Unfading Light

Happy New Year to all of you who are reading this right now! 

Goodness, I can't believe that 2019 is already gone. I had been saying almost every day in the weeks leading up to New Years that I couldn't believe that 2019 was almost over and we were about to enter into a new decade. Now it's finally here and we are already a week into 2020! Everything seems to go by so fast these days, especially when I realize that my last post was in March of last year, but it is the new year and the time has come when people come up with their New Years resolutions and write their yearly updates, so I thought that I had better do the same despite the fact that I have been very undedicated to writing and posting on this blog that I've had for years now. So here goes my update and my thoughts on last year and this year to come! 

I would say that 2018 was my big year for exciting things to happen.  I traveled the North West for five weeks, graduated, went to Israel by myself for three weeks, and learned so many things about myself during that year. 2019 was slightly less exciting, however. I traveled to Ohio with my mom and the newest addition to our household, Aaron, for a friend's wedding, spent the summer teaching, practicing, taking the kids to their summer activities, and living our regularly fast-paced schedule of hosting worship nights once a week and going to fellowship. Then of course you throw the Feast days in there and all of the planning that goes into that. I did go to Oklahoma with some friends for another friend's wedding in September, but that was really the extent of my year. When I sat down to write this and I tried to think of all of the fun and exciting things I did, I kind of wondered what to write and if I should even bother writing anything at all. Yes I went a few places, but it really didn't seem that exciting to me compared to 2018. I almost didn't even write this update at all, until I took a step back and realized something. You don't have to have a crazy year that was crammed full of different things that happened. Those are nice, but it really is okay to look back on your year and see that you didn't travel to a million different places and do a million different fun things. Your year can be full of simply just existing. Simply just living life, going to work, just being. That is how my year was... Finding joy in the mundane things of life and existing in this crazy, beautiful world that God placed me in. Your year doesn't have to look like an instagram sensation's year to be important enough to write about. You can just exist in this world, and that can be all there is to it. It really is as simple as that. 

I'll post a few pictures, but I would say that that is how my year was. Living simply and doing life with my family. It went by fast, and it really was a good year. My hopes for this coming year? I hope that I can learn to be content with where I am and that I can continue to find joy and excitetment and mundane things. I hope that I can be a better sister, daughter, and friend. I hope that I can plant good thoughts in my mind, and I hope that good things can grow and bear good fruit. I hope that this is my year for change and I hope that I can become a better version of myself and help others to know how much they are loved. I hope that I can be kinder, and I hope that I will become wiser. I hope that 2020 is the start to something amazing and wondeful, and I hope that it is another good year! 

Happy New Year! 

A few days ago on Thursday I woke up to the sun shining and fifty degree weather. At long last! I was so excited because I thought for a brief moment that Spring had finally arrived. My hopes for warmer weather were short lived, however. A few days later it was raining and then snowing, transporting Colorado back into a winter wonderland. Not to say that we didn't take advantage of the cold weather! We made ourselves warm and cozy at home home for the better part of the day, watching the snow fall in big flakes from the gray sky. I made hot apple cider and Elianah made a coffee cake to go along with it and it made it feel so much like Autumn in our house once again. Our house was filled with the delicious smell of cinnamon and apples as the cider simmered in the crockpot. Even though I do love when Spring comes and I can pull out my Summer clothes and sandals, there is something so special about Autumn and all of the wonderful smells, colors, and delicious foods. 

Apple cider is one drink in my family that everyone absolutely loves. We use organic apple juice and mulling spices, and for extra yummy flavors we slice oranges and put in a few sticks of cinnamon while the apple juice heats up. It is such a special treat, and it is delicious! Apple cider is our go-to drink for our annual hayride that we host every year, and it just warms you from the inside out after sledding days or even on those evenings when you just want to cozy up in a chair with a blanket and a good book and read the hours away!

The grain and sugar free coffee cake that Elianah made paired wonderfully with the apple cider and made for a second tasty treat. 

And what would a day without having a tasty coffee treat be? This Salted Carmel Breve was calling my name... 

So Spring, maybe it's not quite time for you yet... But in the mean time we'll stay cozy and warm and enjoy Autumn drinks while we still can. :) 

Sometimes I look around myself at all of the things that are happening in the world, and I become discouraged. Does it seem to anyone else that oftentimes people do bad things and then just get let off the hook? Then a good person who loves God and strives to always follow after Him has their world fall to pieces and all of the bad things seem to happen to them? I know that this is not always the case, but it feels like it a lot of the time. Maybe it's just me... But hey, that's what this blog is for, right? Sharing my heart with all of you. 

