Long To Love

The 3 R's

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:38:00 PDT


Katie Couric speaking at UVA's graduation. Credit: UVA

Happy Friday! Sorry for the lack of posts, once again...I've been having some internet problems, so below is the post I started yesterday but wasn't able to finish:

As the week rolls along, I have just one more graduation related post. This past weekend at UVA's graduation, the graduates had the privilege to hear from one of the most beloved UVA grads, Katie Couric. I can't say that Katie and I agree on everything, but our devout love for UVA unties us.

Her message was witty, conversational, and engaging and she spoke to the graduates about the 3 R's: Risk, Rejection, and Resiliency.

Whether or not we're recent graduates, I think all of us can benefit from the 3 R's, but the beautiful thing about having God is that the 3 R's take on a whole new meaning.

Risk--in God, we have the courage to step up and step out. We're fortified to take risks understanding that God is with us to strengthen, equip, and protect us.

Get up and prepare for action.

Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say....I am with you, and I will take care of you.

Jeremiah 1:17, 19 (NLT)

Rejection--even with God, there are many times when we'll face rejection--not getting into the school we want, missing out on our "dream job", or learning that "Mr. Right" turned out to be "Mr. Heartbreaker." But when it comes to rejection, we can take rest in two promises:

1. God's plan B is ALWAYS better than our plan A!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Proverbs 16: 9

2. No matter what rejection we may face, we are not alone and we are not abandoned. God will not leave us!

"Never will I leave you;
      never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence,
   "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
      What can man do to me?"

Hebrews 13:5-6

Resiliency--is it just me, or is it SO much easier to be resilient when we have God on our side? I mean, in God, we have someone who has plans for us and who wants us to succeed. He will be faithful to equip us with everything we need for fulfilling those plans. Don't let disappointment hold you back; keep moving forward and believe that God will be faithful to accomplish that which He has called you to do.

The Lord will fulfill his purposeor me;
your love, O Lord, endures forever do not abandonthe works of your hands.

Psalm 138:8

And my God will meet all your needsaccording to his glorious richesin Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Cover Up

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:57:00 PDT

Rocking my favorite sun hat last summer on the beach with my college roommates

Hannah Capps embracing the hat at a very early age. Isn't she cute?

I've mentioned this before, but for a majority of my teenage and adolescent life, I mistakenly assumed that I could tan. I would head out to the beach with my beautiful, tan, blonde friends and rather than returning resembling Malibu Barbie like they did, I was much more closely compared to that of a lobster.

At around the age of 20, I FINALLY realized that I would never be able to tan, I was destroying my skin, and it was time to get serious about sun protection. Enter big, beautiful, floppy sun hats and 70 SPF. On my honeymoon to the Caribbean, without question, the "sexiest" thing I packed was 4 bottles of sunscreen all with SPFs of 50 or higher.

Abby's graduation this past weekend was the third sibling graduation I had attended, so this time, my sister Cally and I were prepared. Before heading out the door, we lathered on the SPF (she introduced me to something fabulous called Super Goop) and grabbed our hats. As we sat outside for over three hours in the baking sun, I kept thinking about how grateful I was to have protection and covering from the scorching rays.

As I continued to sit, (I mean, we were there for over three hours) I thought about how just like I was so grateful for the protection of my hat, I'm even more grateful for the covering and protection of our God. Like the hat thwarts off the sun's harmful rays, our God hovers over us--defending us, sheltering us, covering us, and protecting us--it's a shelter that we need in our lives and like my devout love for floppy hats, should be something we run to, cling to, and eagerly embrace. The safest place to be is right under His fold, hiding in the shadow of His wings.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty....

He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 91:4 (NLT)

A Little Graduation Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:57:00 PDT

My graduation day in 2006 with Josie & Megan
(I would have posted Abby, but she has no Facebook pics--smart girl!)

Happy Monday!! I hope you had a fabulous weekend! It was a big weekend for my family--our sweet Abby, the youngest of five, graduated from UVA. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of her!!

Last week, I was asked to write some advice for another college graduate with a few tips on entering "the big girl world" so since I know there are quite a few graduates out there, I thought I'd share it here as well:

Congratulations on graduating! Wow…I can’t even believe it! Not to be a Debbie Downer, but if you’re anything like me, I graduated dragging my heels, trying to stop time as much as possible. I mean, college is an amazing gig—unlimited free time, fabulous friends and roommates, and still somewhat supported by your parents, without all of the responsibility of living at home. I wanted to hold onto that as long as possible.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it; my adjustment into the “real world” was a bit rough. I mean, really, who wants to spend 40-hours a week working?! BUT, I’m here to tell you that it IS possible to adjust and there are some fun perks along the way. So, to try to help make the culture shock a bit easier on you, here are a few tips I picked up in DC during my first few years in the scary, but survivable “real world:”

It IS possible to spend all of your salary on rent and live off of popcorn—I didn’t have much food, but my apartment was amazing and I’ve never been skinnier!
Happy Hours at the end of a long workday are your friend—embrace them, have fun, but just don’t have TOO much fun, because you have to wake up and do it all over again the next day.
And while we're on the subject of drinking, be careful about drinking around co-workers and your boss—moderation is always key, but in this instance, it’s crucial.
A fabulous pair of black pumps will take you far—invest in a pair that make you feel confident and beautiful.
Always keep a survival kit with a toothbrush, deodorant, Tylenol, perfume, lotion, and a little powder and concealer in your office—you will be glad you did!
Some offices can be filled with toxic gossip—don’t let it suck you in.
Be sure never to tear down the other people your work with—no matter how much you may want to, it's not becoming.
Kickball and softball teams are always a good idea!
When your friends start getting married, it can be expensive to try to make an appearance, but DO it! I made lots of financial sacrifices to get to weddings, but never regretted a single one. They’re like mini-reunions throughout the year!
After each wedding you attend, be sure you write a thank you note to the parents of the bride—they worked hard to provide that mini-reunion!
Get plugged into a church and a girls’ Bible study ASAP. I kind of floundered around for a year like a fish out of water. Had I made it a priority to get spiritually connected, I think my first year out of college would have been much easier.
There is ONE “Mr. Right” for you and he’s worth waiting for—don’t waste too much time on the “Mr. Right Nows.”
No matter what happens, hold tightly to the promise that “God will fulfill the purposes He has for you.” (Psalm 138:8) Not only does He love you, but He has a plan. Stick with Him and He will reveal it to you.

