Self-Esteem Talk

"Fear Not, Therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:31) (ESV)
 

Good Day Oddballers,

Yesterday I had some conversations with many people who think very negatively about themselves, and today. I want to tackle the issue on self-esteem because it seems like I honestly have to "get real" with these people.

What I can tell you is this:  God made you perfect in his eyes. End of story. As much as society tries to manipulate that truth into something distorted and unrealistic with standards higher than even Goliath could reach, you as a person have to know the truth. It's hard to see, trust me, I Know for a fact it is. But eventually you will be able to recognize the postive qualities in yourself.

Trust me, I can relate. I was depressed for a time, I understand what it's like to feel like no one really cares about you at all. I understand the feeling of negative self-worth because you feel below the standard of quality and acceptance. I understand the feeling of wanting to be something I wasn't. I understand the feeling of trying to live up to unrealistic expectations and failing miserably. I understand these emotions because I was just like you. I understand those feelings that one could be having in regards to self-esteeem.

Self-Esteem is a complicated thing. It's not like I can get up in the morning and say "I like everything about myself." Well, because we live in a broken world where a lot of things aren't pleasent and beautiful and kind. We will have negative qualities and struggles because that's just part of living on Earth. So don't fret if you look in the mirror and don't like something. That happens to me too. It's all part of living in a world of sin.However, IT'S NOT EVERYTHING!

As a Christian, I know that through God I can look past my negative emotions about myself and find my strenths. For me, when I look in the mirror, I look past the negative things and find the things that I specifically like about myself: my eyes, and my nose, and my healthy frame. Using that, I can then find the postive qualities in my personality. I used to have to rely on people to tell me the good things about myself. But I know what positive qualities I have now, so I just try to ulilize them as often as possible in front of people.

What's difficult for me still is accepting the compliments from others. People will tell me how nice of a person I am, how pretty I am, How awesome of a friend I am, and How much they appreciate me in their life, but I tend to think about how others don't get told those things on a daily basis, so they should be told those things, OR there is always someone better who deserves it more than I do.

Maybe it's modesty, maybe it's self-esteem that's the problem. I don't really know. But nomatter what, I try to talk to God about it. He usually knows what to say to me through others when I need it most. So I rely on him to help me get through the rough spots.

So as you all go about your day, and you notice yourself thinking negatively about yourself. Tell your little peanut gallery to STOP IT!! There is no reason anyone should feel badly about themselves. Ever!!


Have a great Day everyone. Maybe that helped Maybe it didn't.


Oddball

Touched By God...It's an Awesome Thing

"Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling." (Daniel 10:9-11) (NIV)
 

 Good Morning Oddballers,

I know it has been awhile, I have had a lot to think about these couple weeks so I can write for the next couple weeks for you guys. Since I will have Thanksgiving Break starting Tuesday, I will be able to write some longer pieces, I hope you all can deal with that lol.

First and foremost, there are a few things that I learned during my writing break. One, that the world is a beautiful place when it changes seasons. How God created the world with such organization.  The fact that God created each and every little piece of our planet just amazes me. Two, rely on God above else. Sometimes we as people can get distracted by the things in this world, however, the important thing is to put God first. Then for some awesome reason, everything falls into place. As much drama and hard choices can stress us out. Seek God above all else, and your eyes will be opened by his glory and grace.

Today, though, I want to just talk about an idea that I love, and that is being touched by God. I think we have all maybe thought of this picture sometimes in our lives. For example, "What would it be like?" "Would something happen?" "What would his hand feel like?" "Will I glow or something?". Hahaha, maybe the last question was mostly me, but I think you get the idea. As you can see, I have thought of this a whole lot. Not because I have no life, but because I just love God and want to know God at a deeper level that when I read scripture like Daniel 10:9-11 it makes me wonder what being touched by God is all about.

For me, I feel like I am touched by God, but probably in a different way than Daniel. To me, he held my hand through very difficult life situations and because of that, people have grown in their faith by listening to my testimony or reading on my expiriences. As much as the past tends to leave nasty scars, I still feel blessed with the fact that I made it through, and God never left me one moment through the whole thing, even when I was angry with him. It's a magical thing, feeling that overwhelming urge to do something Good. It makes me wonder if that is what being touched by God is going to feel like. Will it be some overwhelming joy that I wouldn't even know what to do with myself? Would it be like a first love that never dies? Or have I allready been touched by God, but I just don't recall it??

These type of things leave me with a lot of questions. I'm not going to write this blog expecting to understand everything that I write about on here. I just write my reflections as a dork of Christ. I do realize that some people expect me to answer their questions. My advice to those who have questions is to seek answers by God, it's amazing how he can answer questions. Trust me on that!!!

So today, just think about how God has touched you in your life, or some other reflection about being touched by God. Does he speak through you? Does he guide you through situations? Have you even been touched at all??

So many questions this morning.

Oddball

Your Parents were actually serious. It's the Inside that counts. :)

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." (1 Peter 3:3-4) (NIV)

Morning Oddballers,

Today I want to talk about inner beauty. My favorite kind of beauty, because yesterday I had a frustration about Americans in general. LOL. Usually in most cases, the nice people get pushed around, and usually right away they don't win the girl/guy they were going after as a significant other because they are just "too nice". If you think about it, it's kinda true. Not saying that I am a perfect exanple of these things, it's just the kind of stuff that I have noticed throughout High School and my few months at college. I usually turned down the "nice guy" for a total jerk because well, the jerk asked me first. LOL It's true!!! and what sucks about the whole things is that looking back, the "nice guy" would have most likely been a great relationship. See what we can miss if we don't take the time to evaulate the inside, the heart of a person??!!

