Sleep[LESS] [SUN]day

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More sun, less sleep is how the entire vacation ended up going, but this was just the beginning. To have gotten the least sleep in a long time after a fun and late night out shopping, I surprisingly felt good on this run! We went out and back for the whole thing, a little farther toward downtown than we ever have. It was fun for me to get to see more and different hotels and shops! I didn't know that there were two places down Ocean Blvd so close to us that have a Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's right next to each other. I wanted to bike there one night, but that is still on my beach list for next year.

The little things make me so happy, including color coordination. I was so excited about this outfit, Mom knew she was going to have to take my picture before I even asked. Sometimes I feel dumb for asking her to take so many pictures, but it's a little thing that makes me happy. This bathing suit is pretty new; I've only worn it a couple times at the end of last summer, a new pair of sunglasses Mom got me for Easter (sporty, but cute with pink lenses), and a new Simply Southern visor! The bow on it even matches the color of my headband and a stripe of my suit. To complete the "head-to-toe," my toenails are pink! Oh, and the coffee cup has a pink lid and pink beach chair.

Oh shoot. I have been meaning to shorten these up, so I can catch up and do the ones for now...

 New cereal! Found on sale in the pharmacy section at Walgreens! Protein Apple Cinnamon. Tastes just like the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios but has a lot of protein added in! It's also National Egg Day, which I celebrate basically every day. My drink of the day was a new one that I saw in the cooler at Starbucks: Teavana meyer lemon with lime peel and lemongrass. I also got a super cute straw in there with pineapple pictures and candy on it! That made up for the unsweetened and added even more flavor (and coordination with my new drink hugger). Another picture today was inspired by Happiness Is.

Would ya look at these comics? They were right next to each other and convey total opposite meanings when you think about it. It was not intended and both were just for humor (I mean, it is the comics), but that's one thing I love about the funnies section. They do make me laugh, but they also make me think. One here is about family and enjoying a great breakfast, noting its importance to each day, while the other points out that not giving yourself enough to eat is frustrating and does not help you go faster! Like Coach Farmer always told me in high school, you can't run on an empty tank! This kind of stuff is seeping into every media outlet now, but it is good. Our culture has ruined us. Another reason that I hope in Jesus and that one day He will come and relieve us of all the pressure of the world. We can' t totally help the influences around us, but we can fix our eyes and hearts on His truth to help ease the struggles.

Building off of tying Jesus into this, today's Bible study was another thing I am finishing up before starting something new. (I have a bad habit of starting lots of things then not finishing them then getting overwhelmed by having too much going on.) This little devotion book is called NOW: Impacting Your World for Christ Right Now. It was pretty elementary, but it is good to get down to the basics sometimes. That's where we find our salvation and everything else in life to build off of.

I was a little over halfway through, so I picked up on a chapter about changes God brings to our lives. I'm not good with change, so it was fitting. The book began with discussing who we are in Christ and that He has a plan for us. It is important that we have a vision for what we see as God's will for us so that we can have a goal to focus on throughout our days. While our vision may be God-inspired, He may still change it. Personal example, my vision in life all through high school was to be a top runner in the state and region and use that platform to show the love and power and joy of Christ to all those who watch me. It happened! I had some great opportunities to share my faith in interviews online and in newspapers and magazines both small and large-scale; I met hundreds of fellow runners and their families. I impacted people who simply saw me and knew there was something different in me. However, as each season started so well, I fell off and never met the expectations that I set myself up for. That wasn't my plan. But through it all, God still had a plan. I could still share His goodness and strength in my shortcomings and weaknesses. Beyond high school, I had a new vision to go into college running and be a leader on my team and competitive in races, but that vision changed the moment I got on campus. But now, I look back and see that my vision was hindered because God knows everything behind the scenes and in others' hearts and minds that I cannot see. While I thought Lipscomb was the perfect place for me to grow in and share my faith and excel in life, God could see things going on there that were not right for me. Yes, my faith grew so much, but in a totally different way than I had pictured. But when I see it now, I really know God was caring for me every step of the way.

I love to make plans. That's one of the key qualities of me. I love to plan, organize, create, invite, share; I find joy in doing. I like to know what's going on. But do I ever really know what's going on? NO. Over the past two years, I have learned so much about letting go of control of my circumstances. It is a struggle because it is part of who I am, but I am much more at peace with uncertainty. The fast pace and sad state of the world leaves me disappointed and longing for something to trust, but that is where I turn to God. It is very freeing, actually. All I have to worry about is the things I know and can do, and I can trust that God is in control of everything, so it is all the way it is supposed to be. Good thing I'm not in control because I would mess it up! 
James 4:13-15 is an awesome passage on this topic. "...You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life...instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'" 
Being too absorbed in my own plans keeps me from being open to the thins that God brings to me. 
While we cannot help most of the change that happens to us, we can control our response. And that is what matters.