***DISCLAIMER: You will be challenged by this blog post***
Do you ever get that ONE thought or question that keeps on coming back and demands to be confronted? I've been getting a few hard taps on the shoulder with the same question for the past few weeks, so that must mean it's time for a blog post, right?
By reading the title, I'm sure you can come up with an idea of what question I'm asking. Such a short question! Only 5 words, but MAN. . .this question has felt like a thousand pounds on my heart lately.
Why am I a Christian?
First the easy response- Well, I was born in the church. My dad was an elder at our church and my parents both continue to sing on the praise team. Of course I'm a Christian because of them and the way I was raised. Duh, what a stupid and easy question.
A very large part of me wants to respond in that way. Luckily, part of me knows that answer is only surface deep, and isn't completely right. I guess the better question is why did I choose to be a Christian? Me. No one else.
Now that's a little harder to answer.
As I was stewing over this loaded question someone said something that blew me away, and my answer started to take shape.
Recently at Praise Team practice for my church, we started praying for one of our Brothers in Christ who was struggling to start up his walk with God, and was dealing with doubts and hesitation. In response, someone said "Help him to see the things he can do as a Christian, not the things he can't do."
WOW. I don't know about y'all, but that spoke volumes to me.
So often, we choose to think about the things we can't do as Christians. We are pounded with commandments and rules and sin, and sometimes that overshadows the amazing things we can do in Christ! Y'all, listen to this:
We can be FREE.
We can be FORGIVEN.
We can LOVE.
We can find HELP.
We can be FEARLESS.
We can have ETERNAL LIFE.
Now doesn't that sound a lot better than "Thou shall not kill?"
Isn't that refreshing? Doesn't that make you want to get up and shout out praises?
You are free! You are forgiven! You are loved, and you can love! You can find help! You don't have to fear a thing! You. Will. Have. ETERNTAL. LIFE.
That right there, is why I am a Christian.
The things that I can do in Christ FAR out weigh the things I cannot do.
I'm continually working on my list of reasons I'm a Christian, and I want to share it with as many people as I can! I want to encourage you to do the exact same thing.
Make a list, short or long, of why you're a Christian. Share it with your friends, share it on Facebook, share it on Instagram, tell your coworkers, write it in the comments, or just keep it to yourself and tell God why you choose Him above anyone else. Write it down, sing it out, say it in your head. I guarantee He'll hear it, and He'll appreciate it.
So before I sign off, I'm going to give y'all my list.
Why are you a Christian?
1. I am free from condemnation.
2. God forgives every single one of my mistakes.
3. God doesn't care how cute my clothes are, or if I have any makeup on. He's impressed with me and loves me no matter what my outward appearance shows.
4. I always have a friend to talk to. Whether it's 3 pm or 3 am, I've got a never-ending and never-complaining confidant.
5. My problems and struggles will never be too much for Him, and He will never tire from listening to me.
6. Death has NO power over me.
7. Jesus is the coolest guy ever.
My list is always changing and always growing, but these are the main reasons that seem to keep coming back to me.
Alright everyone, time to make your list and share it.
1.........2..........3.............GOOOOO!!!!
With love,
Olivia
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Monday, December 22, 2014
Adopting
I want another dog. I don't know what has gotten into me, but all I can think about lately is adopting another dog.
I already own one dog, my VERY LOVED Charlie, and I think he'd like a friend! The down side is, I still live with my parents (YAY FOR MOOCHING OFF THEM!) And they are so not interested in getting another dog.
Alas, getting another fur baby is not in the very near future for me, but I hope it is for you.
During my "I want a dog so bad" phase, I started looking at adoptable dogs online, and found myself deeply saddened. Most of the older, or larger dogs had notes attached saying "Urgent! Running out of room at shelter! Critical he/she is adopted ASAP." How sad... Some dogs don't even get the chance to show you how loving they can be, because they're life is cut short due to overcrowding!
This breaks my heart. Especially when I see and hear about so many people buying purebred puppies, potentially from harmful breeders, and forgetting that there are loving, caring, sweet and life long friends waiting at the shelter. Why choose a fancy breed over a dog who's life depends on your choice? Why allow another dog to be put down, because you wanted that $600 purebred puppy.
