You Can Only be Strong so Long Before You Break.

Although I love putting inspirational and uplifting messages up here daily, today was a hard day for me. I could sit back and tell you that that my day was filled with "unicorns and fairy dust" but I'd rather be real with you. Today I reached my breaking point. You know when you have one of those days when everything hits you at once? That was me.
Today I was exhausted and literally running on fumes. I have several papers, tests and assignments due in a short period time and it seems like no matter what I do, I never have a enough time to get everything done! I've been rushing to get everything done at the best of my ability these past couple of days and I literally looked like a walking zombie! About a week ago, I took a huge history test! History has never been my favorite nor strong subject but I was determined to do my best. I studied for a whole week on this one subject and I felt pretty confident I was going to get a decent grade. Well, today I found out my grade and I didn't do as well as I thought. I was crushed! I put a tremendous amount of time and effort into this assignment and it seemed like it didn't help me at all. Yes I'll admit, I broke down and cried my eyes out. I didn't cry only because of my grade but because it seemed like no matter how hard I worked on anything, it seemed to never pay off. So I did want any girl would do, I called my mommy. After talking my mother's ear off, she finally had time to speak. She told me to keep my head up and not to worry about it!  She said, "You did the best you could do and there was nothing more that I could do!" She told me that the devil was trying to basically "kick me while I'll was down." Most of everyone that knows me would describe me as a fighter. I never give up and I won't back down from a challenge but I'm only human. I have my days where my emotions run wild and I just feel like giving up but the next day I am back to my normal self. I tell myself that today is a new day and IT'S MY DAY! God has blessed me with another chance to show the world what I am made of and I'm not going to let him down.
When you have those days, take a moment and cry. It's is perfectly okay and I promise you that you will feel ten times better after doing so! Shake it off and go out into the world and SHOW EM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF:)

Every girl deserves to be treated like a Princess.

RESPECT. As I walk around campus, I see the lack of respect girls have for themselves and I can't believe it! My personal motto is "If you want to be treated with respect, you must have respect for yourself first."
I'll hear girls complaining and tweeting about how much they want a boyfriend that will treat them like a princess but here's my problem with this statement. Why should a guy treat you like a princess when you don't BEHAVE LIKE A PRINCESS? A princess carries themselves with class in many situations and they set standards for young ladies to follow around the world. Kate Middleton is a perfect example. She doesn't walk out of her home wearing short skirts and low-cut shirts. She doesn't wear "grandma clothes" but she does have an amazing closet of modest and tasteful clothing. I personally think she's gorgeous without having to show every part of her body because she is confident without dressing like girls in today's society. Prince William saw her true beauty rather then focusing on her body because of her lack of clothing.
In today's society, girls feel like the only way to get attention from guys is to show every part of your body and they are right. You will get attention from guys but the wrong guys. I can guarantee that they are not thinking that your personality is attractive, that's for sure. The guys you attract are not interested in a serious relationship but they will be highly satisfied with a "one-night stand." You want to find a guy that thinks you're your prettiest with no make up on, your hair up in a mess while wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.  They are focusing on your inner beauty and your personality rather then what clothes you're wearing.
When you do find the man that loves you unconditionally, do not throw yourself all over him. Take it slow and it will be worth it in the long run. Set limits for him and stick to your limits. The best way to do this is to not have pre-marital sex. Yes, I said sex. Most girls don't want to hear this word but they have not problem doing it. Believe me girls, there are guys out there that will wait until marriage for that special moment. You just have to be patient enough to find them and not fall for every guy that ask you out on a date. If you find a man that will wait until marriage, they are a keeper. That is the biggest test you could give to a guy. Once you find a guy that will wait, hold on to him because he is a keeper.
I'm still looking for this guy and I am in no rush because I want a love that will last forever. I want my future husband to love ME and to look past my imperfections because God knows I have many. I want him to look at me like I'm the one thing that he can't live without. Yes, I would LOVE to be in a relationship but not in a relationship with just anybody. I'll wait as long it takes for God to put that man in my path with no complaints.
At this very moment, I'm living my fairytale. I'm just not at the scene where my prince comes riding in on a white horse to save me from the evil dragons or crazy trolls. Even though I would love to skip to that chapter, I'm taking my fairytale page and page:)

Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon.. Am I worthy enough to be called Beautiful?

Self- Esteem is a constant struggle for many girls and guys around the world.I am going to be discussing self esteem from a girl's perspective because I will be able provide you with a more personal and more meaningful message.
Self -esteem is a constant struggle that I deal with on a daily basis. I can't help to find myself, no matter where I go, constantly comparing myself to other girls I see or come in contact with. I will begin thinking to myself, "I wish I had her clothes, hair, body, skin, car, personalities ,etc.." Some girls love looking in a mirror any chance they can get but I try to avoid them. When I look in the mirror, I only see my flaws. I will begin to pick out every single "imperfection" that I see and I will do everything I can to fix or hide this flaw. After a while, it becomes exhausting. Constantly thinking about what others see when they look at you is like running a marathon. You keep going and going until you eventually can't continue.
If someone asked me right now, "Do you consider yourself perfect or imperfect?", I would immediately say imperfect but I am wrong! Through God's eyes, each one of us is perfect. Matthew 5:48 says, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." We are perfect because God created us in His perfect image! Our God is perfect which means so are we! I would never think the day would come that I can say, "I am perfect."
When you watch your favorite television shows or movies, do you ever ask yourself "Why can't I be Jennifer Aniston or Why can't I look like Reese Witherspoon?" I know I do, it never fails but I am working on it. We look at individuals, like Reese and Julia, as perfect actresses without any flaws. Believe it or not, you are an actress in a movie at this very moment. You are an actress in God's movie which is by far a box-office hit! God sees each one of us as "perfect actresses", so why shouldn't we have that same perspective towards ourselves?
I challenge you, myself as well, to view yourself as beautiful because you are! Stop comparing yourself to other girls and embrace the body you have because we are beautiful creations of God. Walk with your head held high and embrace your inner and outer beauty. When you walk into a room, shine bright like a diamond!

