Give it all to Him!!

Selfish, resistant to let go, weighed down, tired of fighting... Just some ways that can describe how I have felt for the past while!! However this past week I have been really challenged to change the way I am feeling!!

So this week I attended a camp at Mullartown House just outside of Annalong!! And when I arrived I was just looking forward to having a week full of fun and to learn more about God!! Both of these things happened and there was lots of time for fun and lots of time for learning but God was at work this week in my life!! 

So on Monday night we got a speaker in and he was talking about baggage that we all carry, baggage that as Christians we don't need to carry because we should give it all to God!! But so often we cling onto this baggage and can't let it go and this is precisely how I was feeling!! But on Monday night I just felt like God was saying to me "Jemma you need to let go of all of that! You can't fix it by yourself and it is holding you back! You don't need to worry any more, come to me!" And that is precisely what I did that night!! 

I think it is so easy for us as Christians to cling onto so much pain and hurt and guilt and so many other things in our lives and think it is okay to do so!! But in 1 Corinthians 5:17 it says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has gone the new has come." Think about that, when we are in Christ what held us back in our old lives is now gone and new things are too come. We need to give all our worries, all our anxieties, all our insecurities, all our failures and all our problems to God so that he can make us new in Him. 

Also in Galatians 5:1 we are told "So Christ has truly set us free. Now, make sure that you stay free, and don't get ties up again in slavery to the law." This verse speaks so clearly to me, when we give our lives to Christ he sets us free from the sin that used to tie us down. As we continue to walk with Christ we will slip up, we will sin, we will have hard times but we need to make sure that we come to God with all these troubles so we remain free and don't get caught up as we walk with Him day by day. 

Two of my favourite verses are Hebrews 12:1-2: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God's throne." We have a race to run, we have to be witnesses to those around us. With guilt and baggage in our lives we cannot be the witness that God wants to make us to be, we cannot run effectively because the sin in our lives keeps tripping us up and we fall down. So each day as we get up we need to hand over the sin in our lives that trips us up so easily to God, because with that sin we will be kept back in our faith and we won't be able to grow as God wants us too. He wants to mould us and perfect us but if He doesn't have all of our lives (which includes all that baggage and pain), if won't don't give that to Him, He can't shape us into the person He has planned for us to be. And to do this, to run this race of faith, we need to look to Jesus, all the time. In everything we do Jesus should be at the centre of it.

He has come "that they may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10) and with baggage in our lives we cannot live life to the full and I realised that this week. God has taught me that I need to give all of my life to Him which is hard for me because I am a control freak, I need to know what is happening and need to handle stuff on my own but I have realised that God is the only one who can take care of my problems, I cannot fix them by myself.

I don't know what you are going through in life at the minute, I don't know if you're happy or you're hurting, if you're free or you're tied down with burdens, but I do know this, whatever stage of life you are at now, whatever you are going through, God loves you. He loves you so much and wants you to run to Him and give everything you have to Him. He wants you to give Him those burdens that you have and let Him deal with them. He wants you to let go of the hurt and pain in your life, the guilt and the sin you struggle with. He wants to perfect you and mould you into the person that He intended for you to be. This procedure of moulding you and shaping you into the person He wanted you to be may be painful, it may hurt you, you may lose friends, it may be long and difficult but God will be there all the time. He will be there when you fall to pick you up. He will carry you through rough times. He is never ever ever going to leave you!! (I know that this is true because I speak from experience!!) Just give all you have to Him because He cares for you and loves you more than you know.

Wrote with love, 

Jemma x

Why does a good God allow bad things to happen?

"And I say to myself what a wonderful world!" - Ever heard this song? Ever thought about what it actually says? How can we call a world wonderful that is full of illnesses, wars, natural disasters, homelessness, death, sadness, worry, stress? To be honest I think that our world is far from wonderful, in fact I know so! Yes there are many wonderful things in it and beautiful sites to see but there is so much wrong with it and so many bad things happening that I find little in our world that is 'wonderful'. 

