Words of a Belle

I’ve been thinking about how much of each of our lives is filtered. Particularly, in the world of social media. We can choose what friends we want, which types of things to read, or which news we do or don’t see.  Not only this, but how we filter our photos. Our faces can go from bear to beautiful in one click. Even our teeth can be straighter with technology!  Another thought.  How crazy is that? We crave attention so much that some of us are willing to do just about anything to do so. Instead of embracing who we truly are.  Are we going to spend all of our time trying to get a temporary like, or will we spend our time with those people & relationships that truly matter?  What are your thoughts on the subject? 

Have you ever been unsure of a decision, asked a trusted friend, and they give you a piece of advice you’re a little unsure about? You think it over for awhile, weigh the pros & cons, and eventually tell your friend, “If you say so!” You trust them, so you’re willing to take a risk based off their judgement.  Have you ever stopped to think that most of us listen to advice from people we don’t even know? We follow influencers & trends because they’re popular. However, we don’t often stop & consider the consequences of following what a particular group of people are doing. Even if that influencer or trend is considered a good person/thing to follow alongside.  I know for a fact that I’m not the only person ever who has followed a fad. I’m not saying that I have all the answers or that trends are all together a bad thing. But I wonder if we stop to weight our motivation behind  why  w e do something we do.  Do we read books, watch movies, or even go to certain pla

I recently asked the question, Just curious: what are your thoughts/how were brought up when it comes to praying for your future spouse? I got handfuls of answers, but this one stuck with me.  “[I] Was always a little scared to pray for my husband, growing up. I saw the number of unmarried older sisters in my congregation, and didn’t want to give myself false hope. I’ve recently had a change of heart (just as I’ve entered that demographic myself, haha 😂). My feeling now is that there’s really nothing to lose - if a husband is not given to me, I’ll at least be satisfied with knowing that I gave the Lord my genuine supplication throughout those younger years. I won’t be left wondering how things may have been different had I only tried. Furthermore, I want to put into practice the parable of the widow and the judge - she came forward so many times that the judge granted her wish, and as our Father he wishes we would have such faith toward Him. While this is no guarantee

As women, we’re constantly getting the message to be flawless. That’s an impossible expectation for us to live up to.  The definition of flawless is: 1. without any blemishes or imperfections; perfect."  To try and do this causes hurt not only to ourselves but for people around us. If they see us trying to become something we can’t, what example are we setting?  What will they believe about themselves when they cannot be “perfect?”  As daughters, friends, sisters, mothers, or whatever hats we may wear, we need to be considerate about the messages we’re sending.  We certainly don’t want to give any false perceptions or expectations to those we love, do we?  So, instead of trying to be flawless, let’s focus on being transparent. Showing others that no matter what things may look like on social media or how “together” someone seems to be, no one is perfect.  We all have moments of frustration, sadness. Unhappiness, and other emotions that others may not s

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My poor husband can attest to the fact that I cry- like a lot. At least once a month, I weep over death. It’s to the point where my husband can walk in and instinctively know that it’s the monthly crying about death day. Let me begin by telling you that I am a born-again believer. I know what happens after death and have great hope in seeing those I love again. But for some reason, I still struggle imagining a world without those I love. As I am the youngest in my family, what about when my grandparents die, my parents die, my brother dies, or my husband dies? God forbid, but what if my little nephew passes away before I do? So I weep. I weep in the “what ifs.” I mourn for those I love before they have even passed away. I have often wondered, what is wrong with me? Last Saturday though, as I met with a group of friends, I was challenged to do something. I was challenged to write down the TITLES I have been given or that I have given myself. (Please note that at first, I saw absolute

A while back I was honored when asked to do a workshop for our church women.  I had never done this before.  I was terrified! The theme of the day was Fearless. As I was praying, researching, and studying I felt that I would use the term, to be courageous. How many of us have let opportunities we long to do and are called to do go unfulfilled because of that dreaded word, FEAR?  I will be the first to admit I have! The fear of failure, fear of not measuring up to others, or the fear of being too young or old to be used can sometimes be so strong that we make excuses as why we can't or won't do things we long to do.  And scary things aren't just the big things in life! Sometimes even little things we are asked to do can put fear into us as they take us out of our comfort zones. Maybe God has been asking you to visit a neighbor and just show His love or even telling your cashier the next time you are in the store that they are truly loved by the Lord! These can be just a

