Healing: Psalm 147:3

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
Psalm 147:3

 

Happy Saturday to all of my lovely readers!  Christmas is a mere four days away, and yet every time I make an excuse to go out in the bustle of busy last minute shoppers (like myself), I tend to find yet one more thing I need to buy for someone... or maybe myself.

The holidays are a difficult time for me (which you can read about more here) - with past relationships, having a broken household at age eighteen, and being consumed with a feeling of disappointment, grief, anxiousness, "what-ifs" and the like.  This is the time where I need to surround myself with loving family and friends - it's hard when the "strong" person needs comfort and support.  I cannot account for all of the times that my Savior has saved me from my grievances, and reminded me of His unfailing love.  Regardless of how many times I stumble and fall, He is always there with loving arms and always ready to listen, and to share His wisdom.  

"Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
    so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives."
Psalm 90:14 

This year has been a very trying and challenging year - and sometimes I can see the underlying message that God wants me to embrace and learn from - whether it be patience, understanding, forgiveness, trust, purity, and all other admirable attributes that are pleasing to Him.  

Let me be patient, let me be kind,
make me unselfish, without being blind.
I may have faith to make mountains fall,
but if I lack love then I am nothing at all.
-Unknown 

Let me be one of many to say that living in this secular world is very difficult.  We are surrounded by greed, pride, sex, money, lust, entitlement, revenge, wrath, lies, and probably many more I can't think of off the top of my head.  As a Christian, I am no where near perfect, rather a work in progress, I find it equally (if not more) difficult to not stray away from the straight and narrow.  With so many temptations, so many ways to get what I want, it's so hard to keep my eyes set on God who sent His only son to die and pay for my sins.  

Allow me to explain...

After ending a seven year off-and-on fling, I decided that I wanted to take dating more seriously and more proactively.  My girl friends can attest that this year has definitely been the year of the boy cycle for me.  I have dated from the Napoleon's to the "I can wear my six inch heels and get away with it" types, to the "I can have a genuinely intelligent conversation with you" to the "Oh dear, this is going nowhere" types.  

Needless to say, I have accumulated some hysterical stories that put me in a good mood when I need a laugh.  Others have provided me with tears that gave me the strength to get back up again and rely on God instead of someone else.  Interestingly enough, you can even see a pattern in the pictures that I pin on Pinterest, depending upon what is going on in my life.   

Although it has been a bumpy ride, I am so thankful that I learned from each guy - whether it be to know what I do or do not want in a future husband, and even what I am looking for spiritual wise, physically, emotionally, and intellectually.  One steady fact remains - guys are just as, if not more, confusing than girls (and definitely more into playing games, if I might add). 

   

That will be me... soon.  Sooner than later.  When God says it's the right timing.  Anytime would be fabulous.  No, wait.  God's in control.  Yes, He is in control of my life, and He knows what is best for me.  Even when I disagree and fight like a neurotic toddler, He is the voice of reason.  Hallelujah. 

I don't know what 2014 will hold for me.  I don't know if it's going to be love, heartache, desire, deceit, assurance, patience, or simply trusting in God.  But one thing is for sure, no more "I wish."

"I will." 

I will trust in God's timing.  I will continue to eat healthy and not gain those thirty pounds back.  I will invest more into my friendships and relationships.  I will strive to be like Christ and honor Him in any way I can.  

I will.

Strength and Song

"The Lord is my strength and my song... He is my God, and I will praise Him..." --Exodus 15:2

Happy Sunday, dear readers, and happy post number one-hundred!  I cannot believe that a little over four years ago, I started this blog.

 
I remember feeling really far away from Him, and I felt like my faith needed a complete makeover.  So, I talked to my big (sorority sister in Phi Lamb) and we found our way to Overflow at OSU.  Overflow is at a local church, where all you do is worship with music.  You can pray, you can dance in the isle, and you can just soak up the surroundings.

Hence, Overflowed with Mercy.  Also, inspired by Psalm 23:5. 

More importantly, I wanted to keep the theme of this blog personal and centered around my faith in my Savior.  I toyed around with the idea of turning this into a beauty, fashion, hair tutorial, etc. blog, but it just didn't seem like me.  Mainly because I'm not an expert in beauty, fashion, hair tutorials, or anything of the like.

I wanted to be unique, yet be able to relate to anyone who is in need of encouragement.  It may not be perfect, and I may not know all of the answers, but it's mine.  It's completely personal, honest, and raw.  I didn't want to sugarcoat anything.  And that, in itself, is scary enough. 

I don't know what the future holds, or what to expect in the next four years, but I do know that whatever God throws at me, I can handle.  Whatever He puts in my path, it's on purpose.  Just because everyone around you is getting hitched and having babies doesn't mean it's not going to happen for you.  Just because you put yourself out there and find a guy who you think is Prince Charming, and turns out to be just an idiot in tin foil, doesn't mean you're not going to find him. 

Have faith.  Never lose hope.  Trust in God.  Everything will work out for the greater good. 

Life's little lessons: Philippians 4:6-7

I absolutely love this quote ... and this verse:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

We've all made stupid mistakes.  Regardless of how grand a scheme we try to pull or how small a fib we tried to slip on by, it's inevitable.  For instance... At the beginning of this year,  I discovered that I am slightly lactose intolerant.  For those of you who know me, I previously ate cheese like it's going out of style.  Whether it's smothered on a delicious and delectable pizza to sprinkled a little bit on a pasta dish, I had to have it.  Not even a week ago, I was craving pizza, and not even twelve hours later, I realized that I made a huge mistake.  We all do it.  

