When I first created my blog I wanted it to be about my day to day adventures. I wanted to expose and record all the different roles life has me play. Aunt, nanny, sister, bridesmaid, student, child, and adult. But as I sat down to blog my hopeful first of manys I found it impossible to write a whole segment. I couldn't find enough words to make the blog worth reading. So I put it on the shelf to let my thoughts brew. When I finally did write my first entry, it wasn't at all what I had anticipated. I just sat down and wrote what was on my heart. 

        I've finally realized that I didn't need to think of a theme for my blog at all. I had one all along I just never knew it. The thing that inspires me most, and what I want to share with you is always along the same lines. It is consistently what God has been doing in me. If you wanted to know about how my day was or what I'm doing this week, you can just ask me. But the thing I want to share, the thing I want to put in front of you, is encouragement through reading the revelations of a suffering sojourner. I only have a restless desire to unburden myself with words meant to be shared when God is moving in me. That's my theme, hand picked by the King Himself.

        I could go on for pages and pages about living in Italy. The people I've met, the places I've been, or the things I've experienced. But none of it is worth your time, in comparison to what God has taught me through the months of growth here in Firenze. If there is one phrase I have found myself repeating, its that sometimes 

"I regret the day I prayed for God to help me see the world through His eyes" 

        Italy is too beautiful and magical and wonderful for simply words. Which is why taking pictures makes so much more sense than using words. Even pictures don't do justice as you already know. It has been so life changing to live here and learn about the culture and the people and the world. I have had more adventures in the last three months than most people have in a lifetime. 

But it hasn't been all majestic beauty and indescribable experiences. 

Firenze 

        Being surrounded by a world of people who are lost and unmistakably slaves to sin has been more than I can bear. I have consistently battled against feelings of inadequacy of being a light in darkness, and a testimony to bring those people to Christ. Every beautiful place I am privileged to visit is tainted by the knowledge that so many people I am surrounded by don't have the hope that I do. My only sustaining joy has been the constant reminders that God is bigger and stronger than me and my failures. How thankful I am to call myself a child of God. 

Romans 8

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

        I find encouragement knowing that this walk on the narrow path is not supposed to be easy. We are not called to live a carefree life, ignorant of the reality of the lost world we live in. We have been called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ who suffered the greatest of all. 

Paris

 Colossians 1

²⁹ For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

        I had the great privilege of seeing the jail in Rome where the Apostle Paul and Peter were both imprisoned. How much faith Paul must have had to be in Jail, but be burdened only to implore his churches to be strong in their faith and continue to spread the gospel. How I long for a testimony like Paul! 

My only prayer is that God will use this broken vessel to complete His perfect work. In that I am sufficiently at peace. 

Amsterdam

Undone

Title Inspiration

A lot can change in just 5 months.

The loss of a loved one, whether through the dark hand of death, or the change of the winds, the precious new life of a sweet baby, the roof over your head, the people you poor your life into, and the people who poor their life into you, a new addition to the family, and closing the chapter of another year in school.

All of these have happened in my life in the last 5 months. Needless to say a lot to comprehend,

especially for a person who doesn't adapt well to change.

But through it all God has remained the same. God has stayed faithful to me, even when I abandoned Him. The same God that gave Moses the power to stand up to Pharaoh gave me the power to stand up to my fears. The same God that rescued David from his weaknesses rescued me from my very own self. The same God that healed the leper will heal me too.

In my joy, God is there. In my grieving, God is there. In my hope, God is there. In my dancing, God is there. In my weakest, and lowest day, God is there. In my mourning, God is there. In my waiting, God is there.

I will be the first to admit, I don't always run to Him first for comfort when things get rough. But eventually, that is where I end up. I have taken a long detour to get here, but I'm here now.

To help me through this hard time in my life, I have decided to find one specific thing I am thankful for every day. Now throughout the day I am thinking about what I want to be thankful for. It is good for me because I am thinking of things I am thankful for all day long, and it helps me to see the positives of each day.

***

I recently heard the phrase: You have bad days so you can recognize the good ones.

So I guess if we never had a bad day, we would never get to experience good days. And good days are what gets me through life. It is from those happy times I develop good memories and have something to look back on and smile when I need to be reminded of the joys in my life.

It makes sense to me.

Anyways. To wrap it up, a lot has changed. I am still dealing with it; trying to catch my breath. It seems that life waits for no one. And I have learned first hand that running away (or sleeping away) is no a way out. It just means that when you finally wake up, you have to deal with it one day later. Consequently, I have a lot of catching up to do. Especially with God. But thank goodness it's never too late with Him. He doesn't have deadlines (except death itself) and He gives you endless mercy and forgiveness.

I am looking forward to continue updating my little blog on what God has recently been teaching me, and where my life is headed. I have high hopes of some new music, new pictures, personal achievements,  God's hand in my life, and maybe even moving this blog to a taste of the Mediterranean shore. 

As of right now I traded in a bed for a couch and a book for a baby. (niece and nephew). But God is doing a miracle on me, and I thank Him for chasing me down even when I try to run away.

What a great God we serve.

-me

P.S. The sun in my morning, the stars in my sky, the clouds when it's cloudy.

~ Perspective ~

~ Destin, FL~

        Perspective. Sometimes my perspective on a situation, or life in general can be a little skewed. Sometimes I am looking at my circumstances so closely that its hard to see the big picture. It is hard to see God's hand in my life when all I can see are all the problems I'm faced with. My eyes are so focused on what is right in front of me, I miss what is going on around me. But when I take a step back, and I take the time to let Him speak to me through His word, everything becomes more clear. I remember that I was put on this earth to be a light in the darkness, and let his glory shine through me. 

        God will not bring us to anything too big for Him to handle. He will not lead us to a valley that He cannot carry us through. Our God is big, and when I am looking up at the mountainous challenge in front of me, I forget that God is even bigger. 

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

- Psalm 8:3-4

        I recently heard an interesting and refreshing perspective on the creation passage in Genesis. When God created the world, he spoke everything into existence. All He had to do was say "Let there be..." And there it was! But God did not speak man into existence. No. 

"then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."

- Genesis 2:7

Wow. When I heard that, I couldn't help but feel so loved and cared for. We were created after the likeness of God (Gen 1:26). What more could you ask for.

P.S. If you can trust Him with your soul, you can trust Him with tomorrow.