Wednesday, April 18, 2012

No Better Than You.

I know I speak of strength but that doesn’t mean I have mastered it.
I know that my tears are rare but it doesn’t mean they never appear.
I know I'm all about independence but it doesn’t mean I don't need anybody there.
I know I’m all about having real friends, but I am no judge to label a heart as a gem.
I know I speak of my dreams as if it's the essence of me, but frankly it down right is.
I know I preach on being true, and being entirely you, but that doesn’t make it easy.
One thing I do know is,
I strive to be real, I strive to be different, and I strive to be strong.
But just because I’m striving, doesn’t mean I’m always landing.
I am only as strong as the hardships I have overcome.
And that’s why I can stand proud of where I am from.
This is me and everything I ought to be.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Inside~Out


 Storms will always come about, Things will be taken from you, people will wound you, motives will dwindle, dreams will be discouraged, your faults will be flaunted, and your fears will meet you face to face. Therefore it’s so important to find something that keeps your heart and mind at peace. For me I keep my mind on a beach somewhere in Hawaii, where nothing is bigger than the waves, and nothing is able to take my tranquility away from me. ~ Always Keep Your Mind Right, & Never Let The Sun Set With An Angry Heart.  

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Bringing our dreams back to life.

This is a poem written by a 12 year old girl named Brooke Bronkowski

SINCE I HAVE MY LIFE BEFORE ME”
I’ll live my life to the fullest. I’ll be happy. I’ll brighten up. I will be more joyful than I have ever been. I will be kind to others. I will loosen up. I will tell others about Christ. I will go on adventures and change the world. I will be bold and not change who I really am. I will have no troubles but instead help others with their troubles.

You see, I’ll be one of those people who live to be history makers at a young age. Oh, I’ll have moments, good and bad, but I will wipe away the bad and only remember the good. In fact that’s all I remember, just good moments, nothing in between, just living my life to the fullest. I’ll be one of those people who go somewhere with a mission, an awesome plan, a world-changing plan, and nothing will hold me back. I’ll set an example for others, I will pray for direction.

I have my life before me. I will give others the joy I have and God will give me more joy. I will do everything God tells me to do. I will follow the footsteps of God. I will do my best!!

(Brooke was in a car accident and her life was taken away from her at 14 years old. )

This story really spoke to me, for the reason being that children have huge dreams for the future. But sadly the world ( and devil) has a way of tearing down our big dreams and discouraging us from pursuing our BIG MOVEMENTS. The beautiful soul that wrote this poem is a reminder to us that we should continue to dream and expect big things, and that the Lord is our only real audience.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

I Am God's Masterpiece

·        
o      I may not be a public speaker, but I still can touch the hearts of people.

I may not have a perfect shot, but I can play a
whole game.
I may not be the most consistent person, but I’m  always down to try anything new and authentic.  
I may not be able to sing in the choir, but God absolutely loves my voice.

I may not be able to cook, but I can sure read a recipe.

I may not be wild and crazy, but I can be
compassionate and giggly.


I may not have the latest edition Of Nikes, but I’m still frontin the old stuff good as new.

I may count with my fingers, but At least I'm blessed with all 10!

I may not have a six pack, but I sure do appreciate my dessert before dinner.

We are all something that someone is not, but that doesn't make anybody less worthy by any means. God made each of us with abundant love and detail, so love what you got, and restrain from comparing yourself to others.

YOU ARE THE BEST VERSION OF YOU!  NOBODY ON THIS EARTH CAN COMPARE TO YOUR BEAUTY, SO EMBRACE IN THAT.


Monday, October 3, 2011

Sometimes parents sneak in "life lessons" at unexpected times.

This morning my friend confided in me with a situation that was bothering her. She felt disrespected by someone, and asked for my advice.
The story goes like this:  Apparently someone asked to borrow her speakers for the night, but when the person returned the speakers, the cord was broken. It bothered my friend because when she approached that person, they wouldnt own up to their mistake.

 She wanted to ask the person to give her 10 dollars to buy her a cheap replacement from Wal-Mart. (which would be a generous amount because they were more than 10 dollars.)
HAVE WE NOT ALL HAD A SIMILAR SITUATION? WHERE IT JUST IRKED US THAT SOMEONE DIDN'T PAY US BACK FOR SOMETHING, SO WE LET IT GET IN THE WAY OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM?
She asked me what she should do...
And I told her a about a similar story, how I once had roommates who would host parties frequently on the weekends at our house. There was one party in particular the “End of the Year Party”, and it was completely out of line, and they trashed our home. Our floors were black; we had holes in the walls, furniture outside, and bottles everywhere in the neighborhood. But what bothered me the most was that my roommates allowed people to invade my room; people were sleeping in my bed, there were puke stains on my carpet, weed on my counters, and my toilet was completely broken.
To make a long story short; when it came time to move out, our landlord said we owed 170 dollars each for damage expenses.  The girls expected me to pay my portion of the money, even though I never attended the parties or did any of the damage.

