Self Image

If I asked you how you viewed yourself, and you answered truthfully, what would you say? We are living in the age where everything is photoshopped, people are labeled based on appearance, people are bullied because of appearance, girls are being encouraged to starve themselves, people are trying to live up to fake images, and insecurities are everywhere. Girls, and guys, are informed by society that in order to achieve anything in life, they need to reach a certain level of perfection. The worst part comes in when you realize that this level of perfection is something unhealthy, unattainable, and quite honestly, ridiculous. The truth is that no matter how hard you try, even if it works, will all be for nothing; because nothing is ever quite good enough. Others will never be satisfied, and you will never be satisfied. The thing is, every person you see is just as insecure as the next. You may think, "They have amazing hair; a perfect body; flawless skin; great features". But the people with what you consider a perfect face or body don't think that about themselves. We are all insecure, and that only changes when you choose to accept yourself for what you are: someone wonderful, special, made in Christ's image, beautiful--or handsome--and loved.

The problem is that we're too busy picking ourselves apart, comparing ourselves to others, and imagining how much better we would feel with "improvements". Accept and make yourself start believing that you look awesome exactly how you are. It's never going to be the easiest thing in the world to love the way you look. Just start small. Stop looking in the mirror, tilting your head, and pondering "Hm, I would look better with _______/I wish I didn't have _______/I wish I did have _______/I don't like _______/If only _______". (< The blanks indicating what you, personally, would insert there) No. Start by saying "no". No, I am not going to pick myself apart. I am not going to wish for something else. I am not going to compare myself to what I think is better. I am not going to belittle myself. Start looking in the mirror, smiling super big--even when you don't want to--and thinking "I like _______/It's cool that I have _______/I look great because _______". If you have trouble doing that, then start by imagining that you have an awesome friend who has almost your exact body or face. Now, would you ever say to this friend, "You're fat", "You're ugly", "I hate how your _______ looks", or "I would like you better if you had _______". I'm going to assume that you would not say those things to any of your friends. So, why on earth would you say that about yourself? 

The following is for people who are bullied about their appearance...Please do not take to heart anything that those people said to you. They were lying. Whether it's because they wanted a reason to pick on you, or they themselves are insecure, whatever they said is simply not true. Everyone is insecure in some way, but unfortunately some people do not know how to handle that insecurity well. So, in order to make themselves feel better, they make someone else feel awful, and so on and so forth. It's a vicious cycle. Be the one to stop that cycle. As hard as it may be, don't retaliate; instead, encourage others that they are beautiful and special too, and maybe we can break that cycle. 

At the end of the day though, outward appearance doesn't matter a bit anyway. I know; this is also hard to accept and believe. It is true though. Your heart is where the darkness clouds up, negative thoughts set in, and you fall apart; or, it can be where light radiates, lovely thoughts blossom, and you are made alive. Only God can do the latter, by the way. No matter what you look like on the outside or how you see yourself, you are dead inside until you allow Jesus to live there. Once He is residing in you, you are made alive, washed clean, and He sees you as beautiful. Even if you don't accept Him, He still cares for you. God is the creator of beautiful things, and let me tell you something: He created you. The same God who made the galaxies, planets, flower fields, mountains, valleys, rivers, beaches, and sunsets, also crafted you. 

Don't forget to remind others of how beautiful--or handsome--they are. Every day, someone you encounter will need that reminder more than anything else, and you can be the one to give it to them. Practice viewing yourself positively as well--it will pay off. Just remember in the process that the significance of what your face and body looks like cannot compare to the significance of what your heart and soul look like. 

"I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14~

"For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." ~1 Samuel 16:7b~

--Love, Amanda

Dear...

Dear Satan,
You are so right. I am a failure. But you know what, my God is not. So be quiet. The Holy Spirit lives in me. The power that already defeated you surrounds me every minute of every day of my life. I have an army of angels with my Savior on the front line in front of me. You have a prison gate in front of you. You can whisper to me to break down, give up, crumble, shatter, fall, give in, kneel before you, trip into your never ending pit of deceit and despair--but while you are whispering that in my ear, I hear God's voice over you speaking this in my ear: I am your foundation, Savior, lover, forgiver, provider, healer, army, protector, prince, king, infinite wall, fort, bridge. 