But the real question is "Why?" Why does a God who proclaims that He loves us so much allow all these things to happen? Why does He allow hurricanes or tsunamis or earthquakes to kill so many people? Why does He allow wars to break out? Why does he allow people to become ill? Why does he take good people away from us? These are questions that I am sure you have ask yourselves at least once in your life. These are questions I ask myself all the time! And to be honest I don't understand why God does allow these things and I probably will never know in my lifetime on this earth, but over the past few years I have began to understand that God knows what he is doing even if we can't see it. 

I had a fairly peaceful childhood with no real dilemmas or tragedies. I had a happy childhood filled with fond memories and was brought up in a house that loved God and put him first in our lives. Looking back I see that I was so fortunate as due to the heavy Christian influence in my life I gave my life over to God at a young age of 6 and since then I have been able to grow in my faith and learn more about him each and every day. This has given me a strong foundation as I live my life as I know that God is walking with me. And now I see that without this strong foundation I might not be the person I am today. 

Let me explain why I say this. 2 and a half years ago a friend of mine, who was like a big sister to me, was taken away very suddenly after a car accident. At the time I kept reciting Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." And to be honest for a month after this all happened I was in so much shock that this verse was the only thing that could get me through it. However nearing towards the end of October 2011 I really started to question God. "God how could you allow this to happen?" "Why would you take someone away who is so young and has so much life left to live?" Questions like these raced through my mind constantly! Questions that led me to stop doing my daily devotions and spending time in prayer with God! Questions that made me think badly of God and questions that started to tear apart the relationship! Questions that made me very bitter for a period! Questions that I am not very proud of now! However on the outside of my life I put on a front and went to all the places that helped to encourage me; Scripture Union in school, Youth Fellowship, Girls' Brigade. And I heard a message that told me that we have a good God that loves us and wants what is best for us. I sat at these places and thought "Yes, God is so good that He takes away good people from us!" (Like I said I was very bitter!) 

These thoughts lasted up until the summer of 2012. In July of this summer I served in a community outreach team and every morning we had a time set aside just for our own personal devotions and for the first time in 10 months I picked up my Bible and read it and prayed with meaning. When I opened my bible it feel open to James 1:2-4 which says, "When troubles come your way. consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." It was at this exact moment I realised that while I didn't know why God had taken Jordan away from this world He was using this opportunity to mould me and perfect me. I was going through a hard time but I soon came to realise that God loves me and he doesn't want to punish me, he wants to perfect me. He wants to make me better each and every day and sometimes he needs to use bad times to mould us into the person he wants us to be. It might not be easy, and we might think it is not fair, but remember this, a quote from Corrie Ten Boom “There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still.” So no matter how low your life seems or how low you are feeling God's love for you goes even deeper than that and he will not leave you and when you are feeling low and thinking why would God allow this to happen, remember that he loves you and wants what is best for you.

Another verse that I found last April when my Uncle suddenly passed away is Isaiah 43:2-4, "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour... Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honoured, and I love you." Again I was just flicking through my Bible the day that this had happened and I came across this verse and I thought to myself WOW! God is never going to leave me! He will never let me walk through nothing that I cannot bear! Even though right now I don't understand He is there calling for me to come to Him! He loves me, I am precious to him! He has created me special and he won't let me walk through more than I can bear!

A verse that helps me when bad things happen or I am going through something that makes me question God is 1 Corinthians 10:13, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." Whenever I read this verse I am reminded that God is faithful all the time! He will not let the temptations and bad things in our lives to be anything more than we can handle! And He will show us how to deal with our problems if we come to Him! HE LOVES US SO MUCH!

So last night I was doing my quiet time and in my devotion book this verse was at the bottom and really just stuck out for me. Deuteronomy 31:8, "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." I had never seen this verse before and last night I was like this is so true. No matter what we go through in life remember that God goes before you to lead you and He is never going to leave you no matter what happens; HE IS ALWAYS THERE! Such a promise when travelling through hard times! And a quote from my devotion to go along with this said, "You may not understand the reason for the change, but God knows what He is doing!" Such a reassurance!!

