Just a quick note on heavy burdens.

Here's where I'm at right now:

I have a 7 page study guide in front of me for the hardest exam/ class I have to take.
On the same day of the hardest exam, I also have my second hardest exam.
I am currently working 2 jobs.
I have the WORST allergies EVER.
I am physically and mentally exhausted.
I could go on, but for your sake, I won't.

SO this is the moral of the story:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. " Matthew 11:28. 

Sometimes, there is so much thrown our way, it literally makes us tired to think about it all.
Sometimes, we don't understand what God is trying to teach us, or why he is letting us face so many trials.

It doesn't matter.

God doesn't need our permission or our understanding to teach us. He doesn't need our approval to give us something we need to face. He will give us what we need when His timing says we need it. That's it. His timing is perfect. So is His plan. So basically, whatever he is letting us face, no matter how big or small, is a perfect teaching tool. It might not always be enjoyable, in fact it might be painful, but it will grow us, teach us, mold us, and it is to make us who HE wants us to be. So when your burden is heavy, remember His is light, and it's His we should be carrying anyway. Remember that.

Don't settle for the storm.

God loves you. He loves you. He has big BIG plans for your life. YOUR life. He has been preparing a way for you since before time. You are a prince, a princess, a child of the King. THE King. You are precious, beautiful, perfect in his sight. He does not need you. He wants you, which is better than being needed. 

He will give you the desires of your heart. He will GIVE them to you. Gift. Give. He has a plan for you, and if you LOVE him, if you SEEK him, HIS desires will become yours and he will GIVE those desires to you. He WANTS you to be happy. He longs for you to feel joyful, but he will allow you to feel pain, sadness, heartbreak, despair- whatever it takes to bring GLORY to him. Unfortunately, the human condition says that we should only come to him when we need him, or worse: that we don't need him. Just so you know, we ALWAYS NEED HIM. Always. Always.

Because of his great love for us, because of our purpose to bring HIM glory, He will remove from our lives anything that gets in the way of HIS perfect plan. Thankfully so, but most of the time we are blinded by our OWN plans, desires, wants. We cry out, "why?!" only to be answered with "learn." LEARNING has never been easy. LISTENING is never easy. LOSING is never easy, but God didn't promise us easy. He PROMISED us worthwhile. 

So next time you lose, you cry, you hurt, you don't understand, don't ask "WHY?" ask "WHAT?" Ask "What God? What do you want me to learn?" 

He doesn't take from us to hurt us. He takes from us to teach us a guide us back to where we belong, back to where any CHILD of the KING belongs- in His presence. In His will. In His love.

Stay in His love. Find your way back to him. Don't settle for the storm. Find the rainbow.

It's perfectly acceptable to...

It is perfectly acceptable to...
Call Paul from American Idol your boyfriend.
To blame your relationship issues on Pia from American Idol.
Believe the characters in the movie can hear you when you yell/cry at them because they CAN hear you, can't they?
Think every song is the best song in the world AND written about YOUR life.

And it's perfectly acceptable to...
Drink a whole can of (Insert your soft drink of choice here. Tonight, I'm a Sun Drop) in a matter of minutes.
Only run when the weather is nice.
Watch your favorite TV show instead of doing homework, as long as your homework is open in front of you. Hey- you tried.
Not have a clue in the world what you're going to do in the future. I mean, obviously it'll be figured out by the time it's actually the future.

And it's perfectly acceptable to...
Make a really great batch of cookie dough and then eat it... as cookie dough... instead of cookies.
Think the characters from One Tree Hill or Lost are real. Because they are.
Oh, and to know how to do things because you once saw it done on One Tree Hill or Lost.
Talk about all the creative things you'd love to do, even though you have no intention of actually doing them.

And it's perfectly acceptable to...
Spend hours on the phone with really great friends.
Stay up waayyy too late when you have to wake up waayyy too early.
Paint your nails every other day... or every day. (I can't stress this one enough. Totally normal.)

And it's perfectly acceptable to...
Make a list of all the things you'll buy- as soon as you get money.
Talk to yourself, out loud, if no one else is around... or if other people are around. It doesn't really matter.
Close the curtains and turn on the rain machine (at 2 p.m. on a sunny, warm day) and take a really great nap.

Happy Friday, you all. :)

The thing about relationships from someone who needs to learn the thing about relationships.

Here's the thing about relationships: (At least that I've found, but I'm certainly no expert.)

They are not perfect. They require a lot of work. The relationship you have with one person is in no way the relationship you will have with the next, or the one before. You can't be with someone and expect them to be like someone else. You have to start new and fresh with each person, accepting them for who they are, not who you want them to be. You have to understand that loving a person does not make them perfect, and that love is a choice you make despite the imperfections.

Here's the thing about relationships:

They require compromise- lots of it. They require effort and energy. They need a lot of attention and affirmation. And it's really important to know the person you are in a relationship with. You have to know them- how they work and operate, how they view things and how they see the world. You have to know their heart, not just their emotions. You have to know that sometimes things are rough, and there will be kinks to work out.You have to know that even the best relationships have their hard moments, and that you can't just give up when it gets tough.