You can chop me down, but I’ll just get right back up, because my base is still there. You can beat me down to the bottom, but I’ll rise right back up to the top on the shoulders of the Lord. You can convince me that I am worthless, but God will still know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and He will never stop reminding me that. Yes, I know, you will also never stop reminding me that I’m worthless, but that’s the great part. God is louder than you are. Because God created the universe. And that same guy that created the universe and every detailed thing in it, loves me unconditionally. My God is always by my side, and all it takes to frighten you away is His Name.

I am part of the body of Christ. I have thousands of brothers and sisters who will hunt you down if you even touch me. I have a God who, if you can believe it, is even more reliable than that. Remember that time my Defender triumphed over you? Of course you remember, because it’s happened countless times. And you're a fool if you think that is going to change someday--because it won't.

I will mess up. I mess up every 5 seconds. But that’s just about where you stop laughing, because my God has an abundance of grace to offer. If your goal is to separate me from my Heavenly Father, don’t even bother. It’s not possible. God said so Himself, I know for a fact that the God of the universe does not lie. 

Dear God,
Thank You. Just for everything. Thank You for being there for me at every moment. Thank You that You are such a faithful rock and foundation for me to rely on. Thank You that You forgive endlessly and I don’t have to worry about You leaving me in my filth and shame. Thank You for caring enough to not only die for me, but to come back to life. Thank You that You are my healer, protector, prince, king, guider, forgiver, lover, foundation, provider. Thank You that Your love and grace and mercy never fails, because I know I fail every minute. I could never be perfect, so thank You that You are. Thank You for lifting me up in my weakness and defending me against evil and darkness. Thank You for having compassion towards your creations. You don't have to care about what happens to us--we certainly do not deserve that--but You still do. I want every bit of You and not one bit of the world.

I am genuinely sorry that I don’t pray or read Your Word every day like I should. I’m sorry I don’t spend time with You and try to encounter You, that I don’t follow Your way when I should, that even when I’m convicted by You I continue in my sin. I know that Your grace is not an excuse to sin, but a reason to serve You more fully, and I desire with all my heart to live that out. Thank you for always listening to me and always having time for me. I don’t have the right to make excuses, and I know I was about to say “but”, but I’m going to let that go and realize I need to start saying no to my sin and stop making excuses. Thank You for being my strength and not leaving me to deal with temptation on my own. Your mercy blows me away. Because no matter how many times I shove You away and ignore You, You still love me and I am still Your child. I spend so much time asking for things and making excuses when I should be thanking You for everything You are, since You are literally everything. Thank You Jesus.

"For I am convinced that neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord." ~Romans 8:38-39~

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." ~Matthew 7:24-25~

--Love, Amanda

It's Your Decision

From the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we fall asleep at night, we have choices to make. We face hundreds of choices throughout our day, even if they're automatic ones, like getting out of bed. But I think the most important ones we make are how we treat people. Things like how we spend money, how we fix our hair, what we eat, and what we wear have some significance--obviously you wouldn't walk outside wearing a black trash bag and eat dirt for breakfast--however those things don't last very long or have much value. Money and possessions will all go away at some point. Your hair style will be totally messed up before the day is even over. Next week, you won't be able to recall what you ate this week. Tomorrow, no one will remember what shoes you were wearing today. 

But grudges don't go away nearly as easily as money and possessions. Difficulty in friendship doesn't disappear as smoothly as tangles in your hair do. You may not remember what you ate or wore the other day, but that person will certainly remember the insulting comment someone made about them. People remember how we treat them, they care about how we treat them--so we should care too. No matter what someone has done to you, or what you think you may know about them, they deserve your respect simply because of the fact that they are human. It's hard to ignore things that happened in the past, or what might happen in the future, but ask yourself, is it worth hurting someone simply for satisfaction that lasts for minutes? No matter how good you think it will feel to give someone a piece of your mind, or to get revenge, it will not turn out how you imagine. Guilt will gnaw at you, and you will feel regret at some point. 