Pslam 27:13

Psalm 27:13 says "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living." Everyday when you turn on the news, what do you see? Do you see celebrations, parties and events overflowing with happiness? No. You see bombings, murders, starvation and wickedness all around the world. As you watch the news, does your confidence of the world becoming a better and happier place fade away? I know mine does. I sit back and wonder if there is any chance that this world can make a "comeback". Could this world be the "comeback kid" or will it go down without a fight?
God is giving us hope in this scripture. He is telling us that no matter how wicked the world has came to be, goodness will return to this place we call home. As we sit back and evaluate these wicked acts that take place on a daily basis, we usually come to the point of having sympathy for the individuals or we end up complaining about the situation. What really gets accomplished by complaining? Absolutely nothing.
If you want to see change in this world, a change that will bring the spirit of God upon this land, you need to make a difference. Don't sit back and wait for someone else to do the job for you. Be the one to step out of their comfort zone to benefit the lives of others. All it takes to start movement,  "regeneration of this world," is one person. Once one person makes that commitment, many will follow just as when one domino falls, the rest eventually fall as well. I challenge you to be that individual. Throughout the day, observe the actions of others. If you see anyone displaying an act of wickedness, be the one to step up and guide them in the right direction. The direction of our loving and forgiving Father.

John 14:1

Every morning before I start my busy day, I write a daily bible verse on a dry-erase board that I put up on my door for the girls in my hall. Personally, I know that everyday is a struggle to get up out of bed knowing that you have hours of school work ahead of you but I figured that a daily bible verse is a great way to start off my morning and the morning of the other girls in my hall.

Today's bible verse was John 14:1, "Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." Take a moment and think about what God is trying to tell us here. Is He saying that we should have no worries? Is He saying to walk around without a worry in the world? or is He saying to sit back and be lazy because God will do all the work? He is saying NONE of these things. He is simply saying to TRUST GOD. Everyone will have daily struggles in their lives. The struggles could vary from academics to financial struggles or even from emotional to physical struggles. At that moment in time we are thinking to ourselves, "How in the world am I going to get through this?" or "Yeah, of course. This would happen to me." I am guilty of this without a doubt  but after reading this verse, my outlook on life is completely different.

As we endure these hardships and struggles in our lives, we DO NOT NEED TO WORRY. We are not alone. God is with us 24.7 even if we don't think He is there. God is not here to do the work for us or make life easy. He is here to walk behind us and when we fall, He is there to pick us up and push us to keep going. God puts these struggles in our lives not to make us dread getting up in the morning but to make us stronger. By becoming stronger, we are becoming stronger disciples for Him. We are now able to use our struggles as a testimony to others. We are able to witness to those who are in doubt and are struggling just as we were. We are given the golden opportunity to tell them how we got through the rough patches of our lives as God as our "wingman". Remember guys, we are not alone. We are just in D.M.B. "Disciple Making Bootcamp" :)

Home away from Home..

Without a shadow of a doubt, being in college has its ups and downs. I am blessed beyond words to be given the opportunity to not only further my education but to be able to do so at the greatest Christian college in the world, Liberty University. Liberty University may be my new home for now but I can not even describe to you guys how much I miss my friends and family back home. It isn't the same not being able to wake up and run down stairs to see my parents and sister. My heart will always be back home no matter how far away I am and you better believe I am counting down the days for every holiday!
Liberty has blessed me with a second family away from home. I've met a group of the most amazing girls here and they keep me going each and every day. When my workload is unbearable and when I'm feeling homesick, I can always count on them to be here for me. Living here in the mountains is absolutely breathtaking. If my family and friends could just move up here with me, it would be absolutely perfect!
I am excited for the plan God has laid out for my life. I might not understand his way of thinking or where he is going with it but I just sit back and pretend I'm Carrie for a while and let "Jesus take the Wheel". I always know that He has what's best for me in mind and I wouldn't even think for a second to question it. When days are hard and I'm to the point of exhaustion, I turn to God. I remember that through Christ all things are possible.
Liberty's great saying is "Get That Ring before Spring". Every girl on campus is trying to find their future husband within the first semester of their freshman year and they won't stop until they do! Girls, yall need to chill out and take a minute to breathe! That's the first thing on their mind when they wake up and the last thing on their mind before they go to sleep. Just like every girl in the world, I'm looking for that special someone but I'm not looking for just any someone. I want him to be the one God has kept for me ever since I was a little girl and I believe whole heartily that he is out there. I might not find him today or tomorrow or even the nest day, but one day I will and it will be well worth the wait. Ladies don't settle for anyone. Find the guy that God has for you that will respect, love, and protect you. Find the man that will love you unconditionally and not just for your appearance but for who you are as an individual. Yes, I am still waiting for that special someone and I don't mind the wait one bit:)