God's Abundance

Today, I am praising God for the blessings and opportunities He has given me this semester. 

 I am taking an independent study where I am essentially working on my novel and have direct access to a professor who's writing I admire and who has amazing experience.

 Then an internship just fell into my lap. A proofreading and social media internship with Ratio Christi, an apologetic campus ministry whose goal is to provide Biblical truth to the hard questions students come across in college.

 Normally it would be too late in the school year to get academic credit for the internship, but God was kind and because the system is changing there is a grace period and I am allowed to enroll late.

 My younger sister is a freshman at my school and I love having her near to talk to, hug, quote movie lines, and laugh with. 

 I have an amazing roommate that loves me and takes care of me, we share an apartment with two other wonderful girls, and I love the homeyness a living room and kitchen provide.

God has been so good to me. Not only because of all of these good things in my life, but because He is in my life and He is good.

Ludington Adventure!

This past weekend my friends who graduated were able to visit me at school for the weekend and we went to Ludington State Park. Here are some photos I took of our adventure.

We began by hiking some trails. These little guys were everywhere.

Plants growing on the foundation of an old building that was never completed.

Then we went to the beach. Do not be fooled; it is beautiful, but it was freezing that day.

Getting artsy.

My favorite part was walking along the beach of Lake Michigan. It was a glorious view, and I wish I could live there. All that was missing was a view of mountains.

My friend walking on the beach. Her poor shoes got so wet later.

Though Michigan doesn't have mountains, they have sand dunes. This was my first time exploring them, and it was so fun to climb some of them.

I love these girls. They lived next door to me freshman year, and I have been so thankful for their friendship throughout college.

Big Sable Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan, and my new favorite place in Michigan.

Look at what God has created for us!

I am ready to go back.

To The Guys Who Open Doors For Me

 To the guys who open doors for me,

 Thank you.

 It is appreciated.

 It is sweet.

 It makes me feel honored, cherished, and loved as a woman to see that the men in my life  are looking out for me in this way.

  But if you have been chided, yelled at, or glared at by other women you have opened doors for in the past, I just want you to know that I am sorry.

 I am sorry for the women who don't understand that you were sacrificially loving them, perhaps a stranger, by putting their needs before yours and letting them walk in ahead of you.

 In a marriage relationship, the man is supposed to be a picture of Christ sacrificially loving his bride the church. Husbands are to love their wives sacrificially as Christ laid down His life for us. Ephesians 5:25 says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

 I believe opening doors for women is just one simple way that young men can practice loving their future wives.

 I also believe that opening doors for women is a simple way for all men to show love and courtesy to all women.

 By opening doors for us, you are not telling us we are inferior. Instead you are saying that we are more important than you. You are putting our needs above your own like Jesus did on the cross. Like Jesus calls every man to do in some aspect.

 Some women want their husband's leadership for themselves. They don't want to be "inferior" or underneath the headship of their husbands. But they are forgetting that the best leaders lead sacrificially. That good leaders put those they are leading first. When the husband's' leadership role is described in that way, I am honestly glad to be a woman- among the first to be protected, the first in the life boats.

 Though I think it is true that some men unfortunately hold wrong and demeaning opinions of women and only see us as inferior objects, why should we assume that is every man's agenda?

 Yes we are capable of opening doors for ourselves.

 Of course we can be strong.

 But our guys need to be men and we need to let them be men.

So to the guy in my class who shared about the anger he received from a woman he opened the door for, I want to tell you to keep opening doors for us. Keep doing it even when some of us complain. I will be among those who will look you in the eye and genuinely thank you.