The incredible misadventures of me.

May my misadventures help you along your adventures.

[biblesandbutterflies]

[id-claire]

Winter showers bring... winter flowers?

@Starkville, MS

[id-claire]

[id-claire]

Jesus Knows Exactly What You’re Going Through

Hebrews 4:14-16

I’ve been thinking a lot about this particular passage ever since it came up as my daily devotion. This single passage details what makes our high priest so amazing.

 In verse 14, we are told that our high priest (Jesus) has passed through the heavens, has seen heaven for himself. He is not fully human like you and I. How amazing is it that someone who has passed through the heavens cares so much about each and every one of us! This automatically distinguishes our high priest from those of other worldly religions. We serve a living God, who has power over all!

Next, in verse 15, we are told that our high priest can “sympathize with our weaknesses”. Woah, hold up. We were just told that our high priest has passed through the heavens! That he holds a power that no other worldly priest can, yet he can sympathize with our struggles? For those not familiar with the stories of the bible, Jesus was in fact tempted, multiple times, but won the battle over temptation. Sometimes, we forget that Jesus wasn’t tempted in ways that we never would, but was tempted in ways that we still are today. He knows how it feels to be anxious, angry, and to crave. He walked this earth as a man, and he knows your struggles better than your closest friends. When I pray however, I tend to catch myself thinking that I’m praying to a God that doesn’t understand what I’m going through, which leads to the opposite of confident prayer. This verse reminds me that he knows, he feels, and he deeply understands.

Then, to close the passage, we are reminded in verse 16 to approach the throne with boldness so that we can find the answers to our prayers. This means we should pray with confidence that Jesus understands. We should pour every detail of our hearts out to him, bring all of our troubles to him, so that we can find council in our dealings. 

God already knows your heart, he already knows what you’re going through, he just wants to hear it from you. He wants to know that you trust him completely, that you’re willing to give it all to him. 

Friends, I challenge you to pray with confidence! To know that Jesus understands, and to trust that God will always work for the betterment of you.

[id-claire]

LADIES

Ladies.

When you read those sappy posts from women who have been married for 30 years about how great their husband is and how you should wait until you have one that treats you like you’re the best thing to ever happen to him...

YOU WAIT.

I used to be someone like you. I used to roll my eyes at posts like this and think about how I would NEVER find someone like that. But here we are.

Ladies, never give up on the most sacred search. Trust in God’s timing and plans for you. It’s going to be hard, but so so worth it. The wonderful man that sent me these messages was single for 3 years leading into college before we met, and it ate him up. Wouldn’t it anyone? I on the other hand had just come out of a not so great relationship and had been searching in the wrong places for a year, which of course led to severe disappointment in God.

We both were just about ready to throw in the towel. To just stop looking for “the one” and to just become “the one” for ourselves. It was only when we learned to become our own “special someones” that God let our paths cross.

So ladies (or men) ... be your own special someone. Love yourself and love God first. Become comfortable in the wait. Grow in the wait. Then rejoice in your own happily ever after.

[id-claire]

The Life of an Engineering Student

You’re going to have incredibly long nights. Nights where you drink two pots of coffee and struggle to stay awake as you stay stuck on the same Calculus problem you were trying to solve 30 minutes ago. You’ll eventually crumble and succumb to looking the answers up on a homework site that you have no choice but to pay the subscription for because otherwise you would actually fail your classes.

You’re going to make friends outside of your major within the first couple of semesters and then watch them through the windows of social media as they go out, weekend after weekend, while you’re stuck in your bed studying endlessly.

You might find yourself blessed enough to find yourself in a relationship during your time here. Then find yourself rejecting date after date and trying to synchronize horrible schedules because you’ve “got a test that week” or “have homework due that night”

You’re going to hear people tell you, “why don’t you just manage your time better?” and “I don’t know why you complain about your workload so much, you’re the one that wanted to be an engineer.”

You’re going to spend a lot of time staring at a wall after receiving your 3rd bad grade in a class you’ve worked so hard in wondering what you did wrong. What you could’ve done better. Why you aren’t good enough and how disappointed your family will be.

You’re going to ask yourself if it’s even worth it. If dedicating “the best 4 {or 5} years of your life” to working non stop is even going to make a difference.

Well friend, why did you want to major in engineering in the first place? You love it, that’s why, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to become one one day.

So keep your head up friend. Trust in your dream. Believe you are worth it. Work hard, get your degree, and make something awesome, because that’s what true engineers do... fail, then try try again.

[id-claire]

The Chapel of Memories

Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

[id-claire]

Happy Valentines Day, my love.

Restaurant Tyler, Starkville, MS

[id-claire]

Why it’s so hard to be a Christian youth.

Hello friend,

Today I come to you to show that you are not alone in your struggles as a Christian youth. 

In the world and the society that we live in today, it can be so easy to get lost in what everyone thinks your youth should be. When you are asked about college, most people automatically think that you’re off partying and “living it up”, because that’s what people our age do right? That’s “the college experience” isn’t it? Wrong.

As Christian youth, we often feel more like outsiders among people our age more than we feel we are fitting in, because we don’t fit into the agenda the world expects us to. We are different, set apart, and there’s a reason for that.