Sometimes I don't understand why things like this happen. I'm a dog lover through and through and I hate seeing sickening statistics of how many animals are put down each year because they weren't adopted. If I could, I'd adopt every single one.
For these reasons, I choose to forever be a rescuer, and to never buy from a breeder. Save a life and pass it on!!
Have a blessed day and remember: Choose to rescue! :)
Olivia
***I am in no way saying that people who buy from breeders are awful people, or that those dogs don't deserve love either. I believe we just need to share the love, and consider rescuing as well.***
I already own one dog, my VERY LOVED Charlie, and I think he'd like a friend! The down side is, I still live with my parents (YAY FOR MOOCHING OFF THEM!) And they are so not interested in getting another dog.
Alas, getting another fur baby is not in the very near future for me, but I hope it is for you.
During my "I want a dog so bad" phase, I started looking at adoptable dogs online, and found myself deeply saddened. Most of the older, or larger dogs had notes attached saying "Urgent! Running out of room at shelter! Critical he/she is adopted ASAP." How sad... Some dogs don't even get the chance to show you how loving they can be, because they're life is cut short due to overcrowding!
This breaks my heart. Especially when I see and hear about so many people buying purebred puppies, potentially from harmful breeders, and forgetting that there are loving, caring, sweet and life long friends waiting at the shelter. Why choose a fancy breed over a dog who's life depends on your choice? Why allow another dog to be put down, because you wanted that $600 purebred puppy.
Sometimes I don't understand why things like this happen. I'm a dog lover through and through and I hate seeing sickening statistics of how many animals are put down each year because they weren't adopted. If I could, I'd adopt every single one.
For these reasons, I choose to forever be a rescuer, and to never buy from a breeder. Save a life and pass it on!!
Have a blessed day and remember: Choose to rescue! :)
Olivia
***I am in no way saying that people who buy from breeders are awful people, or that those dogs don't deserve love either. I believe we just need to share the love, and consider rescuing as well.***
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Lessons from Three Year Olds
HELLO ALL!! :)
Some of you may already know this, but over the past few months I've worked at a preschool. I'm the afternoon teacher to a group of 9 three year olds. YAYYYY!!! :) First job EVER!
I can practically hear all of you going, "Wow, that's a tough age" or "Bless your heart." Now before you start praying for my sanity, I want you to know I LOVE my job. The terrible twos and threes is a myth, I'm certain! :) My job is wonderful, my coworkers are wonderful, and my kids are wonderful. Most of all, God is SO wonderful for placing this job in my life.
Like most jobs, I have bad days. . .but I've learned that those bad days are the most meaningful. I grow even closer to God when I'm calling out to Him, and asking for instruction.
I've learned a lot of life lessons from my 3 year olds, who are much wiser than you'd think. I've made a list of the 4 most important ones I've learned. Try and read it with a child's mind: open to anything and everything.
My kids ALWAYS make messes. Always. Unlike most people, though, they always smile at me when they make a mess. It's like they know it's bad, but they're just going to smile and hope it goes away.
When I ask them to clean it up, that's when it gets tough. . .They groan, complain and cry. At that time I tell them to "ask a friend to help you clean up." They always groan, and drag they're little bodies over to the nearest friend and ask them to help clean up the chaos they created. They may have not wanted to do it, but they do it anyway.
It got me thinking, why don't we treat our messy lives that way? Just smile! It can't hurt, can it? Then, when you need to try and pick up the pieces, ask for help. Ask a friend, ask a family member, or ask God. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for help!
If everything seems to be going wrong, and your life is a mess, just try smiling, and asking for help. If three year olds can do it, believe me, so can you!
My kids LOVE copying one another. If one of them is doing something they think is funny, they all like to join in. Even if that's running down the hall screaming at the top of their lungs (Yes, I'm speaking from experience). Since they all did it, I had to punish all of them, even if it wasn't their idea in the first place to do it. They still copied the others.
It makes me realize how often I tend to copy people, in the present and in the past. I'm just as bad as my three year olds. If someone does something I think is cool, I do it too. That can get me into trouble. Just because it looks cool, and everyone is doing it doesn't mean YOU should do it. Just because you were following others doesn't mean you won't be punished also.
