"Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right."

Civil War was a great movie! It was thought provoking and lots of fun. A quote from this movie really got to me and hits the nail on the head of something I've been feeling lately as a Christian.  

"Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No, YOU move'."  

I love all my friends, family, and coworker's and I enjoy being apart of your lives.  I don't ever want to misrepresent Christ to any of you.  I do, however, disagree with many of you in lots of ways.  It is rare to agree with anyone on everything, as much as I may care for you all. 

I don't like a lot of what I see in the world today in the news. I could flip out and go off on the world all over Facebook, and sometimes I really have to fight the urge to do so, but I don't post because I know that, making an effort to live peaceably with others, is sometimes more important than making it known publicly that what I see in the news is frustrating me. 

There are issues, believes, actions, lifestyles that I firmly believe are very wrong and misguided.  Things most say are right, I know are wrong.  I won't change my mind on any of that.   I will stand my ground and plant like a tree. I believe the word of God is living and active and 100% true.  I see the Bible taken out of context to try and discredit it and that bugs me a lot. 

Recently at church and at life group we talked about Paul and Silas getting locked up in prison for their beliefs and read that passage in the Bible. Do you know what they did? They sang worship songs. They didn't freak out or lash out and throw a temper tantrum about how screwed up the world is, they trusted that God was still in control and He had their backs.  They worshiped God and the jailer and his whole family ended up committing their lives to Jesus Christ because of it.  

I'm frustrated at the ways I see the U.S. and the world changing, but I'm not gonna freak out.  I'm gonna keep on trusting God. I'm gonna keep on loving in spite of the disagreements. But I am also going to stand like a tree on issues that matter.  I'm gonna do so rationally and consistently.

How a leap of faith on leap year day changed my life...

In the spring of 2009, I was a senior in college.  I had just applied to the Disney College Program and got accepted.  I graduated college with no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but at least I had that on the horizon.  I was frustrated that I had not met the love of my life yet. I figured that it would happen at Disney World.

In the fall of 2009, I was a Disney College Program intern in Orlando, FL.  I dated some, but I did not meet my husband there.

In 2010, I moved to Anaheim, CA to work at Disneyland as a Disney College Program intern.  I dated even more and still did not meet my husband.  

In 2011, I moved in with my parents to take a step back and re-evaluate my life, while I worked as a nanny in Dublin, GA.  I learned many things and developed a contentment in God that year that I had not yet achieved.  I was confident and happy with my life and had decided to stop searching for my husband so intently and just live as if he may never come.  

I wanted to pursue what I was most passionate about, so I made arrangements to move back to Orlando, FL to work at Disney World again.  I knew that I could enjoy my life and be happy even if I was single for the rest of my life, if I was working and living at Disney World.  

In 2012, just before I was set to move, I signed up to attend Passion Conferences in Atlanta, GA.   Before all of the most pivotal points in my life, I've tried to go to this conference.  It always leaves me refreshed and refocused to take on the next stage of life.  It's extremely enriching.  

I was on my way to start my new life, when I met Ben Braziel in the parking lot of my church just before our bus was set to leave for Atlanta, GA.  Ben and I became interested in each other on that trip.  We ended up deciding to date long distance.  Our relationship was new and oddly timed.  Ben had made it clear that he wanted to be my boyfriend.  I could already tell that Ben was a great man of integrity.  However, I was uneasy and not sure why God would send me a boyfriend now and have him be so far away from where I had just moved.  I was unsure about the situation.

On February 29, 2012, Ben and I had been dating/talking unofficially for almost two months.  I was at Epcot with my family, who were in town visiting.  I had been talking with my dad about my relationship and my uneasiness to make it official.  He was very helpful and said some encouraging words that eased my fears and put everything into perspective.  I had already felt like the day was important, because it was a leap year and those only come around once every four years.  I was energized and inspired to make the day count.  I knew exactly how I wanted to make it count.  I excused myself from a meal at the Electric Umbrella to use the restroom.  Instead, I went into a secluded hallway near the restrooms and called Ben.   I told him that leap years only come around every once in a while and I wanted to do something special to make the day count.  I accepted his offer to be my boyfriend and the rest is history!   

I have just recently made the connection of the phrase, "leap of faith" with a leap year.  That is exactly what I did.  I took a leap of faith into our relationship and I am so glad that I did.  

If you are worn out waiting for God to work in your life, just know that you may be on the brink of something life altering.  You never know what God may have up His sleeve.  I had no clue.  If you are unsure of how all the details of a situation may work out, consider taking a leap of faith.  God can do immeasurable more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Happy leap year day!  This day in history my life changed!!  Happy 4 year anniversary of being together, babe!!  :D