Stronger

So recently a few things have been placed HEAVILY upon my heart. I have tried and tried to ignore the words and thoughts that have desperately been trying to escape from my mouth. Why you ask? I'm not sure. I guess part of me feels like some of the things I'm about to say are going to inadvertently make some people uncomfortable, embarrassed, angry, etc. There is another, deeper, STRONGER part of me that honestly doesn't care. After trying for what seems like weeks to ignore these thoughts and feelings I have come to realize that they are NOT going to go away until they are put on the table (or on this post, rather) for the world to see.


Here we go.


I'm not sure what has happened to me in the past six months or so. Maybe, it was one of those epiphanies you get every few years where you realize that certain things you once thought you knew so well were not at all what you thought they were, or maybe I just grew up and matured more not only in my day-to-day life, but also in my walk with Christ. I feel like my eyes and heart have been opened to so many different truths and realizations recently. The first of which is, you do not, can not, and WILL NOT plan out your own life. It's just not going to happen, so if you think you know exactly how your life is going to turn out...YOU'RE WRONG. This is something I have struggled with pretty much my whole life... I thought I had everything planned out. I was going to graduate high school, go to college, marry my high school sweetheart, be a teacher, have a certain group of friends, have a couple of children, etc... BOY WAS I WRONG, and may I just say...Thank the LORD I was. I spent so much time focusing on the plan I had for my life that I totally and completely ignored what GOD was planning for my life. I honestly didn't care what he had to say about my life.


James 4:13-17 says "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. 'Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."


Guess what I'm doing now? I have an associates degree in science and have taken two years off of school since obtaining that degree. I plan to be a nurse (if it's in God's plan). I have married, not my high school sweetheart, but a man who is so much more than I could have hoped for in ANY man. I am living ACROSS THE COUNTRY from my friends and family while trying to be the best wife possible to my husband who is serving his country in the military. I have made NEW friends, and I'm holding off on children for the time being. See? I mean...can you get any opposite to what MY plan was? The thing is though, I can't picture my life going any differently. Yeah, things can be tough, but I thank God every day for the challenges and even for the good days. At first it was hard for me to view our situation as a blessing. We were newly weds, across the country from all friends and family, getting accustomed to military life, and trying to make it on our own.... it was and still is a daily struggle! They say some things can be a blessing in disguise though.  Who can say that at ages 22-23 that they got to spend their first year of marriage in one of the most beautiful places in the country? We have a really nice house to live in, a great dog, good friends, etc. Even though we miss home and everyone there...we get to spend our first year of marriage REALLY digging deep to learn about each other, our roles as a husband and a wife, and making sure our marriage is totally God-centered. I feel TRULY blessed.


Ok. So now that I've rambled on about my life so far I have to start getting to the uncomfortable part. I feel like a lot of this makes sense only in my head and is going to sound crazy confusing to whoever is reading this, but just stick with the as best as possible. Annnnnnnd here we go.


So I have obviously experienced a bit of culture shock here in California, and being raised in the "Bible Belt" as sheltered me from the rest of the world in a way I can't even begin to explain. I definitely grew up thinking that EVERYONE was a Christian in the United States; WRONG. It actually makes me laugh a little thinking about it now. In the few conversations I have had with people out here about their beliefs (or lack-there-of) I have come to the harsh realization that almost NO ONE thinks the same way or has the same beliefs. It seems to me that most Christians have a different perspective on what is real/true, and obviously those who don't believe think differently as well. A few of my conversations have gone something like this (NOT word for word.): Me talking about God "blah blah blah" and then the other person, "Well, actually I'm not really a believer." Me, "Really? May I ask why? No judgement from me, I would honestly just like to try to see things from your side." Them, "Well I used to be a believer, but then I started to look at other Christians, saw HOW hypocritical they are, and decided that I'd rather claim to not believe than have other people look at me and think the same thing.".....or something along those lines. Others said they choose not to believe because they have so many unanswered questions/doubts and want to know the facts and want the PROOF. 


