WATCH THIS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zev5tHjCB_s

Let this song permeate in your soul. The message really spoke to my heart today, and I hope you find encouragement in the lyrics, too.

At the Cross (Love Ran Red) by Chris Tomlin

There's a place where mercy reigns and never dies,
There's a place where streams of grace flow deep and wide.
Where all the love I've ever found,
Comes like a flood,
Comes flowing down.

[Chorus:]
At the cross
At the cross
I surrender my life.
I'm in awe of You
I'm in awe of You
Where Your love ran red
and my sin washed white.
I owe all to You
I owe all to You Jesus.

There's a place where sin and shame are powerless.
Where my heart has peace with God and forgiveness.
Where all the love I've ever found.
Comes like a flood,
Comes flowing down.

[Chorus]

Here my hope is found
Here on holy ground
Here I bow down
Here arms open wide
Here You save my life
Here I bow down
Here I bow down

[Chorus]

WRITERS

I don't think all writers are sad, she said.
I think it's the other way around - all sad people write.

Lang Leav

one decision & then every day

{a precursor to my upcoming posts}

As I continue on my journey of being transparent, I am preparing to share my "all in" moment with God, the day where it hit me in the face: Jesus is bigger than my circumstances. Now, as I have begun writing my testimony, I have run into a dilemma. Some things that confused me very much as a budding Christian. 

How do you not fall away after being "saved"? My mind changes so often. I find myself loving God one minute and putting myself before Him the next. Does that mean my streak of faith is over and I have to start again? In those moments of selfishness, do I put myself back into the hands of the devil? But I'm baptized, so what does that mean?? How, exactly, am I saved?

These were real questions I struggled with growing up/ still do struggle with. However, I have come to some sort of a conclusion...

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." [Mark 16:16]

Faith is a gift. If it was up to my sinful heart, I would choose sin every time. Yes, you can have your one big moment where you "Come to Jesus" but it's that one decision AND then every day after that! Every morning after my big moment, I have had to invite Jesus into my heart and let Him take control. If not, I eventually fail. 

Friends, there is freedom in giving up control. Surrendering my life to God's will was the best thing I have ever done. I no longer have to live up to a standard of perfection. Jesus did that for me. I simply live in His grace. 

AND - I never ever have to worry about "unsaving" myself, because I have been baptized and I believe. Sin once separated me, but it is there no longer. Jesus has taken that sin as far as the east is from the west. I will find my home in heaven. 

I pray that as you follow my blog, you would see the difference between HOW I came to Christ and WHY I am came to Christ. Everyone will have a different HOW, but WHY?

Jesus. Always, Jesus. 

Nothing.

For a long time, faith was a hard concept for me to grasp.

There are periods of feeling super close to God: praying, reading the Bible, talking with friends about what I'm learning about the person of Jesus, going to church, volunteering, "feeling" good about my own faith and where I stand with God

Then there are times where we can feel distant or feel like God is distant from us: maybe we feel a huge shame for a sin we keep running back to again and again...and again. or maybe something has happened in our lives that makes us wonder "where are you, O Mighty God?" or maybe we are going through a selfish phase where we are only seeking to please ourselves and satisfy our sinful desires.

There are many situations and things and people that can make us feel like God is no where to be found. All of those situations and things and people have a common root - sin. Sin separates us from God.

By now, you're maybe feeling even  w o r s e  by reading this post... well, friend, here comes the best part:

JESUS!

Jesus bridged the gap that tore us apart from God.

Romans 8 says:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, friends, it's not about what you feel. Our emotions come and they go, just as the sun rises and the sun sets. Stand on his promise for you and me. Absolutely NOTHING can separate us from that life-giving love that Jesus gave to us, when He took all of our guilt, shame, selfishness, and sin upon Himself on that cross at Calvary. Praise be to the One who saved us! 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-lvu54wBOU

Praying out LOUD

GET OUTTA YOUR MIND!

No, really. Get it out of your head and into the air. It helps!

