Religion isn't for me.

I can honestly say that I don't follow a religion. I don't follow a distant deity who couldn't care less about me. I don't follow a mindless tradition that has no relevance to today's society. I'm not into the whole, go to church because that's just "what you do" mindset. And I certainly don't believe in force-feeding people things they don't want to hear. That's why I have a blog, it's your choice to be reading this, and you do so at your own will. I'm gonna get personal.

I want to tell you a little bit about me, I know I've done that in the past but this is something a little different, something I don't really talk about. That something, is the reason why I love Jesus and have served in a church for the majority of the last ten years. 

I love Jesus because He loves me despite everything I've done wrong, and am yet to do wrong.

I love Jesus because He lived a human life and knows every emotion I've ever felt.

I love Jesus because He doesn't force His way into my life.

I love Jesus because He was the Son of The King, yet He didn't strut around like He owned the show, He lived a humble life.

I love Jesus because He brings me comfort when my heart is burdened.

I love Jesus because He is the most selfless human being to have walked the planet.

I love Jesus because He knows what I need when I need it. (Beyond any wants)

I love Jesus because He's the author of everything good.

I love Jesus because He loved me first.

God loves unconditionally. And when you think about it, every human (Christian or not) wants to be loved unconditionally. If you screw up, you want those you hold dear to forgive you and still love you. So, if I talk to you about God - it's because I love you. It's because I want you to know what it's like to be loved by someone who never fails. Who never lets you down. Who never shows up late, and Who never turns away when you want to come near.

Walking with God legitimately isn't just a whole bunch of rules and regulations. It is certainly not "do this or you're going to hell." And if that's what it's been for you, it's wrong and you deserve better. I live my life by faith. I have a joy that lasts beyond a mood, and I have hope for a better tomorrow no matter what. God isn't restricted to a building. He's a life bringing, situation changing, relentlessly loving Father who actually just wants to know you, protect you, love you and be around you. He doesn't expect perfection. No one, bar Jesus, has ever been, or ever will be, perfect. You need to know that.

Everyone needs love. We are created for it, so why not let it be the greatest love of all time?

Jesus is love. That's why I love Him.

P.S, to clarify the first paragraph:

I don't follow a religion - I know a God.

I don't follow a distant deity who doesn't care about me - I follow a Father who loves me

I don't follow an irrelevant and mindless tradition - I seek out the truth and it finds me. It's always relevant.

I don't go to church for going to church's sake - I go to church because I can't get enough of God's presence and the people who I call family.

I don't believe in force-feeding people things they don't want to hear... (AT ALL) But I also don't believe in shutting up about my personal beliefs just because they're not the majority opinion.

Happy New Year.

All I want is to live free and have fun.

Just before I start, a quick reminder that I'm not forcing anyone to read this and all views are my own and blah blah blah. If I offend anyone you can take it up with my boss (Jesus).

I want to talk about freedom.

I live a life that is free. It has nothing to do with what I eat, how much I exercise, how nice I am to people or how often I get things right. It has everything to do with Who I know. Before you get bored, I just want to say this: Freedom is so much more than just doing what you want... It's doing what you love, and having happiness by doing it. Even then, it's more than that. When you're living in true freedom, what releases you into your utmost happiness will usually release others into theirs too. As members of society, we're all called to live harmoniously and as one whether we're Christian, Atheist or any other form of faith system. I posted a blog a few weeks ago about falling into a career that you love and doing what makes you happy, and this is sort of following that mindset but I think I'm going to expand a little more.

When I think of freedom I think of joy. To me, when I'm picturing in my mind what it looks like to be free I see a sunny day, driving along the coast with the windows down, hair blowing everywhere and the people I love. Free because there are no restraints. Free because there are no distractions. Free just because. But realistically, there are very few of us who get to drive down the coast with no cares in the world every day of our lives. Most of us have jobs, or any other number of commitments.

