Strong is the new skinny

Urban Outfitters designed a t-shirt that says "Eat Less" on the front. 

Where do I begin? I suppose I'll start by not throwing my computer across the room out of frustration.

Contrary to popular belief, the word "less" does not actually mean "better." I know what you're thinking, I also thought  "hmmmm, maybe Urban Outfitters confused the two when they designed this abomination of a t-shirt? Maybe they meant to say 'Eat Better.'" No my friends, they knew exactly what they were doing.

Our world is obsessed with looking good in every sense of the word. Hair, makeup, clothes, shoes, butt, skin, jewelry, nails, toenails, eyebrows, upper lip, calves, abs, biceps, chest...shall I keep going? OBSESSED. But why? Because we are constantly trying to live up to the ridiculous expectations that we have created for ourselves as consumers. This post could go on for ages, but I'm primarily focusing on the issue of body image.

Why does Urban Outfitters want to encourage us eat less? Because skinny looks better in clothes. Right? While there is an ounce of truth to that, there is also a big fat lie underneath it. The lie is that eating less is the solution. The solution is eating BETTER and taking care of our bodies. This doesn't just happen by changing how we eat. It's a fantastic start though. Statistics show that 90-95% of people who go on a diet eventually gain that weight back or more. It's because diets don't work. Living an active lifestyle, eating well, and going outside and getting fresh air is what works. Once we channel the mentality of "I work out to look good" to "I work out to take care of my body," we will feel better as a whole and in exchange, see physical improvements. But until we think of being healthy as taking care of our bodies instead of looking good, we will NEVER be content with our appearance. There will always be someone skinnier, stronger, prettier, and have better abs than you. Enjoy your unique body shape that God has so graciously given you, and treat it like the temple it is.

Strong is the new skinny! Get outside and run, take a hot yoga class, sign up for Crossfit, do Pilates with a friend, take a hike, do 20 jumping jacks, the options are literally endless. If you don't take care of yourself today, what makes you think you'll do it tomorrow, a year from now, or even better, when you're old? God gave us one body and we neglect it. Neglecting our bodies comes in many forms: not allowing your body to rest, starving yourself, overindulging yourself, sitting inside all day, etc. Don't turn your back on your body. That's just plain mean.

My mindset used to be focused on working out to look better. I am so blessed to say that that gross mindset is long gone. I run to be faster, I lift to be stronger, I sweat to feel powerful. When I go into a hard workout, I think "I can't wait to be stronger from this," not "my thighs better not touch after this..." GET THAT OUT OF HERE. Yeah, I've got thighs that touch. They're super strong. Yeah, I've got guns that could potentially be mistaken for a set of men's arms. I love having a set of guns that I'm proud of.

Whatever kind of body God gave you, take care of it, treasure it, lift heavy stuff with it, stretch it, and OWN it. Everyone was born with bones. Not everyone was born with muscles that can do crazy cool things.

I used to love Urban Outfitters and dream of having a job at their corporate office. But I'm joining Sophia Bush in boycotting 'em. I just can't get behind a company that encourages eating disorders. 

Muscles > bones

Stay healthy, my friends.

Running the Race

A few weeks ago, I ran my second half marathon. My whole life, running has always been the hardest, most unnatural thing for me to do; so I decided to tackle it and train for a half marathon. Months of training boiled down to this one morning. The air was a crisp 45 degrees and I was ready to get this dang race over with so that I could give running a break for a while. *BANG* we were off. I intentionally decided not to bring my headphones so that I would not rely on my upbeat music to keep me going; I would rely on the Lord. And let me say this, I had no choice but to rely on Him. The entire race was an ongoing prayer. When I was feeling good, I was talking to the Lord. When I was going up a gnarly hill, I was talking to the Lord. When I hit the dreaded 9-mile slump, I was talking to the Lord. I had to ask Him repeatedly to not let me stop and walk. By mile 11, I began to black out and feel dizzy. He kept me going. The best part of all of it was sprinting to the finish line and being able to say that God was who carried me through - not me.

