I love breaks, but in a way, they stress me out. I almost prefer the regular rhythm of life then the chaos of trying to decide what I want to do with my "free time." Because, let's admit it, time is anything but free.

Yet at the same time I yearn for a break that I might do all of the things that I don't have time to do during the school year. And trust me, the list is long. It calls to me during the busy times and offers me much fulfilment when the next break comes around.

But what I first think to be "plenty of time" turns out to be "not long enough." And I must inevitably face the fact that I cannot do it all.

I avoided that realization this week until Wednesday night when I sat on the floor in my room, exhausted from staying up until 2 in the morning for the past several days in order to fit more into these 24 hours. I prayed to God while Patches walked around me, distracting me with her fur. And I realized that wanting to do many things is a good thing, as many things can give God glory. But being discontent with my current activity because I'm anxious about having time for the next activity doesn't glorify God or produce thanksgiving.

And so I'm on a new mission, and it isn't to do as many things as possible before Monday. It is to be thankful for now and to take joy in one task at a time, trusting Jesus.

When I think about it, there were probably some things that Jesus wanted to do but didn't have time to do. Like the time that He went to a place to pray and rest but ended up feeding thousands of people. Or maybe when He grew up there came a time when He wanted to practice carpentry and also play games outside and He had to decide.

Even Jesus had to decide to let some things go in life because He left His infinite God-form, completely independent of time, and chose to live within the limits of time because He loves us! He did all that He came here to do, yes, but He was limited by time and had to make decisions on how to use time like every other human being. And we too live within the limits of time, and so we too must decide.

And I choose joy.

I choose to know that I won't be able to do everything but that doesn't mean that I cannot be thankful for the chances I get right now to live, love, and create. I choose to work hard at whatever is in front of me or whatever I've decided to do instead of second-guessing myself or inwardly scheduling my day to fit everything in the limits of time. I choose to be thankful for now. 

I choose to put my hope in eternity, an eternity of time to praise God just how He has created me to praise Him. An eternity of time to revel in the joys of life and the beauty of Jesus! Oh, how our hearts are made for eternity! Our souls are created for more than hours and decades but for eternity, and a conflict erupts from the friction between our souls and the world around us. But Jesus is bigger than this conflict, for He is the bridge between time and eternity, the infinite God come as mortal human. And that is all that we need.

Come. Be thankful for now with me. Choose joy over stress. Use time wisely but do not let it rule over you. Put your hope in eternity, an eternity that is coming soon.

Anyway, it's time for me to enjoy my family! Comment below how your Thanksgiving break is going so far! How did you enjoy the time given to you this Thanksgiving? I'm super thankful for all of you reading this post, and I truly mean that! Every comment makes me smile a bit!

Princess Hannah

There's a spot in my backyard that my first dog, Bonnie, paved in the grass. She paced up and down that line so many times that the grass never grew back the same, even ten years after her death. It was the well-worn path, a comforting way, and I smile a bit every time that I see that path.



On a completely different note that will connect in just a bit (I promise), I've never considered myself a music person. Don't take me wrong, I've always loved listening to music, but I never knew what to listen to. I'm too cheap to buy music I don't love and too busy to find music that I love, so I used to just stick to the good ol' worn path. I listened to the same albums over and over until I knew every word and in which order the songs will play.

But then something happened: I started (with the help of the amazing Amazon Music app which you should check out right now if your family has Amazon Prime because it is FULL of free music) to listen to... wait for it... new music.

I shocked myself a bit too, so if you need to catch your breath right about now, I understand.

Yes, I left the well-worn path and ventured off into the grass beyond. (Am I taking this analogy too far?) And I loved what I found! Well, mostly. There were the few songs that talked of cannibalism or screamed the whole time that I didn't want to think about again, but I found so many playful songs, wonderful artists, and joyful words!

But that didn't mean that I left the well-worn path all together. Instead, I've been working on a playlist that contains bits and pieces from the new and the old to make something even more beautiful!

