oliviaharmony

Not Posting About It.

Posted on June 28, 2015 by oliviaharmony

Yes, we all have our opinions. Yes, we all have our beliefs. Yes, we are entitled to believe what we want to believe. I agree.

Something that I really don’t agree with is all the posts that I am seeing on social media. Whenever a big issue arises there is usually two sides to an argument that has to be made as soon as people hear about it. We expect that to happen. Then we can always expect long paragraphs of personal or popular opinions on our friends’ social media profiles. We can almost predict the time that it will be posted too.

Today, I have something to say about all of these issues and debates that are happening right now. What I have to say is very different from everything you may be hearing right now. It is simply this:

We don’t need to post our page-long, controversial opinions on social media. It is not going to help your cause.

When you put something out there, people can usually see your motives and why you posted it. I’m not saying that we should be completely silent on our social media pages. Our social media pages can reflect who we are and what we believe in. But to always have to start an argument or controversy online is a hassle and takes up a lot of time and strife in a day. It can actually become a burden as you read comments of hate and brokenness fill up your social media feeds.

When an issue arises in the media and in our world, we all form an opinion and idea of what is happening and what should be happening. But here is my question: If your opinion is that strong about something, are you only going to go so far as to post a long sermon about it online rather than to live out what you believe?

The reason I ask this is because I see so many people get courageous online. We’ve known about the cyber-bullying that goes on when people feel the power to write whatever they want online because its not a face to face conversation. I see the similarities between those situations and how we pose our opinions online with issues today. And it is not just students and young people, there are adults that post very freely online as well. We know that when we have a strong opinion and we post it out there, it will make people angry and upset. Like I said, your motives behind your posts are clear as day! But what I want to know, is if you really believe what you say enough to live it out.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I always try to be careful about what I post online because I know who I am representing. I want to represent Christ well because I believe in Him and what an awesome Savior He is. He loves me and died for me and so I live for Him. And as a believer, I believe that in the end, it won’t matter who I pleased on this earth or on my social media. It will all come down to how God saw me live my life. And as I post things online, that is what I try to keep in mind.

There is also power in what you don’t post online. Your opinions can only go so far without facts and proof. Are your opinions creating controvsery and anger amongst others? Because if what we are shouting from the rooftops is all about “love”, how is making others angry pointing to love? Is that what love is?

I’ve thought a lot about this over the past few days and all I have to say is that it all comes down to how you love. Life is short and the moments you waste on social media commenting hateful things on people’s statuses and tweets only suck up the time you have left each day. Today, why not just set your phone down and enjoy the people around you? Be thankful for the love you’ve received, never take advantage of it. Show this love to someone else. Then change can happen. Then people can come together. Debates never bring people together in situations like this. Love does.

If you are someone who reads the Bible, I bet you’ve heard this verse before:

James 1:19: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”

I hope that even if you don’t read the Bible or don’t have a relationship with God, that those words are inspiring to you. We can all learn from these words. Listening is important for loving others. Because before we speak, we should know what we are talking about. Don’t let anger creep in so easily. I believe that anger often wastes our time because we get too upset over things that we may not know enough about. Listen to people. Get together with them and hear them out. Don’t base your judgment on a single social media post. Don’t let your anger pour out into your social media posts either. There is often more power in your silence than in the words you want to say.

Thanks for reading this post about not posting. I know that it is a little ironic, but social media is a powerful tool to spread word of something. Let’s encourage each other to use this tool for good and not let is tear us apart. It is not the issues that tear us apart. Quite frankly, with all the issues going on in this world, they have a way of bringing people together when people rise to the occasion. But when we go rambling about issues that we think we know best about online with bad motives, we can add more issues on top of everything else going on.

Long story short: LOVE.

Enter In And Go OUT.

Posted on June 13, 2015 by oliviaharmony

Worship is such a big word. It holds so much within it. Think about the many ways that we can worship. In song, in prayer, through serving, through obeying God… Worship is not just a song being sung by a worship leader. It is how we live our lives.

When we sing songs in church or at summer camp or a retreat, we love the songs and the feeling we get when we are worshiping with others. We are in a safe place. We are in a building protected by the four walls around us, dedicated to making a place for us to freely worship. So often those walls become real in our lives. So often we forget the freedom in worship and create a box for our worship. We limit our worship to those walls that we call church and to those places where God is the normal thing to talk about.