I know from experience that at the heat of the moment, it's much easier just to make that rude comment, or yell at someone, or get upset, or make that frustrated gesture, or be impatient. It's hard to exhibit self control. It's hard to stop and think about the results. It's hard to push away your negative feelings about someone. It's hard to get over your embarrassment and apologize after you know you've said something wrong. But we need to do it anyway, because it's the right thing. Society is falling apart because we've forgotten how to conquer our impatience, anger, and spite--we've forgotten how to right the wrong. Or maybe we remember and purposefully don't do it, because we don't even care anymore. Either way, it needs to change. You can choose to make a person's day or ruin it, simply by what you say about them or do to them. You never know what someone is going through at that time, so you can't judge how you act towards them based on what they do. It's so much harder to take the kind, patient, loving route every time, but it's so much more rewarding. Isn't it kind of amazing knowing that you could make a person's day, boost their confidence, or even change their life, just by treating them with a little love? 

If you have trouble choosing the right action, try seeing it through the other person's eyes. Think to yourself: What could they be going through today? How would I be acting right now if I were in the same situation? How would I feel if someone insulted me when I was already having a bad day? How would I feel if someone regarded me with complete disrespect? How would I feel if someone called me [insert adjective]? The answers you come up with may change your mind. You might think at first, "But no, really, they..." "You have no idea how awful they are..." "Trust me, I know them better than you think". No--trust me. No one knows every little detail of a person's life. It's just not possible. So treat them just like you would treat your best friends. It's tough to accept, I know--but it will be worth it. 

When you finish reading this, please take a couple minutes to simply think. What has happened in the past that requires an apology or forgiveness? What should you choose to do in the present? What will you do in the future? I challenge you to remember that what you say, what you do, how you treat people, how you influence them, what impact you make on the world--it's your decision. 

"Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." ~Philippians 2:4~

"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies , do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them...Do to others as you would have them do to you." ~Luke 6:27-29, 31~

--Love, Amanda

No Big Deal

More often than not, people focus on the negative. It doesn't make life better, but in all the craziness that gets thrown at us, it's just so easy to do. We overreact and under-appreciate. There's always something wrong with life. Nothing seems to be going right. Nothing is in your favor right now. Why can't you have one peaceful day. Why did the world decide to pick on you today? This is just awful.

You know something though? It's most likely not nearly as big a deal as you think it is. Out of habit, we've trained ourselves to never look at the bigger picture. We convince ourselves in every day situations that this is the worst possible thing that can happen to us--when it's actually not. When you stop, take a deep breath, and really think about it, you'll start to realize how silly the things you get frustrated at are. Occasionally, I'll manage to be sensible for a few minutes, and I realize how ridiculous I can be sometimes. Is it honestly as terrible as I always make it out to be? Is my life that awful when they get my order wrong at a restaurant? When I have to stand in a line for 10 minutes? When I'm 5 minutes later than I wanted to be, and I don't get to chat with my friends as long? When we aren't having what I want for dinner? When I have a heavy work load? When I lose something and can't find it? It all seems horrid, like the world hates me, until I realize that there are lots of people in a much worse shape than me right now. So how about I just take a deep breath and be grateful for a few things? Grateful that I have the opportunity to buy food at a restaurant. That I have legs to stand in line with. That I have friends to talk to. That I have a dinner to eat at all. That I have the opportunity to get a good education. That I have possessions to lose. There are tons and tons of people who can't afford to eat out, who can't walk, who don't have any friends, who don't have a dinner tonight or even all week, who aren't able to go to school, who don't own anything at all. So why am I complaining of all things?

You always have something to be thankful for. Life is something to be thankful for. You get to explore, learn, have adventure, have fun! It's about how you choose to see it. It is incredibly easy to get caught up in life, and to forget how blessed you are. But next time you are about to get super upset and ruin your day because of it, try to stop for a minute, and remind yourself that it really is no big deal. 