Not only are you going to survive the “big girl world,” but you are going to THRIVE. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for you! You might not believe it right now, but I promise, the best is yet to come! And if you really can’t survive, don’t fret; there’s always grad school!

xo,

Elizabeth

What advice do YOU have for our recent graduates? Leave a comment to chime in!

Friday Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:03:00 PDT

Happy Friday, friends!! Sorry for my absence this week, sometimes life happens and forces you to take a little break to regroup and get a little spiritual CPR. Hope you've had a great week!

I have to say, one of the most fun and, at times, stressful things about being in your mid-to-late-twenties is that your life, and the lives around you, are full of so much transition and life changing events. Just this week, I watched as Meg graduated law school, then we hopped over to sweet Anna Kate bringing life into the world and delivering sweet Campbell Grace Prum, and we finished out the week out with my dear friend and "life roommate" Sallie getting engaged on Wednesday night. It has been so much fun to celebrate in each one of these fabulous milestones!

Below is probably my all time favorite new baby picture. With just four days into her new role as a mom, Anna Kate is a pro! She's already coordinated Campbell's sleep schedule with her dog Finn's. Is she a natural, or what?!

This weekend, I'll watch as my my precious baby sister Abby graduates from college and another group of young, ambitious, intelligent twenty-somethings is released into the "real world" to wrestle with jobs, the elimination of 3-month long summer breaks, memos, office Christmas parties, grad school, engagements, marriages, and babies. I'm telling you, for many women, your twenties is a lot of change for one girl to handle!

But oh, how I digress! I'm so proud of my little graduate and I can't wait to celebrate with her!

As for favorites, besides the above picture, I haven't had much time for blog hopping this week. My number one favorite of the week has been my Jesus Calling book. I know I talk about it often, but the reassurance of God's truth and His faithfulness on a daily basis is such a gift!! I can't recommend it enough!

In other news, today the "highly anticipated" movie What to Expect When You're Expecting premiers. What do you think? Will you see it? You know I love a good trailer, so I hope you enjoy:
(Email subscribers click here)

Happy weekend!!

Praise!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:22:00 PDT

Lately, my sweet niece Lulu has started to call me on the phone. I can't begin to tell you how much I love our little chats. Last night she called when I was at my house, so we turned it into a video chat. We talked, we sang, we ate cookies, and then we danced on our respective coffee tables with Justin Bieber and The VonTrapp family. It was delightful. Here's a little screenshot I snapped. Do you like her "make-up"? She got into her red marker and went to town with her "lipstick." I'm telling you, I adore this child!

But not only is she a budding chef and cosmetologist-in-training, but she's also an original song writer. Check out this little tune below I like to call it "Praises to the Lord, ooohh, ooohh, ooohhh":
(Email subscribers click here)

I mean, is that not the cutest?! It made my heart soar! In the Bible it talks about singing and making music in your heart and I just love that here, in the back of the car, three-year-old little Lulu is doing just that.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 150:6

Meg The Graduate!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:50:00 PDT

Happy Monday! This past weekend was big...HUGE. Not only was it Mother's Day, but Long to Love's very own, Margaret Pittman Kelsey graduated from law school!!

Ever since I was born and Meg was a wiser, more mature five months older than me, Meg has always been my hero. As little girls, she was always the fun, adventurous one. Growing up with two brothers, she could effortlessly fit in with the cute boys and I envied her ease and natural ability to win hearts wherever she went.

Then in middle school and high school, not only was Meg a budding soccer star and an A++ student, but she ran everything. From a young age, she was always a natural leader.

Once in college, I couldn't believe that MY best friend went on to be the captain of Penn's soccer team (my other friends couldn't believe it either).

Life then carried her to Argentina and not only was she an amazing teacher, but she also became a professional soccer player. No. Big. Deal.

And now, here's my little Meg all grown up with her very own JD.

But, what continually amazes me about Meg is that through everything--ballet, soccer middle school dances, student council, school, and being a professional athlete on the side--Meg has always stayed anchored and grounded in her faith. With every ball she balances, the one in the center, which everything else revolves around, has always been her God. Never has she ever been too busy to get on her knees and give praise to the One who makes everything else possible. And it's her humility and her faith that allows her to receive accolades such as this:

Congratulations, sweet Meg!! Thanks for being my slightly older and wiser friend who I will always look up to and aspire to resemble!

Friday Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:01:00 PDT

How delightful does this look? (via Pinterest)

Happy Friday! I hope you had a fabulous week! Just a few favorites this week:

Shauna Niequist recently gave a commencement speech which she posted here. Great advice for all, especially our newest graduates!

And guess who's gracing the Birchbox blog this week? My mom! Check out her mother's day wish list here.

Finally, I'm not sure if I've ever posted about it, but one of my all-time favorite blogs is Suri's Burn Book. It is hilarious. This week, she posted a clip of one of her favorites, Kiernan Shipka (who plays Sally from Mad Men). I'm telling you, Kiernan is pretty amazing!

Feel free to add your favorites to the comments! Have a great weekend!

"Stuff" My Mom Says

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:14:00 PDT

In addition to Long to Love, I'm also fortunate to be able to blog weekly over on The Changing Seasons Blog in addition to Trish, Mary Elizabeth, Dee, Jodie, and my Mama. One perk for my mom of having me stay with her when I'm at the beach for work, is that I get to proofread her posts. This morning, she had me read a Mother's Day post inspired by all of the fabulous advice that her mother passed down.

Which got me to thinking...I could write an entire book on my mom's little nuggets of wisdom, so I decided to completely copy my mother (I AM my mother's daughter). You've heard of "Stuff" Girls Say, and this morning, I give you my own "Stuff" My Mom Says:

4. "Physical Chemistry is an important component in a relationship...sometimes it might get you into trouble, but you can't have a great relationship without it!

