The Lonely Track~ Short Story by Nataleigh Robinson

The clock struck one and Addison glanced around the room again nervously.  He had said midnight, midnight exactly but as she looked around the room again she was beginning to doubt if he would ever come.  She glanced at her watch again and decided that she was done waiting around. 

She turned toward the door stopping only for a minute to look back over her shoulder hoping that someone would notice her departure, someone would stop her and tell her they wanted her to stay but just as she had expected no one paid her any attention. 

“Can I pull up you car miss?”

She snapped back to attention turning toward the valet who was standing behind her.  “Yes, Weems please.”  He spoke into the small speaker pinned to his jacket asking one of the drivers to “please pull up Miss Weems vehicle.” She watched the dancing guests spinning around the dance floor in the Waltz.  She sighed and took her coat from the man who had just brought it to her and turned to get into her car. 

As she drove the familiar road home her thoughts turned to Blaine once again.  She should have expected it, it was typical.  Every guy who had ever promised her anything always let her down in some way or another.  She should have known Blaine would be no exception. 

She was 20 years old and she was ready to settle down, get married and have children, but try as she might nobody was willing to stick around for long.  She had started online dating not long after her 20^th birthday deciding that if she didn’t start taking some control of her love life sooner than later than she would probably end up an old maid.

The thought of being single for the rest of her life usually made her feel sick to her stomach she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to die alone without having experienced true love and children and grandchildren.  What a lonely existence that would be.

When she had met Blaine through one of the online dating sights she had promised herself that she wouldn’t get worked up about him, she didn’t want to be disappointed.  But the more they had talked and the more they got to know each the harder she found it not to imagine herself marrying this guy and living happily ever after.  Finally after a couple months they had agreed to meet. 

She had spent hundreds of dollars on the perfect dress, spent hours searching for the perfect shoes and had booked her hair and nails appointment months in advance.  The evening was supposed to be glorious.  As she neared the punch bowl at five till midnight with heart pounding she had envisioned Prince Charming coming up and sweeping her off her feet.  But as the minutes ticked by she slowly started to realize that she had been stood up…again.

As she parked her car and headed inside to her small one bedroom apartment, she couldn’t erase the feeling of rejection and couldn’t help but feel like maybe there was something that she was doing wrong that was causing all the guys to run the other direction when they started getting to know her. 

           

She kicked off her heels and headed to the bathroom where she stood staring at herself in the mirror for a moment, “What am I missing?” She asked her reflection, “I think I look ok maybe not drop-dead gorgeous like some girls but it’s not like I’m hideous or anything.”

She took her time to change out of her dress all the while thinking through her potential flaws and trying to figure out what it was that caused Blaine to reject her.  By the time she crawled into bed she had practically convinced herself that she would never be able to attract a man.  “Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t been so picky about the type of guy I wanted.  I’m sure it was my conviction to stay pure that scared Blaine off.  If I could do it over again I wouldn’t have been so hard to date.  Maybe I would be married by now” By the time she drifted off to sleep her pillow was soaked through with her tears. 

When she woke up the next morning she felt terrible.  Her sheets were tangled and in an attempt to untangle herself she ended up tumbling onto the floor.  She stood up in confusion wondering how she had misjudged where the edge of the bed was and scrambled to her feet.  The sun was shining through her single window and she decided that today would be a good day for a jog. 

“I’ll take a nice long jog and then I’ll come back and update my profile,”  She thought as she pulled on her tennis shoes,  “maybe there was something I’ve missed that’s been turning people off or maybe there’s something I need to add to it.”

She ran for probably a good hour before stopping and by then she was standing outside a small park with a little girl sitting on a swing.  There was a bench close by and she crossed the distance and flopped down on the bench.  The little girl hopped off the swing and rushed over stopping just a couple of feet from the bench, “What are you running from?”  She asked curiously.

Addison laughed softly, “I’m not running away from anything.”

The little girl climbed up onto the other end of the bench and stared intently at Addison, “You have to be running away from something, you were running like someone was chasing you, were you playing a game?”

“No I wasn’t playing a game,”  She was about ready to tell her once again that she wasn’t running away from anything but then realized that it wasn’t true.  “I guess I was running from something.”

The girl scooted a little closer and repeated her original question, “What are you running from?”

Addison sighed and leaned forward resting her chin in her hands, “Something I can’t get away from.”

The little girl looked around nervously her blond pigtails swinging back and forth as she looked for any sign of danger, “I should be getting home,”  She said slowly edging off the bench.

