Quenching the Thirst

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The View

This week hasn't been the most ideal. It's definitely not ideal when one has to work 60 hours in one week... 

However, here are some pictures that have made me smile this week: 

(No, Mom. I didn't really get my nose pierced.)
Feeling kinda pirate-y though :)

Waffle bar & wonderful fellowship with our church fam.
Also tried chicken and waffles for the first time ever.
Let me tell ya'll, talk about a life changing moment!! 

The pictures I get sent while at work....
I need to buy this boy some swords or army guys. Something.

Thank God that we are created in Your image and by Your hands. 

This picture just melts my heart. Over and over again. 

And memories like this, when we had to sit in my car
Christmas day to use the wifi, makes my heart smile.

It's the little things that I am most grateful for. Thank you, Father for giving me more than I deserve and more than I could ever dream of having. 

-H. 

Unplugged

Side note:
This post was originally written on a piece  of paper on Monday, February 24th, day 1 of my fast to reflect over the week of being social media free.

Laying there, all bundled up and toasty under my sheets, and I was afraid. I was afraid to open my eyes and see the leftover makeup on my pillowcase. I was afraid that I had overslept and missed my alarm. I was afraid that it was indeed a Monday and that my weekend was over. Then right on queue, my phone begins to chirp annoyingly as the birds outside do. I reach over to turn off the alarm on my phone, and even half asleep, I grab my phone to check my Facebook and see what notifications I missed while in my slumber.

No, I am not that popular, but rather part of the "digital slave age" movement.

My name is Heather and today is Day 1 of my 5 Day Fast of all things related to social media.

What my fast will consist of:
-NO texting, unless it's work related or necessary. (I posted a fb status the night before letting family/friends know to reach my by phone if needed)
-NO Facebook
-NO Twitter
-NO Instagram
-NO Pinterest
-NO surfing the web aimlessly for trendy articles
-NO blogging
-NO Snapchat
-NO Whatsapp
-NO apps/games on phone
-NO spotify/Pandora/streaming music
-Calls are allowed, more personal than texting.

Yes, I am partially doing the fast because I was challenged to do so at a youth conference I attended this past weekend. But really, it was just confirmation from God that I needed to unplug from a lot of online/social distractions. The time that I would spend on fb, twitter, instagram, surfing the web or even taking selfies...is a high number that knocks me absolutely sick. The internet has been consuming a majority of my life. Yet, I was struggling to even spend 30 minutes of quiet time with my Savior. Talk about a reality check. I feel that I've been missing out on life itself because I have been hiding behind my cell phone and computer; and not plugging into what's most important... my Creator.

Even though it's only been one day, there have already been so many positives in not being a slave to technology:

-Not rushing through my quiet time so that I can check if I have any new notifications or text messages. Yes, this is a big struggle for me.
-I already feel more free not feeling the need to check my phone 24/7.
-Able to focus and spend a majority of my day in deep prayer--- that was my favorite part about the fast!
-My battery life is untouchable. It's 3:10 PM as I write this and my battery is sitting at 85%!
-Phone calls seem much more personal and sincere than a text ever did
-It's given me a new perspective of how dependent I have been on texting or anything involving social media.

Overall reflections on my fast:

The first day was the hardest, second and third day came much easier and a big relief to not have my phone glued to my hand. There were a couple times this past week that I almost left my phone at my house/work because I hadn't been using it. What was really disappointing, was the realization that in the moments that I didn't have anything to do, I immediately grabbed my phone to have a little nose what everyone was up to. Without even thinking I did that. To think that my habitual actions came second nature in having my apps on my phone constantly open as if I was reading the daily news. I had no idea that I had such an addiction.

I am not willing to be a slave to any electronic. I am only willing to be a slave to Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 7:22-
 ^"For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ."

 

 

 

I only remain on social media because my family is scattered and I want to be able to connect, but I don't want it to consume me like it has in the past. Will you take the challenge and try to fast from social media? Pray about it and see what measures you can take to unplug from the world and plug into Him!

-H.

xoxox

Late night pondering

I know I've only been going through life for only 23 years now, but I feel like I have a good grasp as to how crazy the female race is. I'm not a fan of how emotional, crazed, or psychotic a girl can get if she dwells too long on a thought. I can say that because I am one of those girls in this moment and present time.