When I would go to my mom and say something like, "Eleanor's going, so why can't I?" My mom would ALWAYS say, "If Eleanor jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" My momma is a wise lady.
Don't copy what everyone else is doing just because it seems "cool." It might not be so cool later.
A lesson I'm trying to pound into my very unwilling kids is to share. They HATE sharing their favorite toys in the classroom.
One day, my student Grace* came up to me crying "May* won't share with meeeee!!" Typical statement I hear Every. Single. Day. I walked over to May who was guarding her toys viciously and talked with her about sharing.
Olivia: Why won't you share with Grace?
May: Because they're my toys.
Olivia: You need to share or no one will want to be friends with you. People want to be friends with a girl who shares.
May: I don't need friends.
Olivia: Well since you don't need any friends, you can take your toys over to that corner and play by yourself.
May was very happy with this and marched over to her corner. Fast forward to five minutes later and I hear wailing coming from May's corner. "I want to play with my friends now!!!! I'll share Ms. Livia!"
Everyone needs friends. Even when we think we can do something alone, we quickly realize it's just not the same. Friends are the glue that hold us together, and the people that are always there for us. Everyone needs friends, so why not try to befriend everyone you can? Be a light, and be a friend.
Picture This: My first week of work at my very first job, and I'm thrown into a room of cunning and loud children with little instruction. I was nervous to say the least. The first few days I started to get the hand of things, and that's when Avery* showed up.
Avery was ADORABLE. His blonde hair and big doe eyes melted me INSANTLY. "I'm going to take him home with me and shower him with kisses and candy" were my first thoughts. Then, Avery woke up from his nap. And all H E double hockey sticks broke loose.
This child was WILD. He screamed, he cried, he hit, he kicked, and full out JJ Watt tackled the other children. I spoke to the other teachers and they all warned me, "Oh he's trouble," and "He hit his last teacher." Naturally, I started calling out, "Lord, HOW in the WORLD am I going to handle this kid??" I could almost hear Him say "Patience."
Well, as the days went on, Avery's personality started to shine through. Avery loved to give hugs. He LOVED cutting up paper, playdoh and anything else. Avery loved to sing, and run. Avery started to show me his "Don't judge a book by it's cover" side. After weeks of battling this little nugget's problems , I fell completely in love.
This boy was wonderfully and fearfully made. He was so desperate for love, that when I started showing him an ounce of love, the screaming, hitting and crying lessened while the love flourished.
One day I was talking with a coworker and Avery came up to me and said "I love you Ms. Livia." Of course my heart melted as I whispered "I love you too Avery." My heart was so full.
My coworker leaned over to me and said, "That's how you know you're meant for this. You love the unloved ones."
God gives us challenging tasks, knowing we can face them. He knew Avery was special. God was saying, "Be patient." He knew Avery was going to form a special place in my heart, and God wanted me to love that sweet boy. This boy who was such a "terror" is now my sweet little Avery. God was telling me "Love the unloved, just as I do."
Thank you for reading my post, and I'm sorry it's so late coming.
Have a very blessed day!
Some of you may already know this, but over the past few months I've worked at a preschool. I'm the afternoon teacher to a group of 9 three year olds. YAYYYY!!! :) First job EVER!
I can practically hear all of you going, "Wow, that's a tough age" or "Bless your heart." Now before you start praying for my sanity, I want you to know I LOVE my job. The terrible twos and threes is a myth, I'm certain! :) My job is wonderful, my coworkers are wonderful, and my kids are wonderful. Most of all, God is SO wonderful for placing this job in my life.
Like most jobs, I have bad days. . .but I've learned that those bad days are the most meaningful. I grow even closer to God when I'm calling out to Him, and asking for instruction.
I've learned a lot of life lessons from my 3 year olds, who are much wiser than you'd think. I've made a list of the 4 most important ones I've learned. Try and read it with a child's mind: open to anything and everything.
NUMBER ONE: Life is messy.
When I ask them to clean it up, that's when it gets tough. . .They groan, complain and cry. At that time I tell them to "ask a friend to help you clean up." They always groan, and drag they're little bodies over to the nearest friend and ask them to help clean up the chaos they created. They may have not wanted to do it, but they do it anyway.
