Peace, Love, and Praises

I have had an awesome week! :) I have been relaxing and reading a lot. I have read the book of Acts this summer so far. Here is my normal setting at night:
And I have to say I like the view! :) My dog Pepper has become an inside dog this summer and now sleeps at the edge of my bed at night. He is so cute! So with the Bible in my lap and Pepper at my feet I get ready for sleep. It's been nice.. and well- peaceful.
Then I have also been reminded of the amazing friendships in my life. It's been fun to just have a time of no time limits! I am not worried about schoolwork, being late for stuff, or going to bed at night. That's my kind of summer vacation! It has been so fun going hiking with Sarah, Brittany, and Becca. And then I saw Amber after a week of no-Amber time and I am just so thankful for friends I can be myself around. Who listen to me, care about, and always make me laugh! I just love them so much! <3
Amber and I went to a church on Wednesday to see the African Children's Choir. And it was so much fun! Just to hear their prue voices singing praises to God and to also get a little taste of Africa. I was amazed by how well they could dance and sing! I am always grateful for organizations like that one. That bring the lost and hurting of the world to be real living people infront of us. But it wasn't sad- it was encouraging to how lives were being changed through this organization and how blessed the children flet to be apart of it. I tell ya- it didn't do much to help cool down the fire within me to go to Africa one day. That is definately still on my bucket list! Here is the children's choir:
With the summer drawing closer to the end, I am reminded of my summer list of to-do's.. I still have a lot of those left! I am so excited for the next few weeks- I am starting my new job, I am going to the beach with my friends (AHHHH!!), and I get to meet my International Buccaneer Buddy soon! I am so excited for all those things! I just feel so full right now! I am so thankful to have a life packed with peace, love, and praises.

Lately

This summer has been so awesome! I feel so blessed to have gotten to deepen my relationships thorughout the past few months! I just wanted to share some of those snapshots through the summer:

So these next few pictures was when Amber, Mwmaba, Becca, and I went to Bays Mountian. Me, Amber, and Becca hadn;t been there since elementary school and well.. Mwamba had never been. We spent the day walking around, doing the activities, and just enjoying being together.



Our picnic set-up was so cute! :)

Next was our family beach trip to Hilton Head! That was so fun and relaxing this year!





Well those aren't even half of the pictures. But it's a start! Plus there's all those times I don't have pictures of. Like having lunch with Janelle, Emily, and Emily's adorable little boys. Then eating out with Alyssa, Brittany, and Becca. So, there's a little peak into the pictures from the beginning of this summer break! More to come!! :D

Love=Sacrifice

Repunzel: "NO! I will never stop fighting! .. But if you let me heal him I will go with you. I will not try to escape. I wll be with you forever- just like you want. Just please, please let me heal him."
Flynn Rider: "No.. I can't let you do this."
Repunzel : "Shh.. it'll be alright."
Flynn: "Repenzel..."
He pulls her close as if he is going to give her a tender goodbye kiss when- WOOSH, he swips of her long beautiful blonde hair that could have saved his life.
Ok, that is paraphrased from the Disney movie, Tangled, but stay with me here. All the geat love stories I can think of have scrifice in them. They give up comfort, safety, lifestyles, and sometimes their lives for the ones they love.
Then there is greatest love story ever told- that Jesus would come down from Heaven and die for you and me.
In the Bible, it says "No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends" -John 15:13
So what are you willing to sacrifice for the ones you love? For your friends, your family, for God?
Are you willing to sacrifice your selfishness and pride for the ones around you? How about your time and energy? What if God is calling you to give up your comfort and secerity for something He is calling you to do?
I am asking myself these same qestions- what am I willing to sacrifice for love?

The Lost Art of Empathy

We know people are hurting. There is human trafficking, disease, people with no water, AIDs... and those are only a few of the world's problems. But how does this make us feel? What do we DO about it?
We see the stats, the photography, the stories. But often times to questions we ask ourselves is "what can I do about it?" or "How does this effect me?" Even our focus on the helpless and hopeless has to do with me, myslef, and I.
So much of the time I find meself in the center of my universe. I care about these issues- but I care about myself more. About what I can do to make me more happy or how I can more- stuff, pleasure, comfort.. the list goes on.
Often times we don't put ourselves in other people's shoes, becuase we are unable to get out of our own. We are scared to imgian the pain some of these people in these situations would be feeling or thinking- Empathy.
It's putting the other person's pain above our own. It's stepping outside of our comfort zone- to have our hearts broken by someone else's pain. The first step in this process is caring. It is caring about the people who don't know you, who are unable to give anything in return, who need help.
It's being able to see these people are God's children too. That is He loves them dearly. I think of the quote from the movie How to Save a Life- "Sometimes we ask God why He is not doing anything to help those who are hurting- God may be asking us the same question."
So for today my prayer to God is to "break my heart for what breaks Your's" from a song by Starfield. I hope you join me so we can change our focus, our hearts, and others lives.