Smile, Summer is Just Around the Corner!

Hey guys! So we are reaching the end of the semester and that means summer break is just around the corner! With the last week of classes and finals in play, we are all feeling the stress and pressure of being a college student.

So, for my last post before summer break, I just wanted to share with you all some of my favorite quotes I have found over the years. These always help me to make my day better and I hope they are able to do the same for you! I just wanted to thank all of you for taking the time to read my posts over the semester and I hope they were able to put a smile on your face! Finish the semester strong and I hope you come back to my blog in the future to help brighten up your day! Thanks for reading everybody and happy almost summer!

I wanted to give a shout out to a fellow blogger whose blog is called Girls, God & the Good Life. It presents frequent posts about living life as a Christian girl and is filled with insightful information and a blog that I find myself visit quite often. I encourage you to check it out, it can be found to the right under my blog roll!

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, 

I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7

A True Inspiration

Hey everybody! Here is something to bring a great big smile to your beautiful face, Easter is this weekend! This is one of the best times of the year because it is a reminder of what Jesus did on the cross for us. Be thankful for His sacrifice and don't forget to tell Him!

This week I am going to share with you one of my biggest role models. She is a girl who I have never met before, but her story is incredible and how she was able to keep her faith throughout her journey is a true inspiration to all those who know about her. This girl is Bethany Hamilton.

In case you don't know who this is, Bethany is a professional surfer from Hawaii who lost her arm in a shark attack when she was only thirteen years old. Her goal in life was to become a professional surfer with two arms, but God had a different plan for her life. When Bethany lost her arm, she had to learn how to surf with only one arm. I'm sure this was a difficult task for her to undergo, but knowing God was by her side must have been a comfort.

As a professional surfer, Bethany has reached out to so many people and she is able to share her testimony with people from all around the world. She shares about never giving up and not thinking less of yourself because you may be different from other people.

Bethany is truly an inspiration to reach for your dreams and not be afraid of failure. You never know how many people you could touch with your story.

If you want to read more about Bethany Hamilton click here!

Bethany has also had a major film production made about her and her journey. Watch the trailer for Soul Surfer below!

If you feel inspired by Bethany, you can also google her name and learn all about her and what she has gone through in her life.

I hope Bethany Hamilton has been as big of an inspiration for you, as she has been for me! Have a great Easter weekend!

One of Bethany Hamilton's favorite Bible verses: 

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, 

and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

God Loves YOU

Hey everybody! It's getting close to the end of the semester and things are beginning to get really crazy in all of my classes, and I'm sure you are feeling a lot of the same stress that I am! I hope you are able to keep your head up and stay positive as we are reaching the end of the school year!

I have been thinking a lot about God recently and the amount of love He has for each and every one of us. He loves us more than anything else in the world. The vastness of His love is more than we will ever be able to fathom and it's difficult to think about because as humans we aren't able to love as much as Him, let alone understand the extent of His love for us.

Anytime that you are feeling unloved because of something going on with your boyfriend or your parents aren't treating you the way you would like, or even your friends are all mad at you for something, just remember that God loves you SO much. He loves you enough to send His Son to die on the cross for YOU.

If this fact does not bring a great big smile to your face, than I don't know what will. God's love for you is more than we will ever be able to understand and that is part of what makes Him beautiful. When you are struggling through something or feel like no one loves you, take a look in the Bible and see that God's love is greater than anything else.

Have a great rest of your week and remember that GOD LOVES YOU!

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Live Your Dream

Hey everybody! I hope you all have had a great week and keep your head held high because summer is just around the corner! Let that be your motivation to finish out
this semester strong.

Growing up we all develop dreams that we hope we can achieve for ourselves one day in our future. They start out being really big dreams like becoming the President of the United States of America, and as we get older, we realize some of our dreams can never come true. We begin to set smaller dreams for ourselves because they seem to be more possible.

Don't let someone else diminish your dreams. Reach for the stars and try your hardest to live your dreams. No matter how big or small the dream may seem, if it is something you want to do, then go and do it and do not worry about what other people have to say! You are capable of so much with your life and you can make even your wildest dreams come true!

