I hear people say all the time that they need to clean up their lives before accepting Christ, or that they’re afraid that once they follow Him, they won’t be able to keep doing the things they do now.

I started teaching a little over a month ago in a public school, one that many people in the county would label as “bad.” But it’s also the school I grew up in, so in a way, it feels like coming home. Still, seeing it from a teacher’s perspective instead of a student’s has been completely different.

In the past, I hated Valentine’s Day. All it did was remind me how alone I felt, no flowers, no date, just couples shoving their lovey-dovey stuff in my face. Yeah… not fun.

It’s a New Year! That’s exciting, right? Maybe you’re hoping to learn a new hobby, start working out more, or eat less junk food (I’m really trying, too). Either way, most of us have things we’re looking forward to this year. Or maybe… you’re a little nervous.

 I get anxious sometimes—like the weight of the world is pressing down on me, and there’s no way to stop my mind from spiraling with all the darkness I see around me. Honestly, these past few weeks would make anyone feel that way.

 School starts back in a few weeks, and my little sister is heading off to college. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous. I think about walking on campus almost every day—about the games, the friends, and those late-night Cookout runs. I miss it. I miss all of it. But lately, that ache has hit a little harder. That chapter of my life is over, and now I’m in a new one—adult life. With a job. And responsibility.

 Life has felt a little different since I graduated. Not bad—just different. I don’t see my friends every day like I used to, and the days feel slower. Learning this “new normal” hasn’t been easy. All the things that were once part of my daily rhythm are no longer there, and that shift can leave you feeling unsure, like you don’t quite know what’s next.

In the world today society likes to tell us females that we shouldn’t want to be feminine, that being feminine means we’re weak, inferior, or less than our male counterparts. Well, the bible shows us that being feminine is beautiful, it doesn’t make us weak. If anything, it makes us strong. I mean as women we have to deal with intense pains once a month, and the only way to get out of it is to give birth to a whole human, so yeah, I’d say we’re pretty strong. 

My Monday morning started as any would. I woke up, ate and then I headed to the library to get some work done before I went to class. What I didn’t know was that I would be in that library for over three hours.

To my Grandpa:

I’ve been trying to write something for the past month, but nothing has felt right. And then these past few weeks tragedy struck my hometown. Three young people I knew from my community passed away. Two of them I was close with growing up. Initially, I wanted to write about how God can give you peace in any situation, or that when something tragic like this happens you need to stay close to God, so you don’t become numb. But as I was sitting there thinking about these things, I knew that If I told you these things then I would have to live up to them, and I’m not quite sure I can. While I am at peace now, I wasn’t, and who knows If I will be when something else in my life happens. That’s the same thing as feeling numb. Right now, I’m letting my emotions free and I’m talking to God about how I’m feeling, but again who knows if I'll do this later down the road. So, while these experiences may have not taught me those things, God used them to teach me something else.  

In this piece I did something a little different. I didn't share a part of my story, but a story of a girl whose faith is impacting so many lives. Take a moment to read about her story, it's truly moving. 1 Corinthians 2:5