If you ask her, she'll deny she ever said this, but there was a time in my life when I needed to hear this. This is going to sound obvious, and I'm embarrassed I needed to be told this, but it's not just enough to have a guy who really likes you and you somewhat enjoy being around...you need to have chemistry! To this one, I will add, my mother also liked to tell me that "nothing good happens after midnight." And as usual, my mother was right!

3. "We are a team & we stick together!"

Growing up, my four siblings and I would groan as she would hammer this into our heads as we walked out the door and bounded off to school. But she was right. My mother was always speaking to us about the value and gift of family and how it was our job to look out for one another, protect one another, and always, always build each other up to others. As I'm writing this, I see how it can apply to my marriage as well...who likes to listen to a wife nag and complain about her husband all the time? My brother has taken this to the extreme and when he got married, his beautiful bride gave him matching "Team Robertson" shirts. Isn't that adorable?!

2. "You weren't made to fall, you were made to rise into what God has for you."

These words were gold to my broken 19-year-old heart. I wrote a whole post about them here, but essentially, it helped me examine all major life decisions —boys, jobs, moves, friends..even shopping— am I rising or falling? Sometimes we get frustrated and tried of waiting so we fall into something that's less than God's best, but my mom continually reminds me that I was made to rise into what God has for me, and so were you!

1. "See how the Lord loves to take care of you!"

When I was in third grade, my parents got tickets to see Amy Grant in her LEGENDARY "Heart in Motion Tour". Being it was on a school night, my mom was concerned about her little 8-year-old staying up late at the greatest concert of all time. It was also right around the time of standardized testing so she told me to pray about it and that she would call my teacher to get her thoughts. I prayed my little heart out and when I came home she said that she talked to my teacher and she said that the tests were planned for the week of the concert, but unexpectedly, the tests hadn't come in, so they had to postpone them a week. It was an Amy Grant miracle and God had heard my prayer! My mom looked in my eyes and said, "Elizabeth, see how the Lord loves to take care of you!"

I couldn't believe how personal and real God could be and that he would care about something as silly as an Amy Grant concert, though I'm sure He's a fan! Ever since then, my mom has never been far with her saying...when I found 5 fabulous roommates to live with in college, when I stumbled into my first big girl job, when a hurricane threatened, but did not destroy my wedding...and the list continues to go on. God is good and if there's one thing my mom reminds me of over and over again, He loves to take care of me!

Have a nugget of wisdom from your mom, sound off below? Or you moms out there, what's the number one nugget you want to be remembered for??

Listen Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:23:00 PDT

Two cups of coffee...perfect for any good listening sesh! (via Pinterest)

If you were to look at me and assign me labels there are some that might come easily to those who know me even a little: wife, daughter, sister, bargainista, Wahoo, wannabe foodie, Bachelor fan, and dance party enthusiast. One label that would not be quickly assigned to me? A good listener.

Ya'll, it's amazing I actually have friends, because I'm a horrible-no-good-very-bad listener. Often, I'm zoning out, multitasking, interrupting, or too busy thinking of the next thing I'm going to say to actually pay attention to what others say.

This morning, in my fabulous book The Resolution for Women, Priscilla Shirer talks about how our listening can be a gift that we give to others. (If you keep reading Long to Love you won't even need to buy the book, since apparently I like to provide weekly summaries...but I can't help it; it's SO good!)

To illustrate this, she talks about Jesus and what a faithful and devout listener he was to even the most unnoticed, insignificant people. But they weren't unnoticed to him, Jesus cared and he listened.

Today, in my own faith, I can't tell you how grateful I am to have a God who listens to me no matter what. And I assure you, I take him up on it:

"God, this is hard..."

"God, she is horrible..."

"God, I don't want to do this..."

"God, help me..."

I tell you, with all of my whining and complaining, I can't even believe God even puts up with me, but I'm beyond grateful that he does. With everything else that he has going on, I can't believe he actually takes time to listen to me, validate me, and comfort me. What a gift!! The Bible even tells us to "cast all our cares upon him, because he cares for us" (1 Peter 5:7...which is actually someone's memory verse for May!)

In the same way God gifts us with an attentive ear, we can bless others with our listening ear, as Priscilla concludes:

"Listening is one of the most significant ways He blesses us. Therefore, quite predictably, it's one of the key ways we can bless others."

"So choose to listen. Resist the urge to criticize, insult, laugh, or make sarcastic remarks. Battle the press of time and urgency and the hunger to get away. Just lean in, quietly, emphatically, purposefully. And listen. It's your gift. Your blessing. Give it to whomever you can."

Not only is a listening ear something we're gifted with when we enter into a relationship with God, but it's also a gift that we can freely and willingly offer up to others so, listen up!

#Winning

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:01:00 PDT

I promise that not every post from here on out will be about memorizing scripture, but I have to tell you that my heart soared yesterday when I read all of the fabulous verses in the comment section. If you haven't already checked them out, click here to see what I'm talking about. I promise your heart will be strengthened. And if you still want to join, there's still time! Just click here and add your verse to the comments.

So, I know it's only been one day, but already, I'm starting to see fruit in my own life through memorizing scripture. Last night, I was tossing and turning in the middle of the night and wrestling with fear and anxiety. With the lights still out and no Bible in sight, I remembered the words of the verse I selected from Nehemiah yesterday, "Therefore you did not desert them."

I can't tell you what peace it brought to my restless heart. With each toss and each turn, I kept repeating it to myself and was assured that God was with me and He would not desert me.

I still need to work on learning the, "But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love," part, but on day one, I definitely have the "Therefore you did not desert them" part down.

Also, I was SO encouraged by my Jesus Calling reading this morning and I just have to share the last sentence: "Remember that I am on your side, and I have overcome the world."

Isn't that awesome?! Talk about #winning!