Why am I writing about this race? We are all in the middle of the race of life. Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Jew, Buddhist, Agnostic, etc., you are participating in this race. One of the most humbling experiences for me was when I realized that God wasn't letting go of me, even when mile 11 rolled around and I wanted Him to let go and let me walk, He didn't. He had a tight grip on me. To some of you, this might sound extreme and you're probably wanting me to give my body and myself credit for all the training that I did to get to that moment. But let me say this: God didn't have to breathe life into me. God didn't have to give me full functioning legs. God didn't have to give me a healthy heart that allows for cardiovascular activity. God didn't have to do ANY of those things, but He did. So yeah, I think it's insanely fair to give Him all the credit.

This kind of training applies to all areas of our lives. Who do you turn to when you just begin a relationship with someone? Who do you turn to when y'all get in a fight? Who do you turn to when the relationship is over and you feel more pain than you ever wanted to? Who do you turn to when you desperately want this job that you have an interview for? Who do you turn to when you get the job? Who do you turn to when you lose someone you're extremely close to?
Do you see what I'm getting at? Or should I ask it again...WHO DO YOU TURN TO?

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done...For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:6,13

In the middle of this race, our almighty, all powerful Heavenly Father is the most important water station we can stop at. He provides us more hydration throughout the race than anything else this world could ever offer. God may place things in our lives to help us throughout the race. At mile 9, my dad walked up to the course to cheer me on and then he began running with me. He saw how much I was struggling and jogging with me for the little bit that he did encouraged me more than he knows. But did I worship my dad after he stopped and let me keep running? No. I worshiped my heavenly Father for graciously giving me an earthly father who loves and cares for me the way a father should. That's community, y'all. God gives us community in the midst of the race to provide encouragement.

I can't imagine not having the Lord by my side in everything I do and I can't help but want everyone in my life to have the same gift. I GET to give everything over to Christ. My burdens, my victories, my sore legs, my heavy breathing, ALL OF IT. And He is there, every single time, without fail, to pick me up and run with me.

"All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training to do what it should." -1 Corinthians 9:25-27

"Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."  -Philippians 3:13-14

I can't wait to get to the finish line of this life and be able to spend eternity with Him. I imagine it to be somewhat like finishing my half marathon. I got to the end glad it was over, excited to be able to rest, eat a lot of good food, and spend time with my mom and dad. NOW MULTIPLY THAT BY A MILLION AND THAT'S HOW GOOD HEAVEN IS GONNA FEEL. It's hard to fathom something that great, but I delight in giving my burdens over to Christ in the mean time. Lord knows I don't want to do this race on my own! I praise God every day that I don't have to.

Blessings,

Athlete for Christ

How small is our God?

Often times, we talk about how BIG our God is, right? It's because He is. He's so big that we can't even fathom His BIGness. Our Heavenly Father is kind of a big deal. Look at the Old Testament for two seconds and you'll see how utterly big He is.

There were a lot of "big's" in that first paragraph. You should actually count the amount of times I used the word "big." It's a big number. I overdid it to show how natural it is for us to refer to God that way. It's what He is. But while our God is big, our God is also small. "That's not right," you may be saying as you're reading this. It seems weird to put it that way, I know...so let me unpack this a little bit.

Have you ever had the feeling that God is mainly concerned with the major details of this world and not concerned with the minor details of your life? If we're being honest, I have had this feeling more times than I should. But it's the truth! Let's paint a quick picture. We see God as an almighty, all powerful, BIG God who is making sure things at the anthill stay intact while we little, insignificant ants go about our lives, simply trying to get the next bread crumb to make it through the day. God doesn't care about the details of our lives, right? WRONG. He cares about the small details of our lives more than we give Him credit for. 

While in Greece, we spent more time in prayer in those 10 days than I think I have ever spent in my whole life. Kidding, but kind of not kidding at all. There were days that we would spend 5 or 6 hours solely in prayer. Something I realized in the midst of all of the praying was that God was listening. He was intently listening to every detail of every prayer. Wanna know how I know He was listening? Because He responded. I won't go into too much detail because there were an insane amount of stories I'd love to share, but that may be best over a cup of coffee. One example of how He listened: I woke up one morning in Athens with the strong desire to meet a girl my age who spoke English. We had been meeting all kinds of incredible people but the majority of them were men who were not skilled in English. So I asked God to bring me just that. What did He do? He introduced me to an awesome girl who is EXACTLY my age, speaks great English, and we happened to instantly get along as if we knew each other for years. Why was that important? Not sure. But God listened. And by His faithfulness, He answered. I'm still praying for that girl every day, hoping that she will know the Lord and have the same joy and peace I have. Will I be able to see that happen, God willing it does? Probably not. And that's okay. It's not our job to see how God uses the seeds we scatter (Matthew 13:3-9) - we are just here to plant them. Everything else is His will. 