Just one final thought/story. Have you ever heard of the Footprints in the sand story?? Well if not here it is; "One night I had a dream that I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. For each scene there were two sets of footprints in the sand; one set were mine and one set were the Lord's. When the last scene of my life flashed before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the way there were only one set of footprints in the sand. I noticed that these were at the very lowest and darkest times of my life. I questioned the Lord about it saying, "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would be with me the whole way. But I noticed that during the lowest point of my life there is only one set of footprints in the sand. Why when I needed you most did you leave me?" The Lord replied, "My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During you times of trials and sufferings, when you see only one set of footprints, I carried you." Isn't that such an amazing thought that while we are suffering and hurting God doesn't leave us he carries us through it and wants to comfort us!!

I hope in some aspects this has helped you to understand the God that we live for a little bit more. I know I haven't properly answered this question but the truth is that I do not know the real answer and probably won't know until I reach heaven and get to ask Jesus himself. I hope that by reading this you are encouraged and realise that whatever you are going through or however far you are away from God, He still loves you! No matter what you think He loves you more than you can know and all He wants is for you to run into His arms so that he can comfort you! Life is never going to be easy and being a Christian does not mean that you live a life without any pain or bad things. I hope that from the experiences that I shared you see this and know that everyone goes through hard times. Even though I questioned God He never left me and looking back on it now He has made me stronger and is perfecting me through hard times in my life. Why does a good God allow bad things to happen? I do not know the full answer but Corrie Ten Boom (this woman has so amazing and inspiring quotes by the way!) put it, "You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.” 

A casual day trip to Cardiff!!

So there's this place that I really really wanted to go to!! And anybody who has hung about with me for the past year will know that I never give over about it!! (If you haven't already guessed from the title it's Cardiff!!) 

So on Wednesday the 2nd of April I set off on an aeroplane with my mummy to visit a city where I plan to study for 3 years (if I get the grades and get through the interview!) 

8.35: Plane leaves Belfast International Airport for Bristol...

I love to fly!! And it has been 3 years since I have been on a plane so yeah I thoroughly enjoyed my flight over to Bristol (And yes you did read that right! I flew into and out of Bristol as the flight times into and out of Cardiff were very very expensive and at very very bad times!) Also during this flight there was an incredibly cute little boy sitting just in front of me!! Like I mean I have never seen such a beautiful child!! But that is totally off topic!! 

Plane Selfie

9:20: Plane lands in Bristol and then a Bus Trip to Temple Meads Train Station...

This part was very stressful... Literally had like 2 minutes to buy tickets for the bus and catch a bus to catch our train to Cardiff!! Then when we got to the train station we had 5 minutes to buy tickets in a very busy train station and find our way to the right platform to get onto a train!! We made it with 3 minutes to spare, but boy-joes getting to that train was a stressful 60 minutes!!

Temple Meads Station in the rain!

Cardiff Central here we come!

10:20: Train leaves for Cardiff...

This part of the journey was very enjoyable!! After a phone call to my dad to update him on all our events up till that point, mummy and myself were able to sit back and enjoy the train journey! And seriously I have feel in love with trains! They are such a nice way to travel!! Oh and there was this little old man who was all alone but dear love him he had two different coloured sandals on him with socks on with them!! He made me smile!! However during the train journey a very heavy shower started and I started to get worried as I had left my coat in Annalong... NOT A SMART MOVE!! But thankfully the rain stopped and I could enjoy my day out in the Welsh capital!! 

A wee train selfie!!

11:15: Finally arrive in Cardiff...

I don't think I have ever been so excited to visit a place! Like seriously, ask my mother I have never smiled so much and said "Look at that mum!" So many times in my entire life... It was like Christmas morning in April!! Arriving with plenty of time to spare we decided to walk through the city centre and up to the uni!! This was quite an adventure let me tell ye!!

Map of Cardiff city centre!

12:30: Finally arrive at Cardiff University...

