A Weekend with Best Friends

Things have been crazy. I have entered the busy time for work...an event planner's equivalent of tax season. It's actually nice to have more than enough things to do than you necessarily have the time to do them in. That sounds strange, I know, but oh well. I will be spending a week in Denton in July, then a week in Los Angeles in August! I am really excited about our programs, and can't wait to meet all of the students I have interviewed!

In recent days, I have really struggled with my own gender. I have always struggled with girls...I don't seem to understand them sometimes. Haha. Weird coming from someone who is a girl. But seriously, there are so many things I do not understand about my own gender. Why do girls have to be the way they are? 

I am not a tomboy by any stretch of the imagination. There is no doubt that I am girly in many ways. I overanalyze things, cry about silly things, enjoy a good chick flick, crave chocolate, and require a specified amount of "girl time." But there are certain things I avoid, things that are seemingly "typical" of the female species. I don't flirt. I think it's ridiculous. I don't get crushes. I think they're silly. And I absolutely don't do girl drama. I hate it. You know the kind....the "she hates me because so and so said this and hurt my feelings and that's just not right because whatever her name is thinks this way about us, so I am just not going to talk to her until she apologizes and then I am going to make all of her friends and her boyfriend jealous, etc." Ridiculous. I don't do cattiness (which typically goes along with girl drama). And I don't do the venomously sweet thing girls do either (I am going to smile to your face and pretend everything's alright, then say awful things about you when you're not looking and stab you in the back when you least expect it). If you have a problem with me, please just own up to it and tell me so we can work through it. Good night. Girls are ridiculous.

And then there are my best friends. They are the sweet girls in my life who don't fit the above description in any way, shape, or form. They are genuinely sweet and authentic Christian girls that I feel so blessed to have in my life. My reprieve from the above drama came in the form of a trip to the quaint little town of Abilene...

Laura and I loaded the puppies in the car for a road trip to Abilene this weekend! Sasha and Allie played the WHOLE car ride, which made for an interesting trip. We spent the weekend with the Kenningtons and had an amazing time! We spent Saturday morning introducing all 4 dogs to each other...Gracie, Carter, Sasha, and Allie. Haha. Then we spent the day hanging out in Abilene! We visited Nicki's office, shopped in a really cute accessory store, enjoyed Sonic drinks and pedicures, watched chick flicks, had an amazing steak dinner, talked about everything we could possibly think of, and topped the day off with margaritas and brownies!

Spending the weekend with the girls was so refreshing. God has us all in different places, and yet He has been generous to preserve our sweet friendships. I feel so blessed to have both of these girls in my life. They are the picture of true friends, and are amazing women of God. They constantly encourage me, pray for me, and live the example of the woman I want to become. I am so thankful for the sweet time we had together this weekend and can't wait until the next girl's weekend!

Currently Reading: The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer

A Summer That Matters

He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?”

-         Micah 6:8

So I have been contemplating what the summer will hold for me. I have this intense desire for this summer to mean something. The last few summers have been rough. Necessary…but rough. I know that all I have been through- all of the brokenness, the pruning, the molding- has been for a purpose. When you ask God to chip away everything in your life that does not resemble the image of Christ, He will do it. He’s pretty faithful like that. So what is He preparing me for? I don't know right now and am not really sure if He will choose to reveal that to me anytime soon. I am probably not ready yet. I’d like to think it’s an important task. Maybe He has been preparing to use me in a way I would never have imagined. I can only pray that this is the case. Because I do want to be used by God in great ways. I don’t want to just be a follower of Christ. I want to be a GREAT follower of Christ. I don’t want to do good things for His kingdom and glory. I want to do GREAT things for His kingdom and glory. And the truth of the matter is that God is looking for someone with my ability, my background, my passion who unashamedly will say, “I want to do something GREAT for the King of kings and Lord of lords. I want Him to use me beyond my wildest dreams. I want to become more like Christ every day. I want to be a GREAT Christian!”

So back to the summer…yes, I want it to mean something. I want this to be a summer of healing, a summer of growth, a summer of transformation. I want this to be a summer where I see the power of God, where He reveals His plan...a summer that matters to God. God has already started working, and I want to see His hand and experience His power in a way I never have before. Ultimately, I want this summer to have the mark of God on it. I want that mark to be on my actions and words, on my work endeavors and relationships.

Summer is actually my busy time for work. So I have to be extra conscious of staying focused. When I get busy with tasks at hand, I tend to lose focus and before I know it, weeks have passed without real growth or intimacy with God. So my prayer is to stay focused, to experience intimacy with God in the midst of craziness, and to grow closer to the heart of God. I have found that intimacy with Him is almost a prerequisite to discovering His will, experiencing His power, and conforming to His image.

I am studying through Proverbs with a group of amazing women of God. I am excited to dig deep into His Word and gain wisdom. I am excited to learn all He has to reveal about His character. I am excited to see His plan continue to unfold in my life. I am confident God will do His part; He’s God- it’s what He does. I just need to figure out what my role is in this profound venture. I am confident God has prepared me for a summer such as this…