"You're Missing Out."

The other day, I met up with a friend who I went to high school with that I hadn't seen in a really long time. Although I only graduated a year ago, it was surprising to me how much we had both grown apart. For the longest time I thought we were on the same page on about everything: no partying, no drinking, no drugs, the list goes on and on.
As we got to talking though, I noticed that things had completely changed. They started talking about how much they loved drinking with their college friends and how one night stands were frequently common and accepted in their life. After their little speech about how awesome and amazing the "college life" was, I explained about my faith. I said that I had really changed in the past year, and that I didn't really care about my college experience, what I cared about was God and my relationship with Him. A few seconds after, my friend said something that really stuck with me. They said the words: "Well, you're really missing out."
At the time, I honestly felt like I was. I see videos and pictures all the time on Facebook, Vine, Instagram, etc. of people looking like they are having an awesome time doing stupid stuff with their friends. So what was I supposed to say to that comment? What could I say that was going to make worshiping God sound better than partying all the time?
I quickly changed the topic to something different, and we agreed to disagree in the end, but after our talk I couldn't help but think, I am missing out. I'm missing out what people would call the college experience, but they are missing out on a Godly experience, which is the most important one?
Parties and kickbacks can be fun, but do they last forever? No.
Does God's love last forever? Yes.
Does drinking and smoking and cussing bring me to heaven and closer to God? No.
Does going to church and worshiping Him make my life better, and my relationship with Him stronger? Of course!
I really wish that I could go back to that conversation with my friend. They made me feel like such a little kid, and so inexperienced in life that it even made me feel bad about myself.
I think sometimes that we can all at one point feel this way when we talk to others who are not Christians. We are embarrassed at times to be open, and honest about God's word. I truly believe though that over time, we don't have to feel insecure when these things happen. We need to be more proactive in expressing what the Lord wants us to do, including myself.
So I say ask yourself, which one is more important to you: partying or heaven? The choice is yours, but for me, I know I'm not missing out on the greatest thing in the world: God.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 " For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, ³ because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

God's Little Whisper (Sarah's Seed Article)

When I started to become more independent and was given more responsibility for myself, my mom used to remind me before I left the house or went somewhere to always listen to my “little whisper,” as she calls it. At first, I couldn't really comprehend what she was saying. Did someone literally whisper in my ear? If I did hear the whisper, was it always right? Did I always have to listen to it? The more I became exposed as some might say to the real world, the more I started to understand. Nobody came up and whispered to you what you were doing was right or wrong, you just knew. The little voice inside your head that is so small, but so important. My mom always says to listen to it. No matter what you feel, listen to the voice.

I feel like every time I hear someone say they don't know what to do with a situation in their life, I don't believe them, simply because I know we all have a little voice, we just choose not to listen to it. For the longest time, I'd deny my little voice. I'd tell myself it was only a thought, and I'd then proceed to come up with some excuse to my thoughts. The voice didn't last long, so that just meant it didn't matter, right?

As you can see, I have a way of talking myself into and out of things, and this is just one way that I decided to ignore my whisper. Even though it was so small, and only came around on certain occasions, not listening would change my life in many ways and put myself through things that I didn't know if I'd be able to overcome.

The part that frustrates me the most is that sometimes, I still don't listen to it. I know what's right and what is wrong, yet I still try to find a way out or come up with more excuses, or fill my brain with hope that something will turn around and change. I still struggle with listening, but recently I've discovered that not only is this voice something that I should listen to, but that somehow it's God.

It blows my mind to think about how our brains can even absorb the information we do and how it controls the body etc. But what really has me amazed is that God has put a feeling, or the little voice as my mom says, inside us to listen to. It's amazing to me, to think that God has given us all the ability to know what we should or what we shouldn't do.

Now some people I know may say that they don't have little voice. A lot of people didn't grow up in the church, or even believe in what Christianity is. But I don't necessarily think that you have to grow up in the church to hear Gods whisper, some just choose to ignore it or dilute it with harmful substances like drugs or alcohol. I remember my mom telling me a story about a woman who had a sudden, strange feeling about a man who was near her, and the next thing you know he's got a gun in his hand. You can find so many news stories about people who “had a feeling” or believed that something “just wasn't right.” The thing that I have noticed the most? It's never wrong.

God is prefect in every way, and I feel like somehow I have a connection with Him when I hear my whisper. Like somehow, God's telling me what I know I need to hear. Sometimes that's hard to listen to, I'm currently having a hard time with dealing with the consequences of listening to the voice, but in the end I know it's the right thing that I'm doing no matter how much I lose. No matter what. God's love will never fail you, and if you listen to it, you'll be glad you did.

Learning to Trust (Sarah's Seed Article)

Learning to Trust

Sometimes I think it is in our blood to worry. Whether it be raising our children correctly, upcoming tests for school or just our silly selves worrying over things that won't ever happen, naturally I think the feeling of worry gets to all of us at some point. Lately, I have found myself doing the exact thing, worrying. I worry about school, my job, my Christian family, my friends, you name it, and I've probably freaked out about it at one point.

Recently though, I've found myself just worrying about life in general. Will I ever fall in love? Will I ever live my dream and someday be a mother? Will I be glorifying God the way I should be in the next few years? Will I be the best person I can be? I understand that I am still young and Lord willing will have many years to come, but I can't help but think upon these major parts in life and wonder if they will ever happen.

A few weeks ago, I just so happened to stumble upon which is now one of my favorite verses. In Psalms 37:4 is says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act.” What an amazing verse for me to find, right when I was stumbling upon my worries. For women, or for me at least, I don't think much about how God knows my every thought. He knows me better than I know myself, and although it is scary to think that God knows how many times I have stumbled, it is incredibly comforting to know that God knows all my desires and goals. I know that I may not get everything in life, and I'm sure my life will turn out nothing like I exactly pictured it, but in the end God will lead me on the path I need to be on.

One of my favorite songs, which now listen to every time I start to worry about something, is by Brandon Heath. He sings “If we’re gonna pray about it / There’s no use in worrying / If we’re gonna worry about it / Why are we praying / Just leave it in the hands of the Father” This song plucked my heartstrings, reminding me that I need to trust God and pray about it, we all do.

Although I still struggle with worrying, I now know that going to God and praying about it is what I need to do. We may not always understand why things happen in our life, but I know now that it is crucial to trust in God. In Psalms 56:3-4 it says “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid.”

I hope that next time you find yourself worrying, or maybe you see someone who is stressed or having a hard time with a situation, you can come back to these verses and be comforted by God's amazing love. Life will never be easy, and we don't know what always lies ahead, but if we trust in Him and pray God will hear our prayers.