So the thing is, after this trip I have figured out that directions are not my strong point!! As you can see from the time slots it took my mother and I a whole hour and 15 minutes to find the university. However during this hour and a half I feel in love with the city of Cardiff! The architecture is seriously unbelievable! (Check out my photos!!) and there are lots of shops, and I love to shop! Then there is Cardiff Castle!! OH MY GOODNESS IT IS AMAZING! Unfortunately we didn't have time to go on a tour but hopefully sometime soon!! So when we eventually arrived at the University I had to run to get into an OT (Occupational Therapy, the course I want to study!) however we missed it by like a minute!! RAGE!! On the bright side this gave mum and me the oppourtunity to check out the university and the students union... Oh and we got free popcorn while watching 'Cardiff Movies' explaining life in Cardiff!! (Free food is always appreciated! ;) )

The beautiful University (my phone does it no justice!)

Inside was so grand!

Excuse the reception tent!

13.30: OT talk here I come...
So one hour later than I anticipated I got to go and listen all about Occupational Therapy! And once again I fell even more in love with this degree, this job and hopefully in 4/5 years time I shall officially be an Occupational Therapist!! (Well that's if I pass my A-Levels and get through an interview and get into University and actually like the course when I'm doing it!!) 

OT talk banter!!

14.15: Bus trip to Heath Park Campus...
The thing is if I do go to Cardiff I won't actually be studying in the main university building I will be a the Heath Park Campus round about 1.5 miles away from the city centre! The campus is based at the University hospital in Cardiff and I got to have a wee nosey about it! Well I just headed straight to the OT bit! And it was class and lovely and the lecturers I meet were really nice and it just made me feel quite happy and yeah gave me even more motivation to revise harder for these exams (Motivation which I really need!!) Safe to say I was very impressed with Cardiff University if you haven't already guessed!! 

15.30: Walk around the city centre and shopping...
So after we had seen all the different things that we needed to see and talk to all the people we needed to talk to we had the time to walk back through the A-MAZ-ING city centre and go see all the sites that we hadn't already seen! As a keen rugby fan I forced mum to walk down and see the Millennium Stadium!! It was quite the building and my photos do not do it justice!! (Lyndsey Watterson if you read this we are going to go and watch a rugby match in that Stadium!!) Made a wee trip into Primark as ye do and was presently surprised when I found that all the clothes were in order!! No jumbly mess over there!! And then we called into various other shops and just had a nice little girly day as you do!! 

Cardiff Castle (again my phones does it no justice!)

Beautiful Architecture and cobbly streets!

Millennium Stadium

17.00: Pizza Hut...
So yeah I had been pestering mum all day to go to Pizza Hut for dinner and we had not eaten since breakfast that morning so safe to say we were ready for dinner! And as you can see from my face in the photo I was a tad excited because Pizza Hut is literally one of my favourite places to eat!! (Like who doesn't like freshly made pizza and UNLIMITED DRINKS!!) And we had a very nice and entertaining waiter who had the best Welsh accent I have ever heard! It was so nice, I LOVE THE WELSH ACCENT!! 

Pizza Hut selfie (Please excuse all the selfies!)

18.30: Train back to Bristol...
After 7 hours in the Welsh capital city I had to say my farewells (for now! ;) ) The train ride back was very very enjoyable the seats were comfy and it was just a nice quiet journey!!

Beautiful Train Station

Sandra had to get in on all the action!!

Farewell Cardiff you did not disappoint!!

19.30: Bus ride back to the airport... 
It was an interesting bus ride home with a mother and son having a little heart to heart behind us!! Apart from that it was very uneventful and when arriving at the airport we had to go through security and all that bant and then wait for like an hour until or plane started to board!!

21.40: Plane leaves for home... 
So after an incredibly exciting, enjoyable yet exhausting day (like my use of alliteration ;) ) I was on my way back home!) This plane journey flew in with a little snooze along the way and we arrived back on our home turf to be greeted by a certain older brother of mine who drove us home!! 

I think its clear to see from this (sounds like I'm writing an English essay I apologise!) Cardiff was unreal! I LOVE IT! (if you didn't already guess!!) And if you have never been to Cardiff it is seriously worth a wee visit, one of the most beautifuliest (if that's even a word, don't really care! My blog write what I want!!) city I have ever been in! Maybe one of the most beautifuliest places I have ever been!! So yeah hope you enjoyed this and hope I didn't bore you too much!!