I want to see something different. I want to see worship walking around the streets of our cities and our communities. I want to see our hearts displayed for all to see. They are displayed in everything we do. And if Jesus is in our hearts, we have an opportunity to show everyone just how great He is.

He deserves our worship. He deserves so much more than we could ever give. We know of what He has done yet there is so much more that He has done, is doing, and is going to do FOR us that we don’t even know about. Everything He does is FOR us. He never wants to harm us but is always looking out for us. He loves us with a love that we don’t fully understand. Because if we understood that love, we would never stray. If we were fully aware of how deep the Father’s love is for us, we wouldn’t go looking for it in other things.

Dig deep in His love. Worship Him for that love. Worship Him even when it doesn’t feel like there is anything to be thankful for. God is always doing good and has been doing good in your life since before time began. There are so many reasons to worship Him.

I want to encourage you to step out of the box with your worship. Don’t limit it to a song. But take that song and share it with others. Make this “song” catchy so that its stuck in people’s heads.

Worship is when you take what has happened in the church out the doors. If you are just lifting your hands and singing in there, you are putting your faith in a box. Yes, that can even happen to regular church-goers. It can become routine. It’s easy to save your worship just for a Sunday morning. Don’t. Take it with you when you walk out the church doors. Bring it everywhere you go. Let this fire you have in your worship be contagious. Spread His LOVE to the nations through the small and big ways you can worship God with your life.

Worship. Even when it doesn’t feel like there is anything to praise Him for, we can ALWAYS worship Him for His unfailing love.

When It’s Hard To Hear His Voice.

Posted on May 24, 2015 by oliviaharmony

Have you ever prayed for something for a long time and didn’t hear a clear answer on what you should do? Have you ever felt like God was distant? Or that your prayers are just words disappearing into thin air? Has it been hard lately to hear His voice?

In my life, God has spoken to me in different ways. I have felt His voice in my dreams, in visions, through people, in His word, and many times during musical worship. He always shows up in different ways. And I have found that the moments that I heard Him were the moments that I was focusing my life on seeking Him. That is when we can hear His voice. When we are pursuing His presence and His power. If we aren’t, we get distracted by all the other voices talking into our ears. How can we tell those voices apart when we are paying more attention to the voices of this world?

I have this devotional that was published in 1962 by an author named Eugenia Price. For May 23, she writes about the darkness that we may be engulfed in that keeps us away from God.

We can either be chasing darkness or God’s light. God’s light is always there, darkness cannot overpower the light. Light breaks through the darkness. But sometimes, we can turn our backs to the light and pretend it’s not there. We may be intrigued and interested in the mystery of the darkness. It may not hold good things, but we walk further and further away from the light to explore the darkness.

Maybe the reason that we can’t hear God’s voice is because something in your life is casting a shadow. What is standing in the way of His light in your life? We have to get rid of that something. There can’t be any distractions. We can hear voices all around us everyday telling us to do this and do that. Focus on Jesus and you will find His voice.

John 1:5- The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Touch The Sky.

Posted on May 7, 2015 by oliviaharmony

These words have hit me this week:

“I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground.”

Those words are from a song called “Touch The Sky” by Hillsong United. They mean so much for you and me if we choose to follow Jesus. In today’s culture, everyone sees surrender as a bad thing. It’s seen as a weakness. But as these lyrics sink deep in me, it reminds me of the freedom I have in Christ. Yes, I do surrender my life to Him but that is why I am free.

We are either slave to sin or to righteousness. We can live in the ways of the world and we can be trapped. We get hurt, we get lost, we get addicted, and we get weary with everything life throws at us. As a Christ follower, I decided a few years ago to completely surrender my life to the One who gave it all for me. I lay myself down for a better purpose and a better life. Now I am living a life that is surrounded by an everlasting love. He is my protecter, my friend, my Father. God broke off those chains that the world so happily locked on my wrists. Now I run free in the grace of God, living a life for a beautiful purpose of growing closer to Him.

That is what He wants. A relationship with you and me. He wants us to grow together and be together because He loves us so much. So much that He died for you. He forgives and loves us daily in spite of the mistakes we make. We can lie, cheat, hurt people, steal, be self-absorbed and greedy… But He still sees us through the eyes of a loving Father.

There is so much freedom in surrendering. When I am on my knees, I feel like I can touch the sky. That is where I meet with God, my Creator. That is where I find my life and purpose.