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Scripture Memory For May!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:17:00 PDT

Image via Pinterest

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. You may recall from last week, today, we're kicking off our mini scripture memorization series. On the first Monday of each month, for anyone who wants to participate, we're going to share a verse that we want to commit to memory this month in the comments. The verse can be as short or as long as you like.

I'm so excited about doing this, because lately I've been learning SO much about how important it is that we take the time to not only read God's word, but absorb it and let it infiltrate our souls, so I hope you're as excited as I am. Over the weekend, my fabulous cousin Barbara (she's actually my aunt, but she's way too young and hip to be an aunt so I call her my cousin) sent me the following quote from Philip Yancey:

‎"Memorization [of Scripture] can be to our hunger for God what practicing a musical

instrument is for performance. It can be the singing of the scales of the soul."

Isn't that awesome?!

So without further ado, here's my verse:

"But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them."

Nehemiah 9:17

A friend sent this verse to me a few months ago and I fell in love with it for so many reasons. I love how it speaks to God's forgiveness, grace, compassion, and love and I especially loves the reassurance it provides that God will not desert us.

If you want to join, just leave a comment saying which verse you are going to memorize this month. Email subscribers, click here to leave a comment. It will be so fun to have everyone's verses in one place!

After we get our verses down, then comes the fun part—actually memorizing it. A few ways to do this is to be sure to keep it in the forefront of your mind—write it on an index card, put in in your planner, tape it up on your mirror, or even on your steering wheel—somewhere you know you'll look often. My favorite place to put verses is on the right side of my laptop.

Have a verse for the month of May? Sound off below! And if you're wanting to memorize something but aren't quite sure what, here are a few of my favorites:

'I would have despaired unless I had believed that

I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living'

Psalm 27:13 (related post)

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

Psalm 37:3 (related post)

"Therefore, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God's glory"

1 Corinthians 10:13 (related post)

Ready, Set, Go!

Friday Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:42:00 PDT

A little Friday Fascinator in honor of Will & Kate's one-year anny & The Derby

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a wonderful week!

Before we get to favorites, I have a quick update on the scripture memorization from Wednesday. After hearing from a few of you (thanks for the feedback!), the plan is going to be to pick one verse to memorize on the first Monday of each month and then add it in the comments below the post. I'm not sure how long we'll do it, but let's start with May-Aug and see how it goes. So get excited and get your verse ready for next Monday!

As for favorites, this story on the landlord from the apartment complex smack dab in the middle of the Virginia Beach jet crash last month was so powerful. It's not everyday that you get to read a story of such restoration and redemption in the newspaper.

My friend Josie just discovered an awesome website for baby nurseries and she graciously took it upon herself to pick out mood boards for a few friends. Even though we have no baby, I love the "look" she gave us. She knows me well.

And there are two products that I just have to share today:

The first is the BEST fingernail polish ever. Don't you hate fingernail polish that smells and completely dries out your nail beds? Have no fear, Butter Powder Room "laqueur remover" is a lifesaver! Minimal smells, no drying out, and it actually works!

And lastly, I'm just crazy over Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers. You might be thinking, "Elizabeth, isn't this just a sponge?" But friends, I'm here to tell you that this is SO much more than a sponge! I first heard of it, when my friend told me how she used it to get rid of the scuffs on the wall before they moved out of rental apartment.

I fell in love with it after purchasing it to help me get impossible stains off our white counters (mainly wine). Nothing else had worked!

But last weekend, my love reached an all-time high...I decided to try it on a scratch on our car that I had incurred last October. Ya'll, I kid you not, within 30 seconds this "magic eraser" completely erased the scratch and the white paint that had been on our car for nearly seven months. It's the cheapest miracle maker on the market!

What product has become your latest lifesaver?

The Good Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Wed, 02 May 2012 06:02:00 PDT

Image via Pinterest

Yesterday, after I wrote my post on absorbing God's word, I received a beautiful email from someone talking about "the treasury of a good heart" from Matthew 12:35. There's no way I'll be able to do it justice but two things that struck me were this:

"God didn't give me a new heart to leave it vacant, but to fill it with a treasury of His words, promises, encouragements, challenges, truths, etc. These "precious items" will help my good heart identify and reject bad habits that I formed when living with my old bad heart from birth."

They concluded by saying, "I'm going for the good stuff to fill the treasury. No common vessels or clay pots."

I don't know about you, but the treasury of my heart is currently lacking...I mean, instead of God's word, I know so much celebrity gossip, it's actually embarrassing. How in the world is that helping me?

But rather than wallow in the fact that I know more about Jennifer Aniston's ex-flames than I do about the Psalms, I decided I should do something about it. I love the imagery of going after the good stuff and seeing God's word as precious truths to be savored and enjoyed--like the finest of wines or rich, decadent chocolate.

So like my Bible verses from years ago, I'm ready to absorb God's word again by memorizing scripture. If you've never memorized scripture before, it might seem like busy work and unnecessary, but here's the thing: when we spend time meditating and taking God's word to heart, it saturates our souls. Then God's word, which is living and active, goes with us no matter where we are. So on the days when we barely have time to brush our teeth for one minute, let alone read the Bible for three, God's word comes with us in a close and personal way.

When we're driving in our car and feel like we can't keep going, we can feed our hearts with Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Or when we're alone and terrified we can reassure ourselves with Deuteronomy 31:6: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

But, like most things in life, I don't want to do this alone. I'm toying with the idea of doing something similar to Beth Moore's blog, where once or twice a month we can all do it together and leave our verses in the comments here on Long to Love. That way there's consistency, accountability, and encouragement to actually do it, rather than just talk about it. So, my two questions for you are:
1. Are you interested?
2. Which do you prefer: the first Monday of every month, or the 1st & 2nd Monday of every month?

Let me know in the comments or by email at elizabeth.r.williams1(at)gmail.com.

Get excited!

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight."

Jeremiah 15:16

Absorb It

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:03:00 PDT

Ever since I found my old note cards with Bible verses on them, I've had such a longing to get back into God's word and embrace scripture. In my new favorite book, The Resolution for Women, Priscilla Shirer talks about the power of God's word saying:

"His Word is not a chore. Not a nag. It's life. It's love. It's living truth, solid as granite yet soft as a baby's skin. And it's not just to be read. It's to absorb. To bathe in. To live by. To inspire us, reshape us, and define us."

