New Beginnings

Today was my second day as a sophomore in college.

Since I took classes over the summer, I almost forgot that this first week of fall semester is supposed to be a rush of excitement and fresh beginnings. But as I fought my way through the plethora of students at club rush, I couldn't help thinking about the fact that this semester is brand new, and it can be different than all of those that came before it.

So I'm pretty excited.  During my freshman year, I was hesitant to branch out because I was so inexperienced in college life.  But now that I have a year of college under my belt, I'm ready to try new things, meet new people, and be used by God for whatever He has in store.

This is the first semester that I will be juggling classes, the school newspaper, and a job, so I doubt I will have much time to blog.  However, I'm so excited about what God is going to teach me that I'm sure I will be writing about it from time to time.  In the mean time, I hope all of you  have a great fall, and look for ways to bring glory to God in every situation.  That's my goal!

-Sammie-

Standing Up

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

-1 Corinthians 10:13-

Temptation doesn't always feel like a bad thing.  Actually, it often feels really good- duh, that's why it's tempting!  I think a lot of girls especially struggle with wanting to be around someone who gives them attention, no matter how bad that person could be for them.  Attention feels really good, and a charming smile can be as hard to resist for a young woman as a piece of candy is for a kid.  So, what on earth are we supposed to do when faced with temptation like this?

Step 1: Admit you have a problem.

No, seriously.  I know it feels good.  I know his smile is really nice and he told you you looked pretty and this feels like the first time that someone has really liked you in a long time, or maybe ever.  I know you can think of a thousand reasons why he's great for you.  But if you know that it wouldn't be pleasing God for you to be with this guy, then you have a problem.  Admit it.  

Step 2: Pray.

Am I being really cliche in this post?  Well, I don't apologize.  Do not expect to be able to resist temptation with your own strength- most of the time, it's simply not going to happen.  Even if you could do it by yourself, what is the point in exhausting yourself that way?  God is the one who will provide a way out (as the verse at the beginning of this post promises), so He will also show you the way out.  Pray.  It's going to be hard, but the Lord is your strength.  Pray.  Pray.

Step 3: Trust and Obey.

When I was younger, my mom used to tell me this a lot.  I even wrote it in a really cool font one day on my sketch pad (when I was going through my "yeah I'm totally gonna be an artist one day" phase) and tacked it on my bedroom door.  One day (after a certain incident when I hadn't trusted and obeyed her at all), she sat me down and explained how important it was for me to trust her and my dad, and to obey them even when I didn't understand.  As I've grown up, I've realized how important it is to do the same in my relationship with God.  Trust and Obey.  I'm not always going to understand.  I'm not always going to want to trust that that guy isn't good for me- because let's face it, he knows all the right things to say.  Trust God and obey what you know He's telling you.  You will not regret it.


All of these steps have to be continuous.  Don't stop praying just because you think you've prayed enough- because you haven't.  Draw your strength from God and find your joy and worth in your walk with Him.  Don't stop trusting just because it doesn't always feel good.  And notice what I didn't say in this post- I didn't say that the temptation will go away.  Most of the time, it won't, but we are given the strength to turn it away through the Holy Spirit.  Turning down temptation is one of the hardest things we have to do in this life, but Christ did it Himself and He will bring you through it.  I am a living testimony of that fact, and I'm writing these words just as much to myself as to anyone else.  But let me tell you this much: there are few things cooler than the power that God gives us through the Holy Spirit.  We who have accepted the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ have also accepted the Holy Spirit, which gives us everything we need to resist temptation.

So there you go- admit you're being tempted, and that whatever is tempting you is not so great as it looks.  Pray and draw your strength from God.  Finally, trust and obey Him no matter what.  You won't be sorry.  I'm not.

The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.

-Exodus 15:2-

Being in Love

I think most every young woman, while still single, wonders at one point or another what it would be like to be married.  Thoughts like those have never really consumed my mind, but I'll admit that I've thought about it more recently- especially because I have been blessed with several friends lately that are already happily married, though not much older than me.    I've found myself wondering what it could be like to have a man love me so much that he wants to be with me forever.  I've wondered what it would feel like to have that same kind of love for him.  As someone who has never been in love or even in a committed relationship with a guy, the idea of that kind of love truly seems like a fairy-tale.

I was doing some mindless homework for one of my summer classes the other day, and my mind wandered again to that fairy-tale land, thinking about what love would feel like.  After a few moments, God threw a thought into my head- something He has been doing a lot more often now that I have begun to pray more consistently and spend time in His word.

The thought was this:  I'm already in love.

I've spent the majority of my teen years saying I'm in love with Christ.  Growing up around the people that I have, that was just the thing to say.  I'd always feel a twinge of guilt when I said it, because I knew that I wasn't always faithful to Him.  But in that moment, only about a week ago, I felt like it hit me what it is to actually be in love.

I have dedicated my life to the Lord.  He has completely changed me.  My relationship with God defines who I am.  I have walked away from Him because I thought I knew how to be happy by myself, but have run back into His open arms because I love Him too much to be apart from Him.


I can't know joy, love, peace, or comfort without the Lord.  
I'm already in Love.


So does that mean I'm "cheating" on him when I love a man on this earth? No.  If I get married, will I be "breaking up" with God for my husband? Absolutely not!  And that's the thing that I think I'm finally beginning to grasp.  God loves me with a perfect, constant Love that nothing can separate me from (Romans 8:38-39).  He blesses me with a Love that I could never come up with on my own, so that I can give it back to Him.  There is no sin in marrying a man if I know that my relationship with Him will bring glory to God.  Isn't that what we're made for- to glorify God?

It all goes back to letting my thoughts and words and actions be pleasing to God.  If I do come to know a man that can be my husband and partner in worshiping and glorifying God, that is not leaving God.  Instead, it's using everything that He has blessed me with- every joy, every love, everything- to please Him more.

Now, as a single young woman, I want to do everything I can to bring glory to my God, who I am absolutely in love with.  And if God blesses with a man to stand beside so that we can worship God with even more love, I'll still be in Love with Him.  I'm already in Love.  And let me tell you this: there is nothing more beautiful than knowing that God loves me, too...forever.