I will not surrender

I refuse to give up. No matter how many things life throws at me, I will not surrender. If my health fails, I will nurse myself back. If I'm overwhelmed with stress, I will slowly and methodically work through it. If I am hurt by people, I will pick up the pieces of my heart and move on. When I make mistakes, I will find out what I did wrong and learn from it. I will not let circumstances pull me under. There is a season for everything. Nothing lasts forever. And I will do whatever I have to do to not only survive, but truly live through every season of my life.



"The best way out is always through."
"In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life. It goes on."

~Robert Frost

I need a pocket translator...

I know it's cliche for girls to say they don't understand guys and vice versa. But how I am feeling that right now! There are quite a few guys in my life (as family members, acquaintances, friends, and perhaps more than friends). And there is not a-one I understand. For those men who are very close to me (i.e. my father and brother) I have learned to interpret certain sounds and actions and I can get a rough understanding of their meaning. But I do not understand what drives a man. What makes him do what he does. What excites him. What upsets him. This problem is compounded when I don't know the guy well. Usually I end up completely misunderstanding guys' actions. And mostly in that I assume all guys just want to be friends and are very rarely ever interested in anything more. When it comes to guys, I need things spelled out for me. And that just doesn't happen. I need a translator for guys. "This statement REALLY means _____. " "This gesture means he wants to _____." "This comment indicates _____." Yes, a book or program like that would be wonderful. And would probably save my butt and keep me out of a great deal of trouble. I'm fairly certain the opposite sex would also greatly benefit from such a thing in regards to women. Why has no one invented this?

Focus...

I realized that I've stopped growing. For a while I was hungrily listening to and reading everything I could get my hands on about God and Christianity. But I've stopped. I became distracted by finals, relationships, and recently, my health. I stopped reading devotionals and the Bible. Stopped listening to sermons. Stopped asking questions. I've become so overwhelmed with life that I've almost ceased to function. I'm not living. I'm barely surviving. The stress of the Korean students coming, employment, classes, relationships, and health has taken its toll on me. I can't think clearly, can't work out problems, and I'm lashing out way more than I have before. I need to refocus. I need to remain calm. Knowing that whatever happens, I will be given the strength to get through it.