When the timing is appropriate and you're not distracting others from a time of sincere worship, yes, get it out. Say it out loud. Hear what you're saying. Audibly professing your faith to God does wonders for your own faith as well as having the potential to help others. It shows God you're not ashamed of who He is. It's affirming to get it out in the open. Yes, I believe, and I will shout it from the mountaintops!

Jesus goes on to encourage us to pray in the privacy of our rooms so our out-loud prayer doesn't become a verbal show. Praying out loud can be helpful because it keeps you from getting lost in your head. It makes your thoughts concrete. But it is more than technique; it is also a statement of faith. You are audibly declaring your belief in a God who is alive.
-A Praying Life by Paul Miller

This is a piece of advice that I've picked up over the last few months or so. At first, it came as a complete shock to me. Who would dare to look so silly, as if talking to themselves on a run or in the drivethrough?! So, I started out in the shower. I've graduated to my room, my car, and even at church during pre-service prayer.

The thing for me about praying out loud is that is makes God real for me. It makes Him feel like less of an untouchable entity in the sky and more of a friend. Someone I can talk to - literally. And that's great, because He is a living God, who yearns to have a relationship with me. He wants to offer me Himself, because He knows He is the one truth I can hold onto in this world.

So even if you're alone in your room, on a walk around the neighborhood, or in your car on the way to work --- let it out. It is not only beneficial to demand sentences from the mush that is your brain but it also is a statement of faith. God will hear your messy jumble of a prayer, and He will listen. He will help you. He will never forsake us. He promised us that in Deuteronomy (3:16) and again in Hebrews (13:5). Believe in those words. Be bold, and pray out loud!

oldie but a goodie

Scrolling through tumblr and I came across this! This ties in awesome with a post I wrote awhile back. Missed it? Take a read!

http://terrinboozikee.blogspot.com/2014/05/joy.html

A Fresh Start

As summer begins to landslide into the business of August and school and sports, I find myself in a place of transition. Now, I've been through a year of college, you would think the transition "feeling" would be over by now, but I'm transferring colleges. The switch has added a decent amount of stress to my summer and has challenged me to delegate my time well (in addition to my full time job and waitressing hours). But I am at peace. And I am SO EXCITED for this new beginning for me.

I'm getting a redo. A restart. No, I am not going to go on about the parallels with God's grace that I see in this beautiful change. But - do you see it?? J-E-S-U-S!

I have set 3 goals for myself this school year that stem out of a year of experience, wanting to succeed in a new place, and making sure I don't take the move for granted.

1) Be passionate.

2) Be intentional.

3) Be yourself.

Not by any means do I believe these three goals are the "key to success" but those are the kinds of things that I want to be able to truly describe myself with. I think these are healthy goals with healthy intentions. Let me break it down.

Be passionate. God has called us to abandon living "lukewarm" (Revelation 3:16) and to live with vigor and intensity for His name's sake. He doesn't want us to be so-so about Him. He wants us to be cRaZy about Him! So much so that others would see that and be intrigued as to what (more like who) is causing us to live in such a way. For me, this resonates in my faith walk, my sports career, my relationships with people, and my job.

Be intentional. This is a big one for me! My transfer relied heavily upon the desire to pursue Jesus in the classroom as a student and someday as a teacher. I want to study Him just as much (or more!) as I study science or math or English. So I need to be active about the goal of being intentional. Here this applies to my religion classes, my relationships with other students/professors/coaches/anyone, chapel time, and service hours as a leader at a youth group. All of these things are places and experiences in which I have the potential to grow and to know Jesus more. But I can't just go through the motions. I need to be intentional about whatever I'm doing, whenever I'm doing it.

Be yourself. This is something I have learned to do in the past year. Going to a college that was filled with high school outcasts really taught me to embrace my weird and be totally okay with it. I like who I am. I don't want to hide the real me anymore, because I DO have something to offer. There is freedom in being who you really are. I grew up in a church that only accepted the cookie-cutter version of a clean Christian and any step outside that boundary made you looked down upon. Luckily, I was able to break free from those restraints, find my identity in Christ, and move forward. If you're going through something similar... like your parents don't approve of the ways you express yourself, you feel alone in the ways you like to spend your free time, or you just don't feel like you "fit in" -- hold on! There's hope for you.

