This ones going to be raw. Exactly what I think. It makes me laugh. It makes me smile and it actually makes me understand. 

Here I am, supposed to be writing a 2,500 word reflection essay, yet I’ve come here, where I can write where academics doesn’t count and all of what I say is from me, no referencing, nope its all from what I have experienced, what i learnt, what I can see now that I could not see before. 

Recently people have seen that youtube sensation about “what christian girls say”. Well I have to admit, it is ever so true. I just read a status of mine, and yep, it’s what a christian girl says. I didn’t grow up a christian, to be honest I barely even knew a christian through out my entire schooling life.

I’m now 22, I’m now a christian. I now know what it is to be a christian.

So here I am. writing what a christian girl writes. I’m writing what missy writes though.
I’m not just a christian. I’m not just an aboriginal and im not just a girl that grew up in south australia. I’m all these things put together.

I sit and I read “what christian girls write” and i hear “what christian girls say” and I read “what christian girls read”. I somewhat take myself back to 17 year old me and I have to laugh. I understand now, why I ‘thought’ and why I ‘felt’ the way I did about christians and about christianity. 

The thing about it though, is there’s actually something that you cannot see. If I take a step back and look at the church, if I take a step back and look at fellow christians, sometimes I understand why, sometimes its hard to see.

It’s because God to me, is knowing his spirit and the power of it. It is not something I can put pen on paper, or type right now. It is not something I can photograph like I love to photograph the rest of the world. It is something like that quote “Love cannot be seen, it can only be felt with the heart”. He is love and love is him. His spirit cannot be seen, only felt. At least his spirit cannot be seen with my wordly eyes, it doesn’t show up, it doesn’t scan through. 

With a constant ask of his vision. Maybe I’ll continue to see more, than these eyes could ever comprehend. With a constant ask of his presence, maybe he’ll move more than this flesh could ever ask. 

So now I say, if someone had given me the opportunity to experience his presence and to receive his spirit. Then, thats when I would see more, as my 17 year old self. Thats when I would begin to understand. I say this now, that I am beginning to understand. 

I’d like to start this letter off by saying that I’m incredibly blessed by your love for Jesus.

You have the type of beauty that does NOT fade with age, for it is the type of beauty that flows from fearing Jehovah!  The most expensive clothing you will ever wear will not be from a designer’s closet, but from the life purchased by “The Designer’s” Son – the clothing of righteousness. You are daughters of God and you inherit His features; you have His kindness, gentleness and beauty. There are no brothers in the world that should be more proud of their sisters than we are.  Along with this, there should be no brothers in the world who are more jealous for their sisters than we are.  When I say jealous, I don’t mean jealous of you because I am envious of wanting something that doesn’t belong to me. But rather,  I am jealous for you in the way the Bible calls, godly jealously (2Cor. 11:2), in which I zealously want God to have what belongs to Him,  your undivided devotion.  Sisters,  you live in a society where femininity is almost completely lost.  Women are said to be “lady like” when they are sex hungry, materialistic, independent, deranged, and have serial relationships.  And truthfully, most of what we know about womanhood, especially  sex, sexuality and dating, has NOT come from good teachers but from this world.  There is so much competing for your heart dear sister and it is my earnest desire to guard and protect you.

There is a real enemy against you, and one of his greatest tools is the simple phrase: “Everybody is doing it.”  What the world needs is more godly women who take a stand on the bible. You will be most influential on everybody else when you are most  unlike everybody else.  My hope is to give you some brotherly guidance to help protect your purity and develop your growth in the Lord.  Lets start with biblical courtship.  Here are some thoughts from a jealous brother:

God is not interested in developing you into the perfect girlfriend, but into an exemplary wife.  For the women of God, there is but one reason why you should allow a man to draw near to you and that is for the purpose of marriage.

Men and even “Christian men” are greatly responsible for this, but sisters you are not off the hook because you allow it.  At all times, my beloved sister, you are another man’s wife.  You belong to your future husband or collectively to the bride of Christ, but in either case, you are not your own and are not available for “test driving.”  YOU WILL do tremendous damage to your life if you join the “serial monogamy” of modern dating. Hopping from one committed relationship to the next does not give you experience on how to stay committed to one man all life long. Rather, it teaches you to leave when things are not working out, and find somebody else. In other words, you’re being trained to divorce in the future.  Contrary to popular belief, experience is not your strongest ally in a relationship, biblical wisdom is. The world would have you live and learn but the bible will have you learn and live.

There is a such thing as the gift of singleness and it is not the Lord’s will for everyone to marry.  But I’ve come to believe that the “gift” of singleness is the same thing as the “state” of singleness. Figuring out if you have “the gift” or not is not of supreme importance because with or without “the gift” you are called to live a God-devoted life in your singleness.  I know of several men and women who are in their late 50′s and have never been married.  They would say that they have the gift of singleness, but almost all of them still desire to marry. It’s difficult to be single, but it is also difficult to be married. There is not a gift that makes singleness easier just like there is no gift that makes marriage easier. The phrase, “You complete me,” is a romanticized misunderstanding.  We are not half beings hoping to find completion in some soul mate. We are whole beings made for God.  You will only be complete in Him and that must be done with or without a spouse.  I know the common question is, “Will I ever get married?” Well i don’t know, but if you are in Christ, I do know that you will never be alone.

Sisters you should only embrace a man that loves God more than He loves you. Only settle for a man who can lead you spiritually, who is capable of washing you in the Word. It would be tremendously better to remain single than to become one with someone who does not love Jesus. I understand that there are cases where the Lord has been gracious to save non-believing spouses, but know that is not ideal or normative. A man is incapable of loving you like Christ loved the church if He is does not know who Christ is.

