Love hurts, but never fails.

Story time:

So one time there was a girl who thought she knew the meaning of love. She grew up in a home in which love was a prominent affection shown. Her parents loved each other, God, and her. What could be better, right? God loved her as well, therefore of course, at the ripe age of 13 she KNEW what love really was. That one day when she walked into a new Sunday School, well let's just say it was "love at first sight."He was the most attractive guy she had ever seen.
 Brown hair, blue eyes... The epitome of tall, dark and handsome. What could be better? She conveniently got quickly involved in the church, even in the band. Within weeks, this girl was convinced this was the boy she was going to marry. For a year it went on like this, only this time the boy even seemed to be showing similar affections towards the girl. Oh, the conversations that happened at sleepovers then!It even led to going to Winter Formal together, freshmen year of highschool. Life was grand. Everyone believed they were the perfect couple, she just knew they were going to get married. A year later though, things happened when they were least expected to. Now, let me preface this with, this girl wasn't allowed to date until the age of 16, which the boy respected. So November of the year before her birthday rolled around, and she noticed something was a little bit different, but refused to acknowledge it... Little did she know of the heartbreak that was right around the bend. Her sixteenth birthday came and went, as did her lifetime of no boyfriend. Only to find out a month later, he had been talking to another girl and asked her out the following month.


THE END.
Great story, right? Not quite our picture perfect, fairy tale ending that society portrays on a regular basis. What was the last movie that you watched that didn't end happily? I bet you'll have to think long and hard about that one. For goodness sake, I watched "Beauty and the Beast" tonight and was swooning over that, which is semi-pathetic considering it's a cartoon... But hey, can't mess with the classics!


But for those of you who know me, know that this is my story. Now granted, some things may have been a tad bit exaggerated considering this was all in my little 13-16 year old mind. [Which, might I just add, I am extremely grateful I am done with those years of life!]
It's never easy though. Heartbreak never is... Even in something as trivial as a middle school "relationship." Now you all may not think this is as traumatic as some cases... But honestly, it still affects me today. My trust of guys is so low, as is my self-esteem in regards to relationships. Someday, some guy will come along and prove that not all boys are dogs [as Basil told us in Bible Study on Thursday night...] 
And as much as someone may say they are "over them," it doesn't mean that the pain has gone away... Probably to this day, I hold some hurt from that relationship. But the key is forgiveness. If I hadn't been able to forgive this particular person then I don't know where I would stand in bitterness right now. I will clear something up right now, I DO NOT have feelings for this person anymore, at least not in the way that I did. I consider him a friend, which was a hard point to come to, but it is so much better that way.


But as much as love can hurt, it NEVER fails. Because guess what?


GOD IS LOVE.


Woah.
Therefore meaning we can never really know love... Yes, we can in the agape sense of loving someone else here on earth, but this is nothing compared to the love than transcends all things. This love never fails. It surrounds us, wraps us up, comforts us, and embraces us with its warmth. 


Yes, I thought I knew what love was, but now I realize it's all a learning process. Each and every day I am taught a new concept about the word love. I realize how much there is to learn about love. Not saying that you can't feel it at a young age, because I fully believe that people can fall in love, but there is so much more out there just waiting to be gathered up and be taken into use.
Thankfully, since human love fails us, God's love never does. 


I also don't know if any of this even made sense, or flowed... But I just needed to write out some thoughts, and thought this would be the best place to do it.

"Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging
Your love is a mountain, firm beneath my feet
Your love is a mystery, how you gently lift me
When I am surrounded, your love carries me"

[So true about God's love. Rely on this.]

Natural Beauty

Guess what?

Did you know that you really don't need make-up to look beautiful? In fact, as of recently... I've heard from more of my guy friends that they prefer it when girls don't wear pound and pounds of make-up because they are beautiful without it.

And it's really true.

Often times make-up is used to cover up blemishes... Now, don't get me wrong, I totally see where a little bit of cover-up and mascara might be helpful, but they are by no means necessary. We are made in God's image, so how can we be anything less than what He created us to be? God is perfect... If we were made in His image, what does that make us? Well, since we're human we aren't perfect, but God did make us perfectly in His sight. When he looks at us he doesn't see those pimples, scars, chapped lips, and pale skin... No, instead he sees us through the cross, which makes us redeemed, precious, treasures of His.

