Oh, Mary..

Excuse the late night study "selfie", please...

Tonight, I had the privilege of attending RUF (Reformed University Fellowship). We were presented a "sermon" or lesson over the story of Jesus' birth. It was a much different approach than any I had ever heard before.

The part that sticks out the most in my mind, though, is that of Mary. Having been thru all that comes with pregnancy (teenage pregnancy might I add), the nastiness (truth hurts) of labor and the struggle of a newborn.. my heart literally, truly, utterly aches for sweet, innocent Mary.

I honestly cannot fathom the thought of literally being told that I would be with child knowing I was a virgin. I cannot fathom the thought of traveling to a crowded inn to have my child.. and then being thrown into a stable to do such a thing as labor? Are you kidding? With stinky, nasty animals surrounding me? Cannot fathom the nervousness and anxiousness that Mary must have felt to know that her newborn would be a Savior to all of the people, as it is written in Luke. All moms are rather biased to their children... but really? You're telling me that I am to birth the One who will save THE people, like my people, your people.. ALL THE people. Whoa, angel, whoa. Not me. (see, just wouldn't rock with me)

But, oh.... blessed Mary...

It is just an amazing story that God literally came down in the flesh as the Savior Jesus Christ and CHOSE to be born the way He was--the beauty of the mess...in the filthiness of a stable outside of a crowded inn, child of a scared, timid, young virgin....


Oh, Mary... Bless you.

Destiny... More than a wife.

Before beginning my college journey, about a month ago, I stumbled across an article written by a woman entitled "67 things I wish I had known at 18"... I, being the curious, random person that I am just had to read this article, especially since I am 18 (how perfect, right? maybe this article will help me figure everything out! Ha!)

Let me just briefly say, the quick tips on those 67 lines were beyond helpful and most certainly true and I am thankful that I just happened to find it, right in the middle of my 18th year. However, tonight, as I just read back thru the 67 things, I had to stop at number 31: "you are destined to be more than someone's wife. act like it." Wow. Whether we like to admit or not, as teenage girls walking a college campus, the one thing constantly running thru our minds is that one cute guy in our Economics class or the one reallyyyyy cute guy that we just caught looking at us for more than five seconds from across the cafeteria... but I worry sometimes that we, as girls, (myself included) get all too carried away stressing over our relationship with a significant other. I mean, after all we are destined to be something on our own, too, right? I hope to one day land a career in the field of Marketing... that is what I am destined to be, right? I want to have a family of my own... I am destined to be a mom, right? I want to travel the world.. that, too, is part of my destiny, right?

I am so thankful that both of my parents have encouraged and pushed me to "make-do" and do certain things on my own as well as make sure that I get a career of my own so that I will one day be able to provide for myself and my family on my own without a "husband." What if I don't get married? What if the guy that God chooses for me gets deathly ill and can no longer provide for the needs of our family? What if one day the man whom I love with everything in me decides to up and walk away, for whatever reason? This day and time, if there is one thing for certain: it is the uncertain. No one ever knows what tomorrow may bring our way.

Though it probably is in our destiny to one day make someone a happy man and become his wife.. I truly hope that we college girls can look over that one tiny glimpse into the future and focus on all of the other things that life brings our way, too.

One of my favorite authors wrote this, "There are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane, sometimes they barely fan one's cheek. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do, a future that is impossible to ignore."

Though we may not always be able to ignore that really handsome football player in the library or the cute frat boy in the business hall, we must wait on our own destiny to arrive and be as it may--a wife, a school teacher, sunday school teacher, mom or all of the above... It will blow and then, we will know.. destiny...


Bless you!
Elizabeth

more than sideways ponytails... priorities

So much has changed in the past year... As I sit back and look at my Instagram posts over the course of the last 50-60 weeks.. It amazes me. My daddy has always said things like "it will be gone before you know it." or "your priorities will soon change." and like any teenage girl.. My, how it all goes in one ear and out of the other.. But, over time, I've learned... he is so right.

PRIORITIES? Yeah... Right. About those... 

