I have been engaged since November 15th 2013. Wow! Has it been a long and exhausting, yet exciting ride?! I am over the moon to be able to marry my best friend and boyfriend of four years. I would definitely say that this is one of the most exciting things I have ever experience and I am sure there is more to come.
Being a young bride I have copped a lot of criticism from people around me. Can I just encourage you other young brides out there? If you are sure of the relationship you have with your boyfriend/partner and are happy to spend the rest of your life with him (good and bad aspects included) nothing should stop you from marrying him. You will definitely receive raised eyebrows and comments of disapproval. But I say, go for it!
There will be many things that you experience in this stage of your life. I don't believe that you can plan a wedding without disagreements with those you love. The most important thing is to choose your battles. You most probably won't be able to ensure that everything is perfect on your day. And that is okay- little hiccups make for good memories.
Throughout the process of planning, please don't forget to spend quality time with your husband-to-be. Take some time out, don't talk about wedding plans all the time. It can be very easy to put so much time and energy into planning the most perfect day of your lives and forget the real reason why you are doing it. Chances are, your fiancé will soon lose interest in hearing all about the wedding plans (especially in areas that don't concern him) but that is what your girlfriends are for. They will be overjoyed to hear all about the plans you have, attend appointments with you and be your go-to girl when things don't go to plan. Anyways, what I am saying is, make sure that there is you time, where you can hang out, go on dates and talk about anything & everything other than your big day.
I am not by any means saying don't talk to him at all about it, I am just suggesting that you talk to him about it in moderation. He will be pleased to see that you are excited and overjoyed, but make sure you put the same amount of excitement into your relationship.
Something else that has really helped me with wedding planning is committing everything to God. He knows your heart's desire and He wants you to have the best day imaginable. But for that to happen, He needs to be part of it. He will provide all that you need and more to pull of your wedding because He loves and cares for you. Just as Psalm 37:4 says; "Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". Make sure you commit everything to Him because even if things don't go to plan, He will give you the grace to accept it, laugh about it and enjoy the day anyway.
I hope this encourages you. I am so excited for you if you have hit this stage in your life.
Izabella,
xx
Wednesday 23 July 2014
Tuesday 22 July 2014
You don't need to compare yourself
Have you ever wanted to change the world? Impact the world like Nelson Mandela? Mother Teresa? Jesus Christ? I believe that you can. God has created you so uniquely and differently to anyone else on this planet. There is no other person that is exactly like you. No one will ever have the exact same i
nterests in you. You may share similarities but there will always be differences. So why do we constantly find ourselves competing with each other? To be better than the person next to you? To achieve more than them?
Of course, it can be answered simply- we are human. But does being human mean competing with the next person? Trying so hard to be like them or better than them that you forget to be you? A better you? What if, instead of focusing all our energy and time on being like someone else, we concentrated on being ourselves. The best version of ourselves we could possibly be. In Romans 12:6 states, "In His grace, God has given usdifferent gifts for doing things well." He has gifted us individually to do things well. My strengths may not be your strengths and your strength may be my weakness. But in the bigger picture, we are all parts of one body- the body of Christ (Romans 12:5).
If we each dedicate time and energy on developing and improving our own gifts and each person in the body of Christ does this, we will have the ability to change the world around us- just as Mandela, Mother Teresa and Jesus did. We don't have to set our sights high to reach the entire world. This of course would be far too hard. But start small, focus on your world. The people around you. The people you meet with regularly. The peopleyou see at church, at school or in your sporting club. The people you connect with at small groups on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Don't ever think that if you want tomake a difference the whole world has to be your target. No. It has to be your world.
If your abilityis teaching, go out and teach. Be the best teacher you can be. Learn from other teachers who are in the same field as you, or who have been your
constant inspiration. You can develop your skills by adapting some of their techniques into your own teaching style. This is a way that comparison can be used in a positive way. Feelings of jealousy will get you nowhere. Power-thoughts, thoughts that motivate you to get somewhere and reach a goal will benefit you. Use the resources around you. Learn from someone with similar giftings as yourself.
Always remember, YOU are unique. No-one on this earth is exactly like you. Christ knit you together in your mother's womb. He knows the number of hairs on your head (Psalm 139). God loves you more than you could ever know- He was willing to give up His one and only son for you so that you may have life and life abundantly. Don't second guess your giftings. God has created you a certain way for a purpose. He wants to use you, if you are willing. You can change the world. With God by your side, you are unstoppable.
xx,
Izabella
Of course, it can be answered simply- we are human. But does being human mean competing with the next person? Trying so hard to be like them or better than them that you forget to be you? A better you? What if, instead of focusing all our energy and time on being like someone else, we concentrated on being ourselves. The best version of ourselves we could possibly be. In Romans 12:6 states, "In His grace, God has given usdifferent gifts for doing things well." He has gifted us individually to do things well. My strengths may not be your strengths and your strength may be my weakness. But in the bigger picture, we are all parts of one body- the body of Christ (Romans 12:5).
If we each dedicate time and energy on developing and improving our own gifts and each person in the body of Christ does this, we will have the ability to change the world around us- just as Mandela, Mother Teresa and Jesus did. We don't have to set our sights high to reach the entire world. This of course would be far too hard. But start small, focus on your world. The people around you. The people you meet with regularly. The peopleyou see at church, at school or in your sporting club. The people you connect with at small groups on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Don't ever think that if you want tomake a difference the whole world has to be your target. No. It has to be your world.
If your abilityis teaching, go out and teach. Be the best teacher you can be. Learn from other teachers who are in the same field as you, or who have been your
constant inspiration. You can develop your skills by adapting some of their techniques into your own teaching style. This is a way that comparison can be used in a positive way. Feelings of jealousy will get you nowhere. Power-thoughts, thoughts that motivate you to get somewhere and reach a goal will benefit you. Use the resources around you. Learn from someone with similar giftings as yourself.
Always remember, YOU are unique. No-one on this earth is exactly like you. Christ knit you together in your mother's womb. He knows the number of hairs on your head (Psalm 139). God loves you more than you could ever know- He was willing to give up His one and only son for you so that you may have life and life abundantly. Don't second guess your giftings. God has created you a certain way for a purpose. He wants to use you, if you are willing. You can change the world. With God by your side, you are unstoppable.
xx,
Izabella
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