birthday – 1 Timothy 4:12 Girl

21 Lessons For 21 Years

April 14, 2019April 14, 2019 Courtney2 Comments

Hey guys,

So, in case you didn’t already figure it out by the title, today is my 21st birthday!

It is hard to believe that another year has already come and gone, and if I’m perfectly honest, twenty has been so full of blessings, lessons, and new experiences that it feels like three years packed in one. I know twenty-one will be just as great, and as an annual birthday-tradition on 1 Timothy 4:12 Girl, I have created a list of lessons that I have learned in my twenty-one years on the planet. Hope you guys like it!

Keep growing in your faith – No matter how long you’ve been a Christian, there is always something new that God can reveal to you through His Word and the people around you. There are always new ways that we can grow, and learn, and become more like Christ. So stay in the Word, make prayer your lifeline, and stay in tune with the Holy Spirit. The Christian walk is a journey. Own it.
Find a community – Stay plugged into a community of fellow Jesus-followers who are passionate about God and life. Join a small group at your church, and find like-minded friends. Start a Bible study and encourage each other in Christ. The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone and there is so much we can learn from godly friendships. Make these friendships a priority.
Stay close to your family – They have seen you through your best and your worst times. No matter how old you are, never neglect your time with them. Meet your mom for coffee and ask your dad how his day was. Stay in touch with siblings if you have them. Call your grandparents and see how they’re doing, or hang out with them in person regularly if they live nearby. Your family members will always be your biggest cheerleaders and your greatest fans.
Wait for the best – There are still guys who care about God and purity. Who are seeking God’s best for their lives and who will love and respect you in equal measures. Who will challenge you in your faith and challenge you to be the best version of yourself. Wait for a guy like this, and don’t ever settle.
Believe for the best – Even when you can’t see it, believe that better things are right around the corner. Sometimes we have to go through the bad to appreciate the good—but these are only seasons. Never loose faith in people and never loose faith that there are things ahead better than anything you could’ve ever dreamed.
Become the best version of you – Become that person that you always wanted to be. Find your confidence in Christ. Dive deeper in your faith. Make a positive impact in the world around you. Take up that new hobby and chase after that dream. You never know where it could take you.
Expect the unexpected – So much in my life looks different than it was three years ago – but in the best way possible. Sometimes change can be good. As scary, and crazy, and gripping as it can be, sometimes change can be the best thing in the world for you. Trust God. He knows what He’s doing.
Appreciate the little things – Appreciate the beauty of the sun when it’s first starting to rise. Appreciate the sound of birds outside your bedroom window. Appreciate the small, meaningless moments that will turn out to actually be some of the most meaningful and memorable ones. Appreciate your family, your friends and all of the blessings that God has given you.
Let people in – Let the people who have proven themselves to be trustworthy and goodhearted people in. Allow yourself to be vulnerable with these people, and share your struggles and your joys with these people. Lean on them and be the kind of person that they can lean on too. I promise you won’t regret it.
Lead by example – Strive to be the kind of person that your younger siblings, cousins, or next door neighbor could look up to, and look to as an example. Stand in your convictions. Love people genuinely. Live a life of faith, love, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12). Because I can promise you, someone is watching you.
