so now that i posted just to post (even though i had nothing to say), i now have something to say...

"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."

John 17:14-19

~ this is where Jesus is praying to God before He is taken away by the soldiers, and it's really cool because while He is talking about the disciples, He is also talking about us today. its just cool to me that all the way back then Jesus was talking to God about me, out loud and here on earth, and was thinking about me while He was praying (well, not just me but you know what i mean.) i guess this is where the "in it not of it" saying comes from, which i've heard the saying before but never knew where in the Bible it said that. it also hit me for another reason because i guess i've always been of the mindset that to grow closer to God i had to distance myself from the world and really not even be a part of it. but then verse 18 specifically says "as you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." and (get this!) He says "my prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." Jesus says himself He doesn't want us to be out of the world, just protected from the devil so we don't become "of the world."

very cool stuff

i feel like i should update, so i am...

~ i got my first pedicure today, so that was exciting

~ i start my field placement next week and i think i'll have pre-k which will be tons of fun!

~ looking forward already to the big chill retreat, although i'm not gonna lie... i'm not sure exactly when it is. sometime in february i think...

~ yup, i think that's it

k, this entry is a part of my devotion from this afternoon and my journal on it. the devotion itself was on feeling pretty, but it was part of the prayer that they have at the end that really caught my attention. i just felt like i needed to share it...

"...God, allow me to see myself through Your eyes.  Help me not to get discouraged by the way the world tries to define what it means to be pretty. God, You see me as a joy to be around. You love my smile and my quirky sense of humor. Jesus, thank You for standing by my side, no matter what- and promising to love me, no matter what! I trust You, I love You, and I want my entire life to be a reflection of You!" (~ written by natalie lloyd, author of the "want more? life" devotion book)

journal:

the last sentence really hit me as i was reading the words above. "...and i want my entire life to be a reflection of You." what especially hit me was that one single word...entire. not just parts of my life, not just when i feel like it. all the time, my entire life. which on my own, as a sinful human being, is impossible. but nothing is impossible with God. something zach (trumble) talked about last night was how the devil tempts people in different ways.  he said the devil doesn't tempt him with drugs or alcohol, because he know that it wont work, but instead he tempts him with busyness, so that there is "not enough time" for God. i feel like the same thing is true for me, only add "fear of people thinking i'm going to judge them" to it. however, i know that spending time with God comes #1, and i can't stop doing what i know i'm supposed to be doing (which is living for God) nor can i start giving in and say or do things that i shouldnt to try and "appeal more" to others. to make my entire life a reflection of Him, i can't conform to the pattern of this world. i need to stay strong in God's word and in prayer and let Him change my heart and shape it to be more and more like His. when i surrender all of me over to Him, He'll take my life and turn it around in ways i can't even comprehend (ephesians 3:20-21), until my entire life is a reflection of Him. and i can't wait!