stayin' alive

our physical bodies are so wonderfully perfect in the way they were made to function... they maintain themselves simply by keeping an almost perfect balance in certain fluids and natural chemicals that it itself produces... all we have to do to keep our bodies alive and healthy is nourish ourselves with food and water... exercise our muscles... and breathe fresh clean air... that's pretty simple, right?

but our souls... now... our souls take work... keeping your soul alive is not so physical... it longs for things that may seem simple enough, but in reality, so many people struggle with feeling alive... part of me wants to say that "all you need is love"... not just the romantic love that a man and a woman may feel for each other... we need that deeper love... the unselfish, unending, unconditional love... but in addition to love... we need hope and faith... all three must never cease... and when there is a deficiency in one... the others are there to bring it back to abundance... when you feel you have lost love... and faith... hope is there...

where there is hope, there is faith... where there is faith, there is love... where there is love, there is God... where there is God, there is no need... and your soul is alive...

the light of the world

That is what I am supposed to be... yet somehow, I have allowed something to dim the light inside of me... I can't allow my light to be turned off by anything... I won't let that happen...

Today I have chosen to shine... I want to illuminate every room I walk into, and affect everyone around me... I won't let myself be distracted or let bumps in the road extinguish this light of mine... I want my light to shine so bright that it causes the light in others to ignite and causes a chain reaction that will eventually change the world... We will be the light of the world... that we were made to be...

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine...

i can't figure it out!

how do you post pictures up on blogger?!?!?!

somebody please help me!

thank you :)

it's a beautiful day

i love it when the clouds start to fade away and separate, letting the light shine through and making everything seem clearer... it's almost like the light is shining just for you and right on you... making it easier to see the real picture... the whole picture...

i have an unexplainable lightness to me today... as if burdens have been lifted off my shoulders, but in reality, nothing has really changed... it's metaphorical... my responsibilites and obligations are all still there, yet i feel a sense of "i can do this"...

today is a beautiful day...

love never fails

when i was a young teenager, i gave a valentine's day gift to my high school sweetheart that means so much more to me now, than it ever did to him... it was a small glass stand with a red rose on one side, and a scripture on the other... it was titled "LOVE" and it said:

love is patient and kind;

love is not jealous or conceited;

love is not proud or selfish;

love is not ill-mannered;

love is not irritable;

love does not hold a grudge;

love is not happy with evil;

love is happy with the truth;

love never gives up;

its faith, hope and patience

never fail.

i loved everything this "poem" said about love... i did not know at the time, the origin of these words...

even though it may have been puppy love, to my young heart, it was real... at the end of the relationship, he gave me back this gift saying, "i think you need this more than i do"... although it seemed offensive, i accepted it, and to this day, it sits on a shelf in my bedroom...

this scripture, 1 Cor. 13, became my favorite scripture... it speaks of the type of love that all Christians should feel for each other... a selfless, unconditional, brotherly love... it's written in black and white... in the Bible! so... why do so many people have trouble with this?

it is easy to love your neighbor that is your friend... but not as easy to love the neighbor that is an enemy... and how can one love the child of a neighbor as their own? yet, that is what we are supposed to do... we are all God's children... and we should love each other, as He loves us all...

i wish there was more of this selfless love in the world... i wish people would love fearlessly... if love never fails, then... what is there to fear?

sometimes love hurts... yes... love suffers long... that's what love is... but it is still so beautiful... it's patience makes it unlike anything else...

i want to see less superficial love, and more of that deep, true, selfless love everywhere... so i have made a pledge... everyday, i will express selfless love... somehow, someway... to anyone and everyone... whether it may be to a sad stranger with a heartfelt smile, or to a stressed coworker with a soothing pat on the back, to a lonely widow with some company, to a insecure adolescent with encouraging words, even to the enraged driver on the road with a friendly wave hello... everyday... someone will feel that love...

spread the love ♥

grace

My God is so good... everyday I am blessed... in so many ways... and I don't even deserve it... God never fails me, has never forsaken me... even after all the mistakes I have made... He shows me His mercy... Now that is true love... No matter how many times I break his heart, he gives me another chance...

All I can do is honor Him and love Him... and receive his gifts with gratitude... and show my appreciation, with acts of kindness to His people... If I make someone smile, I make God smile... If I can bring someone joy, God too will be happy with me...

Grace is such an awesome thing...if I am ever blessed with a daughter, I think I will name her Grace :)