Silver Linings

I try to find the silver linings amongst the dark clouds in my life. I can't always, not right away. But eventually, usually, I can.

One thing about depression is that it hits whenever it wants to, with no regard to my feelings, my emotions, or my surroundings at the time it attacks. There is no forewarning. So suddenly, I am overcome with loneliness, sadness, and feelings of frustration because I know that I know that I KNOW I really have no reason to be feeling the way I do during this moment of darkness. Yet, unfortunately, it can't always be helped right then and there. I have to suffer through it, or rather, struggle through it, because I don't like defining it as suffering. There are worse things I could suffer. So I have to struggle through it and push my way through the tense darkness until I emerge exhausted in the light again, still perturbed, but slowly delving into how to make myself happy again.

Maybe it sounds simple, but it isn't. I can't just simply force myself to be happy, to feel happy, to convince myself that nothing is wrong and that my feelings are irrelevant, because they aren't. That's like saying what I feel when I struggle through a depressive moment isn't real, and I'll be the first to stand up and tell you that it is very, very real. Pushing through the darkness to emerge on the other side isn't a simple task, either. Sometimes it takes thirty minutes...other times, it may take closer to twenty-four hours. I can battle depression for a morning, or I can battle it all day. Like I said, the when and the where are not important factors for depression. It doesn't care.

Today was a rather uneventful day, until this evening when depression decided to rear its ugly head in the middle of my thoughts and emotions. It crept in, and before I even knew it, I had let it. It's like I'm in the moment before, completely unaware, then I blink and it's there, its presence made known to me.

If there's anything I want you to understand about battling depression, it's that it is a literal struggle. Phrases such as "Just be happy" or "You're too blessed to be depressed" don't have any effect on overcoming it. In fact, phrases like that make me feel either angry or guilty, because I already know I should "just be happy" and that I am, in fact, way too blessed to allow depression to get the best of me. Battling depression is like falling into a pit and making a long, slow, upward climb out of it. It tires me. It exhausts me. It makes me feel like I just took on the world. But, that being said, the silver linings are there. They are there even when I don't think they are, when I can't see them, can't feel them, and definitely can't experience them. In the midst of my depression, my struggle, my battle that I fight over and over again, the silver linings are there, always.

The silver lining for me this time is that, although depression is an unwanted part of my life, I claim victory over it every single time. Like I said, sometimes that may take thirty minutes, and sometimes, honestly, it may be a whole month of battling back and forth every day with feelings of worthlessness or loneliness (I know I'm not worthless, but I'm being honest with how depression affects me). Despite these battles, the victory is there.

Today, I overcame depression, again, for the thousandth time. I'm physically drained. Will it come back to haunt me again? Most likely. Will I be prepared for it? Not instantaneously, but after the initial shock of it, yes. Will I struggle with it again? Absolutely. But I will also declare victory, again, and win, again. It's what I do. I'm a fighter. And every victory is worth celebrating, no matter how small it may seem to others. If it's important and grand to me, it's worth celebrating, and that's all that matters.

Multiple people have told me before that I am one of the strongest women they know; I'm starting to believe them.

5 Things You Need to Know Before Taking On a Bible Study (Especially If You've Never Done a Bible Study Before)

1. You reap what you sow.

In other words, you have to commit. Like 110% commit. If you fully commit to the Bible study, read your Bible, wholeheartedly put effort into doing the homework in the workbook, pray about it, and seek God, you will be amazed at the things He will teach you. He will reveal so many exciting things to you. Pray for Him to prepare you to accept His blessings! And I assure you, if you're seeking Him with all your heart, He will bless you.

2. Expect attacks.

This one is no fun to hear, but it is a very serious one to remember. Before you begin your Bible study, pray for a hedge of protection. I like to also pray for God to keep reminding me that I already have victory through Him, even before any attacks happen. There doesn't even need to be a battle, since Christ fought it for you and won. But, that being said, attacks will still be thrown your way. Think about it: the enemy has no use for you if you're not getting closer to God. But the instant you decide to strengthen and deepen your relationship with God, the enemy starts trying to tear you down. I mean in any way possible. During my current Bible study, I have been struggling with doubt and trust, and not even with God, just in general. It helps to talk to others in your Bible study group, Christian family, or Christian friends and share with them the struggles you are facing. Don't be ashamed, either. The attacks mean that you ARE getting closer to God! Pray, pray, pray, and declare victory over the enemy the moment you feel you are under attack. Remember, there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain! Don't be discouraged if you feel like your faith, relationships, or life in general is a struggle. Trials make you stronger, and God can use them to build your testimony. "For I hold you by your right hand--I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, 'Don't be afraid. I am here to help you.'" Isaiah 41:13

