your homework without fear. Death is merely graduation.
Fourteen.
When you seek beauty in all people, and all things, you will not only find it, you will become it.
Fifteen.
Every night, I look up at the freckled sky and fall in love with the universe all over again. I will be counting the stars for the rest of my life.
Sixteen.
You are special and amazing and are here to do wonderful things. Follow your heart. And let your beautiful light shine.
Seventeen.
Have some fire. Be unstoppable, be a force of nature. Be better than anyone here, and don’t give a damn about what anyone thinks.
Eighteen.
Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.
Nineteen.
Sometimes you have to forget what you feel and remember what you deserve.
Twenty.
I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.
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{ONE.}
If being in love only made people more lonely, why would everyone want it so much? Because of the illusion. You fall in love, it’s intoxicating, and for a little while you feel like you actually become one with the other person. Merged souls and so on. You think you’ll never be lonely again. Only it doesn’t last and soon you realize you can only get so close, and you’ll end up brutally disappointed, more alone than ever, because the illusion- the hope you’d held on to all those years- has been shattered.
{TWO.}
Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God.
{THREE.}
Maybe there’s something you’re afraid to say, or someone you’re afraid to love, or somewhere you’re afraid to go. It’s gonna hurt. It’s gonna hurt because it matters.
{FOUR.}
We thought of life by analogy, with a journey, with a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end and that thing was too get to that end, success or whatever it is, maybe Heaven after you’re dead. But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing where you were supposed to sing or dance while the music was being played.
{FIVE.}
Never let someone’s opinion become your realty, and never sacrifice yourself because someone has a problem with it. LOVE YOURSELF.
{SIX.}
Let go of disapproval and know that God will send people who celebrate your talents, your personality, and your accomplishments.
{SEVEN.}
It’s easy to take off your clothes and have sex; people do it all the time. But opening your soul to someone, letting them into your spirit, thoughts, fears, future, hopes and dreams- that’s being naked.
{EIGHT.}
All of these people, all of these things came into my life, and they’re all blessings from God. And now that I look back, I realize that these are His fingerprints all over my story.
{NINE.}
Do everything with so much love in your heart that you would never want to do it any other way.
{TEN.}
I just feel like I never stopped trying to be your friend and you just lost interest, you just didn’t care.
{ELEVEN.}
If you’re married, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife, “I love her” the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity? My relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell Him that I love Him, I’m going to take it. And so I look at it as a relationship that I have with Him that I want to give Him the honor and the glory any time I have the opportunity.
{TWELVE.}
I think the more you get to know someone, the more beautiful they become to you. Sure, the mystery goes away, but when you see something deeper, that means you connected with them. They become a part of you.
{THIRTEEN.}
I wanted you to fight for me. I wanted you to say there’s no one else you could ever be with and that you’d rather be alone than without me.
{FOURTEEN.}
Live a humble life that pleases God- not men.
{FIFTEEN.}
Now is the time when our dreams are within reach and possibilities are vast. Now is the time for all of us to become the people we’ve always dreamed of being. This is your life. You’re here! You matter! And the world is waiting.
{SIXTEEN.}
I’ve come to the conclusion that if having things turn out the way you wanted them to is a measure of a successful life, then some would say that I’m a failure. The important thing is not to be bitter over life’s disappointments. Learn to let go of the past and recognize that everyday won’t be sunny. And when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember: it’s only in the black of the night, we see the stars, and those stars will lead you back home. So don’t be afraid to make mistakes, stumble and fall, because most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you’ll get everything you wished for. Maybe you’ll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you? The road is long, and in the end, the journey is the destination.
{SEVENTEEN.}
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about living your life and doing the best as you can.
{EIGHTEEN.}
And at some point, the people we loved forgot to love us back.
{NINETEEN.}Life kicks you around sometimes. It scares you and it beats you up, but there’s a day when you realize that you’re not just a survivor. You’re a warrior. You’re tougher than anything it throws your way.
{TWENTY.}
Sometimes, when you’re young, you think nothing can hurt you. It’s like being invincible. Your whole life is ahead of you and you have big plans: to find the perfect match, the one who completes you. But as you get older, you realize that it’s not always that easy. It’s not until the end of your life that you realize how the plans you made were simply plans. Because at the end when you’re looking back instead of looking forward, you want to believe you made the most of what life gave you. You want to believe you’re leaving something behind. You want it all to have mattered.
-
{one.}
The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
{two.}
When you’re a kid, they tell you to grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid, and that’s it. But they truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It’s so much darker and so much madder. And so much better.
{three.}
Sometimes, I get this urge to talk to you, and then I remember that you’re a different person now. It’s just sad because I miss you a lot.
{four.}
A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are.
{five.}
She did not need much, and wanted very little. A kind word. Sincerity. Fresh air. Clean water. A garden. Kisses. Books to read. Sheltering arms. A cozy bed. And to love and be loved in return.
{six.}
I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like the most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.
{seven.}
I hope that in this new year to come, you make mistakes. If you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, DO IT. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.
{eight.}
The sweetest things you can do for a girl are the little things to let her know she’s in your heart and on your mind.
{nine.}
I like to see people reunited, maybe that’s a silly thing, but what can I say? I like to see people run into each other, I like the kissing and the crying. I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can’t tell fast enough, the ears that aren’t big enough, the eyes that can’t take in all of that change. I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone.
{ten.}
I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.
{eleven.}
I’m really happy I met you. I hope you know that.
{twelve.}
Your journey has molded you for your greater good. And it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think that you’ve lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.
{thirteen.}
Never let a man tell you that you’re not worth pursuing. For God became man, died & rose again just to pursue you. You are worth pursuing. You are beautiful. You are loved.
{fourteen.}
So this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you that it’s not scary. Well, it is. But fear is natural, fear is good- it just means that you’re growing.
{fifteen.}
Do you ever wish you had a second chance to meet someone again for the first time?
{sixteen.}
If she’s too good for you, my god, don’t leave her. Make an effort to be good enough instead.
{seventeen.}
Jealousy comes from counting others’ blessings instead of our own.
{eighteen.}
I’ve learned that life is tough, but I’m tougher.
{nineteen.}
Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself, and the right people will love the real you.
{twenty.}
For as much as she stumbled, she’s runnin’. For as much as she runs, she’s still here.
-
{one.}
There are a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications and just go for it.
[two.}
See, we are all imperfect and unworthy of His love. Just because we do things that we don’t like to look back on, doesn’t make anyone a bad person. After all, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead. Our mistakes and the lessons we learn make us WHO WE ARE. We are given these lessons to mold us into the people we are supposed to be. His grace IS sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in weakness.
{three.}
Every girl needs reassurance. She needs you to tell her, prove to her; reassure her that she’s exactly the right one for you. Maybe not all the time, but how hard is it to do it once in awhile? Don’t make her doubt you. Who doesn’t like consistency? She just wants to know that you won’t wake up one morning and feel differently.
{four.}
So, I’ve been thinking about the whole “being happy” thing and I feel like people get lost when they think of happiness as a destination…we’re always thinking that someday, we’ll be happy; we’ll get that car or that job or that person in our lives that’ll fix everything. But happiness is a mood, and it’s a condition, not a destination. It’s like being tired or hungry, it’s not permanent. It comes and goes, and that’s okay. And I feel like if people thought of it that way, they’d find happiness more often.
{five.}
I want to remember that no one is going to make my dreams come true for me. It is my job to get up every day and work toward the things that are deepest in my heart, and to enjoy every step of the journey rather than wishing I was already where I want to end up.
{six.}
I think that the only reason why people hold onto memories so tight, for so long is because memories don’t change even when the people in them do.
{seven.}
Don’t confuse your path with your destination. Just because it’s stormy now doesn’t mean you aren’t headed for sunshine.
{eight.}
God loves us too much to allow us to stay tied to anyone or anything that does not bring out the best in us.
{nine.}
If nothing else, I hope you know that I love you with every ounce of my being. I hope you realize your importance-not only to me, but to everyone who has been lucky enough to know you. I hope you know that when you’re feeling down, I only ever strive for your happiness. I hope you remember that no matter what, I’m here for you and I fully intend on staying in your life for quite some time. I hope you recognize the fact that I appreciate you and adore you without restraints, and that will never change.
{ten.}
If it’s still in your mind, it’s worth taking the risk.
{eleven.}
Don’t choose the better guy. Choose the guy who will make you a better girl.
{twelve.}
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.
{thirteen.}
Learn to love the fool in you, the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects you against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom you also harbor and who would rob you of human aliveness, humility, and dignity.
{fourteen.}
Even if the path is a little blurry, keep walking. You’ll focus in when you know what you want. Then the picture of your life will be crystal clear. Just don’t ever give up.
{fifteen.}
When I say, “I love you,” it’s not because I want you or because I can’t have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I’ve seen your kindness, and your strength. I’ve seen the best and worst of you and understand with perfect clarity what and who you are.
{sixteen.}
You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You are a collective of every experience you have had in your life. You are every single day. So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and let the colors fill your mind.
{seventeen.}
I give all the glory to God and all of His blessings fall down on me.
{eighteen.}
In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we are afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.
{nineteen.}
Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.
{twenty.}
Sometimes, we’re all too quick to count down the days that we forget to make the days count.
{twenty one.}
If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.
{twenty two.}
Sometimes, when you love someone, you have to let them be their own person. Even if you don’t agree with what they want to do with their life.