Addison laughed gently and shook her head. “I’m not running from a person, I’m running from a problem.”

The little girl looked relieved and climbed back onto the bench, “How do you run away from a problem?”  She asked pulling her legs underneath her and placing her small hands on her knees. 

Addison looked out at the park as a squirrel dashed up a tree startling a bird that flew away; she sighed and looked at the little girl that was staring at her eagerly.  “I’m not actually running away from anything.”  She stared down at her hands wondering why she was so nervous to talk to a little girl, it wasn’t like she would even understand what she was saying, “I’m just running to distract myself from thinking about my problem.”

The little girl nodded as if she understood and then to her surprise said, “I do that too.”  She looked down at her hands studying them as if they had suddenly become interesting, “except I don’t run I come here and swing on that swing,” She turned and pointed at the swing she had been previously sitting on.

Addison turned to look at the little girl staring at her curiously, “What do you have to distract yourself from?”

The little girl shrugged and didn’t look at Addison, “A lot of stuff,”

“Like what?”  Addison pressed sensing that this little girl had a lot of things on her mind.

She didn’t say anything

“Well I’m here because I’m tired of being alone.”

The little girl brightened, “Well you’re not alone anymore, I’m right here.”

Addison smiled at the little girl, “thanks but that’s not what I meant, I meant that I want to be married.”

The little girl scrunched up her nose, “I don’t think I’ll ever get married.”

Addison laughed, “You won’t say that when you’re older.”

“Mommy says boys are stupid and don’t ever keep their promises.”

“That’s not true of all boys.  There are good guys out there.”

The little girl thought for a moment then said, “Well than I would rather wait until I find one of the good ones.  And if I never find one then I’ll just live by myself forever and ever.”  She paused for a minute considering something then said, “My daddy ran away and never came back when I was just a baby.  My mommy got married when I was three and now they’re getting a divorce now mommy cries all the time when I asked why they didn’t just apologize and make up she said because she didn’t trust or love him anymore, but I think she’s lying because I still here her crying when she doesn’t think I’m listening.”

Addison sat there in speechless shock and then finally regained her composure, “That’s a lot for a little girl to carry by herself.”  She just nodded, so Addison continued, “you make my problem sound really small.”

The little girl laughed and to Addison it seemed like the sweetest sound she had ever heard, “mommy says that adult problems are always bigger than kid’s problems.” 

Addison grinned, “Well that’s not true in this case.”

The little girl looked over at a house across the street and hopped off the bench, “I should be going or mommy will get worried.”

Addison nodded and watched as she raced across the park, stopping for only a moment to look both ways before dashing across the street and disappearing inside a house.  Addison just sat there for a moment.  “God forgive me,” She whispered, “I’ve been so focused on being in a relationship that I haven’t been thinking clearly.  I almost set aside my purity but you’ve reminded me that it would cost me more to give myself away then it would cost to keep myself pure.” 

She stood up then and started the jog back toward her apartment once she got back inside she pulled up the online dating sight and hit the delete button, “God I’m going to trust you now.  I’m going to trust that you will bring the right guy my way when the time is right.  And give me other things to focus my attention on until that time.” 

 Did you know that Nataleigh's favorite movie is "To Save A Life"?!

Did you know that Gina's mom is also her best friend?!

Photograph property of Lilies Among Thorns Magazine. Photograph taken my Gina Vasquez.

We All Have Problems~ An Advise Column by Nadia

Dear Nadia,

 My boyfriend and I broke up a while ago and now he is starting to show interest in my best friend. I care for them both but I don't want them to be together. I know my best Friend wouldn't do anything but... I keep thinking she will! What should I do?

Caught in the Middle

Dear Caught In The Middle,

I'm sorry you're having a hard time with this. I know if it were me, at this point I would probably still be struggling with my feelings for my boyfriend. Maybe you guys ended the dating relationship on a good note, maybe not, but either way I'm sure it's tough to see your boyfriend starting to have feelings for your best friend.