My challenge for you? Set one, three, or seven (attainable) goals for yourself this school year. Once you reach one, treat yourself! Be the YOU that you were created to be. (Psalm 139:13)

Predestined Purpose or Hindsight Perspective?

"When the Lord allows a wicked man to suffer, he sometimes lets a Godly man experience the same trial - so that he can show how to overcome in God's love."

Boy - does this sound good to me! This quote gives me purpose for my pain. It gives me something to hold onto, when it feels like all sense is lost. But - is it Biblical?

Certainly, the concept is great. I'm not sure a yes or no answer matters all that very much. But here is something to consider...

You're not alone. Someone else is going through what you're going through. You're not alone! Sing it to your soul. Say it over and over and over again. Write it on your hand. Paint it. Post it. Pray over it. You are not alone.

I have been questioning for a while now - Does God let things happen to us or does He plan for them to happen? Does He merely allow bad circumstances to happen (I know He is strong enough to stop it!) or does he intentionally set roadblocks in our paths to lead us to Him? Is there a predestined purpose or is it all a hindsight perspective that we construe in our minds to make all the suffering worth it?

Hebrews says He is the author and perfecter of our faith. That means God is writing my story and it is supposed to be this way, it is perfect. In Job 14, "Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble." Later, "A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." Everything is set. But this is also a sinful world we live in. I just can't come to terms with why things happen. They just do. Life gets really, really, really hard. But continually, God calls us to his mercy. They are new for us every morning.

“Fear not, I have redeemed you. I called your name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

So, for me. This statement has a lot of truth in it. God put me through what I went through, because He wanted to lead me to a perfect love and satisfaction --- Himself. And ya know what? That eases the pain, believe it or not. God's grace is covering it. He's got the whole world in His hands. He's got me. And now that I have overcome in God's love, I can lead by example and show others that the way to get through this life is with God's love. A love that cannot be matched. A love that is burning with passion. A love that is strong enough to save. That love is for you.

Sweet Nikita

This precious little girl's name is Nikita.

She just turned 9!

Her letters absolutely make my day.

She loves playing hide and seek.

Her favorite color is red.

She lives with her grandmother. 

She loves to sing and dance!

My best friend from high school (Liz) and I sponsor her together and will continue to do so until she is 18. We were at a TAN concert together back in 2011 when God moved our hearts, and we decided to take a step of faith and help someone who couldn't repay us. Nikita lives in India, where there is a high risk for girls to be sold into sexual slavery. Putting myself in her shoes, I am heartbroken. I can't even imagine the circumstances she lives in. When we returned to school the next day and were telling our friends, the majority gave us weird looks or rolled their eyes. They didn't understand. Why would we "waste" our money on someone else? 

Here's why:

Jesus was consistently speaking up for those who didn't have a voice. He was giving to the least of these. He was not seeking to be seen but to see those who needed help. "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." (Luke 19:10) Jesus looked at people with compassion and love. I merely seek to follow His perfect example. 

Galatians 5:13
"For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another…”

I love Nikita so much. I plan to meet her one day. I hope that things will fall in place so I am able to do just that. Until then, I pray for her safety and well-being but also that she comes to the saving knowledge of her Lord Jesus Christ. 

If interested in your own sponsor child, visit:

http://www.compassion.com/

Hey.

If you're growing tired of reading my blog, read this one! It's written by Mike Donehey (the lead singer of Tenth Avenue North - my favoritest band of all time) and he is just a pretty cool guy. His heart for God and desire to point people towards the grace of Jesus and his compassion and his talent all inspire me!

Czech it out:

http://mikedonehey.tumblr.com/

*** OR ***

Read the blog written by two of the wives of two of the band members of Tenth Ave.

This blog is raw and honest and beautiful. It's for all the ladies! There's an in-depth study of Proverbs 31 that I really enjoyed, as well as a bunch of other posts along the way. These women do a really great job of keeping it real. They throw in a video blog every now and again, too!

Czech it!

http://agirlikeme.com/

Look Up

I stopped trying to "find myself" and decided to seek God. 