Trust God – There are so many details of our lives that we still don’t know. What (specific) job we’re going to have. Who we’re going to marry. What our lives will look like ten years from now. It can be so easy to make ourselves crazy over these things, but we don’t have to. We serve a God who knows all of these details and more. Trust Him, and don’t rely on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Live in the moment – Plan for the things in the future that you can plan for, but don’t neglect the present. Don’t neglect the life you are in right now and the ins and outs of this season of your life. Live fully in the moment and appreciate the blessings that God has given you right now. Never be so future oriented that you neglect to be fully alive right now.
Choose to be brave – Oftentimes it can be so easy to let fear hold us back, but through Christ, we can face our fears and live courageously. We can share our faith with that person that doesn’t know God. We can lead a Bible study, or a small group. We can do all of these things and more, through Christ, who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Choose bravery – even when you feel afraid.
It‘s OK to not be OK – My youth pastor once said, “It’s okay to not be okay but it’s not okay to stay there.” Sometimes, in this life, you’ll have trials – but when this happens, take the steps towards overcoming them. Go to God in prayer and ask others to pray for you. Talk to a friend, parent, or youth leader. Find some encouraging verses of Scripture, and some good worship songs. These seasons are hard, but they are only seasons. As I said in point #5, things will get better.
Stay creative – No matter how busy we get, it is so important to give our soul room to breathe. Find a creative hobby that allows you to express yourself and blow off some steam. Take up drawing, or photography. Start a scrapbook. Learn an instrument. Start a blog (hey, it worked for me!). There are so many different outlets of creativity. Find the one (or multiple ones) that you enjoy the most.
Allow yourself time to rest – We live in a society that operates in constant go-mode. That constantly pushes for ‘harder, faster, and more’. However, we can be busy without being productive. Give yourself time to recharge. Read a good book, or call up a friend. Watch A Walk To Remember for the hundredth time. Put on some good music. We all need time to recharge sometimes.
Embrace your quirks – There was I time in my life when I felt like my personality was totally oddball. During my teenage years there were a lot of things about me that made me feel a little less than normal—like my love of tea, cats, and apathy towards heavy metal. I didn’t fit the paradigm of what I thought a ‘normal’ teenager was. However, these ‘quirks’ are all part of the way that God has created me, and with time I have learned to embrace them. So embrace you. Because you’re fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image!
Stay true to your convictions – Being a Christian in college (or high school, for that matter) can make you feel a little out of place sometimes. But stay true to your convictions. Dare to be that gal (or guy) who is committed to absolute purity until marriage. That person who won’t experiment with drugs or alcohol. That person who believes there is something bigger out there than the here and now. I have been (and still am) that person and I have absolutely no regrets. Dare to be different. Dare to be original.
Strive to see the best in people – Strive to see the best in that professor who gives you twenty pounds of homework each week. Strive to see the best in that boss that mixes up your schedule for the billionth time. Strive to see your best in that classmate who who you can’t seem to find a shred of kindness in. These people, like you and I, are still created in the image of God. Choose to see them that way.
‘Adulting’ isn’t what you think – You don’t become an adult when you get your license, get your first job, or graduate high school. You become an adult through the small, seemingly insignificant decisions that you make every day. Through taking ownership of your life and the person that you want to be. When you dare to live a life you can be proud of. This is what ‘adulting‘ truly is.
Never stop savoring that awesome piece of cake on your birthday – Because hey, you made it to another year! And that is totally worth celebrating!