God is beautiful. I encourage you to get on your knees today and spend time with Him. Don’t put off time with your Father anymore. Experience His goodness and His presence. Whatever is going on in your life right now, I know that He has an answer and is the solution.

Our Music + Our Hearts =

Posted on April 23, 2015 by oliviaharmony

Music is one of the most powerful things that I believe we have and possess. It has the power and feeling to bring tears to one’s eyes, to touch hearts, and inspire thousands. Music is very involved in our lives. Whether it is while we work out, when we are writing a paper, just laying around, the soundtrack to a movie, or we are playing the music ourselves; music is always present.

I love music. Since I was seven years old, I’ve played the acoustic guitar so that I could lead worship songs. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been singing. Its a memory that I have always had. This part of my life has always been there and I can’t imagine life without music. God has given us a great gift to be able to use for expressing our feelings, sharing stories, and gathering together with others in music. That this gift is from God. We know that God gave certain people the gift of music to share with others for a reason. That reason is to glorify Him.

At my youth group on Wednesday nights, we are talking about our culture. Each week we are going to look at different things like songs, movies, and television shows to see what messages we are hearing everyday from different things we take in. What was so interesting was taking a secular song and comparing it’s themes and messages to what the Bible said about that theme. When we looked at ‘Uptown Funk’s lyrics on paper, it was like a totally different song than what we’ve been hearing again and again and again and again… and again. I had to take a step back.

I love that song! It is so catchy, it is so fun. And because dancing is my favorite activity (no, I’m not a dancer I just like to dance!) I love grooving to this song. When I saw the lyrics, I saw what I was dancing to. A big theme in this song is pride. We also discussed vanity at youth group. While this song is so much fun, I didn’t like the message that I was reading into.

Secular music is not bad. Or let me say this; not all secular music is bad! I believe there are a lot of songs out there that’s sole purpose is to promote sex, prostitution, drugs, alcohol abuse, and partying. Yet these are the songs that we are demanding so much more of. When I hear songs like that, it makes me think of where I once was before I became serious about my faith. When I was in middle school, I knew Jesus, but I wanted to be cool so bad. I wanted to grow up and be the high schooler who would go to all the parties and be the girl that all the guys wanted to hang out with. It may sound silly to you, but some songs bring back memories of me trying to fit in and grow up to be “cool” like these people that were singing these songs about sex and alcohol and partying like “there is no tomorrow”. Personally, that wasn’t a good place for me. I wasn’t growing. I wasn’t becoming a better person. I was focused on me. Which is exactly what some of these songs promote. It’s all about me.

I like real music. Everyone has their own definition, but I believe in music that has depth and a great sound. I love when I can see an artist play a song just because they love being in the moment with the song not because they love the attention they’re getting from their adoring fans in the audience. Those artists deserve the awards and being #1 on the charts.

We need to be real with our music. We need to be authentic with what we listen to. Whatever we take in fills our hearts. Our music also says a lot about us. If your music is shallow and just “has a good beat”, what does that say? Do you ever think about how you influence others with the music you listen to or play?

Again, secular music is not bad. I love all kinds of music. Except country… But hey, that’s just me. I listen to music that relates to me, that has a cool and different sound, and that can lift me up. Ultimately, any kind of music that I listen to can honor and glorify God if I’m choosing songs that have a good message. Songs that have a good beat and are just for fun are always going to be there. We will jam in the car or go to a wedding and belt out “Yeah” by Usher… But we need to make sure that our hearts see what is on that sheet of lyrics.

That physical piece of paper of lyrics really prompted me to look at myself and to make sure that I don’t just listen to anything for the fun of it. Music is great and I want to make sure that my music has a positive effect in my life. If I want my life to glorify God, that means my music should too. Think about what you listen to and how you fill yourself up. Maybe take some time to give up secular music for awhile just to see what kind of impact your music was having on you before and after that break. Christian music will not kill you. It is sad to me how many of my Christian friends think that it will. There are so many amazing Christian artists out there that are making music by glorifying Jesus with their talents. I really appreciate that and love God. So why not listen to music about Him?

This series at church really challenged me and I hope it challenges you as well. Put good things in your heart and you will pour out good things to others.

1 Kings 8:61- Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.

Proverbs 4:23- Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

~

Here are some awesome songs that I have been listening to lately! And yes, I love Phil Collins:

Meridian (full album) by the Soil & the Sun- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztpIl-k9Zvc

Geronimo by Sheppard- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozsmSlvGHv4

Run Boy Run by Woodkid- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eje2r90MkGE

Love is War (Acoustic) by Hillsong UNITED- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMUaqizunxg

You Can’t Hurry Love by Phil Collins- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WPj0r5U41M

Shine Like Lightning by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIioazf71DE

A Lonely Road.