Quickly back tracking to what I said DOESN'T bring freedom, I feel like I wouldn't really be doing justice if I didn't mention that eating right and exercising does play a massive part in how a person feels about themselves. So if you're eating lots of junk food and never exercising (that was me 2 months ago) don't expect to have the best mindset you possibly could. Exercising brings out natural endorphins and it makes you feel good about yourself, so if you're feeling sad, do some sit ups, go for a run or just do some star jumps... You'll feel better! Also, eating right also effects the way your body processes things, so do yourself a massive favour and don't eat McDonalds or hungry jacks! It might taste good for five minutes, but in the long run it's killing you. Your body would love you so much more if you ate the things it was designed to eat (boys, eat a steak instead of a big mac... You don't get much manlier than that!!)

And also, being nice to people is SUPER important! I don't need to expand on that, just remember your manners and swallow your pride when you need to! (preaching to myself here)

OKAY. So I got all that out... NOW I wanna talk about freedom.

My belief is that freedom comes from God. I'm not refraining at all from saying that because I know it as truth. I know that on days/weeks/months when I neglect to spend time with my King and Saviour, things just don't work as well. BUT the split second I turn back and spend time with God, everything is better. I didn't say easier. But it's better. God isn't a God of making things easy, He's a God of making things worth it. Things don't suddenly become all flowers, rainbows and pretty songs... God just provides you a way out when the storms come rolling in and the lightning and rain are threatening every aspect of your life.

2 Corinthians 3:16-17 says this, "but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Some key points:

1. but whenever a person turns to the Lord. So, every single time. Whether the first time, the 5th time or the 900th time, the veil that separates us from the freedom of Christ is actually taken away.. Physically taken away. The only way it's brought back is if we do it ourselves. 

2. where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Believing in God isn't about rules and regulations, the scripture here says plain and simply: there is freedom. Nothing binding, not restraining, not hard work, effort and striving. Just freedom.

I know all to well the pain of striving and being put right back in my place. I know how it feels to search everywhere for friends only to be shut down. I know how it feels to be dreaming dreams but not knowing how to activate them or reach goals. But what I know even more is the feeling of freedom that comes when I hand it all over to God and just let Him help me out. He's actually a top guy, hey. He knows what He's doing and believe it or not, He knows what's best. I'm quite an independent person and I hate being told what to do, yet I feel so comforted when I know the creator of the universe has a plan for me and all I have to do is say, "yeah, I'm ready for that." and I'll be able to walk in more than my wildest dreams could ever have imagined.

I'm going to post this video of Hillsong Young + Free's story below... It's significant for this generation... This generation needs to learn that freedom comes from sober thoughts, not clouded judgement. This generation needs to know how loved they are... This generation needs to rediscover what it means to be young and free.. And I believe we can.

What is acceptance? Is it weird to love people?

Forever posting strange titles, somewhat in the hopes it might get an ear to listen. (At least I'm honest)

Acceptance. This concept has been going over and over in my mind for a few weeks and I can't shake it. Australia, as a free country, claims to be accepting. Accepting of religion, accepting of gender, accepting of lifestyle. But how exactly do we accept what other people do? Is it classified as acceptance if someones lifestyle choices really bug me, but I keep my mouth shut and smile? Or is that just tolerance? The answer is obvious, it's tolerance.

I hate tolerance.

Yes, it's a very general statement and you're never going to be able to accept everyone so sometimes you need to suck it up and just tolerate them... But what I do hate is the thought that tolerance is good enough. It really isn't. Society most definitely has its issues and as a Christian, sometimes it's assumed that I'm going to instantly not want to be friends with someone just because their lifestyle choices are a bit different to mine. But that's not how it is. Honestly, I just love people. Full stop.  There's no fine print. I just love people.

I'm so tired of it being common practice to slander people and call people names, but it's suddenly "weird" or "soft" to go around genuinely complimenting people and trying to build them up. Seriously, what's with that? Ha, sitting here now I can recall times where friends have told me that I need to stop being such a "flirt" because I was "overcomplimenting" another friend. I'm sorry, but what? How is there such a thing as overcomplementing? The red lines underneath the word as I type tell me that it's not even a true word. (So don't hold back with the compliments, you don't know who might actually really need it.)

So back to the topic of acceptance....

