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Today, my guest post about the little lovely things of life is featured on Stephanie May’s blog.
I originally found Stephanie’s blog when she was on the World Race last year. Her writing captured my heart. Her photography inspired me. More than once, the words that she wrote were the exact words that God knew my heart needed to hear. I consider it such a privilege to have been able to write a post for her blog. Enjoy!!
I have never been a “girly girl*.” The few pink things that I enjoy are strawberry lemonades/smoothies, the inside of a medium-rare steak, bubble gum, and the second dot in Flickr’s logo. The only makeup I own and know how to apply is a handful of containers of nail polish. I tried to read Pride and Prejudice, but could barely make it through the first chapter. I work at Home Depot, and am proud of the fact that I can lift bags of mulch, pieces of lumber and 60 lb bags of concrete without any help. My childhood consisted of playing outside, taking on boys in sports, catching frogs, and being called a princess.
I have yet to watch a Disney movie where the princess does not have a “happily ever after.” Or any chick-flick. The “happily ever after” comes after she is swept off her feet by her prince and challenges are overcome. It is easy in everyday life to view your “happily ever after” as a day far off in the future, a day that will only happen when x, y, and z are completed. Perhaps it is when you will get your dream job, or perhaps it is your wedding day that still seems as if it is an eternity away (especially if you are still single while your friends start to get married). Perhaps your “happily ever after” will come after you’ve overcome an addiction or faced a fear that has gripped your soul for far too long.
I say that today is your “happily ever after.” I know that your heart is probably full of confusion, hurt, disappointment, unanswered questions, and dreams that have yet to be fulfilled; yet your heart also holds peace, joy, happiness, and excitement. I can say that with confidence because my heart is the same way. There is no prince in sight to sweep me off of my feet, but he’s not here yet because he probably still has some dragons to slay. People say and do things that are hurtful, but you can release them into the beauty of forgiveness. I eagerly anticipate the days when more of my dreams can be fulfilled, but how I choose to live today will determine what the future looks like.
I am still a princess, not simply because my mom has called me that since I was a baby. I am still a princess because my Daddy is the King of Kings. Because of the goodness of God, I am here today, alive, & free from sin and full of love, faith, joy, and hope. I have wonderful memories and a future ahead of me that is held by the hands of my Creator. It has not been an easy journey up until now—my heart still bears the now-healed scars from previous hurts—and the future will not always be easy, but who said that adventures would be easy? “Explode my soul, explode with praise” because a few years ago, you couldn’t imagine being here today after first seeing the trials you would have to overcome. A few years ago, you didn’t know what it meant to become freer in how you worship God. You didn’t realize how beautiful you are, or that the deepest hurts from others can be forgiven and healed.
Drop whatever is preventing you from living today as your “happily ever after.” Leave it at the foot of the Cross. Once you do that, you are free, and “whom the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:36). You only get to experience today one time in your entire life, so why would you want to live it as anything but full of joy?
Source: Uploaded by user via Roxanne on Pinterest
Today is my “happily ever after” simply because I am a child of God. My identity is found in Him alone.
Mi nombre es Susan, y yo soy una princesa.
*Over the past year or so, I was in circumstances that required me to dress up–weddings, a funeral, job interviews, certain photography events, etc. I even bought a purse with a ruffle on it. EVEN SO, I am still a complete tomboy at heart.
Today is my last day as a 23-year old. These are 23 images from my 23rd year of life. There is one image that I did not take in the collage, but that’s okay.
Even though it wasn’t always easy to see or understand, a LOT happened in my life while I was 23. Through it all, God is still good and is faithful.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”–Proverbs 3:5-6.
Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day
As a capstone to my minor in Jewish Studies, I photographed and interviewed Holocaust survivors in Atlantic County, NJ (Spring 2010). I worked with the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. These images were originally taken to be published as a continuation of Portraits of Resilience: Holocaust Survivors of South Jersey.
Many people view the Holocaust as some far-off event in history that has no connections to their lives today. Not everyone that I interviewed was at a concentration camp, but a few were. Not everyone still has a tattoo on their arm from when the Nazis forcibly engraved numbers on them. I barely scratched the surface with my interviews and wish I had had the chance to learn from these ordinary heroes on a deeper level. As our world continues on and new world news events happen daily, we must not forget our past.
From earlier this week:
Today is one of the days when I just am completely over working in retail. It wasn’t the worst day I’ve ever experienced at work. I don’t think any customers even yelled at me today. I simply just wanted to be done with retail.
