Category: College

Don’t get too comfortable

Remember when you first moved into your college dorm room. You took most of your things and moved into this tiny room with two beds, two desks, and a bathroom (if you were lucky). You got it the way you wanted and this was your new living area. After a while, you got use to living there, and you tried to make it your new home. However, it still didn’t feel like home. You were comfortable in the room, but you’re dog wasn’t there and the smell of your mom cooking in the kitchen wasn’t there either. It was just a room with your things in it.

Now think about this Earth. You have all these things: friends, family, pets, food, clothes, shoes, etc. You have your room the way you want it. You plan your life and manage your time to do the things you like. However, this is not your home. Our home is with Christ who is in heaven. He created this Earth for us to live on, but He doesn’t want us to be comfortable here. He made us to share the gospel so that His children can eventually live in Heaven with Him and the rest of our family.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:1-2

With that all being said, it’s sometimes difficult for us to not be comfortable on earth. I mean this is the only solid ground that we know of and live on. But Jesus wants us to set our eyes on things above, not on the flesh of this Earth. The world that we live on is difficult and evil comes because this is not our home.

Jesus came from the outside of the world, inside to save our lives.

Jesus wants nothing but the best for us. He wants us to enjoy our time on Earth, be surrounded by loved ones and have fun moments. But He doesn’t want us to get so comfortable with the Earth that we start relying on the earthly things more than Him. We always need to keep our focus on the REAL TRUTH.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. – Colossians 3:12

We do not need to conform to the world and be like it. We need to be a reflection of Jesus in all that we do. I hope you have a wonderful week. Praying for you.

Love always,

Claire

 

As Hannah Montana Says “Nobody’s Perfect”

While I was sitting on my bed, I opened up my little devotional book/coloring book (shoutout to Jordan Lee) cause I thought “you know I need to just chill right now”. I started coloring with my fancy little pencils and I wasn’t staying in the lines too well. I thought “it doesn’t matter, no one except me is going to see this”.

Honestly, if I wanted to I could make the ocean purple, the sky orange, and the grass yellow. But I kept on coloring, and then my friend asked to see a picture of it when I got done.

Well then your homegirl felt pressured. When I almost got done with it, I looked at it and thought “dude this looks pretty bad”. Being the perfectionist that I am, I tried to make it look better. I tried to cover up my mistakes and fix most of it, so that when I sent it to my friend, it looked pretty good. I finally finished it and she thought it looked awesome.

However, my friend didn’t know that I had spent a good 10 minutes trying to fix the mess that I had created to make it look good. She didn’t know that I was insecure about it before I sent her the picture. All she probably thought was “oh Claire colored that in 15 minutes and it looks so good!”

She had no clue what was happening to me on the inside.

That’s the thing with us humans. We see a picture of this girl/guy who looks like they are living their best life. However, we have no clue what may be going on inside of them. That person may be struggling with the same thing as you or maybe something even harder to deal with.

I’ve been watching a lot of youtube videos lately of these girls that look like they would have their life together. They have the cutest clothes, fancy jewelry, sweet boyfriends, etc. but they get real on their videos and say how much they are hurting with anxiety, depression, comparison, grief, and so on.

Nobody is perfect. Nobody has the perfect life. Yes so people may have things that look so much better to us and make us feel like our life is nothing compared to their’s but I bet you, they are struggling with things that you might not even know about.

So I want to encourage you that whenever you get jealous of that boy/girl that looks like they have it all together, remember that nobody’s life is perfect. We are all humans and we all bleed the same.

Love always,

Claire

Overcome The Giant

We all have giants that we face. For some of us, that may be a mental issue that we face, anxiety, addiction, depression, etc. For others, that could be a physical issue such as, cancer, eating disorders, heart problems, etc. It could even be situations that have hurt us, a hard break up, the death of a love one, a friend who betrayed us, or rejection from others.

No matter what it may be, some of us have something that makes life a little harder than it should be. Something that keeps us up at night. Something that is hard to overcome, and sometimes, we wonder “Maybe we should just give up”.