Posted on April 15, 2015 by oliviaharmony

We don’t want to feel lost. It hurts. It stings. We can’t see where we’re going. When we feel lost, we often run to the closest thing to us because it’s somewhere. We’ve been stumbling around for too long to walk aimlessly any longer. So we see a place to stop along the path we’ve been walking on for days. It may not be what we were searching for but at least it is a place to belong.

I think that we have all experienced this in our lives. We have felt lost in an area of our lives. The thing that blows my mind is that we can feel alone in so many aspects of our lives. Sometimes, we feel lonely in a crowded room. Sometimes, we feel lonely in a friendship or relationship. Sometimes, we feel lonely in our families. Sometimes, we just feel lonely in our minds. I know that I’ve been there. It sucks. And when you are in that place of complete and utter loneliness, it feels like there is no way out.

When I have felt loneliness in my life, I always hear the word wilderness from someone or something I see/read. This word is so significant to me because I have felt like I am in the wilderness in my loneliness. Tired and alone. Lost and insecure. Not knowing where to go or if I’d ever find a way out. Yes, I’ve always had friends and a loving family, but that doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been times in my life where I feel different. I feel set apart, like there is a distance between me and others. I can see it. There is a path that stretches longer and longer as I venture deeper and deeper into the wilderness.

Like I said before, sometimes, we just pick a random stop on the way. In some instances, it might be a friend or a person that is there as a safety net. You know that you don’t believe what they do or want to be involved in some of the things they may do, but you choose to stick with them so you’re not alone. Maybe its not even a person. Maybe its drinking, drugs, sex, spending money, watching Netflix… I don’t know! But let me just say this: no company is better than bad company. Don’t fill yourself up with things to get rid of the loneliness. Those things or those people will only make that loneliness sting more.

I am so glad to say that while I feel alone sometimes here on earth, I always know that I am not. There is a still, soft voice that is always with me. A heart that I long to draw nearer to with every step I take, even when I’m lost. This voice is a Heavenly Father who never lets go even if it doesn’t feel like He is there. I know He is.

Someone once told me to prepare for the wilderness. They said that I needed to embrace it and hold tightly to who I was and to who God is. That was the only way I could get out. Being in the wilderness feels like the worst thing that could ever happen to us. In my experience, I’m thankful for the wilderness that I’ve been lost in. When I’m bruised and beaten and tired from venturing all by myself, that, my friends, is when I learned to lean on Jesus and who He is. His Word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path. His love is constant when the rest of the world is not. The wilderness brings me closer to Him.

If you feel like you are in the wilderness, I encourage you not to be sad about it anymore. This is a time where you can learn who you are and how to cling to Your Heavenly Father as a Christ Follower. Set your priorities straight while you don’t have any distractions. Be ready for the world and what life will throw at you because I’m telling you, there is a light at the end of the tunnel that will lead you out of that wilderness. It may seem long and never-ending, but it is but a blink of an eye for eternity. Be joyful in all circumstances, that is what God’s Word says. Don’t let these moments draw you away from Him. It is very easy to feel pity for yourself and want to give up. But please, don’t. Keep going. You have a friend with you the whole way.

Cling to Him. Even if you feel like He isn’t there, I promise you He is.

Psalm 119:105- Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.

1 Thessalonians 5:18- give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Words To Live By.

Posted on April 4, 2015 by oliviaharmony

These words matter much more than mine:

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:14-17.

Learning To Rely On Him.

Posted on March 10, 2015 by oliviaharmony

Two weeks ago I got to have an experience of a lifetime at my school. For a whole weekend I got to act, dance, and sing along to some of my favorite songs, that hold a lot of memories for me, on a stage in front of hundreds of family and friends. Yes, we were in a high school doing a musical called ‘High School Musical’. You could say I lived the dream.

