Sisters In Christ

The Lord has just surrounded me by such great sisters in Christ. Some which would be far away and others right down the road. One of these fantastic women would be my mom. You know I honestly don't know where I would be without her. This week I have just gotten to see the Lord do HUGE things in her life. and I am just so so so so happy for her.

About a month or so ago we got some new neighbors and they are such strong people in the Lord. Everytime I have had the wonderful opportunity to talk to them the Lord radiates out of them in everything they do.... One day I really hope to be like them. Well anyways, my mom and Gorgia have become friends, and through this friendship Gorgia asked my mom to go to BSF with her this week. My understanding of BSF is a serious bible study with alot of women in the area. I am SO excited for this opportunity for my mom to go meet, and surround herself with women chasing after the Lord.

You have to understand my mom is literally the closest thing to super woman. I don't know how she does it. My mom has ALWAYS put me, my sister, and my dad before herself. She is always willing to serve her family and others before herself, and i see it as an incredible gift from God. and seriously she never complains. I have thrown so many fits, and alot of times taken what she does for me for granted. But she has the amazing ability to over look my mistakes and Love me anyways... some might say Hailey... this is what mothers are called to do. but i will safely say my mother goes above and beyond her call of duty. not only to show me how much she loves me but through her love she shows me everyday how much Christ loves me.

This weekend my mom and I, along with some great friends Pam and Austyn got to go on a girls weekend to Appalachain State University. (Hopefully i will be there next year fingers crossed!!) We left Friday after school and got to Boone, around 6 maybe... i dont really remember, but the whole reason we were down there was to go to ASU's open house on Saturday. Well saturday came and my mom and I got to spend some wonderful mom and daughter time that i will cherish in my heart forever. We walked around campus and she got to see why I have whole heartedly fallen in love with this wonderful place. She got to see that their technical Photography program is one of the best programs i can go into and come out with a job... which for you parents reading this you know how important that is. My mom and I got to see the Lord's plans for the next four years of my life fall out infront of our eyes. He got to assure us wheather I'm at App. State all four years or community college for a semester then a transfer to App that this is His plan and we are called to follow Him because his plans are perfect, and flawless.

I am so thankful for my mom and i am so thankful for how the Lord works through her. I am so glad that we got to have wonderful time together this weekend because our days are so few before im moving out and going to college. Its crazy. I am so excited to see how the Lord moves through us and how close we will get when this new chapter of life unfolds. I hope when i grow up ill be like my mom so eager to serve others and love them whole heartedly. i pray that i have her spunk and generosity. and sassyness. i hope we are all encouraged to be like our moms or our mom like figures in our lives because i believe the Lord uses them in HUGE ways to shape us to become strong women in the Lord.

Thank you mom for being such a wonderful mom to me. i dont know where i would be without you. seriously. i am so encouraged by you every single day and i cannot wait to see the huge things the Lord is going to do through you this year. i love you so incredibly much.

Sidenote: I got to see two wonderful strong sisters in Christ this weekend from work crew it was wonderful being able to see you and be with ya'll for such a short time, i am so encourage by you girls. i pray for everyone from work crew constantly i am so glad to be apart of this wonderful family. i hope to come visit each and everyone of you soon. i love you all so much.

Me, Lauren, and Becca (:

Me and Austyn GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!

will you let Him wash your feet?

My days have been kind of gross. The wheather here in blacksburg has been gloomy and i think its bringing the mood around here down with it. But thank the Lord were getting rain... but seriously nobody likes it when the fall leaves turn brown and gross instead of red and orange. (:

These past few days ive felt worn out and empty. The desire to go to school and take it as a joy and an opportunity has been literally a HUGE struggle. Not only school but everything. Coming home from work crew i was PUMPED for the huge opportunities that laid before me but now being home for a month i have already started taking them for granted. I am already going into school thinking well lets get this over with already. and its only been a month!! how disheartening. i am so selfish to take these few days left in high school and just "want to get them over with." so now i am just praying that the Lord will provide me selfLESS heart instead of a SELFish heart.

I know during these times when i struggle i often am quick to just try to make up the opportunities ive missed out on and try to get them back by trying to do it on my own. or when my heart has a longing for Jesus i tend to serve people with my own strength to try to feel His love. Thank goodness we have a forgiving God. seriously.

Yesterday when i was reading in John i was ever so gently reminded by our gracious God that i am not alone in this struggle that over 2000 years ago my man Peter was struggling with the same thing. As Jesus comes around to wash Peters feet Peter straight up refuses to let Jesus wash his feet. Peter says "no! you will never wash my feet!" and you know what everyday i tell Jesus no. i say no Jesus i can do this. you do not have to do this. let me do the dirty work myself. i can do it fine. and in the end i get worn out. i get tired of serving and its not appealing to me. and this is where Jesus says "Hailey, hailey. look at me. focus on me. i want to do the work. i want to use you so you can be filled. filled with amazing joy, and wonder. Hailey this is my job, let me do my work through you."

Later on in the passage Jesus tells Peter that if He doesnt wash Peters feet then peter wouldn't belong to Jesus. and i love peters reaction... Peter Exclaimed "Then wash my hands and my head as well, Lord not just my feet!" I want to be like peter. i want to be able to have that ah ha moment that yes i do belong to the Lord, i dont want to just have him wash a portion of me but all of me. I want to know that it is not me serving thes kids in the high school but Jesus. I want Jesus to work through me and use His mighty power. i do not want to miss this opportunity.

Jesus replies to Peter with this. "a person who has bathed all over does not need to wash except for their feet, to be entirely clean..." i know that my heart needs to be cleaned. just like Peters feet. that when my heart is focused on Christ and is resting in His hands the rest of my body is focused on Him and is doing His will. and the greatest thing about our God is when we ask we receive. When we ask for a clean heart our hearts are cleaned and we are free. Free from the junk we carry, and free from sin. But we just have to believe it.

I struggle with taking my eyes off Jesus all the time. Even if its for a split second. I struggle with the fact that i am NOT able to serve to the best of my ability all the time in my little human body, i struggle with the fact that i do mess up. But Jesus can serve to the best of HIS ability everyday. anytime. Jesus can and will. when we struggle we just have to turn to Him and let Him wash our feet.

What i hope this is going to look like.

I guess I'll tell you a little about this blog and why it got started. I am a high school girl who is crazy for a mighty God. I've prayed and prayed about starting a blog and finally the time has come for me to actually do it. I'm horrible at spelling and grammar so if you can only read writing that has been written by an english professor this is probably not a good thing for you to read. Just kidding (:

But this year for me is about following Christ wholeheartedly. Its about giving up the things the world tells me there is life and finding it in Christ. It's about going into the darkest of places and shedding light to those who have never seen it. This year and every year after this one is about not holding back, being bold, and saying yes to God's plan. God promises when we follow Him that we will be able to live life to the fullest. And i want to prove that is real. That witnessing miracles is not an outdated thing that we only read about in the Bible. I want to prove when we take the risk to love people unconditionally that their hearts will be changed forever. And somehow im going to put this into words every week.

This blog isnt about just sharing what is going great its also about the hard stuff, the messy stuff and how in the midst of that Christ love prevails. Its about the heartbreaking moments when my friends don't know about Jesus, and how much He loves them. But its also about joy, endless joy that comes from chasing after Christ. Its about the ah-ha moments, and the moments where we can just sit back and laugh.

But most importantly this blog is about Christ.

This is my story of how following Him is the most fulfilling thing in life. and chasing after Him is the only thing i want to be doing for the rest of my life.

John 10:10
"...I have come so you may have life and havae it to the full."