Here are some new discoveries and well-worn comforts:

Favorite Artist Discovered: 

Ben Rector all the way! Something about his whimsical songs, soothing voice, and charming lyrics make me smile every time I listen to him! In fact, my favorite song of the moment is his song "I Like You." He's the new age of romantic songs that make you feel happy to be alive!

Buy his newest album on Amazon here

Favorite Well-Worn Artist:

David Crowder. I think that loving David Crowder is in my genes, but after listening to him as long as I can remember, he still brings talented, truth-filled, moving melodies that point to Jesus and make me want to dance! I've actually seen him in concert three times within the past year, including a time when he came to our church! (Oh, and you NEED to listen to his Christmas album! I could listen to it all day long!)

Start the holiday spirit right by purchasing Crowder's Christmas album here

Favorite New Vibe: 

I really like acoustic all of a sudden. Just a hint of country. Some singer-songwriter themes.

Favorite Familiar Vibe: 

Worship music. Worshipping Jesus while listening to music, what can get better!

And so, without further ado, my Little Tunes Playlist, a combination of the well-worn path and the newly-explored frontier!



Now that I've started this business of discovering new music, I'm always looking for more! Please comment below your go-to artists, be they a classic staple in your music tastes or a new favorite! And how do you like the playlist?

Have a happy Thanksgiving break! Try something new and embrace the well-worn paths!

Princess Hannah

Look around you right now.

Do you see love?

When I look around my room right now and see the soft lamplight illuminating dishes that I haven't picked up, the blankets folded about my legs, and an invalid kitty reclined on the bed, I don't think love. When I think love, I think about hands touching and lips meeting. I think about soldiers dying and mothers crying. I think about Paris. But the truth is, the Kingdom of Love is everywhere, even in my pink bedroom on a Wednesday night.

How?

Because the light of Jesus' resurrection shines everywhere. His love shines in my room and in the classrooms. His love pours forth at the dinner tables and in the movie theaters. And, in ways we do not understand, His love is working in the city of love, Paris.

The trouble is, we have a hard time seeing that love. We can't feel it. We can't touch it. We don't understand it. And so, like the little humans we are, we often avoid searching for the true meaning behind God's love. That doesn't mean that we don't love to sing "How He Loves" every other Sunday, but those words struggle to take meaning to our lives.

I've been thinking about love lately. Not the romantic kind of love, but the all-encompassing love of a lifestyle lived for Christ. I've been wondering, in this world which glorifies love, what love really means. Is it just a feeling? Is it expressed in roses and hugs, kisses and midnight conversations? Can it be destroyed by hate, just as terrorists destroyed some of the city of love, Paris, last week?



Basically, what is love? 

And as I've read the Bible the past few weeks, I've discovered something freeing and wonderful: God is love. And His Kingdom is not just a city of love, but a kingdom of love that can never fade away.

These facts seem so basic, so elementary. Duh, God is love; everyone loves to talk about that. But the reality of this love gets lost in translation, and we can miss the crucial elements of God's kingdom of love. We can overlook the simplicity of God's love and how we should respond to it. We get caught up with the whirlwinds of time and the struggle of life that we forget the center of our existence and the starting point of the circle of life.

And so I'm going to remind you of some of the basic truths of God's love. You've probably heard these truths put more elegantly than I will write them, and many of these things seem so simple. But I believe that we all need to remember the foundation of love upon which we stand. So, let me share this infographic with you to illustrate what I've been thinking about:


First, God is love. 

Stop. Stop right now and think about that this really means. It doesn't just mean that God loves. It doesn't mean that God is soft and cuddly. It doesn't mean that God always acts how we think a loving being should act. It means that God is the definition of love, the determining factor of love, and the measuring stick of love. If something is in agreement with God, it is love. And if something is in disagreement with God, it is not love.

1 John talks a lot about God's love and our response to it, and I will refer to many verses from this book. It's not very long, so I recommend reading through it this week and seeing the big picture that I'm trying to write about in John's words. Anyway, in 1 John 4:16, John writes: "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

Next, God loves us. 

We all know the words of John 3:16, but they are true! God, the starting point of love, the maker of all creation, and the holy King ruling over all love us! "This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us..." (1 John 4:10). God didn't have to love us. He didn't have to extend His character of love into our lives, BUT HE did.