How about you? What are some life lessons that you’ve learned over the years? Feel free to share them in the comments section below! I’d love to hear them!

Twenty Lessons for Twenty Years

April 14, 2018April 14, 2018 Courtney8 Comments

So…today is the big day. My twentieth birthday.

And if I’m totally honest, I feel no different than I did yesterday.

Nonetheless, in the tradition of posting a blog-per-birthday, I decided to write about twenty things that I’ve learned over the last twenty years.

And I hope you enjoy reading them!

Trust God – I know that I used this one last year, but it is still so relevant! Every year life changes, and we are faced with new challenges, trials, and oppositions. Nonetheless, in the midst of this God is always constant. He was, and is and is to come (Revelations 1:8) and He never changes or acts inconsistently. Through all of life’s trials, we can always turn to Him for guidance and direction.
Hold onto your true friends – As we go throughout life, it’s likely that we’re going to meet tons of people. Some are going to enter our lives and some are going to exit. Nonetheless, through all of this it is so important that we keep our true friends close! Friends are hard to come by, and when you come across the ones that will stand by you no matter what, don’t let them go! They’re one of life’s rare gems.
Stay true to yourself – God has crafted each one of us into something unique and special. We were all created with innate worth and potential. And, in a world where everyone is trying so hard to fit in, it is so much better to stand out – making the choice everyday to be true yourself and live your life with confidence in Christ!
Stay close to family – The older you get, the more you realize how important your family really is – and how short of a time that you have with them. Make the most of the time that you have with your parents, grandparents, and relatives. More than likely, they have a lot of wisdom that they’ve obtained over the course of their lives – and they’ll always be your biggest cheerleaders!
Appreciate the small moments – Because one day, those small moments will be big moments.
Chase your dreams – In the words of a song by 33 Miles, “You only get just one time around, you only get one shot at this…one try, one ride, one life.” Don’t be afraid to make this life everything that you want to to be – and go after your goals with the confidence that you can achieve them.
Working hard pays off – Sometimes, hard work isn’t easy or fun in the moment, but it pays off in the long run. Put your all into every project, every job, and every assignment that comes your way. I promise you won’t regret it!
Make a difference – Every day we are given the chance to make a difference in someone’s life – no matter how small it might seem. Don’t waste the opportunities that God has given you to be a light for Him, and make someone’s day a little brighter.
Hard times never last forever – Each one of is going to face trials and tribulations in this life. It’s part of living in a fallen world. But we’ve all been there, and it will get easier. Don’t forget to reach out to God, family, and friends during these times. Sometimes, we all need to ask for help, and we all need somebody to talk to.
Don’t be ashamed to rest – None of us were made to keep going 24/7. There’s nothing wrong with resting, and taking a break after a day of hard work. We all need rest sometimes, so we’re refreshed to keep going in our daily lives and tasks.
Life is more than the things you post – In the modern world, it can be so tempting to constantly be on the lookout for opportunities to post a picture on Instagram, or a quote on Twitter, but life is so much more than that. Don’t forget to live in the moment, and forget about your social media for a little while.
Age is just a number – Sometimes, once you get into your teens, birthdays can get a little scary. You’re faced with the realization that you’re getting older, and you have a lot of life decisions ahead of you. But sometimes, it’s best not to focus on the number, and just do what you need to do each day, which brings me to my next point…
Take one day at a time – Jesus actually gives this same piece of advice in Matthew 6:34. He says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” If you take one day at a time, life becomes a lot easier to handle.
Find something that you love to do – For me, hobbies have always been a great way to relax and have fun. They help us to de-stress from the responsibilities of the day and give us an outlet to pour our energy into. Personally, my main hobby is writing—but for you, it may be any number of things, from singing, to sewing, to soccer. Find out what it is – I promise you won’t regret it.
Don’t make a SO your whole life – For those of you who don’t know, ‘SO‘ is a trendy term for a ‘significant other‘. And the reason I use this term is because it’s not just a girl problem—guys do this too. Since I’ve gotten to college, I’ve seen more and more people get so consumed in a boyfriend or girlfriend that they forget about everything else around them. There’s nothing wrong with dating, but never get so wrapped up in the person you’re dating that you forget the other important areas of your life.
Stand up for what you believe in – Never be afraid to use your voice and stand up for what you believe in. It can often be scary to share your views, whether they be a belief in God, a political opinion, or a cause that you feel strongly about, but it’s so worth it. Speaking up can make a real difference, and they say that one spark starts a fire. Never be afraid to speak out.
But do this with gentleness and respect – Branching off of the last topic, as important as it is to stand up for your beliefs, it is also important that you do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). It is important that we respect those around us, and present each of our beliefs and views with love.
Don’t be afraid to try new things – I’ll be the first to admit that I hate change. Nonetheless, sometimes change can be good. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things.
Take the time to appreciate beauty – Every day we are surrounded by beauty in this world – whether it be a kind word or a beautiful flower that we see outside. Take the time to appreciate these things, or as the old saying goes, ‘take time to smell the roses‘.
Celebrate life’s accomplishments – You know, like writing a post to celebrate getting older. That sort of thing.😉

There you go! Twenty lessons for twenty years! I hope you enjoyed reading these, and if you have anything that you’d like to add, feel free to write it in the comments section! I’d love to hear your thoughts!😃

Nineteen Lessons For Nineteen Years

April 14, 2017April 14, 2017 Courtney16 Comments

Hey everyone – big news! Today is my nineteenth birthday!

Thus, inspired by my friend Mfon from Dainty M., I’m going to write down nineteen lessons that I’ve learned so far in my nineteen years!

