Happy Valentine's Day! (part 2)

Happy Valentine's day!! Hope you all had an awesome day :D Aside from spending most of the day in bed while attempting to recover from pneumonia, I had a good day :D and doing a photo shoot with the kiddos was tons of fun....at least when they were all cooperating :D


Okay, so I promised photos...check! Next was songs I think.....


Alright, lately I've been listening to a lot of Jamie Grace's music. I love her light, joyful spirit, and the way that she simply loves the Lord. One of her songs talks about how she's a "God girl". She's not out looking for earthly romance, she's content in her Saviour's love. The song link is here, and one of my friends wrote a beautiful post about it here.  I also love this one by Jamie Grace. :D

Another of my favorite songs is "Faithfully", by Eric and Leslie Ludy, here.

This song by Rebecca St. James is one that I love. It's a good reminder to pray for my future husband, wherever he is at the moment.


I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman has been one of my favorite love songs since I was little girl.

When We're Together by Mark Harris is a new favorite....honestly, if I decide to play this on youtube, I end up replaying it about 50 times :)


I didn't actually include this in my preview post, but I thought it would be fun to show you some of my favorite books about love/relationships (:


Sacred Singleness

When God Writes Your Love Story

Preparing to Be a Help Meet

Passion and Purity

So, there you have it :) Happy Valentine's day!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day! (part 1)

Hi!
I was actually realizing that it's been nearly a month since I posted! oops! Well, rather than just a short, apologetic post, I actually have a "real" post today! There are a few different things I want to incorporate, so bear with me. Feel free to check back tomorrow for part 2, when hopefully, barring any technical issues, I'll have an official Valentine's post, including songs,  excerpts from the paper I'm writing on the kind of man I want to marry, and pictures! (Yes, I am planning a photo shoot extraordinaire with some of my adorable siblings ;)

Anyway, for today, I want to share a few thoughts that generally pop up throughout the year, but culminate near Valentine's day.

Basically this: matchmaking.

I know -- for anyone that's ever watched Fiddler on the Roof, you probably now have this stuck in your head. You're welcome.

But in all seriousness, what is the purpose of matchmaking? Is it good, or bad? Why?

Well, like most girls, throughout my life there has been sporadic teasing about who I'll marry, giggling girlfriends who insist so-an-so has a crush on me, etc. This year, though, has been really the first time that friends have actually tried "matchmaking". Not dating -- they know I'd never go for that. But strategic planning to give me the opportunity to spend more time with certain guys, and none-too-subtle hints. And they're all very well-meaning friends who truly have my best interest at heart. Some of them don't feel that it's something serious, that it's all in fun.

I think it's time to tell the truth about matchmaking.
1. Marriage is serious. Eternal, binding, covenant serious. It is not something to be played around with and joked about.

2. Hearts are fragile things. Often, playful matchmaking leads to hearts being opened to the wrong person because of pressure from respected friends. By the time all involved parties figure out that it was a mistake, deep wounds have already been inflicted, and friendships may be lost.

3. This is probably the most significant one for me. Think for just a second about how matchmaking makes the matchmakees feel. Ok, If you're a girl, and people are constantly trying to point out guys that would be just right for you, or always telling the guys about how great you are, how do you feel? Basically, you feel like you're completely unattractive. You feel like your friends think it's impossible for a guy to ever "like you" without them suggesting it to him. And what about a guy? If I were a guy who's friends were trying to push him to meet a certain girl, I'd probably feel that my friends didn't respect me as a man, and didn't think I could be manly enough to take the first step on my own. And besides, honestly, if my friends try to set me up with a guy, I instantly put up even more of a "guard" than I normally would with a guy, just because I am always wary of what hi intentions are, whether he asked his friends to set us up, or what exactly his feelings are. Basically, people pushing us together makes me want to run in the other direction. Big time.

4. When people are trying to match you up, they see what they want to see. If you're tired, and happen to "zone out" during a conversation, they might immediately assume it's a highschool musical-esque crush because you're staring dreamily off into the distance when their pick for you happens to be talking. (Really, really unflattering when you're sincerely not interested, and giving any impression of a crush was the furthest thing from your mind) Honestly, don't just assume the odd behavior you see in a friend is signs of "being interested" in someone. It's probably something completely unrelated. And if they are interested, it's their right to disclose that to you if and when they feel comfortable with it, not before.


So, what is the point of this post? just rambling against matchmaking? Yes and no. The point is, if you're the kind of person who is always trying to get your friends together, please stop. You're making the job of protecting our hearts a whole lot harder. When God leads us to the right one, we'll be more than happy to be in a relationship -- not before then. And, if you're someone who is constantly getting teased about guys or girls that your friends want you to like, don't be unkind, but just tell them that it makes you uncomfortable, or that you'd prefer them not to joke about those things. Maybe they'll stop and maybe they won't, but if you stand your ground, eventually they'll get the point. :) Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day, and keep your eyes on Christ!

I can't believe it's been nearly a week since my last post. Please forgive that....but honestly (we can be honest, right?) It's been one of those weeks. Stuff comes up. Things go wrong that you weren't expecting. And you lose it (or am I the only one?). And you come down hard, knowing you should have done better, could have leaned harder on your Strength. And then, you fall. And you hardly know you're falling, and you find yourself there, again, where it all started. At the foot of His cross. And you realize once more that beautiful truth. Once you have accepted Him, He'll not let you go...He sees you with His Son's righteousness, not your own filthy rags. You feel filthy, and lowly, and unworthy of His love. But He reminds you again of His forgiveness...it's not like ours. He forgives all, past, present, future. And He never looks at it again. Sure, we still confess and get things right with Him, but aren't you glad we wear His robe? And He sees us as pure, clean, beautiful creatures? I once read words that went something like this, " You came to Christ to let Him clean the spotted garment of your heart. And He did. Now stop being defeated. Go dance in your now spotless gown. Be the belle of the ball of life, and recommend others to your Great Cleaner. Don't hide away in shame as you did before He cleaned you. Because you still perceive spots. But He doesn't. And His eyes are perfect." Let this be a week of dancing in our salvation...loving Christ as we never have before, thanking Him as we never have before, letting His cleansing do its work in our hearts, holding nothing back. And praising Him as never before for His great forgiveness, mercy, and love!