In The Middle

I’ve been praying about my next blog entry for a while and the reoccurring theme that seems to pop up is “being caught in the middle.” Even though my parents didn’t divorce until I was about 19, I already knew it was inevitable at age 10. Not only had I been witnessing the tension between them since age 4, my mom would complain about my dad to me. And my dad would complain about my mom to me. I was 10 years old and didn’t want to see my parents in this light. I wanted them to stay perfect and strong, but there I was. And I couldn’t just forget it all.

I began to see their weakness and the burden on my heart grew heavy:

Who could I turn to?

Who could I trust?

Who could I talk to about all this?

Who would listen?

Who would understand? (more…)

Silver Linings

It feels like forever since I last posted.  Everything has become a blur since my birthday at the end of January but I take comfort in knowing God has taken care of me.  He has given me many blessings such as getting accepted to my top choice college, Ohio University!

He also gave me a few crucial signs that further strengthened my belief in Him (not saying I never believed; sometimes, series of unfortunate events take place making us question He’s watching over us). I was having some issues I thought were just normal girl problems but ended up being quite serious.  Luckily, I was able to catch it in time to get started on medication.  In my heart, I believe it was my God who led me and who gave me the signs I needed to get checked out.

Recently, my life has been consumed with my school’s drama production of West Side Story in which I played Maria.  It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but I did not realize how much time being in a play takes, as I have never been in a theater production before.  Between the play, keeping up with school work, and dealing with my medical issue, the stress has been unbelievable and for a while, I thought I might crack and have a mental breakdown.  Thankfully, though, I was given the strength to keep my head on straight and continue on my way. (more…)

The Third Commandment

“For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:45

Today, while sitting alone in a Starbucks Café, my studying was interrupted by a loud table of girls sitting close by. At first I did not mind them sitting there, but it seemed the longer the girls sat there the louder they became. Overhearing the girls’ conversation it occurred to me, for the most part, many of their sentences began and ended with the phrase, “oh my god.”

Soon after coming to this realization, I noticed an older women approach the girls’ table. She told them not only were they offending her and other guests, but they were being more than a little disrespectful to our Heavenly Father. She informed them if they wanted to continue their conversation the way it had been going thus far, they should take it elsewhere.

As the girls’ faces turned bright red they realized the woman was right. They had been using the Lord’s name without even recognizing they were doing it. Sadly, we are all at fault for doing this from time to time. Often, the Lord’s name is used in vain for the most ridiculous of things. Not only is this common phrase overused, but it has even been shortened to ‘OMG’ as if to make it easier for us to disobey His commandments. Perhaps one of the worst parts is just how desensitized we’ve become to the use of it in everyday conversation. (more…)

Think Big Picture

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  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Sometimes, it actually really sucks being in the real world. Personally, I think there are so many things drawing and pulling us down. Stress, relationships, bills, depression…it’s like you don’t know where or who to turn. As a young person, you don’t always keep God as a consideration or option as the place to turn. I know this by the actions and decisions I have personally made.

Being close and staying close to God can sometimes be hard. Sometimes you think everything’s going good then all of a sudden it just stops. I’m actually having this problem right now. I think everyone is against everything I say and do. I am not making dumb decisions because my faith remains firm, but how can I stay firm in God if sometimes I don’t see action taking place?

Well, this is what I told myself.  Just because things aren’t going the way I want them to, doesn’t mean everything I’ve ever wanted or dreamed is going down the drain. It just means I should work a little bit harder in what I want to do. God has plans for everyone and some of the plans we have for ourselves aren’t exactly what He has for us. (more…)

A Blessing in Disguise

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” Peter 1:3 (NIV)

Recently, while doing volunteer work in my town’s Literacy Center, I was blessed to meet a girl with a learning disability which made it difficult for her to read. After completing an English and grammar lesson we had some time left over at the end of our session. I asked her if there was anything in particular she wanted me to help her with.

In that moment a giant grin swept over the little girl’s face and she pulled out a children’s Bible from her book bag. She was very excited to tell me she had been reading one of the stories all day, and was almost done. She did not want me to read it to her or even help her read it. She told me just to “sit back and relax” as she read it to me.

I realized I was supposed to be helping this girl but in more ways than one, she was helping me. I watched the excitement in her eyes and saw her struggle with one word to the next, fighting through her disability, just to share the message of God with me. Watching the girl’s determination to read the story made me question why I don’t read the Bible more often.

I have no disability that would prevent me from reading the bible, and yet nights go by when I find myself indulging in television, talking on the phone or scrolling through Facebook rather than reading the word of God. As Easter approaches we are reminded God gave His only son, Jesus Christ, for our sins.

If you find you’re like me and leafing through magazines to read about Snookie’s latest gossip, or watching The Office because you’ve found some spare time, maybe take a moment to remember what the Easter season is really about. It’s not dyed eggs, pastel colored bunnies, or flower shaped chocolates, but rather it’s about Jesus paying our debts in full on the cross.

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and then was raised to life to put us right with God.” Romans 4:25 (NIV)

<3, Paige