In my Bible study on Sunday night, we talked about how it's amazing that something written and inspired by God over 2,000 years ago, still remains so incredible powerful and applicable today. I mean, isn't that pretty amazing?

Priscilla goes on to list out some affirmation Bible statements that she's reworded to the first person. They're all pretty fabulous, but here are a few of my favorites:

I am competent not in my own abilities but because He has made me competent by His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

I abide in Christ, He abides in me, and I bear much fruit (John 15:5).

The One who is in me is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

The Lord guards my going out and my coming in, today and forever (Psalm 121:8).

In Christ, I am whole and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4).

God's word is alive and active and SUCH an incredible gift to us. Let's do more than just read it, let's absorb it, and allow it to inspire, reshape, and define us.

Cultivate It

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:02:00 PDT

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! This weekend in Charlottesville was the Foxfield races, which is basically my most favorite day of the year. I mean, what could be better than dressing up in a sundress, heading to a horse race, and drinking mimosas all day? It was delightful!

You may recall last week, I wrote a post about making comparisons and I used an herb garden and young, fast, skinny runners to make my point. As the days have gone on, I've been thinking a lot about being envious and consumed by comparisons. Jealousy is something I really struggle with--not only do I envy herbs and athletic ability, but I also envy clothes, beautifully decorated homes, life seasons, and even other people's faith...yes, their faith.

I know that we are all beyond loved by God, but sometimes I talk to my friends and they just seem so plugged in and connected to God and I just think, "I want that..."

As I've continued to think, dream, and envy my friend's herb garden, something that has struck me is that she has actually taken the time to cultivate and nurture her garden. Me? My herbs are lucky if they get watered once every two weeks.

Abby planted, fertilized, and watered. She even owns her own watering can! And when she went out of town, she didn't just leave them alone, but she made arrangements to have someone come take care of them to ensure they would continue to thrive in her absence. Abby's herbs are beautiful because she made an effort to make them beautiful.

My herbs don't make it, because I just plant them and hope for the best...not taking the time to take care of them.

The same can be said for running...running is a process that you have to maintain. There have been a few times in my life where running came easily, but it was when I was running 3-4 times a week. The minute I stop, it gets tough again. So how can I envy people who have been running their entire lives and actually put the time into it?

I think this can also apply to our faiths. Make no mistake, no matter what we do, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation or God's love, but like any relationship, I think on a day-to-day basis, you get out what you put into it. I have a friend that I so admire because all she wants is more of God—she reads, she journals, she prays, and she is fully aware of where and how God is moving throughout her day in both her professional life and her personal life.

As her friend, I've seen God do some pretty unbelievable things, and I've been in awe at how near and personal our God truly is. And as much as I've LOVED watching my friend embark on this journey, sometimes I think, "God, I want that too..." Like a middle sister jealous of the beautiful, successful older one.

It's a dangerous trap to begin to compare our faiths to other people, and one that, though I easily fall into, needs to be avoided. God is real and personal to each of us in different ways, it's certainly not something we should allow to consume us.

BUT, rather than be envious, I think it's okay to admire someone's faith. Just like in any relationship, she's putting the time into her relationship with God to strengthen, deepen it, and grow it. She's investing, sharing, listening, and serving and God is responding.

Here's a thought, rather than sit at home moping about what I think I'm lacking, why don't I harness my envying energy and actually do something? Like cultivate my own relationship or water my plants?! What a novel idea!

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

Psalm 9:10

Friday Favorites!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:01:00 PDT

Image via Pinterest

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a fabulous week! Here are a few of my favorite links from the week:

I loved this post from Katherine Wolf on steps to handling the unnecessary and unwelcomed stress of a horrible-no-good-very-bad-day.

This NPR story on "The Defining Decade" that is our 20s featuring UVA professor, Meg Jay was SO interesting.

And I recently stumbled upon one Maine family's goal of having 52 weekly dinners with a different member of their community while their father is away on a year-long deployment to help fill his empty seat at the table. The mother writes about it weekly here. I was particularly struck by this article when she writes, "Community matters more than any "reason" not to invite someone to dinner." As one who always finds excuses...my house is too messy, we don't have any food in the house, there's never a good time...I really appreciated it.

AND Sophia Grace & Rosie are back in America this week! Is it just me, or are these girls not the cutest? They make me happy!

Happy weekend!

Green Thumb & Green With Envy

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:59:00 PDT

Image via Pinterest

Is it just me, or is it sometimes so hard not to compare yourself to everyone else? I apologize if I sound like a broken record at times, but man, it's definitely something I struggle with—in the big things and even in the little things.

Yesterday, I walked down the street to water my sweet neighbors plants while she's away and I was envious of her beautiful, thriving herbs—she had basil, she had mint, she had rosemary, and she had thyme—all just as lush and fruitful as they could be. As for my garden? While I do have some thyme and rosemary that have survived three moves, I've never been able to keep basil or mint for longer than two weeks. Are you hearing me? I was jealous of herbs. Seriously?!

Later, I went on a super quick run and decided to run around UVA...big mistake. Neely and I trudged along while we kept getting passed by these young, beautiful, skinny girls. If we were in the wild, they would be the swift, beautiful gazelles, while I would play the Hippo who waddles along behind. Note to self: stick to your less traveled neighborhood route next time! You will never be a 20-year-old former cross country star.

I know that I could fill this post up with Bible verses about how God loves us just the way we are and He is only concerned about our hearts, but sometimes even when the Truth is staring you in the face, my eyes only see where I'm lacking or falling short—in big ways, or in something as insignificant as an herb garden.

And so I don't really have a bow to wrap this post up today, I guess I'm back to looking and learning and praying for a content heart who KNOWS that God is Sufficient. One ready and eager to give "my best" to my season and responsibilities and not constantly compare myself to "the best" in others. And rather than envy the gifts and talents in others, I'm praying for a heart that can truly celebrate and appreciate them. You can be certain that I will be borrowing some mint and basil from my friend and I will rejoice and enjoy her beautiful and blessed green thumb.

