The Skydiving Story

So. . . a friend and I did this crazy thing. A bucket list one of course. We decided to jump out of a perfectly functioning airplane and fall through the sky—just for fun. Some people think we are crazy but seriously—IT WAS AMAZING.

We have been planning to go skydiving for a while and because of all the life happening lately I wasn’t that nervous because I had been going from one thing to the next and I just went with the flow and on to the next task.

While this was true… it was a little different. We had the whole day of waiting, anticipation, nervousness (just a little bit), adrenaline, and excitement.

Accomplishment of the day:

à We drove and arrived minutes ahead of schedule without a GPS.

à We walked through the Archway Monument, learned a bit of history and ate lunch beforehand (and didn’t let any of it come back up).

à While waiting we ate ice-cream and didn’t get covered in it.

à We stopped at a coffee shop and got inspired about ideas for ours (in the future).

à We wrote stories while we waited.

à And waited some more… and more.

à We talked with my wonderful family who came out to take pictures, video tape and decide if they want to do it. They answered yes.

à It was finally our turn-- we got our instructions and got strapped in.

à We met our instructors and piled into the tiny plane (after it safely got more gas).

à While going up Honey pushed the panic button—but we lived.

à The only time I actually got a bit freaked out was when I moved from the safe inside of the plane towards the wide open door preparing to jump out… and then we JUMPED. Best part right here.

à My heart jumped, skipped a beat and for a moment I couldn’t believe what I was doing. I thought I was crazy. But never did it once cross my mind to turn back. Never.

à We shot through the air, flipping, flopping and flying upside-down… and yes I was screaming and smiling the whole way.

à The worst part of the whole day was when they unexpectedly pulled the whole parachute and we got jerked up. But it wasn’t really that terrible, just uncomfortable.

à But then came the most relaxing and enjoyable part—coasting through the air thousands of feet above people with goggles off and air sailing across your face. I could do this every day.

à I got the control straps and steered for a while. It was scary fun being in control.

à We were up there just floating around. It was so uplifting and hard to explain the exact feeling but it was great. I loved looking down.

à I saw the ground getting closer and close and I didn’t seem like we were going any slower.

à Three guys were staring at us and running around trying to see where we were going to land so they could catch us and the parachute.

à Feet hit the ground lightly. I was back… wow that was fast. I could have stayed up there a lot longer but ya know it was a blast.

à Honey smiled and screamed on the way down just as she promised.

à We did it. We survived and if I could I would have stowed away in the next flight.

à We watched our videos and laughed.

à Drove home with the fam—windows down, cookies out and heads nodding off.

Today was a success. We took advantage of this adventure and had more of a blast that I expected. It was a great experience and now we both want to become instructors which means we have to go hundreds and possibly thousands of more times. I am down for that.

Hope you guys enjoyed hearing our adventure. If you did, share this post and show it to someone who you think would like skydiving and encourage them to just do it. That’s what we did and it was so worth it. I would LOVE to see what adventures you all are taking. Let me know where you’ve been or are going and show me pictures. Tag me on Facebook (Grace Bornschlegl), Instagram (graciebeth_52) or send me a snapchat (gracieb9752).

Always take advantage of opportunities like this because if you say no to the first time you may never get another chance.

Blessings in all your adventurous summer activities,

~Grace

A Mountain Top Moment

P E A C E F U L

To choose a single favorite moment from our trip to Colorado is way too hard. I don’t know if I have an all-time favorite but there is one that has stood out more than the rest.

It was on the second day of hiking. We were driving through the mountains, trying to find our hiking trail, and no we didn’t get completely lost, but I finally just sat back in the seat and started to soak it all in… driving through the mountains, the windows down and the icy mountain air brushing across my face, my hands out the window feeling the breeze with the Jesus music blaring, yet all I saw and felt was a horizon filled with breathtaking snow topped mountains and peace.

This is my happy place. This is my moment. This is peaceful. This is priceless.

I realized in this moment that life is good. God is good always. And trials become good. Yeah we got kind of lost in the mountains but I was only lost in the beauty and majesty of this place.