3. You will develop a desire to read your Bible more.

I will admit, before my Bible study, I wasn't very good at reading my Bible. I would definitely try, but I felt discouraged before I would even start because I didn't know where to begin reading. I still don't always know where to begin, but when I'm doing the homework in the workbook and looking up Scriptures, I feel so encouraged! I do my homework in pencil, but I always keep a pen handy because I am constantly underlining verses in my Bible! God's Word is so powerful, and even a single simple verse can reaffirm that for you.

4. One dreaded word: Homework.

Now I don't know about the specific Bible study you will be doing, but in my current Bible study, there are 5 days of homework. FIVE DAYS! That's a whole business week, which is like the cousin of a real 7-day week, which means there is a ton of homework! The first thing you need to know about the homework in your workbook is: Do. Not. Procrastinate. No, seriously, don't do it. Don't even think about procrastinating. Don't even procrastinate about thinking about procrastinating. You can assume if there are 5 days of homework that each day probably has a lot packed into it. Because really, why have a lengthy 5 days if there is hardly any information for you to learn during those days? But here's the second thing you need to know about the homework: It will change your life. I'm being completely serious. Some of the lessons may be simple for you, some may be more fun than others, and some may hit home and be pretty personal. The kicker is, you'll get so much out of all of them. It sounds silly, because homework has such a negative connotation, but honestly, I have just as much fun doing the homework as I do meeting with my Bible study ladies and enjoying some great snacks and chit chat!

5. It's okay to be nervous.

Being super serious here: I was nervous. I mean I've grown up in church, I had a picture Bible when I was like 5, I memorized Bible verses in my Age 7-10 Sunday School class, and I'm saved and baptized (and have been since I was young). But all of that did not give me confidence for this Bible study. For one, I knew maybe 2 or 3 of the ladies in my Bible study group before it started, and I didn't even know they were going to be in the Bible study group. For two, I had tried a Bible study once before in college and it just kind of fizzled out. It wasn't really for me, and I wasn't into the homework and didn't do it (which probably led to me not liking the Bible study). So I wasn't super encouraged about this Bible study. I HOPED I would like it, but part of me was a little afraid it was going to be the same experience as the last time I tried one out. For three, fear will equip you with lots of "what if's" and you just have to ignore them. Easier said than done, I know. It's okay to have "what if" questions, but try not to put too much stock in the negative ones. Turn your "What if I don't learn anything?" into "What if God shows up and does something big and awesome?" Turn your "What if I'm not any good at this?" into "What if this turns out to be really fun and something I start looking forward to?" Truly I tell you, nervous or not, if you let it, a Bible study can be one of the most exciting things in your life.

Bible Study

I just wanted to take a moment and share some wonderful things with you. I am in the process of going through a 10-week Bible study with an awesome group of women from my church. It's Beth Moore's "Believing God: Experiencing a Fresh Explosion of Faith" Bible study, and we are in the 2nd week. I can tell you right now with confidence and excitement that God is already teaching me so much! So I thought I would take a moment and share some things from my workbook that I have really enjoyed so far :) So here are some random tidbits of wonderful goodies, just from the introduction!


"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." Philippians 3:8 NLT

"God is so much more than we have yet acknowledged and experienced. He is capable of tremendously more than we have witnessed. I have become utterly convinced that we see so little primarily because we believe Him for so little."

"To start believing God, we've got to believe God's Word!"

"Some days are so hectic that we don't look up enough to notice that the world is still turning--let alone notice the One who is turning it!"

"One of the greatest builders of our faith tomorrow is remembering ways He worked today."

"Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God will never leave us or forsake us. Psalm 139:7-10 tells us that we as God's children cannot flee from His presence or loose ourselves from His hand. John 5:17 tells us that God is always at work and that Christ is ever working with Him. Philippians 1:6 tells us that God's work in each of our lives is good and under constant construction until its completion. Finally, John 14:21 tells us that if we will seek to love and obey God, God will actually disclose Himself and some of His activity to us."

Why I Have Tattoos

Two days ago, one of my friends asked me to convince her that tattoos are acceptable. Her text read something like this: "As someone who has tattoos, convince me they're okay. A totally acceptable decision..."

