These last few months have been filled with a lot of chaos and uncertainty. There has been a lot of change for people and a lack of normalcy, but just because there may be a lack of routine there is one thing that should remain the same, love. Showing love for others, especially in times like this, is all we can do to make each day a little brighter. For me, one of my favorite ways to be shown love is just to be listened to. When someone takes the time to ask about my day and just listen to how I am doing, it makes me feel so special. It also makes me think about all the ways God shows love to us. One of my favorite verses from 1 John reads, “We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) How true is that? We are able to love one another so much, because God loved us enough to send His own Son to die for us. That is some kind of love, and somedays it is even hard to fathom. He loves us even though we are sinners. He loves us even though we fail and mess up. I know for me it is sometimes hard to love someone who maybe has disappointed me or done something to upset me, but then I think I mess up all the time and God still loves me. Love is so powerful and it is something that will never fail. One part of loving as scripture says is to be patient and kind with it, and I think that is important as well. A lot of people are facing different battles during this pandemic and being patient and showing kindness would be a great form of love to anyone. Loving people can be hard sometimes, especially when people upset you. That is what makes God’s love all the more special and all the more powerful to me. So, for the rest of the month, and on into the year strive to love like Jesus does. Remember that everyone is facing one big overall problem that puts several other problems into everyone's boat. No matter how big our problems are though, our God is bigger, His love is stronger, and He will remain in control. Remember that no matter how many times you fail or lose your temper during this quarantine, God still loves you.

Words have always been such a powerful thing. Whether used positively or negatively they convey some form of message. I have learned no matter what type of word big or small, short or long, bad or good, they all have an impact. I have learned that the small words or phrases make the biggest impact though. If you think about it, it's the little phrases of words that can bring so much joy to our lives. Phrases like "I love you." or "You are beautiful." can make anyone smile (or they usually do). Other phrases like "You are amazing!", "Great Job!", or anything related are just the simplest things that can make someone's day! I think that it is such a beautiful thing that something so small can touch a life in a big way. I mean we tend to be pretty careless with words too sometimes. We just throw them around and say whatever, but maybe we should think about our impact they can have. While a good deal of simple phrases make us happy, simple word phrases can also be just as negative too. Phrases like "You suck.", "That looks bad.", "You look bad." are all so small, but can make people feel so sad. Far too often do I think we use our words whether intentional or not they cause harm. It is something everyone is guilty of too. We get caught up in our bad days or our jealousy or whatever it may be, and it causes us to let sad little words slip. We get so critical of others sometimes, and we do it fast. We are quicker to spit our words of criticism to someone or their work, then we are to give them a compliment. That should not be the case. It is one thing to give constructive criticism, but far too often I hear straight criticism from others. Those small words really can ruin someone's day. I'm not saying we should shower people with constant compliments. Compliments should not be overused, but they should not be underused either. If we take a step back when talking to others and really think what good what I will be doing if I said that negative comment, those comments would probably lessen. Think about how good you feel when someone gives you a compliment or when you do not receive any sad words. Use small good words, not bad ones. So next time when you open your mouth, as cliché as it sounds, seriously think before you speak. Big or small your words will impact someone, and you should want that impact to be a positive one.

With the New Year a good two weeks under our belt, it’s a good time to take a look at our desires. At the beginning of the New Year you probably set a couple of resolutions. Maybe it was to embrace your life to its fullest potential or to run a marathon or to try new foods. Whatever you decided it might be, did you take a second to think about why this resolution is important to you? Why you desire to accomplishment it? There are many worldly things I think everyone desires like a good meal, a nice house, or a cool job. However, those desires and things only bring us temporary happiness. In the book of Matthew, chapter six verses nineteen through twenty-one, scripture says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Here the Lord is reminding us that our life here on Earth is only temporary as are the things on it, and the true treasure is eternal life with Him. You might say though but I really want to try bungee jumping this year or I really want to lose a couple pounds, and that’s okay. It is okay to want things and have goals for yourself but learning to desire the Lord over the Earth first is key. When your heart is in the right place with the Lord you will see how that is of most importance. You will find your strength there as well so you can be able to accomplish those wants like bungee jumping or losing a couple of pounds. Remember this verse from the book of Psalms, chapter thirty-seven verse four, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” For the next eleven months that are left in this year, keep this verse close to your heart. Know that in any and every situation he will be there. Remember to desire the Lord first as this life we live here on Earth is only temporary. When you look at your resolutions, consider putting “pursuing the Lord more” or “desire the Lord” or “become closer to the Lord” on there, that’ll make your list all the more desirable.