Then… it started snowing. What could be better? It was magnificent. Glorious and perfect. You could see the clouds of blustering snow come in and covering the green tree filled mountain side. It only lasted for ten minutes or so but seeing that and knowing who created it was worth a thousand tree covered mountains.

- Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your Name - Chris Tomlin

During these moments the only words I could really say was thank you, God. My heart was full and I could not express exactly how I felt except thank You Lord for who You are and for the daily blessings that You give me—the both small and big ones.

“It’s a crazy life” accurately describes mine. The past month has been one of the best times of my life. It was a jammed packed life session but so worth every moment. My head rarely hit the pillow, my car ran and ran, my mind was constantly filled with thoughts, to do lists, test knowledge, and my hands never stopped moving.

I look back over the days and think of how incredibly blessed I am. God is good, always, and I see that more and more every day I live on this earth. My time in the mountains helped me realize that life is about the One who created all of this. I serve Him and only Him. My life, who I am, what I do or have just done (graduated for high school) is not about my accomplishments but solely about the One who moves mountains and calms the seas.

- I live my life to declare You are King -

I love my life. I truly do. I love the good times and the bad. I am growing to like the bad times more because it is when I encounter trials that I truly grow and see more of how great my God is.

James 1:2-3, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (NASAB)

In the moment on the mountain I breathed for the first time in a long time. I couldn’t form all the words of gratitude that I wanted to say so I just said thank you over and over. Remember to take those moments in your crazy life to recognize God and thank Him for who He is and what He has done and is doing in your life.

Holla to my mountains… see you again in three weeks.

~Gracie

Happy Mother's Day to a Most Amazing Woman

« Meaningful Mondays »

Of course I am tempted to start out with the cliché saying that I have the best mother in the world and mine is better than yours. But no, while I still may think that, mothers are not to be compared but rather praised simply for who they are. God knew we all needed different mothers with different strengths and weaknesses to teach us different things throughout life.

I honestly do not know how my mother does it. She is literally amazing. Somehow she manages to teach school to seven kids, she cleans, she cooks, she watches two adorable toddlers, she councils dad, she hardly freaks out about all the things that don’t go as planned each day, she makes everyone laugh, and somehow she manages to stay composed without pulling her hair out. And she does all of this each day. But I do not want to focus on all the “busy” things she does throughout the day but rather the women behind the actions. The reasons she does what she does every day without fail.

She is a woman full of sacrifice. Each day she gets up early to make breakfast for all of us famished animals. She chose to homeschool all seven of us for 13 years without fail. She could have created a career and gone after the world’s view of success, but no, she decided to be a mother and man am I thankful for that.

She never gets her nails done and drives us all around the country to wherever we want to go instead of going on a girl’s date (which she needs to go more often). She spends all of her time, her resources, her energy, she heart, and her life pouring into her family. Each moment she makes a selfless decision to bless someone else rather than giving into desires for self-comfort.

^ This is our relationship ^

She is a selfless woman full of humility. I have never seen anyone do the things she has done and gone through the situations she has witnessed and come out as graceful and selfless as she is. She is a woman clothed in Christ rather than expensive price tags and a fake image. Her beauty is in her heart. And her heart is the size of a mountain. All the love that she selfless gives to just her kids and husband each day is amazing. And it doesn’t stop there but she uses each opportunity to bless someone else with an encouraging note, a meal she prepared, or a kind word. She hardly ever does something that she actually wants to do but rather seeks out opportunities to serve others.

She has a servant’s heart. She never seeks to be recognized for what she does but is content with being in the background, serving away (well sorry, not getting away with that this year). She throws her whole heart into everything and finds her worth solely in Christ.

She is wise. My goodness, so very wise. I come to her at least once every week and explode into an explanation of how my life is going to fall apart. But, within moments she calms me down and puts things back into perspective. She is a constant encouragement to me. I know that if mom can make it through the day, there is no doubt that I can. The Spirit never fails to work through her to get to me.

She is a woman of commitment. She is committed to her husband who she faithfully loves no matter how much of a dork he is. She is committed to walking with Christ and raising her children. She is committed to showing everyone she meets a little bit of Jesus.