Every morning since I've been back from Greece, I've asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to talk about Him. Wanna know how much He's answered that prayer? Every. Single. Time. I also pray for things as insignificant as getting the window seat on the plane because all the assigned seats were changed. Dumb? Maybe. But I was weary and needed rest so sleeping against a window seat sounded glorious. And yes, He did give me a window seat that day.

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." -Matthew 21: 21-22

"And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for." -1 John 5:14-15

"Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us." -Ephesians 2:18

To be clear, God is sovereign; whatever He says, goes. There will be times that He says no to us. But our Heavenly Father says no to us in the same way that a father tells his 2-year-old child not to touch the hot stove. Dad knows what's best for His children. After all, He did knit us in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13). But as powerful and mighty as our God is, He is a gentle, gracious, and loving God. He just wants to hear from you. 

Challenge: Ask God for something small and specific today. But before you do that, check your heart; you have to make sure your heart is asking Him out of pure faith. Once you realize that your heart is in the right condition, ASK AWAY. He is a detail-oriented God who loves you and the little things in your life more than you could ever imagine.

Blessings,

Katie

Turn In Your "Cool Card" And Do Not Collect $200.

This past weekend, I met a guy who was very polite, good-looking, and well-dressed. We began to chat and have a great conversation. He complimented my style, cool haircut, and then began asking about my tattoos. As he made his way to the one on my hand, I very honestly told him that it symbolized God's eternal love for me and it was like a second baptism. I know you're thinking that he probably jumped up and down with excitement saying "OH MY GOSH I LOVE THE LORD TOO," but that's not what happened, my friends. As it never happens that way. Telling people about your love for the Lord within seconds of meeting them often gets a very uncomfortable and stiff response; especially when it's a guy hitting on you. He responded (I kid you not), "Damn, you would be way hotter if you weren't such a big Christian." Instead of being offended, I continued conversation with him, praying that God would use me as some kind of a seed. Who knows, maybe God planted some little seed in his mind that day. Let's just say he didn't beg to take me on a date after that. 

I have been constantly reminded lately that being a believer means that I will never be "cool" ever again. And that kind of really excites me. Like, a lot.

If you think about it, God never promises us in scripture that we will become well-liked, popular, or cool when we decide to take up the Cross. In fact, scripture tells us the complete opposite. 

"But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering."  Romans 8:17

"Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus."  Acts 5:40-41

"For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him. We are in this struggle together."  Philippians 1:29-30

Wait, is it just me or did they accidentally use the word "suffer" instead of the words "be cool"? Wrong-o. It's definitely meant to be "suffer." GUYS. This is crazy! Every time I look at scripture, I realize how we will never be the popular kids at the cool table at lunch ever again. We will get laughed at, scoffed at, and probably have all kinds of mashed potatoes thrown at our faces. 

But guess what...we GET to do that for Jesus and His Kingdom!

How cool is it that we get to partake in suffering with the King of all the universe?? I don't know about you, but that's a total game changer for me. I get tickled when people are so surprised when a guy like Tim Tebow is ridiculed for proclaiming the name of Jesus. It's going to happen, y'all. If anything, get excited that someone like that is getting negative attention from the press, hate clubs, etc. It means that he is boldly and fearlessly sacrificing his "cool card" for the bigger and better picture; eternal joy and life through our Lord and Savior.

It's easy for some people to say (including fellow Christians) that you are being too "radical" in your love for the Lord. Welp, that just means that you're doing something right because there is NO SUCH THING as loving our Heavenly Father too much. No. Such. Thing. Yeah, it may make you a little weird, less attractive, or lame to some people. I want to sugarcoat that for you, but there is no possible way to make it sound any better. Sorry?

The good news is that we get to run to His arms at the end of it all and spend the rest of eternity with our Heavenly Father who loves us more than we could ever imagine. I cannot WAIT for that day to come.