It got me thinking, why don't we treat our messy lives that way? Just smile! It can't hurt, can it? Then, when you need to try and pick up the pieces, ask for help. Ask a friend, ask a family member, or ask God. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for help!
If everything seems to be going wrong, and your life is a mess, just try smiling, and asking for help. If three year olds can do it, believe me, so can you!
NUMBER TWO: It's easy to copy others.
My kids LOVE copying one another. If one of them is doing something they think is funny, they all like to join in. Even if that's running down the hall screaming at the top of their lungs (Yes, I'm speaking from experience). Since they all did it, I had to punish all of them, even if it wasn't their idea in the first place to do it. They still copied the others.
It makes me realize how often I tend to copy people, in the present and in the past. I'm just as bad as my three year olds. If someone does something I think is cool, I do it too. That can get me into trouble. Just because it looks cool, and everyone is doing it doesn't mean YOU should do it. Just because you were following others doesn't mean you won't be punished also.
When I would go to my mom and say something like, "Eleanor's going, so why can't I?" My mom would ALWAYS say, "If Eleanor jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" My momma is a wise lady.
Don't copy what everyone else is doing just because it seems "cool." It might not be so cool later.
NUMBER THREE: Friends are essential.
A lesson I'm trying to pound into my very unwilling kids is to share. They HATE sharing their favorite toys in the classroom.
One day, my student Grace* came up to me crying "May* won't share with meeeee!!" Typical statement I hear Every. Single. Day. I walked over to May who was guarding her toys viciously and talked with her about sharing.
Olivia: Why won't you share with Grace?
May: Because they're my toys.
Olivia: You need to share or no one will want to be friends with you. People want to be friends with a girl who shares.
May: I don't need friends.
Olivia: Well since you don't need any friends, you can take your toys over to that corner and play by yourself.
May was very happy with this and marched over to her corner. Fast forward to five minutes later and I hear wailing coming from May's corner. "I want to play with my friends now!!!! I'll share Ms. Livia!"
Everyone needs friends. Even when we think we can do something alone, we quickly realize it's just not the same. Friends are the glue that hold us together, and the people that are always there for us. Everyone needs friends, so why not try to befriend everyone you can? Be a light, and be a friend.
NUMBER FOUR: Love the unloved.
Picture This: My first week of work at my very first job, and I'm thrown into a room of cunning and loud children with little instruction. I was nervous to say the least. The first few days I started to get the hand of things, and that's when Avery* showed up.
Avery was ADORABLE. His blonde hair and big doe eyes melted me INSANTLY. "I'm going to take him home with me and shower him with kisses and candy" were my first thoughts. Then, Avery woke up from his nap. And all H E double hockey sticks broke loose.
This child was WILD. He screamed, he cried, he hit, he kicked, and full out JJ Watt tackled the other children. I spoke to the other teachers and they all warned me, "Oh he's trouble," and "He hit his last teacher." Naturally, I started calling out, "Lord, HOW in the WORLD am I going to handle this kid??" I could almost hear Him say "Patience."
Well, as the days went on, Avery's personality started to shine through. Avery loved to give hugs. He LOVED cutting up paper, playdoh and anything else. Avery loved to sing, and run. Avery started to show me his "Don't judge a book by it's cover" side. After weeks of battling this little nugget's problems , I fell completely in love.
This boy was wonderfully and fearfully made. He was so desperate for love, that when I started showing him an ounce of love, the screaming, hitting and crying lessened while the love flourished.
One day I was talking with a coworker and Avery came up to me and said "I love you Ms. Livia." Of course my heart melted as I whispered "I love you too Avery." My heart was so full.
My coworker leaned over to me and said, "That's how you know you're meant for this. You love the unloved ones."
God gives us challenging tasks, knowing we can face them. He knew Avery was special. God was saying, "Be patient." He knew Avery was going to form a special place in my heart, and God wanted me to love that sweet boy. This boy who was such a "terror" is now my sweet little Avery. God was telling me "Love the unloved, just as I do."
Thank you for reading my post, and I'm sorry it's so late coming.
Have a very blessed day!
