You are ALWAYS somebody's baby

We have all sinned. Thank God for Himself, that He sacrificed Himself as Jesus in order to wash away our sins and bring us back into relationship with Him. But maybe you are still struggling; maybe you are weighed down by sin and the burdens it can bring. Maybe you feel weighed down by addiction or shame or insecurity or fear or depression or anything else. Princess, this is a reminder that no matter where you are in life, no matter how undeserving you may feel at times, anyone can come to the cross, because Jesus paid for everyone and for you.

Watch this video.

Remember, Princess, that you are always somebody's baby girl. It means no matter what you do, you are still your mother's baby girl. You are still your father's baby girl. And you are still God's baby girl. You are the King of Heaven's baby girl, and He loves you and always forgives. I pray that you always remember this, beautiful one, just as I also pray that any guys who may be reading this would remember that each girl is a mother, a father, and God's daughter.

Love letters from God

I am currently reading, among several other books that I need to finish, a book called His Princess by Sheri Rose Shepherd. I highly recommend this book!!! It is a fantastic little book with short little letters based off of Scripture, like love letters from God! It's awesome, and I obviously cannot copy whole passages due to copywrite reasons, but I wanted to share one of them with you that absolutely struck my heart and reminded me not only of how I used to be and how I used to feel but even who I am now and how I feel now. I think many of us can relate or in the future will be able to relate:

"My Princess...it's never too late.

It is never too late to turn to Me, My love. I didn't start a countdown when I gave you the choice between life and death. There is no time limit on My love for you. I am patient, yet I don't want you tomiss out on any precious time with Me. There is no place you have to go to find Me. Just cry out to Me, and I will come to you. Wherever you've gone My grace has followed you. Whatever you've done My blood has covered you. Come to Me today, and I will do more than repair the damage done...I will restore what was lost. Someday you will look back on this moment as the turning point that transformed you into the princess I called you to be. Now come to Me, and let's fall in love all over again.

Love,

Your King who knows no limits

'The LORD said: It isn't too late. You can still return to me with all your heart.' Joel 2:12, CEV"

(Shepherd 16-17).

Think about it

I was talking to a friend of mine on Facebook yesterday that I don't talk to that often because I don't get the chance to see him a lot at church. Somehow, the topic of conversation turned to dating and relationships, and he brought up a point that I feel is so important for everyone, myself included, to remember:

Girls, if the guy you are dating is not your future husband, he is someone else's. Treat him as such. You don't know if you will marry your boyfriend or not, which means always treat him as if he is someone else's future husband. Guys, if any are reading, the same applies for you. If the girl you are dating is not your future wife, she is someone else's. Treat her as such. You don't know if you will marry your girlfriend or not, which means always treat her as if she is someone else's future wife.

Have I messed up in this aspect? Sure. Have others messed up with me in this aspect? Sure. But it hurts terribly, and you don't want to be caught up in that sort of mess. It's better to be held blameless in this account than to know that you have hurt people or have been hurt. Thankfully, though, God forgives us all because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice!! Which for me, and for some of you, means that we can try again to keep ourselves and others safe.

How would you want someone else to treat your future spouse? You would be angry if you learned that someone had hurt your husband/wife, right? Don't be that person who does the hurting. Don't be the person who goes too far. Set boundaries early in your relationships so that you can prevent a mess.

For further reading, I suggest reading Pure Excitement by Joe White.

From God to you

A friend of mine shared this with me after a mutual friend of ours shared this with her:

"Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone, to have a deep soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and exclusively. But God to a Christian says, 'No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled, and content with being loved by Me alone, with giving yourself totally unreserved to Me, and with having an intensely personal and unique relationship with Me alone, discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found; only then will you be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with Me, exclusive of anyone else, exclusive of any other desires or longings. I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing, one that you cannot imagine. I want you to have the best. Please allow Me to bring it to you. You just wait. That's all. Don't be anxious. Don't worry. Don't look around at the things others have gotten or that I've given them. Don't look at the things you want. You just keep looking off and away up to Me, or you'll miss what I want to show you. And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love far more wonderful than anything you would dream of. You see, until you are ready, and until the one I have for you is ready, until both of you are satisfied exclusively with Me and the life I have prepared for you, you won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with Me; and this is the perfect love. And, dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love; I want you to see in flesh a picture of your relationship with Me, and to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty, perfection, and love that I offer you with Myself. Know that I love you.'"

