Okay, so yes, it's been a looong time since I last typed within the most illustrious blogger, but I have good, solid excuses. First, my brother and I got baptized last weekend, and so I quite legitimately forgot about blogging. ;) Second, I have some exciting news (read on...). Third, I've been doing stuff
offline.
Source
I love this quote. I feel like this is what God's telling me right now. I've just been havin' a tough time with school. I must admit – I just don't like it! Well, that is, except chemistry. I decided today to just embrace the fact that yes, I do like it. Okay, okay... here goes. I... love... chemistry. Okay, there... I got it out. I admitted it. The math-loathing, science-detesting Ella just admitted that she liked – no, loved chemistry. Phew!
But I just get real tired of doing school every. single. day. Besides that, I do it for most of the day. So I've had a hard time being content being a student with school to do. Yeah, I know that every other kid in America has to do it too; it's just a pain. God's been showing me that I need to be content with where I am and with what I do. I think this quote says it so well. It doesn't just say
grow where you're planted, it says
bloom. In other words, I can't just survive, I should
flourish. I read that the teenager years are sometimes just viewed as a time to scrape by, to just survive. That's so wrong, especially when one is a child of God.
In I Timothy 4:12, Paul instructs young Christians: "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Those don't sound like instructions to just survive teen years, do they? Absolutely not! That's a direct command for something much higher. We are to encourage the believers, to be exemplary when it comes to word, conversation, charity (or love), spirit, faith, and purity. That sounds like a command to flourish right there! As young Christians, we are called to a life so much higher than that which the world presses upon us. When I read Paul's charge to young Christians, I feel emboldened, eager, and like God's counting on me! When I look around at the teens in our society, however, I don't see this very much. And so, that leads to my next proposition...
I feel like God's set teens apart in this day in age for exactly what Paul commissioned. We're to be examples in a dark world! What higher calling? To change the world for God. How's that for blooming? I also don't think most teens know that. God recently put this on my heart. I was reading a book the other day, and it kind of just whacked me all of the sudden. I could start a blog aimed at young women that would charge them with turning the world upside down for God. Basically, it's going to be all "musings" posts. There's a huge deficit of truth for young women who aren't necessarily Christian, and I feel like I help out through a blog. I looove to write, and I feel like God's telling me to do this.
Now, I certainly don't know very much, and I really don't think I'm entitled to writing a blog encouraging young women to be godly; I have so much to work on. However, I think that I will also grow from this, and I think God will give me His Spirit that He will give me the words to say (type) and that He will be glorified from this endeavor. That's my prayer – I am excited to see what God will do with this!
This new blog – Abigail Aspirations – will have posts about all the things that assault girls today. This includes topics such as: guys, appearance, attitude, worth, character traits, relationships, etc. Most of the time, the posts will result from reading a book, finding things in Scripture, devotionals, and other things that strike me when I do my devotionals, read things, etc. I don't know where it'll go, if I'll even have any readers, :) but I feel led to do this, and I pray that God will bless it.
I just started the blog last week, so I have 1 post so far, but you can find it
here and follow along. Thanks for reading this long thing! xo, Ella
