Somewhere Between Never and Forever

"You are where God wants you to be at this very moment. Every experience is part of His divine plan." 

I'm at that that point in life where I'm a single college student who goes to class, goes to work, goes back to class, to church, then to my bed where I watch Netflix until my eyes won't stay open anymore. Oh and I study too, don't worry. I've noticed that people call this "a lonely time."And it is. It can be, that is. When you're in college, you expect (well at least I did) to meet a gazillion people, make your lifelong best friends, meet your prince charming, have your life all figured out by the time your handed your diploma on the day of your long awaited graduation. Then, you go out and start your life with your new husband, new job, and new house. Talk about happily ever after, huh? 

For some people, that's what happens. I have a close and precious friend who's life pretty much played out that way. And that's 100% okay because that is her story. The one God wrote specifically and uniquely for her. For me on the other hand, God has a different story that He has created for me. I only know 20 years of it so far and even though it's not where I thought I would be, it's pretty great. 

I get all giddy at the sight and thought of weddings, babies, engagements, etc. No really, I cried more at my friend's wedding last year than her mom did. When my friends' tell me they're pregnant, I respond with "What?! Oh my goodness!" in a really high pitched voice. It takes me a minute to process these exciting, life changing events before I completely realize that it's reality. I LOVE when people I love are excited and happy because they are taking a big step in life and creating something beautiful whether it's a marriage, a job, or a family. I love seeing beauty created here on earth. So, when my friend Sydney got engaged and then married, I wanted to cry (happy tears) every time I thought about it because I knew God created Jason for Sydney, and Sydney for Jason BEFORE they were even born. This made me so happy for them and was something that was and still is beautiful to see. Also, when the Jones' told me they were having their first daughter, and THEN their second daughter, I was on cloud 9. I don't know where cloud 9 is or how you get to it, but I was there. Once again, I could see how God had written Sarah's story and Gary's story and blended them together into a marriage, then eventually a family of 4. These stories happen all the time, all over the world but I will never get tired of them. 

Although part of me, most of me, is excited for those friends of mine, the other part of me longs for those things--a marriage, my dream job, a family. I'm a girl, it's what we want, okay. My heart is overjoyed when I witness a wedding or hold a new born baby or celebrate a birthday or engagement because I know the beauty in them. With that being said, my heart wants those things, deeply. There is nothing wrong that unless you allow your desires (even if they are holy and good desires) to make you discontent with where you are now. This is where I have struggled lately. There are people popping the question and popping out babies left and right!! It's crazily exciting but also just crazy. Every day someone new is getting married, having a baby, graduating college, getting their first job, etc. Except, none of these things are happening to me. This is where the desires of my flesh cause my heart to drift away from God and trusting in His plan. 

I'll be honest and tell you that it's hard to hang out with married couples when you're single. I think most people would agree with that. I never ever felt way until recently. The majority of my closest, longest friends are married with families. I have about 2 people my age and single who aren't. I LOVE MARRIED COUPLES. They are THE BEST friends to have because you learn so much from them and they are wiser than friends your age. It's the truth. I just had another good friend of mine get engaged a few weeks ago and now I'm helping her plan wedding things and talking about her and her future of being a bride. It's so exciting and my heart is truly overjoyed for her. But it's also hard. It's to see other people get the things you want. That's true when you're 5 and you see the kid at the store get the ice cream that your mom said you can't have. The struggle is real when you're 5. We all have things we want and desire. For me, I honestly just want a godly husband, healthy children who will grow up and love Jesus, opportunities to go to Africa and Haiti, and a job teaching children. But guess what? I'm not married or anywhere close. I've been single for over a year. I don't have kids yet or a job teaching. I've wanted to go to Africa for 8 years now and still haven't gone. It's discouraging, I know.

This is where I tend to stop more often than not. I stop and think about all the things I desire but don't have. I get discouraged and frustrated. I tell myself, " I am never getting out of this phase of life." Or I say, "I am going to be stuck here forever." I let the devil tell me lies about myself and why I don't have these things. Why would I listen to his lies when I have God's truth and promises hidden deeply in my heart? I should be reminding myself that I am His [Christ's] bride. I have His seal. I have His name. I am His. No devil in hell can touch me. No thing of this world can steal me from Him. 

Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

Genesis 2:18 "Then the Lord said, "it is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him."

Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

          Proverbs 16:9 "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."

This last verse, "The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps", is my life verse right now. If the things I had planned for my life actually happened, I would be lost and everything but content. If it were up to me, I would have married my high school boyfriend. But now, since the Lord changed my steps, I see why that wouldn't have been such a good plan. If I would have been at the college I originally planned on graduating from, I wouldn't have grown so much here where I am now. Praise the Lord that his ways are higher than our ways. I see my story in the moment it is happening. I see others' stories as they are happening, but that's it. God sees the whole picture, He sees the last page of the story. And not only does he see it all, he created, wrote, and perfected it all. How comforting is to know that the Creator of the universe, the King of Kings, our Savior, is the one in control? I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time so the idea of me trying to plan out my whole life and also live it at the same time is a joke. Thankfully, God is great at multi-tasking. That's why He's God and I'm not. He has written every one of ours stories and each is unique and special and filled with His grace and love.

When your heart's delight, joy, and fulfillment come from the Lord, your desires will be honoring to Him. You MUST find your contentment in Him before anything else. I still desire to be married, to have kids, to teach, to go to Africa. But you know what? It doesn't have to be today. I believe that each of those desires of mine are ones that God put on my heart and that one day, He will bless me with. But, there is a reason why I do not have those things right now. God knows I'm not ready for all of those things. Maybe I'm close, but not there yet. Right now, I am exactly...EXACTLY where God wants me to be. How do I know that? Well, it's impossible for me to be anywhere but where God wants me. Maybe God is making me wait to find my future husband because God is still working in and on the perfect man for me. And maybe, no definitely, God is still working in me so that I am exactly who my future husband needs me to be. God's timing isn't ever wrong, too late, or too soon. It is perfect. God wants me to enjoy and find contentment in where I am right now. There is beauty in it, there is joy, and there is growth.

So, if you're like me and feel like you are stuck somewhere between never and forever, trust me when I say that God is preparing you second by second, for the next second. He has not forgotten about you. He is not withholding something good from you because He's unloving. He is making you wait for what is great. Be strong, have courage, and wait on King Jesus.

Blessings In Disguise

"What if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise?"

-Laura Story 

For those of you who don't know me as well as others, here's something about me: I'm not your typical college girl. Yes, I look just like college girls in the 21st century in the South, but that's about it. Growing up, i had this idea of what every college girl was like. An idea of what I was going to be like when I finally made it to college. I had decided (in 6th grade) that I was going to go to Auburn University. I mean duh, I pretty much grew up there and dad wouldn't let me go anywhere else. No way. The home of the Auburn Tigers was where I would go. Once I got accepted, I just knew that I would get some scholarship money, major in Elementary Education, live in a dorm with the coolest most bestest roommate ever and become best friends, live the college life of meeting tons and tons of friends, going to fun parties, find an awesome church, and  meet a great guy who loved Disney, Auburn, and Jesus, date him for 4 years, and then get married after we both graduated. That was my plan, alright. Did it happen? HA, nope.

Here I am, half way through with college, now a junior, and my life is SO completely different than the idea I had in my mind growing up. First of all, no one tells you this but college is stinkin HARD. There's nothing easy about it-- the classes, the sleep, the homework, finding a job or church, finding good friends, meeting good guys, and more. Everything about it is hard. At least for me it was. It's a fun and exciting season of life, without a doubt, but it is also very challenging and you are bombarded with numerous demands, distractions, and requests from every direction. It can be overwhelming. Anyway, that was a rabbit trail i had no intention of chasing. Back to my point..

I am currently living at home (after one semester at Auburn, just ONE, I moved home) and am a junior at AUM. Yeah, even just that was something I had FORBIDDEN myself from ever doing. Moving home or going to any school but Auburn. Funny how that happens, right? I also haven't met my perfect Disney, Auburn, Jesus loving Prince Charming yet, either. I'm not meeting best college friends, left and right, like I had imagined. School still kicks my butt and steals my sleep and social life but it's okay. Who needs those anyways?? Just kidding i need them just like everyone else does. I spend my time at work, school, babysitting, and a church. Am I the lamest college student ever? Quite possibly. But that's 100% okay with me. I am content in this moment of life that is going by so so quickly. 

