No Song

SUN .MAY 15

Hey! Sorry I haven't really updated in a few day. i"m sorry.
Breakthrough was yesterday. I got tons of sweet pictures of me being dressed up
as a beaver, So i might or might not elaborate on Breakthrough until i
get home because then I can tell you "stories" when I post all the
pictures. Well there are also quite a bit of highlights from last week that
I would like to go through eventually. I can't right now because I"m
pretty much dead tired plus I"m kinda getting a cold. I slept for about 4
& 1/2 hours this afternoon. And I"m thinking about going back to bed.
Maybe I'll even have some tea first. Hmmm, that sounds like a good idea.
Okay bye 4 now.

P.S. Here's a cool article that I got from Amy that I want you read and
think about:

"In Step” ''

Someone's Dream Girl" by Natalie Lloyd

A friend once told me that a girl had managed to ruin every good love
song for him. While rejection and joy can be connected just as tightly
with songs as any other emotions, I like having sentimental attachments
to pieces of music.

Still, driving home late one night, one of my favorite songs came on
the radio that reminded me of an emotion I don't enjoy: rejection,
good times soured because of a bad experience. I could feel it all over
again, as if my heart had just broken the day before. The cold numbing
reality that, to someone, something about me was just never good
enough; that feeling that I had really laid my heart on the line, only to
watch it get squished.

While forgiveness is a beautiful thing, and I no longer wallow in a
pool of self-pity, there's nothing that hurts like rejection. And
nothing can dredge it up like a holiday complete with clashing red and pink
hearts: Valentine's Day.

What a Girl Wants
The biggest complaint I hear from folks in their late teens and
early 20s, said the pastor on television, is that they just can't
find the love of their life.
I took my hand out of the bag of popcorn beside me and considered
changing the channel, but stopped. If I had to be really, really honest, it
was a complaint this 20-something had voiced a few times, too. I've
waited all my life for my Gilbert (if you've never seen or read Anne
of Green Gables, this reference will mean nothing to you). I've been
careful, and cautious and have prayed earnestly about the relationships
in my life. Still, brokenheartedness ensued. Unlike so many of my
friends, I didn't attach myself to one person when I went to college,
certain he was the one. I didn't find him there. It was as simple and
frustrating as that. While I'm confident I'm not ready to be married,
and I know many women who didn't come out of college with an
engagement ring, just being surrounded by so many people who did made me start
to wonder.

What I say to them, the pastor continued, is to become the
kind of person they want to marry. They tell me they want someone godly. I
ask them what their Scripture memory verse is for that week. They say
they want someone loving, funny, patient, spontaneous, kind, whatever. I
ask what they're doing with their life, how they're honoring God in
their job, in school, with their time.

Even if you aren't dating someone, you should focus on becoming
the kind of person you're looking for.
His message floored me. As many friends as I know who are in love,
there are just as many experiencing a painful parting, realizing they
jumped into a wrong relationship, or just dreaming of the day they won't
have to rent movies and watch them alone anymore.

Because You Love Me
The truth is you're probably too young to even think about getting
married but that doesn't mean you don't occasionally dream about
what your wedding day will be like and how wonderful it will feel to be
a wife and a mom. These are dreams God puts in our hearts for a reason,
and until those dreams become reality, it's our job to become the
absolute best person we can be. Marriage, after all, isn't 24/7 bliss.
There are litanies of technical stuff we don't think about when we
look through a bridal magazine. We don't think about being around
someone all day long, about paying bills, cleaning a kitchen, helping someone
when he has a head cold or knowing absolutely everything about them,
including his gross habits. Love is a huge responsibility; including
the commitment to keep on loving when the warm fuzzies fade.
There will never be a love that's more complete and amazing than the
kind Jesus showed with His life and death. Before we even knew Him,
even though He knew all the dumb stuff we'd do, He carried our sin on
His shoulders and died for us. Some of His last words on earth were to
His Father regarding how much He wanted us to be with Him forever (John
17).

Of course, there are other love stories in the Bible too, ones that
happen in these wonderfully wacky ways. Ours could be the same. So no
matter if you're single, dating, engaged, or about to say I do,
here's the thing: God's promises, in all their unpredictability and
strangeness, are totally worth waiting for. You never have to feel less
than beautiful, wonderful or amazing just because it hasn't happened
for you yet. If God orchestrates all the big, important things in your
life so well, you can be sure He has something beyond your imagination
when it comes to romance.

Being loved before the dawn of time is a pretty sweet valentine in
itself!

Everlasting Love
If V-Day brings up another kind of regret, the kind that comes from
having given in, you can still smile. Forgiveness is one of the most
amazing, wonderful attachments to love we can possibly experience. His
dreams and plans for you are still the same.
So send out the cards, break out the chocolate and sing along to all
the corny songs on the radio. Make plans for Valentine's Day with some
friends or family (love doesn't just come with hand-holding and
goodnight kisses!) or help out with a Valentine's dance at a local nursing
home.

For the moment, let's keep loving all the people in our lives we can,
and never stop becoming the kind of godly, amazing, fun dream girl some
guy out there might be praying for this very second.

I really liked the quote: Even if you aren't dating someone, you
should focus on becoming the kind of person you're looking for.