Finding Meaning In His Word! (+ July Goals!!)

Hey everyone! Is it not amazing to see flowers everywhere and be able to run barefoot? I am loving the spring/summer vibe that has found itself a home where I live! Golden hour is beautiful and warm again, and it lasts for a looong time, both in the morning and at night! Looking out the window is an adventure every time!

Its kind of like the way we feel when we’re really working on our relationship with the Lord. We feel uplifted, refreshed, and we want to read the Bible and illustrate verses and sing worship songs all the time! But when it settles into a less exciting routine, we become a little less passionate, a little less committed; and of course, then the dog days set in.

I’m not saying that we should always be on the “mountain-top”! Its wonderful there, and those times are amazing and special, but they don’t always last. The thing that lasts, is the love that is steady and calm and TRUE.

I’ve been challenged by several people recently (including my amazing friend Keziah in this post ♥), that the Word of God is not a part of our day that we need to just get through. We need to treasure it, make it THE most important part of our day! No matter how busy we are, reading the Scriptures and seeking our Father’s voice in His Word is more important than any exam, job op, or get-together. And the love of the Bible and the just being there to spend time with God, is part of what it means to have that long-lasting love, instead of just the wonder of the whirlwind romance.

This is totally not something I am perfect in. I have just been realizing it, little by little. Pursuit of God through His Word, combined with prayer, is our way of connecting with the Creator, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But we all need His strength to hold us up in the spirit, keeping us from our fleshly desires to just laze through church and the motions. Being a passionate believer requires supernatural strength and wisdom, and praise the Father, He is willing to give it in abundance!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

James 1:5-6, ESV

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:29-31, ESV

HIS STRENGTH AND HIS MERCY, EVEN IN OUR YOUTHFUL FAILINGS, IS MORE THAN WE COULD EVER IMAGINE.

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And now, onto the May Favorites …

• coming to value the power of prayer more than ever before
• going out of my comfort zone and talking on the phone with people
• wearing shorts and not being cold! *jaw drop*
• watching The Chosen with brothers!
• babysitting and writing a book with two precious girls
• wondering why my arms hurt, and realizing that lifting heavy flower baskets was what did it!
• singing with thirty youth and young adults, voices lifted high
• commiserating with a fellow exam-taker about our nervousness
• to-do lists that take up a whole page, messy and in different colors and styles of writing, complete with varying levels of legibility.
• my crazy awesome Dad goofing off in the car and making us almost wet our pants laughing in the backseat!
• writing a song with a picture as a prompt
• staying up late, and going to bed early
• a nerve-wracking piano recital and wobbly arms
• wearing white pants at the piano recital, which made me feel like a bit of a rogue because they frequently change color based on the wearer’s care! XD
• a friend not recognizing me at an event because I curled my hair!
• the hilarity of six people eating ice cream at 9:30 at night, sharing three spoons!
• The Word of God – living and active.

And now for the June favorites …

• practicing piano like a maniac!
• hangin’ out with homeschoolers
• fireworks for some extremely belated birthdays!
• GOING TO THE BEACH!!! (Okay, it was a lake, but I liked it!)
• brunch with a couple other families, which turned into a huge unrelated project and games time!
• a girls grad party with a bunch of my sweet friends, that was such a blast!
• putting on my carpenter’s hat and building stands for said party!
• emailing people 🤗
• babysitting and playing goofy games with two-year-olds
• my first voice recital (at which I stood too close to the speaker and the mic didn’t work, but I couldn’t tell! I could see my family in the audience gesturing that they couldn’t hear, and I just kept singing! 😝😭 It went otherwise well, though. 🤣
• fencing with a friend and strategically figuring out how to fit six people on one quad!
• swimming and dying and swimming and half-dying and swimming and not-dying-any-more 😂
• learning that I aced a piano exam (despite shaky arms and the miles between heaven and earth, God worked miracles!)
• finished reading one of my teensy little books I seem to have acquired … and almost completely forgot about the rest. *facepalm*

And now …. JULY GOALS!!

