Living Life With No Regrets

Recently, a stranger approached me and told me that I reminded her of that American Olympic gymnast. As soon as she said the word gymnast, I knew exactly who she had in mind; Shawn Johnson. Initially, this comment thrilled me. However, feelings of regret quickly filled my thoughts. These feelings almost always show up during the summer Olympics.

Let me explain. When I was in second grade a took gymnastics's at a gym in PA. (I think the gym was called Positive Fitness.) I loved every minute of it. However, these classes took time because they were over 20 minutes from my house and I think I went three times a week. I found out later how much money the gym cost. Even with all the extra costs I was the one who decided I didn't want to do gymnastics in third grade. My reasoning being, I wouldn't have the time. (at least that's what I remember thinking.)

Knowing then what I know now I think I might have made a different decision. Being 4'10" I am the perfect height and build for gymnastics. I still love the sport of gymnastics and wish I could do more gymnastics moves. (I've only mastered the cartwheel and the round off pop. -okay maybe not perfectly but I can do them without hurting myself.)

But the reality is I am not a world famous athlete. When I remember all of God's promises I know this wouldn't have been the best path for my life. I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11. God has a special plan for my life and that plan is for good. His plan for my life is my hope. He holds my future. This verse holds so much beautiful truth. I am reminded that God is sovereign and in control. Not only is He in control, but He is good. Only God knows what would have happened if I had spent the last 11 years devoted to gymnastics. Although, I do know a few things in my life that would have changed. Many of the relationships I have made that have played such a huge role in developing who I am today. I most likely would have never been on a mission trip. I definitely wouldn't have gone to the college I am going to now. Moreover, I most likely wouldn't have discovered my love for the theatre. Most importantly, I am almost positive my walk with God and faith in Him would be much weaker.


To regret is to doubt God's sovereign will and perfect plan for my life. I must not waste my life wishing it had been different. Instead, I need to focus on what lies ahead.

My name is Shelley and I am a Clothing Glutton.

My blog has officially grown dusty. So this is me, pulling out the duster and making everything "ready for company". No, I have not forgotten about blogging I've just become lazy. That being said I'm not really sure what to blog about today.

So, I'm just going to share a little of what God has been teaching me lately.

I love to shop. Why or what I go shopping for never seems to matter. I sincerely love to shop. Unfortunately, my love for shopping reveals a deeper heart issue. If you come into my room you will find that I barely have enough room for all of my clothes. My closet is packed full of clothes, shoes, purses, scarves and more clothes. My dresser drawers are filled to the brim and almost never shut without a fight. Granted, most of these clothes were found at pre-used clothing stores (and I never grow out of anything) . However, I barely have enough days in the year to wear every outfit. Something is wrong when you can have a different outfit for every day of the month yet still think you somehow need more. It's not that I normally go around coveting. But when I go shopping or see something on pinterest I then begin to think of it as something I must add to my closet. When in reality, I don't need more. Instead, I need to focus on how I can creatively use the resources I have already been given.

So I've decided I am a glutton of clothes. That's possible right? I have also realized that I have not been the best steward of the clothing God has so graciously allowed me to possess.

Luke 12:27 says, "Consider the lilies, how the grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith"

In light of eternity, clothing plays a very small role. I have only been given a short time on earth to give back to Christ and I don't have time to worry about clothing. Yes, I believe it is important to always dress appropriately. But dressing appropriately does not mean being "the best dressed" or the "bell of the ball." Furthermore, even with all the time I spend on myself attempting to look the best, I never attain that level of success.

True beauty comes from within. Focus on abiding in Christ and He will produce true beauty in you that can only come from Him. That makes sense right? Why not let your Creator make you into the beautiful creation He always intended you to be. God is the creator of beauty, why not trust Him with what you wear both inside and out.

In conclusion, I have a fun challenge for all of you fellow clothing gluttons. Find a piece of clothing that you already own but hardly ever wear. If you are anything like me this shouldn't be hard. Take that piece of clothing and find new and creative ways to make this piece of clothing work. Do this whenever you are in the mood to wear something new. I did this today and quickly found joy in being content with what I have.

Have a blessed day!