Yes, I have two tattoos. No, I don't believe that it is possible to convince every person that tattoos are okay. And that's honestly fine with me. My life mission is not to convince others that tattoos are acceptable, because there are some people who will never believe that they are. But I do believe that it's necessary to hear someone's explanation of why they have tattoos before deciding what kind of person you think they are. Do I feel like I need to explain to everyone why I have tattoos? No, of course not. But since she asked, I did my best to explain the personal reasons why I myself have two tattoos. I figured I might as well tell everyone else, especially since I, too, think that some tattoos are distasteful and unnecessary. So sit back, relax, and enjoy your read of my response to her text message regarding why I have tattoos.


"Okay. Being completely honest, I got my tattoos for me, and for me only. I didn't do it because I was finally out on my own and 'Boy, I'll show you Mom and Dad.' Nothing like that. And I didn't do it because it was a fad or a trend. I thought VERY long and hard about it and I decided I wanted the ones I have because that way I would always permanently have personal reminders to myself to be the person I want to be in life. And to be honest, I wanted to prove to myself that I could make it through the pain of getting a tattoo. I kind of felt like if I could make it through that, I could make it through anything. I have a low pain tolerance, so that's why I had that mindset. My first tattoo is the one on my foot that says 'no regrets'. This one reminds me that although there may be things I will regret in life, I need to get over those things. And that I am bound to make mistakes in life, but instead of regretting them, I should learn from them and let that change me into a better person. My second tattoo is the one on my side at the top of my ribs. It has an anchor and says 'i refuse to sink'. The anchor goes along with the saying because although anchors themselves sink, they also keep things in place and keep things steady. By refusing to let life get me down, I choose to remain in control and steady. This one reminds me that no matter what I am going through, I won't let myself sink, because I'm better than that and I'm stronger than that."


Yes, I'm a Christian. Yes, I have two tattoos. No, I don't need approval. This is between no one else but God and me. God loves me, no matter what, tattoos and all. Remember that they're not for everyone, but they are okay for some people. This post isn't to sway opinions for or against tattoos, but instead, to inform you of the reasons why I got mine. Now you know :)

My 1st Tattoo

My 2nd Tattoo

Snow Day!

Today is a glorious snow day and it's about 9 degrees outside. Fantastic. But it actually is fantastic, because my college classes were canceled! This means no driving in yucky weather for 45 miles (one way!), no sitting through yucky British Literature, no taking my yucky grammar test, and no driving back home in yucky weather. Yay! :)

That being said, today is just a majorly lazy day, which I am not opposed to at all. Literally all I've done today is made breakfast (cinnamon toast), got the boyfriend's clothes out of the dryer and ironed a shirt for him, and read through some articles in my email. Very productive.

Well, as it turns out, I have done one more thing: watched my pets go crazy. My cat has decided snow days make her go psycho (yes, more than she already is). It's not enough to just enter a room in a normal cat manner. Now we have to run down the hallway as fast as we can, hit the door coming in the room, get scared of the sound the door makes, and crouch down with wide eyes waiting for something to jump out and make us run off all crazy-like again. (Seriously, she's a mess.) Oh, and she has completely expressed sole rule over my puppy, Snoopie. The poor thing.

Miss Kitty thinks she is queen of this house, and if you disagree, you will feel her wrath. "Oh, Snoopie, you want to enter this room? Well, I declare it MY ROOM now, so if you dare choose to enter, I will attack you." Seriously, she's like an energizer bunny sometimes. She just keeps going and going, very psycho-like. Snoopie followed me into the room. Does Miss Kitty let her? Of course not. There's lots of lunging (on the cat's part) and swift little punches at Snoopie. Although cats don't actually punch. It was more like swats at her. And what does my puppy do when the clawless cat swats at her? COWARDS. She cowards. I mean full out cowarding: tail between the legs, ears down, and those sad puppy eyes looking at me like, "Mom, how could you let her do this to me?" I feel sorry for her, but at the same time, the cat didn't even touch her.

All I wanted was a normal snow day, nice and relaxing. Now that the pets have had their little go around, we're all being lazy and relaxing. But mark my words, the cat will attack again and the puppy will coward again. This is the routine of my day.

I hope you're all having a wonderful snow day as well, minus the psycho pet part! (P.S. I love my pets.) Enjoy your day and bundle up and stay warm! (And avoid clawless psycho cats.)


Xoxo,
n.

It's Hard Being a Christian... (But It's Worth It)

I’ll let you guys in on a little secret: It’s hard being a Christian at a secular college.

