Come and See

Hey y'all! It's been a while! I'm just going to keep it short and sweet. I love my Savior. I've come to really know him this semester, not just as a being I know about, a character in a Bible story, but as my brother, as my Savior. I've gotten closer to Jesus Christ than I ever thought possible, and I am so grateful for that.

I've also come to learn much more about Mary, about the role she played and about who she was as a person. I've tried to really put myself in her shoes, to try to understand what kind of a woman she must have been to go through everything she did so faithfully, so willing to submit to the Father and to obey His word. She was an amazing example of everything a mother should be, and I'm grateful for the chance I've had to learn more about her as well.

As part of a semester-long project in my New Testament class, I wrote 15 creative writing pieces focused on the women of the Gospels, and this piece is one I wrote on the Nativity story, and I hope it can bring a bit of the true spirit of Christmas to you during this special time of year!

May we all have the confidence to always share our love for and faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.

http://jenedypaigepaintings.blogspot.com/2013/12/little-lamb.html  - I love this painting and the research she did to try and portray this accurately!

Come and See

The evening was racing towards that deep blue that precedes the black of night, the air swarthy from a tiresome day of hot sun. Dust swirled at the edges of buildings, inns cacophonous with shouts and snores, stables mellow with animal breaths and the sound of shifting hooves in the quietly crackling hay. A sheep bleated meekly from a far off hilltop, its caretaker standing watch, angelic in stance and manner despite the dusty worn robes, the humble staff, the face creased with years of diligently guarding animals he had come to love as children.

A man, fear and determination solidified in his deep eyes, hurriedly led a young donkey through the time-saturated streets, the dying light pressing in from each wall as he pounded on first one inn door, then another. His wife sat in quiet compliance upon the animal, her increasingly labored breath the only sign of the pain and fear within. She rested one hand on her expanded stomach, her lips moving quickly in a constant prayer. Her eyes were far away, her focus not on things of this world. Her gentle heart beat with the rhythm of consistently renewed faith, her hands trembling slightly, but her whispers never stuttering. The man was in a fervent discussion with an innkeeper, gesturing pleadingly to his wife, who was now breathing quite laboriously, and her lips stilled for but a moment as she looked up, the godly light from her eyes spanning the dusty air to pierce the innkeeper’s heart.

A cow bawled and stamped its hooves against the worn stone stable floor, its cry of surprise lost in the woman’s cry of pain. Her husband was carrying her now, and she clung to him, her hand clenching and unclenching the fabric of his robe, her whispered prayer interjected with sharp intakes of breath. The man laid her down gently in a pile of straw, the hands that had diligently built a strong house for his family now hurriedly building a makeshift home in the hay. The beasts were restless, their eyes shifting in discomfort at the noise, at the newness. Their hooves stirred the hay.

The night sky hung in anticipation; the stars burned, keen and expectant; the sun on the other side of the world radiated the glad tidings to the mortals below. A pure infant cry broke through the claustral air, and the animals ceased their agitated shuffling. The cow turned its wide black eye to gaze at the man and the baby held gingerly in his arms, its hooves still, its breathing steady. The woman looked on in fatigued elation, wonder lighting her face as she took the child and wrapped him gently in cloth. The man reached behind him with labor-worn hands and grabbed a simple manger, setting it next to the gentle new mother. She kissed the top of her son’s head and laid the now quiet child to rest in the makeshift bed.

The selfless sentinels stood on the hilltop, quietly taking account of each in their flock. The night stretched long, and the shepherds leaned into their staffs, the lulling air conjuring memories of lullabies and coaxing sweet soft bleats from the pure lambs as they nestled in next to their mothers. Light flooded the fields, and the men looked up as the night sky ruptured, heaven itself pouring onto the worn wooden staffs, the guardians’ alarmed faces, the radiant lambs’ wool. Joy shone through the dust, illuminated in the face of the messenger, streaming from the eyes of the humble.