Looking Back

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:59:00 PDT

Most days I dread getting the mail. I mean, it's just filled with bills that I don't want to pay and junk mail I don't want to open. But every once in a while, something catches my eye and it's not only my monthly Birchbox. Yesterday, I opened up an envelope addressed by my mother and found this:

Isn't that adorable? And yes, that's a kiss mark up above. I can't say I remember writing this, but I have a pretty good idea who it was for—my first love who smooched me under the basketball hoop by his house when I was five.

It was so fun holding something from my five-year-old self. As a five-year-old, I was large and in charge. I loved being the boss and once told my mom that I wanted to grow up and be a "waitress and a manager." And I also loved having three younger siblings who would believe anything I told them and do anything I said...the minute I discovered that, my life became MUCH more fun!

So, yesterday, I thought about what I would say if I were to meet that determined, loud, and often annoying five-year-old Elizabeth. Most of it were things my mom told me, kind of like my own "Stuff" my Mom Says, but I just wasn't ready to listen:

I'm sorry your mom made you have a horrible boy cut while your older sister gets to have long hair...don't worry, it will grow out. And while you might not like your red hair, I promise you will grow to appreciate it.

You're right, Whitney Houston and Wilson Phillips will never be topped. Always remember to "Hold on for one more day"

Even though you think you can now, you will NEVER be able to tan. Embrace sunscreen and floppy hats for they are your friends.

Your mom was right...calling boys from sleepovers makes you look desperate and annoying.

And speaking of boys, it's quite alright to let them do all the asking.

But beyond the essentials in life: hair, skincare, pop music, and boys, what would I tell her about faith? I'm definitely no expert, but there are a few truths I would impart on my five-year-old self, or at least write them in a letter for her to read when she's 15:

You're probably not going to grace the stage at the Oscars and that's okay, God still has a perfect and beautiful plan for you.

There will be times when you feel lonely, abandoned and utterly alone, but I assure you, you are not. Even in the loneliest of times, God will not leave you. No, not ever!

There may be times where you can't "feel" God, but don't give up, He has not and He will not leave you.

You will face seasons where your heart is hurting and you don't feel loved, and in those times, I pray that you will know and believe that you are loved with an everlasting love and His love is infinite and it is perfect.

Life isn't going to always work out the way you planned, but it's going to be okay. God's plans far exceed any plans we could make for ourselves.

When it comes to love, believe it or not, God is the God of romance—you can put your heart in His hands and trust Him to take care of you.

And you will face plenty of times in your life where you feel like a failure and you let God down, but always remember that God's grace is infinite and there's nothing you can do that will separate you from his love.

What would you tell your five-year-old self?

Don't Save Your Best For Later

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:00:00 PDT

It's no secret, I'm LOVING Priscilla Shirer's book The Resolution for Women. So much, that I'm inching along because I truly don't want it to end. Priscilla gets women--our struggles, our strengths, and what tugs and pulls on our heartstrings. She also gets the Bible and knows how to make scriptures we may have heard 1,000 times before come to life in a new and fresh way.

So this morning, when I read "Therefore, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God's glory" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Initially I thought, "I've heard this before..."

But she goes on to talk about how often, we women are so determined to do 1,000 things rather than choosing 1 or 2 to wholly and completely devote to God. "When you choose to do everything, you can't do anything well. But, when honoring God is your focus, it pares down your purpose and narrows your focus."

She continues to say that we can't save our best for later—waiting for the "perfect season" when we can really give God everything. "Nothing in God's eyes is too menial to be worthy of our wholehearted devotion."

She then goes on to talk about one of my most favorite life lessons—living in the "now" moment. It's so easy to put things off and delay our best for the next season of life. In my own home, I often tell myself, that once I have kids, then I'll really take the time to bring order and peace into my home...are you kidding me? Is that not the WORST logic ever?! I need to get that under control now, because moms, tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't think those babies are going to help bring order and peace into my home.

I LOVE what Priscilla writes below:

"Don't save your best for later.

Don't wait to finish school, reserving your best work for whenever you land a real job that's actually taking you somewhere. Don't wait until you're married when the things you do will feel more like they're contributing to building a home and a life. Don't wait until you start a family, thinking you'll be more inspired to give your best when you have children to invest in. Don't wait until your kids leave the nest, biding your time until you're freer to pour yourself into the next challenge....

Don't wait for another time, another set of circumstances, another accomplishment, or another pay raise before flinging the full weight of your potential into the mix—even if you're not entirely happy with how your life looks right now...Bring your best—all your gifts, skills, talents, and abilities to the task at hand—in this moment, for His glory."

Friends, let's not be women who wait and try to save our best for later, but whatever we do, no matter how big and glamorous or how small or menial, let's do it all for God's glory.

All Whipped Up

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:59:00 PDT

Image from PlanetGreenDiscovery

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fabulous weekend. I pretty much holed up in our little tree house and stayed put...it was simply delightful.

Yesterday morning I found myself making eggs benedict and meringues. It might seem like an extremely odd pairing, but to make the hollandaise sauce, you need egg yolks, so if you want to be super resourceful, you can add a side of meringues to make use of your extra egg whites.

The science of cooking sometimes baffles me...who figured out how to separate egg whites and egg yolks? Who decided to whip egg whites hard enough and long enough to discover they could form very stiff, hard peaks? I don't know who they were, but I'm thankful to our culinary explorers who have paved the way.

I'm not sure if you've ever made hollandaise or meringues, but each one takes a lot of patience and a lot of whipping. With each endeavor, I stood there looking in the bowl, wondering if this was actually going to work out. What I had in front of me was a liquidy mess--could it really turn into a rich sauce to dress our egg with, or a thick, delicious consistency to make meringues? With each endeavor I grew doubtful.

But as I whipped and waited and watched, I saw how little-by-little, things began to turn. And after a while, I had successfully created hollandaise sauce and meringues.

