5 THINGS I'D TELL MY HIGH SCHOOL SELF

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Well, it looks like school may be back in session around these parts. Our teachers have been striking since June and FINALLY it looks like the government and the BCTF have come to some sort of agreement. I'm so thankful that the government didn't force the teachers back to work and actually worked something out. TEACHERS, I LOVE YOU!

Last week as I was dropping off a friend late at night I noticed two teens sitting on the side of the road.  I immediately had the thought that if they had school the next morning, they probably wouldn't be sitting on that curb. I can't imagine the trouble I would have been getting into with a 3.5 month summer. 

I graduated from high school ten years ago last June.

Ten years.

TEN YEARS!

I like to think that's a looong time ago. Like real long ago. But for some, it's not really that long ago. I guess it seems like a billion years ago because I am a completely different person than I was in high school. When people tell me they met someone I went to high school with my usual reaction is to cringe a little bit...but I can't change how I was back then and I'm not going to go around carrying old guilt.

But I have pondered on what I would tell my high school self if I had the ability to talk to her like Spock had the ability to talk to his past self. What would I tell her if we were sitting down for coffee and she asked me for life advice? Ha, the conversation would probably be veeeeery long as I would tell her which boys to run away from (all of them) but for your reading purposes, I'll narrow the list down to 5.

5 THINGS I'D TELL MY HIGH SCHOOL SELF

1. LEARN LEARN LEARN

So baby girl, one of the awesome things about high school that I definitely took for granted is that you get to learn. You get to learn a lot of different things and the best part is, you don't have to pay for them!! Take photography! Take an art class! Heck, I know it's hard but actually learn that second language. I know there are a whole lot of other things that take priority in your life (like friends and parties) but you won't regret learning, so make it a priority.

2. WEAR MORE CLOTHES

You don't need to give away the farm. Girl, you're stunning. You're lovely. You're beautiful. Showing off your body isn't going to make those truths truer. 

3. STAY AWAY FROM BOYS

#2 is really a preface for #3. Wearing little clothing will attract boys who will not add value to your life. Oh boys. They can make us act real crazy. And they can also do a number on your heart. I know you probably won't listen to me but it's probably best if you just be friends with guys. Like actual friends, not falling completely head over heels kinda friends. There is a man out there for you. You'll meet him in a looong time, and it will seem like eternity but when you meet him, it will seem like you waited five minutes. He is so worth waiting for. And I know the guy in front of you may seem really hot or really nice but honestly, it's best if you just live your life without him being your one and only. You got this.

4. DON'T LET OTHERS DEFINE YOU

Want to know a secret? You don't have to be what others want you to be. Maybe someone has labelled you something. Or maybe you've labelled yourself something so you'd fit in. Kick those labels to the curb girl. Just be you. And also, try to be kind to others. Stay away from drama. Stop gossiping and speak about others how you would want to be spoken about.

5. JESUS LOVES YOU

I know you met Jesus a couple summers ago at a bible camp and you hang out with Him when you go back each summer but He wants to be with you everyday. He loves you girl. He loves you right where you're at. He's not mad at you. He wants to help you do this life thing. He wants to fill those holes in your heart and calm the fears and tell you that you're beautiful. He wants to bring light and hope when it feels like the world is crashing down around you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.

Obviously I'd have a lot more to say, but I'd want her to know most of all that she is loved just where she is at.

Now I'm curious, what would you tell your high school self?

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

ON BIKINI BRIDGES & KICKING SELF LOATHING TO THE CURB

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Last month when I was in Redding I was perusing facebook and came across this article on "bikini bridges". My first thoughts were ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!? 

If you're wondering what a bikini bridge is, it's having a gap between your bikini bottoms and your body when you're lying down. The bottoms are supposed to just cling to your hip bones and not touch any part of your pelvic area creating a bridge…aka people are wanting a skinny pelvic area? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!??? Back when I was a teen the goal was having a flat stomach with maybe a line down the middle. Now it's about thigh gaps and bikini bridges. And the thing about bikini bridges that makes me so LIVID is, they are only attainable by starving yourself. You can't just lift some weights for a few months and see results. You have to starve yourself. How is this even a trend?

Heart breaking. 