This kind of comes close to how crazy we are

She is my friend. As an 8 year-old I never thought of my mom as being my friend. Now I wouldn’t know what to do if she wasn’t my friend. We talk, we laugh, we pray, we cry, we encourage each other, and most importantly we love. We love each other and Christ. It is a blessing to have gained another friend that I know will never judge me or turn their back on me.

She is strong. She is an encourager. She is modest. She is a life giver. She is a Proverbs 31 woman.

Proverbs 31:25-29, “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teachings of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.” (NASAB)

And to all the other mothers and godly women who have also impacted my life, thank you. Just because you never had kids or do not yet does not mean that you are not a momma to someone. Women are designed to nurture and love on kids. Thank you to my mother’s friends who are like my second mom, my teachers, instructors, coaches, youth group leaders, the list is long of women who have left an imprint on my heart that will forever remain. Thank you all for being wonderful, God filled role models.

I feel like I still cannot completely put into words exactly how I feel about my mom, she is simply incredible. I hope one day I will be at least half the woman and mother that she is. She is inspirational, full of wisdom, absolutely adorable, completely hilarious and full of life, she bears the weights of this world with grace, she lets the love and light of Christ shine through her in everyone she interacts with, SHE IS GOLDEN.

Proverbs 31: 10, “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far beyond jewels.” (NASAB)

 And I know she is golden only because of the Christ living within her.

When spring and summer roll around and she forgets to plant flowers, dad and I remind her that she was met to raise children not plants. And can I get an AMEN to that?! ;)

7 of her blessings

I love you with all my heart, Mommy!

~Gracie

7 Things About Being in Life's W A I T I N G Room

« Meaningful Mondays »

Waiting. Waiting. And more waiting. Three of the most challenging things I have to do in life.

Waiting is not my forte. Learning to wait on God is even harder. It truly takes much of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These past few years I have had to wait for so many things. I honestly do not think I can list all of them—there are a ton. I am by no means an expert at waiting. However, here are 7 things I have discovered about being in God’s waiting room:

W A I T I N G contently in prayer and peace

> W. hat Is Waiting?

                  Some people think, oh waiting is so easy, we don’t have to do anything, well that is the point, we cannot do anything and instead we have to let someone else do it for us. However, I would not call waiting easy. Many times we are control freaks and want things to happen immediately.

                  Waiting is not sitting around on your rear all day and just waiting for God to show up and do something in your life. Waiting starts with the attitude and the heart. It is a mindset of letting go and letting God. It is actively seeking His face always, but being willing to wait on Him for answers while living out the rest of our life to the fullest. It is being content with life just as it is in this moment. Remember to become content while waiting.

> A. sk For Guidance

                  For me, waiting is literally one of the hardest and most difficult things I have to do. Sometimes I am waiting for days, other times its months, and I have prayers that have been on my heart for years and God is still answering them with—wait.

                  Part of waiting is being willing to ask God for patience and wisdom through this process. Yes, He is making us wait for whatever reason, but He also gives us these opportunities of waiting to draw nearer to Himself and realize that we cannot do life on our own. He wants the best for us and with our selfish hearts it is hard for Him to just give us what we want when we want it. Instead, He has to grow us closer to Himself. He is patient until we are ready and mature enough to graciously receive whatever it is we are waiting on.

> I. nvest In Prayer

                  Waiting calls for more prayer. Plain and simple. Warning: mini story ahead. I was planning on completely filling up my summer with running around the country (and out of it) doing different things. Yah for adventures. One of the plans was to attend a Summit Ministries Conference in CO. There are many dates for this conferences and as we got closer to the sign up deadline, I couldn’t decide which date to go with. One of them I had close friends going and the other one I just really felt God tugging my heart to go. However, the latter one I really wanted to go to suddenly filled up. I momentarily panicked but went ahead and signed up for the other conference date that also worked. Afterwards I said, “God, this one is completely out of my hands. I signed up and I would really like to go to the conference that I feel you pushing me towards. I am on the waiting list for that conference but there is nothing I can do about it. This is all You.” I knew that in this situation, all I could do is wait and see what God’s will for my summer is. Well I waited and it was a struggle. I prayed. And prayed some more. I wanted to have a set schedule but I couldn’t yet. A few weeks later I was printing off Spanish homework when I got the call—I’m officially into the conference date I wanted. It was out of the blue and I was completely taken by surprise. It was such a joyful and rewarding feeling. I had waited for weeks not knowing the outcome. However, I had peace knowing that God completely had this under control. He knew what was best and I relied on Him and His timing to show that to me.

