"Life is hard but God is good"

The title is actually a lyric from DA TRUTH's new album that I've been playing all day. That phrase basically describes my sentiments towards 2011. I did a lot of complaining this year but now looking back I see how even the things I felt were negative...are actually positive. Especially considering the fact that through all I had to face this year, God was right by my side. Now that I can look back, I can also see that every single day of 2011 was truly designed and planned by God. There were times when I wondered what exactly the purpose of the things I was going through was. But now I see that every single thing was definitely in God's plan. And His plan turned out much better than mines. So as 2011 ends, and 2012 begins I can truly say I'm ready for this new year and all God's gonna do and am equally grateful for all God did in 2011. I pray you all have a great year, thanks for the time we spent together in 2011:)

I just discovered this group of poets. they are awwwweeeeeeessssooooommmeeeee....Here's a link to their latest poem, "Ready or Not':
Ready or Not?

One of our many secret weapons

You know how in action movies, at that one critical-life-or-death moment the protagonist pulls out a hidden or forgotten weapon or tool to defeat their opponent? Well, we as Christians also have this and it's called our testimony. In Revelations 12:11 it says that we "overcome by the word of our testimony". This is why we have testimonial services and even why I have this blog. Our testimony helps us, loved ones, and family in Christ. When we share our experiences of how God brought us over and through, we remind ourselves how good God has been to us. We relay that God is able. We encourage our brothers and sisters to fight on. Our testimonies prepare us for the fight ahead. It reminds us of who God is.
Yes, our testimonies  may be embarrassing. They may remind us of a period and our lives we want to forget. But we can't. We have to remember and display all God has done for us, for the world to see. It's all for God's glory.

"Why me?" Why NOT you?

Lately, I've been asking God "Why me?" and "why now?" and "why this way?". He showed me just how wrong I was for even feeling this way. I couldn't help thinking of Jesus before Calvary. He had every right to take on the "Why me" attitude, yet He humbled Himself and bore the cross. Think about it, He never ever did ONE thing wrong, yet He died for all the shameful things you and I did/do. But He never thought "Why me?"...instead He prayed for us. So I took that example and it's my goal to stop asking and thinking "Why me?". God has done too much for all of us for us to ever have the right to say "Why me?".

PDA

One o my biggest pet peeves is PDA...However there is one type of PDA that not only doesn't irritate me but in fact turns and twists my heart is the PDA Jesus showed on the cross. Just think about it, the most exalted King in all of existence came and took my lowly place...not only in front of those physically present, but before all mankind. He died for the sins that I myself am ashamed of...yet He wasn't the least bit ashamed. The bible says that there is no greater love than that a man lay down His life for a friend. Jesus took it even further and died a humiliating death for me (and you!) in front of everybody. He acknowledged me and you in the most passionate way. And that is the only Public Display of Affection that I will EVER need. :)

Mouth closed, ears open

Sometimes during our troubles and trials, we tend to open our mouths, but shut our ears, hearts, minds, bibles, and so on. We talk (via twitter, txt, convos, facebook, blog sites, etc.) about how we feel, what's going on, and other pessimistic details about our situation . When we do this we ignore God telling us that this is His plan. We tune out the fact that it's not about how things seem. We disregard that God is doing something bigger than we could ever imagine. We forgot that our present tense sufferings are nothing compared to the joy and blessings on the way. So when you're crying your eyes out, your heart feels heavy, and you just wanna "vent". Vent to God but remember that He knows what He's doing (He's only been doing it for FOREVER!!!) But the most important part of the convo is gonna be your listening to what God says via the Bible. Listen up guys, God's got great things in store for us!!!

Disappointment

One of my biggest fears is disappointing people. Lately, I have been feeling like I've let alot of people down. I'm always careful not to mess up and when I do, I have a hard time moving on. But today, I saw a quote that said "You (God) don't love us less if we fail. You don't love us more if we succeed." That spoke volumes to me because I always felt like people wouldn't love me as much if I didn't make honor roll, or if I wasn't perfectly personable. But God is the type of friend, lover, Father, etc. that won't let His love for us be affected by what we do or don't do. Yes He'll be disappointed, but His love will still be the same. It's constant and not based on our good deeds. It's undeserved yet He won't take it away.

Bearing it alone

Often times in movies, magazines, and commercials teens are depicted as being surrounded by friends, laughing, and having a good time. As a little kid that's what I thought adolescence was about. Well, I was wrong. Especially for those of us walking with Christ, we will find ourselves alone ALOT. This is currently the lesson I am being taught. Being away at college had really made me realize that my life is on a different track than that of my loved ones. I've been really sad lately because I'll cal a friend when I'm free, but their busy. Or they'll have time to talk to me...but only when I'm busy. It's very frustrating. And there have been a lot of times when I've been crying or on the verge of tears, and have wanted to call someone...but everyone's busy. 

This has led me to realize and remember that Christ bore His cross alone. He had no one to cry to except the Father. And as a Christian, I have to follow that example. I may be bearing my cross alone, but I am not, was never, and never will be alone.

I Am a Christian by Maya Angelou

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'.
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say ."I am a Christian,"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble,
And need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak,
And need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed,
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible,
But God believes I am worth it.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches,
So I call upon His name.