To be honest, I wanted to find the person who coined the term bikini bridge and give them a real good shake…but then it occurred to me that what they really need is a big hug.

A hug that says you are loved, you are valuable, you are beautiful.

Now I'm going to get a bit real talk up on my corner of the internet…I have faced off with my body for far too many years. Growing up, I was blessed to have a dad who told me I was beautiful and I believed it to be true until I was 11. Some guys called me fat and from there on, that's what I viewed myself as. There were other negative voices too, I just would rather not get into them.

For years and years I was cruel to my body. I spoke harsh, awful words over myself. No matter how hard I tried, I could never be that warped version of beautiful that I so longed to be. For years I was able to hide this self loathing, this unhealthy obsession very well....until I got married. 

After our first year of marriage, James began confronting me about the way I spoke about my body. He started calling me out on the way I was viewing myself and he began speaking truth instead of lies. Although, I knew he loved me and I knew he thought I was beautiful, it still took time for me to shake those nasty shame-filled thoughts. 

Slowly but surely I started taking ownership of my mind. Last May I went to She Loves Conference and at the end of the conference we were given a gift. The gift was this beautiful book called She. (If you are a woman, you need this book. If you are guy, you need to go to that link and purchase this book immediately for a woman in your life. Your momma needs this, your wife needs this, your sister needs this!)

I opened it up when I got home and started to soak in the truth-filled words. As I read the statements, my eyes started welling up with tears. I so needed those words. In that moment, I asked God to transform my thinking and He asked me to start speaking truth over myself. So I did.

I made the decision that I was going to refuse to speak negatively about my body. That's right, I decided I wasn't ever going to speak a harsh or negative word about my body.

I started to counter act every lie that came at me with a truth from God and you know what? My whole mindset started shifting. I looked in the mirror and I was actually happy with what I saw. I actually started praising God for what I saw in the mirror. I started to love my body, the way I was created. My mindset on exercising even started to change! Instead of running to be skinny, I ran to be healthy. If I had a crummy day and ate a lot of sweets, I would plan to eat healthy the next day.

I refused to let shame be my motivation. And to this day, I'm still refusing. P.S. shame is THE WORST motivator.

My motivation is love. Because I love myself and love my creator, I will love my body and inspire others to love theirs too. 

Even though, it's gotten easier, I still have days when I want to let that comfy blanket of self loathing wrap its arms around me. I still have days where I'm tempted to get mad at that girl in the mirror.

But I refuse. As new lies try to creep in, I bring out the old weapons, those old truths with so much power. I refuse to conform to what the media says I should be. Instead I'll believe...

I am loved. I am valued. I am beautiful.

So friends, can we just vow to not even consider thigh gaps and bikini bridges?

Can we stop giving our bodies a beating and instead be kind, patient and loving with ourselves?

This Summer, I challenge you:

...to wear that two piece proudly...no matter what shape you are.

...to look in the mirror and smile at what you see. 

...to stop using shame as your motivation.

...to kick self loathing to the curb.

And to know with all your heart that you are so loved, you are so valued, you are so beautiful.

xo,

s.s.♥.

ONE WORD 2014 // JONATHAN

Hello from Redding, California!! We're here for a two week worship school at Bethel Church. Okay, I'm only "with the band". James, and our friends (Roman, Tiffany, Thomas & Chenoah) will be doing the school. I'll be doing my school (Pneumatology distance course), blogging, running (we have to go at 6am because it's so hot!!) and resting...and tanning, ha. I have SO much to share with you already (yesterday's church service was AMAZING) but you're going to have to come back tomorrow to learn more because today I have a special guest for you...Jonathan Bryden!

Jonathan is one of my dear friends. We have worked together for a number of years and he's been friends with James longer than I have. The three of us work very well on creative projects. If you know Jon, you know he has a heart of gold for people. He loves people like Jesus loves people. Like, really, really, loves them. Take it away Jon....!

My name is Jonathan, I’m 28 years old and I’m following Jesus.  I’m currently working at Glad Tidings Church in Victoria producing videos and pointing people to Jesus.

People know me in my community as the video guy and the sock guy. 