The animals slept, swaying slightly on their feet. Nestled softly against his mother’s breast, the child did not make a sound, but gazed up with wide, wise eyes. The man brushed straw and dust from a blanket and tenderly draped it around his wife’s shoulders. She looked up gratefully, weary eyelids drooping, warm heart overflowing. The hushed dust stirred, creeping into the stable and swirling the straw, announcing the arrival of a few men, time-worn staffs held tightly in their gentle hands. They drew close, now standing just outside the stable door, their eyes bright with something that looked like starlight. Alert now, the woman subconsciously clutched her child closer, but a whisper of love reached her heart, and she looked up at her husband, who was gazing not at the visitors, but at the pure infant. He nodded, and the woman smiled, first at him, then at her son. She then looked up at the shepherds, still standing reserved just outside the door, and beckoned to them.

“Come and see,” she said, more breath than words, “He is for all mankind.”

I Give You Weaknesses

I love having this blog, and I am grateful for any influence for good it makes on others. I know any influence I owe to God alone and not to myself, for He is the one who has given me everything I have. He has given me talents and experiences and strengths with which to bless others, and I am so so grateful that I am able to be a tool in His hands in even some small and simple way. But God doesn't only use our strengths to bless others.

I think God uses our weaknesses to bless others, sometimes even more than our strengths.

How often have you heard something that someone is struggling with and felt a relief or comfort because it is something that you're going through too? How often have you found out that someone who seems to always have it together is human and makes mistakes? Does this diminish how highly you think of that person? I sure hope not. I hope it makes you appreciate that we all are here to grow, that we are all on the slow trek to perfection together, that not one of us is above the other.

Everyone has weaknesses. Learn from them. 

Strengthen each other through them. 

Love each other in spite of, or better yet, because of, them.

Ether 12:27 in the Book of Mormon says "And if men come unto me I will show them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

You are supposed to have weaknesses. Be grateful for them.

Anytime God has made me aware of my weaknesses, I have never felt worthless or inadequate. God allows you to acknowledge your weaknesses as places that can be made strong through the grace of God and through a little work and faith on your part. However, anytime the world has made me aware of my weaknesses, I have felt worthless and inadequate. Satan would have you believe that your weaknesses are permanent imperfections that prevent you from being who you need to be.

This is a complete lie.

Weaknesses are not incapacitating. They are not patches of quicksand preventing you from reaching your divine potential. They are not mistakes.

Weaknesses are key elements in God's plan for you. They are there as part of a path to perfection. They are there to lead you to Christ.

Allow Christ into your life. He has already paid the price for every mistake, every shortcoming, every weakness. All you have to do is repent and accept his Atonement and his grace.

Give yourself to God, and He will make you strong.

I can be impatient. Sometimes I throw a pity party (complete with lots of ice cream) instead of doing something about my problems. I can lash out at those I love. Sometimes I hide all of my emotions and don't ask for help when I need it. I can hold onto things God has told me to let go. Sometimes I eat frosting out of the can with a spoon (but we all do that, right?...right?).

My point is, we all have weaknesses or things we need to work on. I am grateful for every single one of mine, for every crack in my armor is a place God can let His light in.

God's Timing

Okay, so this is something I really struggle with, especially in one certain area. I've always been a hopeless romantic, a devoted watcher of rom-coms, a reader and writer of cute scenes where something happens between two characters and you know they are meant to be. As a result, I am somewhat impatient with relationships, or rather with my lack thereof. 

There will be moments when I get really frustrated, and I ask God what my problem is, why no guys ever seem to like me or want to go on a date with me, especially since my journey over the years has led me to see myself as a daughter of God. If I am so precious in His sight, if He can see all my good qualities, and if I am starting to see them by relying on Him, why does it seem that no one else can? I get lost in the idea of getting swept off of my feet, and I become rather disappointed with reality. Despite the frustration, I know one thing for certain:

God knows a heck of a lot more than I do.

