10/25/16

Discover Your Soul

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I discovered something last year that revolutionized my life. It made me see God's kingdom, it inspired me to live in joy, and it guided me towards authentic prayer. I discovered my soul.
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                                  I discovered a little bit more of that "inner being" that the Bible talks so much about, the place where the heart and mind meet to become the very essence of who we are. I discovered more of what the Bible means when it says, "Love the Lord your God with all you heart with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5)
How did I discover my soul? What even is our soul? And how can you discover this inner being as well? (So many questions.) 

  • the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever
  • a person's deeply felt moral and emotional nature
  • the ability of a person to feel kindness and sympathy for others, to appreciate beauty and art, etc.
Our soul is the mystery of our being, the core of our existence. It is not physical nor loud, yet it directs our ways. From our soul we derive our identities and respond to the truer things, the eternal things, the deeper things. Through our inner being we see the invisible, take joy in the unthinkable, and understand the incomprehensible.
God is as work in our souls. He brings to our souls conviction, peace, passion, and restoration. "He restores my soul." (Psalm 23:3) In our soul He teaches us the things that our heart cannot feel completely, our mind cannot comprehend fully, and our strength cannot complete in this world.
But how do we discover our souls?
In searching for the answer to this question, I have found three ways to understand our souls and then use that understanding to praise God.

1. Soul Sessions


I started a weekly time where I sat down in the quiet and wrote. I wrote out a long prayer of sorts where I reflected on what God taught me the past week. I looked for ways that God moved in my heart. I watched for how the world influenced my identity. I call these times Soul Sessions. David thought about soul matter too, like when he wrote "Why are you so downcast, O my soul?" (Psalm 42:11) Soul Sessions brought me to a greater sensitivity as to what went on in my inner being, and they helped me to live more purposefully for God's kingdom.
You can have Soul Sessions by setting aside a certain time weekly to think, journal, talk aloud, or just pray. Tune in with sensitivity how God works in the little things. Tune into some soft worship music if that helps. 

2. Encouraging Community


I didn't start truly thinking about my soul- apart from singing "it is well with my soul"-until I read Simply Tuesday by Emily Freemen (read all about the book in my review). In the book she talked so much about matters of the soul that I felt inspired to think about these things for myself.
Surrounding yourself with other people who seek to live life on a soul level creates accountability and inspiration to follow God with all of who you are. Some people that inspire soul thoughts include Amanda from Scattered Journal Pages, Erin from Accoustic Erin, Aaliyah from Growing in His Image, Grace from Totally Graced, Abbiee from Abbiee Music Blog, Olivia from Summer of 1999, and so many more! 

3. Worshiping Jesus

John Piper says "To see Him and know Him and be in His presence is the soul’s final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight. But these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience."
When we take our eyes off of ourselves and fix them on the glory of God, He restores our souls. He created our souls to worship Him and revel in His beauty. That is the true joy our our being, the deepest pleasure of our souls.
"My soul finds rest in God alone." (Psalm 62:1)
"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name." (Psalm 103:1)
Understanding our souls and how God works in them, directing them towards Christ, and worshiping God with our inner beings gives life a new dimension. Living life on a soul level brings with it joy, humility, peace, and love. This journey of soul discovery will take you upon waters of grace and paths of obedience.
"My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice." (Psalm 34:2)
How have your discovered your soul? Do any verses or rhythms help you? 
Princess Hannah
Hannah
17 Comments

10/19/16

It's Okay Not to Fit In

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Do you ever feel like a puzzle piece that never fits in the puzzle? It's like you're almost there, almost in the picture, surrounded by other pieces that all fit in with you. But your edges are different. They just don't quite fit.


This can be a dissatisfying place to stay. You stand there, on the outskirts of a group that you can't quite connect with. I feel like I've been there my whole life, a stray puzzle piece missing her puzzle. I mingle with a lot of different groups; one edge of my personality puzzle piece fits with the bloggers, another with the ballerinas, another with the church group, and so on. One of my biggest dreams is to fit- all of the way- with a group and let that group be my group, the place where I don't feel different, don't feel even a little bit on the outside.

Now I'm thinking that will never happen.

