Changes

Life never is quite what it seems.

I try to figure things out, I think I know what I'm doing, I'm happy where I am... and then everything changes.

However, it can never really change for the worse, because I always find something good within all the chaos.

"Reflecting now on how things could have been, it was worth it in the end." That line from Daughtry's new song repeats in my head every time I hear it. It could not be more true. Despite how things might have ended up, despite what could have happened... the time and memories spent in a certain season of life are worth it, one hundred percent. Worth the pain, the tears, and the heartache of losing someone.

The past year and a half of my life have been filled up with a certain person, and now that person is gone; but I do not regret the days I spent with him, the depths I have opened up to him, and the thoughts I committed to him. I learned a lot from being in a serious relationship, and though I ended up not wanting to be with him, I'm glad we had the time together that we did.

I learn every day. I learn how to be a better person, I learn how to dedicate myself to my loved ones, I learn how to get to Ridgmar Mall... I learn something that will help me for the rest of my life. Reflecting now on how things could've been, it was worth it in the end.

Seventeen Things

This is just a random list of seventeen things I've learned in life; I thought it was fitting, considering I've just reached my seventeenth birthday. Enjoy :)

17. Always think long and hard before you drastically cut, dye, or perm your hair. Think about every possible thing you could ever think of. And then, don't do it.

16. You can always rely on your mother. She will be there above and beyond any friend or other family member, guaranteed.

15. If you just got $700 in birthday money, don't go directly to the mall. Think before you buy.

14. A job is a huge responsibility, and its not suitable to be mixed with a full time high school career, unless you absolutely need the money.

13. Talk about the important stuff with your friends. Don't text it, that will never end up like you planned. Unless you planned on catastrophe.

12. It's okay if someone doesn't like you. Don't do everything you can to gain full acceptance from everyone.

11. The bad boys are oh-so-enticing, and oh-so-quasi charming, but they are a NO; you will not change them or affect them no matter what the movies say. Life isn't Grease or High School Musical. They are going to remain a bad boy and they are never going to fall in love with you.

10. Don't ever text or call a guy first. It is completely his initiative, and that's how you'll know he really cares.

9. Don't ever betray your true friends. And you'll know who your true friends are when you do have that moment of weakness, and betray them, and over time they still remain your friend.

8. Being surrounded by and having love and joy outweigh all the money and material things in the world by a ton.

7. Don't over plan your life. Take it as it comes; it is unlikely that you will marry the boy you started dating when you were 15, but what is meant to be will work out eventually. Don't miss out on life by betting every dime on one dream that could be years away. Life is too precious to not live for the day you have.

6. Spend a lot of time with your friends; spend time giggling and talking about and getting into stuff you probably shouldn't. Ride the tallest rollercoaster 8 times in a row. Life is meant to be enjoyed.

5. Things don't always work out the way you planned. In fact, they hardly ever do.

4. Be heartbroken. Accept it. Eat chocolate and listen to Taylor Swift. You will look back one day and laugh, and realize how much he wasn't worth it.

3. Make the best decision you possibly can. Even if not a single soul in the world understands, do what is best for you. Don't live to please everybody around you. The best decision is probably not the easiest one either-- if it were, it probably wouldn't be a "decision".

2. White lines in the middle of the road mean "One-Way". And the people honking also let you know.

1. God is in complete control. This life really is all about Him.

All You Need is Love

Love, love is all you need...

...The Beatles peacefully serenaded these lyrics to me during my car ride the other morning. This is a song I've heard time and time again, but this particular morning I decided to be a deep, theological thinker. I imagined the world if love is all we needed, and we all realized that, because if it was a necessity it was what we would strive for, like I strive for making it to lunchtime or sleeping a decent amount, or even communication. Those are necessities, and therefore i do everything in my power to pursue these things and more. What if I loved as much as I spoke?

And what is love? According to Webster, love is classified as a noun AND a verb. The noun "love" consists of mainly shallow, romantic, or sexual definitions. The verb "to love" deals more with the act of feeling affection towards a person or caring for another. I personally favor the verb form, because that means love results in a behavior. Love is evident, and you shouldn't have to guess if someone loves you or not.

God defines love as patient, kind, unselfish, non-boastful and completely absent of pride and jealousy. He tells us that if we love correctly it will never fail. It covers just about every aspect of our internal sin. God IS love. He SHOWED us His love not only on the cross but even by creating us as choosing us. He SHOWS us His love by continuously blessing us and giving us grace abundantly. He is acting on His love.


If all I needed was love, I could forgive some people for things they have done to me because love doesn't keep a record of wrongs.
If all I needed was love, I wouldn't continuously let my circumstances affect me, because I always have an unchanging God who loves me.
If all I needed was love, I wouldn't hurt those who are close to me because love isn't easily angered or rude.
If all I needed was love, I would be able to show more people who God is because loving our neighbor is one of the greatest commandments.
If all I needed was love, I would care more about other people than I cared about myself, because love is not self-seeking.
& I could go on for days...


What if we all showed evidence of love to everyone in our lives? What if we strived to love as much as we strived to think, or talk, or sleep, or eat, or whatever else we consider a necessity? We obviously have a need to be loved. But where is our need to love? John Lennon did have one thing wrong-- it's not exactly easy.

So I'm going to be intentional about this. It seems so simple and cliche, but I don't think humankind will ever get this quite right, but its worth a shot.