favorite bible verse

"...Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."- James 1:3-4

One of my favorite verses is James 1:3-4. Though it was assigned to choose only one verse I could not help but include verse four as well with verse three. These verses are very powerful. I chose to write about this verse because I feel like this time in our life is such a beautiful yet scary time. I mean this in the sense that we are learning about who we truly are. To make it a little more complex, some of us no longer have the financial support of our parents. We are all trying to figure out our lives as a grownup now. Which is slightly ironic because, personally when I was younger I could not wait until I was an adult. But now that I have hit that point in my life I wish that I could just go back to being a kid at times.

This verse serves as a great support system when I am going through trials in my life. I often remind myself that God is always by my side and that everything he puts me through is for my benefit. A motto that I like to live by is, “What does not kill, only makes you stronger. “ This verse reflects that type of attitude. God lets us endure the trials that we go through so that we may be mature enough to handle future situations.

This verse has impacted my life in so many ways, whether it was family or relationship issues. Though the pain was not the best experience in the world this verse encouraged me to stay strong and continue to trust in God. My pastor once told the congregation that what may seem like chaos in this world is something that is perfectly orchestrated in God’s eyes. I thought that was such a beautiful analogy. We often forget that God is in control and already has our lives planned out. We get so worked up about what we are going through; and either forget or choose to ignore God’s love and mercy.

This verse can be helpful to anyone regardless of what there are going through. This verse is a reminder of God’s love. He only wants the best for us. God does not put trials in our lives to punish us but, to make us stronger advocates for Him.

**written for JRN 371

my passion

Each person has a passion, whether it is a sport or the desire to stay in shape. Regardless of what motivates a person, the effort and time spent to achieve their goal is similar.
For me, my passion is life. I know it may sound unrealistic to some but I really do love living life. I live for the small things in life. I live for the ability to hear the crashing of waves, taste the sea of salt water on my lips, seeing the smiles of my loved ones, hearing the sound of a child’s laughter, helping senior citizens with groceries and the list goes on. God has blessed me with more than enough. Sometimes I forget how blessed I really am. Though, I may not be the wealthiest I have so many other things to be grateful for. The fact that I am healthy and have all my senses is more than enough to have a positive outlook on life.
This is just a couple of examples of God’s beauty. My passion of life is founded on God’s love. I am constantly amazed of how God work in mysterious ways. I have realized that God blesses us with every person that pays a visit in our lives. The amount of time they spend is unpredictable. However, God never fails to make us stronger and wiser human beings, doing everything for his glory.
I honestly can say that God is the reason of why I am so passionate about life. It amazes me how he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of all people. I cannot help but wonder God’s thought process of why he would do such an inexpressible act of love for all who fall short of his worth.
God’s love has made it possible for me to overcome the various obstacles in life. His love ties back to my passion in life through my desire of living my life to the best of my ability. I constantly fall short of perfection but I strive daily to glorify him in all that I think, say and do.
During a bible study last year, my group leader pointed out a good point of how he strives to honor God with his words and actions. He said, “I consider my words and actions a constant prayer to God. This mindset keeps me from cussing and speaking unkind words.” My bible study leader’s mindset has inspired me to do the same.
I have come to the understanding that life is too short to spend on insignificant and worthless things such as, what people may think of your morals and beliefs. With this said, it is important to live life with all I have been blessed, living each day like it is my last. I know it is a cliché statement but honestly believe our world would be very different. I realize it can go both ways, good or bad. However, I do my best to stay optimistic about situations by leaning on God as my Fortress.
**written for JRN 215

a hard-boiled egg

Yesterday afternoon was a sad day for me and my baby egg also known as my white previa mini van. Its actually not a baby in any way considering my family got it in 1998! hah. Anyways, it all began while I was driving to Disneyland this afternoon. My engine was sounding funny earlier in the morning when I started it but I didn't think anything of it. Well as I was driving down the 91 West my engine started to make a weird sound again. Thankfully my boyfriend, Brett, was driving right behind me. He called to tell me that water was spurting on his windshield. This was the first red flag that there was something wrong with my car. It wasn't until I saw that my thermometer, that predicts if your car is overheating, was all the way at the "H." I freaked out and called my cousin who's well-educated in mechanics and asked him what was wrong. He told me that my car is over-heated and that I should not drive after arriving to my destination. Well, unfortunately I did not make it to my destination. The next thing I knew my car began to go at a slower pace. I managed to make it to the shoulder of the road just before it completely died. I literally thought that my egg would burst because it was smoking on the inside and outside. To summarize what happened after Brett called AAA to have my car towed to one of his dad's offices, the East Anaheim Police Station. So as of right now my little egg is chilling in the parking lot waiting to be towed back home. Hopefully, it's in too bad of condition to repair so that I can get a new car!!