And this is the signature truth of Christianity. In no other religions does God begin the love. Others believe that people must earn God's love. Those who killed hundreds in Paris believed that they would then earn God's love. They believed that they would first love God, and the God might love them. And so they did whatever it took.

Is that love?

I don't think so. It is rather sin living in us that perverts God's true love into something ugly and despicable.

God hates sin. 

This is the part many people like to skip over, but I cannot ignore it. In Sunday School this morning, the teacher pointed out that to truly love, you must hate. To truly love the people of Paris right now, we must hate the destructive sin of terrorism. To truly love my cat Patches, I must hate the curse of injury which inflicted a torn ACL on her little kitty life. To love one thing we must hate anything that tries to destroy our love.

And so God, being the definition of love, if also the definition of wrath. For God to truly love us, He must hate sin, which kills us. And so, God's wrath and just condemnation of sin is not separate from His love, but an extension of it. In fact, He hates sin so much that He cannot be in the presence of it, which then introduces a problem, because we chose sin and cover ourselves with it from the inside out, making ourselves distant from the love of God. But this didn't change God's love for us.

So Jesus Came. 

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (1 John 3:16)

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1)

Enough said. I really can't top John's words here that describe how God's love for us and hate for sin met on the cross and paved a new way: a way of grace. For grace is the meeting point of love and wrath. It is the sacred place where God's wrath for our sin poured upon Christ, leaving His love to shower us with undeserved life!

And this grace changes everything! (cough, cough, Grace in Everything.)

It is bigger than any terrorist.

It is better than any relationship.

It is stronger than any temptation.

Jesus.

I didn't realize that I had so much to say on this simple topic, but that illustrates how magnificent is the basic love of God! These rediscoveries as well as the ones that I will disclose in part two (and possibly three) cleared up the direction I need to go in life. The simple truth of love changed how I thought about God, myself, and others. I hope and pray that you better understand the foundation upon which we stand, but I pray for more than understanding but for greater love for God!

Please comment below what is on your mind lately! And how do you think about God's love? I would love to hear any illustrations that you've found helpful! Also, let us continue to point to the only cure for the curse of sin that destroys so much: God and His love.

God's grace be with you,

Princess Hannah

Y'all, something new happened to this blog last week. Something quite fun.

I love honey.

I think that my love for honey stems for my love for anything sweet, but honey tastes so rich and sticky and wonderful that I just want to put it on everything! My family buys giant jars of local honey from the hardware store, which makes it seem even more special. And because it's natural and healthy, I don't feel bad about smothering all of my food in the deliciousness.

And so I do.

And now I get to share the love of honey with you by listing five ways to use honey in your everyday life:

1. In Coffee

I like to make my coffee strong, with skim milk, stevia, and a good drizzle of honey. Although honey is not low-calorie, just a bit provides a richness and flavor that perfectly sweetens my new morning drink, (I just started drinking coffee while in New York training for ballet), and just a lot works fine too!

2. In Tea





Another drink that I now love also tastes great with honey: tea. Somehow the addition of honey makes the warm comfort of tea go down with even more delight!

3. As a salad dressing



Though a less common use for honey, drizzling it over a salad makes a sweet dressing. It's just so simple and complementary to so many salad combinations, especially fruit salads.

4. On Oatmeal



Ditch the brown sugar, honey is here! A little drizzle of this sweetener gives a bowl of oatmeal an instant boost! Add some dried cranberries and granola and you will look forward to eating breakfast every morning!

5. On Oatmeal Banana Pancakes




Speaking of breakfast, honey tops these oatmeal banana pancakes like none of our business! I may be partial to my first recipe ever posted, but honey could replace syrup for any pancake recipe. But really, you should try these easy and healthy pancakes!

As you can tell, we love honey in our house!

So next time you see some local honey, buy it! If it's a big jar, buy it! And then I hope that you find these ideas delicious and fun as you experiment with how you like to use honey during your everyday lives! Comment below how you use honey and how you can't wait to use it in the future!

Princess Hannah