1. Search high and low to find a pumpkin pie recipe for my Dad!
2. Spend four hours each morning on high school work.
3. Lane swim at least twice a week (with my crazy lane partners, aka brother(s)!)
4. Finish reading the prophetic books, Obadiah to Malachi, and read all the “writings” books, except Psalms! (That, my friends, is reserved for August, when I will be the coolest counselor you have ever met! 🤣)
5. Attend Staff camp! WOOOHOOO!!
6. Take my final lifeguarding course! (Hence the swim practice!)
7. Get a tan. (True, I have burnt many times trying for this goal, but we shall see this summer whether new strategies will succeed or not! I just hope this doesn’t affect my outgoing personality … you know what they say, “Once burnt, twice shy.” 😝🤣

HOLD UP! MAKAYLA’S GONNA BE A COUNSELOR?!

Yes! In August I will be away from home in some beautiful gorgeous place where I go to this cool unnamed camp, and I will tell you all the deets and learning lessons when I come back! (As you should have grown to be used to by now! 😂) I am so excited for this opportunity, and so grateful to God for this blessing that He’s given me!

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And that’s it! Tell me, y’all – how do you find passion in reading the Word of God? And relating to goals, what is one of the most exciting things you’re doing this coming month? Do you have any sensational summer plans? Chat with me in the comments!!

Y’all have an amazing day now, you hear?! 🤣

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Seasons – Winter And Spring, Both Of Them Beautiful!

Can you all hardly believe its spring!? I AM SO EXCITED!!! And now that its May, its pretty much a given that the snowfalls are over and the flowers will be coming out soon. What a beautiful and joyful time of year!

I wanted to present some thoughts I had on winter and spring, that I’ve only begun thinking about this year. I hope y’all enjoy my musings!

(Note: none of the quotes or pictures are my own. All credit goes to the original creators. 🙂

I’d like to give y’all a second perspective on springtime, and have a discussion on what it means for us, literally and philosophically. By this, I mean to spark a question in your heads as to why we see spring as the hero to save us from the icy world of winter.

Because, the majority of people see winter as terrible. They see it as the worst part of the year. They don’t try to do better because they feel unmotivated, and they do even worse without motivation! All of a sudden, when the seasons change, people seem to wake up, stretch their sedentary mind-muscles, and commence to enthusiastically perform every task they absolutely refused to do in wintertime.

I’m sad to see people bashing winter (although I’m certainly not always it’s passionate defender!) I have lived just under half my life under the lock and key of winter’s grasp, and I have had such a beautiful life, made beautiful not only by the weather and the warmth, but because of the opportunities and people that God has put in my life.

Yes, spring gives me hope for a fresh start (and I will certainly be feeling more productive and ready to tackle my tasks!) But I have no excuse to keep from doing what I know I should do simply because I’m not in a “spring mood” yet. The way I feel isn’t a good excuse to be unproductive, and neither is a lingering winter. I am completely responsible for myself, and my actions do not hinge on the whether the weather outside is frightful or delightful. What’s inside me is what ought to drive me.

Winter is cold. Winter can be unfriendly. Winter is hard. But hard times makes us stronger.

Let’s not decry the winter and its winds. Let’s not dismiss our spiritual and motivational winters as “a stage” to escape as soon as possible. Let’s accept the inevitable as “seasons”; something to savor and enjoy, even if its hard; to learn from and do the best we can, even while we’re in it. I admit I dislike those hard times as much as the next person, but I’ve been finding strength in seeing my failings as seasons of growth. Someday, the spring will arrive in the midst of the winter of my soul.

I want to draw this all to a close with a recapitulation of the main things I really wanted to say.

1. You do it. Not the weather having a miraculous effect on you, or the temperature rising by degrees – its you. Don’t let your motivation die with the grass. Your motivation needs to come from inside you. “What do I really want out of life?” “Why do I do ____?” “What’s the most important thing I could do today?” Ask yourself questions to stimulate the conversation in your head, and find out where your motivation is really coming from.
2. The enemy is not winter; its the way we perceive winter. I love the allegory of a wintry, hard season of life making us stronger in spite of its bite. Please don’t feel lost or disillusioned in the winter. Live in the winter of your life. Enjoy the life you’ve been given. Take time to enjoy and savor slowly, even the hard things. Don’t be afraid. If the season you’re in is currently winter, don’t worry; the spring will come. Even if you’re in despair, wondering why in the world you keep making so many mistakes or why so many disappointments and hurts are coming your way, I pray that you would find hope in knowing that it is not forever. There is a reason for every season, and I truly believe peace can be found in seeking God.