I  am ashamed to say that I am totally guilty of initially judging people by their looks before I get to know them, but I think everyone has sometime in their life. For me know, what I have found that as the older I get, the less I have been doing that. I look at the personality, how they treat others, and how they treat themselves. In my opinion, that is key to any kind of successful relationship. As much as one would like to thing that outward appearance is totally important; it is in a way for things in the future of the relationsip, but, initially, to see if they would fit, it's kind of irrelevent. Just because you aren't the girl in the magazine, the girl with the best clothes, the guy with the best body, the guy with the best hair and smile, the person with the designer clothes and a awesome set of beautiful nails, in no way this means that you are more/less likely to get a significant other in your future. NO WAY at all.

So what the verse today is trying to say is that "the unfading beauty of a gentle spirit" is the kind of stuff that we should be looking for in people because God finds that valuable in us. This is a verse that I live by. I strive to find the gentle spirit in people, and when I do, it is totally attractive to me as a friend and as a potential significant other. It's addicting to me. I love to see the power of God working through people with their personalities. It totally amazes me in every single way.

So as you all go about your day, I just want you to evaulate yourself. DO you have a gentle spirit?? That I think is the question everyone should be asking themselves on a daily basis.The more gentle our hearts are, the more we present ourselves in a godly way, I I don't find anything wrong with that whatsover.

Have A Wonderful Gentle Spirit Day EVERYONE!!

Oddball <3

Relationships According to Dorks ;) Part 4.

"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."(1 Corin. 13:8-13)
 

Mornin' Oddballers,

Today is the LAST day of our 1 Corin. 13 adventrue. Today, as I wrap up the ideas mentioned in this chapter. That it is a bit shorter than some of the other entries. Sometimes, ideas can just flow from my mind and I can write forever. Many occasions while I write my blog I have to discipline myself to actually stop writing. I surprise myself sometimes.

So yeah, now unto the verses for today. I know it's alot. But the ideas kind of tie together. So I wanted to write about it as a group. I don't really want to defile these verses, because I feel that reading them really captures the idea on what exactly love is all about. What I think about when I read this is how I dealt with the boy I had a crush on when I was younger. Now that I thnk about it, I was more biblical as a woman then than I think I was as a teenager when my parent's said that "I could finally date." It's wierd, how innocence can really affect how a person deals with issues. Even though I have been studying the art of beauty and love and how to incorporate in my life Biblically, I still find myself struggling to do EVERYTHING that I am supposed to. I guess having perfection with Love is only up to God, but I definitely strive to show that to everyone I can.

I think if you guys get anything out of the series of 1 Corinithians 13, I hope that you all see how important Love is in our lives. I feel so strongly about love that I really take time to consider my options when it comes to those I am thinking about getting romantically involved with someone. Of course the girliness in me gets super confused stressed out, and has a hard time really seeing what God wants, but I definitely pray about it vigorously to see where God wants me to go and who he puts in my life.

In my opinion, emotional roller coasters aren't something to be ashamed of. I think it is important to embrace our roller coasters in regards to love. It helps us see where our true love lies. It's that one text saying "hey, I am thinking about you today." that could be the deciding factor between love and true love. Sometimes we think we love people, but in realitity, we do, but not in the way we may think sometimes. Love is complicated. That's why I spent four blog posts trying to attempt at figuring this concept out. It's not easy.

So I encourage you as you go about your day, to just think about everything you have read these past four days. Most of the time, I don't write a blog post on fridays, but I really wanted to say this today.

I hope your days are filled with Love, Peace, Hope, Faithfulness, and Happiness. :D

God Bless

Oddball

Relationships according to dorks ;) Part 3

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres." (1 Corin. 13:6-7) (NIV)

Good Day Oddballers,

Today is yet another portion of 1 Corinthians 13. I really am enjoying reading through these verses and taking them one word at a time. It definitely reminds me of all that love is. Not only how God loves us, but how to really love others. I am finding this quite beneficial. I hope you are too. :D

Now today, I'm not sure whether this will be a longer or shorter blog post, I guess it all depends on how everything goes. Well, I guess we are going to start from the begining to the end this time. Yesterday we went backwards and I think it helped the understanding in my opinion, if it did not.. my apologies. So yeah. Love doesn't delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. I love LOVE this verse so much!!! I truely believe that love will stand by the truth. When people purposefully try to do wrong to the one's they love. I feel like they aren't actually showing love. True love to me comes from standing by the truth nomatter the cost. That's what I belive in and feel strongly about.

Love always  protects, trusts, hopes, and pererveres. I love this line too. Love is a sign of protection. Moms do this all the time. Lion's protect their young. Mama bears protect their babies. It's part of nature really for a mom to protect what they love. That's why girls get jealous easier than guys do. We love our man, and we don't want any other girl threatening that love. Because we love them enough and don't want them to get hurt by making mistakes. Love does always trust. Trust, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of a relationship other than patience. It is important to make sure that there is an amount of trust between the two people. Otherwise there will be doubts and then sin happens because of that doubt. Not only is distrusting a person stressful, it can be a whole lot of work to try and mend that trust if it's broken. Just be careful in regards to trust..it's not something you want to lose with the one's you love.

Love hopes and perserveres as well. Love always looks for a positive in everything, and it is patient and perserveres through tough situations. They work with their partners and put an effort into progress. They put the work into the relationship because they love, adore, and care about the person enough to do what is necessary to make it work. This is so important. I try very Very hard to do this in all relationships. With friends, or someone I feel love romantically for. I communicate and work on building the relationship and not knockig it down.


Just something for you guys to think about today.