Keep fighting the good fight

After talking with a Tico friend lately (different than the other Tico I talked about here), I felt a huge need to post here. So to all of you princesses (or princes who might possibly be reading) out there who have looked at this blog every now and then, know this: I am not at all perfect.

Like everyone else in the world, I still sin. I try not to, but sometimes I fall victim to temptation. And sometimes I don't even take my own advice. Sometimes I don't listen to what I know to be true. And when that happens, I am hurt because of it.

I try to write what I know to be true, what I know is good. I try to impart some of what little wisdom I have gained from reading Scripture and from making mistakes and from listening to others and how they have learned from their mistakes and their experiences. But, unfortunately, I am not immune to these things...and neither are you. But you know what? That's okay! We aren't perfect; only God is. But we can still try to learn and to go for God, not for this world.

Keep fighting the good fight. I love you.

Unfailing, relentless love

If you are reading this right now (and I am 100% certain you are, since you are reading this too!), I highly recommend you go watch this video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

This is a skit that a group performed to "Everything" by Lifehouse. I don't think there has been a single time I have watched it that I haven't cried. Why, besides the fact that I am emotional (but aren't we all sometimes)? The biggest reason why this video hits me every time is because it is such a strong picture of God's love! We may sin over and over again, sometimes deliberately turning away from God's love, but He is always there, unfailing, reaching for us and calling to us. His love is the kind of love that takes you back again and again and again, no matter how many times we cheat, no matter how many times we lie, no matter how many times we put something else in our lives before Him. Talk about amazing love!

Some great advice from a Tico

(Note: the term Tico or Tica refers to a person from Costa Rica)

After returning from a mission trip in Costa Rica, I have kept in contact with many of my friends from there. One of them in particular I have been messaging, and he, as a Christian man, shared with me some great things. He is not perfect; none of us are, and he has had his share of problems with a relationship he once had, but he has gained much wisdom from it.

1. There are two great questions that you can ask yourself before diving into a relationship. The first is, "Is it God's time for me to be having a relationship?" The second is, "Am I glorifying Him by having this relationship?" I recently tried having a relationship with someone around the time the mission trip happened, and when I returned something felt off in the relationship because of the changes that had occurred in my heart. When I read these questions that the Tico wrote to me, I realized that no, it's not God's time for me to have a relationship, and no, I wasn't exactly glorifying God by having the relationship. We weren't doing anything extreme by any means, but it wasn't bringing God glory like it should have been. So, I am waiting some more, and still pursuing God steadfastly.

2. Proverbs 4:23 = "Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Another translation reads, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." The heart can be a tricky thing, and it is very important to be careful so that you aren't hurting yourself! Keeping a pure heart is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your future/current husband. Along those lines, the Tico I have been talking to writes that he is trying to keep his heart healthy and neat for his wife, which is a huge reason why he does not have a girlfriend at this time. He admits that sometimes it is extremely difficult to be without a girlfriend, but that with God he is able to resist and keep moving on until God places the right woman in his life.

3. To quote this Tico, "Remember that you are a princess and there is just one Prince for you." Another great question to consider is who you are going to give your heart to. I wouldn't want to give my heart to someone that I'm not going to be with for the rest of my life! I've tried that before, and not only is it not worth it, not only does it not make much sense, but it can hurt! One of the leaders of Student Ministries at my church once said, "I want to be wholly holy, not holey." Meaning, it's better to keep your heart intact until the right person comes along, and then make sure to be careful and keep careful watch over your heart. It is one of the biggest treasures you have to give. Give it to God first, and then keep it safe for your future/current husband!

One great thing about many of the Christian guys I met in Costa Rica is that they recognize that we, as women, seriously are princesses! I can't count the number of times I have fondly been called "princess" in conversation. It's the truth! We are the precious daughters of a Holy King! Never forget this!