So what does "A Blessing In Disguise" have to do with my boring biography about my college life so far? Don't worry, I'll tell you. 

Everything that has gone "wrong" in my two years as a college student, turned out to be blessings. In the moment, I thought my life was falling apart, but it was really falling into place. God was putting my life together and I was too stubborn, prideful, and dramatic to see it. The One who knows my heart better than I do, is piecing my life together day by day, circumstance by circumstance, trial by trial. God is the One who created my heart, so He knows what is best for me, even more than I do. He knows what I was made for, where I excel, and where I serve and shine most. Since God knows me, He knew Auburn wasn't the place for me. And hey, I trust that. I won't argue with Him anymore about that. My parents made me come home from Auburn after my Fall 2013 semester because my grades weren't high enough, I hadn't found a job, and I was too distracted. They knew that if I continued at this rate, I would end up a homeless little 18 year old girl, with no money to my name and no education, making me dumber than a brick. Okay, maybe not that harsh, but you get the point, haha. I wasn't meeting my own expectations in college. I was going downhill and going FAST. When my parents packed up my things from my apartment in Auburn and filled my room at home with brown boxes higher than the Tower of Babel, I was FURIOUS. Oh my gracious I was so mad. I hated that they were taking away my school, my life, my freedom, my future. So i thought...

Turns out, this was exactly what God had in store for me. He knew when he created me that I was meant to be here, in Montgomery, at home. After being here for a year, I was given the opportunity and choice to move back to Auburn in January 2015 and finish school there. At first, I was set on going back. I had a second chance, HOORAY!! (I"m big on second chances by the way, but that's a different story, for a different day). I spent Christmas break preparing to go back, packing my boxes to move in with my 2 friends, registering for classes, etc. I was going back. Back to my dream life in Auburn. BUT God still knew that's not where I needed to be. I had this little feeling that I should stay. I just needed conformation from at least one friend. Easy, right? HECK no. Every friend told me they wanted me to go back. Yes, they would miss me here, but they knew Auburn was what I wanted, so I should go. UGH!! Not helping, guys. My heart knew what to do. I knew what I wanted. But I was doubting myself. I needed GOOD reason to stay. I prayed and prayed for clarity. Finally, God gave it to me. At first it was one or two little things that made me want to stay. I thought, "okay. The good things about Auburn are 1. it's away from home. 2. FOOTBALL. 3. I get to grow up and be an adult (YIKES). 4. I get to live with friends. 5. I have a higher chance of meeting my future husband (according to my own stats and reasoning)." But that was all. I had no other reasons. Those were all things I could do here also. I felt empty thinking about moving back. 

So, my decision was made. I was staying. My friends in Auburn understood and supported my decision. My friends here did too. God bless my friends. They are such treasures. So, I made the decision to stay in the Gump and finish school here. No looking back. Praying for no regrets. And you know what? My prayers were answered. I am SO happy here and do not regret that decision at all. God was faithful for me and kept pushing me in the right direction, no matter how hard I tried to steer the opposite way. Through my 2 years back at home, God keeps showing my confirmation and blessings for being here. These things (That i'm about to share) remind me that God is gracious. He is patient. He is in control. He is faithful. He knows me and has placed me, for now, in the place where I am joyful, content, and growing. I love it and I love Him. He is almighty and knows my heart more than any man, friend, or person ever can. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!!

Here are my confirmations and blessings God has given me along the way:

• My Church: I am so thankful God kept me here because I love my church more than I can express. The people, the teaching, the service opportunities, the body of Christ, and the level of worship I experience while there. I struggled to find a church in auburn that i liked. I moved around each and was so frustrated because nowhere seemed to be the right fit for me. Now, I am at a church where I learn so much about God every week. I have been given numerous opportunities to serve in the Children's Ministry, the church office, and currently in the Student Ministry. Guys, I love it. I get to teach sweet, precious 7th grade girls EVERY WEEK about King Jesus. I love them with all my heart and am so thankful I get to be their teacher. I am blessed by them and by my church. It is perfect for me.

  

  My sweet sunday school class. I Love them all!! 

