I was looking for a friend and found him…his name is Jesus

Ten days ago I felt like I had hit rock bottom. That I had no friends, felt like no one really cared, over-looked, forgotten and more. Well, tonight it has hit me full force that the people I thought I knew, but have come to realize I don’t know as much as I thought I did, feel the same way. Its funny how I would have the same feelings over a week ago, feelings that my friends are confiding in me tonight.  Its strange to realize that the people who I claimed were in the crowd that always knew what was going on, the people that are so tight-knit, that they are the ones telling me that they feel over-looked and out of the loop. I would have never thought such a thing.

Maybe its God’s way of showing me that everyone feels left out. That we all feel like no one cares, that no one is there to listen. The other day when I felt so incredibly low my friend tried to reason with me, just like I’m trying to reason with my friends. Amidst my complaining and venting she offered these words of wisdom: ppl can be rude. but they haven’t always been like this. maybe they just start feeling comfortable and so they become rude. I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to get so comfortable with my friends and with the way things are that I become rude to others and new ideas and situations. I want to be a person who is open to new ideas and views; someone who people can say, ‘hey, this girl will listen even if she doesn’t agree with you, and she wont bash you for your thoughts or actions.’ I just want to be a girl who listens to God and I want to be like Him as much as possible. I know my Jesus wouldn’t want us to make each other feel so low. He wouldn’t want us to leave others out; to make others feel so downhearted that we contemplate leaving xa like I did the other week. And yet, we do this to ourselves. We do it day in and day out, as the weeks pass into long awaited years. Why??? There is no reason for it. We, as the body of Christ, should be building each other up!!!!! We should be helping each other break the chains that bind us, and we should be overcoming them. But instead, we allow ourselves to get in these petty, non-Christ-like situations and we don’t care what it does to other people. Its no wonder non-christians view us as hypocrites-we view ourselves as that!

I don’t want to be known as a hypocrite. I want people to see me as someone who keeps their word, as someone they can confide in and not have to worry about the world finding out, as someone who will love them no matter what happens. I know I can only do this through Christ’s help; through my surrender and His help can I overcome this. But its not a one-time deal like so many people make it be. Its a daily thing of dying to self desires and surrendering to God’s. I don’t want to live for myself-I’ve seen how that is and I don’t like it. I just don’t understand how we can call ourselves Christians, or Christ followers, and yet nothing we say or do promotes Christ. Its not right. We end up bashing out Savior’s name instead of revealing it in love.

I guess I’m just blogging all this to say that we, I, we all need to step up and realize what we are doing and if it is in fact showing God’s love to others or not. If not, then we need to change. We should be showing love to one another, and not bashing people, not leaving them out, not leaving them down-hearted and in despaire. What kind of friends can we be to people who need Jesus if we can’t even be friends to those who know Him?

At this last 707 for the year, Bobby said an awesome thing that really got to me. He was talking about the phrase ‘live your life with no regrets’ and he said, “I don’t want to live my life with no regrets-I’ve tried that and I still have regrets. My new life goal is to try and move everyone I meet one step closer to Jesus. The saved, the un-saved; it doesn’t matter. We all need to move one step closer to Jesus.” THAT’s the kind of person I want to be. The kind who tries to bring everyone I know just one tiny step closer to Jesus. We all need that in our lives, so why don’t we follow through and live like that?
-immashutterbug

Sunset Rainbows

It was a stormy evening but for one instant when the sky stopped its incessant downpour and a rainbow formed across the horizon behind the trees.

These were all taken on my Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T70.

downtrodden murmurings

So maybe because I’m sick I’m just feeling down and out and that’s where this is all coming from, but this is how I currently feel and I just need to let it out….

Sometimes I seriously wonder if people would notice if I didn’t hang out with the group anymore. Its not like they actually listen to me anyways, and half the time when I go to say something people just ignore the fact that I have something to bring to the conversation and just talk over me. Even when I’m trying to get there attention on something I get ignored, and later on, when they start talking on whatever point I was trying to make its just like hello. if you wouldn’t have overrode my talking you would have heard this already. As much as I love these friends of mine, sometimes I just wonder how good or well of friends we are. If things are going on, I’m usually the last to know, but I’m usually the first to ask about what is going on. Maybe I’m just viewed as a “tag-along” or something along those lines, and people really don’t like to hang out with me, but they put up with me; because its the “nice” thing to do. I realize that most of this being typed is probably complete crap, and that its more than likely a side effect of the various meds I’ve had to take today because of this allergy flare-up, but still I wonder….