Olivia Ruby
*Name changed for privacy
Saturday, October 11, 2014
I Don't Know Anything
Everyone asks themselves this question at least 1.5 gazillion (not an exact number) times in their lives, and I can't seem to stop asking myself that same question lately...
What do I want to be when I grow up?
Why yes, I'm 18 years old and I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, and you know what?? That is completely okay. Not knowing your future is completely OKAY! It's completely normal in fact!! The only thing I know FOR SURE, is my Father in Heaven will love me even when I have NO clue what the heck is going on. Just because I'm clueless, doesn't mean He is!
I just need to take a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. I have to always remember that even though I might not know my future, my loving God has already been there and back.
One verse that has stuck with me a lot lately, and fits really well with this, is a verse from Psalm. "What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth! Every God direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs towards Him makes it" (Psalm 18:30 The Message).
So, God might take me somewhere I'm unfamiliar with, but it's not unfamiliar to Him. He's BEEN there! He's TESTED it already for me. My fear of the unknown future doesn't even have to exist, because HE exists. I find peace in knowing that God has already been in my future, and He'll walk right by my side all the way.
This week I encourage you to find peace in the unknown. Whatever it may be that has you worried, don't worry child! Your Father is working towards bringing you peace. You don't have to worry about the future.
PEACE and Blessings,
Olivia Ruby
Ps- You should listen to the song "The Unknown" by Anthem Lights! It is perfect for what I'm trying to say! And it's sung by attractive males with a catchy tune ;)
What do I want to be when I grow up?
Why yes, I'm 18 years old and I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, and you know what?? That is completely okay. Not knowing your future is completely OKAY! It's completely normal in fact!! The only thing I know FOR SURE, is my Father in Heaven will love me even when I have NO clue what the heck is going on. Just because I'm clueless, doesn't mean He is!
I just need to take a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. I have to always remember that even though I might not know my future, my loving God has already been there and back.
One verse that has stuck with me a lot lately, and fits really well with this, is a verse from Psalm. "What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth! Every God direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs towards Him makes it" (Psalm 18:30 The Message).
So, God might take me somewhere I'm unfamiliar with, but it's not unfamiliar to Him. He's BEEN there! He's TESTED it already for me. My fear of the unknown future doesn't even have to exist, because HE exists. I find peace in knowing that God has already been in my future, and He'll walk right by my side all the way.
This week I encourage you to find peace in the unknown. Whatever it may be that has you worried, don't worry child! Your Father is working towards bringing you peace. You don't have to worry about the future.
PEACE and Blessings,
Olivia Ruby
Ps- You should listen to the song "The Unknown" by Anthem Lights! It is perfect for what I'm trying to say! And it's sung by attractive males with a catchy tune ;)
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Body Love...or like?
Alright it's time to be honest...
I don't love my body.
I know, I know. I totally should, right? It's the right thing to do! It will give me a healthy mind and a positive attitude! EVERYONE should love their body! So why don't I??
I don't know if it's the way my thighs bulge out, or the way my stomach isn't flat, but I don't LOVE my body yet. I like my body, don't get me wrong!! It's a good body, it's just not GREAT! So for the next few months I will be blogging about my journey to "love" my body. And I mean LOOOOVE it! Like the I-want-to-stand-in-front-of-a-mirror-and-stare-at-it type of body love :)
Trust me people, I'm going to get there! It's going to take a lot of physical and mental conditioning though! I need to stop doing unhealthy things like stuffing my face with sugar and comparing myself to other skinnier girls, and hating my body when I don't add up.
Most of all, I need to lean on God during this whole process. I need to remember, "For you are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God created in advance for you to do." Ephesians 2:10.
Ladies, remember, do it all for YOURSELF! No one else! I'm doing this so that I will love my body, no one else! The only person who matters is yourself! I want to look smokin' in a bikini alllllll for myself :)
Lots and lots of love,
Olivia Ruby
I don't love my body.
I know, I know. I totally should, right? It's the right thing to do! It will give me a healthy mind and a positive attitude! EVERYONE should love their body! So why don't I??
