Honesty time

Lately I have really been struggling with wanting to be the best friend I could possibly be and doing absolutely any and everything to please my friends. It's like I am obsessed with the thought of them actually liking me and wanting to talk to me. But then I get so afraid that if I text them or send the, a snapchat they will get so annoyed by me that I have to give them a gift or do something completely inconvenient or unlike me just to please them and so they will want to continue being friends with me. It's stupid right? But I can't seem to shake it. It sickens me that I am so insecure that I go out of my way 99% of the time just to make sure people like me. But I shouldn't have to constantly do that for them to like me, should I? They should like me for me, not the material things I give them. So basically I wrote this for my own benefit. I figured if I read it I would see how stupid I am being. 

A good friend once told me: "just don't let people take advantage of you or try to make everyone happy cause then you won't be." 

So I'm working on it. Thanks for reading this random spill.

Much Love,

Kaitlyn 

Let Me Tell You About My Friend Jake

HI!!!!
I know I haven't posted in a while...my bad. But let me tell you!! Life has been pretty great and my friend Jake has a huge part in that! So I am writing this to tell you about Jake and write a small appreciation post for him. I also hope he doesn't kill me for this.

Okay so let's start out on how I met Jake. One night I was scrolling through my twitter feed in summer of 2013 (I think) and saw him tweet something and took a leap of faith and direct messaged him, and we hit it off pretty much right from the start!!! Jake is the only person I am really able to talk to for hours and never ever ever get sick of.  (he probably gets sick of me though!!) (I know he does lol)  We can go from having a completely hilarious conversation about picture Christmas sugar cookies to talking about how there is pain hidden in our Instagram posts. Jake has been there for me so much these past 2 1/2 years and I cannot begin to tell you how THANKFUL I am for him!! Through thick and thin and every single laugh and every single tear he has been there. He encourages me in every single thing I do and makes sure I never underestimate myself or forget my worth.  I am so thankful for each spontaneous dinner run, the time I got to meet his cat, the time I sent him a Christmas card with a picture of my dog in it, and so many more things!!!  I don't know man, Jake is just a special, one of a kind friend and I hope I never ever lose my friendship with him!! If I did, I would probably cry.

Jake!!
If you're reading this,
1. Thank you for taking the time to read this far in the midst of your insane life
2. Thank you for letting me meet Daphne
3. Thank you for being my friend and always being good to me and responding to me most of the time even though I know I annoy you despite what you say
4. Thank you for the adventures. And the laughs. And the jokes. And the fun times.  I cherish each one of them and hope for many many many more!!!
5. You're the BEST!!!

Anyways, to sum it up, I got pretty lucky with Jake being my best friend! I am super glad I sent that message on Twitter however many years ago. If I hadn't, life would be real real real boring.

Here's a pic of us by the way:

Don't worry, we know it's a bad photo. We're working on that.

Hope you're all lovely!!!!

Much Love,
Kaitlyn

Worthy.

Hi friends! I just wanted to remind you of something:

You are worth far more than you could ever imagine. Worth more than the number on the scale, the car you drive, or the clothes you wear. More than the shoes you wear, your position on the career ladder, or even the number of followers you have on Twitter or Instagram. Whether you're the top in your class or can't seem to keep a C average.  Whether you're super popular or feel like you cannot call anyone "friend." Whether you love yourself and your life or you cannot stand to look in the mirror and feel like your life is falling apart. Whether you're such a winner or you feel like you're the world's biggest failure. Regardless of who you think you are, the reality is that you deserve to love yourself and not see yourself for those labels. Because in the eyes of God, you are cherished, loved, strong, capable, and countless other things. You are a child of the living God. Cherished, loved, and adored above all things by the Creator of all things for the glory of Him who is greater than all things.


You are WORTHY.

Hello blog fam!

