Romantic. That word both describes myself and my husband. Sentimental. Another duel descriptor for us. Good sense of humor. Considerate. Amorous. Happy. Put these words together and you get fireworks of love. No matter what is going on in our world around us, we always end the day with love. Whether it's a simple "I love you", a goodnight kiss, or a hug that says "I'm glad you're mine" we always have that to hold on to. That's what makes everyday a good day. Having each other.

I am often reminded at how love itself is a miracle. Yes, I believe it is a miracle. Out of the billions of people in this world that two people can find each other and know that this is the one person you want to love and share everything with. That you are soul mates, born to love each other. Jared and I met in the middle of the ocean. We met on a cruise ship. So the odds were even smaller that we would find each other so far out at sea, away from the better part of the world. But we did. How do you explain that? That is not a mistake. That is not chance. That is fate....God had a hand in it. It's what I like to call "A God thing".

My parents gave me a manifesto that was written from God's perspective and talked about how he was preparing myself and the one I would marry for each other and when we were both ready he would bring us together. I believe this is so true. I had a lot of life to go through before I met Jared and eventually married him in order to appreciate him and to know exactly how to love him, the way God had intended for me to love. With all my heart. The words were written as if it were a personal letter from God written directly to me. I still have it tucked away somewhere, I will look for it and try to post the whole thing. It really is beautiful. Little did I know at age 16 when my parent's gave it to me how true and accurate it would be.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

I've been noticing more and more lately that people are using the word "open-minded" to describe themselves. As if this is the latest trend. But I think a lot of them are confusing what the word means. They are being more persuadable and tolerant than perceptive or knowledgeable. These avant-garde thinkers believe that not "accepting" a person's lifestyle or behavior means that you are in fact close-minded or an opponent of change. I'm not open-minded or closed-minded...I'm simply God-minded! I can love someone and not like what they do. I believe that God made boundaries for us and guidelines to live by. They are clear, there is no reading between the lines, no compromising. These standards were set in place for good, not for evil. It seems to me like the world is chastizing those of us who choose to listen to God's word and follow Christ's examples and making us out to be jerks for believing that what society says is "acceptable" is not acceptable in God's standards. These so-called "open-minded" people are hypocrits. You can accept a behavior but you can't accept our faith? I'm not arguing that you have to take a side, but what I am saying is don't call yourself open-minded if really you're one-sided. Accepting society's norm and labeling Christians as simple-minded is not being open-minded. It's being ignorant.

I am a very modest person...in every sense of the word. Whether it be clothing or compliments. I have gotten better about receiving compliments...I have always gotten red faced and become awkward whenever someone would give me any sort of compliment and I hated the uncomfortableness of it all. I appreciated the compliments but a part of me felt like I didn't deserve them. I think I now know why I have always felt this way...

Any glory I receive belongs to God. He has given me everything I have, and I have nothing without him. So any compliments I get really should all go to Him. Knowing this, when I am told something nice, I immediately thank God. Compliments are a reminder of the good things God is doing in our lives.

I recently received one of the best compliments I could ever receive by a woman I've only met once. I met her through my boss to help me work on a current project. I talked with this woman for about 2 hours as we worked on this video project together. This is what she wrote to me in an email the very next day:


I welled up with happiness and a huge smile came to my face. She wasn't complimenting me on things I had done or said...she was simply saying she could see God in me. Not only was I happy that I had represented God honorably, but knowing that God was with me...and is with me all the time. What a powerful and comforting thought. We are often told that, I have always known that, but it was made more real by reading her words to me. She could see Him in my actions and in my words. He was speaking through me. He was there. He is always there.

My reason for writing this is not to give praise to myself for being a Godly woman, but to praise God for being constant and thank him for showing me once again how much He loves me and is with me 24/7. It's a privilege to know Him and be loved by Him. We get caught up in the busyness of life and it is so easy to overlook God's signs for us. He leaves little messages of love for us that we just have to look for and listen for. I could have easily just thought that the meeting with this lady had gone well and that was all it was. But her words...her words let me know that there was much more going on that day that you couldn't see with your eyes or hear with your ears. God moves in mysterious and marvelous ways. Keep your spiritual eyes and ears open. :)