Sixteen... Wow

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As you may have guessed by my updated heading, I am a year older now! My sixteenth birthday was yesterday, June 22nd. I can hardly believe it! This year has gone so quickly by, retrospectively it feels like a matter of months. So much has happened, but the year has still flown by, I must be getting old ;) . Every year I realize just how blessed I am. God has given me so many blessings in my life I would never be able to count them all. I am so thankful that God has been so good, and that he has given me another year of life!

It's funny how age works in my mind. I usually do not think about how old I am at all, so as soon as my birthday rolls around I end up thinking "Wow" and it snaps me into perspective. I have always felt that one should not be judged by their age, and I do my best to be the same way. "Say not I am to young" is one of my favorite scripture verses in the Bible. You are never to young to let God move in miraculous ways for you. It is not about what you do, but what you let God do for you. Nothing that anyone accomplishes in spirituality is on their own terms, it is all God. One of the easiest lies the devil tells the youth of today is to put themselves in a box. The box saying "You are to young." "No one cares about what you think." "You can do it on your own, totally by yourself." This is one of the most dangerous things that teens believe, because that is not at all what God thinks. God's plan for children, youth, and adults are all equally as magnificent. Some of the most remarkable Saints in history were young people. Saints who didn't fall into that box the devil set out for them. The Saints that pushed the boundaries and lived to their absolute fullest potential. I am not going to begin to pretend I have accomplished this, but at least I know the truth.

Teenagers today need to step up, to live what God has planned for us. I am going to high school this fall, and I am praying that I find a community of young people living wonderful lives. I am afraid this may not happen, but I have hope. I have hope because I know just how much God loves us, how much God loves everyone. To see the way that so many young people live today makes me so sad. I know that so many young people fall into the lies of this world but we are not of this world. We are children of the most high God who died for us. Everyone needs to step up, to love those who struggle, to help them, to turn to God for his help that he wants so desperately to give us! Today a lot of the struggles lie in teens, who are trying to figure out who they are, who are trying to live the lives they want to live, who are searching for love. God is the only one who can save, not only teens, but everyone. He loves us so desperately. I am not saying that I do not struggle the same way, because I do, every day. God is bigger than struggling though, nothing can separate us from his love. This is the truth that will set us free. The truth that no matter how much we screw up, or how awful we feel, God loves us just the same.

This blog is such a great blessing in my life. I watch as my stats, followers, and page views grow and I realize that God is really using this as a tool for his glory. Because, what I have to say is not so interesting, but what God has to say is truth, love, and glorious freedom! I want to thank you for reading, you, the one who is reading this right now. Thank you for blessing me and for, I hope, listening to what God has to say today. You are not to young, to old, to small, to sinful to live to the fullest of your potential! God loves you soooooo much! I keep you always in my prayers. Have a blessed day, week, year and life!

Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse