It's that time of year again.
Five whole years ago today I was hitched.
We were dumb middle schoolers who kept up with it,
dumb high schoolers who kept up with it,
and now I guess we're dumb college kids who still celebrate this day..
Don't know the story? Here's last years post.
I wink at a lot of people and I'm sure he does too.
I know we are both winking, flirty, fools.
However, I promise you we've winked at each other continuously, all the stinkin time, for 5 years.
When we passed each other in the hall way, in class, in mid conversation, during lunch, across the room, emoji winks through texts, and probably even unconsciously when we talked on the phone.
It's our signature thing, it's quick and a smile always follows this tiny gesture.
We've never addressed this topic either, never even asked each other why we do it all the time, it's just understood that it replaces a "No matter where my attention is, who I'm with, what we're talking about.. if you're in the room, I see you, I'm acknowledging it, and you're special."
I LOVE IT.
Because no one catches it and if they do it's over and done before it's acceptable to comment on it.
When we all took a seat at our graduation I immediately turned my head to search for his face. He sat several rows behind me, through the abundance amount of red gowns, tassels, and rays of the sun I was still able to get a glance at his full face. That's all we needed, just a glance.
2 seconds.
Wink.
Wink.
And of course a grin to back it up.
If time could freeze I bet it would have froze there, a huge celebration was going on that symbolized an ending, a beginning, change, future, possibilities. To top it off 18 year old, mature, Tyler Nathaniel Class President Pardue was going to enthrall us with an intelligent, well planned out speech.
But at that moment that's not the Tyler I saw, during that fast, blink of an eye moment, it was Turkey and me, 13 years old, and building a fort on the back of the bus on our way home from Washington D.C.
Happy half a decade hubs.
It was a silly thing but it marks the start of our sweet friendship.
College has inevitably took us separate ways,
I don't worry about who you'll be in my life 10 years from now,
and neither should you. I'm already just so grateful to have known you thus far.
Carry on,
I know we'll somehow, in some way, in some form always be ..forever winking.
Alright Christian ladies, it's tough out there for us.
There's things we're going to struggle tremendously with, we must stand our ground though.
We must know.
We must be bold.
So here's just a few tips.
1. Categorize people.
Do you know that influence is everything? Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good moral. 1 Corinthians 15:33
Babe, if you lay with dogs you're going to get fleas.
How do I categorize people? It doesn't mean judging them or excluding them completely from your life if their non believers. I had such a hard time with this! My friend Brittany Wilson told me that you should have 3 circles in your life:
Circle number 1. This circle is completely saved up for your husband (Boys- your wife) . Point blank.
And yes, if you're not married to him, sexual activity is invading and ruining the circle. I don't know what goes on in this circle, sorry, ask Mrs.Scott http://www.shoalsperk.blogspot.com/2013/08/learning-to-be-wife.html
Circle number 2. Your family and friends in Christ. This means your circle of influences. The ones who pray for you. The ones who you have real conversations with, the ones who call you out on your crap. The ones who remind you about being obedient to Gods word, the ones who remind you and push you to keep circle number one for your hubby. Get the picture? They ask you how your heart is doing, they talk about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. This is the ones you spend time with.
But how do you know who is real? Hold tight. Tip #3
Circle number 3. Everyone else.
As many times as Billy Bob lets you borrow pencils, saves you a seat, buys you a cookie during lunch, text you good morning if Billy Bob doesn't love Jesus, then he belongs in circle number 3. I love people in circle # 3, I do, when placing them in circle #3 that limiting your time with them as well. If they don't belong in 1 or 2 they belong here. I have such a hard time with this because there's people who I see so much potential in but I know I can't go too deep. This is the people you minister to! If you find it hard to talk about Christ to them remember something... say very little and show very much.
2. Don't follow your heart.
What?! Following your heart is the best quote ever.
Do you not know that the heart is naturally wicked and deceitful?
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." -Proverbs 28:26
Eccl 9:3 ...The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Matt 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander
Ouch.Ouch.Ouch.Ouch.
I know, it makes you feel unworthy but Jesus loves you anyway, even knowing your heart. You follow Jesus, not your heart, sometimes it lies. You ask God for authority, it's perfectly okay to say, "God, is he for me? Are my feelings truly there? "
3.You will know them by their fruit.
Don't be fooled by fake Christians.
Basically, what this means is, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck... it's a duck.
Matthew 7: 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.16 You will know them by their fruits.
One more time! You will know them by their fruit, and they will know you by your fruit as well. What is their fruit? By their actions, the relationships they make, this is going to stomp on some cute, high wasted, shorty shorts girls toes but also by the clothes they wear.
If that hurt a little just know that before I dish it out I already took the hit myself.
People need to be able to look at us and know we're of the Faith, we need to be different because we are, it's a different life for us. If Ephesians says to imitate Christ then why do we look so much like the world?
4. Don't date non believers.
"I mean he does believe in God. "
Um, it's going to sound kind of out there but so do demons.
That's not enough. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? - 2Corinthians 6:14
Don't even begin to go there.
I know you think you could minister to them but you wouldn't be in the position to do so. BECAUSE the heart is deceiving, you say you're doing it for his salvation but you know deep down that your ministry came out of an act of selfishness.
EQUALLY YOKED.
Sometimes they might be in their walk with Christ but maybe you're just running, following in love with Jesus and you can't be held back, not now. Beware of that too. That even if he's a believer that he's not interrupting a time God has chose for you and Him and no.one.else.
Trust in the Lord, don't settle on anything less than a man who will pray for you before you walk down the aisle. If he loves Jesus, he'll know how to LOVE YOU.
5. Check yourselves.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5
Christians, check yourselves. Examine your life, look over your relationships, look over your heart.
So much more I could say but that's just a few tips.
Keep Pursuing the Lord.
God Bless.