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not holier than thou.
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace somehow.

***I DID NOT WRITE THIS POEM AND AM CLAIMING ABSOLUTELY NO COPYRIGHTS. JUST SHARING***

HIS track record

So last week was the craziest week of college so far. I was having a lot of issues with my roommate, I had three exams, I couldn't focus, and I just was struggling to balance all these things. On Thursday, I had my Chem exam. Now me and Chemistry have always had...bad chemistry (lol). So, out of all my exams, I was stressing this one the most. I also was feeling down because I'm so used to doing so well in school. However, whenever I went to study, I couldn't focus and ended up getting distracted, mostly due to my roommate and her noisy guests...And I also couldn't grasp this one concept so I wasted alot of time trying to understand it to no avail. So Thursday at 1 pm, I'm in class waiting for the professor to pass out the exams and I'm silently praying. There was a lot of worry in the back of my head. But instead of worrying I forced myself to think about all the times that God has come through. Just in High School alone, God has really opened a lot of doors for me. And I was getting all mushy inside thinking about this and I got my exam and was just hoping to pass with at least a D, but ready to let God step in. Today we got our scores back and I got an 80.5% on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so overjoyed :) And then I went to my next class and got my spanish exam back with a 92% so I was pretty ecstatic. So, I'd like to encourage you all not to look at the scary mountains and obstacles ahead, but to reminisce on God's track record in your life.

No ordinary romance

So first, apologies for my neglect...I've just been busy and doing a lot of adjustments in my life. Luckily, one of these adjustments is perfect for this blog :) So, I've been saved for a couple years now, and when I first got saved I tried to have a relationship with Christ that resembled that of a boyfriend/girlfriend. At this time, all my peers were dating and had boyfriends so I thought that putting God in that position would work. It worked but, recently I've realized that it's so far from enough. Because the love God has for me is so far from any love that could be found between humans. And our relationship is so different than that between a girlfriend and boyfriend.  Because no guy is gonna lay down his life for a girl...especially one with as many flaws as me. So lately, I've been changing my perspective on God. I can't actually articulate how I'm beginning to view Him now...but it's kind of in this awestruck, head-over-heels, can't get enough manner.

ALL= Everything

When someone says "give it your all", they're saying do your best...But when God says "Give me your all", I think what He really means is give me everything you've got. Like the good, the bad, the unspoken, the fears, the shame. A lot of times, I neglect the fact that God loves every part of me, and try to ignore and hide the bad parts of me from Him. I neglect to pray about my fears, my troubles, my hurts, my emotions, my shortcomings, and my needs. But God really does mean it when He says He wants it ALL, the good, the bad, the ugly.

I love free things

So, as you all recently learned from my last post...I am a heap individual...and cheap people LOVE FREE!!! Unfortunately very few things are free anymore...But fashionablygeeked is having a giveaway...And I entered it :)

Awardness...

So fashionablygeeked gave me an award:

...now I must share 7 things about myself...So here goes:
1. I'm a freshman psychology major at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
2. People say I'm very motherly.
3. My favorite color is pink.
4. I'm extremely cheap...yet I love to shop.
5. I love to read, sing, and shop.
6. I've always gone to school with at least one relative. One time as many as 6.
7. I love my family.

Open up, Baby! This is Love.

Ok, so that title's probably a little on the creepy side, but for some reason I think it's a quote or lyric from a song...really can't remember. But anyway, as teens we get hurt by a lot of people, things, and circumstances. Christians also go through hurt and hardships (Psalms 44:22). So for a Christian teen, it may feel like we're getting a double portion. And like most humans, when we get hurt, we shy away, we turn away, we close ourselves up. Which not only makes our relationships with friends, family, and others really difficult, but more importantly our relationship with Christ may suffer. Sometimes I find myself hesitant to "put myself out there", so to speak. One thing I've always struggled with is completely trusting God (a whole nother blog post). But when I feel the fear that attempts to keep me from really letting God in, I kinda have this realization that often makes me feel like the most idiotic fool. I realize that Christ put Himself waaaaaaaayyyy "out there", on a cross, to die, in  front of a taunting crowd, and He KNEW people (even His own) would reject Him. And if that's not love...then I don't believe it exists...

God has my back

This week I realized how much God has had and continues to have my back. Point 1: Over the summer, I met this girl from my school through this website for students to find a roommate. So we exchanged numbers and txtd the majority of the summer. She seemed pretty cool and I thought we'd make a good match. However, when it was time to request each other as roommates,, she had already been requested by someone else. So, I was gonna have to room with a completely random stranger picked by the school. This was really scary and for weeks, the worst possible scenarios ran through my head. Around mid-July I got an email from my school with my room and roommate assignment. Me and my school-assigned roommate exchanged contact info and started txting. She seemed cool just like the last girl. so, fast forward to move in day...I walk into my room and see people from my church there. Turns out my roommate and her family go to my church...But being my normally hard-headed self, I didn't quite absorb the fact that God had looked out until Wednesday. The girl I originally planned on rooming with txtd me to hang out Wednesday after class. We went to the diner and had lunch during which she cussed excessively and talked about drugs, alcohol, and partying non stop. All of which are major annoyances for me. So as soon as I walked out of the diner, I was immediately like "well thank God I dodged that bullet".