One of my all time favorite movies is Tangled. Thinking about dreams reminds me of the scene where Rapunzel and Flynn Rider got to the Snuggly Duckling and sing the song entitled "I've Got a Dream". This is my favorite song from this movie and I hope it makes you as happy as it makes me.

Hope this song makes you remember that your dreams are worth fighting for! Have a
great week!

"There is surely a future hope for you, and your 

hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 23:18

Stay Strong

Hey guys! I hope all is going well with you since the last post and that you have been able to stay positive and happy throughout this week! I don't know about you, but this week has definitely been an improvement from the last few!

If you are like me, and many other college students, you rely heavily on music throughout your day. Music is an aspect of my life that I cannot live without. I listen to it no matter what mood I am in and the songs have the power to make me feel better.

Since I have had a rough couple of weeks, I was thinking about songs that talk about being a fighter and coming out of difficult situations being a better and stronger person. I came up with three of my favorite songs, and I thought I would share them with you to encourage you that you will rise above your past and the hurt that people have caused you.

1. Stronger by Kelly Clarkson

2. Fighter by Christina Aguilera

3. Skyscraper by Demi Lovato

I hope those songs encourage you and let you know that you can rise above your circumstances and become a fighter and stronger person! Don't forget that God is always there for you and you aren't going through these moments alone.

Have a great week!

The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold 

of my life of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

God's Plan is Better

Hey everybody! I hope your week has been just as amazing as you are! I for one, haven't been having the best week once again. Things aren't happening the way I wanted them to and it seems like my plans for my life are not alining with God's plans.

During the moments in our lives when we feel like nothing is going our way and there is no way that things can better, it is important to remember that God has plans for our life. The plans He has made are bigger and better than anything we could ever dream up ourselves. He is perfect and knows exactly what we need and will show it to us at the best time.

Although we may not always like God's timing, He is only doing what is best for us. He has a plan worked out that will bring us more joy than we can fathom. I know it's difficult to see things falling apart right in front of our faces, but God knows what He is doing, we just have to be able to put all of our trust in Him.

I hope this comforts you and reminds you that even when your plans for your life are falling apart, God's plans are so much better! Hope you have a wonderful week everybody!

"For I know the plan I have for you, declares the Lord, 

plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you 

hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Waiting for the Rainbow

Hey guys! I don't know about you, but this first week back from spring break is really taking its toll on me. Between stuff with friends and getting back into the routine of school, I am emotionally and physically exhausted. I am just ready for this bad week to come to an end.

I know exactly what you are thinking at the moment, Well what a great way to start out an encouragement blog! Right? Well, I imagine some of you are having a bad week as well, because let's be honest here, everybody has those moments.

What is important to remember is that when difficult days, weeks, or even months and years come our way, there is a God who is there for us every step of the way. He knows exactly what we need when we need it, even if we don't yet know it ourselves. When these hard times come, we need to cast our fears on Him, and He will help us and get us through to see the rainbow at the end of the storm.

This quote brings a smile to my face every time I read it because it reminds me that something good will come out of my hardship, because the difficult times are part of what shape who I am.

I hope that if you are having a hard week like me, you are able to read and this and smile because you know things will be looking up!

Have a great rest of your week and enjoy your weekend!

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with 

my righteous hand." Isaiah 41:10

Beyond Blessed

Hey guys! I hope those of you that were on spring break this week had a great week away from school and got to enjoy time with family and friends. I know I am not ready to go back to school and this break makes me want summer to be here!

I don't know about you guys, but every time I am home, I find it really difficult to go back to school and say goodbye to my family. I am such a home body and momma's girl, so it never gets easier for me.

I think this is an issue that many college girls face. In order for me to get my mind off leaving home, I have to think how blessed I am. God has given me a wonderful life filled with people who love me and want to see be happy and successful.

It helps to make a list and write down the reason that you are blessed. Click here if you are having trouble coming up with reasons why you are blessed. Even in the hardest of times, there are reasons to be thankful. When you make a list whenever you may be feeling upset or stressed, you can go back and remember you are blessed and loved more than you can fathom by the Lord.