The above paragraph a.) breaks my heart b.) embarrasses ME c.) makes me embarrassed for Christians as a whole d.) makes me feel guilty.... (and I could go on forever)


I think the SADDEST part about what I wrote above is that (forgive me) I don't blame them. Doesn't that give you just the WORST feeling in your chest to hear me say that? It hurts me TO say that. I DON'T BLAME THEM. I feel like some, well a lot of Christians have given us a bad rep. This is just my honest opinion. I'm pretty new in my "mature" walk with Christ. Meaning, I have only really understood what it means to be a follower of Christ for the last, say, almost three years or so. I remember the days back in high school where all of the kids who went to sunday school, church services, wednesday night services, church camps, bible studies, etc were boasting about how wasted they got the saturday before, or about who they were hooking up with that week, etc. I remember thinking...REALLY? And don't get me wrong, I am a FAR cry from a saint and have made PLENTY of mistakes in my past, but I guess that's why I feel so guilty now. I have just started looking at my life as a whole and wondering how many people looked at me thinking, "REALLY? She calls herself a Christian?" 


I am probably the LEAST judgmental person you will ever meet. I am very open minded and LOVE talking with people of all beliefs/religions. So I don't want this to seem like I'm pointing my finger at a ton of different people, but I DO feel like it's my job as your sister in Christ to SHAKE you and say "WAKE UP!!!!" What are you doing with your life?!?!?!? When did it become okay to kick homosexuals out of your church? When did it become okay to make fun of the kid who struggles with an eating disorder? When did it become okay to tell someone they are going to hell??!?! 


Matthew 7:1-5 says: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measure to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You HYPOCRITE, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."


My question to you is, if we are supposed to be LIKE Christ, why aren't we LOVING ON the homosexual, encouraging the people struggling with addictions/disorders, and why aren't we SPREADING God's LOVE and his message rather than taking it upon ourselves to condemn people to hell? Who gave us that job title? Who put us in charge? NO ONE. We are simply the messengers. I'm in NO way saying we are perfect or that we are going to act accordingly but what I AM saying is that we need to SERIOUSLY think about HOW we act, and what reputation we are giving our Lord and SAVIOR, Jesus Christ. Honestly, I feel like we as a WHOLE have spit in God's face. People don't know the God we know...all they see from us judgmental, self-centered, HATEFUL Christians is just that: judgment, selfishness, and hatefulness. I am embarrassed and feel so guilty. I hope I have stirred up something in you too. 


I was just talking to my husband about all of this and he said something that I think 98%(I believe the other 2% of us were just raised with the hateful/judgmental/hell-fire & damnation side of Christianity) of us Christians can agree with, "I know what's right, but do what's wrong." God doesn't expect us to be perfect, but heck, he expects us to TRY. So I'm pretty much leaving you with this. I hope and PRAY this has touched you in some way. If you are angry or ill in any way at ME that's fine. I'm simply taking a stand for what I know to be true and most of all I'm taking a stand for my Savior, Jesus Christ and for all other Christians out there who GET IT. In some twisted way, I HOPE I have made you uncomfortable in some small way...maybe even in a BIG way. 

I'm no NO way perfect...but I represent the one who IS. I recently find myself thinking about something my dad used to say to me, "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking." I find this to be true with Christians too. Being like Christ is doing what's right when you THINK nobody's looking because you never know who is. 

Colossians 3:1-17  "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and early loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive each other whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

That right there is how we should portray ourselves to the world. 