You said that you know your best friend would never do anything and I agree - a true friend wouldn't do something to hurt you. I suggest that you talk to your friend about how you're feeling. Explain your emotions to her, not in a way that would make her feel bad or guilt her out of going out with your ex-boyfriend, but just be honest with her. As it says in Proverbs 18:24, a friend will stick closer than a sister. I also encourage you to take this to the very best Listener there is - our Father in Heaven. Pour out everything to Him and let Him see into your heart. Lay bear whatever is there - if there's any pain or regret, or even just tell Him how much you miss the good times you two had together. Maybe in talking it out, you'll realize that you are able to let go. Maybe it's time for you to let go of this guy, and just place everything in God's hands. You can "Lay aside any weight (anything that's holding you back or bringing you down)... and run with endurance the race that is set before you." (Hebrews 12:1)

This also might be a good time to put God in control of your love life if you haven't already. You can say a simple, heartfelt prayer committing your life to Him and asking Him to find you the perfect man sometime in the future. I read a quote that said, "Dance with God, He'll let the perfect man cut in." I think that is so true, and something all of us should do. I'll be praying for you as you work through this situation, and one thing to keep in mind is that no matter what happens, God is in control, He will work through it for the best, and it will all pass.

God bless,

Nadia

Dear Nadia,

I want to start trusting God more but I'm not really sure how to or where to start. Do you have any tips or advice for me?

Trust in the Lord

Dear Trust in the Lord,

I really have a hard time trusting in God too! And I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones, either. It's super difficult to trust in someone you can't see, but there are some things we can start with in order to try to trust God more. Right now, I encourage you to look back on your life. Try to remember all those times that God has been faithful to you - the times He answered your prayers in little ways, the ways He has blessed you. When you're struggling at all in your walk with God, I think it helps to count your blessings. Also, read God's love letter to you (the Bible). He has given us tons of great verses that remind us that He's not going anywhere, that He's watching out for us, and that He loves us and has plans for us.

One of my favorites is Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.'" Another thing I've noticed about trusting God is that, for me, it's really easy to fall into the trap of depending on my friends or my achievements to tell me who I am. Then what happens is when that friend isn't there or when I don't get as good grades as someone else, I start to feel really insecure. I've finally decided that I'm through with that, and even though I have a feeling it's going to be a struggle quitting that bad habit, I've discovered that God is the ONLY one we can depend on. Trust in His faithfulness and commit yourself to Him. It will be hard, but you can rely on Him - look around at all the beauty He's put in this world, just for you :) And look at the incredible sacrifice He made by sacrificing His son for us. Do you believe that He is who He says He is? Because God NEVER breaks His promises, and He has told us and proved to us that He is powerful and faithful and loves us through everything.
"Since God assured us, 'I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,' we can boldly quote, 'God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me'" (Hebrews 13:5) Learning to completely trust God is, I think, a journey that all of us are on and one that will take a lifetime. God bless you and I'll be praying for you!

:) Nadia

Valentine's Day~ A Single Article by Haley Oscar

Ever been to a roller rink, having a great time and then BAM couples skate? I remember so many times that happened to me, I'd stand there alone while all the "happy couples" danced their way to love. (So I thought, it was Jr. High everyone thought that way, right?) Valentine's Day always felt like that to me. I have never been in a relationship where we spent Valentine's Day together, I have always been single. I always hated it because all my friends would be out with their boyfriends and I sat at home with my family. I had the woe is me attitude and didn't really want much to do with the holiday.

If you’re single this Valentine's Day try to get out if you can! Chances are, you are not the only single person in the world. Being dateless can be fun, if you have the right mind set! Have a girls day, take each other out for dinner and then a movie, have girl dates! If that doesn't work out you can do a mother daughter date, or a sister’s date. Or better yet! Have a date with God, almost every year on Valentine's Day I spent my time with my head in my bible and in prayer. Valentine's Day is about showing love to others, not just the boy you've had on your mind. This year try to find some way to show God's true love to another person. Offer a couple with many kids to baby sit for free, so they can go out and have themselves a much needed date. Trust me, they will thank you! 

 Remember, being single is a good thing in your teen years, if you are in a relationship remember to be wise with how much you give your heart and mind to this person. The more you give the harder it is to let go, guard your heart! I'll leave you with something my youth pastor has said to me many times over the years, and something from my dad, who is also a pastor.

“Specifically, what would I wish guys could tell girls would be help us make the right choices by not letting us in. Song of Solomon says in three separate chapters (2, 3, & 8) to not “awaken love until it so desires.” Well the problem lies not in love, but in man; specifically boys. They think that they need to awaken love when it’s knocking at their door. They think that because they are “feeling” the need for love that they need to feed that desire. Well, like too much Thanksgiving dinner, too much love is painful.