Abiding in Him

Whew! This past week went by so fast. Last week was VBS at my church. Anyone has every been involved with a Vacation Bible School knows that VBS is a very tiring experience. Add work and trying to take care of a house and you barely have enough hours in a day.

When I first started out the week I was looking forward to a  relaxing week filled with "me time" and fun. But I was strongly mistaken. My mother, and brothers were in Texas with family for my brother's soccer tournament. That left my dad and me alone to fend for ourselves. At first this seemed like it would be a great adventure; going shopping, cooking meals, and keeping the house running smoothly in my mom's absense. However, within the first two days I quickly lost steem and my "adventure" lost its excitement. I soon realized that my dreams of quiet alone time were only dreams and how this week could end up being the busiest week of my summer.

 Looking back on the week I realize how much I was relying on my own strength especially the first couple days. I was trying to love the children in my class through my own resources and  thoes resources were quickly draining. I was becoming a "leaky cup". Thankfuly, about halfe way through the week God reminded me of my weekness and need to allow Him to fill me with his love and joy.

My week did not suddenly become easier but I did have strength to perserver and serve with joy. By walking with God and relying on Him, I was able to witness God's provision and power in my life. VBS was a blast and the gospel was shared with many young children who had never heard the Good News. Serving God and others with the right motivation always fills you with joy.

 I'de like to say that I had a warm cooked meal for dad every night but that never happened. However, we never went hungry! However, I did go grocery shopping -alone. That was an adventure. The house is still presentable and I'm now doing laundry. With all that being said, I can't wait for my to come back home. I will never look at what a mom does the same way again.

 I think this verse sumerizes what God was teaching me this week.
John 15:4 says "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me."

I can't bear fruit without relying on Christ.

Don't Be a Leaky Cup!

Recently, I have been watching the messages of Pastor Steven Furtick. Pastor Furtick preaches at the Elevation church in Charlotte North Carolina. If you have never heard him preach I highly recommend him.

Two Sunday's ago Pastor Furtick finished the last sermon in the series, How to Hug a Vampire. The series is based on the struggle of  loving someone who sucks the life out of you. In his finale message Furtick had four points, but I'm only going to refer to the third point.It has really stuck in my mind. The point was- real love doesn't leak, it overflows.

During the message Furtick brings out two cups, one broken the other functional and whole. (Can you see where this is going?) He started pouring into the broken cup. It leaks. He then pours into the functional cup until it begins to overflow. Water comes out of both cups yet one remains empty.

Both cups represent Christians. However, the leaky cup represents a Christian who never spends time with God. In order for a broken cup to become functional again the cracks must be filled. Likewise, in order for a broken heart to hold love the heart must allow the Spirit to fill in the cracks and make the heart new again.

We must be careful not to leak. By spending time with God we can quickly identify the leaks in our soul and allow the Spirit to fill us. It is easy to mistake a leaking love for love that is overflowing. However, if the love is coming from a leaking heart we will quickly become exhausted. But if our love is overflowing we will remain full of the love of God and the Fruit of the Spirit.

I hope this image encourages your heart. The love we give others doesn't have to come from our own resources. We need only to allow God's love to flood our lives.

II Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.



If you have time you might want to watch the message online. Here's the link! http://www.elevationchurch.org/sermons/howtohugavampire/part3

Short and Sweet

Those of you who know me personally may find the title of this post to be quite fitting. I am, in fact, short (4'10" to be exact) and I'd like to think of myself as being sweet. However, that is not the topic of this post.

I just got back from my family vacation to Myrtle Beach in SC. After not going to a beach in over a year, this trip was well overdue. We stayed with my grandparents at their beach house which was about 5 min. away from the beach. My dear cousin Michelle was able to stay for half the week and I had a lovely time catching up with her. The weather was perfect and I now have a lovely summer glow, except for my blazing red thighs. (Let's up those turn a nice shade of tan.) The words short and sweet would perfectly describe this trip.

One more quick word. As I was checking up on my blog I realized how long my past two posts were. Thanks and apologies are in store for all of you who spent the time to actually read those novels. Y'all are awesome! However, from now on I will try to make my posts short and sweet. (This is for my sake as well as yours.)

Have a blessed day!

