"No wonder our image of beauty is so distorted."

"For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance , but the Lord looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b

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"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  -Marcel Proust

So far my blogs have been about me coming in to my own, so to speak and I was thinking about why this is. I am new to blogging so I guess I'm not quite sure what it is all about but I just figure if I am writing what I am thinking then that'll be perfectly fine. I often think throughout the day when something happens that may not be so monumental to anyone else but is to me, "I should blog about this" but then I try to think about if there was a deeper meaning to what I just decided I should blog about. I guess my first two blogs were really about self discovery because sometimes the little things in life remind you who you are and who are striving to be.
I have always thought about my relationship with God as a daily progression and I like to see each new day as an opportunity for positive change and growth. I don't think of myself as oh just an awful person that needs to change, yada yada, but the truth is everyone can always improve any aspect of their life in a positive way. Every day I find that there is something that I could make better in myself whether that be to have a more positive impact on others, to please God, or just for myself, there is always something. I never want to be at a stand still. There are many times in my life when I know that I could have done something better than I did and yet I didn't. I no longer want that to be the case. We all have a choice to either wallow in our own disappointment and self pity or do something about it and I choose to do something.

Sunrise Renewal

Have you ever gotten up super early just to see the sunrise? It's amazing how beautiful the sunrise is no matter where on earth you are. If you know me well enough, you know that I am by no means a morning person and thanks to college, endless nights have gotten me to the point of sleeping in whenever possible. Well that is all about to change. I have come to the conclusion that I must learn to become a happy morning person and why not? The mornings that I am awake from either an all nighter or someone has woken me up, I seem to be happier and more energetic throughout the day! It is always a positive day when I start my morning with a beautiful sunrise accompanied by quiet time with my Savior and a cup of warm tea. So now is the point when I decide that I must end my night owl routine and become an "early bird". I know it will be difficult to break a routine that I have said I would break countless times but this time I am determined to do what I have so eagerly set out to do.


"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct [my prayer] unto thee, and will look up."- Psalm 5:3

Brand New

Today I got a new Bible. I was so excited because I had been wanting an ESV translation of the Bible for a long time now, so today I finally got the opportunity to make my way to the Christian book store and get one. It wasn't a hard choice to make when searching for a Bible that I could carry around every day with me, as an explorer would carry a compass to know where to go as well. I was overwhelmed with excitement as I hurried back to my dorm to enjoy my new treasure and as soon as I was in my room I sat down and immediately took out my highlighter, anxiously going through and highlighting each of my favorite Bible verses. Then I paused for a moment and wondered why the hurry. Did I not want to take the time to think about why I hold each of these verses so dear to my heart? Why were these verses so important that I would highlight these from the rest? I slowly flipped through the pages, this time paying closer attention to how the crisp pages of this Bible stuck together until I gently pulled them apart. I began to think of myself as the pages of the Bible. About how when I turned to each new chapter in my life how it seemed to cling to the one before until something or someone gently pulled the two apart. I began to think about the person I was before I really started to build my relationship with Christ compared to the person I am becoming through Him. I thought about how excited I was  today to get this new Bible and how in reality I shouldn't be anymore excited today than I am every morning when I wake up and open His word. Why now am I this excited, I wondered. Have I lost the spark I once had when I first started this journey? At once I was mad at myself for allowing the distractions of this world to keep me away from this small but mighty Book. Then once I was done wallowing in self pity I felt an ever so soft voice saying reassuring me that I was not alone, that I am never alone. Even when I fall I am picked up again by God's grace and mercy in such a way that is incomprehensible. So now I begin again, fresh and new. A refreshing feeling in my soul. And just as the pages of this Bible are new and cause me to rejoice in the renewal of His word, as am I. New.

"You make me new. You are making me new!"