Long time no post! Life has actually been insane and so much has happened since I last posted, I don't even know where to start. Not many monumental things have happened, just little things that are keeping me overly busy. The only "monumental" thing I can think of is that I went to Haiti!!!
I went October 10-16 and it was UNREAL. I will have to do a whole separate blog post on that, seeing as this one would be far too long, and that is not what this blog post is intended to talk about. 

Something I have learned in the midst of this chaotic season of life is that our God is a God who brings our chaos back into order every. single. time. I have been thinking and talking about how we don't serve a God of circumstance. Our God is steadfast, unwavering, never changing. He isn't here only sometimes. He is here always. We have to find it in our hearts to seek him in every situation. It seems a lot of times as if we only seek Him when we find ourselves in a pickle. Say we are going to fail a test or someone is sick. THEN and only then we find it appropriate to seek God in those times. Then if God doesn't deliver  how you prayed, you get upset with Him. We don't serve a God of circumstance. So with that being said, CLING to Him! He is searching for you! He wants to captivate your whole being. The question is....will you let Him? 

I can tell you from personal experience that having God captivate your whole being is the absolute sweetest and best place to be. It changes your outlook on life, and changes the way you carry yourself. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

-Kaitlyn

Come As You Are

I feel like so often we make it a competition to see who has the most highlighted verses in their Bible, who lifts their hands the most in worship, or who answers the most questions in small groups. But why? There is no "most spiritual person" award. Last time I checked, it wasn't about who is the most spiritual or who worships best, it's about THE Spirit and who is being worshiped. God isn't looking for the most highlighted verses or the most worn out Bible because it has been opened so much. He wants you to come as you are. It doesn't matter about how clean your hands are or how ironed your shirt is. He doesn't say "clean up and then we will talk." He wants you to come as you are! So our dirty hands, messy hair, wrinkled shirts -- he wants it. He wants YOU. After all, He created you didn't he? So why question what He wants? So often we fall in love with worldly desires and put our eyes on what the world says a Christian should look like and forget about HIS desires. When you fall in love with Jesus, you fall less in love with the world. Isn't that the best place to be? Where you are so engrossed with the Father's love that you cannot stand to talk about anything else?! He wants all of us. The messy hair, messy shirt, dirty hands. He doesn't want us to fix anything. He wants us to fall on our knees and say "Jesus!! I'm here! USE ME!!!"

I'm making that my prayer today (and everyday). That He will use me like never before. I want to be a laborer. Luke 10:2 says this: He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." 

Much Love,

Kaitlyn

It's Been a While

WOWZERZ!!
It has been so long since I have posted! How are you? How's life? I start school one week from TODAY!!!! August 4th. I feel like I start earlier every single year. This year,  I am a senior in high school and that absolutely blows my mind. How did these four years go by so fast? College decisions are freaking me out. I know what I want to do, but no idea where I want to go. Well I kinda lied. I know where I want to go, just no idea how I am going to afford it. I just wanted to update you guys a bit! You will see more posts from me soon :)

With Love,
Kaitlyn

"God Can't Use Me."

"God can't use me." 
That is one of the biggest lies the world feeds us and that we feed ourselves more often than not. But it is not true at all. We say things like "I'm too shy" "I'm too busy" "I am not called to do that" or my favorite, "I will pray about it." Every time I think about God not being able to use someone like me, I think about how God has already used me, and I may not notice it! Numerous times throughout the Bible, God uses people who you wouldn't suspect He would use. Prostitutes, beggars, tax collectors, etc. Think of Paul!  He was formerly Saul and HATED Christians. He ended up being one of the most well known Christians ever. So when you think God can't use you, think again. He uses everyone in a unique way. Just because you don't feel called to missions or ministry doesn't mean you cannot share the Gospel. He can and will use you, you just have to lay your life down and say "I give you my life and my trust" and watch the beauty of his glory unfold before your own eyes!

