Lifestyle

Who’s Erin

Lifestyle, Style
I figured it was time to tell you guys a little bit about myself. Some people might know, and some might not. Most people either view me as 1. The girl who is always dancing. 2. The goofball. Or 3. The girl who is super competitive.
While all these are true, there is so much more to me.
  • I’m a lover of the south, small towns, sports, and Jesus Christ!
  • I like to believe there’s good in everyone. I forgive way too easily and I’m as naïve as they come, but at the end of the day, I like to believe every person has good within.
  • I can be found dancing in the kitchen cooking dinner on the reg.  Whether I’m sad, happy, nervous, or excited, you’ll find me dancing.
  • I’m a fan of real. When I say real, I mean all things real, the good, bad and ugly. Be you, never someone you’re not. I like to think when you meet me, it’s what you see is what you get.
  • My mistakes are my fave. I know that’s a bizarre thing to say, but it’s true. Yes, of course when they happen I’m freaking out and hating myself for it. But that mistake most likely taught me something and helped me grow into becoming a better person.
  • If Beyoncé and Eric Church had a baby, I’d be that baby! Sometimes I channel my inner Sasha Fierce and pretend to be Beyoncé’s background dancer. Then the next second I’m wishing I was in Nashville singing every Eric Church song. Not sure how those two cross but I’m a fan of both.
  • I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. There are times I question why… a lot, but I know God’s in control and his plans are far bigger than my understanding. Sometimes rejection is God’s protection!

  • I’m a fan of adventure. I love last minute road trips or car jam sessions. I love the rush of having to make a last-minute decision.
  • I’m a believer in a great love and a good heartbreak. If you found Mr. prince charming on day 1 then that’s amazing. But, I like to think you don’t really know what kind of love you’re looking for until you have been with the wrong ones. You learn what kind of love you deserve and how to appreciate it when you do have it.
  • I’m a fan of good friends and late nights. If you and your friends get together and you don’t feel like your 12 again, then are they really your friends? I mean dance sessions, followed by the weekly gossip, topped off with late night pizza calls, am I right or am I right?

  • Being confident in who you are and standing up for what you believe in can go a long way. Don’t change your opinion to please others. Even if I know you’re right, I will argue just to try and prove my point. Doesn’t mean you’re wrong, it means you know your beliefs and a difference of opinion is okay.
  • Lastly, I’m a fan of being on your own for a time. Seeing and feeling different emotions all on your own is very important. The feeling of depending on your self for pure happiness is something everyone should experience. You have to find happiness from within. No person, place, item, or job can fill that happiness, only you and Jesus. 😉

Uninvited

Lifestyle

Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst

A book review.
Let me start off by saying that I’ve never considered myself a huge reader. In my family, that would be my mom. She is the one who originally purchased this book for me.  I was hesitant about reading it at first, but after chapter one I was hooked and it turned out being one of the best books I’ve ever read. It truly made a difference for me in having a positive outlook in all situations I encounter. This helped me overcome fear and rejection while learning to live loved.
The book opens with the motto ‘living loved and loving yourself’ even with all of the quirks and strange features that make you, YOU. If you’re like me, I am an awful over-thinker and I embarrass myself on the reg. Through this book, I have learned to love myself for who I am and never try to be someone I’m not. At the end of the day everyone just wants to be around someone who is real, right?

Some chapters discuss letting go of your well planned future and accepting that God’s plan might be different than what you had in mind.
Towards the middle it discusses rejection and why it hurts so much and how to deal with it.
I even contemplated my blog for quite some time because I was scared of what people are going to think. I knew some would have negative comments and I wasn’t sure if I could deal with the rejection after putting so much effort into something I loved. I quickly realized rejection can enforce negative thoughts about myself, but it was up to me to not let it steal my joy. So, here we are, blog and all.
Towards the end of the book, it states how to stop running from pain and start embracing it. Only by doing this, will you truly be able to forgive and move on from situations/people, which have hurt you.
It also covers topics on dealing with problems in a social media driven society, jealousy, and the enemy’s plan against you.
It is definitely a book I recommend for everyone to read. I give it 5 stars.
X, ej

 

Bitter to Better

Lifestyle

 Bitter to Better

Have you ever tried to warn someone about a friend you know really well and it end up causing more harm for yourself than good? Or maybe you have dated someone who puts on a mask for the outside world, but you feel like only you saw the true colors? Or Or, maybe there is someone who has never talked to you, but they have resentment towards you because of what one person said?
I have found myself in all of these situations several times. You can get so caught up in trying to tell other people what awful things people have put you through. I found myself saying well “she did this” and “he did that” a lot.
I kept getting so upset every time I would hear someone say “she so nice”, “he just seems like such a chill guy”, “ I could never see him/her being like that” and so on.
Every time I would hear this it would make me so angry. Even though I knew these sayings were completely false, I couldn’t say, oh no your wrong, see he/she has done this to me. No matter how long you know people and what they have done, others will never understand until they are in the same situation.
I made several mistakes trying to tell people my thoughts and warn them of everything they had put me through. There was actually even a point where every time I heard their name I wanted to burst out all the negative things they had done. I wanted so badly for others to see what I had gone through.
Then one morning, everything had changed.  I realized I didn’t necessarily want to rekindle these friendships or relationships. I didn’t miss all the fighting and heartbreak it caused me. I didn’t want revenge on them in any way, nor did I want them back in my life. I was just bitter, very bitter. So bitter it was consuming all my thoughts and energy. I had become consumed with trying to get other people to see what I saw.
That was all I wanted was for people to see how I was treated. It was like I wanted a trophy from others seeing how much I went through and that I was the actual better one in this situation. Not saying I was always the good one in all situations I have encountered, but in those where you honestly feel like you did all you could and you have no idea why this person would do this to you. So yeah, I wanted a trophy, and a huge one at that.
But then I thought did everyone believe Jesus was Jesus when he parted the waters and helped the sick and blind? No, they didn’t. They hung him on a cross with nails in his hands and thorns on his head. They laughed and said mean comments. Most yelled “he saved others,but he can’t save himself! Why can’t you get down.” But

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

  • Luke 23:34
See here I am thinking I deserve a trophy. Why? Why do I deserve a trophy when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords never got one, instead he got thorns and nails.
The bible also says

“My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”

  • 1 Corinthians 4:4-5
Even though our conscience is clear and we know what the other has done to us, that doesn’t mean we are to judge them for it and go talk badly about what they have done. He even says he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness, meaning he will eventually spread the truth on what you’re dealing with for all to know.
I finally realized I could not hold on to such bitterness anymore for what I had been through. I could not waste anymore time or energy on trying to get people to see things through my eyes. Being so bitter was keeping me from being focused on what God needed me to do, which is exactly what the devil wanted. All those bad thoughts had been planted by the devil. That day on my drive to school, I realized was the last day I would allow bitter situations to consume my thoughts and steal my joy.
A really good friend of mine told me, “Erin, all people’s true colors will eventually reveal themselves, you can’t force anyone to see them.”
Boy, she was right. Although bitter thoughts still come to mind, I am better.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

  • Ephesians 4:31-32
Xx, ej