Middle school: my priorities, in no particular order were as follows.... making sure my high, sideways, (so unattractive) ponytail was fixed just right, making sure my jeans were just long enough to cover my sperrys, texting my friends to make sure we wore the same tshirt on the same day at least once every single week (oh and the sleeves were rolled up twice on each arm), and finally, being the biggest teacher's pet I could possibly be. 

High school: priorities to me were arriving to school fashionably late just to be "cool"; making sure I had a seat in the student section at home football games; having at least one "rough" day a week at school and by rough, I mean like swear pants, hair tied chilling with no make-up on type of rough; joining all the clubs I could possibly join; worrying about quanity of friends rather than quality; and finally, making sure that no matter what happened, there was some boy at my fingertips.

And now, beginning of college.... 

Instead of the high sideways ponytail, it is now the high, Kim K ponytail or a high "sock bun". 

It is making sure to have Chaco sandals to walk campus in rather than sperrys. 

Instead of teacher's pet, I just get teachers' email for emergencies, but only for emergencies! Or questions... Maybe they may sometimes constitute as an emergency. 

You better hope you're not late to class, actually it should be a priority to get there exactly on time or you just might miss that Old Testament quiz that is given the first five minutes of class... 

The one rough day has suddenly turned into a priority of just getting up and putting on powder at least every day, maybe. (A girl can dream, right?) 

It is having few quality friends, quality relationships rather than 20 million that mean nothing. 

Lastly, boys are just friends at this point and having just some boy is no longer "cool" but rather waiting on the right one Friendship, with everyone, is such a priority and that I hope it stays.. Nothing more, nothing less.

I think however, the biggest priority, all throughout the years is to get yourself together and keep yourself together... The high ponytails will come and go, the friends will come and then leave, teachers change like the wind, shoes go out of style... But you and me... We stay the same. We are still us at the end of the day, and that "us" should be the best it could possibly be.. 

One of my favorite quotes ever reads, "whatever you are, be a good one." Priorities, my friends, priorities... 

He's surely alive!

As long as today has felt (it really hasn't been that long--I was out of class at 12!), but as long as it has felt, I have to reflect on the hour or so of quiet time that I did have to chill out in my best friend's room and watch God's Not Dead. How inspiring.

Truly, I mean, if you, me, whoever were all in a classroom like that where on the first day we were told to confess in writing that God is in fact dead or prove otherwise... what would we do? Stand up to the professor and prove his wrong way of thinking? Spend way too many hours researching in order to prove scientists' theory wrong? "Break-up" with a special someone because they didn't agree with or go along with your attempt to prove faith over philosophy? Teach the class your findings on faith rather than the teacher teaching against faith?

Quite frankly, I wish all of us could easily answer yes, yes and yes to all of those questions, but in all honestly.... no, we probably wouldn't stand up to our professor (are you kidding, really? stand up to a professor? no way! at least not *out loud* in front of the class, on the *very first* day of class) We also wouldn't stay up later and ditch other classes homework just to research for the sake of proving that God is in fact alive. As college students, just like Josh in the movie, I bet 9 out of 10 of us would most certainly not leave a significant other just because of this one disagreement, not like he did anyway at the first sign of unlikeness. Finally, as meek, nervous college freshman we dang sure don't plan on teaching the class how or what we think! (i came here to be taught, not to teach!)

Okay... so what if we did do all of those things.... even as hard as it would be... to stand up, possibly risking admission into law school like Josh.... what a wonderful sight that would be. The truth is, both me and you alike, as Christians are called to be bold. 1 Corinthians 13:16 says this, "be on your guard. stand firm in the faith. be brave be strong."

Be bold. - GODS NOT DEAD!

Thankful for the New

Today, as the second day of class, I am just still continuously thankful. I am thankful for the new experiences, new friends, new teachers, and new environment. After tonight, however, I think I am most thankful for true, both new and old, friends. I had the privilege of driving over to Miledgvile, GA at GSCU to hang out with both new and old friends. I am just thankful that though me and my "old friends" have moved to college, we can still stay in touch and make surprising visits to one another; also thankful that while doing so we introduce one another to new friends, as well. t is exciting to face the coming days, events and years here at Mercer University in Macon with all of my friends. Ironic as it may be, Helen Keller once said, "I would rather walk with a friend through the dark than alone in the light."