Once, there was a little girl with big dreams.  Once, she was told she would never live to see them be reality.  Once, people came along who told her who she truly could be.  And because of those people, she is blooming.  There are so many moments I could share from my life that sum up what I wrote above. However, at the moment I’m not thinking of me.   I’m thinking of the little girl sitting in her classroom being bullied because she’s different.  I’m thinking of the mom who just found out that her child will never be “normal.”  I’m thinking of the college student who feels like they’ll never measure up to a high standard of achievement.  I’m thinking of the person who just found out they don’t have long to live; And maybe they feel like they don’t have anything to give.  No matter if you fall into one of those categories or another, if you’re still here, you have something to give. You have a reason to smile, laugh, cry, or something in between. 

Most of us feel like we need have it “all together.” While at times it’s true that we need to have composure, it’s important for us to remember that we’re all working at growing ourselves. Some of us may need to be more patient. Some more kind. Or sometimes, giving.  Sometimes, we have to work on how we are treating another person. Other times, we may need to let God work in us and teach us how to see things that He sees within us.  Have you ever taken a good look at a mosaic? It has many different sizes and colors of glass. They’re broken pieces that someone without an artistic eye would probably just throw away. However, a person who saw potential in broken, uneven, and stained pieces of glass, made mosaics.  People are like these pieces. Everyone is different. Different eye color. Different skin tone. Different backgrounds. Different personalities. Even different beliefs. We can tend to look at the outward, without looking at the inward. We can unintentionally make judg

Hello! My name is Meghan and I am taking over the blog today! I met Kelly during my freshman year of college and we have been friends ever since. Have you ever done something that you were excited about but scared out of your mind to do? That was me, four and a half months ago. Since my freshman year of college I knew I wanted to go to Madrid, Spain to study abroad. And last semester I fulfilled that dream. It was amazing. It was everything and yet nothing at all like I thought it would be. Wow, what a confusing sentence! Sometimes we have to let go of the need to know every detail about something and just go and do it. That is what I had to do. No matter how much I wanted to know exactly what I was getting myself in to, I couldn’t. Leaving the comforts of my home and my school, where I knew what I was doing wasn’t easy. However, I learned so much about myself and the Spanish culture. I still can’t believe I actually lived in Madrid for four months! What is it about perspective tha

“If the shoe fits, wear it!” is a popular slogan we hear from time to time. I think it may mean something like “if it works for you then by all means, do it” or something like that. But, wearing a shoe has many other meanings to me. For most of my life, I have  wondered  why humans were so different. I have always loved to “people watch” at the mall. I loved having jobs where I got to work with people and was always so intrigued by what made them excited, sad, mad, joyful, etc.  I love meeting someone new and asking them 103,264 questions about themselves.  The new popular trend of studying the enneagram has been super interesting to me. I have taken so many personality tests to see why I am the way I am and why others around me are the way they are. I have a sister. Even though we are birthed from the same mother, raised in the same home and look similar, we handle stress and joy so differently! I have four children. Each of them  is  so very different in the way they express fear,

In album 66 titled “Trial by Fire,” each episode was packed with interesting facts about Odyssey. In particular, Buck Oliver. There have been many unanswered questions about his past & this album answers quite a few. I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say my favorite episodes are “The Long End” parts 1-3. An unexpected person makes an appearance in these episodes. No matter the age, these dramas will engage you! Personally, I think this is the best album yet. I can’t wait to see what’s next! Let me know which episodes are your favorite. If you’re not a club member & want to check it out, use this link: oaclub.org/freetrial b.org/freetrial

Honor: Verb: regard with great respect  To be honest, I wasn’t ready sure what to write about this week. Everyone is talking about New Years resolutions, goals they’re setting, & what they want to do with the time they have this year.  Then it got me to thinking. What if we make resolutions to leave others better off than we find them? If they mistreat us, let’s teach them how to treat us right. If they do good to us, let’s applaud them.  It won’t be easy, but if we do it together & give it our best, we all will be better for it.  Reminder:  9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast  to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor . Romans 2:9-10 ESV Challenge:  Choose 1 person this week to honor.