Thanksgiving

i hope everyone enjoyed this Thanksgiving, spending lots of time with those you love! This year i have A LOT to be thankful for! i have come such a long way and have made a life for myself that i actually love living. The people i have met and friends i have made over the past two years have been such blessings. It really is a shame that this is one of the few days of the year that i really express how thankful i am for everyone, but i hope that this post makes up for that!

1. Above all else, i am Thankful for Jesus Christ, without whom i would be in a much darker place and would not be the person i am today. He is my savior.

2. Steen(yes, i have a friend who goes by Steen...) i love you so much. You have been like a sister to me, and so much more. i really have no way to describe how thankful i am for you. You are amazing, I love seeing Christ work through you and pray that some day i may be able to do the same. Thank you for always being there, and for helping me through these past years. You are such a blessing, and i am sorry that there are no words to really express how much i mean that.

3. Claire- you too, are like a sister. i know sometimes i give you a lot of crap, but just remember that it is because i love you and want what is best for you. i can't wait to see the wonderful woman you become. regardless of what you decide to do after high school, you will succeed. you are the little sister i never had. it will be hard going to school without you, but i suppose it had to happen sooner or later. just be smart, keep your head up, and never stop smiling.

4. My brothers and sisters- no, we dont get along too often. no, we arent as close as i feel like we should be. and no, we aren't all the same. but i love you all. You guys have helped make me the person i am today. if it weren't for you guys, i very well might go insane in this house. i'm sorry that i'm sometimes a brat, but hopefully after i go to college and become an adult, i might start acting like one :)

5. Dad.  i love you with all my heart. You are my number one fan, on and off the field. thank you for supporting me in everything i want to do. i can't wait to make you proud in college soccer, and i can't wait for you to see me play again. i'm going to miss you next year, but i'm sure you will check in on me enough, it will feel like i never left :)

With out the good Lord, i would not be where i am today. i would not be writing a blog, attempting to inspire complete strangers. am i wasting my time? maybe. Do i mind? not at all. Glorifying God is something to be done at all times, not just when people are watching. honestly, i have NO IDEA how many people really read this. but i am a firm believer in quality over quantity. so whether it is 1 person, or 100, i hope i have inspired you to take a minute or two, and think about what you are thankful for. Then when you are done, thank God. He is the reason i do this, and deserves all the glory in the world. Happy Thanksgiving, and God Bless.

one simple comment

this week in my english class, i was given a compliment that would make me feel better about myself than i have in a long time. while we were "working" in small groups, my group got to talking about college. we all said what we wanted to do with our lives and talked about what college we wanted to go to. i began talking about how i want to major in history and minor in youth ministry. i told them how i didn't know if i wanted to teach or search for a job in a museum or work as an archivist. i then also told them how i was hesitant to search for a job as an archivist because i felt it would take me away from where i live now, which is also where i would like to live, as well as become a Young Life leader, after college. just talking about it made me stressed. then, one of the girls in my group looked at me with a smile and said "Lilly, i have a feeling that no matter what you do with your life, your going to be great at it"

wow...did i really just hear that? did someone just say that to me? i'm still shocked. i am the type of person who does not always see themselves the way others see me. i tend to shy away from compliments and have never been fully confident in myself, whether in be intellectually or physically. but to hear something like that, face to face, it means a lot. it makes me smile just thinking about it.

if there is anything that senior year has taught me thus far, its that i am going to be okay. no matter what i do with my life, i am going to glorify God and live for him. i'm not going to lie, im nervous about leaving my home to go to a school that is completely foreign to me. But i trust in the Lord and his path for me. although my lack of confidence still hinders, i know that He gives me strength and will be by my side.

Life As A Teen

Well it's my senior year now, and i was not at all prepared for what i was up against. Senior year is supposed to be fun and care free, because lets be honest, we're practically already in college ;) But i have found that these expectations of senior year are far from the truth. Between reseach papers and social life (or lack of), senior year has been quite the curve ball. My mother and i recently got in an argument about my stress level. According to her i really have no reason to be stressed, i have easy classes and peer pressure apparently isn't hard for me because i am a Christian. That, my friends, is false. At my school, it realy doesnt matter what classes you take, because every senior has to complete an outrageous research paper, and its no easy task. 10 source cards, then 100 note cards on infornation gathered from those sources..it sucks. But i would rather do 50 of these research projects than deal with the pressure to drink and party. Regarless of who you are, christian or not, the pressure to go out and party is so strong. as someone who has lived the party life style, i can say that it is something that, at times, sounds so appealing. its hard being a teenager at times like these. either you go out and drink, and know that you are not living the life you were mant to live, or you dont and get ridiculed by other teens for not being fun. Being a Christian does not fix all my problems, but i now know that i have the strength to over come the problems put in front of me.

Adults, dont underestimate the amount of stress high schoolers go through. just because we dont have to deal with your crappy boss or annoying co-worker doesnt mean we walk through out days without a problem. High school is tough, and it takes a lot to stand up to all the pressure presented to us.

Teens, you arent the only one dealing with these pressures. i understand how hard it is. But i promise you that the strugges you go though now will make you stonger than ever. you truly can do anything through Christ who strengthens you.