  
  

  

  Our weekly Ultimate Frisbee Group on Saturday Mornings at Church! 

   
• My Job: I work in a toy store. Yep. A toy store. It's amazing. Even on slow days when 30 seconds seems like 4 hours, I love it. I never want to leave. I am a kid at heart. I love crayons and yoyo's and coloring books. I would be miserable doing anything else. God blessed me my first week back in Montgomery (a year and half ago) with the perfect job for me, for right now. Not only do I love the store, the toys, the atmosphere, and the customers, but I love the people there. I don't just have co-workers, I have friends. By friends I mean people who I hang out with outside of work, people who have become my closest friends, people who I make Frozen videos with ha!! How often does a college kid get a fun job they love AND people they love to work with too? Not often. In addition to my work friends, my boss and his family are blessings. Maybe that's weird?? but it's true. I have the most patient, understanding, and kind (with the occasional sass and picking-on-me-ness) boss ever. He has to be though cause with 5 girls working, he kinda wouldn't survive if he wasn't. My boss' sons are also two of my favorite people in the world. Seriously. And they're 12 and 9 years old. When i say I have never met such kind, loving, and fun boys in my life, I mean it. Their love for life, their laughter and tender hearts, and their eagerness to talk about the things that excite them, bring me so much joy. They come and tell me about their baseball games, their new LEGO sets, and everything in between. I have loved getting to know them over the past year and half and because of them, I hope that I have boys just like them one day. They are priceless and have my heart. God blessed me far more than I deserve with my job. He put me in retail, but with it, he gave me friends and people who will have a special place in my heart. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!!! 

  

  Our Job Is The Best!! 

  
  

  

  First Day At The New Store! 

  
  

  

  Sweet Josh. Always Makes Me Laugh! 

• My friends: Where would I be without them? God knew my life wasn't going to be easy so he gave me the people who I needed to make it through each day. Friends who remind of Jesus, who make me more like him, who lift me up. Sarah, Gary, Kimbrel, Sydney, Alea, Rachel, Martha, Christi, Natalie, Bekah, and my whole sunday sschool class + college Small group. These peeps are THE. BOMB. I could write 132186451 pages about them all. But I won't. Each one of these friends display some characteristic of Jesus to me. Some show me his courage, his kindness, patience, gentleness, love, and mercy. They all will tell me when I"m wrong, but don't stop there. They help me figure out what to do next and how to make decisions that are honoring to the Lord and are best for me. Sydney, Gary, Sarah, Kimbrel, Alea, and Natalie are the main reason I decided to stay here. They'll get mad at me when they read this and find out I stayed for them, but I don't care. Home is where the heart is, right? And mine is here, with them. When Gary and Sarah told me they were having another baby, I knew I wasn't moving away, I wasn't going to miss out on her life. Nothing in my heart wanted to miss that. Same with Kimbrel, my best 2 year old friend. My pal. My favorite little girl. She has this HUGE piece of my heart that I'm never getting back. If I had moved away, I would have missed her singing the ABC's and Frozen Songs. I would have missed laying on the trampline with her, looking at the clouds and talking about Disney World. I would have missed hearing her say "Look!! It's Karel!!" I would have missed all her sweet hugs and her joyous laugh. I would have missed going to gymnastics with her. I would have missed so much of her life. The little things that are big things to me. Her parents are my best friends and they are family.Staying here has been a blessing because I have been able to visit Sydney's classroom, watch dumb TV shows with her once a week, and go on shopping sprees at Target and Nancy's. These are little things but when they are done with the right people, they become big things. I would be lost without their encouragement. love, and devotion to me. They all bring laughter, excitement, and joy to this life of mine. They are my sunshine :) 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  

• The Montgomery Bus: This is weird but true. I ended up not having a car when I moved back to Montgomery, so to get to the job I love, I had to ride the Montgomery city bus, from AUM to Vaughn Road. I was dropped off outside a gas station at the bus stop, then had to time the traffic flow juuuuuust right in order to RUN ACROSS without getting run over. This was a challenge every day. I was embarrassed, to be honest. But I eventually (with the help of optimistic friends) was able to see this as a blessing as well. Being forced toe ride the sketchy, stinky bus gave me a new sense of adventure. How many college kids will get to tell their kids about the time they had to ride "that bus right there" to work every day AND run across one of the busiest streets while carrying  a purse and backpack that weighed more than I did?? This was a blessing that allowed me to not take myself so seriously, and find humor and adventure in something I did not plan on experiencing. Whenever I see that bus I wave a say, "Hey! There's my bus." I wouldn't want to go through that again, but it was a fun experience to have.