As hard as it is to accept sometimes, I know that if nothing is happening with a guy, then nothing is meant to happen with a guy. I'm going on an eighteen month mission relatively soon, so I'm not really looking for anything serious right now, but beyond the practical reasoning, there's something greater that brings me peace when I feel like nothing is happening the way I want it to, and that is my (I'll admit, slowly accumulated) confidence in God's timing.

God knows what is best for you, and if you let Him, He will make that happen.

I've been a witness to this very thing before. I wanted to sign up for a humanitarian trip to Belize through HEFY, and when I got on mere hours after sign-ups opened, there was only one spot left. I rushed to fill out the application, but as I clicked submit, I was told that the spot had been filled. Devastated, I hurriedly e-mailed and asked to be put on a waiting list, but I knew that the chances of getting into the session in June that I'd wanted, or even into the country I'd wanted, were slim. I was upset that my attempts to be involved in a worthy cause had been frustrated, and I was confused because I'd felt led by the Spirit to this particular humanitarian trip and I felt that it was right. 

But God knew what He was doing, even if I didn't.

A few weeks later, a spot opened up in for the July session of Belize. Although the timing wasn't ideal (haha I actually thought I knew when timing was/was not ideal haha), it was the country I'd felt impressed to go to, so I accepted. Fast forward a few months. My family was going to Utah to visit family, and I was flying to Belize straight from there. We arrived and had a lovely day filled with family. The next morning the unthinkable happened. My sweet Grandpa was hit by a car while riding his bike, and passed away. It was a severe blow to my family, and it was so hard to see my Grandma, Mom, and other family in that much pain. Still is. But through the grief, we counted our blessings and thanked God. My family, who lives over 1,000 miles away, had been there for a full day of celebration and love with him before he passed, even though there was a time when we weren't sure we could make the trip. Even more humbling, I fell to my knees in gratitude when I realized that if I had gotten into the session for HEFY that I had originally wanted, I would have not been there. I would have gotten a call (through our leader's phone, since mine wouldn't work there) telling me my Grandpa had died, and I would have no family around me to mourn with.

If the timing had been up to me and not God, I would have never gotten that last hug, that last smile, that last "I love you."

Even with faith, it's still hard sometimes.

I don't always agree with God's timing or see why it's better right away. There are still some things I don't understand. 

I don't understand why my Grandpa was taken so early and abruptly. I don't understand why something I had great hope for last year crashed and burned, hurting me instead of giving me strength and experience. I don't understand why some things don't work out. 

But I have faith that God knows best, and that one day,

even if that day is months or years away,

the pieces will fall into place.

Have confidence in God' timing, and have patience as you wait for that "someday". Believe in a perfect plan. Remember that God knows more than you do, and be grateful every day for those things in life that seem like setbacks, but could in reality be a launching point toward a much brighter future that you haven't even dreamed of yet.

If you need me, I'll be patiently waiting.

Okay, semi-patiently waiting and praying for more patience.

Still working on it.

Falling In Love

When you love someone, you begin to notice the little things that make them beautiful. Their little habits or quirks, the certain look they get in their eye or the way they do something that is entirely and beautifully their own.

Have you noticed that those you love become beautiful? 

And that beautiful is an entirely different beautiful than is portrayed in the magazines or on TV. Falling in love means falling for all the little things that make that person who they are.

I challenge you to fall in love with yourself.

You heard me. I want you to fall in love with the way little lines appear by the sides of your eyes when you smile at everyone you see. Fall in love with the little bits of paint you find in your hair from when you were losing yourself in your art. Fall in love with the way you throw your head back all the way when you laugh at your little brother's knock knock jokes. Fall in love with the way your face flushes when you get excited during a presentation on study abroad programs. Fall in love with the way you tap dance in your sneakers to the beat of the music playing in the grocery store. Fall in love with how gently you handle your new niece as you dream of one day having your own children. Fall in love with how you curl up in an oversize sweater and messy bun to read in a corner by the window on a rainy day. 

Fall in love with those things others fall in love with about you. Fall in love with what makes you you.