Have a Rockin' Day,

Oddball

Relationshios According to Dorks ;) Part 2.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." (1 Corin. 13:4-5) (NIV)

Well Heya Oddballers,

Today is part two of my little relationship series on love and stuff.So far, we kinda touched on spirtual gifts in regards to loving others. Kinda boring. My apologies. But today, we are getting to one of the most famous verses in the whole Bible. It's read at pretty much every single wedding. Alot of people know these lines quite well. Its engraved in our brains. It's almost second nature in a sense. So I guess this puts a lot of pressure on me to really impress you guys, too bad that won't really happen. LOL.

So..where do I begin??? LOl That in my opinion is the difficult part about both of these verses. It's so hard to narrow it all down. Hmmm. Well, let me start with the end and work my way to the begining. Maybe that will help my understanding. Okay, so the last things said was that Love isn't easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs. This is so true. When I love a person---family, friend, or romantically---I always tend to set aside the past of other people, and I don't usually get mad too quickly. If I truely care. As much as I would like to react harshly sometimes with people, I normally don't get mad easy. It takes a lot for someone I care about to really drive me off the wall. Holding a grudge specifically, in my opinion, is wrong on many levels. I forgive and move on. I don't necessarily forget about what happened, but I will not hold their past against them. The past does define a little bit about who we are, but it doesn't make us who we are. I try to judge people by the heart, and if they made mistakes but their heart is in the right place, then I find nothing wrong with them as a person. People can change, as much as movies and television show us differently. I truely believe that. So don't keep record of people's wrongs, it's not nice, and it can lead to harsh judging. Don't get mad so quickly at people, it can be a dangerous situation and one may say some things that they regret. So think about it.

Okay, the second to last things it said was that its not self-seeking, it does not dishonor others, is not proud, and does not boast. Oh my how many awesome things in this section. I think this will be a really long blog post people.LOL Let me cut it to the chase then. Don't do things just to improve your self image or reputation. Don't be nice to people just because it makes you look good. Don't rub your accomplishments on others. Stop focusing so much on yourself and your happiness,but instead focus that love on others and make sure that YOU are being a good friend and are showing love to them in a Biblical way. That should be our focus.I am not perfect with this, people tend to use people all the time...saying "hey, want to go get some icecream together??" just to get some dirt on a situation. HOw deceiving that could be. Think about it. Don't do stuff with selfish intentions. I think that is the main thing it wanted to address.

And now, my favorite part of this section. Love is Patient. Love is Kind. It does not envy. THIS IS SOOOOO TRUE ON SO MANY LEVELS. I love this chapter. I try to live my life by these standards every day of my life. Yes, I'm not perfect, but one thing I do know is that true love is patient, kind, and not envious. I know this for a fact. True love will wait for anyone. True love with wait for the best time even when its so hard to be patient at that situation. It is kind, and gentle. There isn't anything to be jealous about because there is no reason to be envious. If you get anything out of today's post. BE GENTLE, PATIENT, AND KIND WITH PEOPLE. Please please please PLEASE do this!! I'm begging you. You will be a dramatically differen't person if you just change the simple little things of patience, kindness, and gentleness. I saw a dramatic difference in me when I vowed to show these qualities of love to all people. I know what it is like. IT's hard people, things will get tough. But it will be soooo worth it in the end. Do not give up on LOVE. DO NOT GIVE UP ON LOVING OTHERS.!!

Have a Great Day Everyone,

Oddball

Relationships According to Dorks ;) I think. Part One.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (1 Corin. 13:1-3) (NIV)

Well Howdy Oddballers,

Today Is going to be pretty chill. I will talk about relationships and what I think it true love today. Pretty lame, but I guess my views and ideas are quite interesting according to the women I have talked with. So male readers, if you want to attempt to understand the female mind, today's post is a good read. At least in my opinion anyways.This is going to be a series I will be working on for awhile. going a few verses at a time and really digging into the word.

Alright, the first thing I want to say about has a lot to do with 1 Corinthians 13. One of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. Not because of the fact that it is recited at basically every wedding, but what the words are actually saying. The true qualities of love that are written in the verses are pure truth in my opinion, and it offers good insight into how women and men should view and treat their significant others. So, I only put up verses 1-3, but if you want to read the whole Chapter, I highly recommend it.

Love isn't something I can just talk to you about like I am a genious. Well, because I'm not. I only can tell you what I know is true about love. Because I feel love for many people. Most of which are not romantic. So, Where do I begin??? LOL.

 Verses 1-3. The begining of our Love Series. Love, is a fruit of the spirit. IF you do not know what those are, look it up on Google. You will understand. What the vesres are trying to say is if we give spiritual gifts without love, then they are useless. This makes sense to me. Spiritual gifts, if you do not know, are gifts that are given to each person through becomming Christian. Like evangelism, knowledge, sympathy, etc. These gifts help others spread the word of Christ to those who are in need of being saved. Without love, I personally think it would be difficult to bring people together in a close and intimate way. I think that's what this verse is trying to say. Without love, all the work one puts into it is useless because there is no intimacy in the relationship with the person. I'm not talking about romantic intimacy. Just being intimate in the conversation. That is what I find important in general when it comes to meetng and getting to know people. It is important to be intimate with those around you.. Not awkward but just deep and genuine. MAKE IT LEGIT PEOPLE.

Being LEGIT = AWESOMENESS

That's it really. I"m not very good at analysis of Biblical text..So bare with me,

God Bless,

Oddball

I'm Not Sick Anymore!! Oddball is Back!! : On Church Retreat

Hey Oddballers,

I hope you all had a grand weekend. I on the other hand, apologize that I did not write all last week really. I was not feeling so well. :( But I"m okay now :D

Today I don't have a Bible verse up, but I want to share my expirience at my church retreat this weekend. There were a few things that I learned. One, the one true thing that I know for a fact is that God exists. I wouldn't be able to explain most phenomena in the world without that one truth. Secondly, I truely believe that alone time with God for a long period of time is beneficial for Christians to really connect with God. I spend at least an hour or so just meditating and praying about everything I felt like needed to be addressed. It's amazing how God can openly work in people when they are open to God and the holy spirit working through them.