Keep Loving God Weird.

You get it? Kinda like "Keep Austin Weird"? I'm gonna make t-shirts out of that. Kidding. No one would buy them. If you still don't get why people wouldn't buy them, please reread the entire post. 

In Him,

Katie D.

Jesus & Tattoos

Weird title, I know. Lemme explain. I have been realizing so much lately how so many people comment on and ask questions about my tattoos on a daily basis. It's something I'm so used to that it doesn't even phase me anymore; especially not in a tattooed-town like Austin. But even in a "do-whatever-you-want" kind of city like Austin, there are still many people who aren't all that into em.

In case you didn't know, I have 4 tattoos. I love them dearly and they each have a very significant meaning (I will go into all of that later). BUT not everyone is a huge fan of this kind of art. It's not a huge deal in our generation. It's almost become something that you do when you turn 18; you go get a tat. But it is a big deal in the generation that we all know as the Baby Boomer generation. Ya know, our parents and stuff. Especially those conservative, West Texas Baby Boomers. If you're from west Texas, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Coming home with a pea-sized tattoo can break a mother's heart. Tattoos are looked down on by anyone over the age of 50. Pretty simple. Just like anything else, there are always exceptions; but for the most part, the Baby Boomer generation has a completely different opinion on getting inked up. It is something that our generations will just have to agree to disagree on. 

Now, here's where it gets messy. 

Two of the four of my tattoos that I have are on my wrist/hand. Meaning, they are mega visible. And I like them that way. However, it does mean that they are going to be visible to people who aren't very keen on ink. I'm not a heathen because I have tattoos, duh. But to some people, it comes off that way. AND I'M NOT EVEN COVERED IN TATTOOS. Imagine how people who are covered in tattoos feel walking into a church - I tell you right now, most churches may not give them the kind of welcome they deserve. 

Hear me when I say this: JESUS. LOVES. EVERYONE*.

*including people with tattoos.

So many Christians miss this. We get way too wrapped up in earthly things that we forget that we are called to love like He loved; even if they don't necessarily look like you. One of the hundreds of things that I love about my church is how welcoming it is of anyone. For goodness sakes, our worship leader has his arms downright covered in tattoos. He loves the Lord with all his heart and no one would ever question that for a second. People of all colors, shapes, and sizes come to worship at my church and it makes my heart so happy. On the other hand, it breaks my heart to hear someone feel unloved and unwelcome walking into a church because of their tattoos, hair, piercings, clothing, etc. It is completely against what we (supposedly) stand for as a body of Christ. AM I RIGHT?

"My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?" - James 2:1

Having said all of that, I'm stoked to explain to y'all how Jesus has played a part in every tattoo of mine.

1. The first one is a tattoo that I got when I was 17. Yes, I got it illegally, if that's what you're thinking. I was rebellious, had a little graduation money left over, and I was about to enter my first year of college. So what did I do? I snagged a friends ID and took it to the nearest ink shop and had them slap a tattoo on my wrist. It is a Maori (New Zealand) symbol called a double Koru - it stands for new beginnings, growth, and harmony. I have never regretted this tattoo, but I have always wish I would have handled it differently. I did it in a very disrespectful manner towards my parents and went against their will; I deeply hurt them and it breaks my heart to have done it in such a spiteful way.

2. My second tattoo is the set of music notes in my ear; yes, IN my ear. And no, it did not hurt. God gave me a crazy love for music ever since I came out of the womb. It's always been a huge passion of mine, and I wanted to 'physically' always have music in my ears.

3. On to the third one. This tattoo is a dove inspired by the Koru, which is the first tattoo I got. Beneath the dove reads "Matatoa" - which means "fearless" in Maori. P.S. All of my Maori inspired tattoos come from my dad's side of the family, whom are all Kiwi's (New Zealander's).

4. And finally, my last tattoo is the one that I got right before I moved to Austin. It was the first time that I had been prayerful about getting ink. All of the others were selfish. I mean, they looked good and had cool meanings, but I never got them FOR God. Who does that anyway? Welp. I did. And so do a lot of people. This last tattoo reads "Mo ake tonu" - which means "forever, forever, and a day" in Maori. Through all of my struggles, anger, tears, and heartache, God loved me no matter what. And He will love me for forever, forever, AND a day. Talk about some crazy love!!! 