Jeffery R. Holland, an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said in a General Conference talk, "A woman...once wrote...that in her years of working with beautiful women she had seen several things they all had in common, and not one of them had anything to do with sizes and shapes. She said the loveliest women she had known had a glow of health, a warm personality, a love of learning, stability of character, and integrity. If we may add the sweet and gentle Spirit of the Lord carried by such a woman, then this describes the loveliness of women in any age or time."

You are lovely. You are worth loving. You are loved.

A being of infinite power and wisdom knows your name and knows everything you are now and can be someday through the help of His son, Jesus Christ and his infinite Atonement. He loves you more than you can ever comprehend and He wants you to feel love for yourself too. I know from firsthand experience that if you pray to God asking to feel of His love, you will be encompassed with a feeling stronger and more pure than you've ever felt - The Holy Spirit witnessing to you that the God of all heaven and earth knows you individually and loves every. single. detail.

Fall in love with yourself, and learn to see yourself the way you truly are: capable, wonderful, beautiful, loved.

Marys and Marthas

I'm going to go straight up biblical today. I have the amazing opportunity of being in a New Testament class at school. That's right. twice a week I get to go to class at school and get closer to my Savior. Man, I love it here.

Anyways, this past week we discussed the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:

 38 ¶Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

It seems like a simple story, but in class we dove further. At first glance, this story seems to paint Martha as the "bad guy" for not doing what her sister is doing. It may seem upon first inspection that Martha should have been sitting and listening to Jesus instead of being busy serving and preparing. But if we look closer at what Christ did, or rather what he didn't do, we see that he never once while Martha was working called her over or stopped her. That's because

Martha wasn't doing anything wrong. And neither was Mary.

Both Mary and Martha were engaged in good activities, as their individual personalities dictated. Martha served by preparing, possibly a meal for the Savior, who had just had a long journey. Mary served by sitting and heeding Christ's word. This is not where Martha erred. Jesus only rebuked Martha after she accused her sister of being in the wrong, after she put herself above her sister, after she tried to say that her way of serving was the only right way.

It is not our place to judge others. There are different ways to do what's right and every person serves God differently.

I believe that if Mary had said "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister is not listening like I am? Bid her therefore that she come and sit with me", she would have gotten a similar rebuke. It is not right to try and make someone be the same kind of servant as you. It is not right to judge someone's actions because they aren't the same as yours.

Christ is the only one who can make final judgments, who can discern the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

Maybe you're a Martha. Maybe your friend, sister, mother, enemy, is a Mary.

Let Marthas be Marthas and let Marys be Marys.

Be who you are. Don't let others turn you into someone you're not. Let others be who they are. Don't try to turn them into someone they're not.

Let me be clear: I am not condoning wrong actions. I am opposing the judgment of others because of their actions, be they right, wrong, or simply different.

Only Christ can judge others. You have no right to determine the righteousness of another. And no one has the right to determine the righteousness of you. Be us Marys or be us Marthas, God loves us and wants us to be the best we can, loving and helping His other children along the way.

Be confident in who you are and allow others to do the same. For that is "the part which shall not be taken away".

C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T That's me, I'm confident

It's definitely been a while, but I've been busy putting this together! I wanted to showcase girls and women to show the wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, talents, hobbies, and ways to be confident. 

Be confident in who you are. Be confident in what you do. Be confident in your...

Color - All races and backgrounds have the right to be confident. All skin colors, all facial structures, all kinds of people are beautiful.
Occupation - Confidence is not based on how high you are on the ladder, it's based on who you are. Don't confuse what makes you you with what you do.
Name - Not only your name that people call you, but where it comes from. Regardless of your family's background, you can be confident in who you are.
Fears - We all have them, so don't be ashamed of yours.Your fears cannot hold you back from confidence unless you let them.
Iniquities - We are all sinners. God loves you in spite of your mistakes, and you should love yourself in spite of them, too. On that note, don't judge others because they sin differently than you.
Dress size - God doesn't make mistakes. Be confident that you are made just how He intended. All shapes and sizes are BEAUTIFUL.
Economic standing - You don't have to buy confidence, you just have to believe that you deserve it. Rich and poor alike deserve confidence.
Number of Relationships - It can be hard when some girls have boys flocking to them and some seem to have none, but you are not defined by the number of boyfriends you've had, high or low.
Talents - We all have talents God has given us to develop. Be confident in yours. We all have a different purpose on this earth, and we have different talents to help us in that purpose.

