Forgiveness

           So earlier tonight, I used good 'ole facebook to contact an old friend. The one I was talking about in an earlier post; the one I was wanting to reach out to, to say sorry. Since that post, little things have have been brought to my attention and knowledge by the wonderful hands of the man upstairs (God). In one of my daily devotionals the topic of the day was about grudges and the verse that was used was Proverbs 17:9. "Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends." On Sunday, God used the new pastor at my parent's church to also back up that day's devotional as well. What was holding me back? Nothing. Completely nothing. So today I decided I'd venture out and say sorry, and boy was I depending on God for his guidance on what to say. She ended up responding an hour or so later and it was a really positive response. What did I have to fear? All was forgiven between us both and that bridge has now started to be mended..and we are now facebook friends! :) I know all of that may sound silly to you all reading this, but honestly I love people so much, so why should I have a grudge from high school about something that really did not include me at all?! The only person I can thank and give credit to for this is my love, God. He has so much grace that He gives to us everyday freely, so why should we not forgive and seek forgiveness from people that may have hurt us in the past? I'm happy and blessed beyond words. 

          These days spent at home so far have been great. I've been counting down the days till I will be back in OKC and I am really wanting them to slow down. I enjoy being home with my parents and seeing friends, but the days just go by so fast. I've also been looking for jobs back in OK, but I have no idea what I am looking for. Starting to get lost, but at the same time, I'm not worried. I know that God's plan for me is going to be something great and I can't wait to find out what it will be. Okay, no joke I'm listening to music on my phone and a song by my church called, "No Greater Love," just came on and...whoa! Part of the lyrics went, "I can go to the East or West, travel through the galaxy, but wherever I may be, even there Your hand will guide me." Wow, powerful! Crazy, huh?! I'm in such awe of what God's plan for my life is. I know I'm going to be more than alright and I'm ready. 

          I'm so in love, it's crazy! Definitely time for bed and I know I am going to sleep so soundly tonight! :) My God is so, so great!!

Not sleeping, so let's blog it out!

          Well as the clock is about to hit 4 am, I am sitting here in my room, thinking. I am pretty sure that I think too much, if that is even possible. Have you ever thought about the choices you have made in life and where they have led you? For some reason that seems to be a reoccurring topic that has been going on in my mind the last few days. I keep thinking about high school and decisions I would like to go back and do over again. Mainly grades and friendships. Grades for the obvious reason, so I don't need to ponder on that one too much. I've decided to go back to Dallas for a week or so. I'm mainly going home to help clean and get rid of a bunch of old things and to see my parents. 

          As I think about going home, I really want to get in touch with some people who's friendships I really appreciated back then, but how do you say sorry after 7 years? This dilemma comes from the classic case of friends cheating with other friend's boyfriends and so on. Sadly this happened Sophomore or Junior year and it seems like it still comes around to remind me. Don't worry..I was the friend who had her friend's back when she found out about the cheating going on with another friend. This all leads to why I don't want to move back to Dallas. My friend's have their own lives and I feel like I will be the new kid. I miss my home and I miss that part of my life, but I'm so happy with my new life. My friends are amazing beyond words and even though I have no idea what I want to do for a job, I'm still content. Not saying that my friends back home aren't, but I'm just not that close with them anymore. 

          If we are called to love and to be loved, why is there so much hate in this country? It's so hard to see people talk down to complete strangers and to be rude for no reason. Can you imagine a world where we all said at least one nice thing to everyone we would come in contact with everyday? I just wish there was peace. Five little letters that spell such a simple word. I want to be a peace maker. Nothing radical or anything, but I just want to stand up for peace and to give it a chance for once. What if we all started speaking love and peace into our lives and into the lives we come in contact with on a daily basis? Do you think the world could slowly change? I think God is working on a peace plan, but that plan is us. 

          Wow, that was a lot and it was all over the place. My apologies readers =) Until next time!

What an amazing weekend!