I wonder things like, if I were to stop hanging with the group, would they notice?  Or, maybe if I can attain my normal self, the side that is hyper and loud around small numbers of people, that they would listen to me? I think the only reason I was invited to go with some of them to paint the free expression tunnel the other night was because I had a camera.  Seriously. The text message read: You wanna come with your camera? I am more than just a girl with a camera. I have thoughts, views, ideas, dreams, and passions that need to be shared just as much as anyone else. But no one listens. If they did they would realize such things. But they don’t. And its their loss.

It feels so much like this to the point that, from my perspective, some of them really don’t talk to me unless little to no people are with us. There’s one guy who I thought I liked (i realized that I don’t-I’m not ready for any “crushes” or anything of that sort) but more and more he makes me feel like I have the plague or something. And I know for a fact that he doesn’t know that I did like him…only 2 maybe 3 people knew from me telling them, and they would never have told him, so there’s no way he could have picked up on it because even the people that I did tell didn’t pick up on it. But we’re supposed to be friends right? And everytime we’re in a group I’m the one he ignores, and its not that he’s ignoring all girls…oh no, its just me. Yet, I was making tea tonight, and he walked into the kitchen and made small talk with me about how I was sick and making tea and whatnot. The whole convo probably lasted all of 2 min before it was over with, but it was made where everyone else was in the other room, and yet when I tried to talk to him with the others around, I just got a weird look. Then it happened as they were all leaving, basically everyone was out the door, and he bounds around the corner from the office to catch up with them and stops to make small talk about me having a test and good luck and such. It doesn’t make sense.

I don’t know. Half the time I wonder why I hang out with Chi Alpha in the first place when it feels like this. I feel like the only people who are in XA and who really care are not even a handful, and most of the people who do care are not even a part of XA and are more than a handful. And I want to be a leader here? What do I honestly bring to the table, especially for a leadership role, if I’m just getting shafted at every turn…or almost every turn? And I’m not bashing them, please do not get me wrong. I love them all, and I know they love me, and most of this tirade is probably because of all the meds. Chi Alpha is an amazingly great group and I love being a part of it. It’s just days like today, when I’m sick and exhausted, and starting to stress about tests and upcoming exams, along with trying to follow God’s will for me and not running from that…it’s just days like today I wish one of my friends would just give me a hug. A hug instead of shying away from me blowing my nose like they did at the lunch table..its allergies for crying out loud…you are not going to catch them from me! It’s days like today I wish one of the guys I hang out with would realize hey. michaela’s having a bad day. let’s cheer her up. But no. I’m always the last to be sought and the first to be overlooked. Or, at least that is how it feels.

I just have to keep reminding myself that God has someone out there for me who will want to hear my thoughts and dreams and ideas. Someone that won’t talk over everything I say. And whether or not that is a future bf or just friends, like the few I have, they are very rare and I’m very appreciative of them.

Oh well…enough of this. If anything, its just helping me follow 1 Thessalonians’ instructions in chapter 4, verses 11 and 12:

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,
to mind your own business
and to work with your hands,
just as we told you,
so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders
and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

ok…I have 2 tests I need to go study for. Tomorrow is going to be one long and busy day, and thursday just as bad. I really hope that I find time to sleep sometime tonight or tomorrow night.

I leave you with this from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,
-immashutterbug

im miserable…

I HATE POLLEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

stupid trees should learn a new way to pollenate so that I don’t get sick. ugh. to make this even worse, mom reminded me this morning that this is around the same time I’d always get sick. That Fine Arts is this upcoming weekend, and for every year that I went to Fine Arts, I would get majorly sick beforehand, to the point of losing my voice. I wasn’t happy to hear that…not at all. Not only can I not stop sneezing and blowing my nose (even though I’m drugged up on allergy meds), but my eyes have begun the itchy/runny/tear phase which sucks cuz they look all puffy, and I’m exhausted no matter what I’m doing. I went to class and then went back to my house to take a nap..i only went to one class!!! i actually would love a nap right now, but i have class in an hour so thats just not going to happen…i am thinking about some coffee to keep me awake though. But I did something stupid when I was leaving for lunch today. I left my meds at the house. So come an hour or so I am going to die….death by sneezing-runny-nose-itchy-teary-eyes-coughing. oh yea…doesn’t that sound oh so fun???

so again i state…trees should find another way to pollenate.

-immashutterbug

Breaking The Mold

Some funky stuff I took last night. I broke my full-length mirror by accident but an awesome idea popped in my head…

yea…had a bit of fun with that. :) Tell me what you think…

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