I hope you can find new ways to be confident and can enjoy jamming out to this video :) You are all so loved. Never forget that.

Let Nothing Shake

There's been a lot of stuff so far that's encouraging and "you can do it", and that's on purpose because you deserve to be encouraged and you can do it.

But what about when you can't?

Yes, I just said you can do it.  But you might not be able to do it right now. Yes, life has great purpose and yes, there are countless beautiful and wonderful parts of it.

But sometimes life just sucks.
Sometimes it's just hard.

And sometimes you don't feel like listening to how perfect and beautiful the world is. Sometimes you just want to be upset and hurt and lost because not enough feels worth being happy about. Sometimes you're not going to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. And sometimes you're not going to feel okay. And that's okay.

It's okay to not be okay.

 It's okay to break down, to get frustrated, to wonder why me? It's okay to not understand the trial God is having you go through and it's okay to not be successful right now. It's okay to cry and feel sad. It's okay to feel angry and it's okay to not be okay.

You have permission to be upset and hurt and lost and broken.

One of the whole purposes of us coming here to this Earth was to be tested. To be put through the tempests and the whirlwinds and the raging floodwaters that threaten to sweep us away. And those trials will come. You aren't immune to them, no matter how happy, faithful, or strong you are. You will go through things that are just plain hard. 

Just remember that you're not alone.

There are others around you going through similar situations or who have been through it before and know how to help you. There are others around you who have no idea what you are going through but love you enough that that doesn't matter, and they would be a great source of comfort and strength if you let them in. 

It's okay to need help.

People all around you would love to help you.

There is a loving older brother, Jesus Christ, who knows exactly what you are going through because he experienced it in Gethsemane. There is a God in Heaven who loves you and knows not only what you are going through, but why you are going through it and the joyful end waiting for you.

You will never go through anything that you cannot overcome.

God has promised that He "will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) Apply this not only to temptation, but to all trials. You can remain strong in your faith through anything, "for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7)

Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake

You are strong enough to get through this. It's okay that you're not okay right now. But one day, you will be. Let others in to help. Let Christ in to help. Open up your heart to God and 

know that your faith and confidence cannot be taken away without your assent.

Don't doubt God's ability to get you through this. Don't doubt your ability to get yourself through this. Keep the faith and keep your confidence, and I promise that one day "when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone/Sorrow forgot, love's purest joy restored", you will look back on this experience, when you felt so lost and hurt and weak,

and you will feel strong.

Mirror Mirror, On the Wall

I'm going to share an experience I had this week. I was in my Jazz class: sweaty, no makeup, ponytail, t-shirt, cropped leggings, and there was a moment when I looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. I remember I paused, smiling halfway in pleasant surprise. I looked at my body shape, at my flushed face, and I thought I looked pretty good. A thought crept into my mind:

Why didn't I think this in the mirror this morning?

I thought harder, and I realized something even more scary:

Why don't I hardly ever think this in my mirror in the morning?

I'm going to show y'all a picture. The first time I saw this picture, it struck me down to my core.

Now, I will be clear: I do not have an eating disorder, which is what this photo is helping to illustrate. But I think all of us do have a warped perspective when we look in the mirror. Let me make another thing clear:

Both girls portrayed in this photo are beautiful.

Why is it that we choose to see something different when we look in the mirror in the mornings? Why do we analyze with a worldly gaze? What would our days be like if instead of sucking in or trying to fill out to meet the standards shown by the media, we look at those arms that can spike a volleyball, or that flushed face that means you worked hard in practice today, or those bright eyes that see the good in others? Why do we notice pimples instead of purpose? Why do we see shape and size instead of strength and character?

