Anonymous

Shakespeare: Sonnet 127:13-14

"Yet so they mourn, becoming of their woe, / That every tongue says beauty should look so."

These lines are the last of Shakespeare's 127th sonnet. Before these, he describes his love for a woman whose appearance doesn't fit the conventional mold of beauty. These lines struck me because it's the first time he describes how this utopian idea of beauty affects an imperfect woman. Even in the 1500s and 1600s women compared their appearance to an unattainable one, which resulted in "woe" and "mourn[ing]." Though he loves her like an addiction, she still believes she is less than beautiful.

Women. It's time to love ourselves. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). God doesn't make mistakes. He put that freckle, that curl, that curve, that color, that smile there on purpose. You are the only you there is, has been, or will ever be. Own it. Believe it. And run with it. Be yourself because no one else has what you have. We all have the opportunity to be ourselves, but that doesn't mean the same thing for even two of us. Difference and inequality ARE NOT synonymous. 

"Beauty is fleeting," but love is forever (Proverbs 31:30). 

Love yourself, girl. You deserve it all.

Anonymous

Journal Entry: March 11th, 2015

"The closer people are to the truth, the more tolerant they are of the mistakes of others." -Leo Tolstoy

When I first read this quote, I disagreed. I thought about if my boyfriend told me he cheated or if someone told me they stole my car, I wouldn't automatically be tolerant of their actions.

Then I reread it but capitalized The Truth. It changes the whole quote. The Truth as in "the way and the truth and the life." The closer we are to Jesus "the more tolerant [we] are of the mistakes of others." The more we nourish our faith, whether it be through Bible study, worship, prayer, or service, the closer we get to The Truth. When we become close to Jesus, He inhabits and purifies our hearts. Only through this God-given spirit do we have the potential and ability to graciously and consistently forgive others as He does for us everyday. 

Christ died with all of humanity's sins on His shoulders so that we don't have to. We don't have to take our debt to the grave because it has already been paid in full. When we completely forgive others, we give a glimpse of Christ. When we make this a daily practice in our lives, those glimpses will eventually create a full picture for someone. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, this picture will not only change their life, but change their life eternally.

"Thomas said to Him, 'How can we know the way?' Jesus said,'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to The Father except through me.'" John 14:6

Quote

"I live in another world, and if you come near me, I will wrap you in it like a cloak of stars."

Quote

"I have lost and loved and won and cried myself to the person I am today."

Quote

"I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares."

Quote

"He wants to say I love you,
but keeps it to goodnight
because love would mean some falling
and she's afraid of heights."