Recently, i've been dealing with a lot of struggles in dance, and yesterday, I finally snapped. I was at the lowest of lows and felt terrible. I knew I needed to ask God for advice and when I did my devotions that night, I came across this passage. 1 Peter 2:19-25. I had to read it a few times to understand what it was really saying, but I felt like it applied in my situation because it is talking about how with God we can stand up under oppression. Still, I know there is more to the verses that I am trying to figure out, so if you read it and have any thoughts, please comment and let me know what you think!

STRESSSS!!!

Hey there! Have you ever felt so stressed that you feel like you're about to explode! Well, let's just say that I have been there many times. I know everyone has. In fact, it's the reason I haven't written any blogs in a while (: Sometimes, we all just need a 5 minute cat nap, or in most cases, a prayer! Prayer is SOOO important in our lives as Christians, and it is something I have thought about a lot. Sometimes, I get carried away with the stress of life and don't realize how important my quiet time with God is! And many times when I do talk to God, I forget something very crucial: LISTEN TO WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY TO YOU. I find myself venting all my worries upon Him, but instead of waiting for a reply, I hop right back into the middle of the stress. God wants to hear us, but He also wants us to hear Him. And I know for sure that whatever my Creator has to say, it's important. (:

I'll work on finding a verse to go with this to keep in mind (:

more on tough choices

Today I decided to write more about tough choices because I've encountered another tough choice, this time in my own life. Yesterday, we had to take my gorgeous sweet kittie Allie to the vet to be euthenized. I love my cat very much and had been praying for her for a long time. I have just been praying that God would take her and relieve the pain that she has because I could tell she was suffering. So yesterday afternoon we took her to the vet and had her put to sleep. I felt really encouraged when the vet was explaining to us why it was important to put an end to her pain and how there was no way with how old she was and her current condition that she would ever recover. I knew that I was doing the right thing and i thanked God for placing such a gorgeous creature in my life (: My sweet baby girl was God's, and I knew that she was in His hands now. I will miss Allie very much but i am comforted that I know she is not suffering anymore. This situation has also taught me some very important lessons to remember in life:

1. Exodus 15:2

The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

my father's God, and I will exalt him.

2. God knows what we are going through and exactly what we need to get through it.

3. He is all powerful and can provide his perfect peace and comfort

4. We can trust in Him and he will guide us in His perfect plan for our lives!!!! (:

Tough Choices

I was talking to one of my best friends from dance yesterday about a hard decision she was having to make in her life. She was asking me for my advice about what she should do because she felt incredibly overwhelmed and didn't know where else to turn. My friend is a really strong Christian as am I, so we started talking about it from a biblical standpoint and I was really thinking about some helpful advice I could give her. The thing I noticed immediately when talking to her was that she was just so overwhelmed and pressured she felt she didn't have time to wait for God to give her an answer to the question that was pulling opposite directions on her heart! Without hesitation, I expressed to her that she needed to commit this problem into the hands of God because He alone knows the perfect plan for her life and the right decision to make! The very next day, God revealed to her what his decision was and my friend was able to relax knowing God was in control! I thought this was a great reminder of how awesome our Saviour is and how He can handle any tough situation or trial we are going through! He knows the ultimate plan for our lives and can guide us through any situation! Here are some verses to keep in mind:

Proverbs 16:9 ~

In his heart a man plans his course,

but the LORD determines his steps.

Jeremiah 29:11~

For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

9th grade

9th grade is a lot different than I expected. I mean first of all, you are like the new kids in town and you don't really know anyone other than people in your class. Second, the other highschoolers you don't know look at you like you are rotten cheese and treat you like such. Well, for the most part. Of course, it never helps when you are about 5 1/2 feet tall and your walking upstream with a bunch of 6 footers plowing by you! I mean really, shouldn't they have an extra traffic lane for those who are slightly vertically challenged?? I was kinda expecting to be chillin with the juniors or at least fitting in, but boy was i wrong! For the most part, however, I'd have to say the second week is going a LOT better than the first. (I hope i'm not speaking too soon). I am finally starting to warm up to my teachers and feel more confident swerving in and out of giants in the halls (: I am also WAY more confident knowing that God is on my side (cuz who needs nationwide when you got the ruler of the universe??) and I can take whatever life throws at me! Because, "with God, all things are possible!" Matt. 19:26 (:

JDRF

Yesterday I went to a Charlotte Knights baseball game! It was a lot of fun although really crowded! My dad, sister, sister's friend, and I went together. There were a lot of great plays and i thuroughly enjoyed it considering baseball is my favorite sport to watch (besides dance of course). One thing to remember tho: if you get a large bag of peanuts, make sure you get a large coke to go with it (: The Knights were down by 5, but made a stunning comeback and won with the final score: 7:5. However, the thing that excited me most about the game was that the Knights wore special jersey's and at the end of the game, signed and auctioned them off to support JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). I thought that was really cool because my cousin Robbie, who is a year older than me, has diabetes and my dad bid for a shirt to send to him (: We didn't win the shirt, but I thought that was a really cool way to raise money for a great cause!! Even though my dad was outbid, that just means they raised more money for JDRF! Oh, and one more thing to remember, DONT sit behind the people who have had to much to drink and shout the whole time (:

Dancing with Danae

Well as the title of this blog suggests, i am a dancer! Dancing is basically my life (: Its a passion that moves my soul and i love to dance for my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!! He is the most important thing in my life and I strive to grow closer to him every day! I have so many Christian friends around me that encourage and uplift me every day! I am so thankful to have them in my life! I love to dance and would gladly do it all day instead of school ): My favorite kind of dance would have to be jazz, although I love other kinds of dancing as well. When I am in a jazz class, I loose myself in the beat of the music. I let it fill me up till I'm almost pursting with passion and then I let the rhythm explode in my steps. Dancing is something I truly enjoy and could not live without. So many people misjudge dancing and think its all about pink tutus and girly girls. This is definatly NOT true! Dancers are hard working, dedicated, and a lot stronger than you may think (: I love dancing because it gives me a way to express myself in ways that nothing else can. I will dance till the day I die and then i will dance in Heaven with Jesus Christ!!