Why do we choose to call the reflection inadequate?

The mirror is not your enemy here. There is no little devil controlling the light rays bouncing off the glass so that you see something imperfect and ugly. The only thing keeping you from seeing a beautiful, confident person looking back at you is yourself.

You are the one who can change what you see.

Choose today to like what you see in the mirror. Notice your beauty and choose to see your abilities, your talents, your God-given attributes, your heavenly destiny. You are a child of a King. Your reflection shows your poise, your strength, your individuality, and yes, your body, which is a gift from God, created by a perfect being, and therefore perfect just the way God created it.

All you have to do is look for it.

Be Ye Therefore (Im)perfect

Take a look around you. Odds are pretty high that there is someone in your vicinity who is better than you at something, or somethings for that matter.There is a girl who reads her scriptures more often than you do. There is a man who has developed his talents better, or who has more visible talents than you have. You may look at these different people around you and feel inadequate. You may turn to the scriptures for comfort, only to read about the sinless life of Christ and the commandment to follow him. And you may come across Matthew 5:48 - 

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which art in heaven is perfect.

Perfect seems to be a pretty high standard, and you may falter in the face of such an overwhelming demand from God, but let me assure you,

Our God is a loving God and would never give you a standard you could not meet.

I turn now to Elder Russel M. Nelson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in my faith, who gave us deeper insight into what Christ meant when he told us to be perfect: "In Matthew 5:48, the term perfect was translated from the Greek teleios, which means 'complete.'...Please note that the word does not imply 'freedom from error'; it implies 'achieving a distant objective'."

God, therefore, is not demanding a faultless life. 

God is asking us to be the best we can be, to live our lives in a way that allows us to accomplish everything we have the ability to accomplish. And He will fill in when we can't do anymore for ourselves.

Tonight I urge you to ask yourself, and ask your Father in Heaven, what you can achieve, and for what purpose God put you on this earth. What work has Heavenly Father prepared for you to do? What does He hope for you; what wonderful things does He have planned in your future to help shape you into that "complete" person He would have you be? What are the goals He has in mind for you?

I guarantee that it's not to be the prettiest girl at homecoming.

It is so much more than that.

So stop comparing yourself to those around you. Take confidence in the fact that God has a distinct finished product in mind for you, and it is unique from everyone else's. Don't look at the window God is making one person into, all gleaming smooth glass, ready to let in light, and get discouraged when you see the blackened metal He is creating you out of. You may not see it now, but He is making you into a torch, ready to radiate light to all corners of the world. And if you let Him, He will make you the most perfect torch that has ever burned.

Be ye therefore confident, for God shall make you complete.

Of a Good Courage

I am now a college student. I am a Brigham Young University Cougar. I've been through several emotions whenever contemplating this in the last several weeks, but now it's real and you know what? It feels great. Yes, there are still lots of things I have at least some worry about (especially getting lost on campus....if you recall, I am directionally challenged), but I have so many great opportunities ahead of me and have already gotten to have great opportunities from the leadership conference I went to for incoming freshman and my first day of Orientation. It's a wonderful whirlwind, and I'm proud to say that I've really put myself out there when facing this new campus, new home, and the THOUSANDS of people who make up my freshman class. You want to know how I accomplished this confidence in the face of newness and change? Courage.

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

One trick to being confident is finding your courage. It takes courage to initiate a conversation. It takes courage to put your true self out there. It takes courage to try new things. It takes courage to take charge of your life. Find courage, and you can claim your confidence. And you don't have to be Hercules. You don't have to face monsters everyday without so much as a flinch. Sometimes all you need is that small dose of courage to take on the little things. Sometimes that courage that comes with a deep breath is enough to give your confidence the boost it needs.

