Sometimes there are people in your life and they get overlooked. At least in my life there are people I tend to overlook. I write them off as whatever someone else has defined them as, and I don't take the time to make up my own mind about them.
Like the other people must be right. There can't be any other explanation for why this person acts a certain way, talks a certain way, and is known as a certain something.
But in the past year I've learned a lot about myself and in turn other people. I'm now pretty sure that deep down somewhere people still have some good in them. You might think I'm an optimistic humanist, but I'd rather call it hope. God's grace alone has forgiven me for HUGE mess ups, some mess ups I even have a hard time forgiving myself for... and because of that grace I've rediscovered that goodness I was supposed to have. I know I've probably hurt people in my life time...and personally I know that I can credit a lot of that to the fact that I've been hurt too. I put on a front acting like I didn't need anyone or anything (even though I for some reason always accepted the fact that I needed God) ...that I was just fine and dandy the way I was. WRONG! I've only become the girl I am now because of the people I finally let in to my life.. Those people smacked me upside the head and told me to smarten up when I needed to hear it...those people stuck by me when I swore that someone would betray me. They taught me how to trust, how to persevere, how to hope and how to survive in this sin-infested world.
Relationships with other people helped me to understand that I had built up walls I didn't even know existed, and I was putting on a front even though I thought I was one of the more sincere people around. This taught me that it's part of the human condition to protect ourselves from other threats even in human form. That is why I know now that walls are penetrable and if someone seems reluctant to open up it's probably because they are afraid of being vulnerable and getting hurt again. You only learn to fear rejection and to hate vulnerability because of past experiences that have taught something isn't safe.
So. I've decided that the book is always better than the cover, and if you take time and put in effort, you'll find that there is always something valuable in every single person you come in contact with.
I think that's where the "love your enemies" comes in...I always liked the "what good will it do if you just love the people who love you" line. You have to love the people you don't know, don't understand, don't think you'll like...before you can find out who they really are, and realize they were never really your enemy in the first place....they're just the same as you. Human.

Do something.

umm i might get back to posting in september, but i'm done on here for the summer

I just finished reading this book called "SURPRISE ME" by terry esau and I absolutely loved it.. It's about this man who prayed "surprise me God" daily for 30 days and wrote about each day's experiences and surprises. and i think its just magnificent...
i know some people think there's a risk in counting your blessings, but I don't really agree...
when i look at my life from day to day i see just how many things i can be thankful for, and just how many things were unexpected...usually the unexpected things are the ones that create the best memories.
not all surprises are good .... but one day I woke up and realized that I was happy without trying, I was made for more than I was allowing myself, and none of my past hurts or failures mattered or stung anymore. Surprise!
I'm ready to be what I was made to be...surprise me God.

it only took 120 posts on this account for me to realize something....

I want to live each day on purpose WITH purpose. I'm constantly trying to grow and learn and be a better person, and that takes time and has been happening...but I think in the process I miss a whole lot of opportunities that face me each ordinary day. I'm so concerned with my future that I forget about living today....about living for other people. ... about making an impact, a difference...caring for those people who are desperate for someone to notice that things aren't okay.
Last night I prayed myself to sleep like I usually do, but instead of it being all about me I prayed for other people more than myself...During the school year I had a list of things to pray for taped beside my head on the wall...and none of them had to do with me.
I want to be selfless like that again.
I need to reorganize my priorities, be less obsessed with myself, and more passionate about other people.

They will know we are Christians by our LOVE.