I believe there are two principles that have worked for me in accepting people and not just "tolerating" them.

1. Listen to what they have to say and don't just judge on face value (or what others have said)

2. Accurately self-assess self so one doesn't just think they're better than other people (I'm not - you're not either)

Acceptance is important. It's vital. Australia needs a generation of young people who actually care about each other, not just about themselves. We need young people who are willing to love unrelentingly. We need young people who want to actually make a change and aren't just concerned about the latest iPhone or Android or debating which is better. I'm passionate about seeing people realise who they can truly be given the opportunity to shine.

There's no harm in trying to love on people.

P.S,

This blog has come out a lot messier than I intended. What I really want to say is that I'm over seeing people hurting over feeling left out, unloved or unwanted. I desire to see people feel loved, included and valued and it breaks my heart that it's just not happening. If you take anything from this, please just take this: do your best to be kind. You could make someones day.

Are you doing what you love?

Yesterday I returned home from a family holiday to The Whitsunday's. The week away was one of the best mini-holidays I've ever had and it made me really step back and evaluate life and where I am, where I'm headed and am I doing myself justice by following a path that truly makes me happy? They're pretty big questions, but I've been pondering over them for a few days and felt that I needed to write another blog post - especially seeing as it's been so long since the last one!

I met so many people on my trip, we did a couple day trip cruises around the islands and on those we met some of the crew, my family consisted of myself, my parents, my brother and his wonderful girlfriend, my grandparents and two of my aunties. It didn't matter where we went, people were drawn to us. On one of the day trips one of the crew said to me, "It's really wonderful what you have here, it's so special to see such a happy family here... Your happiness brings something special to this cruise." She was a single mum of three, migrated from China on her own, became an Australian citizen, and had made a way for her children to have the best. Another of the crew on this specific cruise sat down with us and started opening up about his life and how he had come to be in Australia (he was English) and on board this boat as a crew member... it really is humbling hearing about the struggle some people go through to find themselves. Personally, I think the best customer service is when the customer walks away feeling like they were treated like a real human being. But it got me thinking about the remark made it the movie Fight Club, where on the plane a comment is made about "single serve friendships"... Everything on a plane comes single serve, including the friendship with the person you sit next to. I guess the same thing applies to the cruises. But I can't help but feel extraordinarily blessed by the people I met, I might only meet them once, but their stories will stick with me forever. And what will stick even more is that they loved their jobs. The crew for the cruise ship worked 12-13 hour days, sometimes 7 days straight and yet because of what they were doing (taking people snorkelling, scuba diving, swimming, and just seeing awesome sights in general) and how happy they could make people they loved it.

Just before I went away, I did an assignment all between the link of what is put inside of you from birth that you are passionate about and the career that you take up when you finish school. The question I found difficult to answer is whether or not there really is a link. I believe there is. I believe everyone is called to do something with themselves that will not only satisfy their own person, but it will contribute to the greater picture in making the world a better place. A career can be a calling, but not everyone is called to it. The pressure of this generation is to go through school - and do it with excellence. Once that's done, go to uni - and do it with excellence. Finally, after Uni, fight your way into a job, trying to prove why YOU are a better uni graduate than anyone else. And who knows if by that time you're going to enjoy what you've spent years studying? But isn't it too late? You've got student debts, you probably haven't been earning much whilst you were studying, so it's just too late.

But it's not. From seeing the people love their work so passionately and not really care about how much they were earning, it spoke to me. It's never too late to get into what you love. And when you work somewhere you love, people will notice it. You'll do your work better, you'll put heart and soul into it because it's what actually matters to you. And you'll flourish.

Life can be challenging, and it can take a lot to get us on the right path... But once you're there, you'll grow and succeed and you'll see why you went through what you did. Going back to the crew member I mentioned earlier, he literally went through hell and back before he got into a job he loved. He told of how he served in the army for 6 years, and learnt a trade. He couldn't stand it anymore, he was miserable at his posting and miserable when he came back home... But because of that time in the army and learning a trade, it made it possible for him to move to Australia. Sometimes we need to do things out of obligation, or do things we hate, in order to find what we truly love doing.