I love this quote (and this movie) because it is so true. Sometimes you just have to push past the twist in your gut and the thumping of your heart and just gather up all the courage in your body for one burst. Sometimes you just have to take the leap. And sometimes, your leap will fall short. Sometimes it won't all work out. Sometimes your embarrassing bravery will end with an embarrassing outcome. Sometimes courageous actions aren't met with success

And that's okay.

It's okay to fail. In fact, it is great to fail, because how else do you learn? How can you ever be truly confident in yourself unless you learn to be courageous and confident regardless of the outcome? Anyone can be confident when things are going just their way. It takes a truly confident person to face problems, fears, and doubts with courage, knowing that it might not work out, but that even if it doesn't, you tried. You did it. You talked to that cute boy, even if he didn't show any interest. You raised your hand to answer the question, even if you got the answer wrong. You set off alone to find your orientation group's meeting spot, even if you made a wrong turn and ended up walking farther than you had too and arrived a few minutes late.

You do not have to do everything right to have confidence.

You just have to have the courage to do it.

So put yourself out there. Find your courage and just try. Take the leap into the unknown, leave that starting line behind you, abandon your comfort zone. I promise you, something good will come of it. Be strong. Be courageous. Be confident.

You Deserve Confidence

Confidence. I don't know about you, but I used to hear that word and think of some gorgeous girl in red lipstick strutting down the street in massive heels. I used to think you had to be successful, beautiful, and/or naturally gifted to have confidence. But let me share with you something I've learned only after years of stumbling down a difficult road:

Confidence is NOT something you earn.

Confidence is something you learn.

Yes, supermodels can be confident. But so can bookworms. TV stars can be confident, but so can mathematicians. There is no test you need to pass, no standard you need to meet to be allowed to be confident in yourself. Everyone in this world has their own gifts, their own strengths, their own characteristics and accomplishments and quirks they can find confidence in. You just need to learn to be confident in those that you have.

You have the right to love yourself just the way you are.

It's great to see those in life who seem successful and use them as inspiration. It is not okay to think that you are worth any less than them or that you can't achieve what they have or that what you have achieved so far is any less important than what they have accomplished. You are your own unique, beautiful, wonderful person and there is so much about you to love. I promise there is at least someone out there who looks up to you and someone out there who thinks you are worth loving. Learn to see that in yourself.

You have the right to be confident in yourself regardless of what you have or have not done.

 Learn to celebrate every victory. I'll tell you a personal experience as an example. It is mildly embarrassing (as most of my best experiences are), but I think worth sharing. I have always had a tough time with directions. And by tough time, I mean I could get lost in a Wal-mart with a map in hand. Because of this, I have to use my phone's GPS to get ANYWHERE. Including places I've been my whole life. Just the other day I met a friend for lunch (sidenote: do this and do this often. Nothing beats just talking and catching up), and afterwards I went to pick up our dog from the lovely family who watched him while we were gone. I was able to get to BOTH places without my phone, and while for everyone else this is a simple task, to me it was a victory, and I was proud of myself for it.

Never let anyone else tell you what is and is not important, noteworthy, or significant.

You are in charge of your life. You know yourself better than anyone else, with the one all-knowing exception, and if you want to throw yourself a party because you didn't yell at your teacher today, do it! You know what is a big deal to you, so have confidence in your successes, no matter how big or small. God knows you, too, and I promise He celebrates your every victory, even the minuscule and mundane. He believes in you and loves you just the way you are and knows that you have the potential to do more than you can even dream of. He is there rooting for you, always.

It is NOT you against the world.

Trust me, I've been there. I've felt completely alone, but every time I've been reminded of God and His infinite love and wisdom. He understands, even when you feel like no one else does. That being said, you'd be surprised how many people are in your same boat. NEVER assume that someone's life is perfect or that they never have a self-deprecating thought just because they seem confident or successful. Just like no one but you and God truly knows everything about you, you can't know everything going on in someone else's life. Everyone has problems and everyone struggles with self-confidence at least sometimes.

Bottom line: You Deserve Confidence

So go out there and find it.