Life is A Beautiful Struggle

1. Let your light shine. Be a source of strength and courage. Share your wisdom. Radiate love.

2. Whenever something happens that’s not a part of your plan, you pretend that it doesn’t exist. You act like you’re in this movie about your perfect life, and then I have to remind you that the only one watching that movie is you.

                         

3. I’m not a stop along the way. I’m a destination.      

           

4. That’s why we need movies. To show us that love can spring in the most unlikely places.

           

5. You might stop, stay still. But the world will keep moving. Seasons change, time flies.

          

6. I like things that I like, but I love everything. There’s more choice in like, ‘cause even the worst things have something to love in them.

         

7. I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.

                           

8. Why is it so hard to express our feelings? Well, let’s see: we live in a world of perfection and fear rejection.

                            

9. You know what really sucks about falling for a guy you know you’re not right for? You fall anyway because you think he might turn out to be different.

                     

10. I love sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I’m awake.

     

11. And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

         

12. There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.

       

13. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

       

14. I guess that’s what saying goodbye is always like- like jumping off an edge. The worst part is making the choice to do it. Once you’re in the air, there is nothing you can do but let go. 

         

15. …because things change. And friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody.

        

16. You learn to like someone when you find out what makes them laugh. But you can never truly love someone until you find out what makes them cry.

               

17. The way I define happiness is being the creator of your experience, choosing to take pleasure in what you have, right now, regardless of the circumstances, while being the best you that you can be.

           

18. We believe that people with passion can change the world for the better. That’s what we believe.

                      

19. That’s the thing about the Earth. It doesn’t stop to acknowledge the daily disasters of the living. It just keeps spinning and sucking. I think that’s what drives people towards faith, that unsettling realization that the physical world goes on without them, before them, and after them, without recognition or sympathy.

        

20. There comes a point when you have got to stop relying on other people to make you feel okay. You’ve got to stop saying “I need you.” You’ve got to stop feeling like you can’t live without someone, because guess what? You can. There is no one in this world who knows how to pick you up better than yourself. Sometimes, there won’t be someone who can fix you when you’re breaking. Sometimes, you’re just alone, and you know what? That’s good. Because if you don’t know how to fix yourself when your’e broken, you won’t get anywhere. It’ll seem like the worst thing in the world at first, but I promise you, if you don’t run to anybody, if you just give yourself a chance, you’d be surprised what you can accomplish.

        

21. I love weddings. Everything about them. They’re just so happy. I love seeing people in love. I love hearing how the bride and groom met, and their proposal story. I love when people cry at weddings. I love seeing old and new friends come together to celebrate. I love seeing families reunited. I love all the details that go into weddings; cakes, dresses, food, flowers, music, showers, and parties. I really do love just about every element.

And I like reading wedding magazines. Get over it. People that like sports read Sports Illustrated, people that like music have Rolling Stone, there’s fashion magazines and home goods magazines…so if you like weddings, what the heck is wrong with looking at bridal magazines? Because, despite what people think, I don’t look at them to plan anything at all. I just like the happiness of all of it.

Don’t think for a second I don’t understand that a marriage is WAY more than the wedding. I would get married in a heartbeat with no wedding at all if I knew I was with God intended me to be with and together, we worked to bring Him glory in everything we do. Me wanting to get married has absolutely nothing to do with a wedding at all. Of course I want one, I won’t deny that. But people forget that weddings aren’t about you, they’re about Him. And they’re a perfect opportunity to show just how wonderful he is.

“And I pray for you. I go: God would these people grow up differently? With a different message. Where they’re not just getting married thinking, “Gosh, what do I want in my wedding? Who do I want to invite?” But you would actually pray to think through “God, what kind of wedding would You want to glorify You the most? What would get the gospel out in the greatest way?” And as you get married thinking through, ” Okay, I want to get married to someone that’s actually going to be about the things of God”… When it’s all about Him, there’s nothing to fight about…. It’s not just about us and our comfortable little homes. It’s about us working towards the kingdom and doing something and being part of something that makes sense.”

I don’t know when I’ll get married, or who I’ll get married to, or even IF I’ll get married. It’s sometimes easy to get caught up in dreaming about how you want your perfect life and wedding to go, but His plan is even more perfect than we can ever dream about. (credit to Hannah Brown)