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

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." ~James 1:17~

--Love, Amanda

Things Change

Change is a huge part of life, as you may have noticed so far. A lot of people like it, and a lot of people don't. If you are not a fan of change, well, that's totally understandable. It can be hard. You had finally settled into a good routine, you were finally content--and then something shifts. Even if the change is good, there's usually a catch. 

You could think of life as a lawn...You grow luscious green grass, and sticky, poky weeds. You grow colorful flowers and plain ones. Some plants thrive, but all plants die. During certain seasons, it's rainy, and during other ones, it's sunny. You spray some weed and bug killer on there, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Things end up being planted whether you agree with it or not. You grow a yard full of nice things, only to have the mowed over. And yes, sometimes dogs do their business in your lovely yard. ;) Everything is out of your control--except how you react to what happens. Change is never ideal, but you know what? Life would be so boring without it. If you just did the same exact things and stayed in the same place for years, life would be terrible. While it is definitely hard to leave stuff behind and move on from things and people you love, it would be equally awful if everything stayed the same. You would only learn from books, never from experience. You would see the same exact environment every day, there would never be any diversity. You would have the same social circle, you would never meet new people and gain new perspectives. What would life be without adventure? In real life, you never know what to expect! Now for most people, their first reaction to that statement is fear and reluctance. What if I don't like what happens? What if things are worse than they are now? What if, what if, what if. But it's all about perspective here. Never knowing what to expect can actually be pretty cool from the right standpoint. It's exciting! If you always knew what was coming, things would be awfully dull, don't you think? Imagine that throughout your whole life, every time you watched a movie or a television show, read a book, or listened to a story, someone spoiled the ending. It's perfectly reasonable to assume that you would be pretty darn frustrated about the fifth time it happened. There might be some point in still watching, reading, or listening to it, but it would certainly make the journey through it far less exciting. Now, apply that to your life. See how humdrum that would be? Knowing what kind of change is coming would not make it better. You'd think that at least you could prepare for it more efficiently, but trying to figure out how to prepare would just lead to more stress. There's simply no way to fix it--but you can always fix your point of view. 

Even if you have trouble finding a perspective that gives you peace, there is one thing you can have in your life that never changes--and it's a good thing it never changes. There's no catch, you don't have to do something magical or hard, and it will not suddenly go bonkers on you. Too good to be true? Not at all. God really is that great. He never changes a bit, and He doesn't need to, because He's already perfect. Life is tough. You can try everything you want, but even staying 100% optimistic won't stop the storms from surrounding you. The great news though, is that no matter what changes in you or your world, God is still the same. No matter what life throws at you, He still loves you, He still has an abundance of grace to give you, He's still merciful, He's still all-powerful, and He's still never-changing. What changes you could never hope to change God. So if you feel like everything is in disarray, be comforted by the fact that God is always the same, even when things change.

"Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever." ~Hebrews 13:8~

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." ~Joshua 1:9~

--Love, Amanda

Together

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools". In other words, the ability to get along with each other is necessary to progress in life. How we treat others is a vital part of society. That's one of the reasons why society is so messed up. In our communities and friend groups, we turn everything into a competition. Who is the most fun to be around, who can look the best, be the most popular, gain the most friends, have the coolest house, throw the most parties--you get the gist. For every kind word, there's a harsh one. For every selfless act, there's a selfish one. For every mended friendship, there's a broken one. For every apology, there's a fight. We're filled with jealousy, spite, and greed--and for the silliest things nonetheless. We gossip, openly express our dislike for certain people, say things that ruin our trustworthiness, hold grudges, hide things about ourselves--and honestly for what? I mean, it seems like there would be some reason for doing any of that, but can you think of one? All it does is harm you and the people around you, until all we're left with is fear, sadness, and rejection. All it would take to fix it is an apology, a second chance, a tiny share of forgiveness, a little mercy, a kind word, a humble gesture. 