Ladies, when the guys come around wanting to awaken love with you and date and be close, it’s your job to but the deadbolts on the door of your heart. You must not allow the young and foolish man to draw close to you. Friendship, group hangouts, and meaningful conversations are great, but once you open the gate to one cow (or dating exercise) the whole heard wants in as well.”- Pastor Nick Hubing

“One of the tragedy’s of modern culture is that they sell a bill of goods to a generation of young women that is possibly the most destructive ever seen. If I could tell all teenage girls something, it would be this- please don’t look to this world to tell you who you are, what you need for fulfillment, or how you should live to be happy. The world’s definition of all of these is a lie, and it’s a carefully crafted lie that although cleverly disguised, is meant to destroy you.

As you mature, use these years to allow Jesus to tell you who you are, what you need to do, and who you are meant to be. He loves you more than His own life, and will never lead you down the wrong path.

Prov 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.” – Pastor John Oscar (Aka daddy!!)

I hope you take these words into your heart and dwell on them this Valentine’s Day.

I’m praying for you all!

What a Guy Wants~ A Dating Column by Haley Oscar

This month I asked some of my christian guy friends what they look for in a future wife, or what they would like to see in christian girls today. I asked them to be totally honest and speak from their hearts. Some of these men are married, others are not. They all have the highest respect for us women and hope that what they had to say will give you something to think about and pray on.

Steve, 19 said: "The hard thing to ask for, but it is something that we all probably wish for as men, is that women would tell us how they feel rather than making us jump through hoops and read signs that they think are clear as day, whether they are or not actually.

"Modesty is for sure appreciated in dress and how women act. It is better for a guy to earn a woman's heart than for her to just throw herself at him.

"Women are beautiful and don't always need makeup. It's hard hanging out with a girl that thinks she is fat or ugly just because of what people say, especially when they aren't. I think women need to be appreciated more and told these things more than they are, and respected.

"And finally, women need to respect themselves more, which also ties into the modesty factor. Just because you got it doesn't mean you should flaunt it. It's very distracting, and for young Christian men like us, the last thing we need is temptation of impure thoughts and just seeing things we should see in general. Especially coming from young Christian women."

Remember Your First Love~ A Dating Column by Haley Oscar

 Mistletoe, snow ball fights and long, winter walks through the 20 feet of snow, if you live in Wisconsin, describe one, special holiday. Christmas is in the air! The greatest holiday is upon us! People go out of their way to buy their loved ones a gift, and when I say that,I mean tackle and attack to get the sales on gifts they will get you, on Black Friday of course. Other than the attacks and the "Merriment" of the season, December tends to be a romantic time of the year as well. We all want that special someone to be there with us. We all secretly hope for him to somehow end up under that mistletoe on Christmas Eve with you. Let's face it, EVERYTHING about this holiday screams romance, and it screams it even louder if you live in Wisconsin.  It seems to snow every three hours here!

 

 

In this season of romance, crazy shoppers and insane amounts of shoveling, we seem to forget the real reason why we have Christmas in the first place. We seem to forget that 2,000 years ago, a little baby was being born to parents who had no idea about what this baby would do. They would love Him dearly and teach Him right as He grew. He would grow up to be an amazing speaker. Large crowds would follow Him wherever He would go. They were attracted to His words. He would give these people hope. He would show them true love and He would heal their sickness and their broken hearts. He would love YOU so much that one day, He would die so you didn't have too.

 

 

That would be years down the line from that single moment. Then and their, this baby boy was being brought into the world through a miracle. His parents would look down at him in awe, totally unaware of what this baby would grow up to be and, one day, do.

 

 

 As you go through this season of wants, I encourage you to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. If Mr. Winter Romance hasn't made his way to you yet, then relax. He'll make his way to you in God's perfect timing. Put your focus on the true lover you have now, Christ. Try reading the stories of Jesus' birth in Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-12 and Luke 1:26-56, 2:1-40. You could give a gift to that Ebenezer Scrooge in your life. Show him or her a little of Jesus' love for them. Who knows, they may get out of the Scrooge attitude. You could even write a letter to your future husband telling him that you're thinking about him in this season, maybe even drop a little hint to him about that mistletoe fantasy of yours!

 

 

With that I wish you a very Merry Christmas full of blessings and love!

 

Haley

 

Song of Songs 2:16

Love, Dating, Obession?~ "Table for Three: Me, Him and God"~ A Column by Haley Oscar

When does love become an obsession? When is dating gone to far away from God's plan for your life?
 I've had friends in my life over the years that have left me in the dust just so they could make their boyfriend their number one.What do you think of that? I've been there, I've put EVERYTHING I have into a relationship and it never seems to last.

 I've let the guys I like become my obsession. They became my everything; without that one guy I would be lost. But girls, God IS a jealous God. If He wants something (You) then He's gonna get it! There are so many verses in the Bible talking about this very thing!