I spent a lot of my time praying and what not, and one moment, I decided to just close my eyes, and open them staring at a leaf pile, I then looked for one single leaf that I found interesting and picked it up. I thought for awhile why I chose that leaf and not any of the other leafs, but instead of finding the differences, I only found the similarities. I then had this huge revelation: I thnk God chooses who he wants to work through like a giant leaf pile. We all have holes, scars, rips and tears (faults), we have all different  shapes and colors, and we each come without a different set of markings and stories, the beauty of the leaf is irrelevent, all of those characteristics are irrelovent. God chooses that one leaf out of the millions of leaves to work through, regardless of it's condition. God notices that one little leaf (me), who was broken and scarred by her past and full of guilt and shame. God noticed me when I was so depressed and in pain that he saved me three times from committing suicide. That one special little leaf with holes, rips, and tears that I picked up, reminded me that through my pain and suffering, God wanted me to live for a reason, and he chose me out of the entire leaf pile to do his will. How Amazing.

Stuff like that happens to me quite often when I meditate and spend time with God. I should most likely put some more of these revelations out here on my blog when they come to me. I think they would be beneficial to share with people.

That was the blunt of my Church Retreat expirience. Yes I stayed up super late, ate super unhealthy and will probably have to spend the next couple weeks working it off, but I am so glad I got to really get to know some of my college church group peers on a level I probably wouldn't  have if I didn't decide to go. I think it was beneficial for everyone who went.

That's it really. I don't really want to boss everyone around this morning. :D

So enjoy your uniqueness of your leaf. Because God does notice you too. :D
P.S. Enjoy this lovely leaf pile video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TgbL14tSX8

Oddball

Care about Others..Seriously!!!

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Phillippians 2:4)

 

Good Morning Oddballers,

 

Hopefully all of you are ready to start a new week. I sure am. As emotional as last week was, I think I am ready to really hit this week head on. Lets make this week the best week yet. :D

 

So, today I wanted to just quickly go on a tangent about Caring for Others. According to most countries, America is horrible at this. Honestly, I don't blame them. Americans in general are selfish people. I tend to be selfish sometimes, I know my friends can be a bit selfish sometmes, and even the nicest people i know, still show signs of selfishness every once in awhile.

 

Don't feel bad if you have a bit of selfishness, it is quite normal, however, if the levels are a bit too much, (which in most cases is yes) then I suggest a bit of caring for others. How exactly do you do that??

 

Well, for me, its sympathy. I listen to people and feel their pain. I let them know I care for them and if they need anything to just come and talk to me. Also I get people gifts, I say "have a good night" through text sometimes, and I remind them that they are in my thoughts while I am away.

 

Caring doesn't mean you have to feed starving children in Africa. Although it may be the greatest thing you could do for a child, and I would applaud you for your efforts, starting small doesn't hurt. Pick up someone's textbook that falls on the ground. Hold the door open for other people. Say "Hello" to those whom are sitting alone at the lunch table. Do what you can to care.

 

Just the verse of today says "Let each of you look not to only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

 

Be interested in other peoples affairs, care about other people and what they are going through. Don't be so wrapped up in yourself. It can be so easy to just ignore the harships of others and not care, but please, give a darn about others.

 

 

That's it for today,

 

Oddball.

Praise God For Giving Us Life

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this" (Psalm 37:3-5)

Good Mornin' Oddballers,

Today I just want to do a day of praise. It's Friday!! Usually its the last day of school for most people. The weekend is comming, and I'm sure most of you have some fun plans for yourself. It's a good time. The broad perspective that I think of when I am in one of these "life is amazing" moods is to think of how blessed I am to have a God that gave me LIFE. Many of my friends and family have birthdays in October, so I thought it was just perfect to talk about how God gives us life.

Well, to me it's in multiple ways:

Physical Life: Yeah, we were created, and we were born. Duh. But do we thank God for giving us each and every breath here on Earth. First of all, that would take prayer every couple seconds, and I don't know about you, I have WAY too much going on to pray that much. So just take every morning and just say "Thank you God for giving me another day." I do that sometimes. Just to remind myself that God have me life.

Spiritual Life: "Born Again." A term I'm sure many of you are familiar with. According to my youth groups, we talk about it as being born a new you once you give your life to Christ. I know this could/could not be the right interpretation of this, but It sure helps me grasp the idea a bit better. So there, I shared. I also think it is important to be reminded that we as Biblical Christians are "Born Again" and that we should be walking and following God. So every morning, Thank God for being in your heart.

Other Life: To me, when I love God, I feel this whole new kind of life. It's not the life of being "born again" persay, but it is a life that makes me want to get up in the morning. It makes me want to face my fears, talk about the awkward things, and be myself. Let's call it CONFIDENCE LIFE. lol I made it up. But that's what I call it. This confidence life helps me tackle some of my issues as a girl who was bullied, depressed, and harassed in High School (and a whole lot of other things that you may know of). The Confidence Life helps me get past those scars and start to heal as a person. This is so beautiful and essential.

So today, I encourage all of you to Thank God for giving you all kinds of life.

GOD GIVING LIFE = FREAKIN AWESOMENESS :D

Have a Rockin' Life filled Day. And Happy Birthday to the October Birthdays!!!

