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Saturday, May 31, 2014

Marriage: God's Faithfulness & My Selfishness

So, I'm not gonna lie y'all, the past few days have been tough.  It turns out that I'm still a selfish sinner.  Go figure, right?  It's funny how desperately I need to be reminded of this at times.  It's quite impressive when even in the midst of being so so tremendously blessed I still find a way to be discontented, to say, "What I have is not enough.".  Ugh, how it disgusts me to admit this. Even more disgusting is being confronted with how I still desire to put my interests and passions before Jon's.

I know we're only eight months into marriage with him being deployed over half of it, so we are by no means supposed to be experts.  However, I am convinced of this:  marriage means loving your spouse more than yourself, and loving them unconditionally...a beautiful picture of the Gospel.  Wow, how much more easily this is said than lived out in my everyday.  How much easier it is to focus on how others could change to benefit me, instead of me changing to become more selfless. I hope I'm not alone here.

As I push to plan my life the way I think it should  look, I fall into the trap of selfishness and control.  Praise Jesus I have a husband who sets a beautiful example for me of what it means to desire God's will for his life rather than his own.  I am so humbled by it.  One thing I feel so blessed by is God's faithfulness to reveal my selfishness to me.  Although the realization that I can be more selfish than I ever thought possible doesn't exactly feel good, the sense of God's nearness and faithfulness to mold me into His image for His glory sure does.  While confronting, it is so cool to navigate this journey with Jon as we identify his passions, my passions, and God's passions; surrendering our own and receiving a new heart for His.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Five on Friday: Memorial Day

Happy Friday! and Happy Memorial Day weekend!
The holidays mean a bit more to me this year with Jon being deployed.  I'm thankful for an opportunity to more deeply understand the sacrifices made by our military and their families.  Thank you all!  In honor of the holiday:  a photo with my sweet soldier, and 5 top pinned holiday party inspirations!  





Happy Weekend!


Thursday, May 22, 2014

Peace: In the job search

So, I have begun the job seeking process again, y'all.  For the first time since college graduation  I am resume tweaking and filling out applications.  Ah, how I had forgotten the anxiety and uncertainty of it all.  I have been tremendously blessed to have an awesome career in my field for the past three years, but with Jon and I changing stations upon his redeployment, we have reached the bittersweet period of transitioning to the next chapter.
I had forgotten just how vulnerable the job search could make me.  As I sit and write my heart out to try and impress my potential employer, the pressure to 'earn' recognition and success can become overwhelming.  I think, "If I just had the perfect wording in my cover letter..." or "If I just had one more letter of recommendation...", then I could get that dream job.  While working to gain skills and experience that better equip us in the workforce is important, I have been all the more humbled and struck by the reality that my career, like everything else, is ultimately in God's hands.  While having an awesome resume might seem to increase my chances for employment, I am thankful to find confidence in the fact that God is in control no matter how tweaked the resume.
This has filled me with such peace.  I have been going through Sarah Young's Jesus Calling this year, and yesterday's reading was super impactful...a great reminder that we need only trust in Him.  I hope this snippet helps you find peace today wherever you are, Friend.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Five on Friday

Yay! Another Friday!
As usual, I'm joining ChristinaDarciApril  and Natasha in their link-up to share some Friday favs.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have started running, which if you know me, is so so unusual.  One thing I'm loving is the convenient reason to expand an area of my wardrobe that I never have before.  I used to think it was super silly to invest in good workout clothes.  I thought, "What's the point if you're just going to sweat in them?" and "What can I do in a 'workout' tank that I can't do in an old t-shirt?".  Jon is the complete opposite.  He's actually really into fitness, and totally sees workout gear as a worthy investment.  This is quickly becoming the 469624556th time in our eight months of marriage that I'm having to admit my husband was right, y'all.  :)  Here are five of my favorite pins of the week.



Happy Weekend!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Five on Friday

Happy Friday, Y'all!  
Today I'm joining Christina,  Darci,  April  and Natasha in their link-up.
In honor of Mother's Day:

one.


two.

three.


four.

five. 

Friday, May 2, 2014

Five on Friday

Happy Friday, Y'all!  
Today I'm joining Christina,  Darci,  April  and Natasha for their fun link-up.

{one}  I've started going to the gym pretty much everyday, so Jon encouraged me to purchase a new pair of running shoes (since my sale sneakers were never super good for actually working out).  I got these!  I love love love my green leopard Nike Frees.

{two} My Monday night small group just started ready a new book:  Lord, Teach Me How to Study the Bible in 28 days by Kay Arthur.  I'm only on Day 3, but it seems really good so far and I'm excited for any opportunity to learn more in and about God's Word.


{three}  It seems to have finally gotten to the point of consistent warm weather around here.  I don't have any major plans, but I definitely hope to be spending the weekend outside.

{four}  Blacksburg is having their Fork and Cork festival this weekend, and even though I probably won't be driving the 2.5 hours to be there I hope my brother and sister-in-law have a wonderful time.  Super jealous!

{five} Jon and I are 60% of the way through this deployment! Praise God!  Counting the days!

Happy Friday, Friends!

Thursday, May 1, 2014

You're Not Alone: Marie Miller