          All I can really say is..God is amazing!! From Friday morning till right now, I have just been on cloud 9 the whole time. Friday was a gorgeous day and I didn't do a whole lot besides run errands and do a little bit of homework. Friday night I went out with some amazing girl friends of mine and we ate at Mame Rojas (so good!) and went to see Just Go With It (which is HILARIOUS). Saturday was my 8am to 5pm, 5 week class, which sounds awful, but it really isn't that bad. By the end of the class, I found out I currently have a 93 in there and that is seriously by the grace of God. I thought that since I missed a test one week due to some family things my grade was going to be no good, but God had it all under control. This information at 4:59pm set the stage for what about to happen later that night.

          Randi (my old roomie) and I decided to have a sleep over. Yes, we are both 23, but we still have sleepovers--so what! We ended up getting some dinner and renting a movie. As we sat there in her living room watching a movie that was on TV, we just started talking. It was so fun getting to just hang out with her again. As the movie ended on TV, we decided to finally watch the one we rented..well that didn't happen because we were still talking! As our conversation went on, our friendship became closer. I was able to talk to her about what God has been doing in my life these past few months. I have never been this happy and finally getting to talk to her about Christ was the icing on the cake. We talked till 2 in the morning and as we talked I realized that I have been missing her so much. It's weird how two amazing years can pass by in a flash. Last night we became not just old roommates, but best friends. I love having her in my life because she has always been there through a lot and we just have that natural bond. And she's also my Valentine tomorrow! Love you Rando!

          And I give all my thanks to God. He has brought some amazing people in my life and I am so blessed to have them. Everyone that I come into contact with has a huge impact on my life, even if it's just once. I still can't believe how much God loves us and how beautiful our lives are--even in the hard times. Tonight at church, as we sang during the worship time, all I could do was smile because I'm so in love with Christ and that my life couldn't be more amazing. I'm not saying my life is perfect, but I am saying that it's beautiful thanks to God. I hope everyone has a great week because I have a feeling it's going to be a good one! =) Until next time!

And so it begins!

Well hello out there fellow bloggers! So it's almost 2 am and I am finally getting around to writing in my blog, but there is one problem: I have no idea what to talk about. But..a wise friend did tell me that the point of a blog is to write whatever is on our mind. So here goes nothin!

          I have had a lot of free time lately, thanks to not having a job at the current moment and another big thank you to the snow these past two weeks. What have I been thinking about? Oh you know...life and all the little questions that come with it. For you all out there reading this: I go to an amazing church, have some awesome new friendships, and my relationship with God is really starting to grow. But yet I'm still so confused on where my path is leading. All I could and can really think about is the verse Jeremiah 29:11: ‎"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." I'm not worried about where my path is leading, I just want some type of direction. 

           I guess what my major question right now is do I stay here in Oklahoma or do I move back to Texas? My heart has really grown to love this city and the people here. Like I said before I just started going to a new church and I absolutely love it. I'm starting to get involved and I'm seeing God in a new, beautiful way. My best friend that now lives in Texas is trying to get me to move back to Dallas. Don't get me wrong--I miss my parents, my old friends, the sunsets, but I'm not sure if my life is there anymore. Plus I feel that if I move, my heart will be broken (like an 80's classic romantic-comedy movie heart break). I'm happy, but why am I so confused on what to do? For you that have decided to read this may or may not know that my Grandpa just passed away a little under a month ago. He was 92 and lived an amazing life that any granddaughter would be proud of. So with his passing, my Grams will be moving to Dallas to live with my parents which will then cause me to not have a room anymore. I'm totally fine with that, but I feel like it really won't be my home anymore. I'm 23, but I still feel 18 some of the time and it's finally hitting me that I'm growing up. College is over and now it's time to get a job. That's where I'm stuck! And all I keep asking myself is: "What do you want to do Lori Michelle?! You should know by now!" I know that whatever I want to do in life is help people, I feel that is my calling. And I have a degree in Psychology, so at least I have one good firm step in the right direction for wanting to help people. And I also know that whatever I do, I want to do for God.

          I've had a pretty good number of windows open the past few weeks, but I feel like I'm standing in concrete and I can't move. So I'm doing nothing besides praying and reading the Bible to gain some type of insight on what my next move should be. I feel a little bit lighter now bearing all this onto the Internet. For the whole world to read. Until next time dear friends.