Exploring Life

I used to think that I had to be sad when sad times happened. Or I could only be happy when I was in a happy moment. But my perspective has completely shifted after dancing in the kitchen to a little bit of country music. I used to have this weird worry that when things were going so good in my life, something bad was bound to happen. What kind of outlook was that? And I also realized that I allowed the situations in my environment to dictate my emotional reaction. I would assume I was going to be sad soon because I was really happy in the current situation, and I would sort of wait with anticipation for when it would hit. But again, my perspective has completely changed. I realized that some of the most powerful moments are being able to overcome negativity with positivity. You get a flat tire, but instead of crying or getting angry, you find it within yourself to laugh about it. Then you find a solution and know that it's not the end of the world. Someone cuts you off, and the...

You can't force real love. Just like you can't force real laughter. There's fake laughter and then there's real laughter. One is meant more to make others feel good, and the other actually makes you feel good. That's like love. You could potentially force fake love to make others feel good, but if you actually want to feel real love, you have to follow what your heart loves and go with that.

Something I realized about myself is it's so easy for me to fall into this cycle of longing for certain moments. It's summer, but I want to be on the slopes shredding. But then it becomes winter, and I want to be laying on the beach baking like a potato.  I call this cycles of discontentment. "I'd be happy if.." I'm making my happiness conditional on a certain location, rather than being aware of all the reasons why I can be happy in my present location. It might be hard at first, especially when we're in the midst of trials, but once we cultivate this mindset of finding what makes us happy in the present, we can retrain ourselves to get the most out of each moment.

There are so many people in this world. If one person isn't the friend you expected them to be, that's fine. You two have different expectations, different outlooks, and that's fine.  Neither of you are bad people, you just expect different things out of friendships. But know that you don't have to keep trying to get what you expect from that person. You have a right to find friends that have similar expectations and desires as you do. Fight for balance in your life. Fight for order. Fight for peace. Fight for joy. Fight for the positives.  If someone threatens any of those things, don't feel obligated to make them a priority in your life. You have to always consider what's worth fighting for and to stick up for yourself. People will come and go, but you have to protect yourself first. They say every person speaks their truth. Whether in words, deeds, actions, ideas, or even jokes. So listen closely, judge wisely. Be aware of what someone dishes out because w...

Recognize where certain thoughts of negativity arise from. Don't let them fester, but instead fully confront them. Be honest with yourself. Why do you feel that way? What causes those emotions to arise? And then find solutions to combat those negative emotions.  Turn that negative into positive energy. Believe that it'll get better. Believe that you can find a solution and overcome whatever you're feeling. Don't let negativity govern your reality.  Choose to believe that you have the power to be happy and recognize that it starts with you.

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is let go of the person who is hurting and holding you back. Releasing them from your life will free up more space for other people who are ready to love, heal, and help you become the best version of yourself.

When people see some part of my life and say, "Dang, she got that because she's lucky." I don't like that because it subliminally writes off the generosity of God and any hard work I put in to get to that point of success. It's like an iceberg. People only see the tip but if they only knew how much you put in to get there, how much you sacrificed, how much pain you went through, how much you did while expecting nothing in return, they wouldn't be saying it's pure luck.  God is a good and just God. If you're generous with your time, work and effort, God is generous to you. It's a firm principle in the Bible. Simple but profound. Not everything in life can be quantified by luck. I have more faith in the principles laid out in the Bible than secular terms used to define instances devoid of a Creator.  I hope before people assume someone succeeding was because of 'pure luck', they try to look harder and appreciate that we have a very giving a...

I feel like in the Christian world, there's a lot of confusion between self-love and 'the self'. Oftentimes in Christianity I feel like the self is seen as inherently evil with nothing good at all, and it simply needs to be crucified. When the self is talked about this way, I believe the Bible doesn't literally mean you, but instead refers to any part of you that has its origins in sinful nature and sinful nature itself.  So any characteristics, thoughts, actions, ideas that originate in our sinful nature need to be crucified. I don't think Jesus literally meant we must crucify every part of us and hate every aspect of ourselves. I think that whatever is good in us, whatever is true, whatever is healthy, we should appreciate that in us because anything good must come from God because God is the source of all goodness. And whatever good in us is and can be fortified by God's power. So when someone says self-love, I think that means it's okay to take care of ...