Well today, I want you to find that giant, whatever it may be. Find it inside of you.

Do you have it?

Now, be thinking about it while you read this next part.

Jesus has won the victory. He has defeated your giant when he died on the cross.

“God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light. God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son. The Son paid for our sins, and in him we have forgiveness. No one can see God, but Jesus Christ is exactly like him. He ranks higher than everything that has been made. Through his power all things were made — things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ. He was there before anything was made, and all things continue because of him. He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place. God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ. And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again — things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross.” -Colossians 1:11-20

It says it all right there. He has won the victory FOR YOU. He has defeated sin FOR YOU. He has given YOU a new life in Him. ISN’T THAT AMAZING??

However, even through the death of Jesus Christ, that does not mean we will not face trials. You giant can still hurt you. It can haunt you, hurt you, whisper lies to you, and even more. BUT Jesus has won the victory for you, so that you can have life with Him and overcome your giant.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13

Believe that verse and hold on to it. You cannot conquer your giant alone, but with God, anything is possible. He will strengthen you and help you. It may be difficult. It may take a lot of strength in you, and it also may take time. BUT it’s not impossible. Remember that.

Love always,

Claire

Treat Your Friends Like Jesus Treats You (Even When They Mess Up)

Have you ever been in a position with one of your really great friends, and you’re just like “Did they really just do that?” or “Did they really just say that?” 

Sometimes, people’s actions, words, feelings, etc. just shock us so hard and sometimes, it can really upset us. You think that this person was a close friend, someone you trusted so much, but then they go and hurt you. This leaves you so tempted to stay high-key salty with them or get revenge.

But just because it’s what you want to do, doesn’t mean it’s what you should do.

Let’s look at Peter. Peter was best friends with Jesus. He looked up to Jesus, loved Him, and trusted Him so much. He wanted to follow Him for the rest of his life. But Peter messed up, and he denied who Jesus was, aka his best friend. He straight up told people that he didn’t know who Jesus was.

Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept. – Mark 14:71-72

Ouch. How would you feel if your best friend denied knowing you in a public place? I would be pretty hurt. Jesus was hurt, but He still died for Peter. Just like how He died for us even after we sin so many times. Jesus is hurt that we sin, but Jesus KNOWS us, and He understands that we are humans. He understands that we aren’t perfect. We are going to mess up, and we are going to make mistakes.

So yes, when your friend betrays you, it’s hard not to want to yell at them. It’s hard not to want to slap them across the face and get upset at them. But treat them like Jesus treats us. Know that they aren’t perfect. They mess up just like you do. Love them when they mess up. Comfort them. Forgive them.

Love always,

Claire

#treatyourselfcauseitsalmosthalloween

 

Submerge

Life is CRAZY. Am I right? We continually have so many things we have to do. We have all these things we are drowning in, school, jobs, internships, relationships, social life, and the list goes on and on. Over time, all these things get stacked on top of each other, one by one, and this causes us to be super stressed and overwhelmed.

And as much as I wish there was cure for stress, something that made it go away and never come back, there is no cure. We are all human beings. We are going to get stressed and overwhelmed.

There is nothing that WE can do to fix this. But there is something that HE can do. 

It’s hard for us to submerge into Jesus when we get stressed out. We want all the stresses to go away immediately and if they don’t, then we start doubting our God.

Think about Job. Job suffered so much throughout his life. He lost his family. He was attacked so many times by Satan. Yet, he still always had faith and trust in the Lord. Job realized that he came into the world with nothing and would take nothing with him, except the Lord. That was all he needed.

It hard for us and our human mind to believe that all we need is Jesus, but it’s true. ALL WE NEED IS JESUS. We don’t need all the fame on social media. We don’t need to have everything in our life planned out perfectly.

If we were perfect people, then we wouldn’t need a perfect God.