                  Investing in prayer means that when we have something we are waiting on, do not pray once and simply drop the subject waiting until something happens. No way. We need to pray and petition it to God because He uses these situations to show us His glory and to grow us up. He will teach and show us amazing things that were completely off our radar.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, “Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NASAB)

> T. akes Time

                  Waiting is the opposite of going. Patience is key. I have asked God so many times why He is making me wait because “I don’t have time to wait”. Truth be told that from that statement that I obviously need more practice with patience and waiting. Waiting is not waiting if you try to intervene and do something on your own power because God is not showing up when you want Him to. God is on His own time schedule and He will do things when He is ready and when He knows that you are as well. Remember to stay patience.

> I. nsignificant Insecurities

                  Waiting can sometimes seem discouraging. We think that God will never come and answer our prayers. What if He doesn’t hear me? What if He doesn’t care? What if…? All of these questions, concerns and worries are ridiculous. They are not even worth the effort of saying.

                  God will answer us. It may not be in the way we imagined or in the time frame we wanted, but He always answers to those who call upon His name and seek His face.

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (NASAB)

                  If we are going after God and not the worldly things of this life, this verse will become a reality in our lives.

> N. ever Give Up

                  I have learned that anything in life that is worth having or worth experiencing will not come easy at all. I embrace those struggles because without them, life would be bla. Nothing would have worth because it was so easily obtained.

                  Stay strong when the going gets tough and lean on the Rock. Remember that failure builds character. Learning (or failing) at patience while waiting is not easy, it will take time, but the lessons you learn along the way are worth it. Never give up on God or prayer.

> G. od Is Good

                  No matter what happens, God is still God and He is always good. I have slowly learned this and seen it play out in my life time and time again. In the midst of a situation it may not seem that God is in control and sometimes we want to freak out, but we have to remember that God has a master plan. He wants to bless you beyond your wildest thoughts.

Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (NASAB)

                  Just because you asked God to do something in your life and you are waiting and praying for that thing does not mean that God is going to swoop down after you’ve waiting long enough and do it. He may and He may not. He does things according to His plan and His purpose.

                  I do not know His plan, and I am okay with that. I do know that nothing happens by accident. I know that each waiting room I come to in life I meant for me to learn something from. I know that I will have to wait for a lot of things in life. I am content with that because if I tried to live life solely on my own strength I know that I would fail tremendously. I trust God to work out each area of my life if I am faithful to pray and serve Him.

God truly works all things for good to those who love and honor Him.

If you are struggling waiting remember:

To be content with waiting

To ask for patience

To invest in prayer for your situation

It will take time

Never doubt

Never give up

God is always good

Blessings in your waiting room,

~Gracie

Story Time about God’s Goodness

« Meaningful Mondays »

This is going to be a personal God experience random thought letter so bear with me. I will be sharing some God moments that have happened during the past week or so.

God. Is. Good.

God is so good. Plain and simple. It is hard to find words to describe how good, wonderful, and awesome He is. God is truly INDESCRIBABLE. This verse has become one of my favorites:

Ephesians 3:20, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably

more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at

work within us" (NIV)

One of the reasons I love this verse so much is because I am seeing it play out in my daily life. It is amazing. Again and again I see God show up and blow my mind. He brings me to tears almost every day (or really close). Christ is working in my life and it is THE COOLEST thing that has ever happened to me.

Story time! Just last week I was on my way to get ready for prom when my mom gets the mail. A few moments later I find out that I won a scholarship. Yah! Praise God. It was such a surprise and joy to know that my hard work was paying off.

