the fruit of the spirit. part three!

PEACE!!!!!!!!!

love. joy. peace. patience. kindness. goodness. faithfulness. gentleness. self control. the fruits of the spirit.

let’s think about peace for a sec:

(ok more than a sec because warning this one is actually kinda long!!!)

my fav place to go is the beach. (who’s with me???) —

you know that feeling of peace you get from laying on the beach all day? you’re on vacation- the sun on your skin, you aren’t having to worry about school or your job because you’re just chillin??

well, the beach used to be the only place i felt this peace in. my peace only lasted for the week that i had my toes in the sand- but now, i have a lasting peace. no worries. and it all started with Jesus.

“And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15.

ok so you’re about to get a backstory on my life whether you like it or not!!!! prepare yourself!!!

— i used to be the most stressed out person EVER. ask anyone. i’m a huge perfectionist and procrastinator (which is probably the worst combination ever!!!!). i worried about everything in my life. from school, to what i looked like, to what everyone else thought of me- i was a wreck 24/7. as a twelve year old, i would get sick every time i took a test at school, had a soccer game, or a piano recital... doesn’t that sound so fun!! :’)

i got things under control, until my junior year of high school. so many things in my life began to change. i started taking college classes (yay dual enrollment) and i had to start driving (yeah im 17 and absolutely hate driving because it terrifies me yes i know i am not normal). so much change at one time made me freak out.... i would get sick in the middle of eating any meal. not because i wanted to or because i thought i needed to, but because i always had so much on my mind, so i always felt sick. it was terrible. i didn’t know how to change or fix it. i even went to the doctor because i thought i was allergic to the food i was eating or something. but nope. it was just me!!!

it took me a while to realize what the real issue was... until one day it clicked. i realized that i was always the one trying to be in control of my life. i thought i could accomplish all of my responsibilities on my own. i didn’t trust the One who is in control of everything in the first place!! —

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7.

LET ME TELL YOU!!! THE PEACE THAT COMES FROM TRUSTING GOD IS BETTER THAN ANY DAY AT THE BEACH!! IT IS UNREAL!!!!

REASONS TO TRUST GOD: He created you!! He loves you! He even loves you so much that He sent His son to die for you! He has your best interest in mind, ALWAYS. the Lord has been here since the beginning of time and He will be here for forever- so He knows what has happened in your life, what is currently happening, and what is going to happen. He wrote out your entire life before you were even born!!!

HE IS SO FAITHFUL! He is there for you through the good and the bad!! Through your weakness, He is made strong, and He will give you the strength to overcome ANYTHING!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

pray for God’s will to be done. NOT your own. if you do things out of God’s will, you will fail. but, the Lord will still be with you, ready to help you and ready for you to realize that His ways are better than your own.

—once i found this peace, i started senior year with a new mindset. i brought everything to God. i took on six college classes to help boost my GPA, which was a huge leap of faith. i knew i needed to make all a’s to maintain my class rank. my friends thought i was crazy for doing this, but i went into the semester with confidence because i knew that the Lord would be with me through it all!!

i prayed for God to help me succeed, but if it was not His will for me to make it in the top two of my class, to help me be okay with it and trust that it was part of His plan.

it was so much work. but, our God is faithful! all because of Him, i made all a’s and i was able to maintain my position as salutatorian- a goal i have strived for since the fifth grade. and last semester was actually the LEAST stressed out i have ever been. (which is crazy!!!) ALL glory to HIM!!!!!! —

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6.

HERE IS BASICALLY WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY: God is with you always. we all have different things going on in our lives that make us worry. school, jobs, relationships, major life decisions... we can not do these things on our own. we need to rely on God. but what a friend we have in the Lord!! You can trust Him with your life. He is so powerful. He knows EXACTLY what you need.

the Lord has a plan for your life. find peace in that. ^^^

thank you for reading!!!