There, I said it. My goal is to be in this world, but not of it. But sometimes that's really hard when I'm constantly surrounded by the things of this world. It's not even that I'm tempted to participate in any of this world's actions, especially on a college campus. I've been there, done that, and it's just not worth it. No, it's more that I get offended just by sitting in a classroom and listening to conversation (or professors). But a spirit of offense is not from God, and I have to remember that when I do feel angry or upset.

Here's something you all need to know: Whether you're a Christian on a secular campus, like me, or in a broad sense, a Christian in this secular world, your faith will be offensive and offended. Sometimes nonbelievers don't like Christians talking about their faith. That's okay, because I'm still going to live out my faith, even if it's with actions instead of words. You being a Christian may be offensive to some people, but that's not your problem.

See, it's the same concept as "No one can upset you unless you let them." No one can offend you unless you let them. Therefore, when you offend people by showing the love of Jesus in your life, it is their choice to be offended. They could choose to ignore you, but instead, they choose to be offended. But you shouldn't be offended by their offense. In fact, you should probably be excited, because you just planted or watered a seed in their lives.

Being a Christian in a secular world also means that you will be offended. In fact, I was offended earlier today when a guy in my class used my Lord's name in vain and dropped a curse word (the F one) like it was no big deal. But, after thinking about it, I chose not to be offended. Does it upset me? Absolutely. But should I be offended? I don't think so.

His choice of language upset me, but it did not physically hurt me. It did not change the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that He lives in my heart. It did not change the fact that God forgave me of my horrible sins and loves me as His child. It did not change the fact that I'm a Christian. Instead, it strengthened my faith.

When you find yourself becoming offended, upset, frustrated, or angry with someone who is directly or indirectly attacking your faith, channel those emotions into something good. Use that opportunity to show that person the love of Jesus. Plant and water a seed. You'll both be better off for it. Just as people can choose to be offended by your faith, you can choose not to be offended by their lack of.

Remember, though, that this does not mean we as Christians walk around this world with a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Being humble is key. How can we show Christ's love if we're too busy believing we're better than others?

The fact of the matter is, Jesus loves everyone, and He commands us to love all as well (even when we're offended). I'm going to start giving that a try, how about you?


Blessings,
n.

Focusing on God

My boyfriend recently posted a tweet that was so great, I had to retweet it AND favorite it. It said, "Today I choose to focus on the love of God rather than the works of the enemy."

That is FANTASTIC advice and also a great mindset to have when starting out our days! I'll be the first to admit, though, that I don't always have that kind of mindset, especially when something is really bothering me that day.

Sometimes I buy into the myth that it is so much easier to focus on the negatives than the positives. I feel sorry for myself, I'm upset, frustrated, sad, or angry, and sometimes I even just mope around (and complain...gross). But is it really easier to focus on the negatives?

Focusing on the negatives doesn't bring anything positive into your life. It attracts all kinds of other negatives. Suddenly it's not just the one thing that is bothering you, but all sorts of little things (and sometimes big things) bother you. I find that when I focus on the negatives in my life, I feel like I'm in a pit and can't climb my way out of it. (And believe me, pits are not fun to be in.) I feel a little, well...suffocated.

The Bible says to think about good things, which, if I'm correct, doesn't mean focusing on negatives. Philippians 4:8 says, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." The last time I checked, none of the negative stuff in my life was ever excellent or worthy of praise.

Focusing on positives sometimes is easier said than done. Like I said, that whole pit thing...it can really feel like your whole day has turned to mush because of a few negatives. I've been dealing with that a lot recently, but my boyfriend has helped remind me that one negative does not equal an entire ruined day (sometimes I'm quite the drama queen). But he's right! One bad thing does not mean that the rest of your day can't be great.

I've been trying to remember that even if my day doesn't go how I want it to, it still goes how God has it planned. I have to take a deep breath and remember that I am exactly where God wants me to be, and there's a reason He has me where I am, doing what I'm doing. Instead of having a bad attitude about unpleasant things throughout my day, I am trying to have an open mind. I've been asking myself, "Why did I get upset over [insert whatever it was I got upset over]?" and "What can I learn from this?" I believe God can teach us great things through unpleasant times, if we allow our minds to be open to His teachings and hear what He has to say about it all.

If anyone else has been feeling discouraged recently, or just overwhelmed, stressed, or upset about things, remember that you are not alone, and that God is waiting for you to reach out to Him so He can comfort you and guide you.

I'm going to end with one of my favorite Bible verses: "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33


Xoxo,
n.