A little piece of heaven on earth...

Fort Wilderness-


These may be just two words to many people but these words ignite an explosion of joy in my heart for all of the grand memories, long lasting friendships, significant times I've had with Jesus, and stunning beauty that not only is evident in the splendor of creation but in the community of people that emulate God's love in this place.


I'm blessed to have grown up going to camp every summer at such a place as Fort. From my young innocent years of frog catching, turtle hunting, pony riding, and craft making (or attempting at least!) to the very recent young adult years of stepping out in leadership, wrestling out truth and faith, and discovering the joys and challenges of community living, I've learned so much! I've seen the hand of God move in my own life and the lives of so many others and for that I am thankful.


My heart is content as the Lord has led me to be home this summer instead of serving another year on summer staff (those who know my fort history know this is a big one!). But I am so glad I was able to go for one week and spend time as a camper with my mom and dad! It was such a blessing to connect with my dearest friends and enjoy quality family time as well.


Today, I praise God for this place. I praise God for the people who make up Fort, the beauty of his creation, and how he has revealed himself to me in and through these things.


Psalm 117--

Imperishable Beauty

I, like every girl that I know, desire to be noticed and seen as beautiful. I spend up to hours each day staring at myself in the mirror wishing the bags under my eyes weren't so big, my eyes worked perfectly together and my teeth actually straight. When I finish defining my eyes with eyeliner and straightening my bangs to create the perfect contrast with my curly hair, then I feel slightly more confident to go out and face the world of perfection and comparison. But there is always a prettier girl out there that I compare myself to. A girl who has less frizz in her hair and a smile that could be on a dental commercial. It makes me sick. Then again, it's not like I want my smile to be on TV anyways, I just want people to look at me and say, "wow, what a beautiful girl".


For one thing, the comparison game is a trap in which you will always lose. Us humans live and breathe comparison. We look at other people's looks, their relationships, their stuff, etc. And we always want what others have. Or we look at what others don't have to make ourselves feel better. That's such crap though and it's never enough, we continue to do it over and over again. How insecure are we with ourselves and how cruel are we to use comparison to feed our own prideful hearts. Pride is not a beautiful thing and the highs we live off of when we feel better because of comparison never lasts.
For another, being beautiful is so much more in definition that the world offers. I've had to rethink what I understand that word to mean and a verse that's given me a broader definition is 1 Peter 3:4


Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.


I think of being beautiful as the outward adorning when in reality it goes deeper. I'm not even saying that looks don't matter from the outside. I still want to look in the mirror every morning and think, "wow what a beautiful girl". But there is a greater depth of beauty found in a pure heart. A heart that beholds a 'gentle and quiet spirit'. It has to do with character, with grace, and with love that overflows from a person because Jesus is alive in them. This is the kind of beautiful I want to be. I desire a pure heart- one that is made up of kindness, sincerity, selflessness, generosity, and a quiet confidence in it's sole identity in the most beautiful Jesus Christ.


I want to be beautiful. To feel beautiful on the outside and emulate beauty from the inside. I want the imperishable beauty that only comes from Jesus Christ who is continually making my spirit to look more like him- the most beautiful one.