All this ink is a crazy representation of my walk with God. The first one means new beginnings and growth and it was in a season that I was drinking every day and found fulfillment in earthly things; I was starting my new journey without God, but God was definitely there whether I liked it or not. The tattoo of the dove that means fearless came at a time that I quit drinking and began working at Buckle and set out to prove to my friends, parents, and the world that I was going to be something important. The last tattoo brought it ALL together! Through the rough journey through the desert, God kept on loving me - and that's something to celebrate! My last tattoo was kind of like a second baptism to me. I wanted to proclaim to the world that I am God's and He is mine. I was sold on Him and His love and I wanted people to see it! And I fully believe that God looks at me, tattoos and all, and sees me as His beautiful, prized daughter.

Hear me when I say that being disrespectful through tattoos is not okay. Like, at all. It can cause a ton of pain to people you love if you're not careful. While I didn't handle some of my "inking" in the best way, God used it for good; just like He does in every single situation. So next time you run into someone with tattoo(s), ask them about it. You never know what they mean to someone. They may love the Lord just as much as you do.

Blessings y'all,

Katie

Keep the main thing the main thing.

'Sup guys! 

If you don't know, South by Southwest (SXSW) was last week. If you aren't familiar with SXSW, it is a massive music, film, and interactive festival that takes place over two weeks. It's the biggest festival in the world of it's kind and it's hosted in the heart of the city I live in and love so dearly, Austin, Texas. As you can imagine, I was so ridiculously excited to experience SX this year. It was my first year to attend the festival, and I have been looking forward to it since the day I moved to Austin. And let me tell you, it was everything I'd hoped it would be and more! I saw some incredible shows and attended some awesome events for 8 days straight - I barely had time to blink, much less sleep. But as incredible as SX was, it definitely had it's flaws (hard to believe, right?!). Ready, set, time to unpack what I'm getting at.


So here's the deal. I had an incredible, off-the-chain, amazing, never-want-it-to-end week at SX. Are you ready for this?
BUT...(that's a huge but, am I right?)
I put God on the back burner all week. I put concerts, events, and parties in front of spending time with Him. Talk about a dumb thing to do! But I did. And by the end of the last night of the festival, I felt a huge sense of emptiness - I just wanted to go back to my normal life so that I could spend time with Him!! I MISSED my heavenly Dad. And I missed Him so much that I was happy that SX was over. I never thought I'd say those words because it was such an incredible time, but no matter how awesome it was, it will NEVER compare to the closeness and intimacy of walking, day-to-day with the Lord. 

Can I get an AMEN?

But for real. During that week, I began to think and act and see things differently than I would have any other time. Why? It's because I told God that SXSW was more important than Him. It stinks to say it - I think we all know that there is nothing about that that makes me sound like a "good" Christian. But it's the truth. Whether it was an accident or not, it's the downright truth. A truth that I absolutely hate to admit - it makes my heart mega sad to think that that's the case. But like any of my other blog posts, I refuse to sugar coat anything. Besides...somebody's gotta hold me accountable, right? It might as well be on display for all the world to hold me accountable!

Don't we all have these moments or things in our lives that seem to consume so much of our time and energy sometimes? And they are typically things that God has given us desires for. For example, I LOVE music, it's a God-given desire. However, it turns into an idol within seconds, just like the music festival part of SXSW did. See what I mean? Within a second, we consciously choose to pick something or someone over God. We know it's wrong!! But it stilllllll happens.

Paul says it perfectly -

"The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." -Romans 7:15

 We are human beings, dadgummit. We are going to struggle with sin. But the difference is when you continually choose to envelop yourself in it as opposed to fight against it. I did for a week straight - and while it was unbelievably fun, it was also unbelievably UNfulfilling in more ways than I can even count.
Wanna know what is more fulfilling than anything this world could ever provide? JESUS.

"Now we live with great expectation, and we have a PRICELESS inheritance -- an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay." -1 Peter: 3-4

That right there is the kind of inheritance and fulfillment I want. None of the stuff that feels kinda good at the time. That gets old real quick. But God's word and His eternal love and grace? Count me in. THAT'S what I want to be a part of. 

