Have you grown lately?

This is me. Well, it was over a year and a half ago when I was studying at university. 

It's weird looking back and seeing how much has changed since I was a poor, uni student who featured on the Wollongong University website (is that nerdy?) and still is - I don't think they've realised that I've left. 

Check it out: http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/ssmac/index.html

Looking back, I realise how much I've changed. I'm a different person. I even look different! But most importantly I've realised how much I've grown. I've grown in confidence, in maturity, in relationships and in God.

As life ticks on we shouldn't stay in the same place. God hasn't intended for us to be the same person at 15 and at 20. We are meant to grow.

Growth doesn't always just happen though. It's something that you have to work at. And sometimes growth is hard.

Sometimes we have to really look at our flaws and how they are affecting us from moving on to better things in life. It's important to to recognise the fears we have, the anger issues we have, the control issues we have and so on.

Why? If we don't identify these flaws and try to change them, we can end up missing out on all the good things God has in store for us - the relationships, the career path and the joy of life. 

Sometimes we can be left behind because we are too afraid or to cocky to see that we must change in order for our circumstances to change.

But the best thing is, we don't have to do it on our own. God is our never-ending help in times of need.

So, have you grown lately?

Five weddings in three months

If you haven't guessed already from my blog title, my husband and I have been to five weddings over the past three months. It's a lot. And a lot of fun.

Now that it's over I've had a moment to pause and reflect. I suddenly realised that everyone's grown up. It took some time but it finally happened.

Things are changing and they have been for a while. And I find myself asking, how did I get here?

How do you deal with change? Is it something you run away from or do confront it?

Change can be scary. I'm at that point again in my life where relationships are changing. Everyone's grown up. They're getting married. Some are moving overseas and others having kids.

A New Breeze

Do you feel a wind of change coming your way? Or are you totally unaware that it's coming?

Nothing ever stays the same. Nothing ever will. But I know one thing that is constant. And that's God.

So whether you're changing your friend group at school, moving to another city or starting University, God will always be with you. Wherever you go and whatever you do he will be your constant.

Remember, it is highly likely that you will be attacked with fears of the future so stand strong and hold onto Jesus. Even if your life turns upside God will be there. He will always be your constant friend.

Before the wind comes I encourage you to take a moment to pause, reflect and soak up the moment. Then brace yourself for the incoming breeze.

Everyone needs a little ...

What sorts of music do you listen to when you are feeling down?

When I was a lot younger, I would often to resort to listening to this band called Evanescence when I felt depressed. Their music contains a lot of negative lyrics and focuses a lot on pain. While there is nothing really wrong with this kind of music, it didn't really help me in my emotional state. Often, it made me feel worse.

Sometimes we need to be careful what we feed into our spirit, particularly when we are not feeling emotionally well. Music can influence the way we react to a situation and can often lead us to responding to a situation in the wrong way.

Now, I often find myself singing Kari Jobe's song, Everybody needs a little when I am feeling down or lonely. I like this song because it gives me hope. It helps lift my spirit. It gives me joy. It reminds me of Jesus and the power he has to overcome any situation. Here are the lyrics:

Come and find peace

Everyone needs a little rest

Everyone needs a little joy

And a song to sing in the darkest night

And life even when it gets you down

Hope will turn it all around

But love is the greatest of these

Everyone needs a little

I encourage you to find a song or album that has a positive message and listen to it when you are feeling down. It doesn't have to be Christian either! Make the conscious decision to lift yourself out of the depths of despair when you are feeling down.

Who holds the key to your door?

Who holds the key to your door?

Sometimes it's easy to lock the door to your heart and throw away the key when someone hurts you.

But have you ever locked the door to your heart away from Jesus?

Sometime it's easy to want to control everything. School, Uni, work, friends, family life but it never seems to work out just the way you want it to.

And sometimes we don't even know that we're doing it.

It's so easy to just get really busy with controlling everything that we forget to talk to God about it. We forget to share our feelings with him. We forget to ask for his help.

Soon enough the wall will break down. Everything we have built will crumble because we don't have strong foundations in Jesus. We have foundations that are made by us. And they are not very strong.

We need to open in every area of our lives to him. We need to unlock the door and be set free of our own fears.

When I watch The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and watch Lucy open that door, I think of Jesus. I feel she is unlocking a world that is free of fear, control, worry and concern.

Don't worry if you have lost the key to the door to your own heart. God will help you find it.

Never Grow Up

Innocence. Some call it naivety. I call it purity.

Let me explain. Firstly, read these lyrics below by Taylor Swift.

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple
No one's ever burned you, nothing's ever left you scarred
And even though you want to, just try to never grow up

This song epitomises the beauty of purity. No one has burned you, hurt you, rejected you. You don't have any physical, mental or emotional scars to show.

I am glad I have grown up because there is a lot of joy in life. But sometimes I wish I could go back to that point when I had no scars and no rejection. Because this pain is something that you are always fighting against for the rest of your life.

Without the restoration, the renewal, the love and the forgiveness of Jesus I no longer have to be bound by these scars. I can be free.

I like the sound of this song because I want to live in a world without pain. When was the last time you were set free of these bondages?

Film Review: Conviction

This is a powerful story. And it's a true story.

Hilary Swank stars as Betty Anne Waters who goes to Law School to free her brother, Kenny Waters, played by Sam Rockwell from a crime he did not commit.

The film flashes between past and present moments of their lives telling their moving story. Sometimes when you watch films that contain flashbacks, it's really noticable. In this film, the flashbacks are succint and smooth - you don't even realise they're happening until they are upon you.

This film moved me to tears as the story follows two siblings who grew up in abusive household. To escape from the horror, they broke into people's houses so they could pretend to have a normal life - to pretend that their Mother wasn't a prostitute.

Eventually their Mother was seen to be too unfit to take care of them and both Betty and Kenny were taken to separate foster homes.

When I look at his life, I think no wonder he ended up there. It's amazing how our family upbringing can change the course of our lives. His parents were troubled and so was he. But did he deserve 18 years in jail?

This film was a powerful experience for me. I really felt the weight of their experience on my shoulders while watching the film.

The thing I realised the most is that young people can grow up in horrible, abusive and restricting homes. We need to be mindful of those who don't have a happy home life. We need to strech out a hand to help those who don't have a caring, loving and joyous home life.

Do you know someone in this situation?

Fairytale Dreams

Did you know Sleeping Beauty's castle was inspired by this castle? 

It's called Neuschwanstein Castle and it was built by a crazy man known as King Ludwig II. Yes he was known to be a bit mad but also mad awesome for building a fairytale castle!

Many people have told me that fairytales don't come true - that guys don't bring you flowers just because or they don't surprise on a romantic date.

They're wrong. My husband does these things for me all the time. Now, I'm a hopeless romantic and I feel so fortunate to have ended up with another hopeless romantic.

But you deserve this too. You deserve to be treated like royalty. Why? Because your worthy enough to be loved.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
-1 Corinthians 13:4-9

I feel all these things with my partner. Have you ever felt this way with someone before?