Sometimes it is hard to let go of grudges. Maybe someone said something unsavory to you or about you or just did something to anger you, and it’s hard to let that go. Everyone experiences these feelings at some point in their life. Another way to go about looking at a situation where you think you cannot forgive something/someone “unforgivable”, look at how God forgives you. I first learned about this thought sitting in my own small group in high school. Another member of my group was having trouble forgiving someone in her life, and our leader used the phrase of “How can you expect the Lord to forgive you for the wrongs you have done, if you cannot forgive others.” This hit me like a truck. Think about it though, think about how the Lord forgives us all for every little sin! Every time you sass your mom, or lie, cheat, gossip, He forgives you. Colossians 3:13 reads, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” I challenge you to live by this mindset everyday in your life. If God could send His own Son to die on the cross for our sins, we can all take the time to forgive one another for our troubles. If you think about the things we get upset about the issues are big and small. You might have a grievance that someone took your French fries, in hindsight this is a small problem, but you still get upset about it. Could you imagine if God didn’t forgive you for taking one of His French fries? Seems crazy right? Like how could he not? Something so small and silly, and God is such a big and loving Father, of course He’d forgive you for that. Take this into perspective, if God can forgive you for all your wrongdoings, big or small, then you can forgive others for wrongdoings, big or small. So take this mindset with you in any difficult situation reflect on all that the Lord does for you and show this love to others. .

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching next week, a common question people ask is “What are you thankful for?”. Some people might say friends, family, their dog, the list can go on and on. While I love that this season and holiday bring on a time for reflection of what we are grateful for; I always try to remind people that we can be thankful year-round. It shouldn’t just be one day of the year where we tell our mom, “Oh hey mom yeah I am thankful for you,” we should tell them all the time! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to be “thankful in everything, in all circumstances,” this verse speaks so much truth! It would be kind of silly if we only thanked the Lord on Easter for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins now wouldn’t it? We thank the Lord every day for all of our many blessings He bestows on us, because we ARE thankful each and every day. You don’t have to verbally tell someone you’re thankful or grateful for them either. While it is nice to always hear how appreciative you are that someone is in your life, you could show your gratefulness just by spending time with them, or maybe buying them a coffee. I know my favorite way to show my parents I appreciate all they do for me is to work hard in school and put God first always, because I am thankful they gave me the opportunity to receive a higher education and I want to make them proud! My challenge to you this Thanksgiving, when you are eating your yummy turkey and stuffing (or you know ham if you prefer it), is it not only tell the people in your life on that day you’re thankful for them, but constantly work to remind them. After Thanksgiving, take the time once or twice out of your month to remind those people you’re glad you have them and that God blessed your life through their presence. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Have you ever had someone hold the door open for you or pay for your coffee unexpectedly? It probably made you feel a little warm and fuzzy inside as that person was showing they care for you in a small way. After that small moment happened, your day probably looked a little brighter and you had a bit more pep in your step. It is funny how something so small, can make quite the impact. Not only does your day brighten up, but you probably see that person in a different light too. That person was taking part in acts of selfless love. Personally, loving selflessly is one of the biggest efforts I make to live like the Lord. I think showing selfless love is one of the best ways to let others see God’s light shine through you. The Bible reads in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Now you might think “hold on now, I thought we were talking about buying someone’s coffee not laying down my life for someone,” Well you see that’s what the Lord sent Jesus to do, this was him showing selfless love. Sometimes for me it is overwhelming to think about how much the Lord loves me. I mean sending His own Son to die on a cross for each and every one of us, that is a lot of love! Showing any act of selfless love can show God’s light through you though. The acts of selfless love do not have to be physical acts either. A great way is to put someone else before yourself. Whether that is someone’s else needs before your own, or just stopping to listen to a friend's problem. Taking that time out of your day to just be there for someone else is a great way to show kindness and love. So, the next time you are thinking, “How can I show an example of Christ’s love to others?” Maybe look into one of the following options, down below! Paying ahead for the order of the person in line behind you at your local coffee shop Hugging your son/daughter/sister/brother/friend for no specific reason whatsoever Telling one of your friends how great she/he looks in that color or style Bringing your neighbors recycling bins up to their garage doors Sending an email of gratitude to a friend with whom you haven’t spoken in a while Finding out your friends’ birth dates and surprising them with cards on their special days Genuinely smiling at someone you know or even don’t know