Why the sock guy you ask?  It’s a name I picked up during my years on the streets of Victoria.  On Thursday nights, some friends and I would go out with a bag of sports socks from Walmart and hand them out to the city’s homeless community.  We did this as an excuse to love people, build relationships, share stories and point people to Jesus.  I’ve led the ministry for seven years, but today I’m putting the socks down.

My word for this season is ‘complete’.

I recently had an experience where I felt the Lord lead me to spend a whole night out on the street.  No sleep, no plan and no one to go with.  It was not something I jumped at.  I wasn’t eager to go, but His pressing kept on and I decided to follow through.  Take the plunge right?  Step out of the boat...

A Friday in early June arrived and the timing seemed right.  I went expecting to see something deep and meaningful.  I went expecting to see God in a really cool way.  I went ready to receive a download from Heaven about the next level of the sock ministry I was leading.  I went to hear from Jesus.

The experience I had that night was challenging, but not in the way I expected.  I met many people, most of whom I knew or had at least already met, but my experience with them was like facing a hall of locked doors.  I felt like I had no way in and when I talked about Jesus, I was mostly met with indifference.

It was unspectacular, frustrating and telling on how weary my heart had become towards the spiritual apathy so prevalent in our city.  In the midst of all this, I heard God speak…

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46:10

And so that’s what I did.  I paused on the side of the street, silent and still.  And I realized that all of this wasn’t about me.  It wasn’t about my efforts, my love, my sacrifice or even my prayers.  It was all about His efforts, His love, His sacrifice and His prayers.  I realized the only difference that would ever be made in the lives of the homeless of our city, would be from the work of God’s Holy Spirit and this alone.

And then I began to remember all those who God led us to love over these last seven years.  All those who trust in Him, yet don’t look like they are following Jesus.  All His people who believe Jesus is their Savior, but have characters and appearances that would never lead you to believe that they are our brothers and our sisters.  I remembered the verse…

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  Matthew 25:35-36

I realized this has been the success of this ministry.  We got to love Jesus.  We got to love His people.  Though there are countless who are indifferent, there are still some who are His kids.

And so, with the frustration of indifference, the peace in knowing His sovereignty and the gratitude in getting to love His people, a question came to my mind… “Maybe my time on the streets is done.”  And as I asked this question, a sense of release hit me and what I can only describe as a wave of peace overwhelmed my mind.  That night, I went out on the street to hear from God and as far as my faith takes me, I did.

My word for this season of life is ‘complete’, because that’s how I feel about my part in leading a ministry to the homeless community of Victoria BC.  God’s work isn’t done.  He will continue it according to His great plan.  This is all about Him and He will get all the credit for those He rescues from the homeless community downtown.

I want to publicly thank all those who supported me over the years either through prayers, finances, service or donations.  Without your contributions, I wouldn’t have been able to go until my time was done.  Thank you and God bless you as you continue to follow His Son.

I look forward to the future and where the Lord will lead me to serve.  It may be in the lives of the homeless again or it may be to a different community.  Wherever it may be, He is the Lord of the harvest and I am simply thankful to be a part of what He is doing.  Thank you and God bless.

Thank you so much for sharing Jon. Your socks journey has inspired so many and I know God will bless your obedience to Him! Who knows what He has in store for you!! 

Ok friends, I'll be back tomorrow sharing about my Redding adventure. For the mean time, you can follow along on instagram!

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

ONE WORD 2014 // ELIJAH

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Well today I have a special treat for you. I have the first male to post about his one word for 2014! Today I introduce you to Elijah. I've had the pleasure of knowing Elijah (or Jah as I like to call him) for the past four years. Over the four years I have seen him grow in his walk with Jesus and it has made my heart sparkle. He is an incredible guy and God has so much in store for him!! Ok, take it away JAH...

Hello all! My name is Elijah, I'm an intern at Glad Tidings, as well as a worship leader at city youth. I'm so unbelievably blessed to know Laura and James. I have loved reading all these one word posts so much that I was inspired to write my own!

I know what you are all thinking...Woah first time hearing from a man on the blog! Heck ya!! Monumental moment right here!

I couldn't decide on just one word, I had to go with two, my words are TRUST, and PERSEVERANCE!

In this new year I didn't have any New Years resolutions, other than to loose weight (who hasn't thought that one) but on New Year's Eve I prayed to God. I asked him to change my life this year. And I found out that He had something so amazing planned that I didn't see coming at all. This year has already been a very unexpected journey through some very rough roads, and I'm still surviving, but nothing could have prepared me for any of it.