One of my co-workers consistently encourages me to not give up on my desire to work in photography full-time. He told me about LinkedIn a few days ago. I already had an account, but it wasn’t filled out all of the way. I came home from work today and decided to work on my LinkedIn profile. A simple question popped up in a blue box, and made me cry.
How would you summarize yourself and your objectives?
I would summarize myself as a girl who loves Christ more than words can say, yet cannot speak about His love openly at the place where I spend most of my time without fear of losing my job (which I NEED in order to pay my bills).
I would summarize myself as having a soul that is beyond desperate to actually minister to people’s needs, not just thank them for shopping and remind them to take the survey at the bottom of the receipt.
I would summarize myself as a young adult who feels trapped by her circumstances and surroundings; a girl who keeps trying to spread her wings to fly, yet ends up on the ground every time.
I would summarize myself as a person who finds waiting on God to be one of the hardest things ever.
I would summarize myself as a girl who believes that my calling and my career should be one and the same.
I would summarize myself as a girl who hates when male customers touch my hands, my shoulders, or even my back as their attempt to be friendly or flirt with me because she knows that none of them are her future husband and does not want to invite random men into her personal space.
I would summarize myself as a follower of Christ who really struggles with knowing the difference between God’s will and my will.
I would summarize myself as a person who has dreams in her heart from God, but does not know how to pursue them.
I would summarize myself as a person who has struggled with feeling alone, yet also finds it difficult to seek Jesus one-on-one.
I would summarize myself as a person who hates being forgotten and stood up, especially by those who I consider to be friends.
I would summarize myself as proof of God at work in my heart, mind, and attitudes, even when I do not realize it at the time.
I would summarize myself as wanting to take huge leaps of faith, yet am surrounded by the mentality of playing it safe and not taking risks.
My objectives are to make Jesus known with my life, my words, and my actions.
My objectives are to continually die to myself, so that there can and will be more of Christ in my life.
My objectives are to travel the world, sharing the Gospel.
My objectives are to continue to allow God to use my photography/art and my writing to further His Kingdom, in huge ways. More opportunities=more glory to God.
My objectives are to never be satisfied with my relationship with Christ and to always strive for more. Comfort zones are just cardboard boxes, waiting to be torn down.
My objectives are to become bolder in sharing Jesus with people.
My objectives are to give hope to the hopeless.
My objectives are to set the captives free in the Name of Jesus.
My objectives are to live a life of worship.
My objectives are to give away more money and more things with each year of my life.
My objectives are to be led by the Holy Spirit all of the time.
My objectives are to love people as Christ does, especially those considered “unlovable” by the world.
As I was writing this, I took a quick mental break and checked facebook. A person from Passion Conferences posted a link to the livestream that Christy Nockels was doing about her new album, Into the Glorious. When I clicked the link, Christy was finishing up talking about the song she was about to sing. It was the next to last song of the night. Within a few notes, I knew that the song was a song that God has been laying on my heart for probably a couple of months by now. I knew that the song and the timing were not just a coincidence. I had stopped crying as I wrote this, but the tears started up anew.
I know that ministry* is a lot of work. I know that ministry can absolutely wear you down. I know that ministry puts you on the front lines of the spiritual battle called life. I know it is easy to feel that there is no progress being made. I’ve been worn down by ministry and I’ve been worn down by working in retail. Yet serving others in the Name of Jesus is what makes me feel truly alive and act like I am fully alive. I know that yes, even working in retail can be ministry, if done with the right mentality. As I sit here, wearing a shirt that I wore in Honduras this past summer and recounting truths and promises that have traveled from the heart of God to my heart, I know that there is so much more for me all over the world. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”—Acts 20:24
I still have yet to finish my LinkedIn profile.
*Note: I know that ministry can take many forms, but this was written with ministry work overseas in mind. I’ve done ministry here in the US, but for years, I’ve felt a strong pull on my heart to devote time serving God overseas—not just a week one year and a week another year.
I’m finally getting back to a project that I started last year. I realized that even though I wrote about day three of my worship journey in my journal, I never posted it here–I went from day 2 to day 4. My apologies.
Psalm 5:7-8
But I, by Your great mercy, will come into Your house; in reverence will I bow down toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies–make straight Your way before me.
Mercy means “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power; also, lenient or compassionate treatment.” God’s mercy is a GREAT thing. Since He’s perfect, our sins are beyond completely repulsive and offensive to Him. Even so, He loves us. The punishment for sin is death, yet Christians don’t pay for their sins by their death. Christ’s death was sufficient. God’s mercy has been shown to man since the banishment of Adam & Eve from the Garden of Eden. At the time, it didn’t seem merciful, yet it was the most merciful and loving thing God could have done.