When writing this (well like when I first started to write it!) A ceratin rugby team, Ulster had an outstanding win against Connacht 58-12) SUFTUM!! Just saying!!

Wrote with love,
Jemma x

Pollyanna, a girl who had impact!

One of my mum's favourite films is Pollyanna, and over the years it has become one of mine! (Like no joke any time it is on TV we have to watch it all!) But yeah so if any of you have ever watched you will know that Pollyanna is a special special little girl. A little girl who has grown up with little money to buy her new toys or new clothes and a little girl who lost both of her parents and was left orphaned. Even though she had been through all of this, Pollyanna found something to be glad about everyday. She didn't choose to sit in her strict Aunt's house and grumble about how unfortunate she was that she no longer had a mum and dad and how she had to move house and come to a place where she knew no-one. Pollyanna choose to find something to be thankful for and happy for each and everyday. And by doing this Pollyanna had an impact on the people around her and soften their hearts.

I think it is so easy for each and everyone of us to complain everyday. Whether it be that its too cold today, yet tomorrow when the sun is splitting the trees (highly unlikely I know but let's just go with it!) you'll be complaining that its too warm and you want some shade! Whether it be that you have to go to work after a hard day at school (This one is too common for me!)! It could be that you are too tired to do anything today! It could be that you have way too much revision to do and you don't have enough time to do it! I think this list could keep going but I'll save you from reading it all! And I have to say that I am one of the worst for this believe me ask any of my close friends (they're the ones that have to listen to me all the time!)! If you gave me a minute I could find about 100 things to complain about. But over the past little while I have been challenged to rethink about what I say and I have been challenged to stop complaining about the little things that annoy me!  

As I sit here writing this, I'm thinking to myself, "Jemma, if you said something good about your life as many times as you complained think how much better your days would be, how much better life!" As I sit here writing this blog I think to myself, there are so many people who are so much less fortunate than I am and yet they are so much more thankful than I am. 

Then I turn my thoughts to the Bible: there are so many examples of people in the Bible that were in such dark places yet they found so much to be thankful for. Let me take a minute to share some of them with you!!

Okay so first of all in Genesis we have Joseph! Okay so as the youngest of the family I can sort of sympathise with Joseph a little bit. Having two older brothers I have had my fair share of fights, insults and arguments thrown my way. But never in all my years of living with my brothers have I ever felt them get jealous of me or hate me so much that they wanted to kill me (well if they did, they did a good job of hiding it!)! You see Joseph's dad Jacob favoured Joseph. Joseph was the golden child, the one who could do no wrong in his father's eyes. This really annoyed his brothers (there were 12 of them by the way!)! In fact it annoyed his brothers so much that they took Joseph out to the middle of nowhere literally and were about to kill him but then thought it would be better to sell him to passing Ishmaelites!! So lets just think about Joseph's life here, he has been betrayed by his brothers who all hate him and have sold him to some randomers that were just passing by! I don;t know about you but if Andrew and Peter first of all hated me and then sold me to some passing strangers I tell you something I would be complaining the bit out!! I would choose not to see anything good about the situation!! What could be good about it Joseph's own family didn't love him and wanted rid of him! Yet, despite all of this Joseph kept serving the God he loved and kept worshipping him and praising him! How unreal is that!! You see Joseph realised that complaining about his situation would get him nowhere, and even though he couldn't see it then he had enough faith in God to know that God had a better plan for him! And God did have a much greater plan for him: Joseph became the 2nd in charge of Egypt and the tables flipped when his brothers came grovelling to him to him for food in the midst of a famine! (To check out the whole story look up Genesis 37 and onwards!)

Then there is Job. This man is such an example to all of us! God allowed Satan to destroy all of Job's livelihood, all his children, all his servants, his property and then allowed disease to fall upon Job. Satan hoped that by doing all of this he would tear Job away from God. But despite all of the hardship and pain and anguish that Job encountered never once did he turn his back on the God he loved, never once did he think about leaving the faith that he had. He knew that God loved him despite what was happening and didn't complain about his situation. Job even went onto say after all of his children had died, 

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21). Like think about that despite all the things he was going through he didn't complain or say why would God allow this to happen to me he said blessed be the name of the Lord. I think if we took a leaf out of Job's book and realised that no matter what we are going through , no matter how hard our life seems, God is in control and we need to praise his name.