Much Love and God Bless

Oddball
 

Requested Topic: Moving Forward

“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” (Psalm 145:8)

Dear Oddballers,

I recieved a request for a topic. So I am working off it today. I feel like it important to cover, so I will do that for this person. You're welcome. LOL
So yeah, I guess I can relate to this pretty well. I'm frustrated about a situation right now, and it's causing me to want to give up, and just to forget about it, get angry, and stop trying. But I know for a fact that I must push through this, because it's the right thing to do. Moving forward from pain is a hard thing to do. People get heartbroken, people get forgotten, people are placed 2nd in people's lives, people get burned trying to get closer to people. I get it. Heartbreak is freakin painful. Getting burned sucks. Dissapointment is a hard thing to recover from.

My example was of yesterday. I was hurt about something I talked about in counseling, and I just got so mad at myself for being so passive and not speaking up my feelings. Let me just be real with you guys..when I care about someone deeply, whether its a friendship level or closer than that, I feel lots of empathy and passion towards stuff that happens in their life. When they are stressed, I am sad for them. When I try to get close to people. I don't really say that I find you a person I feel close with. I just stand there, in pain that they are in pain, I don't know what to do with myself, I do is say "Don't worry about it. Don't be sorry. It's fine. I'm okay. Just forget about it. It's do big deal." But really, it is a big deal. When I get hurt, I break down. I just doubt the entire relationship with the person. When they don't respond to me, I feel like I am annoying the person or I'm not worth their time. I get so hurt when I feel worthless to the other person. I want to mean more than that to people. I feel like I deserve the respect of at least explaining "I"m busy right now. Thank you for the lovely message. K. Thank you. Or I am having a good day. Thank Your for asking."

The one thing that touches my heart is to be noticed. Someone that can notice me out of a group of people and come up to me..and talks to me. Someone that acknowleges my existence instead of being thrown to the side.

The thing about all of this is guys, is that there is a way that we as people can move on. The major one is through God. God is such a great, merciful, passionate God. He is so kind and generous, fair, and righteous. I wouldn't say no to God for any kind of help. God is a great tool to heal opened wounds of pain and suffering. He is a great tool when sometimes, one just really needs to vents and scream and cry and laugh. He is the reason why I am alive, and I wouldn't recommend anyone else before him.

One thing that I just thought of right now that my pastor told the church about Guys treating women with respect. ONe thing I remember him saying over and over again was "Don't Forget The Girl." I find this so true. Guys do get distracted, they get stressed. But it is so important to give attention to your girl. Spend time with her. Talk to her. Yes, God is first, but it shouldn't be everything. To me, a person whom I am in a relationship with. God's plan is first, and then I make sure to take my time to not forget about my man. Because he is like my companion and my other half. It's like comming home from work and not feeding/petting your dog. It's just terrible.

Sorry for the rant. But I feel like it is important to help God Help you move forward. It's going to be difficult, it's going to be hard. It's going to hurt A LOT. But perservere. You can heal.

I have faith in you,

Oddball.

You Gotta Get Up and Try

Good Morning Oddballers,

I am not going to do a verse today because I was inspired by my sister and a song to write on the topic I want to write about today. I really feel strongly about getting burned. Emotional burning. Meaning, according to my situations, a lot of dissapointment and hurt over a situation that didn't follow through or didn't work out. My family, has delt with this a lot. My twin sister, whom I am very close with and is dear to my heart, has been through a lot of emotional burns. She has been constantly rejected by guys. Sometimes when she would talk, she would be sobbing as she asks me "what's wrong with her?" This kind of stuff is the reason why I feel so strongly about girls self-esteem and depression. I delt with it. I tried to be everything I wasn't only to burn myself in the process. I was so far gone in depression that there seemed like no escape, and God rescued me from my sadness, forgave me of my sins, and I am recommitted and here today. I know what it feels like to be in a severe amount of dissapointment.

I mean, for the guys, if you get anything out of what I'm saying today, I want you to know that what you say to a girl has a huge impact on a girl's self-esteem. Calling her "ugly" as a joke could mean the difference between life and death, and I'm not exagerrating it whatsoever. One guy who I really wanted called me ugly, and I couldn't date for five years because I just couldn't trust guys. WOW. I couldn't open myself up to people because of one word. Can you believe the power of words?? I cannot.

I know in my heart that I am beautiful because God created me, but because of my scars, I will get occasional insecurities that I usually block out by going for a walk, I pray about it, and I usally move on. It's a constant battle now, I will never be the same.

It's crazy how so many people hurt each other each and every day by the words people say. Sometimes not saying anything could hurt worse. What if a person wanted to know that you cared about them, because they were suicidal, they texted you, and you didn't text them back, and they killed themselves. I hope that situation never happens to any one of you, but if that happened and I was the one that didn't respond. I would have a very difficult time forgiving myself. Seeing a person in pain and not going up and talking to them could potentially cause severe harm.

So what I'm trying to say is, I know it's a longer post today, is that talk to the people you care about. Ask them how they are doing. Remind them frequently how much you care. They could be severely burned and in pain inside, and your "hi, how are ya?" could just save their life.

Those of you whom are in pain. This song really hit me. It reminded me on how I feel when I was depressed, but my favorite lyric is "you Gotta get up and Try". Because other people can only do so much to save you. It takes self-discipline and also God to help you recover.. So here is the lyric video.
Soak it all in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPtlSF4TlJE

Have a Great Day Everyone,

Oddball

Patience is like Running for a Piece of Chocolate Cake...it's Easy to Give up.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." (James 1:2-8) (NIV)



Well Hello Fellow Oddballers,

Today's topic is one of my favorites..Not because of chocolate cake.(which is yummy but I don't take in a whole lot of sugar very well), but because it is on patience. Which in my opinion, is the one skill that God will never stop teaching us. It reminds me of the reason why some of my family members go running. I would ask them, "so sister, why do you run??"A likely response to this would be, "Because I want my Cake!!" No joke.  That's how I percieve the things we really want in life.