That week leading up to show time was long, cold, and draining. I could barely keep my eyes open in school and as soon as I got home, I walked straight to my room to shut the lights off and hop into bed. The amount of time and energy put into a show is intense and it obviously takes a lot out of a person involved in one. Everyone in that cast worked so hard to make that show what it was. We learned and grew together in those two and half months leading up to those exciting nights. Now those songs are forever stuck in our heads and we still quote everyone’s lines in our everyday conversations. I won’t say if that is a good or bad habit…

While that week was tiring yet also fun, I was more anxious about one thing than any. I was anxious about the show and my lines and the songs but that wasn’t what worried me most. What was always in the back of my mind was me getting sick before the show. That was what worried me more than anything. If I didn’t have my voice, how could I project lines or be able to sing while dancing? Doing both at the same time was difficult even while one was healthy!

I needed more sleep and I was not getting sleep. There was no time for naps before I had to be at school for call-time and I couldn’t miss a lot of school that week or else the homework would start piling up. All I can say was I was running low on gas and didn’t know how much further I could’ve gone.

But every night, as I stammered into my room getting ready to throw on my pajamas and try to get all of that make-up off my face, I glanced at my shelf by my bed and saw my Bible. This year, I made a commitment to read through the Bible in one year and I’ve been doing good at sticking to the plan that I’m using. The one thing that was tempting me more than anything to skip this plan was sleep. Yes, sleep is a good thing. Yet it became a possible barrier between me and my time with God as I imagined myself sinking into the warm depths of my heated blanket.

A decision I made that week was to stick to the plan. I needed to make sure that at the end of the day, that I was still devoted to my time with God and that He was (and is) the most important thing in my life. Sometimes it was hard to keep my eyes open as I was reading through Exodus and Lamentations, but God always spoke to me in those moments and taught me something that I needed to get through that specific day. I saw the amazing power in His Word in a time that I really needed it. You see, a lot of times we would put off reading God’s Word because we believe in the power of sleep and how it can effect our day to come. But that week that I set aside a few extra minutes of sleep, I saw the power of God’s Word in my day to come. I have been a believer of Jesus and what He did for me since I was five years old, but that week I truly realized power of His Word and how much of a difference it can make in my life everyday. I am a true believer of that.

Because of that time that I chose to set aside for Him, He truly blessed me by keeping me healthy throughout that week and the week after that. I know for a fact that if I hadn’t relied on Him throughout that week, I would’ve been sicker than a dog. When I don’t get sleep, I am the most stuffed up baby with a sore throat and droopy eyes… But God was with me through it all. Nothing that I say in this blog is to lift me up and say that its because of what I did… I know that because I made God a priority He was with me and I could fully rely on Him. Everything I say in this blog is to give glory to God for blessing that time that we spent together and for answering my prayers and keeping my healthy that week.

We had four great shows with an awesome cast that had energy, smiles, and hearts that showed while they did their stuff on that stage! I’m very thankful for the opportunity I had and for God placing me there this year to be able to share that experience with so many special people. I guess this is my thank-you letter to God after some time of reflection. He is good and He is faithful. Don’t ever let anything get in the way of your time with Him. He is the one, after all is said and done, that will sustain you and fulfill You. Its always worth it to spend time with Him.

Romans 10:17- So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Matthew 6:6- But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:33- But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

To (EVERY) day.

Posted on February 19, 2015 by oliviaharmony

Snow days are my favorite things about winter. I love that feeling of joy that I get when I hear the phone ring way before my alarm is supposed to ring or when my mom comes in and tells me to turn my alarm off. I guess I just don’t like my alarm clock. Maybe, just maybe, it doesn’t like me either.

Do you ever hope and wish and pray for a day off? For a 3-day weekend? I’ve found myself hoping for a snow day so often because I don’t want to face the next day and get out of bed. Now let me say that snow days are a blessing and I am in NO WAY saying that they are bad… but I’ve been wishing and longing for too many days off. I started thinking about that. How much I want to just sit home and do nothing and sleep and watch Netflix… How many of us have been there? (All of our hands go up)!

For me, I personally looked over my desires of my life and how I take on each day. On those days when I am so tired that I contemplate calling a “sick day”, I think about what I’m asking for… And the effect it has on the day at hand.

For me, that is like asking God if we can have a day off of opportunities and responsibilities to be a light and show love to others. Every day we have a mission and a ministry in whatever season of life we are in and wherever God has placed us. And if we don’t know when Jesus is coming back, we can’t afford too many days off.