Sisters, look for a man who knows the gospel, and will physically lay his life down for you like Jesus did for his bride. Look for a man who values sexual purity and avoids being in compromising environments with you. You want a man who knows where he is going in life and is not known to be inconsistent and irresponsible. Ladies, HE NEEDS TO HAVE A JOB (or at least be on His way to having a job). Not only is he to be a provider for the family, but he needs to know the necessity and difficulty of being industrious. If you are feeding him, clothing him and transporting him to places every week, then there might be an issue. Don’t settle for anything less than a worthy man.

The world will tell you that the way to keep a man is through your curves and body parts. And I say to you sister, any man that is kept by body parts is not worth keeping. Always remember, “What you catch them with is what you catch them to.” If a brother ONLY wants you because of the way you look, he will stop wanting you when you cease to look that way or a better looking woman comes along. Both will happen. Dress to impress a man’s spirit, not his lust. Check your motives, get godly counsel and intentionally try to serve your brothers by dressing modestly. Modesty is not old fashioned, but godliness on display. Allow a man to discover your beauty on his own rather than flaunting what you think he’ll like. I do encourage you to stay in shape, work out, and maintain a healthy size proportional to your body type. There is absolutely nothing wrong with looking good, your future husband will appreciate that. I see no biblical reason that forbids you from letting a man know how you feel about him, and putting yourself in an environment where connection can happen. But this information should flow out of a pure friendship, and those environments are most ideal in group settings. Don’t be secretive with your relationship – drown yourself in wise counsel. Thats what I did and I continue to do so, and it is one of the the most helpful tools in my marriage today.

I know that many of you have been told that your concern in singleness should be contentment in Christ and not getting married.  And although your concern should be contentment in Christ, wanting to get married is not a threat to that concern.  Your desire to have a man, is a good and godly desire.  It only becomes a problem when that desire for a future husband disrupts your present pursuit of the Lord – when that desire turns into doubt and you question if the Lord knows what He’s doing. Getting married does not fix our issues of contentment, it only give us another person to be discontent with.  Contentment is satisfaction that is unmoved by circumstance because it only comes from having Jesus.

The simple things in life can move me. 

Though its those simple things in life that are brought to life, that I find beauty in because I’ve been graced with the greatest love.

I have a heart that desires and a spirit that is stirred , everyday, every moment of my life, I continue to breath & I continue to feel.  

There’s those moments where I feel as though nothing else matters. Those moments in my day when I realise that no matter what, I’ve got a path ahead to walk, to walk & know that I’m walking in freedom.  

I recall every sunset and each time I would set my gaze on that horizon over the golden lit ocean as the sun sunk. I remember the hope that would set in. My days may have been grey, they may have been warm. I just remember the hope that would set in. In those moments I wouldn’t have known where that hope came from. It just did. 

In those small country town days. kilometres from anything I could imagine to be hopeful. I took in what surrounded me. The smell of the sea breeze and the gentle waves crashing on the shore. I found hope in those still moments. 

All along, there was a plan. All along he knew I’d travel across the country side. & he’d planned every moment I had as I watched the sun set. He planned the moment I paddled into the crisp autumn oceans. He planned the moment I walked right into his presence & couldn’t do anything but want to know what he was about. 

Now that I know him. Now that I know him. My life will never be the same. In fact, it is because of him I have life. The hope that sunk into my heart, every time i watched as the sun sunk into the horizon, came from his unimaginable subtle “I love you” (John 3:16) “I have a plan for you” (Jerimiah 29:11) “I want you to go, into all nations” (Matthew 28:19) “I will give you more than you might ask or imagine” (ephesians 3:20)

I am reminded. 

Sometimes things happen fast.
Sometimes they happen so slowly you just lose track.

Either way, Gods timing is perfect.
I wish that in the crucial moments I remembered this, though truth is I almost always forget it.  

There is a time to fight & a time to yield.

Sometimes you should ask why, sometimes you don’t need to know why & need to know when stop asking it.

For example. Can you think of a friendship that instantly clicked, as soon as you met them, you spent every day after with them & you’re still such good friends. 
Can you think of a friendship where you met someone, and it wasn’t until 3 years later that you begin to build a closer friendship with them & you don’t know how this friendship has slipped by. 

Reasons are. Gods timing is perfect. 
I am reminded of this. I am reminded that we may have our lives planned, we may think we have it all figured out. We might think we know exactly how and when something should happen. 
Truth is. It’s his will. Not ours. 

Trust that he has the perfect timing planned. Even if it is completely unlike you planned. 

Sometimes it takes after years pass & you wonder, & you ask God “why now…..?” 

Wait on him. Let him direct your steps. His will, not ours. 

 

http://melissamcarthurphotography.tumblr.com/

A sneaky peek. Unedited. Mr Jason & Mrs Carly Ridd. Married on a beautiful sunny day at a small stone cottage. 

What an awesome way to learn how to do an epic cutback. I’ll just keep watching this!

(via surfern)

My clinical placement coordinator telling me to keep faith. 
Never does she have to worry about that.
Gods got it :)  

Oh my gosh! take me here! 

(Source: indiecats, via sophiegrace-)

James 4:8 & Matthew 7:7

Look them up. I guarantee you that your life will change if you believe them.

I’ve always loved both of these verses, its only been in the last 6 weeks that I’ve been talking to God about these truths.

Speaking & walking in these truths, with FAITH. They’ve not returned void. 

I’ve actually seen an overflow of blessing.
Every prayer being answered.
One after the other.
I cannot explain.
The power.
His word.
Truth.
Love.