-Kaitlyn

God's Plan for Our Lives

Often times we think we have life figured out, and try to go our own way through life without seeking God's plan for our lives. But why? Why do we try and make our own way when we have someone who makes our paths straight? Time after time in the Bible, God talks about how he knows the plans he has for us and making our paths straight. Proverbs 3:6 says "In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Isaiah 58:11 says "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." I could tell you verse after verse, but that could do nothing for you. I just want to let you know that God is good always, and his grace is sufficient always (2 Corinthians 12:9). So knowing these things, why do we continuously try and make our paths straight on our own? We have a wonderful Savior who has our best interest always. He knows what he is doing. We are just living in his world. We are here to serve the purpose he has set out for us. So we should seek that purpose and pray through this crazy thing called life. After all, we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19). So let's seek his purpose daily, and pray without ceasing. He is good. 

What is our Purpose?

A friend and I were just talking, and we were both trying to figure out something to write about. He told me to write about our purpose as people. What a question. I think our purpose as people is to serve God in all we do, to be prayer warriors, to share the gospel with all creation (Mark 16:15). Time after time in the Bible, God says to go spread the good news. It is a command, not a suggestion. So that's what I think our purpose is as people. To go out everyday with our armor of the Lord on, and go spread his good news! He is so worth sharing! How could you not want to share about the Savior who died for us ---- paid for ALL of our sins. That is one of the strongest and sweetest things to know. So let's go into each day with the thought in our head of our sovereign Savior who died for us - let's go and share the good news!!!
-Kaitlyn

You Only Get A Glimpse

The photo above is me with my algebra homework I have been working on for what seems like forever now, and it's getting me down a bit as I scroll through Instagram and Twitter.All I have been thinking about today is how you only get a glimpse of everyone's lives on social media. For the most part, you just see the happy times. The times where they are enoing with friends or having a fun game night. And you think "wow they have such a fun life!" I do the same thing. I start comparing my life to theirs and looking at all my bad moments versus my good mountaintop moments and think "I should do more." But really? Everyone has their rough times. Those people who seem to be having the time of their lives 24/7 aren't. We all have our good and bad times. We just tend to show the good more because we don't want people to see the hurt, the stress, the weakness No one wants to show the overwhelming parts of life. This is my attempt to show you the overwhelming part of mine. What I'm trying to say is ---- don't let glimpses of other people's lives make you hate your own. Embrace the stressful all nighters studying. The bad days make the good days even better. Always remember God is good and he makes a way for everything.

-Kaitlyn

I Have a Question

The other day at church my small group leader asked the question: "Who is God to you today?" That question wrecked me. We all know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), but I think God is something different to me every day. For example: Sunday, He was my Shepard. Yesterday, He was my strength. Today, He is my peace. I've been having a bit of  rough week and He is most definitely my peace. 

So I want to challenge you to ask yourself the same question. Who is God to you today? I'd love to know :) Hope you're all having a great week!!

-Kaitlyn 

A New Mission

I have wanted to go on a mission trip for a while now, but I have never felt "called" to one. Ever since 2010, when the earthquake hit Haiti, I have loved the country. That was the first I had heard about it. I love learning about the culture, the people, everything. I even wrote a song dedicated to Haiti when the earthquake hit called "Hope Inside." Of course, it wasn't even good, but it's the thought that counts, right? Anyways, this past year I have wanted to be challenged spiritually. Don't get me wrong, everyday I wake up I am challenged spiritually, but I wanted a different kind of spiritual challenge if that makes sense. So March 10 I was sitting at my computer looking at all the different mission trips to Haiti my church had coming up. I saw one for October that I was totally capable of going on. I thought about it and just brushed it off. God was not happy about that. Little did I know the next night at church he would wreck me and put me in full surrender mode. That night my pastor, Nate, was talking about getting out of your comfort zone for the Lord. I thought like oh sitting with new people at lunch or something. Nope. Not on God's agenda -- not for me at least. I did not know that the next thing my youth pastor said would completely wreck me and cause me to lose it. He said "We have a fall break student mission trip to Haiti in October. Maybe that is how God wants you to get out of your comfort zone." I have never heard God scream so loud in my life. I thought to myself "This is it. I'm going." That moment I completely broke down and got down on my knees in full surrender. I thanked God for his love, sovereignty, steadfastness, etc. A quote that I am reminded of through this is:  "God isn't looking for something brilliant, He is looking for something broken." (Bob Kaufflin said that) And I discovered that when you are broken on your knees, crying to him, you find him.  That night I signed up to go to Haiti without even telling my parents. The first person I called was Craig, and I didn't even know what to say. He probably thought I was an idiot. Came home and told my parents, and they were shocked but happy. So looks like I am going to Haiti in October! Considering planes are my biggest fear, it is going to be a challenge but I am up for it. I cannot wait to spread the gospel and love on the people there. I hope to give them even just a glimpse of Christ's love so they will want to know more! I am so thankful for this and I cannot wait to see how God uses the team that I am going with. If you would like, join me in praying for the people of Haiti and our team going there. That God would use us as a vessel for these precious people.