At any rate, as I was reading in Proverbs the other day I came across a verse that I had highlighted before. It made me start thinking about what I just mentioned. 

'Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the LORD always. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.'

Proverbs 23:17-18

Do not let your heart envy sinners. Why should I envy the sinners?  When I first started thinking about this a few days ago, the thought popped into my head that the reason that one might begin to be envious of people who do bad things is because it sometimes seems like they are never punished. They just get to continue frolicking around wreaking havoc, and they get to get away with it. In trying to reason this out in my head I thought about how it sometimes seems like people who eat McDonalds every day of their life don't have any health problems, or at least don't act like they feel terrible. People who try to eat healthy, on the other hand, and do good things for their bodies sometimes seem to have a lot more issues. Does anyone else think that's a little confusing and messed up? Maybe I'm the only one who really has that thought, whether or not it's actually true (I'm sure that people who do eat McDonalds every day of their life aren't particularly health... This is just an example.) My point is that for me it's easy to think of how much easier it is for people who don't fear God to live their lives. Has anyone else had that thought? 

...Live in the fear of the LORD always...

Live in the fear of the Lord. Let's break this down, shall we? What is living? To live somewhere is to dwell. To make a certain place a home where you spend your days. Where are we supposed to live? In the fear of the Lord, the verse says. To live in the fear of the Lord is to believe with your whole heart that God has the whole world in His hands. Remember that song we learned when we were children? Our Heavenly Father has everything in His complete control. That is what faith is... Believing that God has it all 100 percent of the time, and that His plans are good and for our benefit. 

As people who strive to live lives set-apart for God, things might seem harder for us than for sinners. It's persevering under trial, remembering that even though it seems like the wicked aren't punished for the evil things that they may do, we have a much greater reward than what is or isn't given to us in this world. The righteous, even if they are put under heavy attack and trail do have a reward, while the wicked do not. The righteous people live in the fear of the Lord like the verse says and trust that He will be their sustenance. 

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 

James 1:12

When we believe with our whole hearts that God has it all in His hands, there is not need for us to become hopeless when sinners seem to prosper. The verse in Proverbs continues on and says that "there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

I love the way that it says that. 

There is a future. 

Our lives don't just end. They continue on, and on and on. 

Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not lose heart.

Galatians 6:9

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans to prosper you, not for calamity; plans to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

I am so thankful that we serve a loving God who has plans to prosper us, to give us a future and a hope and who gives us crowns of life when we continue to run the race even when there are hardships. Surely, there is a future. Our hope is never cut off when God is on our side. 

  

This past year has been such an eye opening year for me. I've learned so many new things and have gained many new experiences though good times and hard times. Overall it has probably been the best year of my teen life because of all of the miracles I've seen and the things that I've learned. It has been an amazing year of learning and restoration! Here are some of the things that God taught me this year.

1. Allow other people to help. 

I am a stickler for not wanting help with my spiritual life. I hate asking people for help when I'm not doing well, because I like to keep a good face of perfection. I like to be self sustainable, and I don't want to burden people with my problems because I know that they have plenty of their own problems. I like to be able to pick myself up and hold myself together on my own strength, without help from other's. What I've learned this year, however, is that I shouldn't be trying to hold the world together on my own strength. I should be letting people help me when I need help, but still be careful not to drag them down. Getting help when I struggle isn't a sign of weakness... It's a sign of strength, because sometimes it takes a lot to admit that you are having a struggle. When I allow other's to help me instead of keeping everything all bottled up where it will eventually explode, I can see that I'm not the only one who struggles with whatever things I may be having a hard time with. Chances are the people that you go to have also struggled with similar things, although no case is exactly the same. I can be uplifted and encouraged knowing that I am not alone! Maybe not everyone has gone through the exact same things that I have, but I can still let other's speak words of truth over me and help me to get a different perspective. There truly is nothing new under the sun. 

2. Un-forgiveness steals my joy.
Having unforgiveness in your heart towards another person or yourself is harmful to only you. Sometimes it is hard to forgive people... Impossibly hard, but the only person who is kept in bondage because of your unforgiveness is you. You can feel so much lighter and more free when you choose to let go of the past and forgive those who have wronged you. Forgiving yourself is equally as important. Don't keep yourself in unnecessary bondage for no reason! 