To those of you who used to believe and dont now, who never believed, who are on the fence, and to you who believe but feel lost.... forgive us. Please know that we Christians are not perfect. Some of us spit on our own beliefs and embarrass ourselves and our fellow believers. We forget the true meanings of love, kindness, mercy, gentleness, humility, patience, compassion and resort to hateful ways. We are simply human and we are all screwed up in one way or another. The one thing you should know is that the CORE of our beliefs is pure, good, precious, freeing, exhilarating, refreshing, true, and perfect. I will spend the rest of my LIFE standing up for the core of my beliefs and for my Lord and Savior. I hope that you can see all things good in me, but know that I struggle too. I have love for all of you...believers and non-believers. I say this with an honest heart, if you EVER need someone to listen to you talk, hold you while you cry, laugh with you, get excited with you, pray with you, ANYTHING I am always here and always willing. NO MATTER WHAT. 

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and PRAISE YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN." 

Shocked

Ok, so I have recently heard of and experienced a few things that have literally made my jaw drop!

So I am a server at Olive Garden as a lot of you may already know. I come in contact with a TON of different people on a daily basis.

Matthew 5:14 say, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

This is what I TRY to do on a daily basis. Ironically, Sunday is the day where I experience the RUDEST, GREEDIEST, MOST HATEFUL, people I have EVER met. And most of them are dressed in Sunday attire...it just SHOCKS me that people who have JUST come from worshiping God and who claim to live their lives like Jesus can be so incredibly hateful.

One man said to another server (before she even spoke), "If there is any gratuity on the check you can go ahead and remove it b/c I give the Lord 10% and I'm SURE not about to give you 15%!" UMMM....WOW. Not only did he say that, but he also left NOTHING for the server. It AMAZES me that someone who is "living their life in the image of Christ" could say something like that and feel no guilt or remorse for it. Dont you think that if Jesus had been sitting at that table he would have left a generous amount for the server? What are we saying about our God when we lash out at people like that!??

Servers make their living on tips ALONE. We do NOT recieve a pay check each week like some people may think. I make $2.13 an hour, and after taxes are taken out of my paycheck I literally get NOTHING. If I wasn't a believer and someone EVER said something to me to the nature of what the man in the above paragraph said...it would be game over for me...my thought would be, "why in the WORLD would I want to follow a God that obviously has no compassion for others? why would I want to give my life to something that seems to make other's lives hell?" It would have ruined any chance of me wanting to ever give my life to Christ. End of story.

I have come across so many people who tell me that they can't stand the church and they can't stand Christians, and I never really understood why until recently. It is embarrassing and is RUINING your chance to witness to someone who doesnt know God. Dont people realize that once you put on the armor of God you are being looked at DAILY by other people!??!?! It's not just a club...you dont get to join the church, give your life to Christ, and then continue to be a jerk to other people!!! When you give your life to Christ you take on the responsibility of trying to live your life as Jesus would. You're to be KIND, COMPASSIONATE, LOVING, GENEROUS, ETC.

I'm am just disgusted and completely floored by the way Christians are portraying themselves, the church, and GOD! It's like a slap in the face!!! The world is WATCHING us! I dont know what else to say really. I am so embarrassed, hurt, and annoyed!

Something's gotta give.

Pity Party

Ok, so I think I just need to vent and feel sorry for myself for a few minutes because I've been holding all of this junk inside and it's starting to take a toll on me.

Most of you know that my boyfriend left for basic training about three weeks ago. So far things have been ok...I've been keeping my head up and staying strong, but I just need to have a pity party for a second. This is hard! I mean...I'm not like sitting around crying in a corner everyday or anything, but my bestfriend, the one person who was ALWAYS there for me is now unable to talk to me or see me or anything. I've been writing him letters and sending them out every day, but it's really just not the same. I have gotten a few back from him, but I get a few once a week...and I'm not really sure when the next few will be here! I am starting to feel repetitive in my letters to him, and I really wish I could just pick up the dang phone and call him! I also find myself looking at other couples and feeling sorry for myself because I would give ANYTHING to have Ben back right about now!