I don't know if it's the way my thighs bulge out, or the way my stomach isn't flat, but I don't LOVE my body yet. I like my body, don't get me wrong!! It's a good body, it's just not GREAT! So for the next few months I will be blogging about my journey to "love" my body. And I mean LOOOOVE it! Like the I-want-to-stand-in-front-of-a-mirror-and-stare-at-it type of body love :)
Trust me people, I'm going to get there! It's going to take a lot of physical and mental conditioning though! I need to stop doing unhealthy things like stuffing my face with sugar and comparing myself to other skinnier girls, and hating my body when I don't add up.
Most of all, I need to lean on God during this whole process. I need to remember, "For you are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God created in advance for you to do." Ephesians 2:10.
Ladies, remember, do it all for YOURSELF! No one else! I'm doing this so that I will love my body, no one else! The only person who matters is yourself! I want to look smokin' in a bikini alllllll for myself :)
Lots and lots of love,
Olivia Ruby
Monday, August 18, 2014
First Blog Post!!
My first ever blog post! I've never blogged before in my LIFE, but I'm so excited to do it! This is mainly for me to get all my feelings into tangible words. I'm going through some major changes in my life right now, and I just need to let all the words and thoughts that are swimming around in my head find a forever home on this computer screen.
So here's the skinny on my life! I'm going through 3 major changes in my life right now:
1.) My brother, Braden, is getting married.
2.) My long distance boyfriend of a year is finally moving to my home city! EEP! :)
3.) I'm starting cosmetology school/college in roughly a week.
Now, these don't sound that insane, but to someone who shies away from change like the bubonic plague, I'm pretty nervous. First of all, Braden is the first of my siblings to get married so the craziness surrounding his wedding is pretty freakin intense. Second, I've been waiting for my boyfriend to move down here since we got together, and now that it's getting close, the nerves are setting in a little. He's coming from the tiny itty bitty city of Turkey, TX (pop. 400) to the big city of Houston, TX (pop. millions and billions). All for me! What if he hates it here? What if we fight a lot because we've never actually spent a ton of time together? What if nothing in Houston goes right for him, and it's MY fault? All of these fears are completely irrational, but I just can't seem to shake them all the same! Thirdly, up until a week and a half ago, I thought I was going to be a first grade teacher! Recently, I switched my plan over from student at UHCL studying Education, to Cosmetology at San Jac, That's a big difference, huh?? So much for avoiding change! So my life for the past week has been crazy busy switching everything over to San Jac and enrolling over there! My nerves have been in overdrive haha :) God truly has shaken up my life in the past couple months, and I am trying to enjoy this ride! It's a good life.
So, If you've made it this far, I suspect you're either family or my lovely boyfriend :) Anywho, thank you for reading anyways! Until next week :) God Bless!
So here's the skinny on my life! I'm going through 3 major changes in my life right now:
1.) My brother, Braden, is getting married.
2.) My long distance boyfriend of a year is finally moving to my home city! EEP! :)
3.) I'm starting cosmetology school/college in roughly a week.
Now, these don't sound that insane, but to someone who shies away from change like the bubonic plague, I'm pretty nervous. First of all, Braden is the first of my siblings to get married so the craziness surrounding his wedding is pretty freakin intense. Second, I've been waiting for my boyfriend to move down here since we got together, and now that it's getting close, the nerves are setting in a little. He's coming from the tiny itty bitty city of Turkey, TX (pop. 400) to the big city of Houston, TX (pop. millions and billions). All for me! What if he hates it here? What if we fight a lot because we've never actually spent a ton of time together? What if nothing in Houston goes right for him, and it's MY fault? All of these fears are completely irrational, but I just can't seem to shake them all the same! Thirdly, up until a week and a half ago, I thought I was going to be a first grade teacher! Recently, I switched my plan over from student at UHCL studying Education, to Cosmetology at San Jac, That's a big difference, huh?? So much for avoiding change! So my life for the past week has been crazy busy switching everything over to San Jac and enrolling over there! My nerves have been in overdrive haha :) God truly has shaken up my life in the past couple months, and I am trying to enjoy this ride! It's a good life.
So, If you've made it this far, I suspect you're either family or my lovely boyfriend :) Anywho, thank you for reading anyways! Until next week :) God Bless!
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