For example, some girls tend to be impatient to have a man in their life, so they go after whomever seems interested. This, in my opinion again, isn't the best option. Usually for me, I pray about it, wait for the right person and the right time, and then I spend some time making sure this is someone that I could see going long term. Possibly eternity. LOL. It's true though. I put a lot of thought and prayer into the people I eventually grow to like more than just "He's kinda cute.". But let me tell you all one thing, I am making this sound easy. IT'S NOT EASY. Being patient for the right guy to come along is not only sad and frustrating, it can be torture. lol. Recently for me, I cried over a guy, because I really badly wanted to know if he was the right one..Of course, God did eventually give me the answer, but now it's more or less a waiting game (Patience time) to see where its going to go now. It's soooo. frustrating but I'm sure many of the ladies will understand how hard it is to be patient about it when you know its right.

So to end this on a chocolate cake note, I think of patience like my family works out for cake. It's so easy to give up running to just eat cake and sit on the couch instead. It's so easy to just go after the easy guy and to not do your homework and to not take care of your body. However, THE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US IN THIS LIFE ARE NEVER EASY!! If is was easy, everyone would be doing it. So go the extra mile. Wait extra long. Pray extra hard. That's the only way the best things can happen. If I can push through every inch of me to not step in on the future relationsip, I think that all of you can be patient with anything that you guys are going through.

Have a thought provoking and Patient day everyone,

Oddball.

Picking Yourself Back Up. Isn't Easy. Enough Said.

"Answer me quickly, LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life." (Psalm 143:7-8)

Well, Good Morning!!!

It's been a few days hasn't it?? LOL I'm going to try and not write everyday so that others can catch up on the reading. So yeah. The weekends I decided not to write for a couple reasons. One, Saturday is a day where everyone is out instead of reading my blog, and Sunday is church day, so everyone should be off the computer and spending time with God. So yeah. Those are my reasons.

Anyway, today I want to briefly touch on picking yourself back up from whatever pain one is going through. First of all, the only person that can "really" help pick you up is yourself Through God. Plain and simple. Without God in the picture, there is a greater chance that the person will either get worse or get better and then relapse.I can't stress this enough gusys. Just trust me on this.

I went through depression for about two and a half years. I didn't start healing until I decided to go to wednesday night youth groups at my church. God really showed me how much people care about me, and because of that, it helped me battle my depression to the point where I am today. Fine and occassionally getting stressed out. That is pretty much it. At the times when I didn't have God, I tried fixing my problem myself but actually ended up getting even more sad and depressed to the point where I was suicidal, which is never a good thing. So without God, I was on a severely dangerous downward spiral. The important thing is, that event will most likely never happen again. Because I know that through God I was cured of all my pain and sickness, and I also know that God can do the same for you.

So as you all go about your days, I really encourage you to just think about how God has healed you in your life. When I do, it brings me closer to God. So just try it today.

Oh yep and I also have a video for ya. It's from one of my favorite musicians. Enjoy!!

Much Love and God Bless,

Oddball

Feeling Some Anxiety?? Take A Breather, Everything will be okay.

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7) (NIV)
 

 Well Good morning Oddballers!!!

I hope in general, everyone's day went very well. Mine, was well, a little stressful. Let's just say, I"m feeling very anxious about something. Yep, and because of that. It is making me very impatient and it's frustrating me. So with that said, today's topic is on feeling anxious.

I believe I have reiterated this verse numerious, numerous times. This shouldn't feel unfamiliar, but if it is, congrats and welcome to the club. :D Anxiety is one of these creepy things that builds and builds overtime. Kind of like a snowball effect except it's tar instead of snow. It's heavy, hard to push around, and is painful when it's heated. That's how i feel right now, I feel heated and hurt, and I feel like its going to be hard to handle and it's weighing me down. Yes, Oddball has issues too. I"m a normal young woman, so I'm going to have problems in my life. It's just hard sometimes. Life has a way of throwing you curveballs. It's just a fact of life.

Good thing about this whole situation; It's only temorary. Stress doesn't attack you like a parasite (for the most part). It doesn't stay and deteriorate you from the inside out (unless you let it). But what if the stress in your life is being a parasite? What do you do. Well, CAST YOUR ANXIETY ON GOD BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU!! That's exactly it. God is like a match the burns the flesh of a tick when you want to kill it (old fashioned version), its the doctor who surgically removes tapeworm (eww). LOL But yeah, that's what God does!! The distusting stuff in our lives. We don't have to take out the tapeworm ourselves, We have God to do that. Go Tell him what you are anxious about, and get it over with okay?? OKAY!!??? (I'm watching you >:/. LOL)

So yep. Overall, I encourage you all to let God take out your tapeworms, burn your ticks, and smash those ugly, tar boulders okay?? Pray about it. Talk to him about it. I'm sure everything will get better.

On a happy note, here is a video that may cheer you up. :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eyXZI-9lWQ

Have a Good Day,

Oddball
 

Jump for joy!!! Kind of.

"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield." (Psalms 5:11-12)
 

 Good morning,

I hope you all are having a good day. I don't really want to write a whole lot this morning, so don't be suprised if the post is shockingly short. So anyway, my week so far is going pretty well. I got a ton of work done, and this weekend is fall break!!! of course I only have off monday and tuesday, but it two days where I don't have to do a huge amount of work. Secondly, the more I am in my photography class, the more I begin to enjoy it. I really like challenging myself in a creative way.

Okay, now let's get to business this morning. I want to talk about Joy, because when I'm happy, I want to rejoyce. So I encourage all of you to do the same. Not only is it beneficial to your mental health (well, at least to me it is), it also helps me see how much God truely has blessed me in my life. For example, I feel at this very moment blessed to have a good mom. She really is an amazing woman, and as much as she used to annoy me in high school. I finally realize how much she actually influenced the person I am today in a good way. I am so blessed that I was raised so well.

