Blessings

Ahhh, Christmas break. So much love. Honestly though, I am partly glad this semester is over, and partly sad too. This semester was rough for me guys. I'm seeing that this is a very common topic on my blog, but change definitely took a whole semester to get used to. Actually, scratch that, I'm still getting used it. My family started a store in August, and since then my life has been flipped upside down. (well, okay, that is not the only change, but it is a big one.) So much is different now, and let me tell you, my room has never stayed this messy for this long of a time. I'm sitting here on my bed writing this, drinking lukewarm tea, battery almost dead, and clothes all over the floor, not to mention my math books, guitar, and more clothes strewn across my bed. If you know me, this is not what my room looks like most of the time. I'm usually a neat freak. But I'm learning to be okay with it.

I went on a spontaneous coffee date with a sweet friend of mine a few days ago. Oh, it was so good for my soul. I was telling her about how it's been hard for me to adjust to new friends, a new school, and a new youth group. About how sometimes I just feel so lonely. Yes, I have friends, but they're all over the place, and it's hard to be able to see them other than school or church. I feel like I can't build relationships like I would like to. Loneliness had just really started to make itself at home in my heart. She looked right at me and told me how proud she was of me. How proud God was of me. That Jesus was in heaven looking down on me and saying, "That's my girl." Tears started to stream down my face. How could he be proud of me? What on earth had I done that Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world, would be proud of? She told me how much he delights in me, that he loves to love on me, that he's always giving little blessings, and big ones too.

And then something awesome happened.

My friend and I were sitting by the window at the coffee shop, looking out on Main Street. A lady had pulled up to bring a cake in for some special event. I guess she had seen me crying, so she motioned for me to come out. She then pulled out a box of cupcakes and gave them to us. "We have extra," she said. My friend looked at me and said, "And there's a little blessing right there. He loves you Ellie." How incredible that the God of the universe took the time of day to send me that little blessing. It blows my mind.

So now, I'm challenging myself to look for ways God is showing his love. I know he does, but sometimes I just focus so much on the negative circumstances that I miss the blessings. I read somewhere that we tend to blow the negative parts of life, however small, way out of proportion, pushing the positive parts away. What if we looked for the blessings in a conversation instead of mentally kicking ourselves for something stupid we said? What if we challenged ourselves to look for the good in a situation instead of automatically picking out the bad? What if? Blessings are everywhere. Let's pray for the grace to see them. Love to you all. <3