In life, we go through many stages. Happy stages, sad stages, stages of accomplishment, stages of growth, etc. We probably rave more about the happier stages in our life more than anything. Like the time you won the third-grade spelling bee even though you thought you were a terrible speller, or the time you got into the college of your choice, or even the time when you had your first kiss (let's pretend these are always happy moments and are never awkward lol). Your parents probably like to talk about how you made the Dean's list or how you're studying abroad next semester, and your friends like to talk about your fun weekend plans. But who talks about the sad stages? The part in your life when you fail your test, or when you and your boyfriend broke up, or when you lose a loved one. A stage that leaves you in a little bit of a mess for a while. A stage that may have you guessing, 'How will I make a comeback from this?' or 'Will it ever get better?'. A stage that leaves you laying in your bed crying at night. This is the stage that someone needs to speak up and say 'it's okay, the sun is going to rise in the morning." Something that is not really talked about is how to deal with grief and sadness. God has got you though, take everything to Him. Psalm 34:17-18 reads, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Even I myself go through sad stages, and I am not ashamed of it. I find comfort in the Lord. If there is one thing I have constantly been reminding myself of though is that things are going to be okay, and life will move on to a happier stage soon. Taking your troubles to the Lord can bring you so much peace. He is there to listen always. Although, like many others I'm sure, I am not one to really want to talk about my sad situations, which I guess is part of the reason we don't. The Lord doesn’t need you to speak though, He knows what is on your heart. When we are going through the sad stages in our life, we should keep our heads up and think about all the good times before and the good times ahead and have faith and trust in God. When you're sad about failing your test, just remember how you kicked butt enough to get into the school you're at,and look forward to killing the next test instead. When you and your boyfriend break up, look back and appreciate that time and the lessons learned (rather than being bitter because you obviously liked him at one point) and take this time as a time of self-growth. When you lose a loved one, look back on all your memories you shared with them, and look forward to making more with the family that still loves and surrounds you. Wake up in the morning when the sun rises (and if it doesn't pretend it does- rainy days are honestly my favorite), and even if you're stuck in a sad stage in your life just know that there is so much joy to come after and the sun will rise again.

Do you ever just look in the mirror and wish for a different look? You wish your hair was longer or your face was skinnier, or your teeth were whiter? We are all guilty of picking ourselves apart and wishing we were just a little bit thinner or taller or whatever. Every now and then when I catch myself questioning my looks or even my self-worth, I take a step back. I realize how silly it is of me to question any part of me, because God made me. Not only did He carefully make me in my own unique way, but He made me in His image. Sometimes I think we judge and measure our worth by how much the world says we are worth. This leads into one of my favorite verses from 1st Peter 3:3-4 it reads, “3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” God has made each and every one of use in our own unique way, but all in His image. While elaborate hairstyles and gold jewelry are nice, they should not define our self-worth. We should not think lesser of ourselves when we do not have these things, because the real prize is God’s love and salvation. With this we are Daughters of the King! Think about that for a second, you are royalty. You are loved and beautiful in every way. Not only should we not define ourselves by the materialistic things we do not have, but we shouldn’t question our worth by the physical features we do/do not have. You are God’s masterpiece, so do not ever question any part of yourself. So I challenge you to think positive and embrace the full potential God has blessed you with, and to remember this verse from Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”