No one wants to be alone. No matter how introverted you are, we're all human, and we need other people in our lives. When I say alone, I don't mean you have no one to sit with at school or hang out with all the time. I mean "alone" as in you have no one to trust, and no one who loves, respects, helps, or listens to you. We go through tough times, we need friendship. And I don't mean the most common kind of "friendship" where people talk behind your back, criticize you, lead you down the wrong paths, and don't actually like you for who you are. I mean the true kind of friendship where people love you deeply, hold you accountable, encourage you, and stay by your side to fight storms with you. That's what we need more of today. Be that person for someone. If you yourself are alone, then search out someone who feels the same way--I promise they're there. 

Life is far from easy. We all know that. However it's much harder for life to get you down when you have 1, 5, 15, 30 people holding you up. If we can all just get over our petty disagreements, we can create awesome communities. Until then, we're stuck in a swamp of our evil, alone. Trials becomes better when we choose to be selfless and help each other out. Boring times become better when we choose to put aside our haughtiness and develop the ability to laugh with each other. It all simply starts when we choose to live how we were meant to live--together.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken." ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-12~

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." ~Hebrews 10:24-25~

--Love, Amanda

The Magnitude

I try my best to be generally aware of how much God does for us, but only occasionally does the magnitude of it dawn on me. I know that I mess up a lot, but on some days when it seems like I'm doing even worse than usual, I suddenly realize how much grace God must have. Honestly, think about it for a couple minutes. Think about every single thing you've done since you woke up today. How many of your thoughts were well controlled? How many of your actions were kind? How many minutes of your day were you patient? How many minutes did you spend being grateful? How many times did you think about someone in a loving way? How many times did you think before speaking? How many times did you choose to be selfless? For all of us, it piles up to a whole lot of things that displease God. I don't think anyone can say that even just today, they didn't fail in those ways. We're all imperfect. But I'm not just going to finish there--or, more like God isn't just going to finish there. He very easily could. He could just leave us to rot in our never ending pit; we certainly deserve that. Maybe you did something kind today. Great! Unfortunately, God is perfect, so you've still got an impossibly long way to go. Ready for the good news though? God loves you too much to leave you in that pit to rot. Every time we do something wrong, He should strike us down with lightning--but that's where His mercy comes in. The absolute only thing able to save you, is if someone perfect died in your place. But even if a person was perfect, who would be willing to do that? I mean, come on, we're born with sinful desires. We slip up every 30 seconds. We do awful, awful things, to God and to each other. Well I suppose there is Jesus--He's perfect. But He's God, He never did anything wrong. He's actually the one person in the universe who does not deserve to die. But He did die. For me, for you, for everyone. He didn't just take the blame and punishment for one person's sins. That alone would have been spectacular. No. He took the blame and punishment for every single person who will walk this earth. Billions and billions of people who will do billions and billions of wrong things in their lives. All we have to do is accept God and strive to live for Him, which is not all that hard, because He's pretty awesome. Not only does God willingly offer payment for our sins, He loves us more than we can imagine despite our wickedness. Now, on another note, this amazing grace does not give you a free pass to sin all you want. It is because of this grace that He deserves your effort to follow what His Word says. 

Every day, try to take time and reflect on what God does for you. He deserves every bit of your thanks. And just be sure to never forget the magnitude of His grace. 

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ~Hebrews 4:16~

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~Romans 5:8~

--Love, Amanda

Be Real

These are some lyrics that I like from the song What If We Were Real by Mandisa:

"We keep trying to make it look so nice,

and we keep hiding what's going on inside.

But what if I shared my brokenness,

what if you shared how you feel?

And what we weren't afraid of this crazy mess?

What if we were real?"