Image from A Cozy Kitchen

During the process, as I continued to inspect my liquids, I couldn't help but see my life as the egg whites and sugar being spun around by a Master whisk. At times, things may take longer than I expect; I question my purpose; and rather than order, I only see chaos; but just like my egg whites, all hope is not lost. They were made and intended for a purpose and so was I.

When we hand our lives over to God, we can trust that He has a plan. When we allow Him to be the one to mix and shape us, we can be assured that He will accomplish the plans He has for us. And the end result will be something beautiful and deliciously perfect.

Image from Sugar Laws

You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 64:8

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138:8

Friday Favorites!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:59:00 PDT

Happy Friday friends! I don't know about you, but I am SO ready for the weekend! A few favorites to carry you into the weekend:

Our sweet niece, Louisa turned 3 this week! Her fabulous Aunt Elizabeth & Uncle Bubba gave her some fairy princess dress-up clothes, including pink princess hair. Doesn't the Birthday Princess look fabulous?

My niece Lousia turns 3!

Two people sent me this op-ed on living together before marriage written by UVA clinical psychologist, Meg Jay, that I thought was really interesting. Check it out here.

By way of Nina's blog, I stumbled upon this great post by Rachel Held Evans: "In Praise of My Unspectacular Pre-Pinterest Wedding."

Moms of little ones, I think you'll appreciate this post my mom did on seeing through the fog of motherhood.

And have ya'll been watching American Idol? I typically like to pop in towards the end in time for hometown dates which make me melt into a puddle of tears, but I caught the top 7 this week with my parents and I LOVED this rendition of Born This Way:
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Forgiveness Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:09:00 PDT

Kelly Clarkson--inspiring post-break-up women everywhere since 2002

Yesterday, I began to share a few thoughts on unforgiveness and today I thought I'd share a little bit about dealing with unforgiveness when it comes to guys.

Ladies, here's the thing: it is SO easy to harbor bitterness and unforgiveness towards boys, because, let's face it, they do so many stupid things. And after that, it's difficult to move forward and we end up loving to hate them.

When it comes to boys, it's easy to put ourselves in positions where we're vulnerable and exposed, so if/when the hurting comes, it feels raw, deep, and incredibly painful, making forgiveness beyond difficult.

I had one relationship, in particular, where even after it ended, I struggled for an extremely long time to let go of the unforgiveness in my heart. Years later, I have a much better understanding of the situation, but at the time, my little twenty-something heart felt as though I had been robbed, manipulated, and strung along for years. I had expectations for where I thought things were going and when it didn't work out the way I always thought it would, I was hurt, sad, and so mad that I had wasted so many years of my heart on a stupid boy. In my mind he had gotten "the best years of my life" although little did I know, thankfully, those "best years" had yet to be lived...

Anyways, once things ended, surprisingly, it didn't take long for my romantic feelings to end as well. But what I found was that my massive infatuation quickly evolved into hatred, resentment, and unforgiveness. My heart was hard and bitter and angry break-up songs like "Since You've Been Gone," "You Oughta Know," and my favorite, Mariah Carey's "Someday," were my new best friends.

He even apologized to me and I looked him in the eyes and told him that I had forgiven him, but deep down, I think we both knew that I was lying.

Two years later (yes, I'm beyond embarrassed this little story has to last two years), I was at a women's retreat in Williamsburg. I don't remember anything the speaker said, except on the first night she told the story of learning that her husband of over twenty years had cheated on her. Talk about betrayal! But rather than scream, seek revenge upon his mistress, or shred all of his clothes to tiny pieces, she said the first thing she did was she knelt by her bed and prayed, "Lord, I want to forgive my husband. I pray right now that the unforgiveness and hatred I feel will not take root in my heart. I forgive him."

Are you kidding me?! I truly couldn't believe it.

I remember sitting towards the back of the room, so struck by her desperation to instantly forgive, before it had time to take root in her heart. I sat there thinking, "This woman was ready and willing to forgive her husband, the one who vowed that he would love her and be faithful to her alone, the one who cheated on her, the one who was walking out on her, and I can't even forgive and let go of stupid, petty boy problems from two years ago?"

I knew it was time to let it go.

My unforgiveness was only hurting myself, and it was holding me back, when I knew it was time to move forward. About a week later, he came over and I looked him in the eye and I said something like, "Okay, so, I know this was a while ago, and I've been over you for a long time (my insecure heart just had to throw that in there), but when I told you I forgave you, I was lying. Deep down, I have hated you for two years, but I'm finally in a place where I'm ready to forgive you, and this time I mean it."

Similar to yesterday, when he left, I felt the weight of this burden, I had been carrying around for years FINALLY be lifted off of my heart. I was free! And I truly meant what I said.

Months later, I found myself at a bar with another girl who had been hurt by him as well. As we continued to talk, all she wanted to do was complain about this stupid boy and band together because we had both been so wronged. Before I had forgiven, I'm sure I would have been more than happy to exchange stories, and moan and wail about how horrible he was as the drinks kept flowing. Don't get me wrong, I love a good boy-bashing session as much as the next girl, but when it came to this relationship, somewhat to my shock, I realized that I wasn't that girl anymore.

I remember being able to get a glimpse of what it looked like to still hold onto the hurt and bitterness, and I felt incredibly relieved to know that I finally wasn't in that place. I was free! Thank you Lord!

A few more thoughts on forgiveness:

Bringing baggage of unforgiveness from an old relationship into a new one is NOT a sexy way to try to start--I promise!

Lots of times, we hold onto bitterness from old relationships because we think in some way it's hurting them, but usually, they have no idea. In fact, most of the time, they've already moved on to someone else. It turns out that rather than hurting them, we're only hurting and hindering ourselves. My mom likes to say, "Unforgiveness is like eating poison and waiting for the other person to die."

Sometimes forgiveness can be instantaneous, and other times it's a process. It's okay if it needs to be a process.

I don't know about you, but when it comes to forgiveness, I can't do it on my own. Thankfully, we have a God who can listen to us as we walk through the process and equip us with the strength to forgive. One of my favorite prayers is this, "God, I want to forgive, but it's SO hard. Help me!"

