Always start a blog post with a picture! Love this man!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

How awesome is that? God has a plan for us! But, how hard is it to remember that He has a plan that isn’t our plan? For me it has been hard to give up my plans. I am such a control freak about everything. I read once that if you can’t stand the sound of people chewing their food, it’s a sign of OCD. I think I have OCD because I can’t handle that sound. The struggle for me isn’t in knowing that God will lead me, it’s in giving Him the control. I’m not a patient person at all. I like for things to happen and happen now. I don’t like waiting for anything, be it food at McDonald’s, college acceptance letters, or finding out who my roommate will be. I can't do a puzzle to save my life. I have always been one to just dive right into something because I want to see what will happen next. (Yes, I am the person who will read the last page before she reads the first page to understand what will happen.) So, I’m gradually learning to give it up to God.

I started this week with an amazing boy that talked about taking things slow and I was in search for a roommate for next fall. I thought, “Finally, I’ll have a ‘grown up’ relationship with someone who understands that I have some things to work on and I’ll finally have someone to room with.” Little did I know that God had something completely different in mind for my life. I had started talking to a couple of girls that I met through the USC Class of 2018 Facebook page. They were all great girls, and people I could see being friends with for a long time but God didn’t think that they were right. That’s when one of my older cousins’ friends stepped in. She introduced me to Meg. Meg is awesome!! She is basically me cloned. She is from Shelby, North Carolina and does sports medicine like me. It’s crazy how you can be so much like someone that you have never met before. I am looking forward to starting the next chapter of my life with her. (Sounds like we’re dating, but we’re not!)

With the boy, here I had waited four long years for him to finally recognize me as someone who he could date and be with. I thought things were great but I guess I was wrong. Out of the blue Monday night he decided that he didn't want to talk to me anymore. He completely ignored me and shut me out. Did I expect for it to happen? No. Did he tell me he wouldn't leave? Yes. Did he? Yes. Does is hurt? Yes, it hurt and is still hurting but I know that I need to be more patient and let God’s plan be my plan. I have trust in the Lord that I will eventually meet someone who will treat me like I know that I deserve to be treated. Like the popular saying: you have to kiss a lot of frogs until you find your prince. I have a lot of time left. RIBBIT RIBBIT! 

Will it be hard? YES!! I can’t imagine anything harder! Will God help me and get me through it? YES! That bible verse goes on!

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12

That means that you have to pray to God and find him (even though he is all around) and he will listen you and not lead you into anything bad. If I had given up the first time something didn't go my way, I most certainly would not be the girl I am today. All glory to God! 

Here are some words on patience: 

Modesty: Less isn't Always More

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Timothy 2:9-10

     As I shop for prom dresses today I found how hard it is to be a conservative high-schooler growing up in today's society. So many dresses are just plain inappropriate and something that I would never dare be seen in. I recently watched a video on bikinis. It gave a new perspective. Now I'm not saying that you won't see my in a bikini but what I am saying is that I'm going to think differently about how I want boys to perceive me. In this video it talks about a study that Princeton did on males and how their brains react to seeing a woman in less clothing, such as a bikini. It says that the lobe that takes into account how another person feels and reacts is turned off in males when they see a woman in less clothing. The lady who speaks goes on to say that scientist that researched this were shocked because having that lobe "turned off" was unheard of. 

    I'm not saying that as a teenager I should be sewed up in a mu-mu (?) but that I should have enough love for my body and who I am as a person to cover up. If I can't respect my body enough to cover it up in places where it needs to be covered then how can I expect a boy to respect me and my body. I of all people understand how hard it is to find clothes that cover cleavage and come to the right length on the legs, after all I am 5'9", but that doesn't mean that it's impossible. Audrey Hepburn is a great style icon to look to when determining how to dress. "What would Audrey wear?" 

   

    Modesty isn't about just what you wear, it's also about how you act and how you talk. I'm not saying that everything that I do is morally right and just. Just like I'm not saying that everything that comes out of my mouth should come out. What I am saying is that I should act like my pastor is with me at all times and how would I feel if he found out some of the things I do and say.

   Modesty isn't about making you feel ashamed of your body or who you are. It's about learning who you are and what you like about your body and yourself before you can allow someone else you love you and learn about you.  Don't dress for someone else; dress for you and how you want to be perceived. 

    

     Here are some other dresses I tried on and a picture of my prom date and his family: 

                                                   Can you tell what color I want?