A Very Lucky Girl

I heard an analogy recently about sin that I wanted to share as a caution against judging others. I searched online for someone who could put it more eloquently than I, but my google search came up empty.  Imagine that every time you did something wrong, a penny was stacked against you. You lied, you cheated, you drank in excess. Those are pennies stacked against you. Then someone you know committed a more "grievous" sin, according to what some in the world may think. They partook in adultery or gave in to a harmful addiction. In our human minds, those sins deserve higher stacks of pennies. But in God's eyes, He looks down and just sees the fact you both have pennies stacked against you. He doesn't see the height of the stack the world sees. He only sees the one coin on top indicating your imperfection and need for redemeption that you share with the person who sinned "more."  Sin is not measured in degrees "None is righteous, no, not one....

judge away. Circa 11th grade Consider this an intervention. Trust me, I've had my fair share of selfies. But then I graduated high school. high school shopping swag These are some hard and fast rules of those pesky self-absorbed images: 1. Try to have another person in it. I have zero judgement for the visible arm holding out the photography device if there are two faces in the frame. Sometimes you just don't have a third person to take that perfect picture. We forgive you. 2. If a partner is unavailable then at least use a webcam and NOT a mirror. Myspace-esque photography ended at the same time as That's So Raven. And no one cares to see your current brand of toothpaste reclining on your bathroom counter.  3. Keep ALL clothes ON.  I cringe when I see those horrifyingly low slung shorts as people boast in their gym time. I'm proud of the mornings I spend running as well, but I'm not trying to plaster it across Facebook. Save it...

Flipping through my Bible the other night, I came across something I wrote a while ago, actually dated from April 2009.  I don't care what you think of me don't care if you can't see the change I'm trying to be. But I have to say it'd be  nice if you thought of me. If you'd cease to be  someone that I can't wait to  leave. Change is difficult, surrounding or within though you may not know  that because here you've always been. But maybe, just maybe, you should think of others once. Give out perhaps an ounce of trust. But on the other hand who needs you, unless you change too. Lots of emotion packed into those lines. Let me fill in some background. The year 2008-2009 was rough for me, though that doesn't excuse any of my poor decisions. Paul announced in August 2008 that we would inevitably be moving away from Beaumont the following summer, just prior to my senior year of high school. I vowed to make my remain...

So I was in Court today. Did you just freak out? Well, calm yourself, I was only the moral support for my friend. It was a completely new experience. If growing up means going to court I'd like to take the next train back to kindergarten, please. The courthouse itself is incredibly domineering and ominous, gray and uninviting (sorry, kinda got carried away with those adjectives). We walked up those stone steps, laughing and joking ("photo-op? let's commemorate this moment!") and instantly fell serious as we tiptoed inside. We were ushered through a metal detector (I am only used to these inside airports so to go through one without the promise of a flight directly after was slightly disappointing) and proceeded to sign in for arraignment. Commence people watching. We sat on a wooden bench (think church pew a long way from home) and instantly googled the presiding judge. Google images were unhelpful. Michael Tupper looked like someone who didn't get a bid d...