It's not too late to do what you love. (And it's not too impractical or too big a dream either)

This is not for the easily offended.

The purpose of creating a blog, as I've probably said many a time, is to convey what I think and where I stand when it comes to certain topics. I decided to do it in blog format so as not to fill Facebook feeds, and so that if people don't like it, they really don't have to look at it.

Spoiler alert: I'm going to talk about my own personal Christian viewpoints ahead. Stop now if you're prone to taking things the wrong way.

I've been "feasting", so to speak, on a couple of scriptures of late.

Firstly, 2 Timothy 2:22.  "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

Evil desires of youth? What does that even mean? I guess, when I read it, I take it as things that come as part of growing up that are optional extras. e.g, underage (and of age) partying/drinking/smoking/drug taking, etc., unprotected and pre-marital sex (oops, did I just drop the s word?!), swearing, gossip, hopefully you know what I'm getting at. They're things that as a society are seen as being acceptable or written off as "part of the norm". I'm going to try very hard to make it clear that I am not judging or pointing the finger at any lifestyle decisions, I'm simply trying to convey the reasoning behind my own. 

When I was 14 years old, I cemented a decision that had been on my mind since I was old enough to think for myself. (I was an independent child - just ask my mum, I apparently came out of the womb giving orders, ha!) I decided that I wanted to fight for my purity, and I wanted to make this a well-rounded decision. In my speech, in my thoughts, in my actions and most importantly in sexual purity. I made a conscious decision that I wasn't going put any substance in my body that wasn't intended for it, and I wasn't going to break any laws. This meant refraining from partying and drinking, and in turn actually made it easier for me to remain pure in my sexuality too. Another factor making it a tad easier was that I wasn't popular in high school so I didn't have the temptation of going to parties every single weekend, there were still some invites and temptations that I had to overcome, but I was in a place where by 15/16 I knew so strongly what I believed that I didn't think twice on them.

You might be sitting there thinking, "good on ya mate, you did that for yourself, who cares." or you might be in the same position as me, either way, you're great. The beautiful outcome of protecting my purity in all senses of the word is that I have a whole heart, I've felt pain and suffered rejection and the like, but I know who I am, I know who I belong to and I can face each day with a confidence in myself and what I believe because of Who I believe in. It's not something I take for granted at all.

I haven't done this on my own though. My incredibly supportive parents have nurtured me and grown me in a way that has always steered me down the path of things that build up, bring happiness and grow. As a teenager I was given some leeway to do the things I wanted to do, but sometimes a firm "no" was the answer, and that was that - no matter how much I argued or got upset. That was protection. Not restriction.

Because of this, I'm working every day to continue to flee the things that are temptations and a potential thief of the purity I've fought so long to keep. I'm working at it so that I can pursue righteousness, I can truly love, I can know what it is to be at true peace, but most importantly I can have genuine faith in God and the people in my life. I'm so free because I walk in God's love. The best part? That's knowing that even if I fall short and make a mistake, God's got me covered. I love Him so dearly, and I am His child, His princess. When I stuff up, He's calling me back. He wants to know me and He wants to forgive me, no mistake is too great that it's not covered by Him. All I have to do is realise the things I do that aren't beneficial to me, or the people around me, turn from them and say "I'm sorry." I live in absolute freedom. 

Secondly, Galatians 5:24, "Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there."

I want what's best for me. So does God.

Pursuing righteousness, leaving the things of my heart at the foot of the cross provides God with the opportunity to provide me with the best of the best.

This might sound as if all I see is sin, but honestly, all I see is freedom. Leaving sin behind doesn't mean leaving all the fun behind, it actually means leaving all the brokenness and heartache and pain behind. Having said that though, the bible never ever says that drunkenness and parties and the sexual stuff isn't going to be fun, it simply makes a point to prove that when done in the wrong context and with the wrong intentions and behaviours, it won't last and it will only bring pain. Why torment your heart with an hour of fun that leaves hours of discontentment?

I'd rather just try to do what is right and live in the safety net of Christ.

I really hope this doesn't offend anyone. Sorry if it does, :)

Much love xx