My Top 10 Favorite Bible Verses

     Lately I have been getting into the habit of writing on my blog. I am super happy that I am getting more use out of it now. I love being able to write and express my thoughts and feelings to you guys.  

So, here are a list of my top 10 favorite Bible verses...so far. It is way too hard to just pick 10, so these are ones that I have been thinking about lately that apply to myself. Maybe some of your favorites will be in my list. I hope you all enjoy them and find them useful like I do.

1. Psalms 34:18- "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -----God will be with you during the good times and bad times, but it is when we are in our darkest hours that we truly need God to show us the light. 
2. Colossians 3:23- "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human masters."----- A lot of the times I will get frustrated doing school assignments and at work, but this reminds me who I am REALLY working for. If we could all adjust our mindset to this, the world would be a better place. 
3. 1 Peter 3:3- "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes."----- I get it, it is hard not to want to look/ feel beautiful by people the around us. Of course we all get tied up into ourselves sometimes, but you just have to remember that beauty fades, but what's in the heart does not. 
4. Proverbs 12:26- "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." -----Many teenagers are looking for a way to fit in, including myself. No one wants to feel unwanted.This just reminds me that even if I do choose my friends carefully, the Devil knows how to sneak his way into my life. If I feel that a certain person is no good for me, then I have to distance myself from them, even if it is hard to do. 
5. Romans 8:5- "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit has their mind set on what the Spirit desires."----- Everything on earth is a human desire. People want fame and fortune, but the Spirit craves God. If you are too focused on your fleshly desires then how can your spirit grow? It is time to focus on the real picture. 
6. Proverbs 3:5-6- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding; in all ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."----- When in doubt, pray it out. You cannot solve all of your problems by yourself. If you trust in him and you are obedient to him, then he will help you through your difficult times.  
7. Ephesians 4:29- "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is only helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." ----- This is especially important for teenagers all around the globe to remember, especially myself! I think we all need to remember the golden rule, "treat others the way you would want to be treated." Is that a hard task to do sometimes?- Yes. But is it impossible?- No! 
8. 1 Samuel 16:7- "But the Lord said to Samuel "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."----- I love this one! It does not matter what you look like to God. If you are not the person you let others perceive you as, then you will not gain God's approval. A lot of the times people get caught up in the way someone looks, rather than their true character. The only difference is that you can't fool God. 
9. Mathew 7:11- "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."-----Amen. We all do it though, right? (If you said no, you are just lying to yourself.) I believe it is part of human nature to judge others, but does that make it right? No. It is just something we will have to learn to control. 
10. Mathew 6:19- "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."----- In the end, all of the valuable things you own will mean nothing. They will not buy you a spot in heaven. So, with that being said, why do we all think money will buy happiness. (Although a million dollars doesn't seem too bad right now...) But why have earthly treasures, when you can have eternal life and things far better than what the world can give you? 

     Did your list expand like mine did? I hope so! It is always good to have a couple of Bible verses in handy for when you need an extra reminder. With that being said, always remember to keep calm and love God. :)  

Decisions

     My senior year in high school is all about making final decisions. Decisions about college, decisions about friends, decisions about work, decisions, decisions, decisions! It is a huge overload for a 17 year old girl to make on her own! In my life right now, it is very important to know that God knows his plans for me, even if I do not even know them yet. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know that plans I have for you," Declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This verse gives me so much comfort as I get ready to take the ACT and apply to colleges. I am scared of what the future holds for me, because I am afraid of failure. Every now and then, I need to remind myself that the Lord knows my future and I should not fear possible failures.
     Even though failure is scary, it is a great way to show you that your life needs a change. No matter what you fall short of, it is a time to make things better.Right now, I and so many others, are afraid of not getting into their top college choices.It is hard not to be scared of the possibility of being rejected from your favorite college. I will be devastated if I do not get into College of Charleston, but the Lord has everything mapped out for me. Your future might be not getting accepted into your favorite school, but it will not be the end of the world. God planned out all your success, failures, hardships, triumphs and relationships. Nothing God does in your life is a mistake, it was meant to be, all it takes is just a leap of faith.

   

     Not only am I making decisions about my future right now, I am also making decisions on how I live my daily life. It is my decision to be mean or nice, it is my decision on if I will forgive or forget, it is my decision on if I will study or not, and it is my decision on if I will show acts of love. When making conscious decisions in a conversation, it is important to ask yourself if the words that are about to come out of your mouth are helpful, uplifting, or important; if it is not, then you probably should not say it out loud. In other words, your mouth should have a filter.
     Making decisions can sometimes be easy or sometimes be extremely hard to make. Just know that when you have to make a decision, God is with you every step of the way. What ever you choose is not a mistake, because God has already made that decision for you. Lastly, if you are having difficulty with making a decision, you should always pray to God for wisdom.