I've realized, however, that my mismatched personality is a gift, not a curse. To stand a bit aloof doesn't mean that I'm not important and doesn't mean I can't enjoy the company of others. My uniqueness doesn't need to hold me back; instead I should take joy in the fact that God's made me different, a puzzle piece completely unique.

In this state of uniqueness, I also have the opportunity to help the various groups that I almost fit in. I bring to them a splash of color that they didn't expect.

I'm a practical thinker in an artsy blog world.

I'm a balance seeker in the extreme of the ballet world.

I'm a passionate truth seeker, big-picture watcher, in a Church filled with opinions.

I'm different. Not better, not worse. Maybe one day I'll find the group that possesses all of the right edges for me, but until then, I will find joy in the outskirts, in the almosts. I will grow where God's planted me and help others to grow as well.

So here's to the stray puzzle pieces, the people who don't have a group, who don't quite fit in. Keep following Jesus, because He's making a home for you where you will fit so perfectly that you'll never leave!

"Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.'" (Matthew 8:20)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house there are many rooms; if it were no so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." (John 14:1-2)

God's grace be with you,

Princess Hannah
Hannah
26 Comments

10/12/16

I'm a White Girl, But I'm Far From Basic

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It's fall, and you know what that means: crisp air, hot drinks, cozy clothes, and #typicalwhitegirl posts.



Every post using the hashtag #basic, #pumpkinspicelattelife or #typicalwhitegirl makes me cringe. I understand the urge to use these trendy tags, but I don't think we understand what they mean. I don't think that we realize how these thoughts destroy a little bit of our unique personalities.

I wrote an article about these thoughts on Odyssey, so check it out and leave a comment describing how you view these hashtags and self-identity claims.

Sorry for the short post, but it's been a busy week! (It's been a busy semester, so I apologize for my absence on your blogs.) This is something that's been on my heart, so I hope you enjoy! Many more thoughts and post ideas are brewing in my heart, so stay tuned!

Love you guys!

Princess Hannah
Hannah
1 Comments

10/3/16

Hopeful Romantics

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why do we call it hopeless,

this state of romanticism? 

the hopeless romantic. 

the fearless day-dreamer. 

the chick flick watcher. 

she waits on prince charming, 

knowing that he won't come on a horse

but imagining it anyway. 

she waits for her "ever after," 

dreaming that it comes with roses

but knowing that her heart truly desires

wildflowers. 

i don't know what you call this, 

but i call it hope. 

the hopeful romantic. 

still hopeful that one day,

one day,

she will meet someone bold

gentlemanly. 

passionate. 

authentic in his pursuit of Jesus. 

one day

he will pursue her,

and she will pursue him.

he will buy a ring,

and she will buy a white dress.

they will fight.

and he will hold her hand.

they will make a mess in the kitchen

and dance at every wedding.

one day. 

there is hope there,

not immediate satisfaction

nor hopeless exasperation

there is hope. 

hope that she won't give up,

not yet.

for she is a hopeful romantic

and she is strong.

but her hope is bigger than romance,

stronger than patience.

her hope is filled with an empty grave.

it is intersected at every moment

with a cross.

her hope is joyful in unfulfilled dreams,

because every dream is a shadow

a mirror,

a copy of the one true dream placed on her heart.

and that dream,

that hope,

is Jesus.

so with her eyes fixed

on the sure hope of Christ,

she dances through this tangled world

of romance.

of dreams.

of happily ever afters

and not quite yets.

she's not fazed by disappointment,

because her true hope never disappoints.

she's not wavering in insecurity,

because her hold is firm forever.

she sets her heart on hope.

the rest is still unknown to her. 



Oh, how I felt like Anne of Green Gables mixed with every Christian girl post about "Waiting for Prince Charming" right here, but it is so true. I am a hopeful romantic. Hopeful that my story ends well because I know Who writes it. Hopeful because I know that the end to my romance here on earth it isn't something I will see all of right now. Hopeful because my hope is in the One who holds the universe, not in any Prince Charming. This is hard, and sometimes this hope hurts my heart. But I'm choosing to hold onto hope in romance and more importantly, Jesus. 

"But hope that is seen in no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Roman 8:24-25)

Are you a hopeful romantic? How do you hold onto hope? And what are your hopeful romantic indulgences? Me, I love a good romantic subplot in a movie or story. (Or main plot...) 

Much love, 

Princess Hannah
Hannah
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