A deep breath

~Tuesday Thoughts~

I'm a perfectionist. And I'm homeschooling this year. For those who do either you know it's kind of hard. And really stressful.

Lately I've been challenged to take breaks. To relax. To treat schedules as guidelines instead of law.

And it's been wonderful. I have and will probably still have in the future those doubts and low times and all. Those times when rest seems an unreachable luxury. But even then, I can find rest in the one way it really really matters - in Christ.

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

How about you? Have you been pushing yourself too much? When was a time you took a breath and relaxed?

Not perfect enough?

~Tuesday Thoughts~

Sometimes I get really really stressed. I'm not productive enough, I'm not smart enough, I'm not athletic enough, I'm not pretty enough, etc.

Guess what? God loves me anyway. And He’s there when I need Him. He’s there for you too.


But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:8 (NIV)

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8a (NIV)

Never quite reaching 'perfect'

~Tuesday Thoughts~

Last week I started the Starting School mini-series with “Homework? Maybe later…”. That was about slacking in our school work and today’s basically about the complete opposite: when we do whatever we can to reach that ‘perfect’ mark that always seems to be a few steps away.

Sometimes that’s me. I’ll try and I’ll try to be ‘good enough’, to be 'better than’, to meet and exceed the expectations that are set for me. If that means not reading that much contemporary fiction for awhile and spending hours reading more serious books, squeezing blogging in as best I can and taking chemistry, so be it. I'll push myself more and more, slack a bit and then I'll push myself harder because I'm afraid I slacked too much. Does that describe you sometimes?

Here's good news people: every once in a while you can relax. It's OK. It's reasonable.

Here's what the Bible says:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

How about you? Do you ever push yourself in order to be 'perfect'? What are some verses you can add to these?

Not because we did something. Really

What If  is an amazingly refreshing song for those who feel they have to DO something for God to love them.  We don't. Here are the lyrics to Jadon Lavik's song. I'd love it if you checked it out and found it helpful also. :)

How about you? What songs encourage you?

God has plans for all of us

"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

I need to remember that God has plans for me, good plans. I was stressed on Monday because my parents brought up the ACT and another pretty big test (that I have to take this year). I'm still a sophomore, but... it gets stressful. Here's my one-sided point of view (my parents would probably say something completely different): I feel like I have to do perfectly and that requires lots of studying. I wonder if I'll ever get another free minute or not until I pass the test. I cry because I feel like too much is being asked of me. Then I sit there feeling not-so-smart to say the least, as my dad lectures me on how there will be more tests in my life and I need to get ready and not cry. I try to stop my tears. I get annoyed that Mom and Dad say they'll help, although before they didn't follow up too well on promises like that. I try to not go crazy when I learn that there's trigonometry or whatever on the ACT. Then I go to my room. I sit down feeling useless. I enjoy making a schedule for studying (I just like planning things like that).I try to not think about how much work I'll have to do on later days. I sigh.

Guess what I forgot? That God will be with me. Through the whole process. I am not alone and He will give me strength.

How about you? Has something stressed you lately? Did you remember that you are not alone or did you get all those emotions boiling before you remembered? Please comment.

I have to and want to be all these different people and I just... I just...can't!!!

If the whole world were to tell me that I was the only one who felt this way, I would smile, cry myself to sleep that night and wake up glad that only I know how this feels. But I read books. And too many of them are filled with girls and boys trying to meet and exceed the expectations and wants of those around them. And not being able to. Trying to be a good Christian, a good son or daughter, a good student, a good athlete, a cool boy/girl in school, etc. and failing and crying when nobody sees. Sometimes it's not just what others expect, but who we want to be too. And sometimes who we want to be is placed on the wish-list while we work on those people we "have" to be.How, oh how, should we balance everything? What should we do to not go crazy or more likely severely depressed from all the constant pressure?

Believe me, if I had all the answers I would tell you. If I knew how to skip by those depressing moments and always be content with who God made me to be, I would have done it a long time ago. Life would be cool. I would have to work on not being prideful, but I would have said a relieved "goodbye!" to all those unpleasant things called "expectations I simply cannot live up to". But I don't have all the answers. And I get frustrated often enough that I'm not as good as I could be, not the someone God and my parents and others want me to be.



The only answer I know is turn to God. He won't put us down and scowl at us for not being perfect. He knows we can't be. He'll be as much by our side when we fail and make mistakes as He is when everything's going well. We need to trust Him.

Tournaments, Cocoa and One Wrong Move by Nancy Rue

 I've recently read a great book by Nancy Rue - Tournaments,Cocoa and One Wrong Move. It was an amazing story. Here's a review of it.

 Typical Cassidy- "See , I think that's a weird question. I think the question should be 'Why doesn't EVERYBODY want to win? Why would you want to put yourself out there without wanting to be the best?"

 Basketball. It’s her passion. It’s her love. It’s the only time she doesn't feel scared of anything. And it all goes down with one fall…

 Cassidy Brewster, whose love and skill for basketball seem immeasurable, feels lost when a fall on the court leaves her knee swelling to three times its size. Will she ever be able to play again? And when a med student offers her supplements in secret should she take them?

 Cassidy certainly is “real” in this third book of the Real Life series. Her perfectionism and longing to be the best are something many girls can relate to. But as she is rid of the thing she loves most Cassidy learns lessons she couldn't have learned always being the star.

 I certainly recommend this book to all girls who think they have to be "perfect" (I'm there too). God loves us all just the way we are. :)

For more on Nancy Rue, visit her website and facebook page.