Learn to Love Your Life

As in Francesca Battiselli sings, "It's your life, whatcha gonna do, the world is watching you. Every day, the choices you make, say who you are and what your heart beats for, its an open door"

If you don't like the way your life is, you need to figure out how you can be happy with YOURSELF, because happiness isn't measured in items/possessions. At the end of the day, that is all just STUFF.

I can honestly say, if I got rid of absolutely everything, except for a few changes of clothes, and my phone, I would still be as happy as I am, if not happier. I have the best family, friends and boyfriend any woman could ever ask for.

I love being secure in my relationship with God, and with Justin. I see so many girls my age just hurting, and settling and being screwed over by every guy they attempt to be with. It breaks my heart to see people I care about hurting. But at the same time, I feel like if you are having issues in your relationships a few weeks into dating, that's an issue. If you can't be yourself after being together for a while, that's an issue. And maybe you should take a look at yourself and the person you're with. it may either be the wrong kind of guy, or you might need to find confidence and security in yourself.

I am not just saying this because I think I am better for you, or to call anyone out.. I am saying this, because I have been that girl.. the girl who rested happiness, security, and everything I had on others, and on materialistic things. The girl to try EVERYTHING to make it work with the douchebag guy who was never any good for me in the first place. It may seem like a hard habit to break, but douchebags are a dime in a dozen. Set standards. Know what you WANT and what you NEED.. and NEVER SETTLE FOR GOOD ENOUGH.. because good enough then, always leads to disappointment in the end. Try being best friends with someone first, you would be absolutely surprised how much better those relationships actually turn out to be most of the time. And never forget that God should be a first priority.

Revelations

I have realized that my heart has become more heavy for the world and people of this world. So much that it has taken a hold of my heart, and makes me feel like crying at times. Other times, I find myself hardening my heart.. which is not good. Luckily I know a God that reminds me to love all people, at all times, no matter what.

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." Colossians 3:12-15

Yesterday, I saw a young man get hit by a hummer while crossing a busy intersection. I had no idea what happened, I was just in shock. Then I remembered, I have a God who knows all and can do the impossible. So as I continued my journey to Seattle, I prayed the ENTIRE ride for this man. I wake up today to find out that it is someone I actually know. He is currently at Harborview, and going through some surgeries. But, it could have been SOOO much worse. So for that, we can be thankful.

Also, I have issues lately holding my tongue and losing patience with people. I read a bible verse tonight that definitely reminded me that I need to watch myself.

"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." Colossians 3:8-10

I recently told off a good friend,in which she got mad and told me off. We both said really hurtful things, that it is too late to take back. God calls me to love people in all circumstances, and that is something I slip out of my mind. Another thing I have a hard time doing, is apologizing. God is working on me with that too.. I have yet to speak to this friend, but it looks like I know what I have to do...

God's Movement

So I gotta say, it is INCREDIBLE having a significant other who is SO encouraging in Jesus.

I have been SUPER stressed out with finances since my hours have been cut at work and such, and I had pretty much come to my breaking point, where I almost had a break down. Then my wonderful boyfriend sent me this message on Facebook. "hey baby i know your going through a rough time with your finances but tonight's journal is just what you need. Romans 5: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith to his grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and persevereance,character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy spirit who was given to us."

He could have easily said "Make sure you read it" and left it up to me. He took the time out to encourage me and just simply remind me to trust in God. And when I took a step back, and gave it to God, I was blessed with a larger than expected paycheck, and so I was able to make some payments on some stuff so I would stop being hassled. Also, God has blessed me with more hours at work as well. I believe I have 14 hours this week alone, which is usually a whole 2 week paycheck for me.

It just goes to show, that when you live by faith, God will bless your life.

I believe God is preparing our hearts for a radical movement. I see young people walking the walk and talking the talk. Fully seeking Jesus, FOR THEMSELVES. They do not wait around for some guy on a stage to TELL them what the bible says. God is speaking to the hearts of those who trust Him and seek Him.

He is ALWAYS faithful and He is ALWAYS good. :)

Seattle-

For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, I had an amazing experience today and this is copied from my status.
Being in Seattle a lot, you see a lot of homeless people and they usually ask you for money. I just had a guy ask me for some money cause he is under 100lbs, 6 ft tall, and had a wind breaker for a jacket. He saw my "Love is not lost" sticker from revolution, and he said love is not lost, its a nest. I gave him 5 dollars and he walked away crying and just kept saying thank you. I wish I would have had a chance to talk to him and pray with him. That's what I'm going to do when people stop me for money, I'm gonna stop and talk to them and ask to pray with them.


