Ear Candy: What Can I Do

Lately, I've been rediscovering some old favorites. If you remember the song Safe & Sound by The Civil Wars, have you ever heard of Joy Williams? She was a part of The Civil Wars writing team and is an amazing songwriter. Her music is upbeat, calming, and puts me in a good mood, no matter what I was feeling before. Here are her lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

 

Listen here!

There you were and there I was
Was it fate from above?
Either way I found just what I need

All I do is think of you
Close my eyes and fall into
a world totally made for you and me

Oh don't you know, I love, love ya
I'll never let go, oh, i love ya
In all of my dreams, you're all I see
What can I do, but love you

Now I got someone to hold
To keep me warm while I was cold
A little scent to melt away the gray

It happened in the nick of time
Unexpected, sweet surprise
With one whose love will never be the same

Oh don't you know, I love, love ya
I'll never let go, oh, I love ya
In all of my dreams, you're all I see
What can I do, but love you

Oh don't you know, I love, love ya
I'll never let go, oh, I love ya
In all of my dreams, you're all I see
What can I do, but love you
Love you
I love you

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

 I'd just like to take this opportunity to say that you should really look at what/who you're investing your time in. Are you willing to make time for the important people in your life? Even more importantly, are they willing to make time for you?
 Before I even started college I was told to invest myself in a few things because I'd want to involve myself in everything and eventually stretch myself beyond my limits and I'd be unhappy. Everyone emphasizes the importance of the organizations you join, but what about your friends? Your friends are important. They always say that you meet your bridesmaids in college, those are the girls that you know will stick by you, no matter what they're going through or what you're going through. I want a friend who is willing to be there for me no matter what.
  Finding your lifelong friends is sometimes like finding your prince, you'll find quite a few toads before you find the real thing. Do your friends encourage daily no matter what you do? Would you trust that your friends would tell you that you're doing something stupid even if you don't want to hear it? Will your friends spend time with you in any way possible, if it's just studying silently together? Will your friends try and protect you from anything? If you can't answer yes to these questions about your best friends, I would recommend getting new ones. People that you would identify as 'friends' are about as ordinary as a $1 bill. 'Best friends' are as extraordinary as a $1 million check that Oprah made out to you personally. Start looking for a friend who inspires and challenges you to be better in every aspect of your life, a friend who will help you work through your toughest trials and will love you to the moon and back, because that will be your truest friend.

Proverbs 18:24 "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Hand It Over

 Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing.  I'm not just talking about this, I'm referring to all areas of my life. It's 1 AM and I have to be up at 6 tomorrow to work out, just to make sure that I actually go work out. There are people screaming in the hall across the room because it's someone's birthday and I can't sleep, but this may or may not have led to making some life changes.
 Until right now, I had lost almost all motivation to do anything. I don't know if I was experiencing homesickness or a brief period of depression, but I just never wanted to do anything or leave my bed. Since moving to Missouri, so many things have happened and I'm learning what it means to grow up. Between meeting some of the most amazing people in the world, moving away from everything I've ever known and trying to figure myself out, there have been so many questions. I'm learning about myself, what kind of person God wants me to be, and who I should be surrounding myself with.
 This past month in particular has been full of personal failures and disappointments. I was wait-listed to live in my sorority house, I haven't been able to get a job, my grades are not what I want them to be, my good friends seem to be drifting and I don't know why, I am not happy. I was feeling so alone and I was letting the tiniest things affect me in the biggest ways.
 I took a couple steps back this past week to reconsider decisions that I've made regarding my involvement and commitments at Mizzou. I haven't been doing anything truly life-changing or fulfilling which has left me feeling like I'm stranded on an island. There are so many things that have brought me to tears that I can tell that I need a spiritual tune-up. I opened my Bible ten minutes ago to this: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6,7). I need to remember not to let anything get to me. God will give me peace, no matter what I'm experiencing. He will give me answers to my questions and fears, all I have to do is ask for them. 
 This week is going to be a spiritual detox for me, a way to get back to where I know I should be. The moment that I completely hand things over to God is the moment that my life will change for the better. I just have to remember that my dark times are a part of God's plan for my life Starting now, it's all His.