This is a quote from the book All In, written by Mark Batterson. It really got me thinking, because as college cliches go, this is the time in my life, where I'm supposed to "learn a lot about myself" and "discover who I really am." While that's all fine and dandy, I find that if I get caught up in that way of thinking, I end up focusing on myself too much. Then quickly comes the feelings of how I just will never live up to the expectations that society has put on my hair, makeup, body, grades, personality, and the like. 

Some reflective thinking about who you are and how you perceive the world is perfectly okay, I'm just cautioning you that it is a risky path. Besides, no label could ever truly describe who you are. For example I am an INTJ according to Meyers-Briggs personality test (the rarest of types for women), but does that mean there isn't ever a time where I can be outgoing? Heavens no!

Define yourself by one thing and one thing only: a loved and redeemed child of God. 

When I stopped looking at myself and shifted my eyes up towards the cross, life became infinitely better. An attitude of gratitude overflowed from my heart. I didn't want to spend all my money on myself to help my image, but rather God replaced my selfish heart with a giving one. Things changed for me, and they will for you too. His promises hold true. Look up!

Hold Nothing Back!

I just finished this book by Francis Chan called "Crazy Love" and it has challenged me in multiple ways in my faith life. Here's one of the quotes that hit home:

"We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises."

Throughout the last year of my life, God has been incessantly placing the word "surrender" on my heart. Over and over again, I was being attacked with the message to stop putting my faith in myself and give it ALL to God. Trust Him with my hopes, dreams for the future, job, love life, career path, money, absolutely all of it.

If I dig a bit deeper, God was really working in my life, as a series of events led to my revelation of surrender (the moment when it hit me square in the face and I couldn't avoid such a clear message any longer!). June 26, 2013 was the first time I ever decided to give Jesus 100% of my life. I'd given him parts before, sure. Maybe even 80%, but never had I ever gone all in with Christ. I never gave too much, wanting to avoid the risk of losing (my money, friends, job, life...whatever).

June 26 was when everything came to a halting stop, and for me - it just clicked. My faith in God doesn't have to be questioned when hard times come. His righteousness is proof of his faithfulness. Over and over again, God shows us that He is faithful. We can take Him at His word. His promises are true! We can rest knowing that those promises are for His children, and that good things are yet to come for those who believe in Him.

It's an everyday choice. Just as I have to shower, brush my teeth, and eat breakfast after I have to wake up, I have to consciously decide Jesus over all of the other things this world can offer me -- appealing or not.

But the point of this life is not to arrive safely at death! Live as if God will hold to His promises (because He will!!) and let that faith emulate through ever area of your life. Hold nothing back! No secret sin, no regret, no relationship, no choice. Because, N O T H I N G can separate you from Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-9). You are never too far gone. Today, right here, right now, as you read this blog, Jesus loves you. And He is on your side. He yearns for a relationship with you. He will come through. He HAS come through for you on the cross. Let that soak in. Jesus loves you so much that He would become man, live on this earth, and pay for your ugly sins with His perfect life.

Believe that. Once you truly do, it will change the way you live.

Al-a-ka-zam!

It's about to get real.

Right now,  I can't channel my talent of sentence fluidity or abstract descriptions or beautiful writing. I'm gonna be short, choppy, scattered, and maybe even grammatically incorrect. But that's just how it goes. Life is messy. I'm a mess.

Yeah. I wish I could fix all my problems with the snap of a finger. Honestly, I miss the times when life was easy for me. Relaxing summers, easy homework, parents got along, financial stability, boys chasing after me, success in sports.... basically everything a teenager could ask for and more.

Welcome to the real world, chump.

Maybe I'm just having a really, really, really bad case of the 'Mondays' but as with everything in life, I seek to learn something from every situation: good, bad, and everything in between.

I've felt like for the past three years, everyone was rooting against me. Life was getting harder every day I woke up, and it wasn't stopping. I couldn't get a grasp of my life. Everything was spiraling out of my control.

This time was different though, or so I thought. We're really on the up and up! But are we? Is the damage too great? Am I unfixable? Is my family permanently destroyed? What is hope?