    James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

To Gossip or Not To Gossip...That is the Question

     Every now and then in youth and church, my pastors or youth pastor mention how everyone gossips. Of course they tell us it is a sin, but we are only human. On one particular day, they explained to me how there is so much negativity in the world- I must say I agree.We encounter negativity almost every single day, from poverty, hunger, war and even gossiping. Shouldn't we want to be a positive force in the world? The answer to my title is to NOT gossip! I hope you will agree with me and understand why. 

     In high school, all anyone ever does is gossip. Us girls especially like to gossip about the juiciest thing that happened during school, who got into trouble over the weekend, and mostly other girls. We constantly tear each other down without any mercy. We are crazy. I want to know what would happen if we would just stop our foolish ways. How would our lives change? How would we feel? How would we impact the people around us? 

     Today I decided to try my very best to not gossip or say anything negative about anyone. Did I fail to do so? YES! At first it was going good, I went to my first class at 8:00 am and I was too tired to interact with anyone. It went by smoothly, but then a guy walked into class about 40 minutes late, and of course I gave my friends next to me a "look." They laughed quietly and I shook my head. I then realized what I had done. It was not even an hour into class and I was already not being very Christian. By the end of the class, he of course was confused about something, so I decided to help him.  It felt good to help him- actually, it felt way better than making snide remarks. 

     This happened to be my pattern throughout the whole day. I had to make a conscious effort not to do or say anything negative. It was a struggle, I can't help it. It takes a great deal of inner strength not to make a comment, a look, or a gesture. 

     I want to change our negative attitudes into positive ones. I know you have probably heard everyone say that, but this time it is for real. I want to challenge the youth to stand up for what is right, talk to those who don't "fit in," and I want others to stop talking badly about others, but most importantly about themselves. It is natural to feel like you aren't good enough, but once you know you are good enough, and then you are happy with yourself, it will radiate off of you. There will be no need to put others down or to gossip. 

     I will continue this experiment, and hopefully see how it changes myself and possibly others. I will encourage others instead of tearing them down and see where it goes. I hope that you will also take initiative to be a positive force and test your strength. In closing, I want to leave you with this Bible verse from Psalm 97:10,  "Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked."

Things I Don't Understand

There are many things I do not understand such as boys, quantum physics, why my sister is annoying, and why it is so hard to throw out old clothes I never wear anymore.... So, here is a list of random things I wonder about and just don't get, along with my commentary (I apologize in advance for some of my sarcasm or tone of voice... I just get annoyed with certain things):

1. Why do people make fun of "fat" people at the gym?... I mean aren't they there for a reason? To get rid of their excess "fat?" I guess some people do not understand that.

2. Why are we expected to know what we want to be at age 7? I don't know about you, but at age 7 all I was concerned about was going to lunch and having recess... but even now, I am still deciding what I want to be, I guess only time will tell.

3. Why do we base our social status on appearance? I find that the people who are "popular" are pretty, handsome, and well dressed. What made us decide that they were the "cool" ones? ...What happened to good character and being genuine? Am I sounding too far fetched on that one?

4. Why is everyone so caught up in "name brand clothing? I know I find myself getting caught up in all this consumerism, but if others do not have it, why do we make fun of them or exclude them? I did not know what you wore was so important.

5. Why do people make fun of disabled children? In middle school I would constantly hear people making fun of disabled children and it would make me livid... Do you think they asked to be like that? Just because you were not born with a disability does not mean you have the right to make fun of them.

6. Why is it so hard for girls to get along? Oh yeah, I forgot...competition. Everything is a competition with girls. If a girl is prettier than you, you automatically hate her and think she is mean...just because we are envious. 

7.  Why do older generations think that my generation is no good? Each generation is different and raised differently... just because we were raised different does not mean we are ruining the world. Sure we may take "selfies" and create words like "YOLO," but that does not mean we aren't actively participating in society and making the world a better place. Give us a break. 

8. Why can't the world just get along? Foreign affairs shouldn't be so difficult! It should be "I scratch your back, and you scratch my back." Wishful thinking? 

9. Why is Starbucks so expensive? Coffee from Starbucks costs an arm and a leg... which means I can only have two Starbucks drinks in my lifetime or I will have to start selling my organs. 