21 secrets for your 20s

 In the midst of not being able to devour pepperoni pizzas anymore, work has been stressful, among other things - which is another story itself.  I came across the 21 Secrets for your 20s and it was just what I needed to read.  Regardless of our current situation, we will all make mistakes.  We don't fail, we simply find another way to not go about doing something (thank you, Benjamin Franklin).  

There will be times in your life (and still continuing for me), that you'll want to throw in the towel, put some oversized sweatpants and teeshirt on, and bury yourself in the comfort of a blanket and pillow.  There will be times when Little Miss Ray Sunshine has it altogether like Kate Middleton and you're feeling like Lilo or Courtney Love.  It's important to not compare yourself to anyone else.  You are your own person, unique, and just the way God intended you to be.  There is a reason why you don't have a husband (just yet) or don't have that dream job (just yet), or haven't discovered that one piece in your life that is missing (just yet).  

Don't try to force something instead of waiting for what God has planned for you.  

Case in point: I met someone a couple of weeks ago, and I thought he was perfect.  I thought he had met every single one of my requirements, and that God was just spoiling me with extra stuff.  Unfortunately, he was a wolf in a sheep's skin.  God protected me in a lot of ways, and in other ways, He allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them.  I know that God has a man picked out just for me.  

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2nd Tim. 1:7

It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:32

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy. 31:6
 
No need to rush the process.  For you, it may not be a man.  It may be a job, a position, an opportunity.  Whatever it may be, allow God to be in control.  Instead of worrying about it, pray about it.  Give everything up to God, even when you cannot speak the words, pray with your heart.   

 

Proverbs 23:17-19

"Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my daughter, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path."

I absolutely love when Jesus shows me a verse that I need to read and soak up. Whether it's materialistic things, lively thing (this time, a puppy), or love, Jesus is always here to remind me to not be jealous of what others have, but always yearn and seek God. A lot of people mistake "fear" for being negative, in this context, when in fact, it means the opposite. In this situation, God is explaining that being reverent, being in complete awe, to be completely devoted is what He wants. For me, it has been wanting a puppy. I know that realistically, this would be a very bad decision, both financially and time-wise. I know that once August 16th hits, my life will be at the surrender of the speech pathology master's degree world. There are also days where I envy others who are married, or who have children, but I need to be reminded that God has a plan for me, and His plan will begin in that regard as soon as I am completely ready for it. I have done the relationship thing in the past on my own, and I have decided that it's His turn to do the looking. This, of course, is a very difficult thing for me to let Him do because He made me stubborn. But, regardless of that little minute detail, I am letting Him guide me along the path I call life. In the mean time, I am learning more and more about myself as a young woman, growing in God's love, and continuing my journey through grad school.

On the flip side, I recently learned that I received good grades on my midterms last week! Woohoo and praise Jesus! :) And to be completely honest with you, the whole prayer thing works. When you completely, honestly, humbly, and gratefully let God take care of the worrying and help you to soak up the information needed, it's an amazing sense of accomplishment looking at it from the other side. As I continue on my next challenge of putting together a notebook's worth of abstracts - over 75 to be exact, I will continue to let God have the upper hand on this task. Without Him, it's really hard for me to have the motivation to be productive and successful. I have tried the "Me" thing, and after a while, "me" stinks, lol.

I'm completely sure that if I didn't let God take care of my life, I wouldn't be where I was today. I would probably be somewhere behind a fast-food or restaurant counter unhappily married, with kids, or either, and be wondering "what if". I was thinking about all of the choices I have made, and all of the people that have affected my life, and it's mind-boggling how much certain circumstances and people can affect our lives.

For example, if I hadn't have met Sarah in preschool, I wouldn't have had such a great friend to this day. If I chose to sit with the people on the "cool" side of the table, I would have not been as close to Megan. If I wouldn't have gotten into a silly fight with Melissa, I wouldn't have met Amanda, Viet, Amy, or Lauren. If I hadn't have chosen to be in the Band, I wouldn't have met Chris, Cody, Duggie, Sam, or Jack, and I wouldn't have dislocated my knee, which would have eventually led me to Drew. If I had not have chosen to leave band and journalism, I wouldn't have become a trainer and met everyone on the football team. It's amazing how such a simple decision as meeting a new friend changed my life, and I could go on with more personal stories of how different people have affected my life - for the worse or the better. If I would not have met Drew, I wouldn't have screwed with my GPA and would have joined a different sorority other than Phi Lamb, and that would have definitely altered my college experience. I wouldn't have become friends with Meredith, Stephanie, Kate, or Jeremy. Without Phi Lamb, I wouldn't have met Jen, Sarah, Emily, Amanda, Calli, Erica, Katie, Kristen, Nikki, Gabby, Laura, Erin, or Blair. It is the experiences we go through and the people we meet, that can change us for a lifetime. It is equally important to stay on the right path with Jesus. He'll always lead us down the right one.

Now that I am in grad school at NSU, I pray that I continue to meet the right people, make the right choices, and guide my life as smoothly as possible through this process with God's help. He is, after all, the one that brought me into this world, and can take me out of it. And although there are some days where I say, "Alright God, I'm sick of this world, I want to meet you now in Heaven," there are other times where I feel like my life has just begun and I can't wait to begin a new chapter in my life. I would never trade the situations I went through or the people I met, because they shaped me to who I am, and I thank God for everything.

Much Love,
Kelsea Lauren