To All My College Freshman!

So I'm sure most of you now are preparing for college. Either you're counting down the days till move in day or you're dreading the day. It's going to come sooner or later. 

While you're busy in the hustle and bustle of your last summer as a high school student remember to set aside time for those who have influenced you most. 

Take your parents out for dinner or take them each out for a mommy daughter day/ daddy daughter day. Tell them how much you appreciate them and ask them to pray for you as you take on this new journey in your life. Maybe you're not close to your parents, still take them out and spend time together. It doesn't have to be mushy gushy.

Set aside some time to hang out with your siblings, grandparents, or maybe those people who you aren't related to but you might as well be. 

Have a going away get together with your friends! A time to get together, laugh, share stories. Have one last hoorah before everyone splits different ways.

College is full on unexpected twists and turns. There will be days when you will want to quit and go home, but there will also be days when you will look up to God and say "thank you". Treasure every moment. Embrace every moment. Make up goals, then change them, and change it again. Never let anyone take away your sunshine. If you believe something, fight for it. Do something crazy and adventurous. Have several broken hearts, and break several hearts. Love with all your heart. Live life. 

Most of all let God shine in your life. Let His light guide your life, and be light in your darkest days. 

I love you guys! Feedback is welcomed! :) 

Jessica<3

Be Thankful

Hey everyone! I know it's been awhile since I posted, and I'm sorry for that! I've had a rough six months. I've had 4 hospitalizations, and I'm in the hospital right now for my 5th! It's been a rough 6 months, but like always God always has a lesson for me at the end of all of it!

As I struggled asking God "Why me?" I realized I had been asking the wrong question. Instead I should have been asking "Why not me?". That's a change right? What makes me so different from everyone else not to have CF? Why wouldn't I have this disease? There is nothing that makes me better or gives me the right not to have CF.

After realizing this I started to search for others with CF and their stories, when I did this I found many that were my age and were on lung transplants waiting lists! As I read this it broke my heart and it made me thankful for my health! Yes I've been sick a lot, but at least I'm not being told I'm going to die!

Shortly after reading these stories I decided I was going to become positive and set an example. I've now started to talk to others with CF and encourage them and inspire other with deathly illnesses that they can do anything they want and to fight for it!

Everyone has a struggle. Mine is Cystic Fibrosis, and if I do say so myself I'm kicking its butt.

God Uses Every Situation For His Glory

It seems like all we hear these days is about how God has brought people out of their old ways and into His will. But I think many people have the same question and they feel like it never gets answered. "If God loves them so much then why would He let all of those bad things happen to them?".

Well hear is the honest truth. God never promised following him would be easy, He just promises it will be worth it. Yes, God has a plan for you, but the devil also has a plan. It took me years to realize that it wasn't Gods plan for me to have Cystic Fibrosis, it wasn't His plan for me to suffer an not live a normal life. It was the devils plan. The devil wanted to do everything in His will to pull me away from God. And honestly, some days it worked. My faith was tested every minute of every day, it still is, but I choose to live for God, and not follow the devils plan for me.

Through my struggles I clung to God, through my hard times I held onto God and onto His word. I knew that some how God would bring glory through this, and sure enough He did. I was voted an inspiration at the hospital I go too, I have been able to speak to more people than I would have ever been able to if I didn't have CF. So will it was still a huge struggle for me, God bought me through it, and He is still right beside every inch of the way.

How Does God Feel About Your Clothes?

Modesty is a very touchy subject. So while you are reading this I realize this will probably upset some of you, and others might agree with me. I am writing this blog because I think teen girls now days have many questions about how we are suppose to dress... How short is too short? What if I just wear them out and not to church?

Now I don't know about some of you, but the easiest way I can tell if I should wear it or not is to ask myself  if I could wear it to church or not. Now I realize some churches are more laid back about dressing up for church, my church would fall into that category, but just ask yourself. Would you show up at church with a tight mini skirt on? Or a low cut shirt? I don't think very many of you would. We have respect in the clothing we wear to church, so why when we aren't in church we don't have respect?