Don't try to force anything whether it be moments, friendships, relationships or whatever else it may be, don't force it. If it's meant to be it's meant to be, if it's not meant to be then it's not meant to be. Trust God, trust your gut, follow your heart and watch as you naturally attract what's best for you. When we refuse to settle for less, we choose to honor ourselves. We choose the better road and a healthier route. Sometimes you'll be tempted to hold on, and that's like grabbing a knife by the blade. Yes, you have it, but it's hurting you. Return the knife to the owner and go on your merry way and don't be afraid to take time to heal from the wounds. Some relationships, friendships, etc. cut us and we stay because even though we're unhappy, we do it for the other person's benefit because we don't want them to be unhappy, or because we're trauma bonding. There are 7 billion plus people on this planet. There's no r...

If I learned anything, the positive energy you put into loving yourself helps others see the positive energy in their own selves. If you have, you can give, but if you're not taking care of yourself, then don't expect to do a good job of taking care of others. I speak about energy because it is the fundamental building block of all life. It's not a hypothetical thing, it is a reality. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed.  It always will exist either in a positive way or a negative way. (Everyone should take physics, it's amazing to see how God designed everything with such order and beauty). With that same energy we are given, we can either transfer to someone our negative or positive energy that will either help or hurt someone.  That's why it's so important to be aware of how we're using our words and actions and how it may be affecting those around us. No one is going to get it 100% right, but we'...

I believe the reason that we are able to be good is because God exists. If God didn't exist, then we would not exist and therefore we would not be able to be good. But because God exists, we exist, and because God is good, we are able to be good. Apart from him, we can do nothing. So if someone has any ability to be good, the source of their goodness comes from God, regardless of if they acknowledge it or not. It's like saying all beef comes from cows, so cows are the source of beef. So if you say you're eating beef, we know that beef you're eating came from a cow. However, if someone were to say the beef they're eating didn't come from a cow then that wouldn't make much sense.  Similarly with goodness, if you say you're being good, but it had nothing at all to do with God, then I would also argue that doesn't make much sense. God is love. God is good. God is merciful. I truly believe He is the source of all the positive attributes in the universe...

I've gotten annoyed when people run into me because they're on their phone, but then I've done that too. I've gotten upset when someone's been intentionally mean to me, but then I've done that too. I've been mad at someone judging someone, but then I've done that too. I've cried when someone's said something hurtful, but then I've done that too. See the pattern? It's so easy to feel like we're entitled to not forgive someone when we've either done the exact same thing they've done to us, or we've elicited the same emotional response by doing something similar to what they did. No one leaves this world without being hurt or being the reason someone else is hurt. We're in a broken world, surrounded by broken people, and broken situations, but we're not utterly hopeless. Thank God that He sent His Son to save the world from all brokenness. Thank God that perfect love casts our fear. Thank God that love wins. ...

If I've learned anything in life, it's that all people are suffering in some way or another. We might not even be able to fully comprehend what they're going through, but we can at least try to be nice to them and try even harder to love and care for them, because who knows?  There could be no one else doing that for them, and you could be the only one. If you have the energy to be a positive light and a source of warmth, then be that, even if it's for one person or even just for yourself. It will not only help them, but it will also help you. God waters those who take the time to water others.

People like tea on others because it makes them feel better about themselves. People who have negative energy about themselves seek out to counteract that negative energy by finding more negative energy about someone else.  Instead of trying to fix the negative energy, they have allowed to sit and dwell in their own lives, they seek out higher negative energy on others that makes them feel better about their smaller amount of negative energy.  It's almost like putting a bandaid on a wound that is still bleeding. Girl you can't patch that up with a bandaid you need to go to the doctor and get stitches. That's why people go out and seek negative energy on others because it's a quick fix to making themselves feel better about themselves. However, it's only a matter of time before the negative energy in their own lives floods them once again, and the vicious cycle of counteracting negative energy by making themselves feel better by dwelling on other people's negativ...

Maybe that's the point of life. We don't always have ups, and we don't always have downs, but we always do have experiences that shape and mold us into who we are today, and maybe that is why we do what we do and why we are who we are. I have to remind myself not to be mad at myself or to be disappointed, but to trust that God is always working in us for his glory, even when we don't see it.  Even when we don't feel it. Even when we don't think it, God is constantly working on us in different ways, new ways, inspiring ways which are shaping us and molding us into who he wants us to be. Even when we are far off, God is always near. Even when we can't feel anything, Jesus is holding our hands and helping us feel everything.