The Lines Have Fallen To Me in Pleasant Places

Today is the third day since I posted my first blog entry. I'm still not quite comfortable with it but it has been an adventure.

First I'll give a little up-date. After publishing my blog four days ago, this blog has been viewed 34 times. (not including my own views.) Not bad huh?! The same day that I posted my first entry I also sent a Facebook message to my close friends and family. I asked them for their prayers and advice in regards to this blog. I was very pleased, for the most part, with the response they gave me. My Grandpa is now considering starting a blog of his own. -I'll post a link to it if he decides to go through with it. :-) (Grandpa, if your reading this, I just want you to know that I have confidence that your blog would be one worth reading.) Many of my aunts and uncles have also expressed their interest in reading my blog. I know they will hold me accountable. My Dad is pretty excited for me and my Mom, well, I'm not quite sure how she feels about this whole blogging thing. All that said, I would still recommend everyone to get their families support for their blog from entry one. I am now accountable to my family and that will be enough to keep me from getting lazy. I love y'all!

Now, I would like to give a brief explanation of the title of my blog. The phrase "the lines have fallen in pleasant places," comes from the verse, Psalm 16:6. Psalm 16 is often called a "Michtam of David" or a Golden Psalm. This chapter talks about the life of someone who lives completely satisfied in God. In this "Golden Psalm" David admits that his "goodness is nothing apart from [God]," David also says that God is "the portion" of his "inheritance." This Psalm is so sweet to me for I too can make the same statements that David made. God is my goodness, my hope, my joy, and my inheritance. Because God is my portion "the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance."I do not deserve the goodness God has shown to me but I am so thankful for His upholding me, protecting, and guiding me. God is the only One that can satisfy me and I pray that I will never seek fulfilment in any other. Not only do I have the Immanuel's Land, but I have Immanuel's love. [sec. Matthew Henry's Commentary.]

It is my prayer that all who read this post have felt same Saving Grace that I have experienced. If not, I beg you to pick up a copy of the Bible or read it on-line. If you have any questions please contact me or someone else who professes to be a Christian. God is the only One in this world who can bring the satisfaction that is mentioned in Psalm 16.

Those of you who know the love that Psalm 16 is referring to, I hope that you will make it a point to thank God for all that He has done for you.

Thanks for reading!

Everything Begins Somewhere!

I can't believe I'm writing my first blog entry! It has always been a dream/goal of mine to begin my own blog and now I'm actually fulfilling that dream. (checking off hypothetical bucket list.) Before I get any further in my blog you must understand that I am the world's worst procrastinator. I love to dream and brainstorm but making those dreams a reality has never been a strong point of mine. Which leads me to the reason I see any point in creating a blog. (Especially when I'm not really sure what I'm going to blog about.)

First of all, blogging will help my writing/spelling proficiency. Some may say that journaling would do the same thing. Unfortunately, I've tried the journaling thing and though I enjoy getting my
 thoughts down into words, I often become lazy. Knowing that I am (most likely) the only person who will ever read my entries gives little motivation to exhibit any creativity or thought in my writing. I know my blog will never become heavily visited, but it has more potential to be read than any journal that I keep hidden in my room. For example, my dad started a blog a year ago. He made one post (two sentences long) and that one post has been read 41 times. Crazy right?!

Secondly, many of the people I admire have blogs of their own. A blog will not make me someone worth being admired, however, it will force me have something worth being read. I want to use my blog to encourage and inspire others the way I have been encouraged and inspired through blogs.

Finally and most importantly, blogs are an incredible way to bring glory to God. By praising my God and pointing others to His goodness I will bring Him glory. Bringing glory to God is my purpose and my passion. My life is His therefore this blog is His. What will be written on this blog and how long I can maintain this blog is up to the Lord to control. My prayer is that whether I maintain a blog for one day, one week, one year, or for the rest of my life every entry will bring worth to the name of my Creator, Redeemer, and Friend Jesus Christ.

Well, that was blog entry number 1. I would like to say that the first blog is the hardest, but I've only written one. If you really want to know ask me after I've written a few more entries.( -Then I'll know someones actually reading this.) :-) I hope you were encouraged or inspired by reading this blog. Go out and start your own blog!

Thanks for reading :-)