3. I don't have to live in fear. 

I mean any kind of fear... Anxiety, stress, fear of failure, fear of man, fear of heights, fear of anything. Instead of focusing on the current issue at hand, I can focus on what I  know to be true, and that is that God is on my side fighting for me, and He ultimately has the best possible plan for my life. I can't  allow fear to cripple me and paralyze me so that I  can't live to my full potential! Fear doesn't accomplish anything good... It only hurts and keeps me stagnant. I can overcome any fear... Fear of failure, fear of spiders, fear of anything! I don't have to live my life in a state of panic and worry and stress because I can trust that God's plan is good and that everything works out for the best. Not to say that I'm perfect at it, but I've learned that it's possible!


4.  My value is not found in earthly things... My value is found in God!
 My worth isn't based on how people treat me or what they think of me. I don't need to meet a certain standard that the world has set because it's not God's standard. I don't need to be put in a box because boxes don't allow for room to grow. I don't have to worry about what other people think of me, because the only thing that matters is what God thinks about me. We may be overlooked by other's, but we are handpicked by God Himself. I don't have to compare myself to others at all or try to fit some mold. I can be uniquely me without being ashamed or embarrassed of myself. How freeing is that?!




5. Gratitude really does help.
Sometimes I can fall down... Don't we all? But I've learned that sometimes all we need is a little perspective change, and showing some gratitude for all of the amazing things that God has done is a good way to go about it. Thanking God and truly expressing heartfelt gratitude really can turn my bad day into a good one if I let it. Writing down all of the things that God has done for me as He does them is good for when I need a reminder that my life really is good even if I have a bad day. Thanking God for every single tiny thing that happens, good and bad, has the ability to revolutionize all of humanity, and I'm not kidding about that.  Recognize the areas that God helps you in and after you've written them down tell other's about them! The power of testimony helps not only you but also those around you.


6. If it won't matter in five years it's not worth getting upset about now.
I want to be super laid back and worry free all of the time, but of course I have my moments. Some things that I get irritated or annoyed at are really silly things to get upset about because they don't even really matter. It's not worth getting upset when the door gets left open for the one millionth time or someone forgets to put away the blender. Those things don't matter. Don't sweat the small things, because in the end they really aren't that big of a deal!




7. Self-love is not pride.
It's okay to love who you are! God wants you to love yourself just the way that He made you, despite any shortcomings you may have. God is the ultimate artist, and He made each and every one of us in the specific way that we are for a specific purpose. He worked so hard to create this beautiful masterpiece, and it's okay to love it without asking Him if He could make just a few changes to suit your wishes a little better. Choose to be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up if you mess up. Repent to God and whoever else you need to repent to, forgive yourself, and move on to your next amazing adventure. It truly is one!


8. I am still enough.
Even when I blow it God's love for me is not diminished. I am forgivable no matter what tragic sin I commit. God never made a person He didn't love, and even when I fail I am still wanted, I am still worth it... And so are you. He owns the skies and still He wants your heart. Did you ever hear of a better love story? I never did.


What are some things that God taught you in 2018? Let us know in the comments!

Greetings to all of my dear readers! I had this idea to hit off the beginning of 2019 with compiling some of my favorite outfits from 2018. It seemed like it would be fun to re-cap all of the outfits that I caught on camera. I went to start looking for some of my photos, but for some reason I couldn't find half of the ones from the beginning of last year! I looked through all of the downloads on the computer and couldn't seem to find them anywhere. They weren't even on my phone anymore. My next idea was to try to go to Pinterest to try to find them there. I found a few, but not nearly as many as I knew there were. Finally, I found them on a different laptop than the one I normally use and also found some other ones that never actually made it into a blog post! Below are all of the outfit photos from previous blog posts, as well as some other's that like I said never made it onto the computer from my phone. It's funny to me as I look back over even the last year at how much my style has changed. It's still similar today than it was then, but it's definitely different than what it used to be! I hope that you enjoy. :)

This was my favorite outfit last Spring!

I still have all of the pieces to this outfit, although I haven't worn them together like this recently. I mix and match them a little more, especially the gray dress!

The post titled Steampunk and Pearls got a lot of likes from friends!

Here is one that never made it into a blog post... Sadly I can't find the other pictures that went a long with this outfit, but maybe when it gets a little warmer I can try again. 

These are some of the outfits that I took with my to Israel. A friend gave me a wonderful tip for when you're traveling that I had never heard before. Take photos of the outfits that you are bringing, mixed and matched, with all of the accessories (I skipped that step). Then you can scroll through the pictures on your phone and figure out what outfit you want to wear that way instead of rummaging through your suitcase trying to remember what you wanted to wear with what. This was a lifesaver in Israel because a lot of the time I was in such a hurry to get ready that I couldn't spend time trying to remember what pieces I had put to wear together. It worked well for me! (Try to ignore the dirty deck in the photos, haha. Clothes stayed clean.)