Anyone would be lying if they said they were not going through trials right now. It's just a simple fact that everyone will have struggles in their life; it's something that can't be avoided. However, for some reason, we feel the need to act like these things don't exist. We worry that others will judge us, avoid us, treat us differently, give us crazy looks, and shame us, if we simply admit what we're going through. People also make the assumption that they are the only ones who experience their kind of pain. "You wouldn't understand", "you just don't get it", "you'll never know what I'm feeling". On the other hand, tons of other people understand what you're going through. We don't realize this, because we aren't willing to talk about these things! We all live on the same earth, therefore we all face similar problems. If you'll just speak up about what's on your chest, you will be shocked at how many people are experiencing the same thing. Holding onto a burden is only harmful. And seriously, I'm not saying you need to go stand on your roof and shout your problems to the whole world. But I guarantee you there are at least a few people in your life who will be completely happy to listen to you, and provide help if necessary. Find those people and talk to them! It will be so relieving when you let go of whatever is on your mind. Don't worry about what anyone will think of you--if someone does treat you badly because of what you've admitted, you have every right to ignore what they're saying. Don't let one person's silly opinion discourage you. 

Hopefully it's at least a little comforting to know that other people are going through your same struggles. Want to know something even better? God understands what you're going through as well. And He's there to support you 100% of the time. You can talk to Him whenever, you can read what He says about it, and you can take a swim in His sea of grace. ;) He's sitting right there next to you, waiting. He's always willing to protect, provide for, comfort, love, and embrace you. Friends are great...But they're still only people, and people are unreliable. God is reliable. He's beyond enough. He already knows the real you, so there's nothing you have to hide from Him. If there is absolutely anything on your chest, then I highly encourage you to pour it out to someone--or at the very least to God. :) And never be afraid to be real.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." ~Matthew 11:28-29~

"Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." ~1 Peter 5:9~

--Love, Amanda

The Lies

Why is it that every day, we try to live up to something that isn't even real? It's quite alarming how unreliable everything is in the world. It's like we're all walking around blindly, desperately hoping to grasp onto something satisfying, too stubborn to use our eyes. And if we just wait a liiiiittle longer to open our eyes, we might stumble onto what we're looking for. If you earn enough money, you'll be happy. If you stick to this diet, you'll be thin enough. If you buy this product, you'll never want anything else. If you let everyone else live their own lives and do whatever they want, we'll all be better off. If you conform to what everyone else thinks, we will forever be in harmony. If you change just a couple things about your personality, people will love you. If you only go down the career path of your stereotype, everything will work out great. If you live out these 5 simple tips, your life will be fantastic. 

Unfortunately, none of this is true. "Oh, but if I just"--no. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you think you accomplish, it will always fail you. Being wealthy is great, until you go on your first spending spree and wind up in endless debt. Being skinny feels awesome, until you realize that you're still not thin enough for society, and you never will be. Buying this product will totally make you happy, until you find yourself addicted to possessions. Never caring enough to hold your friends accountable makes your life far easier, until you watch them go down paths of destruction. Being able to tell your friends you agree with them is wonderful, until you look around to see everything you once stood for laying in ruins. Changing yourself makes you super popular, until your "friends" dump you, and you don't even know who you are anymore. Sticking to your stereotype is easy and makes life fine and dandy, until we all turn into identical robots with no unique creativity. Remembering these rules will make your life amazing, until you hit a bump that your handy rules don't mention the solution to. 

Okay, so if all this stuff is worthless, then what now? Our only options are to willingly live a life of lies, or sit around doing nothing, because if we try, we'll only fail? Not at all. Despite the illusions surrounding us, there is one thing that you can count on. It doesn't cheat you, it doesn't leave you, it doesn't lie to you, it doesn't turn on you, it doesn't fail you. Jesus is the only thing in the infinite universe that is 100% reliable, 100% of the time. What better person to handle your life, than the One who made it? Maybe you don't believe me. That's fine by me--but I'd highly encourage you to find out for yourself. God deserves a shot. He won't miss. God loves you more than you can imagine, and He knows exactly what you need and when you need it. He is always with you, and unlike money, popularity, beauty, and possessions, He will never run out. He has an abundant supply of grace and mercy, and even when you slip up, He stands firm. If you already follow God's path, I figure you know that He won't fail you. However I'd encourage you to remind yourself how spectacular God is, and next time you're being pulled in the wrong direction, tell the lies that you're sticking to the Truth. 

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ~John 8:32~

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" ~John 14:16~

--Love, Amanda