Mark 16:15.

-Kaitlyn

Another Cool Person

Meet Evan!!! I've known Evan for almost two years now and he has been such a blessing in my life! I have only met a select few people like him. Those people are some of the most fired up people for Jesus I have ever met! Evan has a way of encouraging people that I have never seen before. Evan has this radiance and light about him that is so so rare, I don't think I have ever seen it before. When you talk to him, you can just tell he loves Jesus and is so passionate about his Savior, He encourages me when I don't even need it, and I could not be more thankful. He has truly been a vessel God has used in my life, and has become one of my very best friends. I will be eternally thankful that he is in my life, and I cannot wait to see what else God does with him!!! Thanks Evan for being such a truly amazing friend! I hope everyone has someone like Evan in your life!

-Kaitlyn

Meet This Cool Person

Meet TRISHA!!! Trisha is one of the most selfless, sweetest, kindest people I know. She is absolutely completely beautiful inside & out. She has such a heart for the Lord and for people --- something I have never seen before, She radiates such a positive vibe that is so wonderful and uplifting! I haven't known Trisha very long, but in the time I have known her I have become a better person because of her. She challenges me to tackle things I do not want to tackle and to hold onto Jesus during everything! She encourages others when they don't want it. I am so thankful for this sweet sweet sweet friend and I am so happy she is in my life!! I hope you all have someone like Trisha in your life! I am sure they are a true blessing as Trisha is to me!

-Kaitlyn

Meet This Cool Person

I have the privilege of knowing a lot of cool people, and I want to start introducing you to them. Meet Craig. (Really hope he doesn't kill me for posting this). I work with Craig and boy oh boy am I ever so thankful he was brought into my life. My first day at work he was the manager on shift and the only one to say hi to me. Now we have become super close and he is like my big brother and is one of my biggest inspirations. Craig is in school to become a pastor, and I don't think there is a better calling God could have set out for him. When you talk to Craig, you get this instant happiness inside you and you just want to know more. He has taught me so much about Jesus and my faith, and so much about myself. I don't know how I ever lived through life without him. He is my mentor, my inspiration, and my brother. Everyday I see I am scheduled to work with him I get excited because I know we are gonna either have a deep conversation or make sarcastic remarks that make my night better, So that's Craig. A Jesus loving weirdo who's heart is on fire for the Lord. I hope you all meet someone like Craig! Everyone deserves one :)

-Kaitlyn

Worth

Talking about self-worth can be a really touchy subject for some, but in this post, my aim is to help you know your worth, and what the Bible says about your worth!!