It amazes me how easily a girl can have a million thoughts at once and guys can be on a "one track mind". I do envy them and wish they could get into our brains for a millisecond to get an idea how flooded our minds can get by a simple phrase/sentence/word that passes through our heads. Which may be a bad suggestion all together, because I fear that a males brain would overload so quick they would just die of being overwhelmed with how we process things.
[Haha. How am I not a comedian??!!]

Now, there isn't a thought in particular that I am wanting to vent here and now, but a good friend had posted a blog post yesterday about things she wished she could have told her former 15 year old self. This has me thinking... What would I have said to myself as a pre-teen and advice that I wished I grasped sooner than later? So here goes a couple thoughts that come to mind;

Dear awkward pre-teen Heather,

• You're going to be hormonal. A lot. To the point where you think that you are psycho and you won't even like how you're acting. You will want to cry at the drop of the hat. Punch walls, people, or both. You will go from happy one second to feeling absolutely unhappy the next. It's inevitable, but don't use it as a crutch. Pray through those moments for God to give you peace to work through those crazy thoughts. Remember how your words are going to affect others, be kind and gracious (even when you think they don't deserve it).
• Don't rush growing up. Pause and enjoy life. Enjoy not having to worry about how you are going to pay for bills, or groceries. Enjoy homemade meals. Enjoy that your only job right now is going to school. Love the phase of life that you are in versus trying to look to the next thing. Oh, how you will regret rushing to grow up and acting older than you seem. Especially reflect on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. 
• Crop tops, baby tops, or too tight of clothes= so unflattering and not lady like. There are other ways to feel "sexy" or "confident", and you will not find it in clothing or materialistic things. That is the world lying to you and trying to lure you in with false confidence. Don't buy into it because you will be so caught up in appearance and you will have trouble deciphering what beauty truly is. 
• Secular music that bash females, swear or filled with sexual innuendo will make you blush fifty shades of red one day. You tell yourself that it's just lyrics and don't think it will affect you, but trust me, it will turn your stomach with disgust in what music you surrounded yourself with. Just because it has a good beat doesn't justify in needing to listen.
• You will have tons of heart breaks over guys who never deserve your time. Be discerning with who you are investing your time in. And whether you want to ever admit it, mom and dad have always been accurate in how many losers you are currently crushing/dating. Remove those blinders and look through the eyes of how God sees you and how He wants you to be and who He has planned for you to be. Imagine all the years you will waste if you date one guy after the other. Remain pure. Don't indulge in sex because it feels right or because you are in "love", wait until marriage because it will save you on all heart breaks. 
• Stop over thinking things. You are the queen of this. Making nothing into something. It isn't healthy. So, just stop. 
• There will be good days and bad days. Great hair days and days where you want to just cut all your hair off and start over [don't ever give in to that notion] Days where you feel absolutely gorgeous and days you feel like an ugly duckling, fight those ugly thoughts! You are stronger than you think, but weak without Christ. Days where you worry about your weight and times where you will be way tooooo skinny. Indulge in sweets, but don't let food consume you or eat simply for comfort or out of boredom. Cake is acceptable any time during the day, especially for breakfast. Save your money. Candy and food is society monopolizing all of your hard earned money. "A penny saved is a penny earned" 
• You are valuable and loved by the Great I am. That is sufficient enough and all you will ever need in this lifetime. Don't resonate your happiness in someone else. God is and should be everything to you. 
• And last but not least, smile often because you are blessed with more than you will ever realize. And when you do think to appreciate it, that moment will have slipped through your hands. 

And to the future aging Heather, all of this advice still applies. If anything, just live your life fully for Him. Let God be the driver and take the back seat. Relax in His presence and trust Him to take you where you need to be.

-H.

Taking a Moment.

It's been a while.

More like, a long while.

...I had quite honestly forgotten that I had even started a blog.

I had every intention to write daily. My what the irony in seeing as I only posted one blog post. One stinking one! A lot of things have happened between then and now as I am typing my newest [second] posting. I'm really just a different person.

I am...

