for you - i sing, i dance.

so for the past few weeks, i have been struggling with temptation very badly and last weekend i fell into it. there hasn't been any external pressure what so ever. all of the people i hang out with know my beliefs and know that i don't drink. the pressure was entirely eternal. i let satan take an inch and he ran with it. since then, i've been so torn. what happened? where did i decide to turn my back on God? i've been lifting up my worries to our Lord and praying for him to take the desire to sin from my heart and to reveal his purpose in this hard time in my life. i know that God didn't cause this but i know that he can take the mistakes that i make and turn them into learning and growing experiences. i've been asking my brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for me this week because i believe whole heartedly in the power that prayer has. last night, i had a long, wonderful conversation with my dear dear friend jimmy. he is someone who i know is very close to the Lord and i know God uses him to push me to the limit and break my heart. after that conversation, i felt a lot more at peace than i had all week long. thank the Lord for honest, loving friends! after my conversation with jimmy, i went to campus outreach (a ministry that i am beginning to fall in love with). nate discussed records; past, present, and future and how we believe those records give us eternal life. we rely on our own deeds to become closer to God when we know that Jesus is the only way. in this, i realized where i fell. i have been relying on the "christian" things that i do in my life such as going to church, reading the bible, worship, bible studies, etc. instead of relying on Christ. i can't even explain how God used nate to pinpoint this problem in my life. it was incredible. after the message, one of my close friends broke down and told me she feels lost and as if she has no purpose in her life! God literally broke her heart!!!! i got to speak truth into her life and tell her how God has saved my life. she saw first hand that christians are no where near perfect and that we don't have to make ourselves clean for God to love and accept us. my friend kaci and i got to pray together for her and i lost it! THIS IS IT FRIENDS! this is where joy is found. this is why we follow Jesus Christ. he is so incredibly faithful, merciful, and full of grace! PRAISE HIM! i am finding community and seeing God in ways that i never have before. i am learning to follow and trust in the Lord with my whole heart. what a blessing it has been to feel broken. God is the way, the truth, the LIFE! our happiness can only be found in Him and how wonderful it is that he will never fail us! friends, i feel truly alive again. i can't wait to see how God uses me on this campus and how i grow over these next few years!

these are some pictures of my favorite season! i hope your day is filled with the love and joy Christ brings and you see Him in new and interesting ways today. LOVE ALWAYS.