A few days later I was at work and taking a small break. I looked down at my phone for a moment and saw that I had won another scholarship. This one was larger than the other one and had required a lot more work. I was literally blown away. I broke out in tears of joy. I was overwhelmed.

One of my goals is to not go into debt while in college. These scholarships are an answer to many prayers. And I received two of them not simply one, which would have been good enough for me. But I guess God saw fit to bless me in this way.

I look back now and see how His timing for all of this was completely perfect. I had applied for several scholarships a few months ago and was now waiting. I waited some more and then learned that I did not receive a couple of them. That was kind of discouraging and I was close to just giving up the idea of receiving any when suddenly, out of nowhere, God comes and blesses my world.

So, that is the end of my little story. But my lesson to you all is: never give up. God is a good and He has so much planned for your life. He wants to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Let Him be God and run your show. He will do a wayyy better job than you could ever do.

/ He is a Good God /

Blessings,

Gracie

Perfect Life? Perfect Senior Prom?

« Meaningful Mondays »

Life is beautiful. Life is not always easy. Life is not always about you. Life is about serving. Life is about being a good friend. Life is about dancing. Life is about enjoying the moment. Life is about laughing. Life is about being crazy. Life is about crying (only occasionally). Life is about taking chances. Life is about relying on God. Life is about faith. Life is about adventure.

Life is about so much. This is life on a smaller scale. But in the big picture. . . What is your life about?

Is it about success? Fame? Money? Goals? Family or friends? Just having a good time? Relationships? Food? God? Faith?

It may be one or two of those things. It may be all of them or none.  Each individual is different. There seems to be a variety of different answers and explanations. Whatever it is that we are seeking in life we want it to be fulfilling and make our lives more perfect. Right?

Well, I am here to tell you today that your life is not perfect and it will never be completely perfect, but that is OKAY because GOD IS PERFECT and HE IS IN CONTROL. He knows the plan for me (and for you) and that should be enough. We just need to live each day with the mindset of honoring God and being chill with whatever circumstances He brings our way.

After senior prom two nights ago it hit me how perfect and imperfect that night was. It is an accurate example of how the rest of my life feels right now. It was a beautiful night full of glamor, pictures, crazy dance moves, yummy food and awesome friends. It was wonderful. But it was nowhere close to perfect. I had friends who got engaged (that part was perfect). And I had other friends who were hurting and confused that night.

Was it a good night? Definitely. Best (and last *tear*) prom ever. However it was a complicated night. A lot happened. It is just how each day of my life goes and I am so thankful for both the happy and bit more challenging moments. I learned and grew from both of them as I do every day.

Life is about perspective and response. The saying that life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond to it is SO TRUE. It is taking those breathing taking good and bad moments and choosing to look at them positively. It is not discarding the negative elements but you have a choice to be a conqueror. God is always there to hold your tears, to give you comfort and strength-- He helps you truly conquer. He is also always there to rejoice with you. He is with you through thick and thin— confusing times and beautiful moments. He is the rock that does not move.

Whatever your life is about it should revolve around Christ. Without Him in my life, personally, I would literally go crazy. Throughout the day I am constantly thanking Him for the blessings, the special moments, and the difficult times. I am asking for strength. I am seeing His council. I am communicating with Him daily and it helps me to see more clearly the choices I have and it brings clarity to my life mission.

My life is the farthest thing from perfect. I am okay with that. I am not striving for a perfect life. I am striving for a Christ centered, godly life that brings honor and glory to my Creator.

Whatever stuff you are going through—the happy and the sad, let God be a part of it. I am so thankful for each and every trial He has given me in just this past week. Sure they were hard days to overcome, but with God they were (and are) so much bigger, better, and more rewarding than trying to do it on my own.

Do not be a perfectionist. Be a Christ follower. Be a joy (& peace) seeker. Be a perspective changer. Choose positive responses. Choose the imperfect life.

Blessings,

~Gracie

Joy vs. Happiness

« Meaningful Mondays »

CRAZY is a fairly accurately word that sums up my life these past few weeks.