  

  God Bless My Dear Bus 

• Babysitting: I would be so sad to be away from my sweet families I have babysat for years. I had families i babysat for in Auburn, but those experiences always made me miss my families back home. I started babysitting the Stanley's when I was 12!! It's been 8 years!! They're more like my brothers and sisters than kids I babysit. My heart is so invested and made for people and children, so departing from them would be heart breaking. Since I am here, I have grown even closer to the Stanley's (and other families), have been at their baseball games, birthday parties, school events, recitals, and more. There has been so much of their lives that I would have missed out on, had I left. And I know that God kept me here for a reason, and this is just one. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

SO, all this to say--when your plan for life doesn't go as planned, take a minute to try and see God's role in it. He is taking something away to replace with something better. He knows you and your heart and your abilities more than anyone, so trust Him even in the confusion, the unknown, and the change. He will lead you where you will are meant to be, just let go and let Him guide you. 

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

Forgiveness

"Love keeps no record of wrong." 

1 Corinthians 13:5

Forgiveness is a big deal. I had the opportunity to teach my 7th grade girls the importance of this topic in Sunday school and it was one of the most powerful and crucial lessons I can ever teach. Why is that? Well, I'll tell you. 

Forgiveness is something that we choose to give or choose to keep to ourselves. FOR we choose to GIVE it. It is a gift that we give to others who hurt us. I know this sounds simple, but it is one of the hardest things for all people to do. When we are hurt by friends, family, bosses, employees, etc. we go through pain, anger, and confusion. Relationships are built with the people in our lives over the course of time and with that, trust is built. It is MUCH harder to build trust than it is to break it. Here's an analogy.

Think of blocks. Little kids love building super cool, high towers out of colorful blocks and LEGOS. They spend hours upon hours creating their masterpieces. The finished product takes time, dedication, and hard work. But, when the tall tower is built, it is a beautiful creation. However, there are times when the super awesome tower gets knocked down. It takes hours of planning and carefulness to build, but only one tiny bump, pull, or push to knock the whole thing down. It is now in pieces on the floor, totally destroyed. How heart breaking is that for a little kid? I can tell you that it devastates children!! All of their hard work and dedication was beautiful for a moment, but then it was crushed and broken. They have the choice to give up and leave it in pieces on the floor, or they can choose to take a deep breath and start over. Rebuild the masterpiece. Make it beautiful again. 

Trust is the same way. As relationships and friendships are carefully and slowly built over time, trust is also built. Trust is what allows us to tell another person secrets, share our hopes and dreams, go to for comfort or excitement. Trust binds our friendships together. When trust is lost, the friendship eventually falls apart. HI think everyone has experienced this at one point in life. I have numerous times and every time it has been difficult, painful, and heart breaking. BUT, there is hope. There is a way to piece back together the brokenness. And it is called forgiveness. 

This is such a real thing, y'all. Forgiveness heals and renews relationship more than anything else can. The reason we think forgiveness is so hard and why we struggle to either give other people forgiveness or ask for it is because we are prideful. Our pride tells us, "No, They do not deserve my forgiveness. They hurt me and there is no way they can repay me for that." Or we say, "I am not in the wrong. I will not ask for forgiveness. They are the ones who should be begging for mine." You may not be in the wrong, but that doesn't matter. Forgive them even if they are not sorry. Show them kindness. Show them love. Show them that second chances are possible and that forgiveness is a powerful thing. Overcome the pride that Satan is using to destroy you and others by showing kindness to the ones who hurt you the most. 

I'm saying this from experience. More like multiple experiences. I have had parents who have hurt me, siblings, friends, boyfriends, and even strangers. I've had boyfriends who broke my heart. I had a friend of several years who I was very close to who also hurt me. There are times where I can shake stuff off and move on, but this was different. It seemed like these people grabbed onto my heart only with the intention to destroy it. I know that sounds dramatic but just go with it.