Paul. This man endured so much torture and imprisonment and harassment because of the faith he had in God. But if we take a look at Philippians 4  we can see that Paul didn't waste his time complaining about the hardships in his life. To put these few verses into context, Paul is in prison guarded by many many Roman soldiers as he writes this letter to the church in Phillipi. He writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice" (Phil 4:4) and "...for I have learned to be content in all circumstances." (Phil 4:11). These verses blow my mind. While in jail Paul can still find parts of his life to rejoice in and is thankful. He is also content with the way his life is, even though he is sitting in a jail with no freedom to do anything he is content. I think if I was in Paul's shoes I would be grumbling under my breath and finding life a bore!! But not in Paul's eyes. 

I hope that by reading about these three men you will see that complaining about life actually will get you no where and 9 times out out 10 make that 10 times out of 10 it will make you feel worse about yourself and your situation. I think it is clear to see that by looking for the positives in life and finding something to be happy about or something to be thankful for will make us feel better about ourselves and will help us to be a witness to those around us. People will notice you and you may be able to soften the hearts of others like Pollyanna did!

To finish this off I thought I would list some of the things that I am thankful for:

1. My faith and the God who loves me! No matter how much I fail and fall away from Him, He will never leave me. The fact that He knows how my life is going to plan out! He is always one step ahead of me and is ready to guide me and protect me. I am very thankful for my own personal Bible that enables me to meet with God each day and learn more about Him and deepen my relationship with Him.

My Bible and Journal - These are tools which help deepen my relationship with my Heavenly Father

2. My Mum: She is an inspiration to me. She loves me and listens to me and helps me through the troubles that I face. She washes my clothes, tidies up after me and makes my lunch. She is my alarm clock in the morning (which is very important let me tell you!) Without her I would be lost. She is my best friend!

Me and my mum

3. My Dad: He is amazing (maybe I'm a little biased!) He provides for me. He looks out for me. He treats me like a princess. He loves me for who I am. He wants what is best for me. He makes me laugh. He continually puts others before him. He is amazing! (did I say that already??)

A very old photo, but the only one I can find with me and my dad

4. Andrew: This boy is cool! He is unreal at maths and can help me with mine which I am so thankful for. He is funny, very loud and very loving. He gives unreal hugs, he portrays Jesus in everything he does. He never conforms to what others want, he is himself all the time! He cares for me, is very protective of me! Oh and did I mention that he is going to be a teacher! #proudlittlesister

My oldest brother and me! 

5. Peter: This boy is hilarious! He never fails to make me laugh when he comes home at the weekend. He is unreal at sports, especially hockey. He is a true witness to others around him. He shines like a beacon for Jesus wherever he goes! He has a massive heart for those who don't know Jesus and reaches out to them. He is the stirrer in our house and knows how to push everyone's buttons, but I am thankful for that because it brings comedy relief into our house. Oh and did I mention he's going to be a physiotherapist in about a year and a half!

I think this photo perfectly sums up our relationship!

6.My family: There are awesome! I am so blessed to have a family that love me and accept me. To have cousins that I can laugh with and aunties and uncles that care about me. I am so thankful for a two nannies that look out for me and take care of me and who are two of the greatest woman that I know and for a granda that spoils me and takes care of me. And for another granda who is in heaven and I am so thankful that I will get to see him one day! 

One of my 'wee' cousins - So thankful for the time we get to spend together

7. My friends: there are so many of you that I am so thankful for. For the encouragement that you all are to me. For the laughs I can have with you all. For the memories that you all create. For the love and kindness that I am shown everyday. For the hugs I get from the people who like to give and receive hugs. For the ones who listen to me rant and rave. For the ones who know just how to make me smile. For the ones who are brutally honest to me. I am thankful for each and everyone of you.

