is this living free

For the longest time, I thought that even though I had put my trust in Christ, the Lord was looking down on me for all of the things I did (or didn't do) on a daily basis. Over time, this pattern of thinking grew into a belief, and soon I felt perpetually guilty before the Lord, and so condemned.

This, of course, is so far from the truth.

"Then you will know the truth, 
and the truth will set you free." 

~ John 8:32

I don't know if anyone else has struggled with this mindset before, but if so, I want you to know it is a complete lie. Once you are in Christ, you can enjoy peace and security and safe pasture with Jesus. Believing that the Lord looks down on you robs you of the intimacy you could have with Him and actually gives the devil the victory. There is no condemnation here. 

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." 

~ Romans 8:1-2

Fixing a mindset such as mine takes time, but it starts with taking God at His Word. Yes, Lord, I want to BELIEVE that what You say is truer than true, and hide it so deep within my heart that I cannot help but overflow with healthy thoughts. What You say is true. If what I think and feel do not line up with You, then it is You to whom I must listen. 

"But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation, if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel." 

~ Colossians 1:22-23a

Above all, know that God is crazy in love with you. He created you, and knows your weaknesses and died so that you may live in a free, delightful relationship with Him.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." 

~ John 3:17

+ What helps you to run to truth? How do you embrace freedom on a daily basis? And, pray tell, what is your favorite twenty one pilots song? 

be still & rest

I've come to realize that I'm not very good at resting.

Spring Break may be here in all of its peace-giving glory, but I still have a list ready to go of tasks that I'd like to accomplish, projects I'd like to start, and goals I'd like to reach. In the pursuit of much, I find myself unable to keep up with my high standards. And if I'm honest, I find myself too often absorbed in feelings of anxiety, my mind racing with thoughts of guilt.

Lord, teach me to rest. 

"The Lord will fight for you; 

you need only to be still."

~ Exodus 14:14

This week, I pray that I would step away from the mental battle and pick up the Word instead. I forget how easy it is to believe, how simple it can be to trust. And we were meant to live FREE, even if that feels unnatural sometimes. 

Jesus, carry me. Help me to have a child's faith. I thirst for a relationship with You that is real, just Father and child sharing life together.

+ Happy Spring Break, y'all! Is anyone else on vacation this week?

P.S. I am about to embark on a massive blog-reading session. WOOT WOOT

P.S.S. I am actually taking my own blog photos now #whatup. 

Follow me on Instagram here if you feel so inclined. ♥ 

enjoy your life, friends

The day my sister and I had the best strawberry milkshake known to man.

Yo, life is too short not to have fun and enjoy every second, y'all. 

I know we get dragged down sometimes by the drudgery of life: we go to class, church, work, and back home again on a seemingly infinite loop. Sometimes it seems like all that we hope for is still a long way off, but don't miss out on the joy of the ordinary, the everyday, the right-now. Each day we can ask the Lord to help us lean into His love and the soul-filling purpose of our lives.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, 

do it all for the glory of God." 

~ 1st Corinthians 10:31

 What does God want to do in and through me today? How can my morning bowl of oatmeal and email-answering at work and reading Pride and Prejudice in the evenings bring glory to God?

ERIN'S LIST OF LITTLE JOYS

Meeting Ellen. Sort of.

She's surprisingly cardboard in person.

Jumping rope. Ok, this one's weird. (Not that meeting Ellen wasn't, LOL). But....I've been getting so bored with running constantly, and wanted to mix up my workout routine a little bit and let me just say that WOW, I love jumping rope?! It makes me feel like a little kid again.

Daydreaming. As my college graduation looms ever nearer (three months, guys!), I can't help but dream of working as a full-time writer. How amazing would it be to write freelance from home, and write novels, and edit books, and publish books, and oh my goodness BOOKS. The Lord has been pulling at my heartstrings about this lately; more on that to come later, possibly...

+ What about you? What are three things that you are just out-of-your-mind grateful for today? And tell me about your life, yo! What's new? ♥