 They hurt me more than I thought was possible. I felt so much anger towards them and that anger didn't go away with time. I thought it would but it did not. The anger was less often and not as intense, but it was still very much there. I thought advice from others would help but it didn't fix the problem. I though pretending they didn't exist would help, but that didn't either. I prayed so hard and so often that God would make my anger go away. . I thought he wasn't listening but He was (as always). He was telling me that I did not need to wait for THEIR forgiveness but that I needed to give it to them. Out of these 3 people, only one guy asked for my forgiveness, genuinely, humbly, and immediately. The other two never even said sorry. That made me mad, but then God reminded me again that it was my turn to humble myself and give them forgiveness even if they weren't sorry. And you know what? That was the cure. That was the thing that healed my heart and took my anger away. Now, it was not immediate, but every day my heart changed and the bitterness went away. These people who used to make me cry when I saw them or get super angry when they were around, are now people who I can look at and see a son or daughter of God. They are no longer the guys who broke my heart or the girl who betrayed me and ruined our friendship. They are my brothers and sisters in Christ and because of forgiveness, I can see them as that. 

I'm not telling you this because I'm a master at forgiving the people who have hurt me. God has shown me how to forgive and He will continue to do so until I breathe my last breath and meet Him. We cannot control what others do to us, but we can control our reaction. We can choose to forgive them or get revenge on them. We can choose to get pay pack or we can offer them grace and kindness. Your reaction will minister to them, so make sure you are responding the way Jesus did. You may want payback, but remember that you are also a sinner. You will also hurt someone. When that happens, you will want to be forgiven, not ignored and hated. Not everyone will forgive you or ask for forgiveness but you can. Your heart is changed through the process and it will forever change your view of others. Jesus forgave us for every single sin we will commit in the past, present, and future. Every sinful thing we do (which is SO MANY A DAY), we are forgiven. No man can hurt us like we have hurt King Jesus. No man can sin against us as much or as often as we sin against King Jesus. So, when you have been hurt, forgive others. Forget pay back and remember that you have been paid for by Jesus' blood.

To end with, so y'all understand where I"m coming from, my heart is big, like it's huge. It's  a great thing and i love it, but is also means that I am more likely to trust others and get hurt. I feel everything, from every person very deeply. I have learned that because God has made me this way, I have to learn how to deal with the many occasions and people who hurt me. Thankfully, God has shown me the power of forgiveness through his Son, Jesus. He can show you too, you just need to ask him. Forgiveness is hard ,but not impossible. 

Ephesians 4:32 

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you."

Kimbrel's 2nd Birthday!

Donuts Donuts and More Donuts! 

For Kimbrel's 2nd birthday, all she wanted was donuts. Yep, donuts. She loves those things more than anyone I know. So, her mom and dad planned her birthday party at Krispy Kreme! Yummm. She had lots of fun. It was a fun day to celebrate her second year of life! Her friends and family were all there to spend the day with her. AND we got some delicious donuts. Everyone who knows Kimbrel loves her and her joyful personality. Her party made her smile, laugh, and so so happy! She had a great time.  
I love being 'Aunt Karel' and being able to have some many memories with Kimbrel. She has brought so much joy to my life and I know she will for years to come! I love you Kbaby. 

Happy Birthday, Kimbrel Jones!! You are very loved. I can't wait to see you grow up and see what the next year of life holds for you! 

The Eyes of Jesus

Photocreds to Alea Bostic

Lately I have been learning more about people (the ones who drive me nuts and the ones who don't). I've caught myself judging people who I know or don't know at all. We all judge others, it's part of our sinful nature. But that doesn't mean its okay. I've been trying to figure out how to change the way I view people who aren't like me, who are "fake" (as we call it), or who I don't agree with. I also teach Sunday School to 7th grade girls and this topic of judging comes up almost every week. Girls judge HARD. We basically do it in our sleep, its terrible. Anyways, through prayer, studying, and reading Scripture, God eventually gave me a solution as to how to stop judging others. And it's simple...look at people through the eyes of Jesus.  