My 3 besties - would be lost without them

8. Mullartown: this place is so special to me. I have created so many memories here over the past 12 years. I am so thankful for the life long friends that I have made here (You all know who you are!). For the counsellors that have led me and encouraged me in my walk with God. For the fun that I can have. For the time that I can take aside and solely spend with God without any distractions. For the chance that I have now to serve as a counsellor and help to point young people and families to Jesus. Yeah there are so many things that have happened here that I will never forget!

6 years ago I met these 2 girls at camp and now they are 2 of my closest friends

 9. My school/education: I love school! (yes I am a nerd!) There are some parts that I totally hate but yet as I write this I am so thankful for. I am so thankful for the bus that brings me there each morning. I am so thankful for the free breakfast club that I can go to each morning and get fuelled up for the day ahead. I am so thankful for all my friends and for the banter that we can have there. I am so thankful for the teachers that teach me and that they care about my education and want the best possible for me. I am so thankful for a Christian ethos and a Christian Principle to lead the school. I am so so so thankful for a Scripture Union and that we can have it and that we can reach out to our whole school. I am so thankful for the Christian teachers that help run that. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to get an education and get the chance to learn new things each and every day

Just some of the people I get to spend 5 days a week with

And finally

10. Modern Technology: My phone, laptop, computer, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest. Even though my phone is terribly cracked and shattered I am so thankful that I have enough money to own a phone and run a phone and for the freedom that it gives me and the fact that it allows me to keep in contact with all my friends and family. For my laptop which allows me to write this blog and share with you and saves my hand from writing essays (2 of which I need to do after this sometime!). For all the social media sites that allow me to stay in contact with my friends across the water and allow me to listen to music and enjoy myself.

My poor little smashed phone - Although I've become attached this little smashed screen!

And that folks is just a few of the things I am thankful for. When I got to number 6 I was like I have so much more I could write but I thought I would save you eyes from reading anymore! Maybe I'll do like another blog sometime of all the little things that make me happy in my day, but we shall see!

As I finish this blog I want to encourage you to be a Pollyanna. Instead of saying and seeing how bad a situation is try and find something good in it. Be like Joseph and have enough faith in God that he has bigger and better plans for you. Be like Job and bless God's name at all times no matter what you are going through. Be like Paul and rejoice always no matter what life throws your way and remember to be content in all circumstances.

Hopefully this encourages you and challenges you as much as I have been through writing it and if you have any questions leave a comment or drop me a Facebook message! 

Wrote with love,
Jemma x

I'm not beautiful like you, I'm beautiful like me!!

"Oh my goodness, my hair's a mess, my face is covered in spots and I have nothing to wear! I cannot leave this house!" - Does this ring any bells??

If you're anything like me a statement like this will leave your mouth several times a day and dear knows how many times a week. Guys and girls alike both struggle with how they look and lack self confidence in their appearance! (Please correct me if I am wrong!) Image is such a big deal in our society! Everyone and everything around us is throwing us advice and telling us how we ought to look and what we are to wear! The media, our friends, celebrities, our parents, our siblings, our churches... the list just keeps on going. But have you ever taken a step back and thought about who's opinion really matters?? In the grand scheme of things how long will your 'perfect' image last for?? Cause let's face it, when you are ninety years old no amount of make up will hide away the wrinkles on your face and you'll probably be to frail and cold to wear the latest dress that has hit the high streets.

Image is a topic that has been on my heart for a while now and throughout the past week with all the no make-up selfies on Facebook and with different passages that have cropped up in my Bible readings I really felt like this is something that I needed to share with you all.

If any of you reading this have ever met me you know that I don't wear make-up. For those who don't know me there are several reasons why I don't wear; the main one is that I'm allergic to every single sort of make-up there is (having eczema is no fun let me tell ye!), another is that I like my sleep too much in the morning to get up and make time to put it on and then there is the thought of having to take it all off again at night!!The third reason is that I could not bring myself to spend so much money on it! (Yes I am a cheap skate!) Even though I don't wear make-up, as a 16 year old girl I still have so many insecurities about myself. Like this morning I wake up and, no joke, there must be about 20 spots on my face and I'm just like, "I cannot go out of the house like this what will people think!" But then I remember what I read in my Bible readings and different verses popped into my head. Here are juts a few:

Genesis 1:27 : "So God created human beings in His own image." - As I thought about this one I was like, do you know what God has created me in His image, that means that I am not to worry how I look because God cared so much about me and loved me so much that He created me just like Him. Isn't that class to think about: the creator of the whole entire universe would chose to make a tiny, insignificant person in his image. He could've chose to make any animal like Him but he chose us, the humans.