Trust God with your life – This one can seem so easy yet be so hard at times! So often, we want the full picture when God will only show us a small piece of the puzzle. But if we trust Him, the whole thing will all come together beautifully in time.
Believe in yourself – I know this one is SO cliche, but it’s important! God made us just the way we are, with all of our quirks, details, and gifts – with an intent to use us for something amazing! So have some confidence in the beautiful you that He created!
Work hard – nothing in life comes without hard work. From our goals, to our dreams, to making a basic paycheck, a good work ethic is essential to a fulfilling life. So keep on fighting and do your best in everything you do!
Go easy on yourself – This one may seem counterintuitive to the one above, but it’s really not. Sometimes, as hard as we work, we should allow ourselves a chance to rest, and give ourselves a mini “sabbatical”. Even God, Creator of all things took a rest after an intense process of creating the world, so why should we expect to go with no breaks?
Stay young – One of my good friends has always made a point to stay young at heart. She always notes that she still loves “kiddish” stuff and doesn’t want to become stiff and stuffy as an adult. I believe there’s a lot of wisdom here, and a little bit of a kid in all of us. Embrace that kid sometimes, we can’t adult all the time, right?😉
Don’t be afraid to dream – Dreams are something that sustain all of us to some degree. Without dreams, we lack motivation, which can result in pretty depressing existence. Set goals for yourself and trust God to help you fulfill those dreams in his timing. Your dreams might just be a part of His plan.
Appreciate your family and friends – Family and friends are some of God’s greatest gifts to us. They’re the people who help us grow and see us through the good times and the bad times. Never forget to take care of those relationships, and continue to nurture them even through the business of life.
Keep learning – To often we limit learning to just school, but the truth is, learning is (or should be) a part of our daily lives. It’s continuing to grow and being open to new experiences. It’s allowing God to speak to us through our life experiences. Learning is part of what helps us grow as people.
Be your best self – It can be easy to drag through life on some days. We’ve all had moments like that, haven’t we? Days where we just want to stay inside and watch Netflix on repeat. While it’s OK to have these somedays, try to embrace life with vigor and excitement, giving your all in each day. We only get one life—and it’s our job to decide what we do with it.
Think of others – Jesus says to “do unto others as we want them to do to us”, and I believe this is a great motto to live by. Imagine what would happen if everyone looked out for others interests as much or more than their own. The world would be drastically different for the better.
Never believe you can’t make a difference – It can be easy to feel like because we’re only one person, there isn’t much of an impact that we can make, but this is a lie from the enemy. God gave us this life and has equipped us with everything we need to accomplish the purposes He has for us. Plus, even the smallest acts of kindness can make somebody’s day.
Find your passion – Passion is the thing that adds color to life. For me, my passion is writing. I love the sound of the written word and the shape of sentences. I love creating something and I love jotting down words that can help and inspire others. For you, your passion could be music, art, or teaching. Whatever it is, follow it! God has given you your gifts for a reason – steward them to the best of your abilities!
Don’t be afraid – Fear can be crippling, and while there are some situations where it’s called for (AKA, dangerous situations), most of the time it is simply a hinderance. One of the biggest areas of fear can be the future, but God has gone before you. He’ll be with you every step of the way – all you have to do is trust Him.
Enjoy the little things – God has blessed us in so many ways on this earth, but sometimes, when we get too busy, it can be easy not to notice the small gifts we experience everyday. As a wise man once said, “don’t be afraid to stop and smell the roses”.
Try new things – I’m admittedly bad about this one, as I tend to be very into routines and what I’m accustomed to, but oftentimes trying new things—whether it be a hobby or a new food, can often lead to something awesome.
Read (at least a little) – Though I’m probably more of a book worm than some people, I believe that everyone can benefit by writing. Pinpoint something your interested in, or an author you absolutely love and find books accordingly. If nothing else, read the Bible, because I can promise that book will change your life!
Take time to unplug – It can be easy to stay attached to technology in the world we live in, but sometimes it can be good to take a break. Read. Hang out with family. Walk your dog. Enjoy life outside of a screen.
Look up to wise mentors – God has put people in your life for a reason. Look to those who know Him and who seem to have a lot of wisdom for guidance. It’s always helpful to have seasoned Christians around to help guide you through life!
Be a role model – Be the kind of person you’d want your sibling or little cousins to emulate. Try your best, follow God, and be the kind of person others could consider a role model in their lives. Someone’s always watching, even when we aren’t aware of it.

How about you? What lessons Has God taught you over the years? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!