We judge people because we are prideful and think we are better than them. We think our way is the best way and our lives are the perfect examples of how to live. So, when we come across someone who has different beliefs, interests, and sins, we judge them. Can you believe we do that? We put a label on someone because they sin differently than we do. Sin is sin, y'all. Your sin isn't better or worse than mine. Sin is all together evil and bad. So don't ignore someone, judge them, or view them badly because they fell into a different sin than you did. 

Back to the point, we, as sinners, judge people because they are living their lives differently than we are. For example, I may judge a girl as being "fake" because she acts one way at church and another way everywhere else. Maybe she does, but that doesn't give me the right or authority to judge her. That's God's job, not mine. We are wasting our time and lives by judging others. It cause us to show hatred, exclusion, and hypocrisy to the world. That needs to change in my opinion. So, let's look at Jesus and how He handled every encounter with people who were different than him. 

Jesus, the only human whose way truly was the best way and whose life really was the perfect example, had more compassion, kindness, and love towards others. He had every right to be prideful and shun others and make them feel useless and wrong, But he didn't. That's the important thing; Jesus could have responded to others however he wanted, he could have judged them right then and there. However, he responded with love and kindness and compassion. The verse in Matthew 9 says, 

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

King Jesus had compassion on sinners. He had compassion on people who didn't deserve it. And he does the same for us. Mathew 9 is full of stories of Jesus' miracles, and it shows how he healed people who were in need of compassion. There were people like the lepers that Jesus showed love to. Everyone else shunned them, shuttered at the sight of them, and left them on their own. But Jesus embraced them, without a second thought. He viewed the 'different' and dirty and sinful people as people who were in need of love and compassion. Like the verse says, He viewed them as helpless sheep in need of a shepherd (9:36). This is how we should view EVERYONE. Wait, you mean just the people who we want, right? Just the people who aren't totally hopeless, right? Just the men and women who won't drag us down or make us look bad, right? Wrong-o! I mean everyone. Every single boy, girl, man, or woman we see. View them as someone who is lost and in need of a shepherd.

Jesus has demonstrated how to guide people and be a shepherd to them. Jesus is our perfect shepherd, but we are called to follow in his foot steps. We need to look at people and not see them as a lost cause or a bad person, but as a living, breathing human being who God created. They are just like us. Treat every person as an opportunity to show Jesus' light to and share His love with. Jesus wouldn't look at the girl who I label as fake, as that. He would view her as God's beautiful creation who is in need of a shepherd and a friend. We all are in need of Jesus' guidance, friendship, and compassion.  If we can make ourselves look at the good in others, we will begin to treat them better and as a result, minister to them. They will see Jesus. God is glorified when we show the world the light of His perfect Son. 

I love how Jesus didn't shy away from the sick, the broken, and the lost. He embraced them as his own. He took the worst of men, like Saul, and because he showed  them compassion and love, they were changed. Saul became Paul, who was one of Jesus's greatest ambassadors, followers, and missionaries. Ask God for compassion like Jesus had. Ask him for Jesus' gentleness and mercy. Ask him to soften your heart for the lost people in the world.  If our perfect and sinless King Jesus could have compassion on the most sinful people in the world (like us), then we absolutely can. Through His power, we can see the world through the eyes of Jesus. 

Saying Bye Bye to Junk Food

Some people have a special bond, loyalty, and love for their family dog, their kids, their job, etc. Well, I'm the same way except with junk food. Yep. Junk food. I spend a lot of my money on food and spend a lot of my time going to get it.  I've basically been in committed and very serious relationship with my food. My personal favorite food spots are Zaxbys, Moes, Arbys, and anything pizza. Totally healthy right? Nope. I got brainwashed and convinced myself that all this bad food wasn't that bad for me and besides, I've got a fast metabolism AND I eat like a bird. So even though I wasn't eating healthy foods, I wasn't eating much so therefore (in my mind), it wasn't too unhealthy and I won't gain weight from it like most people do. True that I haven't gained weight, but false that it's healthy. Here's why...