God planted two amazing men into my life, who have inspired me, and helped me start to grow into the man God wants me to be. Although things seemed to be looking bright, the enemy was still gripping onto me. I found myself still looking at the negative, because of the lack of trust that I put in God and the lack of trust I had for these men.

I was either at an extreme high, or an extreme low every other day, it was very unhealthy, and I was leaning too much on these two men, and not enough on God, which is so dangerous. These two men continued to walk with me and encourage me, and give me advice that was always trying to get me to focus my eyes onto God. But I continued to stare at my past, and in result, I became stagnant. I stayed in this place of turmoil, of self hatred, and self doubt. Everyone around me was screaming a different story at me, speaking truths, and covering me with not only their love, but God's love, but the enemy had boxed my ears and covered my eyes and spoke lies into me making my trust in God fade even more.

God doesn't want that for any of his children. He doesn't want to see us in pain. He is always right behind us and he's always waiting for us to smell his sweet fragrance or hear his voice, and remember that we can turn around and fall into his arms.

Through out my pain, and struggles, I always asked why? Why God, why do I have to hurt? Why do I have to keep failing? And the answer was so simple... The answer was trust. Trust that his plans are better than my own, trust that he is using these hard times to grow me, and that he has huge plans for me; that these test and trials are to help me not hinder me.

A verse that comes to mind is tattooed on one of these lovely men it's Psalm 37:3-4  

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 I'm only just starting to realize how if I place all my trust in God and his plans for me, how beautiful the ending to my story could be!!! And that's where the perseverance comes in, I'm still going to face trials, and still face hardships, but I have to trust God through it all, and persevere and remember his promises to me.

That's about all I can say for now, my prayer is that God will use these words to inspire whomever reads this, and my prayer is that my Trust in him will never fail, and that through all of this perseverance becomes my best friend!

Thank you so much for reading!!

Thank you so much Elijah for sharing! Your words have blessed me and I know they are going to bless others. So stoked on the journey that God is taking you on!!

Check out the previous one words- Amy | Sarah | Tiffany | Danae | Nadia | Micaela | Kristy | Me | Julia | Caitlyn

If you would like to share your one word for 2014, email me at laura@ssheart.com

stay gold,

s.s.♥︎.

ONE WORD 2014 // CAITLYN

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So today's one word is from the very lovely Caitlyn. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Caitlyn this past year through our church's intern program. She's pretty rad and I'm very excited for what God has in store for her! 

Hey, I’m Caitlyn! I am currently an intern at an amazing church called Glad Tidings, which is how I met the lovely Laura! I live in the beautiful city of Victoria and I absolutely love it.

So, here we go! This past January was the first time I had heard of the “ONE WORD” movement. To be honest, I was not too eager to find my “ONE WORD”, but by the end of January I felt that it was becoming more and more clear.... STAY!

Here’s a little history....

Prior to starting internship in September, my dream was to become a flight attendant and travel as much as I possibly could. In fact, I almost did not commit to the internship program because I had been waiting to hear back from an airline. The interview process alone takes months, not to mention waiting to be called back can take FOREVER!  I decided to start the intern program since I did not think I would actually ever be getting a call back from the airline, but I was still hopeful. 

Becoming an intern at the church was the best! It was such a great way to get connected in the church, make life-long friends and a great way to be involved in such an uplifting community. It seems like the first few months flew by and before I knew it, 2014 was here. Our church had been conducting a 21 day challenge of fasting/praying with daily prayer meetings at noon for the first 3 weeks of the year. It was great. Thankfully, I was able to attend on my lunch breaks (thanks to some great friends, SHOUTOUT to Andria & Becky!!!!). I was feeling closer to God than ever before and it was unreal.

Just before the end of 21 day Challenge, I received a pretty sweet offer letter from the airline I had been waiting on. It seemed perfect! It was everything I had hoped for. I was soooooo excited! In my head, it seemed like the absolute perfect timing as my then current job was coming to an end in February. But the only thing was, I had 48hrs to respond. How on earth was I supposed to make such a HUGE life decision in two days?