All the way to YOU

All the Way to Texas-Coffey Anderson
So one of the unfortunate components of this teenage life is loneliness. No matter who you are, at some point you've probably felt alienated from your peers or maybe even family. Sadly, it's even worse for Christian teens. We feel it when all of our friends go to that one really epic party, when others are smoking and drinking, when you just can't and won't do what's "cool". At least I did. I still do sometimes. Annnyyywho, I was studying and listening to music and one of my new favorite songs "All the Way to Texas" by Coffey Anderson came on. So basically the gist of the song is that no matter where you are or what your situation is, Jesus will come to comfort you. So I was just zoning out (and not studying) and I had an epiphany. It was pretty much along the lines of "OF COURSE, he'll come to me...He went all the way to Calvary for me".

Fashionably Geeked: Outfit(s): Crystin's Family Values

Check out my cousin and my other cousins! They're looking kinda cute and I don't see all their private business!!!

Fashionably Geeked: Outfit(s): Crystin's Family Values: Hi guys! Meet [some of] my family. And if you like the ring I'm wearing, I stole it from my cousin Brittanie ;) My sister, Courtney ...

Rambling about the Grand Canyon

One thing that I'm sure all teenage (and even some adult) females go through is the constant struggle with self-esteem. For some, it's just the occasional days were you may just feel plain ugly. However, for others it's even worse and that self-esteem monster attacks you like everyday. I am pretty much in between the two. I have my days when I try to avoid mirrors at all costs. But this summer I had an experience that quelled pretty much all of my self-esteem woes. I visited the Grand Canyon! Now, I know that doesn't really sound that life-changing, but I've never been off the east coast of the US...so this was a pretty big deal. I wasn't expecting some divine revelation when I visited, maybe a few cool pics and a nice souvenir. Well, I got my nice pics and a new perspective! When I first saw the Grand Canyon, it didn't look real...it looked like it had been photo shopped or something. I got to thinking about how only God could make something so beautiful that it didn't seem real. Like my brain couldn't process the beauty of such a place. This led me to think that if God created such a beautiful Grand Canyon, how much more beautiful I must be. Think about it, the Grand Canyon is simply just a pretty hole in the ground...but we are "made in His image" (Genesis 1:27). Now that I have rambled on about a hole in the ground, here's some pictures...

The Thirst

Me and some of my friends and cousins have this inside joke about the "The Thirst". Basically "the thirst" is an epidemic that causes guys and girls alike to act desperate in an attempt to gain the opposite sex's attention. Like when a girl constantly texts a guy when she knows he's really not interested in much. Or when a guy stands in a spot where he knows girls will be, with the sole intention of hitting on them. Or perhaps when a girl spends hours fixing herself up to go to the club and wears uncomfortably high heeled shoes, tight clothes, and displays every physical aspect of her body in the hopes of being noticed by a guy. It's called the thirst because apparently these poor individuals aren't getting the attention/ affection they needed, so they act out of desperation to achieve it. Although this is just a joke among friends, it got me thinking. Because we're all thirsty. And like those aforementioned, we're going about quenching it the wrong way. Personally, I know this is my problem. There are days when I just feel like something's missing. And it's typically at this pivotal moment that I do something...dumb. I'll go out with the wrong crowd, call the wrong person from my past, or just go back to the things I used to do. And in the back of my head, I know that these things I'm doing are never gonna quench the thirsting of my soul. Because I know what I really need is to pray, read, my bible, do something that's gonna get me closer to God. We may not realize it but we're all dying from thirst. You know those crutch habits you run to when things get bad? Yeah, that's the thirst. Most of the problems and bad habits we have stem from our thirst. The alcoholism...yup...thirst (and not the physical thirst). Sex addiction....yup...you're thirsty. Drugs? Thirst...But there's someone that can no doubt quench the thirst...FOREVER. I call Him Jesus...Here's His number: John 3:16

The Decision to Live

The one thing that really breaks my heart is the suicide rate. I'm not exactly sure of the actual numbers and figures, but whatever it is, it's too high. It makes me so sad to see and hear about so many people taking their own lives. Simply because I've been there. There have been many times when I thought my life didn't matter and it wouldn't be a big deal if I just ended it all. Too many times, when life presented disappointments, when my plans didn't work out, when friendships failed; I'd think about just taking my life to end the pain. For along time I was ashamed that I ever went through this. I felt weak, stupid, like a failure. Now, I understand things better. The only reason I ever even gave voice to those suicidal feelings was simply because I was living for myself. Once I started living to please God, my life had a lot more meaning and value. It wasn't until last week that I realized that the decision to live solely for God was what made the decision. There's something about living to please God, living for God that just doesn't amount to living for anything or anyone else.

Greetings!

Well hellooooo there, thanks for visiting! My name's Jasmine and I'm brand spanking new to this whole blog thing, although I've wanted to do this for awhile. Bare with me as I begin this journey of what will hopefully become a Christ centered blog for teens.