This month, I’m supposed to be having a break from Jem and focusing on strengthening my faith. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of the second part :P, the first, not so much, haha.
It’s impossible to stop talking to your favorite person altogether, so though we’re barely talking (no where near as much as we did a couple of weeks ago), we’re still having some communication. It’s reassuring to know that he’s still there and thinking about me while we’re having this break, because I’m definitely thinking about him. I thought it was going to be a lot more difficult, but just the two or three tweets a day are enough to keep me going.
Growing closer with God is also easier than people think, though I still have a long way to go, I’ve made a start. This week, I’ve made sure to spend some time each day in the Word. I used to have a hard time reading the Bible, because I never knew where to read, but it’s actually quite easy to find a place, read, and look at all the cross references. Study Bibles are my favorites because everything is there and it helps to know where the verses come from.
I’ve also started reading “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” again, and it’s amazing how much it’s speaking to me. The first time I read it, I was crushing on Will, but now that I’m in love, I’m reading it with new eyes. Each chapter contains another great tip, or study guide, that I find myself spending an hour on each chapter because I’m taking notes and studying all the verses the author, Joshua Harris, is incorporating in with the book.
Some of the great things Joshua Harris has written about are:
1. How many times are you going to give your heart away before you find the one? With this question, Joshua gave the example of a man at the altar and as he’s saying his vows, all his past loves line up behind him. I don’t want to be like that guy, I want to give my entire heart to only one man.
2. Smart love is based on Philippians 1:9-10, which states that we need use our heads along with our hearts and stay pure. I used to think that being pure meant that you didn’t have sex before marriage, but as I studied the Word I realized that it’s more than that. God has called us all to pursue purity and blamelessness in our motives, minds, and emotions. We are also not supposed to listen to what the flesh wants, but what the Spirit wants. I know for a fact that I have not been Biblically pure, and I have made the choice to start living purer than I was.
3. What is wrong with dating? Dating has become the normal today, but it didn’t used to be and this is why: Dating (sometimes) skips over the friendship stage, it isolates a couple from friendships with other people, it distracts teens from preparing for the future! (this is a big one for me), and it can cause you to miss what God had planned for you while you were single.
Now, I know a lot of you reading this won’t agree with these reasons, but I do. When Jem and I were in a relationship, we spent as much time as we could talking with each other, and when we weren’t talking, I would talk about him. I also started to lose focus on my goals for the future.
4. The heart is deceitful and shouldn’t be trusted. We need to follow where God leads us and not what the world is doing. Many Christians get caught up with everything the world is doing, but God has called us to be different and not follow the ways of the world. The Bible says that we are to, “Seek FIRST his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added.”
I’m really excited to see where God is going to take me on this new journey. I’ve already started seeing a change in the way I am around people and when I’m alone. For one, I’ve cut down the distractions that were stopping me from focusing on God, like tv shows. I have nothing against entertainment, but I was watching over two shows a day and it wasn’t healthy. I have also started leaving my phone in my office at night so I can give my whole attention to my parents or guests when we’re together. It’s actually a lot of fun to hang out with people without the use of electronics, it makes everything more personal.
This last week, we had a big get together with almost twenty people. There were a lot of kids over, and we had a blast! After dinner, we all jumped into the pool. We all splashed around, played games, and just had a great laugh. My friends Gavin and Annabeth were there and I made a new friend, Spencer, who had come with his family.
Gavin and I met when I first moved to the country I live in, and we hit it off almost right away. Sometimes he’s hard to keep a conversation with, but he’s a great pool buddy. We always have a great time when we swim, though we get a bit rough at times. He’s a typical guy and loves guns and fighting (whether it’s play or not), so when we’re together, we’re either beating each other up, or shooting one another with his air soft guns. It’s great fun, though my parents don’t think so when I come home with little bruises from where the bullets hit.
Annabeth is a couple of years younger than me, but she’s a hoot. We go super hyper when we’re together, and somehow just work. She’s a bookaholic, like me, so that’s a big bonus. Annabeth is also really out going, which I love because I’m not a fan of being quiet all the time, and when I’m with her, I’m the opposite of quiet.
Spencer was really quiet when I introduced myself to him and his brothers. At first, I didn’t think we would talk at all the night we met, but once we all got into the pool, we started having a great time and he came out of his shell. When all of the kids, except a family with six kids, went down to the park, we talked a little bit and I found it really easy to be around him. Before he left, I gave him my number and we’ve been texting ever since. He’s really funny and interesting to talk to.
It was nice to have a night where I got to hang out with kids who were close to my age. I find that I don’t get one with that many girls, unless they’re tomboys, like Annabeth, and I find it easier to make friends with boys than girls. We’ve had a family of eight staying with us for the passed couple of days and I can’t really click with them. There are five girls and one boy in the family, but they’re all so quiet, shy, and girly, that I can’t find any common ground with them. The oldest just turned seventeen, but I can’t talk to her about normal girl stuff because she has no experience with it, and it’s sort of awkward. She still can’t get over the fact that I’ve kissed a guy.
Last week was a good week, and to top it off, I found this amazing song, called Gravity by Against the Current (go to my music page to listen to it), that I keep putting on repeat with the volume on maximum. It was a great start to a new era, though I know that challenges are most likely going to reveal themselves soon, but for right now, I’m enjoying the calmness. This week is my last week being seventeen, so I’m definitely going to enjoy it!