Immediately I was ready to accept the offer. According to my family and friends, this was a no brainer! But my heart was saying something different....STAY. I made so many pro/con lists, talked it out with good friends, and sought out advice from leaders. I was a wreck. Surely, God couldn’t be asking me to give up my dream. I would soon be unemployed and the offered starting salary was double what I was making. This was all wrong! The moment I started praying and seeking God’s will I knew I needed to just STAY.

BUT...that was definitely not the answer I wanted to hear! I wanted to hear GO, SOAR, FLY...anything but STAY. In fact, I did not even accept what God was telling me! I tried to convince myself that I needed to take this opportunity of a lifetime. So I responded to the offer. I scanned two copies, one to the airline and one to myself just to be sure. Immediately I knew I had made the wrong choice but I was totally in denial. God was calling me to stay and I was trying to run in the opposite direction! Then I came across this scripture passage...

“I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them."

So you’ll go out in joy,
    you’ll be led into a whole and complete life

Isaiah 55: 8-13 (MSG)

A few things really got my attention in the passage...

1.   I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think

God seriously knows what is best! Obviously! He is in control. Always has been, always will be. I needed to trust Him!!

2.    They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them

One thing I have really been learning is that what God starts, He finishes! He’s not going to leave us hanging half way. He is right there beside us, cheering us on to run the race marked out before us! He’s Emmanuel, GOD WITH US. He NEVER leaves us or forsakes us!

3.    So you’ll go out in JOY, you’ll be led into a whole and complete life

God is FOR us, not against us! JESUS is the ONLY one who can bring true wholeness. I honestly believe that by obeying God, He will lead me into a whole and complete life- better than I can even think or imagine!

I knew what I needed to do. It was hard choice! So, there I was….soon to be unemployed but learning to trust God. OH, and just in case I still really wasn’t sure I was hearing God correctly…the airline later emailed me saying “Sorry, it looks like you didn’t get back to us. Best of luck on your future endeavours!”  HA! I feel like God totally has a sense of humour. But guess what? I WAS RELIEVED! For me, that was a confirmation that I had made the right choice. 

Today, I am happy to report that I am employed! All in God’s perfect timing, things slowly started coming back together.  But those next few weeks were not all warm and cozy! There were many nights I stayed up tossing and turning wondering what I was going to do next.  Every day of being unemployed I felt like a failure. There were seeds of disappointment growing in my heart and part of me felt like I had made the biggest mistake. But I knew what God had said, I knew He had a plan, but I just couldn’t see it.  And it was frustrating! I am very much someone who likes to have a detailed plan! Everyday I had to make the choice to trust Him. “He knows the plans He has for me..”, I said that over and over until I truly started to believe that YES, He was speaking to me too! But guess what, I’m not perfect. There were many days I made the wrong choice and chose worry over faith. But I am so thankful that we serve a God who is unchanging, who loves us so unconditionally and is with us until the very end!!

All in God’s perfect timing, things slowly started coming back together.  Each day I chose faith over worry God began speaking so clearly to me about why I needed to stay. As someone who had quite an unstable past, always moving around, never really following through with anything, this was a big deal. STAY? Like…forever? That did not sound appealing. I do not even know how to do that. I’d been to 22 schools and moved more times than I can remember. When things get uncomfortable I like to have the option of a quick escape route. But He began to speak to me about the importance of having roots and being planted. He started showing me even in the lives of people around me the importance of stability, of being connected. Most importantly, He’s been revealing that He ALONE is my security, my stability, and my safe place! God has seriously moved mountains in my life to get me to this place.

We are all on a journey and He will never, ever give up on us. EVERY SINGE DAY I want to choose to trust Him with every area of my life! God’s way is the best way! Even though I have no idea what the road ahead holds, I am SO confident that the best is yet to come in my life…and YOURS!

How good was that? And FYI I was with Caitlyn and helped her fax the acceptance letter to the airline and it said it went through...CLEARLY God wanted her here! Again, I'm so excited for what He has in store for her here! Thank you Caitlyn for sharing your beautiful heart :)

Previous one words- Amy | Sarah | Tiffany | Danae | Nadia | Micaela | Kristy | Me | Julia

If you would like to submit your one word, email me at laura@ssheart.com

Stay gold,

s.s.♥︎.