Forgiveness

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:17:00 PDT

It's only Wednesday and I will say, this past week has been quite a whirlwind. I've been ping-ponging back and forth from Charlottesville to Virginia Beach to Charlottesville and now back to Virginia Beach. There are events in both cities that I just can't miss and as Tim Gunn likes to say, "I'm making it work."

Monday night, I scooted back to Charlottesville for our second Changing Seasons event at UVA. Thursday night, we learned our speaker would not be able to make it due to an unforeseen emergency, so we scurried to put together plan B and the next thing I knew, I was a "forgiveness expert" on a panel for UVA women. So needless to say, it's something I've been thinking a lot about over the past week and where I've seen it in my own life.

Forgiveness is something a majority of us struggle with--whether it's petty roommate issues or massive betrayals and I don't know about you, but for me, it is SO incredibly hard to let things go.

In high school, I, along with an entire church youth group, at our peak of its "cool" stage, walked through a massive hurt and betrayal when we learned that our married youth leader--someone we looked up to, trusted, and aspired to be--had crossed some major lines with my friend and engaged in an inappropriate physical relationship with her.

When word got out, he was quickly relieved of his duties as our youth pastor, and we wrestled and struggled to make sense of what had just happened and how to move forward.

As the months and years went on, my emotions moved from shock to sadness to hurt and eventually to extreme bitterness and unforgiveness. How could he do this?! I realize none of us are perfect, but he was supposed to be and he totally let us down!

I watched as slowly, little-by-little, many people tried to do the "Christian thing" and forgive. They would meet with him for lunch or coffee, forgive him for letting us down, and then move right along as if nothing happened. But with each meeting that took place, my unforgiveness got bigger and bigger.

I couldn't understand how people were ready to move on and forget the horrible thing that happened, and each time, I felt a bigger burden to hold on to it forever. What he did was NOT okay and so I decided to hold on to the hate, bitterness, and refusal to forgive for everyone else. If they were moving on, I would make sure my judgement was even more severe...someone had to remember what happened, and I took it upon myself to be the one.

Two years later, I found myself in a small Bible study in college talking about unforgiveness. When the study ended, I stayed at the woman's house, weeping because my heart was so hard and bitter and I didn't know how to move on from such hatred.

What I realized that day, was this burden of unforgiveness I was bearing was only hurting and hindering myself. The man I had resolved to hate didn't have any idea that three hours away, I was up in Charlottesville loathing him. My hatred wasn't helping or hurting anyone, it was only hindering me and making it impossible for me to move on.

So I shared with Lainie, a much older and wiser woman, my situation and she agreed to meet with me several times to work and pray through it together.

Though these meetings were on her couch, involved tea and cookies, and I never paid her a dime, they were essentially counseling sessions that my hard and bitter heart was desperate for. Through these sessions, we were able to talk through a lot of different aspects of the situation that I'd never been able to share. There were different parts of the story that she was able to validate in me and then we were able to move on to the forgiveness aspect.

The two things that I heard most clearly from her were this:

Just because you forgive someone, does NOT mean that what they did was okay.
It's not our job to judge, it's God's job, and we can trust that He is sovereign.

Hearing these two nuggets of truth helped me SO much in setting my heart free, because I was able to come to terms with the fact that even if I chose to forgive, it didn't mean that what happened was okay.

I also recognized that a lot of my unforgiveness stemmed from the need I felt to judge my youth pastor for his actions, when ultimately that's not my job. That's between him and God and it wasn't a role I needed to play.

So little by little, through a lot of prayer, I was able to come to a point where I could say out loud, "God I'm ready to forgive. I hand this situation into your hands and I ask that you help me let go of my bitterness and my hate."

Though it was nothing big or grand, just a few words I whispered, almost instantly I felt set free. I remember driving home and I couldn't believe the weight that I felt that had been lifted off of my heart.

Though I never made a public apology and we have never seen each other outside of large events since, a few short weeks later, God provided an opportunity for me to indirectly walk out my new found forgiveness. It's another long, complicated story, and this post is already WAY too long. But I what I loved about it was how quickly after God had set my heart free, he gave me an opportunity to put my new found forgiveness into practice and reassure me that I was truly free. Thanks be to God!

Sorry for the very long post...tomorrow, we'll look at trying to forgive the stupid boyfriends who hurt us...get excited!

Word of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:50:00 PDT

Last week, I found something in my desk that is very near and dear to my heart: little cards with Bible verses on them. There was I time in my life where I felt desperate and weak and would keep this little ring of verses to always bring me back to Truth. It was so fun looking back at the verses and remembering how God had used them to speak truth into certain situations in my life, but oh, how soon we forget...

My circumstances may be different, but I am just as in need of God's word now as I was back then, but somehow I've lost my drive. God's word is such a lifeline for us and it is SO good to be meditating on it day and night. Not because we have to, but because when we do, it brings life to our dry and weary hearts.

Here are a few of my favorites from the cards:

"The Lord WILL fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord endures forever--do not abandon the words of your hands."

Psalm 138:8

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of sheep, EQUIP you with everything GOOD for doing HIS WILL, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 13:20-21

Friday Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth@LongToLove) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:39:00 PDT

Lots of videos today! Email subscribers, click here.

Happy Friday! Here are a few fun videos and links to carry you into the weekend:

In case you ever wondered what my sweet husband does all day at "school," here's a little preview:

I've been on the Bubba Watson train all week since he won the Masters, and this clip was just the icing on the cake!

Ever wanted to be a celebrity for a day? According to this video, shot in the fabulous MacArthur Mall in Norfolk, VA, it might not be as hard as we think:

Any Downton Abbey fans out there? How about Revenge? Check out these great posts featured on Pioneer Woman, If Only Mrs. Obrein's Bangs Could Talk and Revenge is Oh-So-Sweet.

Busy, on-the-go moms may appreciate this post from my mom on the Changing Seasons blog. I mean five kids ranging from 0-8? She's kind of my hero!

Happy Weekend!