Reminiscing

It's graduation time!! My little brother, Brandon walked across the stage yesterday and I couldn't be more proud of everything he's accomplished in the past 4 years of high school. Watching him and all the other seniors graduating has been making me think a lot about when I was still in high school two years ago and there's some things I would like to share with those still in high school or middle school or already graduated.

This is my advice to you as someone who wishes I did a lot of things differently. to the middle-schooles; I know it's probably pretty rough for you right now, everyone is changing, you probably don't really know what you want to do with your life yet, all your friends are being weird, and you might not be sure where you even fit in in the social aspect of school yet. That's okay cause you know what, you don't need to know yet, middle school is kind of this weird transition stage between a kid and not quite an adult. At some restaurants you can still order off the kids menu but others you can't... Hang in there, it will start looking up, just give it some time.

High-schoolers; here's my advice to you that I wish I followed. Put in the time and work to get good grades, just because you're smart doesn't mean that you won't have any friends. Join a sport or a club, give band and/or choir a shot. Don't limit your 'friend group' to certain people, be everyone's friend, be friendly to everyone. Take advantage of those free classes, don't just take the easy ones that will get you the credits you need. Try different things that you might not do usually, step out of your comfort zone as often as possible. Have fun! High school would have been a lot more enjoyable for me if I would have done these things instead of just doing the bare minimum to get by.

Graduates; It's not too late for you, just like it's not too late for me. Even though high school is over, and maybe you're like me and didn't go to college and just jumped into the working class, doesn't mean it's too late for you to change the course of your life. I wish I was more social and involved in high school but I still can be even out of high school. I meet new people all the time at the store, or the park, or Panera, or work. I'm even looking for a community sports team to join so I can get my exercise in and so I can meet new people. If you are in college right now, join choir or a sport. Hang out in the commons and go up in talk to people. It may be awkward at first but in the end it will be worth it, trust me!

Well  I star a new job today so if you think of it, I would appreciate prayers! Thanks y'all! I hope y'all have an amazing day! God bless you and I wish you all the best of luck!!

Katelyn

Who's the real Enemy?

Lately every time I get on Facebook my news feed is filled with everyone's opinions and arguments about everything from politics to raising children to transgender bathrooms. There's ALWAYS two sides to every argument and it seems like no can ever agree on anything... We fight over stupid things and it's ruining our relationships with people who used to be our friends! We're treating our close friends as if they are our enemies but we've forgotten who the real enemy is.

Ephesians 6:12-13 'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.' Guys, We're told right here who our enemy is, our enemy is Satan and let me just tell you, he is having a hay day watching us turn on each other while he just sits back to watch. When we put all of our energy into telling everyone else why they are wrong and we are right, we are working with Satan.

Does it really matter if you push your opinion into every conversation? Is it going to benefit anyone at all? What if we focused more on commenting encouraging and uplifting things instead of negative and discouraging things? I am one of those opinionated people who will tell you the honest truth if you really want to know, and sometimes when you don't. It's something I've definitely struggled with for awhile but I'm starting to realize that people don't really care to hang around people like that, they would rather hang out with someone who will love on them and encourage them.

Let's think about what it would look like if we believed Ephesians 6:12-13 for a second. Whenever we saw someone who was doing something that we thought was wrong we would pray for them, we would pray for our government, we would join forces with other believers and work WITH them instead of against them. If someone posted something on social media about feeling depressed they would almost instantly have their inbox full of messages from their friends telling them they were praying and asking if there was anything they could do to help out. Think about how much better this world would be if that was truly the case! It would be AMAZING y'all! It CAN be amazing! We just have to focus our energy on our real enemy, not each other.

That's all for today! Y'all have an amazing day! I will be praying for each and everyone of you! God Bless!

Katelyn