The weird thing is that even though every day I wake up with a list the size of my textbook pages to do that day and I run around throughout the day like a chicken with its head cut off, I am not constantly feeling “STRESSED OUT”. I simply feel busy.

It is hard to explain but I have concluded that deep down I have peace about my current situation in life. I still have my moments but during the midst of all the craziness I, myself, am not going crazy.

It is one of the best things I have ever have experienced—true peace and joy with all of life. I want to share some of that journey with you.

4 Things About My Journey of Finding TRUE JOY IN LIFE:

1) JOY is Different Than Happiness

            Happiness is a mood that can come and fade in an instant. One moment crying and the next laughing (this happens often to me— welcome to the world of emotional females). Happiness is a feeling. It is a surface-y thing that we say when we feel good about something or someone.

            Joy on the other hand is deep. Joy is vast. Joy is “harder” to obtain. It is greater. Joy is feeling happy, content, and peaceful about all of life. Deep down it is knowing that someone has our back and we are able to smile through the struggles and trials.

2) JOY is Way Better Than Happiness

Now I am not saying that happiness is a bad thing. However, when we are searching for things in life that only make us happy we miss the true joy that we can experience through each and every stage of life.

Many times we end up seeking happiness instead of joy. We find the things in life that make us happy and pursue them or go around telling people how happy they make us feel. I do the exact same thing. I have a tendency to say, “Oh my goodness, that makes me really happy,” a lot. And while I am happy at that moment for whatever reason it is merely happiness and not true joy I found.

--A smile can equal happiness but a heart, mind, and body that is smiling equals joy--

3) Finding True JOY

            How we achieve this true joy is not by running around smiling all the time and telling people that we have joy in our hearts. While positivity in life helps, true joy is found in Christ. He is the only one that can completely satisfy our heart, mind and soul.

            Our comfort should come only from Him and not in the “other things in life that make us happy” because sooner or later those things will disappear. And if our identity and self-worth was found in those things, one day we will be left feeling empty and alone.

True joy lies in searching the Word (the Bible) for our contentment. During the hard days it is choosing to rely on His strength and not our own. It is choosing to believe the truth and to not let discouraging lies creep their way into our thoughts.

James talks about joy and trials often and this is one of my favorite passages because it is encouraging and hopeful (even though I have only recently really understood it):

James 1:2-3, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (NASAB)

4) How to Maintain True Joy

This is the part of joy that I have been experiencing lately (James 1:2-3). Through each and every incoming and ongoing life thing that is happening I am finding this sense of stability. It is this deep down, God given, emotion of security, peace, and joy.

Because of this, I have been able to truly enjoy the moment without being worried about the outcome of the next. I have been able to smile through the tears, the momentary pain, the frustration, and the struggles that life brings my way. I have leaped off of my self-propelled, unsuccessful, fishing boat and jump onto His unsinkable ship.

I am trusting that GODS’ GOT THIS.

The only way I am able to do this is through constant prayer. If we want a life full of joy, we need Christ to remain at the center. We need to thank Him for the many blessings we have. We need to boldly ask for strength to endure. Reading His scripture often and being reminded of His promises during the midst of adversity is what will keep joy and peace in our hearts.

Learning to trust God with everything in life is one of the hardest things we will ever do. Even though we are Christians, we still want to be the headliner and the star. We value our pride. We may experience some happiness during those times but they will come and go quickly.

If we are rooted in Christ, actively seeking His face each day, keeping faith in His timing, and staying humble by accepting instruction, we will experience and be able to maintain true joy with life. We will feel free because we cannot control everything and now we know it.

"I COULD PLAY THE BACKGROUND" --Lecrae. And let God "STEAL MY SHOW"-- Toby Mac. These are two of my favorite songs. They point to being content with letting God take over. When we see God do something amazing or have a "God moment" life becomes that much sweeter. We can see Him working and doing incredible things through us. It is so much better than observing our own, self-make accomplishments that are so, so tiny and do not come close to being compared to what God can do and is doing in our lives each and every day.

