The Secret to Inner Peace

Galatians 5: 22-23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

If you think someone's too nice, maybe God's trying to show you how to be nicer.

If you think someone's too laid back, maybe God wants you to relax a little.

If you think someone's too opinionated, maybe He's showing you how to stand up for what you believe.

If you think someone is too offensive, maybe He's showing you how to be more tolerant.

If you think someone's too religious, maybe He's trying to show you that you need Him.

If you think someone is too goofy, maybe God's trying to show you how to laugh.

If you think someone is too ugly, maybe He's trying to show you where to find true beauty.

If you think someone's too sensitive, maybe He's trying to show you how to be more compassionate.

If you think someone's too slow, maybe He's showing you how to be more patient.

If you think someone's unlovable, maybe He's trying to show you how to love them anyway.

          I was watching a Joyce Meyer special the other day(months after I wrote the above). The lesson is about our consciences, but towards the end she spoke about how she used to be one of those Christians. You know the ones. They are always concerned with what everyone else is doing, or NOT doing. Always finding something to complain about. Sometimes they are like a tornado of destruction! She didn't realize until later that she had all of this uneasiness about what others were doing, but that "pit in the stomach" feeling came from her relationship with God. She had to ask Him, "God, what is not right between US?" Once she realized that the lack of peacefulness she was feeling was between her and God, she no longer had to worry about what everyone else was doing. All she had to focus on was her relationship with Him. Was she honoring Him? If she didn't and if she sinned against him, that uneasy feeling would return. When that feeling returned to her, she would say to God "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me." We also need to realize that sometimes our sins against God can many times be our wrongdoings against others. See, our lack of inner peace comes from that too, because God intends us to live out the fruit of the Spirit. If we offend someone, or hurt them, all we have to do is say "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me." No excuses!

Wow! What an "ah-ha!" moment! We ALL fall short. True peacefulness within comes when we are right with God! Look within!

If you would like to see Joyce's special, The Voice of Conscience, it can be found here. 

Teen Bedroom Makeover + Renewing Your Spirit For a New School Year

Psalms 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit with me.

Tomorrow is Grace's first day of high school. What better way to start a new school year than to ask God to renew your spirit so you can start fresh? Let go of what happened last year, good or bad. Don't let past experiences cast a shadow on what you think the coming months will bring. Go in with a clean heart and mind. Take what comes your way. Start the new school year off right!

Speaking of renewals, we've been working on a little project. Little? Haha. Ok, we've been working on a BIG one. We've been remodeling Grace's bedroom!! I couldn't have imagined we'd have so much fun doing this bedroom makeover! Here's what we started with:

Grace knew she wanted turquoise, hence the paint sample. So that's where we started. Then, we bought her a new bedroom set. It 's been a long time coming. The girl's bed was falling apart and she had one skinny little dresser that would fall apart every time she pulled out a drawer.

We also found a few necessities at amazing prices. And here's her room now:

There's still work to be done. The walls are pretty bare, but we're not too concerned about that just yet. The important stuff is there. And it's all fabulous!

Here's what we found:

Comforter: Bed, Bath & Beyond Sidney 7 piece comforter set $99
Sheet set & Sequined Black Pillow: Steele's $14.99  & $9.99
Rug: Hobby Lobby 5' x 7' Chevron $50 (rugs were 50% off)
Cross: Hobby Lobby $20(also 50% off)
Paint: Lowe's Valspar Signature Paint + Primer in Aqua Ocean $25.99
Curtains: (not shown) 4 sheer white panels from Dollar General for $5 a piece, curtain rods, 2 for $3

We are so pleased with the results and cannot wait to keep adding to it! We'll post more pictures as we complete her room. Until then, we hope you love it as much as we do and wish the best of luck to all who are starting school in the coming weeks!!

The Best Lip Gloss Ever + Keeping Those Lips Sealed

Proverbs 17:28

Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they're smart. 

In other words, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Our mouths get us in trouble. Sometimes we get so caught up in being right, that we forget about what's important. It is more important to argue with a friend about miniscule things, or to agree to disagree? Is it better to gossip about someone who has hurt you or to forgive and pray for them? It is better to talk yourself in circles, or to admit that you don't know the answer? I've always thought the most honest words someone can say are "I don't know." It's ok to not know something! People who can admit this are being honest with themselves and you. 

Can you think of any current situation in your life where it will be better for you to stay silent? Are you struggling with whether or not you should stay silent? I've struggled in this area myself. I've always been an honest person, but I've had to learn that sometimes silence is the best way to make a point. I've seen light bulbs go off when someone I know is explaining a situation and because I was silent, they've had the opportunity to listen to themselves and find the answers within. 

If you can't or shouldn't say something, but you REALLY want to, pray about it instead. You can say everything it is you want and need to, and God will always be there to listen!

We just spent a week in Florida. It was an amazing vacation. I love the ocean. I also love shopping, and my vacation had the perfect mix of the two. This time, I took my first trip to Ulta. It's like Sephora, but it includes drug store brands as well. The have a brand called NYX(I've pronounced it as N-Y-X, but the saleswoman referred to it as nix). I don't know which one is correct. See what I did there? ;) 

Well, I've been a Mac fan for a couple of years, but I may be a convert to NYX. Their packaging is beautiful and the products mimic the high-end brands without the high-end prices. Then I found this...drum roll please...........

 This is NYX "mood" lip gloss, my new favorite lip gloss and it's less than $5!!! It goes on CLEAR and then changes to your perfect shade of pink! I don't know how it works, but it does. You can see it on Grace above. Look at that shine! Here is it on me:

Tip: Don't go too heavy on it. If you do, it can stain your teeth and who wants to brush their teeth again AFTER they've applied their lip product!

See? It's not the same shade on me as it is on Grace, but it looks amazing on both of us! I'm telling you, you NEED to have this gloss! And for $5, what do you have to lose? If you don't have an Ulta near you, you can buy it online here.