I thank God every day for His crazy amount of grace - Lord knows I don't deserve it! But that's what makes our God so incredibly good and so worthy of our praise. So good that I sometimes just start crying because I'm in awe and can't help but take in how good He is (God gave me a LOT of tears. Whatever.)

 "We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty wonders." -Psalm 78:4

The one thing I know, is to 

keep the main thing the MAIN THING.

Blessings,

Katie

Life is like a box of chocolates, but way cooler.

Howdy everybody!

This past week or so has been filled with a tummy full of butterflies, uncontrollable giggling, and a whole lot of blushing and speechlessness. You wanna know who is causing this ridiculous behavior in me? Hint: it's a boy. Alright, alright, I'll tell you...His name is Jesus! So, maybe that's not the answer that would typically come after all that giddy girly talk - but it's the downright truth.

Last week I read the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. For those who haven't read it, it is a book about the woman's heart and how God designed it. There is a very crucial part in the book that can apply to EVERY woman's life (single, in a relationship, married, etc.). It is about how God romances us (and yes, I did mean to use the word "romance"). Before you freak out, keep reading. 

God created us...which means He created our hearts...which means He knows our deepest desires and longings...which means He is the only one who will ever know how to fully fulfill them.

Didja get all of that? Have you ever had a favorite song? Favorite time of the year? Favorite place in nature? Are you a beach or mountain person? Sunrise or sunset person? If you have anything like this in your life, know that that love and desire for those things is God-given. God specifically placed those things in your heart. God wants a relationship with us so badly - so what does He do? He pursues us with flowers, teddy bears, boxes of chocolate and candlelit dinners. But wait a second...He's never given me those things! YES HE HAS! Let me explain. God brought me the most rich box of chocolates money could by this past week. Not only did He do it once, but He did it for me 3 times - talk about feeling spoiled!! But, it was not in the way you think. The thing is, God knows how much I'm obsessed with the sky: sunrises, sunsets (especially), clouds, rays of sun, the whole shebang. Take a wild guess as to what He does...

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens." - James 1:17

 "Come close to God, and God will come close to you." - James 4:8

Your time is up! Here it is: for whatever reason, God REALLY spoiled me last week with 3 incredible, breath-taking sunsets and sunrises. Did it bring me to tears every single time? Yep. Am I embarrassed about it? No way Jose! God gave me those beautiful moments to tell me that I'M beautiful and that He loves me. A sunset without the Lord is just a sunset. But a sunset with the Lord is an intentional, personal, and beautiful thing. It's been a rough week, and He knew that. How would that not make me feel like the most special, loved, pretty, and appreciated girl??

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you." - Song of Songs 4:7

Ladies (and dudes), those moments that your heart wells up with joy when you hear your favorite song, see a patch of wildflowers on the side of the road, or your favorite city's skyline at night, are moments that God is handcrafting and personally giving you. Those moments are a fresh bouquet of roses or a big ole' teddy bear, and it's JUST BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU. He longs for your heart - He longs to see you smile - He longs for you to feel special. Think about a man who has fallen so deeply in love with the woman of his dreams; he'll do anything to make her feel loved. Same thing with God - but to a degree that we will never be able to comprehend. God wants to live life with you and enjoy the joys of life with you. Pretty neat, right?!

"That longing in the heart of a woman to share life together as a great adventure - that comes straight from the heart of God, who also longs for this. . .The vast desire and capacity a woman has for intimate relationships tells us of God's vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships . . .The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and His people. He yearns for us. He cares. He has a tender heart."  -Stasi Eldredge in Captivating

I've been single for almost 3 years now. But I've been in a relationship with God for about two years and it has been the most FULFILLING, GRACIOUS, and JOYFUL relationship I have ever had or will have in my entire life. Now, we've had our ups and downs, ebbs and flows, just like any relationship. The difference is that I know that no matter what, He will be there for me, sunset in hand, ready to continue loving me the way He has ever since the beginning of time. I can't wait to see where else He's gonna take me! 

The two photos shown are unedited photos of a couple of the sunsets/sunrises that God gave me this week - words cannot describe how thankful I was for them. GOD IS GOOD.

Blessings!

Katie