Dont get me wrong though... this whole situation has been a blessing and a curse all in one.... This separation has shown me how much I truly appreciate Ben, not only for the good he brings to our relationship but also for the bad and the little annoying imperfections I sometimes point out about him. I have come to realize that some of the little things that used to bother me are just that; LITTLE. You (whoever is reading this) are going to laugh when you read the next few sentences, but I was watching Jersey Shore the other day and there is a couple on there (Ron and Sammy) who fight ALLLLLLL the freakin time!!! They are throwing stuff at each other and screaming and cursing, etc and then the next thing you know they are all cuddled up to one another and being all mushy and sweet. ugh. After a few episodes of this craziness I got SO irritated that I just started crying! lol. I was thinking to myself about how ridiculous they are...they dont appreciate one another AT ALL. The only reason they are together is because there is some kind of petty attraction to one another and they just want affection. I dont know if any of that makes sense but I would have given anything to trade places with them at that moment...not for the fighting but so I could be on the show with Ben not WASTING time on STUPID arguments! haha.

Anyway...he isnt just my boyfriend... he's my bestfriend. And the blessing from this situation comes from losing the person you love most and having it be a SLAP in the face because you start to realize just HOW much that person means to you. It's crazy. And from his letters to me I can tell he feels the same way and his perspective on our relationship has also changed in a major way. =) So as much as this is sucking...as much as I want my bestfriend back....I know this is for the better right now.

Next topic. I decided that I wasn't going to take the CNA course that I planned on taking this semester because it interferes with Ben's graduation date and I'm NOT missing that and I'm not willing to pay $275 for a class that I would miss almost a week of anyway....not a class like that. So now a bunch of ppl are dissappointed in me and my dad is ticked off beyond belief. I HAVE A DEGREE ALREADY! This isn't a do-or-die situation for me! It's completely ok for me to take this class in the spring semester! Another person told me I'm wasting my whole winter by working and not going back to school...I'm working all winter to save money for things that may or may not be happening in the Sping semester. At this point...I didnt have the money to take the class anyway....It was going to cost a ton after all the shots/uniforms/equipment/books that I needed for the class. I feel good about my decision even if I am a people pleaser and feel like crap because a bunch of people think I'm making bad decisions with my life.

I dont know what it is but I'm just getting tired of trying to make friends/not wanting to be alone/trying to reconnect with old friends/etc and having it back-fire in my face. I just feel forgetable....used....ignored....etc. I recently have tried getting in touch with someone who was once REALLY close to me and who helped me through a lot, but it just turning into a bunch of phone tag, and "I'll call you tomorrow/this weekend/next week"s. And when I lived in Spartanburg we kept making plans to hang out and they would always fall through. =/ Idk...I guess my feelings are just hurt now because I cant get this person to talk to me at all anymore. It is starting to make me feel like I did something to this person unintentionally. I dont know.

Ok. I guess I'm done feeling sorry for myself. I just had to get all of that out.

Isn't it Crazy

Isn't it crazy how a devotional book can relate SOOOO much to the things you are going through at the same dates that the devotions are assigned to???? I think so.... I don't know if it's like that with everyone else's devotional books but it has been for mine over the last year or more. (I'm reading Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling")
I'm learning sooo much from this book, and from the quiet times I've been having. But I do have to express some frustrations I'm having with myself at the moment:

Why is it that you can sit down, have quiet time, read/learn/pray, and feel SO much better about things, but as the day goes on... I start to struggle with those bad/anxious/nervous/worried feelings alllll over again?!?!??! I HATE that. I want to feel super close to God allll day.

Anyway, back to this:

It seems that God knows (which I know, he knows....) every struggle I'm going to be facing on a daily basis and he just breathes the words RIGHT into my devotion for the day!
I've been trying to constantly remind myself that God has things under control and that the plan for certain things in my life is already set, and I can't do anything about it. And two days ago this line JUMPED out at me as I was reading:
"Look for areas where you need to let go, leaving your cares in My able hands. Do you trust ME to orchestrate your life events as I choose, or are you still trying to make things go according to your will?"

As I read this I was thinking....'HOW DID YOU KNOW!??!?!??!" haha.