Psalm 139:13-14 : " For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - In GB (Girls' Brigade) this year these few verses were are theme verses. I think they are absolutely class. Think about this, before your mum even found out she was expecting you, God was knitting you together. He took the time to make each and everyone of us different and unique. If you are ever self concious over how you look or worried about what other people will think of how you look just remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. No part of you is an accident. God made you just they way he wanted you to be and you are perfect in his sight. And nothing that God made is bad or ugly. It is good and beautiful!! Whoever you are, you are good and you are beautiful!! At a girl's Bible study that I am now helping to lead, we studied image and we all got a picture of a model from a magazine. On that picture was a sticky note that sad exactly what the title of this blog says, "I'm not beautiful like you, I'm beautiful like me!" Next time you go to compare yourself to somebody else just remember that you are beautiful just the way you are, you are unique and no one else can be like you. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 : "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time."- I actually only found this verse this morning while I was in church and it was at the bottom of the page in my notebook. But if you actually take time to think about this God has made everything beautiful. You might not feel it but you are, believe me!

The last verse that has helped me is: 1 Peter 3:3-4 : "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." - This verse is sort of like a motto verse for life for me. I think so many times (especially girls) we can get bogged down in the way our hair is sitting, the newest fashion trends out on the high streets or whether our clothes are from Hollister, Jack Wills or Primark. I get bogged down with these things as well, but by doing this we are conforming to the world and are worried about what the world thinks of us and how we look. But lets face it some day none of these things will matter, there will come a day when we will die and we will have to stand before God and whether or not we have a dress from Hollister or a Jack Wills hoody will matter. In this world we should be trying to have a loving heart, a compassion for others around us, a friendly smile, and a gentle spirit that can come before God and pray to Him. Those are the things that really matter. Please don't get me wrong I love clothes, I love shopping and I have lots of stuff that are brands but as you have read through this blog I hope I have in some way shown you that outward beauty will not last, inner beauty is what matters!! 

Here are just a few pictures of some of the girls who I get the privilege of calling friend and who are genuinely some of the most beautiful girls I know! They have the real beauty that comes from within:

This girl is like a big sister! She has such a compassionate heart and I love her very much

These two girls are two of my very favourite!(One of them is up above for those who didn't notice!) They are so encouraging, so loving and so Godly! I admire them

We might of been together for only a week but this girl makes me laugh so much and has such a lovely heart!

My camp girlies, so faithful and full of God's love and so encouraging!

This girl puts up with so many of my silly selfies I thought she deserved a nicer picture too...

I don't know what I would do without this girl, my ginger, my best friend and the one girl who can make me laugh without fail

This girly is such an encourager and a great laugh! She understands me and looks out for me! 

After  9 years of friendship this girl deserves a medal! She has had to listen to me and deal with all my different moods but she is still here and is one of best friends!

My faithful sidekick... This girl is one in a million and never fails to put a smile on my face! 

This girl listens to everything I have to say and she still loves me and cares for me she is amazing and doesn't know it half of the time!

My YF girlies, these girls are banterful and so loving and know how to lift my spirits...

This is my no make-up selfie but as I don't where makeup I decided to dress up as Kermit

I hope in some way I have helped to enlighten you on what real beauty is and I hope in some way I have encouraged you!! If you have any questions or comments leave them below or if you know me drop me a message on Facebook I would honestly love to chat to you if you have questions!! Also if anybody wants any prayer for anything throw your requests my way!! Can I also point out I am not perfect and I fail all the time, so if you read this and think that I think that I am in some way better than you, I do not think that way I struggle as much as you do let me assure you but I just feel like image is an issue that effects everyone and I hope by readin this you have seen that the 'perfect' image and beauty comes from within!

Wrote with love, 

Jemma x