So yeah. I'm keeping it short today. So my CHALLENGE to you guys is to just think about what you are blessed with in your life. I will be doing that all day today. So please. Do it. I think you will benefit from it.

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Oddball

You are Worth Everything to God

 

 

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:30-31)

 

G'day Oddballers,

 

Today I want to just touch on self worth...So let me ask you a question. How much do you think you are worth if someone would sell you in an auction in front of the entire world? What credentials do you have to increase the monetary value?? Interesting to think about huh?? I find it fascinating about what people rate themselves on the scale of self worth because it shows a lot about how they feel about themselves. If one asked me what I would have said a couple years ago, I would say "nothing, because no  one cares about me." But now, I would most likely say "2.3 Million, because I am a creative, strong, bubbly individual with a good heart and loves God."

 

Not to be exact or anything. LOL

 

Isn't it interesting how honestly, society does this all the time to people. Walk in a restaurant in NYC once and you will know what I mean. Seriously!! Most of the time, the waiters guess how much money he/she makes before they serve them. Then they give special attention to those whom they feel are the "privileged" kind and those whom are not don't really see the special treatment ever. It's a sad fact of life people, but the thing is, God doesn't look at us that way.We are all worth all the money in the world combined. Each and every one of us. How fascinating.

 

You see, in my opinion, God doesn't pick favorites, he loves everyone equally, except he blesses his children at different times when it is appropriate for them. So when someone around you is succeeding and you are not, in my opinion, it's just not your time yet. A little faith in God and prayer will definitely help with that situation.

 

I know its really hard to grasp this idea when so many people are suffereing in the world due to sin. I realize that. It's hard to see people oppressed, family dying of cancer, loved ones dying in battle, women in pain, homeless on the streets, hungry children, and depressed, broken individuals. God isn't favoriting the unoppressed instead of the oppressed. He loves them and finds them with just as much worth as you. Except for the fact that they have a challenging situation ahead of them. But sometimes, challenging situations inpsire people, and they are part of God's plan. So I don't really worry about it even if I donate money and nothing happens. Because I know that God finds favor with great worth in them and that nomatter what, he will never leave his children.

 

So dwell on that fact this morning!!

 

I don't really have a challenge for today, I haven't been doing challenges lately, but trust me, we will get back to them. NO doubt about that. LOL

Love you guys!

 

Oddball

Reading the Story from the End to the Begining....What's wrong with that???

Good Morning Oddballers,

I decided that I don't really want to write on Saturdays or Sundays. One, well, because I'm too lazy to post a Bible verse up, and lastly, because it's the weekend. I"m sure most of you all have a lot of better things to do than to read my blog. (I'm aware of reality).

So, with that said. I would like to go on a tangent this morning about reading the ending of a story first and then going back to the begining to read how they got there. I am strongly against this concept in real life. I honestly don't want to know how my life ends. What I become of myself, and what I'm going to look like when I'm old (or i just might die young). That kind of stuff just doesn't cross my mind. Because honestly, I really REALLY don't want to know.

I like being surprised, and letting God's plan run it's course for me. I just trust that whatever happends has a positive impact in the end. Regardless on how negativer or scarring the situation will become.

With that said, I would like all of you to try and not worry too much about the future. I know it's difficult, I feel the same way sometimes, but just to be calm, and content about everything. Eventually, things will work out . Maybe not right away, but probably eventually.

So here is my verse I want to give for today: it's on the future. It's not really connected to my tangent, but I feel like it works for the situation. So here it is...(and I'm mixing it up by having my verse in the middle)

"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) (NIV)
 

So yeah.. Dwell on that...and keep Calm. Let us read our books from the begining to the end..NOt the end to the begining.

Have a great reading day, LOL (doubt it)

Oddball 

Inner Beauty Rocks!! Believe it!!

"Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." (1 Peter 3:4) (NIV)

Well Hello Oddballers,

Today I want to touch on inner beauty, because I believe that every once in awhile, people should be reminded that "it's the inside that matters" and not how you look on the outside.

Of course, it's unrealistic to think that people don't judge others by looks. It's just a fact of nature. Everyone regardless of how humble they are initially judges a person to decide in their mind whether or not they are physically attractive. It's the truth. I do it. Your do it. Everyone does it. So don't be ashamed thinking, "Ugh! I think this person is good looking, but it's the inside that matters, Ignore my attraction towards them!"

In my opinon, this type of thought is ridiculous. Physical attraction in itself is necessary for a sucessful relationship with another person. Bottom line. Otherwise there will be a sense of void and trust me, the other person will start noticing other people instead of you. So with that said, pay attention to those you are physically attractive to. But them assess whether they have the qualities on the inside that are necessary for you to begin "courting' them. LOL. But PLEASE, take your time.

You see people, in the verse. God finds true worth in the inner self that is of "unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirt." What exactly does that mean??? I have no idea. But what I do know is that our "spirit" better not be mean and nasty. I don't think that looks good to anyone. Our spirits are one of the most precious parts of the self. It's where God dwells in us. It's where we unconciously think of good, positive, and kind things to say or do to others, and it's also the place where our core beliefs dwell. So everyone, it's important to make sure that this spirit of yours is gentle and of pure beauty. So that one will bleed off kindness and love to everyone around them. So as you go about your day this morning, I want you to think about a number of things.

1. How do I percieve myself in regards to inner beauty??
2. What are the common mistakes people make in deciding who is attractive and who's not?
3. How can I change my perception of people in regards to beauty??
4. As of right now, how would God see your spirit??

Contemplate these things for me. Maybe it will shed some light on something.