1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your ANXIETY on him because he cares for you."

1 Thessolonians 5:18 "...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I dont really know where I am trying to go with this post. All I know is that I am SO thankful to have a God who loves me unconditionally and for exactly who I am. Why? Because he made me that way. He doesnt see me for my flaws or constantly point them out or judge me for them. He embraces me, and teaches me and guides me to make me better for His sake. I am here to spread HIS love and HIS word. I am so thankful to have a God that I can praise freely and openly and joyfully. I am so rediculously thankful.

I am just feeling so good right now. So much closer to God again.

Matthew 6:34

A lot has happened in the past few months. About two months ago I moved to live with my mom in Swansboro, NC (which is ab 7 hrs away from Spartanburg). I had to leave my apartment,my boyfriend, my friends, my jobs, etc. Unfortunately I moved sooner than I wanted to, and I had no time to mentally/emotionally prepare myself for such a big change.

The past two months have been far from easy. I have struggled in more ways than one. It has been a crazy ride of feeling alone, sad, worried, having lack of trust, feeling like I'm losing things that are SUPER important to me, and other things. During this whole struggle I have had trouble reminding myself that I am NOT alone in this. That God is right here beside me every second of EVERY day. When I DO remind myself of this and crack open my Bible/Devotional book I can SEE God's love, mercy, friendship, guidance, power, strength, and everything else good pouring out over me.

I have been struggling soooo much in my relationship with my boyfriend. I have become SO wrapped up in the thought that he will be gone pretty much for the next TWO YEARS that I have scared myself into believing that he is not going to love me anymore, that things wont work out, and that he will change and leave me. And because I have started thinking all of these things I have tainted my relationship. I have driven not only myself but also my boyfriend nuts! THANKFULLY God blessed me with a patient, loving, understanding, strong, caring, and confident man. I have recently come to the realization that there is nothing I can do in this struggle other than rely on God. I have to TRUST God, because he is the only one who knows how this is going to turn out. I have had to remind and remind and remind myself that GOD is in control of this. He is in control of EVERY aspect of my life.

Matthew 6:34
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." <-- I've always felt that the verse BEFORE this one should have come AFTER it... so I'm just going to add it now. "But seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

I was introduced to this verse, ironically, when I first met Ben. I was flipping through this Bible, trying to get a feel for his faith and his favorite verses and what not, and this verse was underlined and starred. This verse has been the one that has gotten me through a lot of this relationship. God has laid a perfectly planned out path before me. I look back and see so many ways that he prepared me for the journey I have been on with Ben. We have both taught each other/and learned so much from each other. For that, I am ETERNALLY greatful. Whether this journey is meant to be temporary or permanent, I am making a PROMISE to enjoy EVERY second of it.

My God is SO good, so amazing, so wonderful, merciful, kind, just, all knowing, etc and why in the WORLD would I choose to NOT trust him!!??!?!

Recently

Hi-ya,

I'm not really sure where I'm going to go with this post or what I even hope to accomplish. Maybe I'm looking to confess, or to just to indirectly say these things out loud by making them available for everyone to read; again, I'm not sure....so just bare with me.

For the past few months, I have felt like I am falling away from God. FAR away. You know, I feel like the times I was the CLOSEST to Him was when I was at my lowest point, when I felt nothing but sadness/darkness/pain/emptiness/etc. The second I feel "Happy" again I start to not seek God everyday. Maybe it's because I feel like I HAVE happiness and fulfillment in everyday things/people. I KNOW this is wrong. I blame EVERYTHING on the fact that I'm too busy, I work alllll day, I'm tired, etc... heck, I can't even work out b/c I'm "too tired from working all day." WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!?!?! It's like, sometimes I can pull away from myself and when I look at myself I just wanna be like, "Kayla, what is your problem? You know you've taken a wrong turn somewhere! Fix it!" Maybe I didn't take a "wrong turn," maybe I just strayed off of the right path and am just turned around and confused, trying to find my way back on the right path.