Here, in 1 Timothy 4:12, we are comforted in the fact that what we are doing is so right! Notice how elders usually talk about the youth that fit into the typical youth culture. Usually with distain, worry, or sometimes even disappointment. We are told here to never let anyone despise or be able to talk down about what we are doing as youth. We are to set an example for those below us and to show our love of Christ through our actions. If we are doing this correctly, of course it will come with doubt, struggle, and sometimes rejection from our peers. We are known by our non-Christian peers as killjoys, good girls and boys, uptight, innocent, snitches, boring, grew up too fast, and the list goes on. We as humans want to be liked, to be included, and it can be discouraging to know we are not wanted... but friend, these people do not matter. Instead, consider how the people that do matter view us! 

To our church family, our Christian friends and family, we are viewed as:  modest (in the best way), beautiful and handsome, responsible, caring, helpful, giving, trustworthy, and all the characteristics that should embody a child of God!

Yes, being a Christian youth that is truly dedicated to pleasing God comes with some serious sacrifices and very hard decisions growing up, but I promise, it is so worth it. Even though it may look like you are missing out on so many things now, in the future you will be so glad you never took part. Remember who’s opinion really matters!

God’s got you, and he has great plans for you, but you must first be set apart.

You are doing a fantastic job following the right path friend, never let anyone tell you different. After all, if anyone tries, then you know you are doing something right!

[id-claire]

It is okay to need to rest, it does not make you weak! Keep your head up! You’ll be amazed by what you see.

The Chapel of Memories - Mississippi State University

[id-claire]

01\19\20 - Grandma’s Chairs

Today I visited my grandfathers house for a while. As I walked through the house just as I was leaving I had a moment of remembrance. These chairs are where my late grandmother used to sit. The couch by the window always seemed to have just the right amount of light for her to scrapbook or to read her magazines and books. The recliner, she used to sit in to crochet as my grandfather watched his never ending fishing shows on tv. The coca-cola lamp behind was placed there by her, and hasn’t been moved since. She loved coca-cola, and that lamp was one of her prized possessions!

The feeling I felt today, looking at the light striking these two places so perfectly, was not one I expected to get today. It was a feeling of sadness, but also an enormous blessing. It felt like God placed those sunbeams so perfectly as to get my attention! How wonderful it is to still be able to look back on those precious memories, to almost be able to see her sitting there now. All things, I hope to never forget.

Remember friend. Always take time to visit with family when you come home from college. You just may receive a blessing you never knew God had in store for you.

[id-claire]

Daily Study - 01/18/20 - Anxiety

Psalms 16

It is important to remember that God does not want us to be anxious and full of worry! We cannot fully glorify him when we are in such state. God wants us to bring it all to him. He wants to listen and to help. He has our future in his hands and will not let us fall. So my friends, let your soul and body rest in confidence of our Lord our God, let us cast our cares on him, so that we may serve him better through healthier versions of ourselves.

[id-claire]

The Camellia

Symbol of Alabama

Dorman Hall, Mississippi State University.

[id-claire]

A lesson on relying more on Jesus and less on yourself.

So. Picture this: 

You have a large test coming up. You failed the last one and you are stressed to the max about making a good grade on this one so you can do well in the class. 

What do you do to alleviate that stress? You study! 

You spend days reviewing and preparing for this exam. You spend so much time in fact, that by the time the exam finally gets here, you don’t feel so stressed anymore!

These actions are the same that you should take for any spiritually stressful or heavy event in your life. Jesus is there for us, continually. We must constantly be working to draw closer to him, especially in these tough seasons. How do we do that? By studying! Get into the word. Draw closer to him and he will provide comfort. Just like how expanding your knowledge on a certain subject will help prepare you for an exam, growing your faith will do the same to help you lean on and rely more on Jesus for comfort. Not the things of this world.

If you are anything like me, you prefer to do things on your own. So if you are like me, you know that trying to fix everything yourself is the most painful thing you can do to yourself when you are experiencing heavy times in your life. 

You do not have to go through these things on your own. Friend, Jesus is here for you, He WANTS to be there for you. Bring your anxieties and frustrations to him and he will share your burden and will care for you. As you draw closer to him, you will begin to feel more peace. Even in less peaceful times. Surround yourself with good people, Jesus included.

Psalms 16:8

 'I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. '  

Do not be shaken friend. We have the most powerful person fighting for us.

[id-claire]

Parents

Sometimes, unfortunately, your parents are the largest judges in your life. It seems that no matter what you do, it can never be good enough. They can dismiss your feelings or even take out their own anger and issues on you... without an apology. 

Parents who treat their kids with no respect, in turn get kids with no respect for them. Is the goal of parenting to be the child’s best friend? NO. Is it the goal of parenting to raise a functioning and beneficial member of society? YES. But how is that child supposed to go out in the world if they leave the house with the idea that no one will ever respect them, so why should they respect other people?

You see. Children are just tiny, uneducated, highly influenced adults. Makes sense right? So why wouldn’t you treat them like a tiny adult? With respect and understanding.

Parents aren't perfect. None are. I won’t be. However, I will choose to be the best one I can be. I will chose positivity. I will choose love.

[id-claire]

Coffee and Curiosity.

Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar, Starkville, MS

[id-claire]

Nashville, TN.

Music City Bowl, December 2019. FMB

One word to describe this trip: Golden

We lost the game and a performance was rained out, but I still had the opportunity to explore one of my favorite cities, along with friends! I love the architecture and interiors of nashville. Modern yet minimalistic. The renaissance hotel that we stayed in was just as lovely. I will say the most memorable part of the trip was the struggle to transport 420+ people, along with the regular hotel guests, up and down the elevators all at once. Definitely a trip that left me smiling. So thankful the opportunities I get to have through the band here.