This spring I was on a total 'thank-you binge' and trying my best to reach out to everyone who helped me through this past dark season in my life. I was trying to show them how good I was doing now and how dandy life is and everything is all smiles. But the cold hard truth smacked me in the face.

I can't be fixed in just one year... I can't expect for 3+ years of damage to turn around and be perfectly put back together in just one year. That's unrealistic, and if I'm real honest (oh, how I struggle to be honest with myself) might be totally and completely impossible.

I'll never be the same. I couldn't get a grasp of my life. Everything was spiraling out of my control... BLAM!

Lesson: Maybe, my life is in better hands, when it's not even in my control. Maybe a complete surrender of my lowly life to the Most High would be everything I need. It would be enough. Maybe it's better that I'll never be the same. Through the trial, I've discovered the most important thing to me: my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. He loves me despite all the baggage I carry, the scars I wear, and the shame I try to hide. Maybe the gratitude I feel towards Jesus and his endless love for me will spur me to take drastic measures in faith in honor of Him, giving all the fame to Him. And maybe, just maybe, there's hope for me.

Transparent

Maybe you have noticed the background of this blog, which reads:
"Come As You Are"

Well, it just so happens that the inspiration of this blog comes from that very thought. I believe that life is more beautiful, more fulfilling, more scary, but more worthwhile when you are vulnerable. However, this is not such an easy thing to do. It's the biggest obstacle in my faith walk right now, as I struggle to let go of my pride and be transparent about my struggles. That is a huge deal in a society that pushes you to "put your best foot forward" and "disguise your weaknesses as strengths." But as a Christian, it is so important for you to be open and honest to God, yourself, and others about where you fall short.

James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

The sound of that is so nerve wracking! I don't want people to know my secrets, I don't want to be thought of as weak, and I certainly don't want people judging me for my mistakes. Oh, no no no! BUT- as soon as I shift the focus off of my selfish self and onto my beautiful Savior, those thoughts drift away. That's ultimately who I define myself as, right? A child of God saved by the good grace of my Redeemer who loves me beyond comprehension!

There are hurting people (people just like me) who need to come to the saving knowledge of what Jesus has done for them. By being humble and honest about the dismal places I have walked through and the revelation I have seen in my own life, I can reach people and point them to Light in this dark world.

Ernest Hemingway says, "Write clear and hard about what hurts." And I'm gonna do just that. 

Faith: As easy as 1, 2, 3?

{Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.} Romans 12:12

As someone who loves to bake, assemble things, organize, and make lists, it is very easy for me to fall into the trap of checking off things from my "spiritual to-do list." Read my Bible: check! Pray: check! Go to church: check! But God does not want me to go through the motions of being a Christian. He wants a relationship with me! 

Surely, there is no three-step plan that you can follow that will lead to a fulfilling life, but applying Romans 12:12 to my life, I look at this as a piece of advice that I can bury in my heart and let it fester and infect every part of me. I want this to radiate from my pores. I want to ooze a passion for God. Romans 12:12 gives me a good look in what that looks like. 

As a child of God, my perspective and lifestyle should coincide with this verse. 

1) Joyful in hope - Yes, I can be joyful because I know that no matter what happens in this world, I have a Living God, who is watching over me and preparing a place for me in heaven. I can be joyful, because I know that Jesus loved my sinful self so much that He took my place on the cross and intercedes for me with the Father. Because of Him, I will have life eternal. 

2) Patient in affliction- So often, I want to be bitter. Life has given me a rotten hand of cards, and here I am left to deal with the aftermath of the mess. I want to scream and cry and pout until someone feels bad for me. Oh no, missy! I try to surround myself with reminders so that when I feel those emotions, I can stop in my tracks and pray for patience (another fruit of the Spirit). My high school chemistry teacher once told me "You must have the patience of Job." HA! That's the opposite of what I feel. But with God, I CAN have the patience of Job, because I have the knowledge that Jesus has already conquered the world (John 16:33) and with that, I can weigh the menial obstacles of this world against the eternal glory of Christ Jesus. No brainer!