It's like, what HAPPENED to that FIRE that had engulfed my entire heart?!?!!? Where is the passion? UGH. I DONT KNOW. All I know is I have become a friend to the world; to things that do NOT matter. I've gone down the "easier" road. My job works me a double (11-late night) EVERY Sunday, and I couldnt tell you the last time I was able to go to church b/c of this. My Bible sits RIGHT beside my bed all day everyday and still, I couldnt tell you the last time I sat down and read it. I have COUNTLESS books that I know will help me but do I take time to read them? NO.

I'll be moving in July to a different State, city, ZIP CODE, and I keep telling myself I'll make significant changes to my life then, but HOW IS THAT OK?!??!? I feel like I'm looking GOD in the face, the God who hasn't walked away from me or said, "I'll make time for Kayla later," or abandoned/ignored me, and I'm saying to Him, "Yeah, maybe in a few months." or "Maybe after my nap." "Maybe after work." !?!??!?!??!??!?!??!??!?!??!??! What is wrong with me?!?! How can I possibly convince myself that is ok?

James 5:16

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

This is my confession: I feel like I'm falling away. I feel like my heart is still in the RIGHT place somehow. But I want to be on fire again.

I need to make a change.

Phil Cox's Thought for the Day: Trust

"To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved."

This was Phil Cox's Thought for the day yesterday and probably one of my favorites thus far. I dont know how many of you know Phil, but every morning he sends out a thought for the day, and so far 99% of them have related to struggles I have recently been facing in life. This one really stuck out to me, and he asked for feed back on it so I responded in the best way I could. A lot of you might disagree with the quote, but I have a LOT to say about this.

Trust is something I have struggled with my entire life. Whether it's been trusting a friend, a boyfriend, a family member, a teacher, a boss, a co-worker, God, or really anyone. Trust is a BIG deal and yes, I believe that a lot of trust has to be earned but I also believe that you have to just CHOOSE to trust someone... and if they screw it up... then they screw it up.

So when the quote says, "To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved," I want to point out that our whole concept of "love" has gotten so skewed that the actual meaning has gotten lost somewhere in all the crap. I mean, honestly, you hear little 13 year olds telling their boyfriend or girlfriend that they "love" them when really.... I mean, come ON, do they really LOVE them? Or are they LUSTING after them... or do they just REALLY like them? I remember being 14 years old and telling my boyfriend that I loved him... I didnt LOVE him. It was lust. And I liked the way I felt whenever he said it back to me...it makes you feel wanted, and let's face it... everyone wants to feel wanted.

The TRUTH is, if you dont have a good grasp on who God is then you cant POSSIBLY feel/experience/give/receive REAL love. Why? B/c God ISSS Love and Love ISSS God. So if a person does not know God, he/she does not know love. And if you do not know love, there is NO way to give/show it to anyone else. It's not real.

So for someone to TRUST someone... that is HUGE. At least in my opinion. B/c you have to be able to trust someone before you can really love them. Once you trust them you can put all of your time/effort into loving them unconditionally rather than constantly worrying about what they are doing behind your back. You dont focus on who they are talking to, what they are doing, how they are acting, etc... you are totally content with that person, your relationship with that person, and you know that they would never do anything to defy that trust.

So... for those of you in relationships... make sure your significant other REALLLLLY understands WHO God is and what God did and will do for you. Keep HIM at the center of EVERYTHING you do... and if that person is really meant for you NOTHING will go wrong. If YOU know and understand God and his love for you, then you are able to mimick that love and pour it out on others. But you REALLY want to make sure others understand that too!! Otherwise you will spend your whole life pouring out love and never receiving REAL love in return.

God = Love. Love = God. If you dont know God... You dont know REAL love. You just know the butterfly feeling in your tummy.... and we all know that just comes from hormones. : )

Im not really sure if ANY of this makes any sense... I hope it does.