a simplistic december day

today was my first official day of christmas break.
so I celebrated by sleeping in, watching christmas movies, and taking a walk outside.
the weather was absolutely beautiful today, so I threw on a sweater and took a walk down my country road.
I carried my camera and took some shots.
and of course, mr. brody kept me company.
here is a small sampling of what I captured, unedited.

"fix my eyes on You"

the end of the semester is nearly here, 

only one more exam stands in my way of being home for a solid 3 and a half weeks.

this past week or so has been crazy ridiculous.

there have been quite a few mishaps at the painting house.

quite a few tears shed.

quite a bit of sulking.

I've had my fair share of feeling bad for myself, but this past week has taken the cake.

luckily, I have some awesome friends who have been there for me.

to sit with me when I cried, to buy me Sonic slushes,

to encourage me through it all.

and even when it felt like God was super far away letting the whole world cave in on me, 

He was still there.

it just took a little while for me to see past the smoke.

this past Sunday at OneLife Church, 

we sang a song called "You are More" by Hillsong United.

there is a line in there that really struck me:  

"I will see this season through, 

I will fix my eyes on You, only You."

man, how often do we see actually see what God is doing in our lives?

how often do we take the time to reflect on what He has done?

I know that I am guilty of not "fixing my eyes" on Him, especially in the tough times.

Jesus didn't say it was going to be easy following Him, but He left us with the great Comforter.

the Holy Spirit is there to help you get through those tough times.

to help you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I challenge you to fix your eyes on the one who gave you life.

no matter how rough the waters seem right now,

fix your eyes upon the one true God.

the one who will never leave you, nor forsake you.

it'll make a world of difference.

a day of thanks

today is the day we give thanks for all that we have.

but shouldn't we be giving thanks every day?

"rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" [1 thessalonians 5:16-18]

I say we thank Jesus every day for the blessing He is. 

for the life He has given us.

for the blessings He has bestowed upon us.

shouldn't we lift our eyes to Him daily?

for He is the one who gave us life.

just something to ponder on your day of thanks.

today, I am extremely thankful for my incredible parents who are always there for me.

since it was just the three of us, we trekked over to Carbondale to eat at steak & shake, and watch the muppets movie.

we were thankful to not have to cook, and to get to spend some time together.