Bloom, my friends! Have you ever seen crocuses poking up through the snow? I once saw those beautiful purple flowers in person. They bloom early, unafraid of the lingering chill in the air. Don’t wait til the winter is over to bloom with what drives you inside. And please enjoy the gifts God has given you even if you have a little snow and ice on the way!

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What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Have you thought about these ideas before? What’s your favorite quote pic? Isn’t winter just as meaningful as spring? Comment below #fellowseasonlover if you agree! 😉

Have a lovely day, everyone! Thank God for the winter we had, then get out and enjoy that spring! 🤗🤣

Spring and Summer Bucket List!

Heya everyone! Are y’all ready for spring? I AMM!!! (Not to mention summer … *barely restrains myself from screaming* Okay, I’m settling down, don’t worry … XD

The first time I saw a blogger’s bucket list was Ainsley Beth’s Summer Bucket List, which totally inspired me to start one! I am so excited to finally be posting this, hopefully y’all can draw some inspiration from this and I can refer back to it to see how much I actually got done!

• go backpacking in the mountains
• go hiking several times
• practice and play volleyball with friends
• picnic at the beach
• host a party and invite all my friends that I never see XD
• go camping with my girlfriends
• sort out old toys
• wear zero make-up (sunscreen? It’s optional!)
• apply for an internship
• take a night walk through a city
• legit just sit down and watch a sunrise .. and a sunset!
• don’t be afraid to talk to people … introduce myself in a friendly and confident manner, and ask them about themselves.
• go horseback riding
• learn to dance *covers face*
• build a night bonfire on the beach
• sit on swings and talk with friends
• take a kayak trip
• get to Lesson 100, Grade 11
• write rock, country, pop, and worship songs (2 each, all with a unique melody) and six non-lyrical tunes
• organize my blogging a bit more, divided into my three blogs
• read allllll my electrics books (I think there’s about … 30?)
• go on a solo hike
• bake something I never have before (like a lemon meringue pie …)
• go berry picking
• do fireworks … just because!

Here on, my bucket list consists of some things that are snitched from Megan’s 50 Things To Do This Spring! 😜 Go check it out, its an amazing post! 🤗

• Walk first thing in the morning
• Make smoothies
• Go to a farmers market (yesyesyes!!)
• Braid my hair with flowers in it (I have never done this, but now that Megan’s inspired me to, I’m going to have to try it! XD)
• Do a field photoshoot

Well, that’s it for now! (Maybe I’ll come back and add more later, haha! I hope you all have an amazing spring, and an amazing summer, and an amazing day, and an amazing week … and an amazing life! Just be amazing, okay? XD

Motivation To Help You Stay Strong Through The Rest Of The School Year!

“Hail, the end of the school year! All salute!!”

I am so excited for spring and summer! As the snow melts into the ground, I am inwardly bouncing around just thinking about wind in the trees, sun on my back … yep, this is the good life!

One thing is a little difficult … coming back to earth to think about school, and finishing up the grade! Most of us are going to take a summer break, and for those of us who are, it can seem like that break is sure a long time in coming! But there are a few things that we young people can keep in mind when eagerly anticipating the end of the school year.

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It’s not just about finishing up school. There is a lot more to it than that. Just think about it … why are pretty much all of us are getting a little demotivated with school or feeling overwhelmed with the amount of end-term work we have?

Because the issue is not only external – what we are struggling with is PERSEVERANCE.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”

Hebrews 12:1

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Romans 5:3-4

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

James 1:2-4

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

2 Peter 1:5-7

So, although you might have thought that this whole motivation thing was only about school, it’s not. Its also about perseverance – finishing what we’ve started – running the race set before us – building character – and “faithing it” throughout life.

So, let’s have perseverance.

Let’s remember to live FULLY.

We’ve committed to this school year – let’s finish it strong!

Our parents are counting on us – let’s make them proud!

Some of us are graduating this year – make this a month that YOU are proud of!

And most of all, let’s make God proud!! Let’s show Him how grateful we are for the blessing of education, by making the most of every moment we have (even if it is a difficult subject or topic!) Let’s not drag simply because our stagnant natures want to slack. Let’s motivate ourselves! We can do this!

And finally, as one of my friends says …

“You can do it! You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!” (By the way, you CAN! 😉)

(Disclaimer: None of these pictures are mine. All credit to creators and owners.😊)

I hope these quotes and my words inspired you to keep going strong throughout the next month or two of school! What are all of y’all doing for summer break?