Make-up isn't wrong by any means. I admit, I am guilty of using it as a cover-up. To try to blend myself into looking like something that isn't necessarily me. But it can get to the point where it is almost addicting and self-relying for our own self-confidence. So many girls today find that they feel ugly without make-up. Personally, I find that a bit ridiculous. Yes, I don't feel like I look my best without make-up on, but I know that I don't look like the world might as well end. Putting too much reliance and trust on things such as make-up can lead to a misperception of who are true selves are.

Make-up is almost like a new facade. Putting it on makes you look beautiful and put together. While, if you don't have it on you can have the appearance of being tired or worn out... But you know what? That's ok! It's life. You're not the only one that actually goes through this thing called life--we all experience it! It's how we choose to handle it that makes all of the difference.

Natural beauty is something that isn't as highly spoken of anymore. Therefore leading to a challenge I'm presenting to myself for the next month... and that is to go completely with a natural look. No Make-Up November. It's a play off of No Shave November (if you feel like doing that, be my guest... personally I find it a tad uhm... interesting for girls to do? But whatever floats your boat!) But this encourages us to evaluate our own self esteem for when we don't have the cover-up of make-up to help us look our "best." True beauty will shine out of our faces, as God's light overflows through our shadow-free eyes.

If you're going for wanting to attract a guy... Try going the natural route. If it's the man you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with, he'll love you no matter what. Who knows, he may think you're absolutely stunning without everything to hide your blemishes [after all, we girl are human too, but we find ways to cover that up :P] A quote I found tonight says this: "A little make up does make your guy happy, but not all of that! Guys like you more when you are without it, because it shows the real self of you" Plus that shouldn't be all we are after for... Yes make-up can be used as a little self esteem booster, but I encourage you to go look in the mirror and repeat to yourself, "I am God's daughter. He made me in His image. I am beautiful." It's true. This is what God says when he looks at us. After all, when he created man in the garden he looked and said, "It was very good." How awesome is that? From the first day, God knew His creation was good. Then again, it's God, how could it not?

You all are beautiful, wonderful, children of God. Embrace it.

"There could never be a more beautiful you to fight the lies, disguises and hoops they make you jump through. You were made to fill a purpose, that only you can do. So there can never be a more beautiful you."

PS: Watch this video.

Where is the love?

Oh the songs that are associated with the word love...

"L is for the way you look at me.

O is for the only one I see.

V is very, very extraordinary.

E is even more than anything that I adore."

"You are my forever love.

From the bottom of my heart I’ll sing to You

                                              From the depths of who I am I love You

With everything inside I’ll run to You‘

Cause all that I’ve become I owe to You"

"Love is a shelter in a raging storm

                                       Love is peace in the middle of a war

And if we try to leave, 

may God send angels to guard the door

No, love is not a fight 

but it's something worth fighting for."

"Can you feel the love tonight?

                                                      It is where we are.

It's enough of this wide-eyed wonder

That we come got this far!"

"You stay the same through the ages

                                               Your love never changes

There may be pain in the night 

but joy comes in the morning"

"Oh how He loves us so!"

But...

"Where is the love?"

All around our world we use the word love in reference to how we feel about something... Which most of the time is an appropriate use, but when it gets to the point that we're using it flippantly, the meaning is void. 
We use this word, yet it is not evidenced at all. Am I continually showing love to people? Am I a definition of the word love?
You know who IS and always WILL BE love?


God.


God is love. 


So now if we were to ask that question... "Where is the love?" Well its surrounding us every second of the day. God never leaves, and is always present. That can be a scary thought at times, knowing that we can never get away from someone. We're always able to find ways to escape those earthly surroundings, but its gets tricky, no, it's impossible to do that with God. But how often do we/I feel His love? It's a matter of choice. He offers it to us right as we wake up. The very first thing that should be on our minds is the renewing of his unending love. Without it, could we make it through the day? Absolutely not.


I saw this picture on a friends face book page the other day and it actually spurred on a lot of these thoughts...

This is actually now my screen saver on my laptop, but in the corner I added the words "In the beginning, God." Do you realize how much of an act of love this was towards us? I was blown away by it. Genesis 1:1 is the VERY first reference to God's love for us. I mean, he didn't have to do anything in the beginning, but he WAS in the beginning, meaning love was the beginning.

God is so wonderful. Just reflect on that. I mean, it's simply evidenced by that picture. Who else could create a pattern so intricate as that through clouds? CLOUDS ARE WATER VAPOR. [Despite contrary belief that we can fly up in the sky and simply recline on one...]

But seriously... Why would anyone create something like that if he didn't love us? If He wasn't love?

Love is enough. 

Love is essential.

Love is here.

God is love.