       I called my dad in tears because I did not feel I should have to pay that money. I told him I wanted to take it to court.  He explained to me calmly that I was going to pay that bill and then move on with life. His explanation was because...I also lived in that house, and I was responsible for everything as much as they were.  He said to look at it in the landlord’s perspective, WE COMPLETELY DISRESPECTED HER HOME. He explained that it’s only 170 dollars, and that there is no purpose in going through the trouble of breaking friendships and relationships over money.

       I told him "it's more than the money, It's the fact they disrespected me." He understood , but continued to take the same stance and said “yes I'm sure they are well aware of that, and one day they will realize...you could have dealt with the situation differently, but instead you decided to be the big person and not allow money to become the tension and break of the relationship."

 
So I told my friend to think of it in this way. Is that 10 dollars more important to her than the friendship with that person? 

As those words left my mouth, I realized that when my dad forced me to pay those damage expenses he was really teaching me a huge lesson in life.   ALL IN ALL: People and Relationships should always win the battle over Money and Material. 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Tug-O-War: Sin vs. Love

Recently I have put some deep consideration into who I desire to be, and how I want to portray myself. The night before I left for West Virginia, I went over to My best friend's house ( Hannah Lang), and we sat at her dining room table til the crack of dawn talking. It suddenly struck me what my problem has been all this time:

Problem: AS I WENT ABOUT MY LIFE I WAS SIMPLY TRYING “NOT TO SIN.” I WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT “SIN”AS A UNIT THAT I FELT IF I PARTAKED IN ANYTHING OF THE WORLD THEN IT WOULD BE SINFUL.

So I altered my way of thinking and came up with this...

 Solution: MAYBE IF I STOP FOCUSING ON “NOT SINNING” AND START MAKING A DILEBERATE EFFORT TO LOVE THE LORD, THEN I WILL HAVE A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD.

I gave my self a goal: TO READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER OF EXODUS IN THE BIBLE AND JOURNAL ABOUT IT BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS.

My intentions were to learn how to love the Lord, and that’s exactly what I did.
I started spending hours reading, writing, highlighting and comprehending the chapter Exodus. I found myself thriving in the word of God. It was the center of attention and excitement of my day, I couldn’t wait to get to a coffee shop and start studying. The greatest part about reading Exodus was that I could now understand people when they spoke about Moses, The Ten Commandments, and the escape of the Israelites from Egypt. I felt like I could finally join in on their conversations. I had never known anything about these stories until I made the conscious goal and effort to learn for myself.

Let me share one of my favorite passages in Exodus: When Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt he had such a courageous attitude and a forceful hand, but there were many instances when Moses expressed his lack of confidence as a leader. He frequently cried out to the Lord for guidance, he said to the Lord You have been telling me lead these people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said I know you by name and you have found favor with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
And The Lord simply replied “ My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”

This passage really spoke to me, because I have found myself numerous times crying out to the Lord to just give me a friend to walk the same path with me, and love God in the way I do. I have cried out to him to give me a sense of direction and guidance that I can follow. This passage was like a answer to my prayers. It was as if God was telling me “Natalie don’t worry about the friends, don’t worry about the path, Just love me ( the Lord) and walk a path that resembles your love for me ( the Lord),  and you will attract the friends that you are longing to have. Also please Stop worrying about your direction because my presence is with you every step of the way. What more could you ask for? Now rest your mind”

This has given me a sense of confidence in the Lord, and has allowed me to set my worries aside. I realized that Sin cant win me over, and it cant consume my mind. I am no longer trying to overcome sin, but I am simply trying to reach Love. And I will continue to learn how to love the Lord and his people whole heartily.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Cut, Paste, Paint, and Admire. Adding a splash of style to my book life.


This is a fabulous new addition to my book life. I made these ones for my two sisters. Now whenever they open up their books they can be reminded of our sisterhood and love:)

You can learn how to make these on this site: http://nheilke.com/blog/?p=2628

Also a special thanks to a blogger named "tangled and true" I found this cute idea on her blog.