It's because of the company we keep. 1 Peter 2:12 - "Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." Now This doesn't mean we can't befriend these people, you can be friends with them but just make sure who is doing the influencing. If they are bringing you down you probably shouldn't hang out with them as much, until you can be strong  enough in you relationship with Christ to say no to the temptations.

The Bible also tells us that when we dress think "Why am I are buying this? Is it to please God? Or to please the opposite sex?" 1 Timothy 2:9 - "And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes."   God wants us to wear clothing that will glorify Him, and only Him. Wearing clothing that is revealing or showing a lot of skin is not glorifying to God.

As Christian women we need to set standards for ourselves and the world. We should be showing the world that you can wear cute outfits and them be modest. It isn't always about what is appealing to the opposite sex, true beauty is on the inside. 1 Peter 3:3-4 - "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 

God didn't make these rules to punish us, He made them to protect us and help draw attention closer to the RIGHT kind of man. You may not receive a lot of attention with modest clothing, but you will be receiving the right kind of attention. Soon people will start to ask why you don't wear the clothing showing lots of skin, and that would be a perfect time for you to share your faith and what God has done in your life. Be an influence to the world, everyday when you wake up think, "How can I glorify God today?"

Just A Little About Myself

    So everyone I know is blogging now days, and I thought it would be a great way for me to get my story out in the open, so here it goes.

    My name is Jessica most my friends call me Jess. I'm 17 years old and I have Cystic Fibrosis. Now most of you when you saw that word went "What is that??". To answer your question Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic lung disease that effects the pancreas and digestive system. This disease usually takes a persons life by the age of 30. For more information go to http://www.cff.org/AboutCF/?gclid=CKGfsdmz1rECFUff4AodjigAxA.

   I was diagnosed when I was 4 months old. Now some tell me it must have been terrible having it your whole life. NOTE: Some people don't find out till years later that they have CF. Honestly I laugh when they say that. Being diagnosed at such an early age is better in my idea than not getting diagnosed till later. Since all I have ever known is taking medication and having hospital admissions it was easier for me to accept that I have it, because I was grown up to accept it. I really didn't have a choice.

   Now I will admit that growing up with CF was NOT easy. I did miss out on a lot of things, like I didn't get to go to public school, I have always been home schooled. When I was going through my preteen years I hated my parents for making be home schooled my whole life, but now that I am a senior and I am going to graduate this Spring I realize that it was their best choice to home school me. Because of my homeschooling I did not fall behind when I would be admitted to the hospital every 8-12 weeks for 2 weeks because my schoolwork would follow me. I am thankful that my mom and dad chose to home school me.

   I was raised in a southern baptist church, but it wasn't till about 2 years ago that I realize I had no idea what I truly believed. I was saved and baptized when I was about 8 years old, but I never even knew why I did that stuff or why I had to. I mostly did it because my big sister did. So one day I was at a church event and Clayton King was preaching. He said "You can't play Jesus, He isn't a game." After hearing his sermon he asked anyone who has not been truly saved to stand, feeling like he was pointing a finger at me, I stood and received Christ into my heart that night.

   Now of course I wasn't the perfect christian right off the bat, I had an uphill downhill relationship with Lord for the next 2 years, but now that I am older and I have really started to read Gods word and understand it, my life has changed drastically. God has called me into evangelism, which I continue to pursue through this blog. I have really had a hard time lately trying to figure out how I should get started. I thought "Okay Lord I am on track and willing to serve you, just show me what to do." I see now God wants me to speak to people through my life and trials.

  So that's why I started this blog. I started it to share some of my testimony and encourage those who are going through hard times, not just in health, but in life. I want to be about to give advice and help young teens through their struggles.

   Thanks for reading my very first blog, I can't wait to hear your response. <3 More blogs to come!