It is amazing to see how just a little bit of time speaking to people, how much they change and you can soften their hearts. And that can start a chain reaction. Can you imagine it? God's love being passed on from person to person... it could catch like wild fire and we could have a nation on fire for God! 


Right now there claims to be 2 billion Christians on the earth. We still have 4 billion to reach! 
The bible and Jesus' existence is the most talked about and controversial topic TO THIS DAY.  God is real y'all. I have had people say to me, "what if you die, and realize God isn't real, you just wasted your whole life 'serving' this unreal 'God'?" My response: Eternity is an awful LONG time to be wrong about God. Am I right, or am I right? If all these people we hear of on T.V. die and come back to lie and say they have seen God and Heaven, you'd think more people believe it, right?


I would rather spend my life loving others, and speaking about Jesus and bettering myself, than being greedy, doing whatever I want, and getting in trouble. If God isn't real (which of course He is) the bible is all about loving others like Jesus did, regardless of how others treat you. Gaining self control and discipline, bettering yourself, and learning to give and live with all your heart. And I would rather live with that kind of passion ANY DAY. 


If you have ever had an encounter with God, you know how real He is. You could never be the same after that encounter, because God is relentless, once He has touched your heart, He will never give up on you. He'll never leave you or forsake you. You are His son or daughter. Take pride in that. And make your Father proud. :)

Retail.. and Jesus.

So, as most of you know, I work retail at Sunglass Hut. I love working there. My team is AWESOME. The customers... Not so much. I get some really rude customers, most of them from Canada, is there no sense of being polite up in Canada or something? I don't understand. Also, they try to bargain, is that how Canada is too? To be honest, I don't think God is calling me to be a retail lifer.. I mean, I love to talk, and I'm good at providing customer service, but doing the same routine in retail EVERY SINGLE DAY? I don't know if I could handle/settle for that.


But what's God's calling for me? I don't even know yet. When I know, you'll know. That's still something I have to deal with in my future. 


The thing I love about working at Sunglass Hut, is when its slow like it is during this time of the year, and I'm working by myself, I know I shouldn't, but I do other things while I'm waiting for my shift to fly by. Like writing my real father letters, because he is currently on his way to prison. But my favorite thing to do, is read my bible and do my daily devotional, which is what I did today. It really makes my work more positive. 


Today, I had a few customers who were testing my patience and I had just done my devotional and prayed for God to give me more patience and grace for others, because at work, I am usually quick to anger. As soon as my customers started acting rude, I took a deep breath, and did my absolute best to satisfy their needs, without snapping back with an attitude, rolling my eyes, or sighing in frustration. I thank Jesus for providing me with the patience I just requested. 


While doing my devotional, I came across a couple of verses that stood out and tugged a string on my heart. "Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with them all." ..."Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus in you." 
The first thing that hit me was that even I am guilty of kicking someone when they are down. Especially when someone always complains of how awful their life is, its so easy to become flustered, annoyed and just stop caring. But God says to ENCOURAGE them, and to BE PATIENT with them all.. That seems so simple yet, so hard at the same time. Challenge? You bet. Challenge yourself this week to take a step back, take a deep breath, and BE PATIENT. 


The next thing that jumped out at me, was the whole beginning of the 2nd quote. REJOICE ALWAYS: how often to we forget to rejoice and praise God just for today!? Waking up, being able to experience a brand new day, with a new adventure! Take a step back and REJOICE.


PRAY WITHOUT CEASING: to me, this means many things. Pray without second guessing, just speak out. To pray always, giving praise and thanks, and praying for others and yourself, ALL HOURS OF THE DAY. He is ALWAYS listening. You can never annoy God with your constant prayers, He probably wishes more people would be like that, praying constantly, at all hours of the day, even if its just for something small. Anything from the heart is a prayer.


GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES: I have DEFINITELY realized it is so easy to stray from God when things are rough. When a family/childhood friend, Ryan Palmer (who I have known since I was 3) died in a car accident, I just wanted to sleep, and cry and deal with it MY way. Luckily Justin knew I needed God more than ever. He was the only person to say to me, "Brittany, I know you don't want to deal with this, and church is the last place you want to be right now, but you need to go, because you need God now more than ever." And he was right. I went to church that night, and I was healed, because in my heart I knew Ryan was with Jesus, in Heaven. It's so easy to turn your back on God when things get rough, and blame Him for why you are going through a difficult time. Those who remain strong in their faith and release it to God, prove to be the stronger being, and healed faster and more complete than those who "deal with it their way". 


I have found as a Christian, that God will never put you in a situation you can't handle. Through your faith, He will provide. Always. He is always faithful, and He is always good. He can do no wrong, and He knows your heart and desires better than you do, but He is not just gonna give you what you desire without seeing that you can handle it, deserve it, and earned it by putting Him first in your life.  No desires should come before Him.

A Godly Thought.

I just read in my bible, an intriguing thought.
"So we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."
This seems so simple. But so many people are afraid to speak their mind because they are afraid of what others will think about them. We all know who the ultimate judge is, so why do we worry so much? Are we just simply afraid to step out of our comfort zone? Are we afraid of being rejected by others?

I'll admit, I still find myself being this way as well, afraid to speak out and talk to people about God, or life in a Godly view, because its out of my comfort zone. It's not that I'm ashamed or anything like that, sometimes people who constantly reject the idea of a God, makes it hard to talk to them. I have a certain friend, when I try to talk to them about how to handle difficult situations, and speak about how God could make their entire situation turn around, but all I get is excuses on how they have tried when they were "younger". But when you're in middle school, do you really comprehend the power, and importance of God being your #1 in life? Any advice on how to reach them?

Also, I challenge those who believe in the power of Christ, to speak to someone you wouldn't normally speak to, about your faith, and the power of God.. The clerk at the grocery store, the barista at your favorite coffee shop, that one friend or family member that rejects God.. Take a step and be bold and courageous.

Another thing that's on my mind, is to seek God on your own, but to also seek God with your significant other. I have found myself at a halt in seeking God with my boyfriend. I have found myself afraid to pray in front of him, speaking about God comes so easily, but praying aloud is a terrifying thing to me, what if I say something stupid or that doesn't make sense. I have challenged myself to start reading the bible aloud with him, as well as praying aloud while I am by myself. Any other suggestions?

Finding "The One"

This was posted from my other blog, at blog.com on Nov 23rd.

Everyone always dreams of finding “the one” person they believe they were meant to be with. I was once told that there is no “One person” you are meant to be with; Part of me believes that is true, and another part believes that there is no one that could measure up to the one I have found.

Girls these days are settling for any guy they think is “okay” or “good enough”. Something one of my close friends says about the guys she is interested in, “He’s perfect but there’s this…” HELLO?! STOP SETTLING!

What I have learned was when you think you are ready to date, keep your eyes and options open, but DO NOT SETTLE for anything. Have a list in your head of what you want for your life, (only if you’re looking for a relationship, not a hook up) and no matter how “AWESOME” someone seems, dont let them sway you.

Another thing I have learned, is being friends with someone before getting into a relationship is a great way to start out. That way you have a foundation on something more than just physical attraction. These may seem like “well duh” but if it is so obvious, why are there SO many people still hurting? That is my question. I see my friends posting on Facebook, how awful their lives are, or changing their relationship status every other day.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends, I truly do. But if NO BODY approves of him/her, there is probably a reason. Just saying.

I got out of a bad relationship in the beginning of November of 2010. I told myself I was going to focus on God, and wait to date, and never settle again. I was friends with this awesome guy named Justin Beall, and I was not ready to date, but I loved being his friend. Finally in the beginning of April, I agreed to go on a date with him. We fell in love with God and grew in His love together, and slowly started falling in love with each other.

He is now my absolute best friend, and every time we are together we have a blast! And when he is gone, I count down til the next time I get to see him. And he is the same way. I was always used to ONE WAY relationships, me or them pour their hearts out at separate times, that always clashed and never ever worked out.

I have found a man that is head over heels and will do anything for me, and someone who I am CRAZY about and who I would do anything for. Lucky? Maybe. Blessed? You bet. Spoiled? Not even. All relationships take work. Its all about finding the right person, who is worth it all.

Just my 2 cents.