So last week, I watched a show called crossroads (not sure if you all are familiar with it). Basically two well known artists with either different music styles or similar ones come together and sing. You usually love them together or hate them.
This episode was Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves and let me tell you, it was awesome. They worked so well together and the music was awesome!
So I tell you all of this not to bore you, but to say that I have found one of my inspirations for 2015--a song by Kacey Musgraves. You may have heard it before, it is called Follow Your Arrow and the message is pretty darn awesome.
My favorite line in the song and focal point for the upcoming year is this:
Say what you think, love who you love, cause you only get so many trips 'round the sun. Yeah you only, only live once.
More to come on this upcoming year since you and I both know I'll be overthinking it.
I have this problem. And it's probably a good problem, but it's still a problem.
It's 2:09 am and my mind won't slow down. It's dark. It's cold. And it's a Sunday morning. But my mind won't stop racing.
As I have been preparing myself for 2015, so many things have come up. Memories, plans for the future, resolutions, ideas on what I can do better, etc.
But you know what? There is something about having your heart lit on fire at 2am that is kind of inspiring. While everyone else is sleeping, God is keeping me up with all these crazy ideas about how I can change the world this upcoming year. That's kind of cool if you ask me.
So heres to 2015 and all the ways I am going to overthink it in the next few days. And this pretty cool few minutes of clarity given to me at 2:09am on a Sunday morning. And the chance to live this pretty cool life.
So heres to that and everything else.
Grace
[[note: i scribbled this down early in the morning but did not post it this morning, but am posting it now. just a heads up if the times were a bit confusing.]]
As the day goes on, I'm trying to keep the Lord on my mind because this day is solely for him. As many people rant about--Christmas is not about presents or food. If we were stripped of all of this, we should be able to be just as joyful without all of it.
So thank you God for sending your son. Thank you for making a decision that forever changed the lives of many. Thank you for the eternal love and forgiveness you send. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Still praying over what is to come while I forge ahead in this rough patch. God has great things in store for all of us--but nobody said the path would be easy.
Happy Holidays & Best Wishes,
Grace
ps. on a social media site I use for some of my photography and just random captured moments, I use an app/site called VSCO. I've started an online journal for my portfolio for the 2014-2015 school year with work completed in class. Check it out by clicking here!
pps. my posts have been rather boring lately, so here are a few snapshots taken over the past weeks.
After a long week ((which isn't over yet)), my dad told me just what I needed to hear last night.
After he got home, I just walked up and hugged him without saying a word. The only thing he said was "when I'm out and about alone, like tonight, I think about & pray for you."
So thank you dad for the tiny pick me up that I needed. I love you to the moon and back.
For the past several weeks, I've really been struggling.
I wake up tired and ready to go back to bed. During the day, I just wait for the day to be over and being able to go home. I'm grumpy and don't want to be around people. I'm not fun to be around and I'm simply not myself.
So here I am, admitting defeat, and surrendering.
Here I am Down on my knees again Surrendering all Surrendering all Find me here Lord as You draw me near Desperate for You Desperate for You I surrender Drench my soul As mercy and grace unfold I hunger and thirst I hunger and thirst With arms stretched wide I know You hear my cry Speak to me now Speak to me now I surrender I surrender I wanna know You more I wanna know You more [x2] Like a rushing wind Jesus breathe within Lord have Your way Lord have Your way in me Like a mighty storm Stir within my soul Lord have Your way Lord have Your way in me Like a rushing wind Jesus breathe within Lord have Your way Lord have Your way in me Like a mighty storm Stir within my soul Lord have Your way Lord have Your way in me Like a rushing wind Jesus breathe within Lord have Your way Lord have Your way in me Like a mighty storm Stir within my soul Lord have Your way Lord have Your way in me Lord have Your way Lord have Your way in me I surrender I surrender I wanna know You more I wanna know You more [x2]
Lord--ignite the fire back in me. I surrender my unhappy, joyless attitude and state of mind. Give me the strength to put a smile on my face and push on. Help me have a positive and infectious attitude. Help me live in the moment instead of waiting for a certain day to come. Push me out of my comfort zone and show me where I need to be. Help me find joy in little things and be more optimistic. Help me re-gain sight of what I am really here to do.
--Forgive me in advanced for being slightly scatterbrained, it has been a long week!!--
Everything has been so busy lately! Since my school is on trimesters, I had finals before Thanksgiving Break and thankfully do not have them before Winter Break. However--teachers are piling on the work between the two breaks. I also took on an extra photography class this trimester that I am absolutely in love with. As y'all know, I am a photography enthusiast and cannot seem to get enough of it. This trimester, we are shooting solely film. The dark room instantly has become such a calming place, somewhere I can escape everything else--all the work, drama, and outside problems. The class period simply flies by and I find myself waiting all day for that one class.
Anyway, I could ramble on for hours about my photography class but I really want to talk about is the chapel talk given today. It was about the red moon, also known as the lunar eclipse. A few years ago, I had the chance to study Revelation and honestly, it is an unforgettable book. Revelation mentions red (blood) moons when addressing what the world will look like during the return of Christ.
"When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." Revelation 6:12-14
This past October, we had a lunar eclipse, causing the moon to turn a deep red--hence the term blood moon. Now forgive me because I can not remember if the speaker said that this past one was the 6th, 7th, or the 8th moon in history, but I do remember the key point that 7 is considered the perfect and godly number in the Jewish faith. He also touched on the fact that there is supposed to be another lunar eclipse this next year. So as you connect the dots, you begin to see what I am getting at is that many people are talking about the fact that we may be nearing the coming of Christ quicker than we originally believed.
I can safely admit that I am not sure where I stand on this topic, but definitely plan on researching more. While looking into the subject for this blog post, I found that there are many articles, videos, and books all addressing this idea. I came across this video while searching.
At the end of the talk, the speaker posed this question: How would you spend your life if you knew you had six months to live it out? What relationships would you fix or even form? How would you act around others?