And if you have time. Watch this video on "what is beauty?" it's quite interesting

Have a Good Day,

Oddball

What The Bible Says About Friendship

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our  joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[ sin." (1 John 1:1-7) (NIV)

Good Morning Oddballers,

Today is a pretty odd day, but I want to just chat about friendship a little bit. Since the verse is pretty long this morning, I want you guys to read it over a couple times, and then read my post, just so that you guys have some sort of biblical context in regards to friendship.

What is it like to have a friendship with God? Honestly, I know it's pretty awesome. He's a friend that will never leave you any reason...who can beat that??? Seriously.

Friends are this really intense companionship with someone that I can't honestly put into words. It's this "knowing" that they are there for you and they will not betray you. You get a sense of peace, serenity, and safety when one is around them. Usually, the feelings near them are almost always positive.

Where would the world be if friends didn't exist?? I don't even want to think about it really. The idea of not having my best friends would most likely leave me with a broken and empty heart, with no drive to continue anything I started. Imagine not having a friendship with God....I don't even think I can even think fully on how terrible it would be to not have him. To not be in fellowship with the almighty God isn't even negotiable at this point for me. Honestly, God is one of my best friends, I would die for him. Really. I would.

So today, I just want you to think about who you consider your friend, and why they are your friend. Then correlate those traits with God. I'm pretty sure he has all of them. :D

Much Love and God Bless,

Oddball

God's Promise of Peace

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety."(Psalm 4:8)(NIV)

Good Morning Oddballers,

I just want to let yoiu all know that today I"m going to talk about peace. Well, because I'm the writer, and I can choose what I want to write about.. SO HA!!! However, if you have suggestions, feel free to leave a comment message me if you want to read about something specific. I'm totally flexible with that.

Anyway, I don't think, at least in my opinion, that many people are at peace with themselves or their life. Strange to think about peace this early in the morning, but it is true. Many of us Christians are distressed and in need of help and assistance from others around us. However, I feel that in order to achieve the peace that many of us strive for is to actually give our problems to God. I know I say this about ninety billion times, but it is so true. If you are stressed out, pray about it, and give it to God. So you can rest in peace that night instead of worrying about it and making a big deal over what sometimes is nothing.

I do realize that women especially have FREAK OUTS. Understandable considering God made us with estrogen. However, some of that has a bit to do with stress. So it's important that you are at peace so that, ladies, your moods swings won't ANNOY  your boyfriends/friends around you. Seriously!!!

Also what I've noticed is that guys that are under a lot of stress tend to seclude themselves from society OR get angry and very irritable. Understandable. However, I don't think that the women in your life would want to wake up to a man that it always angry about everything. So give your problems to God, so that you can sleep soundly and not scare your wife. LOL
So there, that is my rant for this morning, pray about it. Live in peace.

That's it.

Much Love and God Bless,

Oddball

Getting super Worried..wht to do??

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?" (Matthew 6:25-27)
[I suggest if you have a Bible read Matthew 6:25-34]
 

Good Morning Oddballers,

I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday, mine was confusing, but I won't get into huge details. Anyways, today I want to talk about getting worried about stuff. Since I am super confused right now on something that I won't mention, it's causing me to get worried and have anxiety. So, I thought "Might as well read some verses on being worried." So here ya go. We are talking about being worried.

So many times I notice people reading this verse and then totally forgeting about it the next day because that person started to freak out over a lost homework assignment. Understandable, however, did you bring your worries to God? I did last night, and I'm going to pray about it this morning and tonight, because honestly, I don't want to have to worry about anything, because honestly, it doesn't matter. In my opinion, God will provide. So why worry about a material possession. God will provide you will a companion ladies, stop freaking out and chill, pray about it, and be patient. Guys, don't worry about providing for a family someday, God will give you everything you need and then some, don't worry about it.

So I encourage you, (making this short and to the point today) to pray about your stresses and concerns to God as soon as you read this or tonight. Because it's better to just get stuff out of the way then dwell on it and let it consume you.

Also, I brought relaxation music again, hopefully you actually find it relaxing. LOL
Its Nature Sounds...of the Beach...hopefully this makes you relaxed.

Have a beautiful day,

Oddball

Taking a Break..Partially Due to Writer's Block...Now What/??

Mornin',

I'm going to switch some things around today just to mess with everyone..hahaha. I don't know why...just cuz I guess. Anyways, I know it's been awhile since my last blog post...but I really needed to just focus on prayer the last few days, I spent a ton of time with God to guide me in a direction that I really need an answer to. Question one most likely is having right now....Did I get my answer??? Not yet. Do I know When???? No I don't.

So technically, it could be tomorrow...it could be till I'm 50. But I will wait for it. It is so crucial that I know this answer before I can move ahead into some things in my life. Won't get into huge detail with you guys. That's all you really need to know. Everything else would be extremely confusing.

Anyways..I'm placing the Verse in the middle. So Now I know if people are actually reading my blog posts :P. If someone comes up to me and knows the scripture I used...then I know they are Dedicated blog readers. Okay Honestly, I don't care if you even skip over the reading and just stare at the picture...However, at least read the Bible Verse okay???

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)(NIV)
 

Okay..So that's the verse..I believe I used this verse before..or some really close version of this, but I don't care. I really like this verse. It's one of my favorites because many times I believe people forget to take a break and just Chill OUT. I know it's so hard to do especially in college...but take the time to do nothing, it really refreshes the mind and helps one tackle the week. So I encourage all of you to get rest this week every day, somehow, so that you don't go crazy.


Here's a video for some relaxation music. :D You're welcome. :D
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgh7IJ8yqX8&feature=related

Oh I forgot to mention..its 51 Minutes...lol...take a nap with this..!!!


Oddball