{6}

'tis the 6th of April... my date of birth :) I've had a really wonderful day. Did some school in the morning, did a special birthday hair-do. Yummy Chickfila food + funnish Chickfila people + bagging & lobby (not dealing with customers' orders) + visits & presents from Alex = good day at work. Mom surprised me by picking up Christa on the way from work; she had dinner with us and we caught up :) Oh yes ~ when we Mom, Christa & I got home there were many birthday decorations awaiting us :D Then we all went to Berri Yummi, which is one of my favorite places to go to eat. For those of you who don't know, it's frozen yogurt. Sooooo good.

So, I've been thinking of sharing what these past 17 years have looked like for me, in a short & sweet sort of fashion. So here goes my attempt :)

I had a sort of weird childhood, from my point of view. I guess it looked pretty normal from the outside; I grew up in a lovely Christian home with two obnoxious but loving little siblings and two caring parents. I've always had friends ~ my cousins always being some of the closest... some at church, some at various homeschooling activities, others from things like soccer and swimming and work.
I was always really mature, though, for my age; and a lot of times I thought things and even experienced things beyond my years. My relationship with my parents wasn't very good as I was growing up... I kept a huge majority of my thoughts to myself and didn't let my emotions show much, either. As I got older & started finding things out about the world that weren't quite compatible with the pretty little church-bubble I'd been sheltered within, I didn't talk about what I was experiencing or learning. I ended up pretty deep in some precarious trouble that was mostly inside me but could've gotten far, far worse. This was before I was even a teenager. Thankfully, God chose that moment to speak to my heart in a clear, strong, voice. He told me to STOP. And by His grace, I did.
I always believed in God; I've been taught since I was a toddler that Jesus loves me & died on the Cross for my sin. I accepted salvation as a little kid and I've never doubted for more than a few moments the existence of God. When I was 12 or 13, though, God really began the work of establishing my faith and growing my relationship with Him. Something that really tested me was hearing of people in this country who were asked if they believed in God with a gun to their head, and when they answered "yes" they were killed. I wanted that kind of faith, and it was at that time that God assured me of my salvation.
These past couple years, God's given me circumstances and people that have shaped me into who I am. God's been sovereign over every moment of it; it's all part of His plan. He's shown me clearer and clearer who He is. As I've thought about the purpose of my life... the past, the future, and the present... I've come to know and love the fact that Jesus Christ is sufficient for me. He's loved me, He's saved me, and He's worthy of my praise. Who He is is enough for me. Knowing this has brought me so much peace; I can't begin to describe.

That's me :) God's been good, for 17 years... I have no doubt His faithfulness will continue for all of my days <3