Let's start in the beginning - Genesis 1:27. Right from the start it says "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." How cool is that to know that God created us in HIS IMAGE?!! Like it doesn't get much more beautiful than that.
Now to Song of Songs 4:7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling, there is no flaw in you." The book of Song of Songs is a beautifully written book. Solomon knew what he was talking about. This is just one of the countless times in the Bible where beauty is mentioned. It seems like God is trying to get a message across to us. Flip to Isaiah 62:3. It's talking about Zion here :: "You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Look how beautiful that scripture is!!!  There is so much hope in that. Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." This is a very common passage of scripture, but we can cling to it. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!!! We are all temples of the Lord, and I don't think it gets more priceless than that. There is so much hope in Jesus! There is so much WORTH in Jesus! We are His children and He made is in HIS image! Don't you just love that? From our mother's womb, he knitted us together and created us in our inmost being (Ps. 139:13). Hold onto that! Know your worth. Know your worth in Him!

Let's Talk.

Lately my life has been absolutely nothing shy of stressful and insane. I have lost friends, lost opportunities, and in a lot of ways, lost myself. I have a hard time with stepping back and taking a look at everything I have lost and gained in these past couple weeks and seeing how it has changed my life in a lot of ways. Sometimes, you lose people for a reason. The reason may not be very visible then, however God has an absolutely PERFECT design for our lives!! One of my good friends said this: "some friends are there for a reason and some are there for a season." That couldn't be more true. So as I have lost some people I thought would be in my life forever, I am so thankful for the lessons I have learned through it!! So next time things seem like they are falling apart and ripping at the seams, remember the beautiful and wonderful design God has for your life (Jeremiah 29:11) and rest in that!! He is so good!! Let's stand in thanksgiving of our sweet sweet Savior!!

Much Love,

Kaitlyn

Anxiety

Today I want to talk about anxiety and what the Bible says about anxiety, and how anxiety can be seen as a sin. First off what is anxiety? 

anx·i·e·ty

aNGˈzīədē/

noun

1. a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

I struggle with anxiety quite often, and it's no fun. But I'm learning to deal with it and to pray through it!! One of my go to passages in the Bible is Philippians 4:4-7. ""Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Did you hear that?!! The Lord is NEAR!! Pray through the anxiety. God has it completely under control!! Psalm 34:4 says "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." He is there!! Seek him during your most anxious moments, but don't make it just then when you seek him! Seek him always! He is greater than anyone and anything, right? So surely he can bring you to peace from your anxiety. Proverbs 12:25 says "Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up." It doesn't get much more blunt than that. So what I'm trying to get at here is to let go of that anxiety and cast all that anxiousness and fear on Jesus! For he is a mighty conqueror, and what seems like a mountain to you is so so small to Him! He is so good :) 

Much Love,

Kaitlyn

Trusting Him

Hello Blogspot Fam!!
I hope you're all having a lovely day. Today I want to talk about trusting God in the midst of your darkest nights, biggest fears, and scariest moments. HE IS ALWAYS GOOD!!! So, what is trust? 

trust: /trəst/ noun: firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

The Bible talks about trusting the Lord numerous times throughout. Even if the word "trust" is not said -- it is implied all throughout from Genesis to Revelation. You've heard the well known verse in Proverbs 3 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (v 5). It goes on to tell us to submit to God and he will make our paths straight. (That's a whole other post). Joshua 1:9 says "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." 2 Samuel 7:28 says "Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant." Exodus 14:14 says "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." I could go on and on, but I will stop there so you have more to read for yourself. The Bible is so repetitive about how trustworthy the Lord is and how faithful he is to us. So why is it so hard for us to trust HIM?? Why are we scared to trust Him at times?? I personally know that my pride gets in the way, and that I want to figure everything out on my own, but it doesn't work that way!! In James 4:6 it tells us that God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. We should not let pride stand in the way of us trusting in Jesus!! Who are we to be so proud that we can't fully submit to and trust in the one who died for us? If you ask me, that's pretty screwed up. So let's start submitting ourselves to God and trusting him through absolutely everything.

Much Love,

-Kaitlyn

Photoshoot with Allie

HELLO!!! Here in Tennessee it has been a snowy, winter wonderland for almost TWO WEEKS!! I have spent an awful amount of time on my computer and have watched one too many episodes of Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. It's what I do. I haven't been to school in 13 days (counting weekends) which could be a bad thing but I don't see it as a bad thing really. Except I will not remember anything when I go back and have a mountain of homework to do for about a week, but you know, I will get over it. Now that I got that little update out of the way, I wanted to share these photos that Lynn took of one of my best friends, Allie, and I! This was back in early January, but it was such a fun day and we are extremely awkward. We clearly don't know how to take photos. 

These photos describe our relationship. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Hope you're all staying safe & warm! 

Much Love,

Kaitlyn 

Happiness is Key

Hello blogspot fam. 
I am sitting here, on my couch, about to have a mental breakdown over a dumb math assignment I have online. Then I'm thinking...wow Kaitlyn you are completely overreacting, but it's the small things that get you sometimes ya know? Then I remember Ephesians 4:27 where it tells us to not give Satan a foothold. I think this math assignment was sort of the tip of the iceberg for me but hey HAPPINESS IS KEY! This is probably going to sound odd but stick with me here. I have been watching a ton of Ellen lately and I just noticed how she, and other people she brings on her show are SO HAPPY despite what they are going through. I am blessed beyond measures and really don't have a reason to be unhappy.  So this is my challenge for myself, and you. Everyday for the next month write down five things that brought you joy that day. I will start with mine for today.

1. I got to sleep in because I didn't have school
2. I learned a new joke
3. Found some new music
4. Got ahead on schoolwork
5. Had a fun snapchat convo with my friend Allie

LET'S GET HAPPY!! I will write my five things down each day for a month and share them with you on March 20th :) 

Hope you're well!

-Kaitlyn

from my heart.

Looking at the world around me I see and feel so much judgement. It's not fair. No one deserves to be judged on what they are wearing, how their face looks, or a YouTube video they posted about some challenge. After all, we are all the same in God's eyes, right? So why can't we look at each other that way? I'm not gonna say I haven't judged someone or something before, because I have. It's human nature to be judgmental, and I'm human. But just because it's human nature doesn't mean we can't try and make it less of a habit or problem. WE can be the difference! So, that girl is wearing something that isn't your style. Go her for expressing HER style. That guy doesn't look like Harry Styles. Go him. If every guy looked like Harry Styles or Zac Efron we would be bored. After all, doesn't the Bible say in 1 Samuel that you shouldn't consider appearance, you should look at the heart? {1 Samuel 16:7} So let's live that out. Let's learn to get to know people before we decide what we think of them. I'm sure you've been judged before too, it hurt didn't it? So who are we to judge? That's right, no one. So look at things through the Lord's eyes -- be what He is -- l o v e.  Genesis says we are all made in his image, isn't that so great?! We are all His creation and beautiful in our own ways! So let's be love fam. Be the light.

Much Love,

Kaitlyn

S.O.A.P. {how i study the Bible / do my quiet time}

Hey homies,

I haven't written in a while and I sincerely apologize. I finally got a new computer and I am looking forward to a lot of new blog posts!! Hopefully 2015 will bring lots of new posts! Anyways, today I want to talk about how I study my bible / do my quiet time. I got this idea from Pinterest anad absolutely love it.

I use the acronym S.O.A.P. 

S is for Scripture: I write down the scripture that really stand out to me or have significance to them. Or if I feel like God is really speaking to me through the scripture.

O is for Observation: I write down what I observed in the scripture I wrote down. For example: what God is teaching whoever is in the scripture, what God is teaching me, etc.

A is for Application: This is when I write down how I can apply the lessons I learned through the scripture to my life.

P is for Prayer: This is when I pray for me and me only. Now don't get me wrong -- I love praying for other people and do that all the time separately. I find it really hard to pray for myself so this is a way of forcing myself to do so.

I hope you saw this as helpful and that maybe it will help you out!! I am not saying you have to do this by any means, just showing you what helps me! Hope you're all having a great 2015 so far!

love always,
Kaitlyn