Finally, true joy is saying (one of my favorite quotes from Facing the Giants): “Lord, I will still love you.” No matter what happens we have to learn to become content (having joy and peace) with where we are at, who we are with, what we are doing, while actively trusting the God we cannot see to do the things that are out of our control.

Blessings,

~Gracie

An Open Letter To Fellow Seniors About S. T. R. E. S. S.

« Meaningful Mondays »

- Take time to BE STILL -

I wake up every morning and the first thing that comes into my mind is “Oh my gosh! I have so much to do today!” Seconds after my brain engages I am already overwhelmed by the day’s tasks.

As seniors whether you are in high school or college I think it is safe to say that we all WANT TO BE DONE WITH SCHOOL. We are at this point, however there are still several unknowns.

How can I go to class, finish homework, and go work for 5 hours tonight and still be sane? What will I do after graduation? What college will I go to? What job will I get?

Right now life is really overwhelming for me in high school. I have picked a college (thank God) but not a major yet. Each day someone asks me about it and I struggle to give them the exact same answer each day without arrive to a permanent decision.

Balance in life is also difficult. There are tests to study for, papers to write, finals are looming in the horizon. Outside of homework, work also takes up a lot time and energy as well as planning the graduation party—decorations, invitations, house preparations, food—you name it.

“Stress” seems to find its way into each area of my daily life and I struggle to keep it under control.

Here are 6 things I have done to help myself not become a stressful freak who has daily mental breakdowns:

> S. top stressing. Seek God

            God give us these "stressful" times in our lives when we want to worry so that we can either turn into a ball of stress OR turn our focus to Christ and rely on Him to get us through. He wants us to stop, pray, and seek His face through our emotional worries and challenges. Here is one of my favorite Bible verses that talks about stress, anxiety and worries:

Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (NASAB)

Once we are able to get our minds off of our problems we can put our focus on Christ, serving Him and serving others. It opens our eyes to the opportunities around us to be selfless servants for Christ and His kingdom. That should be our true life goal.

> T. ake a Breath

            After we decide to give our worries over to God, we just need to take a moment, a day, or even an hour in the afternoon to just breathe. Get somewhere quiet, in an open space and pray for strength. Go away from the distractions.

            You may think that you have “too much to do” to be able to take this time away, but the truth is you cannot work forever. You have to stop at some point and take a moment to be still. Relax at some point today— even if it is just for a few moments while driving I your car.


> R. emember Your Mission

            Do not forget who you are, where you are and what you are doing. Whatever the answer to those questions are— that is your mission. Sometimes we get too wrapped up into "these things" that need to be done (the things we are “stressing out” about) and we miss the big picture of what is really going on.

           Christ is molding and shaping us to be more like Him and sometimes it is a bumpy road. The small things in life are important but do not blow them out of proportion and make them heavier or larger than they need to be.

> S. ingle Steps Forward

            We cannot just remember what we are supposed to be doing but we need to act on our knowledge. This can be scary. It will require faith because we cannot do it on our own strength. We need Christ and His might behind us to keep us upright. But first, we have to jump out in faith that He has still got a hold of us and plunge into the unknown with only our faith in Him to hold on to.

This is a huge step forward, but once we get over the first hump the other steps will become easier to step into. Our goal is to follow Christ in faith while living a stress-free.

> S. tay Calm and Focused

            Consistency is key. Just because we have conquered our emotions in one situation does not mean they will never come back. More trials may await and the only way we will overcome them is through faith and stubbornness. We have to fight to keep a positive, Christ centered, selfless mindset.

Remember that “stressing” or getting worked up about things will not help your situation one bit. It will only emotionally, physically and spiritually drain you. Nothing profitable will ever come from worrying over something, or someone. It is simply not worth it.

Whenever you want to worry over details, stress out about a situation or get anxious with someone, TAKE A MOMENT TO:

Stop & Seek God
Take a Breath
Remember Your Mission
&
Stay Calm and Focused

Blessings,

~Gracie

A Life of Adventure

« Meaningful Mondays »

-->> "An adventurous life does not necessarily mean climbing mountains, swimming with sharks or jumping off cliffs. It means risking yourself by leaving a little piece if yourself behind in all those you meet along the way."