1. Not only a young mom, but a single mom to a little boy named Leighton James. I won't go as far as saying that he is my world and what I live for--- because that would be a bold face lie. My focus isn't on my son. Now before you berate me on what type of mother I am, let me explain. My focus is on Jesus. If I had any other idol or object before me, my life would be in complete shambles and would in turn affect my relationship with my son. If you're relationship isn't right with Jesus, ain't nothing going right!

                                             (here's a little snap of my sweet pea, LJ)

2. A sinner. I continue to sin daily. I have probably sinned about 28 times so far today and it's not even midday! But I have finally grasped what it means to truly being forgiven and living in my Savior's perfectness and grace. Not my own works, but His grace alone! What a relief it has been to truly live my life out for Him and Him alone. There is nothing like having such a sincere relationship with Our Creator and possessing that faith.

3. Still taking risks...but praying through them. Anyone who knows me would vouch in a heartbeat that my middle name was "impulse". In the past I generally had a thought and acted on it without hesitation. This could have resulted with awesome results or in a detrimental outcome. More than often it was a detrimental outcome with repercussions that I carried around with me as baggage. I bought into the lie that society fed me of going through life thinking "yolo" or to "live in the moment". That my friends, is society feeding you bull shiggidy. It is such a dangerous thing to act out on emotion or feeling. If everyone did as their emotions told them, there would be a lot more chaos in this world. I am striving to have more self controls in many areas that I struggle with.

I have forgotten how much I enjoyed this. Typing aimlessly, praying that all these random thoughts would come together into an orchestrated post.

Until next time,
-H.

A true love Story.

                I have to admit, as my own personal confession, that it is very easy for me to listen to a wide range of music of every genre known to man kind, yet I clearly choose to leave Christian music out of the mix.

While driving to work the other day, I forgot my i-pod and thus was forced to listen to the radio [radio's music quality is awful!], which irked that I had been so careless in forgetting my tunes. A majority of my programmed radio stations had morning talk shows, all except one station. I happend to "stumble" upon 88.1 fm, Air1. And I say "stumble" because I have realized that over time, there are no coincidences when it comes to what God has in store for me. My first impulse was to quickly turn the station to something more hip, a more secular jive...

...Then I paused.

By pausing for that one second and hesitating in not changing the station, I was overwhelmed by the Grace of God. As I'm typing, I cannot worth the life of me recall what song was playing at the time. But whatever that song may be, it pulled on my heart strings and I proceeded to reflect on the little blessings I receive in life. I grew up in a very loving family in where my parents always guided me to have a relationship with God, explaining to me that He always loves me and I needed to be willing to commit myself to Him. See, back in the day, I was a fence rider when it came in deciding if I wanted relationship with Jesus. Some days I did, some days I just didn't care because I acquired many doubts about what I truly believed. And it was SO hard for me to get into church. I grew up seeing the hypocritical church goers that liked to shove God down my throat or judging others as if they were pharisees themselves. How could I, share Christ with others if I had doubts of what I even really believed? Bottom Line of realization: It's not a religion, but a relationship with Jesus Christ.

What greater love is that of someone laying their life down for me? Over time I thankfully matured and finally understanding that every bit of information my parents relayed to me had always proven true. I struggled with praying and being able to read my bible on a daily basis. After attending Sunday school all my life, I knew all the generic bible stories and just didn't care to want to read anymore from that book. Eventually I put two and two together that it was all about relationships, was at a youth conference a couple years ago. The question the speaker posed, "If your boyfriend/girlfriend/family member, suddenly stopped talking to you and went weeks without hearing from them, how would that make you feel?" Words like bummed, upset,angry,confused.... and the list continued in my head. The speaker waited a moment for the audience to soak in the question, "You would feel pretty cruddy, right? Well when we aren't praying, getting into the Word or having a moment with God, that's how He is feeling when we aren't conversing with Him". Wow, my world was flipped in that instant. To be put in God's shoes for the slightest second made me appreciate and change my perspective that very moment. The realization of the bible is that it isn't supposed to be a treacherous reading or a chore in having to read it every day--- but a love letter written by God above to each and everyone. If everyone could have that mindset, we would be able to see what love really is. After tuning into my new favorite Christian radio station, it's nocoincidence that a majority of Christian music relay the theme of love.


....it all began because of a song traveling amidst radio waves.

-H.