Here's the thing about relationships:

You have to know that fairy tales and movies are not real life. You have to know that butterflies fade away, and then you are left with the person you are in a relationship with. That needs to be a person you can stand to be with; a person that makes you happy and encourages you and supports and respects you. You have to know that you can't expect them to be perfect. You can't expect them to fit into your mold, to fit into the cut- out you've designed in your head.

Here's the thing about relationships:

Sometimes they start and then they end. Sometimes they start and they don't ever end. Sometimes they start and you tough it out for a while, and then they end against your will, against your wants. But the thing about relationships, is that your heart has to be right. Your desire for that relationship has to be right, and it has to match the other person's desire for the relationship. It has to be centered on more than just yourselves. It has to be about more than just the two of you; about more than just the moment you're living in right now.

Here's the thing about relationships: They only work out when the timing is right, when hearts are right, and when both people are willing to see them through. The thing about relationships, is that they are messy and unpredictable. They are relationships because you can't make them work on your own.

Happiness is...

A cheerful heart is good medicine.... -Proverbs 17:22

Sometimes happiness is...

A song that makes you smile or chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes, it might be clean sheets and a really good book, or a movie that you can quote from beginning to end. Sometimes it's an inside joke, a funny face, or a memory that makes you laugh every time you remember. Sometimes, happiness is your best friend, your mom, or that boy who makes any moment better.

Sometimes happiness is a good cry, a long nap, or bright toe nail polish. Sometimes, it's a Coke over ice, or a fish on your hook. It might be the 6 mile loop you think about running, or the extra- technical mountain bike trail. Sometimes, happiness is a s'more made in the microwave, or really greasy french fries.

Sometimes, happiness is learning something new, or perfecting something you've always known. Sometimes happiness is a good conversation, or a letter in the mail. Sometimes, it's an old photograph that makes you laugh when you remember the day it was taken, or your dog who seems to always know when you need a peppy face.

Sometimes, happiness is being a little bit sad. Sometimes it's hearing of pain and heartache and realizing how blessed you are. Sometimes happiness stings a little, and makes us feel a little guilty. Sometimes, it's something we don't really understand, or something we wish we could give to someone else. Sometimes it takes a hard lesson or a few tears to make us realize it's there, and sometimes it's been there all along, we've just been too distracted to see it.

Sometimes happiness is in the little things, and sometimes it's in the biggest moments. Sometimes, it involves other people, and sometimes happiness is private and personal- something we only share with ourselves. Sometimes it's written all over our faces, and sometimes, it's simply a warmth that comes over our hearts and a peace that fills our minds.

Sometimes happiness is all around us, and sometimes it seems we're the only ones who can feel it. Sometimes it's there. Sometimes, it's not. It might be momentary. It might last a long time, and it rarely looks the same. Sometimes you have to search for happiness, and sometimes it seems to fall into your lap.

Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don't. The key though, the key to happiness, is that there is no key to happiness. The key is joy. To live with a joyous heart, and learn to enjoy the happiness. That way, you'll be thankful for it when it comes, and hopeful for it's return when it seems to be absent.

One more thing...

Not returning to Student Life is bittersweet, but I am excited about the summer ahead.

I am going to sleep late, ride my bike, take classes, celebrate the birth of my brother's first baby and my best friend's first baby, too. I am going to celebrate the marriage of my very dear friend, and spend time with my nephews. I am going to visit family and go to the beach. I am going to spend time with people I love and make new memories.

And I am going to pray for Student Life. I am going to pray that God would build relationships, change hearts, impact lives, and make Himself famous. I am going to pray for the strength of all 100- something summer staffers, the countless student-staffers, and all the staff back at Birmingham. I am going to pray for the worship leaders and the speakers. I am going to pray for the family of the staff members, the campers, and the youth leaders.

I am going to pray for strength, patience, wisdom, guidance, clarity, rest, energy, safety, and peace. I am going to pray that each and every single person who experiences SL will not go home the same, and that God would use their time at SL to change them forever.

So for all of you who are going back, you are loved, missed, prayed for, and maybe a little envied. :) I love you guys and hope you have a GREAT summer!!

DO WORK!!!!!!!!!! (that's for you, Alex.)

What I'll miss about Student Life

Alex Garcia asked me what I would miss most about Student Life. Alex has always asked difficult questions, but this one has me stumped.

If you've never worked for Student Life, it's hard to explain what it's like. You work a lot and don't sleep too much. It's hot and the days are long. You're away from home for the entire summer, and sometimes homesickness gets the best of you.

But you also work day-in and day-out with 25 people that change your life. You witness God move and change hundreds of lives every day. You experience what it is like to serve beyond your own strength and what it means to truly worship. You see amazing places and make wonderful memories.

I spent two summers with Student Life, and more than my summers were impacted. I made life-long friendships. I grew up and matured a lot during those two summers. I experienced true worship for the first time, and how it felt to fully rely on God to get you through the day. I learned more about myself, and who I am supposed to be. I learned what it means to be a leader and to be a follower. I understood for the first time, what it meant to be a part of a team. What it meant to really be a part of something greater than myself.

So, what will I miss most? I don't think there is any way to say what I will miss most. There is nothing about working for Student Life that I will miss less than anything else.