Goals right here guys. Life goals.

When I first read this I was convicted because to me that is what adventure is. Adventure is doing the crazy, insane, wild and unheard of things in life. To me adventure is spontaneous actions, uncertain situations, unique ideas, different places and crazy things. While that is true, adventure is SO MUCH MORE.

True adventure is . . .

- Living with an attitude of adventure -

It is not waiting for the perfect time or event to suddenly become actively adventurous. It is a mindset of living each and every day with the people around you striving to impact them.

That is adventure. Giving of yourself to others. It is taking a risk on that person or thing without knowing the outcome. It is giving your all in every situation. It is living in the present and not searching for the crazy “things” to do in life. Part of the adventure is experiencing those things. However, it is giving your time, your money, your resources, your knowledge, your insight, your love and your self to others wherever you are without hesitation. That is what is going to change your life and change the lives of those around you.

Isn’t that our goal in life? To impact others? To encourage others? To take risks on other people because we care about them and not about the outcome of the situation?

My goal in life is to go on tons of crazy, fun, spontaneous and uncertain adventures to the beautiful places I’ve only dreamed about. However, those are not the only adventures I will be taking. Wherever I go, whoever I am with, whatever circumstance I am in, I will be living an adventure.

I choose to live this life where I am at. I choose to explore and experience all the wonderful moments around me, even if it is in my own front yard. I choose to not be worried about what others think of me or scared about the outcome of a situation because that is out of my control.

Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” (NIV)

Christ wants to blow our minds. He wants us to capture the craziest adventure we can think of and He will completely take it to a whole new level. We cannot imagine what He has in store for us. The adventures and possibilities are endless. But they start at home. They start with Christ working inside us. They start with investing in others and embracing our daily adventures. Even the small ones. They are just as important as the big ones.

- We need to look at every moment, in every place, with every person for whatever reason as its own adventure worth taking -

Blessings,

~Gracie

Do You Want an Easy Life?

« Meaningful Mondays »

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Generally speaking I have not wished for this. I have always wanted an easy road to follow. One that I thought would mean happiness and success. But the truth is no one should want this kind of life. An easy life in reality equals a meaningless one because it never required effort. No sweat, no tears, no anguish, no fear, no pitfalls, no drama, no progress and no heart.

While these things may not be desirable per say, they are essential parts. Whatever we want to do in life will require some part of us— whether it be mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually that we may not get back. Therefore, might as well take this opportunity and learn from it. Throw yourself in 100% and take pains with whatever it is. Think of how much greater the reward will feel once the goal is accomplished.

We all have to realize that life is a process. Many times our journey has several different parts. We will come upon the first step, then the second one that takes twice as long, and the detour, then the third step that gets flipped upside down and we finally reach the end. This is how our lives go and many times we get frustrated that they aren’t perfect.

But no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to attain a perfect life. We may look around and think that others have wonderful, easy lives. Maybe they chose the easy road and their life appears great, but inside they will be missing something. Something that they cannot find. That would be Jesus.

Life with Him is worth so much more than just a life. Life with Jesus means to actually LIVE life. It may be a difficult life, but with Christ life has meaning, it has purpose and hope in the future.

Instead of praying that all these struggles and pains go away we need to pray for STRENGTH to get through the hard days and difficult times of our life. Without these trials, life would get boring. We wouldn’t see God’s hand work and we wouldn’t have stories to tell or memories to share. 

We need to bring those difficult moments into a new perspective. Think of them as opportunities to learn and grow. Opportunities to strengthen our faith.

Embrace life’s struggles.

There is always room for improvement. Ultimately the storms and bumps in the road make us stronger, wiser and more appreciative of the joyful, satisfying moments we experience. Once we learn to embrace the struggles they will become easier, because we will understand that they do have a purpose. Nothing in life happens by mistake.

Christ is the only rock to lean on

I hope whatever trials are being thrown your way today you will be able to see the bigger picture that life is worth so much more than the struggles of today. I pray that you all will have hope knowing that God will forever have you in His hand.

Blessings,

~Gracie