I hope you had a great spring break and remember you are BLESSED. Have a great week!

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Keep Smiling

Hey guys! Guess what? It's almost time for spring break! I cannot wait to be home in Delaware with my friends and family for an entire week. I will be in Virginia this weekend to visit family friends and we are going snow tubing, which I haven't done in long time. I am so excited! I bet you all are just as excited for spring break as I am!

As girls in our late teens or early 20's, we have already experienced a lot in life. We have all had our up's and down's and things happen in our lives that we think we will never get through because it is just too terrible. I know for me, when I was a freshman in high school my family and I went through a really difficult time where we almost lost my dad and could not figure out what was wrong with my younger sister because she was so sick. During that time in my life it was difficult for me to keep a smile on my face.

God got me through the difficult situation because He never leaves our side. Although it may sound difficult, it is helpful to smile through the hard times. There are a number of health benefits to smiling that you may have never even realized before. Here's a list of 8 things to make you want to smile more!

1. Smiling is contagious
2. Smiling reduces stress
3. Smiling puts you in a better mood
4. Smiling makes you look younger
5. Smiling makes you happy
6. Smiling gives you a better outlook on life
7. Smiling burns calories
8. Smiling makes you feel more attractive

All those health benefits should makes you want to smile more often! I really hope this put a smile on your beautiful face and makes you want to smile and have a better outlook on life! Don't let the difficult times get the best of you; trust God to get you through it so that if you can't smile during the situation, you can smile at the end!

Have a great week and remember to keep smiling!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones."

Proverbs 17:22

You are Beautiful

Hey everybody! I hope you had a wonderful week and a relaxing weekend as you get ready to go back to classes tomorrow. I don't know about you, but I have had a busy week! This weekend has definitely been a time for me to unwind and relax from the craziness of the week. Spring break cannot come soon enough!

College is a time where students decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives. If you attend a secular college then you know it is easy to wrapped up in what society is telling you and forget about the truth presented in the Word of God. Society tells girls they need to change their looks in order for people, especially guys, to like them. This is one of the biggest lies I have ever heard in my life.

We were created in the image of God and were made for our own unique purpose. You are the only you. It is your job to be the best you that you can be. God has a special purpose for our lives and we cannot allow society to influence our thoughts on this. 

Instead of letting society feed our minds with lies, we need to remember to look to God and let Him tell us how wonderful we are, because each and everyone of us is WONDERFUL
and BEAUTIFUL.

This week I wanted to share a video with you that I watched a few months ago. It is so powerful and has a message that every single girl needs to hear. If this video doesn't encourage you and bring a great big smile to your face, than I don't know what will! Enjoy this and remember it when you aren't feeling worth anything, because you are worth it!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Psalm 139: 13-14

Valentine's Day

Hey guys! Welcome to my blog! I hope that over the next few weeks you are able to find encouragement in the posts on here and they bring a smile to your face. I figured I would start things off right, with a Scripture that I hope will make you smile.

As we all know Valentine's Day is just around the corner. On Friday all the couples will get together and have cute dates with their significant other. That is just great for those people who are dating, but for those of us who aren't, well Valentines Day is another story. It reminds us that we do not have a boyfriend and oftentimes it makes us feel unwanted 
or unloved. 

The truth about this holiday is that it isn't all about couples and their love for each other. It is about friends and family and being with the people most important in your life. It doesn't matter if you aren't able to spend the day with a member of the opposite sex.

Even if you feel you need to be with somebody to be happy, the fact that Jesus loves us more than anybody else in the world ever could, should make you smile. No matter how many times you disappoint Him, He is not going to give up. It hurts God when we say we feel unloved because He will never leave us and is the only person we can completely trust with our entire lives.

I came across this picture the other day and when I saw it, I had to pause for a second as I thought about how true it was. It brought such a huge smile to my face and I hope it does the same for you.

I don't know about you, but I will be spending my Valentine's Day thanking the Lord for all that He has blessed me with in my life, and I hope you will do the same. 

Have a great week!