3) Faithful in prayer - God is my best friend. He is the best listener, provider, counselor, and savior. He can redeem me from my vices, but also redeem me through my iniquities. He knows everything about me, but yet, He still wants me to tell him about my day and be in constant communication with Him. I am at a point in my life, where I favor being in His presence. I delight in it. There are seasons of ebbing and seasons of flowing in which I "feel" close to God. That doesn't matter. Ultimately, my feelings don't matter. Belief > Feelings. My belief in Jesus Christ trumps all else. What a gift! 

A relationship with Jesus is NOT 1,2,3. It's accepting His grace. It's receiving His love. It's spending time with Him. Praising Him. Exalting His name above all else. Don't miss out! He's got great things in store for you and me :) 

JOY!

"Joy is not a natural response to life but it is a miraculous response! Joy is a “fruit of the Spirit” and not of your personality. Joy is not a knee-jerk reaction to circumstances but is a miraculous moment in a dark world when His presence is revealed to you."

This quote was in a devotion I was reading earlier this week. This perspective on joy really rocked my world. I had a happy childhood, and good times came naturally to me up until the past 5 years ago, but still I believed deep down in my heart that I shouldn't be encountering troubling situations. And when I admit the ugliness of my heart, I even believed I deserved to have good times and nothing but good times. 

I remember in this one Christmas card waaay back my mom had described me as "a happy, social butterfly." For some reason, that description stuck in my head. In high school, there was a shift in my personality, however, and I began to not live up to that depiction of me anymore. I felt this something was wrong with me. 

Well, it didn't take long for my world to be completely turned upside down. I fell into a downward spiral consumed with negative feelings, tearing my ACL, losing my identity, my dad's job loss, rumors upon rumors, ending up at a college that was not my ideal choice, and my dreams slipping through my finger tips. I could write a novel.  Through it all, I went from being deeply saddened to numb and then to angry. WHY WASN'T MY LIFE PERFECT? 

Newflash! We live in a fallen world filled with broken people, and left alone, we would have no hope. But we aren't left alone. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

So now with this new outlook on JOY, I can be thankful for all of the little things that make my day go right. I can be happy, and when I am happy, I can know that it is a blessing from God to feel anything at all. Being happy isn't "natural" and I shouldn't expect happiness from this world. But when I do experience it, I can search for God's hand, and find it there. With this knowledge, I fight to no longer look to myself or this world for happiness. My God, is it a fight. This world is dark, but Jesus is light. Amidst my circumstances, Jesus gives me the gift of joy. He gives me Himself. AND it get better - He offers everlasting joy, if only we choose to accept it. Yes, Lord. I choose You!

“Black is not sad. Bright colors are what depresses me. They’re so … empty. Black is poetic. How do you imagine a poet? In a bright yellow jacket? Probably not.”

—	Ann Demeulemeester

I am a new creation.

I really like poems. I like reading them and expressing my thoughts through them. I see poems as a puzzle, in which you are trying to arrange your thoughts ever so perfectly to fit into this mold. It's powerful. Poems have the potential to communicate deep themes of love, lust, grief, betrayal, loss, and redemption. Personification, alliteration, and rhyme scheme all play their part in creating this picture for the reader to understand what is trying to be conveyed.

Recently, I have been overcome by a bout of overwhelming sadness and occasionally, some ugly thoughts accompany my mind. But I've making strides to believe that I am not defined by those negative notions. I am not defined by what I think about myself. Who am I? I am a new creation.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" -2 Corinthians 5:17

What freedom there is in believing that despite my choices, Jesus calls me a princess. My Savior willingly chose to suffer and to die in my place so I wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of my actions. I am loved beyond compare. But Jesus doesn't just save me and then forget about me. No! He is a living God, who knows me from the inside out and calls me by name to be His child.

The best thing I can do when I am experiencing emotions as overpowering as those I have been feeling as of lately, is to make some tea, sit down, listen to worship music, open my Bible, and sit in His presence. Shifting the focus off of myself and towards My Redeemer helps me cope with whatever circumstances I am facing. This perspective has changed my whole life. I'm able to face the tough days with a joy in my heart, even if I may not necessarily feel happy.

So today, I choose to dwell on Jesus and not on my thoughts. I choose to give Him my life, and in complete surrender, I know Jesus will replace my despair with hope.