I have a friend at school who is majoring in nutrition and she was telling me the other day how yes I"m skinny, but skinny doesn't mean healthy. Hmm. I guess that is true. She told me that even though I can't see any affects now, one day my metabolism may slow down and I'll gain a ton of weight and have cholesterol probs. That FREAKED me out. First of all, if I keep eating like this I'll be big enough to have my own TLC show called "Karel: The Real Life Barrel" or something like that. And secondly, cholesterol problems are super bad and can lead to more serious issues. I didn't ever think of it that way. My daily diet (during the school year) consisted of a breakfast bar and coffee, crackers for snack some days, a burger and coke for lunch, and usually pizza, Moe's, or nothing for dinner. I snack a lot, especially when I'm busy with school, work, and babysitting from 8am to 10pm. Being busy and "a poor college student" is no excuse for me to eat the way I do. Yeah, I don't gain weight right now from eating like I do, but one day I can. Eating lots of processed, greasy, fried, and sugary foods in addition to caffeine will definitely catch up to me later. It already makes me (and most people) feel gross, tired, out of energy, and sometimes bloated. A lot of the time I eat a burger or Moe's and regret it as soon as I take the last bite, but i keep going back!! I'm a girl who needs to get life together like goodness. That being said, I now have a plan to get my eating  back on track and healthy. 

Every Sunday afternoon, I will plan out my meals (lunch and dinner) to take with me to school, work, etc. I will cook Monday's meals on Sunday since it is the only free time I have most weeks. If there are ingredients I want but don't have at home, I'll use Sundays to hit up Walmart and buy them. Speaking of ingredients, here are some healthy and mostly tasty ingredients to look for:

-greens (spinach, celery, salad, pesto, cucumbers)

-whole wheat / multi grain breads

-fruits

-veggies (tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, etc)

-protein (Turkey, chicken, ham)

-peanuts, almonds, cashews

-water water water

-fruit juice

-peanut butter

-cheese (cheddar, pepperjack)

-whole wheat noodles

-pretzels

-hummus and wheat thins

-eggs

- soup

So, there's some basics that you can cook a lot of different dishes with. You can make spaghetti, grilled cheese, noodles and veggies, home made mac and cheese (SO GOOD), soups, salads, and alot more but my brain isn't working right now, so i'll add more later. But here are couple meals i made today! 

Home made mac n cheese

This was pretty easy to make- it just takes some time. Here's how:

1. Get any kind of noodles you want (whole wheat is best) and use the whole box.

2. Get a pot (big enough for about 4-5 cups of milk to fit in)

3. Pour 4 cups of milk into the pot then pour the noodles.

4. Make sure the milk covers all noodles. If not, add more milk.

5. Bring the pot to a boil so the noodles will cook and eventually absorb all the milk. Turn it down to about 7 or 8 once the milk starts to be absrobed.

6. Stir until the milk is almost all gone. 

7. When there's about half an inch of milk left, add some butter, shredded cheddar, mozzarella, and american cheese into the pot. 

8. Stir until all the cheese and milk is melted. 

9. Add some pepper or salt to give more flavor and you're done!! 

This tastes really good, to me at least, and its way better for you than EasyMac. Try it out and I'm sure you'll be impressed! 

This is a super duper yummy and healthy grilled cheese.

 

All you need are tomatoes, cheese, whole wheat bread, spinach, turkey, and a stove. 

1. I cut up turkey, fresh spinach, tomatoes, and cheese.

2. I put some turkey on the bread

3. covered the turkey with cheese

4. put the chopped spinach on the cheese

5. then place a tomato and some cheese on the top

6. Put the last piece of bread on the top of the sandwich

7. put the sandwich on a pan (with butter so it won't burn!!) 

8. Turn the stove on to medium heat (6-7 on my stove) and cook the bottom first

9. after about 20 seconds check and make sure its not burning.

10. if the bottom is nice and grilled, flip it over and cook the top.

11. I press down on the sandwich with my spatula to melt it all better and to make it more compressed,

12. Once both sides are a little brown (Mine got a little burned--sorry :/ ) then you're ready to eat!! 

I hope this encourages my fellow fast food lovers to rethink your diet and try to eat food that's better for your body!! If I can do it, anyone can. 

Bon appetite! 

Trip to the Montgomery Zoo

"We love the zoo, yes we do. We love the zoo, how about you?"

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon to take a trip to the zoo with JJ, Hayes,and Cameron Stanley. We rode the train, fed the birds, played with goats, and looked at the giraffes, elephants, monkeys, alligators, and bears. The kids (and I) had a great time! We will have to go back more often!