10. Why is college so expensive? Is it me, or has college turned into a money making business. How do they expect us to be a contributing person in society if we will be in debt for the rest of our lives? Can't they be like public high schools and not deal with tuition? 

11. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie pop? The owl wasn't kidding when he asked that question. 

12. Why can't a hot famous guy magically fall in love with me? I have a feeling my chances of this are about the same as winning the lottery. 

13. When will we end world hunger? I think Wal-mart has enough to feed the entire nation... looks like I'm going to have to give them a call. 

14. Why is every single person's 6th grade picture horrendous? It's game over when someone threatens to whip out the 6th grade year book... prepare to be embarrassed. 

15. Why are high school students treated like children, but expected to act like adults? Students that are heading off to college in just a few years need to ask for permission to go to the bathroom, to sharpen a pencil and to call their parents... are you kidding me? Treat us like adults and we will act like it, treat us like children and we will act like children.  

16. Why are girls not allowed to wear spaghetti straps to school? I did not know that my shoulder was so provocative... If you are afraid of boys being distracted, then they need to be taught that girls are not an object. 


These were just a few things I have been wondering about, but hopefully someone will be able to answer my questions...

Fitting In

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 
-John 15:12 

Many people know what it is like to not fit in and often wonder why they don't. I worry about that constantly, and being a girl in high school does not help my circumstances. Many girls are very catty with each other and I believe girls are very competitive with each other. We constantly judge other girls on their appearance to see if we are "better" than them. We judge each others outfits, the way their hair looks, the way they walk, who they date, etc. Anything, you name it, we judge it.

So, fitting in is a lot harder than you think because you are constantly being judged. It is something I worry about everyday! I worry about if my hair looks okay, if my outfit does, if my breath smells good, what my make up looks like, how I come across to other people, and the list goes on. At times I feel like I do not fit in and ask myself "what did I do, to make them not like me?" Or "Why don't I fit in?" Why is it that the human spirit craves for acceptance?

“Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like”
― Will Smith

In my opinion, this quote by Will Smith captures how most teenager spend their money. (In my opinion, and you know why? Because I find myself doing the exact same thing!) We buy clothes and items we don't need or maybe event sometimes want in order to impress people who don't actually like you for who you are. We buy excessive amounts of clothes that are on trend, because we feel like that is the only way to be accepted. Clothes do not make you up, but as a teenager I still do not fully understand that.

At times I feel totally lost and wonder what I am doing wrong? Is it because I am not tall enough, short enough, skinny enough, rich enough, pretty enough, funny enough, flawless enough? And much, much more. This burden is on many teenagers' shoulders just because they want to fit in and be accepted. A lot of times I do not feel like I fit in because a girl will make a few snide comments even though they do something totally outrageous after me. There is no scientific formula for "fitting in."I know that you have to accept yourself for who you are, but when others don't accept you, you can't help think that something is wrong with you. It seems as if we act like the girls from "Mean Girls." Unfortunately, we are not that far from Regina Geroge's behavior. Some girls might even be worse...

Girls make fun of other girls, to make them feel like they are more "superior" and once you do that others might agree with you and it makes you not the "weird" one. A lot of times I do this and I know it is not right. This gives me a time to reflect on my actions and allows me to "think before I speak." If we all want to be accepted, then what is the point of making someone else feel ostracized? I know it isn't as simple as that, but if it were then no one would have to feel the need to kill themselves.

Even though at times I feel like I don't fit in, I remind myself that this is just High School. I do not need to get caught up in fitting in, because I am here to get an education. (Even though having friends makes school bearable) I need to keep in mind that the right people will accept me for who I am, not what I am trying to be.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:17 

So whether you are "nerdy" or "popular," everyone wants to fit in. Please keep that in mind before you try to make someone else feel bad about themselves.

About my blog

You may wonder why a 17 year-old girl has a blog called "The Journey". Well, while I was contemplating on whether or not I should create a blog, I had to come up with a title and all of a sudden it hit me, I will call it "The Journey" because I want this blog to be about my journey through life. Now, the next question you may have, is what kind of journey does a 17 year-old girl have? I want to blog about my life (of course) but things that I find intriguing and inspiring, things that trouble me in the world and of course my faith. I want to grow in my faith, but as you could imagine, there are many things that test my faith each day. I hope for this blog to be a place where other teenagers can connect to me, grow in their faith and just for your enjoyment. In other words, my blog will be a mixture of everything, just like my journey through life. I hope you enjoy my blog, follow it and comment.
                           
                                  -Dionne