Rest is important, but don’t confuse that for laziness. I’ve been so tired lately that I keep hoping and praying for snow days… But why would I ask God, who I love and live for, to give me a day off of living out His plan and purpose? I just took a step back and saw how lazy and disrespectful that sounded to me. I didn’t want my relationship with God to be like that. I didn’t want to serve only when I felt like it or only when I got a good night’s sleep. It’s my job everyday to wake up and live for Jesus, to go where He calls me. That is what I signed up for and that is why I gave my heart to Him. I know that my life, everyday, has a purpose to point to Jesus. How can I do that if I’m at home on the couch or in bed watching Netflix or sleeping all day?

I’ve been blessed with good health and a body that works and can get up and walk to my car that drives me to school. I have food in the morning and coffee to help my eyes stay open on that drive to school. I have the opportunity to go to school and learn. But most importantly, I have a mission field everyday to share the love of Jesus Christ to my peers.

What if I stay home one day and I miss a really cool opportunity to share about Jesus with someone?

In order to do avoid these early morning blues, I’ve been trying to sleep more. Getting to bed and resting is so important to taking care of yourself. And as silly as it sounds, it really is your part in contributing to God’s Kingdom… Because in a way, how you take care of yourself can affect how you go about in the world.

Get sleep, get the nutrition you need and get filled up with Jesus when you take on each day. It’s important to get filled up with what you need so you can help fill others up with the love and hope you have in Jesus Christ. He wants to do so much through your life. What a privilege that is.

All in all, don’t take advantage of your days. They’re numbered.

Ephesians 5:16- …making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

A Snowy Sunday…

Posted on February 1, 2015 by oliviaharmony

“I’ve been so busy” said everyone.

Life is crazy. Life is good. Life goes by fast. So we try to fit every possible thing we can in the time that we have been given here on earth. I think a lot of us are like this. I know I am. There is so much good in that but there is also a part of me that feels like I am missing out on something even though I am doing everything.

We live in a society that needs to keep moving. We all talk about it and we all recognize it. Yet we keep moving like an old toy you wind up to get going. So we go, go, go. And after all of that, I know that we all die down just like that toy that doesn’t have the energy to continue any further. I can’t tell you how many times I yawn during school every day.

I am involved in a lot of things. Church, school, friends, clubs, our school’s musical… You name it. When all of the responsibilities and plans in my life hit me, it always seems to happen in one moment. All of those things come crashing down and I realize how much is on my plate. I panic and I suddenly feel more tired than I do whilst walking through my school’s hallways at 7 in the morning (and let me just say, I am practically a zombie in the morning). But during this moment of panic and stress, I am gently reminded of who I am and who I am living for.

I know that my purpose is to be a light. To serve and to follow God’s calling in my life. He reveals to me everyday my purpose for each step I take wherever that may be. And there are many places that God is calling me to be. I feel like a lot of us can relate. We are working, going to school school, having families, throwing parties, joining clubs, playing sports, going to/serving in youth group… God may have us in many different mission fields and give us many different opportunities to find out who we are. But something that I’ve been asking myself is how many is too much?

I’ve always heard the saying “Don’t run yourself too thin” but I’ve never thought that it pertained to me. I was “fine” and had the energy to go and do all of these things I had signed up for. But now, I’m faced with my senior year and decisions… I am starting to think of questions like, “What is best for me and God’s calling in my life?”, “Where can I best contribute my talents?”, and “What can I do to make sure I can rest on top of everything?”

Rest is so important. And I haven’t been making rest a priority in my life. The silly thing is, I don’t sleep enough yet sleep is all I think about when I am at school trying to stay awake. If sleep is all I’m thinking about, how can I think about others in my school that I should be showing love to? It disturbs me that sleep takes over my mind because I’m not setting enough time aside for it.

Taking care of yourself is so important for taking care of others. We need to be in good condition to expand God’s Kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:19

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Involving yourself in a lot of things can be good for you and for others to hear about Jesus through you. But make sure you can give your best in whatever you do. This may seem pretty obvious or cliche to you, but I felt this was something somebody needed to hear. I definitely needed to hear it and it was loud and clear. It was like my “wake-up call” to rest more….

Something that has been on my heart as well is you can grow closer to God while serving and doing what you feel He is asking you to do, but we need to make sure we are growing closer to Him in those intimate, quiet moments we set aside for Him. I think those are the most important moments of our days. Those quiet moments can help you prepare for the moments when you feel stressed and overwhelmed with everything life throws at you.

Make rest a priority. Make your time with just you and God the biggest priority. Make your days count. But just because you’re not getting something done or running around doesn’t mean your day didn’t count. The best days can be the ones spent in silence or even snoring. 🙂

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Genesis 2:3

Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

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