Instead of drowning ourselves in all these Earthly things and distractions, let’s submerge ourselves in Jesus. Let’s read His word and believe all the truths He tells us. Soak it up.

Love always,

Claire

#Godfidence

Do you ever feel like you just aren’t good enough? Either for yourself or just anyone?

Let me tell you something. The devil is a trickster. He tries to get in our minds and fills us with all these lies. He likes to make us think that we aren’t good enough to get the grades, to get the girl/guy, etc.

All these lies start filling our minds and they eventually influence our spiritual relationships with God. We start feeling like “Well, if I’m not good enough for so and so, how am I good enough for God???”

As Christians we aren’t suppose to be caught up in all this darkness. God called us to be living in the light instead. He wants you to step out of this cloud of doubts, insecurities, worries, etc. and be confident in Him and yourself.

We must remember the truths that God tells us, not what the devil tells us.

TRUTH #1: YOU ARE CHOSEN

God chose you. He was going to did for you, not because you wanted Him to but because He always had a purpose. His death enables us to be good enough. We are no longer bond to the flesh.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. – John 15:16

TRUTH #2: YOU ARE ABLE

Life isn’t going to be easy. It’s hard. Life is not fair. We don’t always get what we want. But even when we are tempted, He is going to give strength to endure it. He gives us an escape to get out of this situation, so don’t beat yourself up.

 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. – Corinthians 10:13

TRUTH #3: YOU ARE UNIQUE

He made you exactly to be YOU. He knew who you were before you were even born. Recognize that you are God’s workmanship. Be confident in your gifts that He has given you and remember that you are not like everyone else, so don’t compare yourself.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. -Psalm 139:14-15

TRUTH #4: YOU ARE LOVED

In case you didn’t already know this, HE LOVES YOU. HE DIED FOR YOU. It doesn’t make sense. “How can God love me?” We don’t deserve His love and mercy but He gives it to us anyway. We are His children. He loves us so much.

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

Remember these truths. Have confidence in our Lord and in yourself. Don’t beat yourself up too much. God’s got a plan and we have to trust and be faithful in Him. I hope you can be filled with some Godfidence and believe these truths.

Love always,

Claire

Think Eternal, Not Earthly

I feel like most of the time, we get so caught up in society. We get attached to social media, school, money, what people think, how we look, etc. We end up stressed so easily, and at the end of the day, we feel weak. We spend so much time focused on all the earthly things of this world, but we forget to pay attention to the Heavenly things that Jesus wants us to strive for. We spend all this time trying to strive for earthly desires, but it’s never enough for us, only Jesus is.

Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:1-2

Lately, I get the feeling when I am in a group of friends, that I am always the one who is not glued to their phone. Honestly, I hate looking at my phone. I only get on it now for a few minutes, and it’s normally to respond to a text message. I am a people person, which means I want to sit down with you and talk, not text. However, most people now are glued to how many people liked their post or who’s laughing at something that put in a group chat.

Here’s the thing: Earthly things are great. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching youtube videos that stupid yet funny. I love going on social media. I love seeing celebrity drama every now and then. I love a lot of things this Earth offers. But Jesus doesn’t want us to be soaked up into all the worldly things.

Let’s change our view to eternal, not earthly!

It doesn’t matter what you made on that one test, or if that guy/girl likes you back. Jesus didn’t tell us to get 2,000 followers on Instagram. He didn’t say you have to go to college. He didn’t say that being a Christian is easy. Life is rough. We get stressed, frustrated, hurt, and the list goes on and on. The world we live in is messed up, so let’s fix it. Let’s change the social norm of be on your phone 24/7. Let’s change our addiction to social media to an addiction of Jesus.

Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most out of every opportunity. Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. – Colossians 4:5-6

In the end, all that matters is how you loved others, how you served God, and your relationship with Our Savior. God has your life planned for you. Your life is in His hands. He loves you and wants the best for you. He isn’t going to let it all fall apart. Trust Him and don’t stress yourself about the worldly things.

Love always,

Claire