Exodus 20: 3-5 (New International Version)

"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."

Deuteronomy 4: 23-24 (New International Version)

"Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

Do not make for yourself an idol, what does that mean? Do you find yourself thinking about a guy ALL day. Can you not seem to think about anything else? Then there's your idol! God doesn't want you to leave Him in the dust just because you like some new guy who WON'T always be there for you. I had to learn this the hard way. About a year ago, I was with a guy. He was my everything. He was almost perfect in my eyes.When he made one mistake, my whole world came crashing down when we broke up. I was totally lost; it was the darkest place I'd ever been in my whole life! But through that God showed me that He needed to be first in my life. He needed to be my whole world! God will NEVER let you down. God knows that you want to feel loved, that you need that extra little attention from the guys, Trust me, even I do! God's willing to give you the best love story, but you've got to give Him all your love first. All your time and thoughts as well!

I'll leave you with these last verses,

 

Deuteronomy 6: 5 (The Message Bible)

"Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love Him with all that's in you, love Him with all you've got!"

Psalm 145:19, He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.
Psalm 37:4, Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

God's writing your love story right now as you read this; He wants what's best for you. Don't give your heart to a guy right off the bat. Do NOT make him your everything or your best friend until you've got a ring on your finger. You may just end up broken in the end.
Remember, put every thought, hope and dream in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!

Love According to First Corinthians 13~ "Table for Three; Me, You and God"~ A Column by Haley Oscar

For my first article I was gonna tell you my life story so you could get to know me a little better; but as I started to write I realized that it would take forever for you to read. When talking face-to-face with someone about my life story it normally takes about two hours. So, I'm just gonna give you the basics of who I am. My name's Haley Oscar, I'm a 17 year old girl from a city in Wisconsin, USA. I've lived here my whole life and never plan on leaving. My "love life" as been far from successful through the years. I've been through it all for the most part. I've been cheated on and have cheated, I've been abused and emotionally scared, I've been used as an object and have used, I've dealt with lustful thoughts and actions. But through the grace and love of God I've been freed of the baggage I've picked up from these many relationships. I’m far from perfect and I'm still learning how to be a good girlfriend and someday a good wife to the man I will someday marry. Through it all I've learned a few things about guys and God has given me a real passion to share my life and experiences with you. I hope and pray that you will get something out of my thoughts, I hope it makes you think and maybe even change. I'm truly thinking and praying for you, God bless!

1 Corinthians 13, many of us know this as the love chapter. It happens to be one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It shows us how to be a friend and how to show love. What is love to you?

I know that, as females, we all want love. We all want prince charming to hurry is big butt over to us and do his job of happily ever after. But what else is love to you? Is love a fixer to all your problems? Is it something you give out freely hoping and praying that you'll get it back in return?

Love is patient. If you haven't found "the one" yet don't go on a mad hunt looking for him.(Song of Songs 8:4) God knows when you'll be ready for a real, mature, promising, and long lasting relationship with a man. Give God your time as a single. Enjoy this time of freedom you have to do things for God. Be patient, your prince charming is also waiting on God to give him the go to pursue you.

Love is kind. God wants us to have kind and peaceful hearts toward everyone we come across. Even to those guys who we may think are pigs. We need to be respectful toward all men, are you? Do you dress or act in ways that would be kind and respectful to him thought life? Is dressing or acting in a way that would make your guy friends or boyfriend lust after you showing kindness or love? If it's attention you seek out of mean words, actions, and showing too much skin with your clothes, you will get the attention you seek, but trust me you don't want this attention. This attention that you may be seeking out of this has messed up relationships that would've ended well if treated right. Even in some cases I've seen it ruin lives.

Love does not envy or boast and it is not proud. This one's pretty simple; do not want something your friend has. Be happy that they've been blessed, because you, in your own way, have been blessed. Do not boast about the things you have or can do; doing such things will make your friends sin by envying you, and doing such a thing is not showing love in anyway.

Love is not rude or self seeking. Why are you in or want a relationship with a guy? Is it to fit in, feel love, to get back at someone, or to fulfill lustful thoughts or wants? Love is not, and I repeat NOT self seeking; meaning you should not be in a relationship for you. It's not about you. When you're married, you're that persons help mate until the day you or him dies. You're HIS help mate...Not the other way around; you're in it to help, encourage, love him, and fulfill his needs. He should be the same for you. Again, you're not in it for you; you're in it for him. When you love someone, you shouldn't even matter. It should be about helping him. If you're not ready or think you can't do that, then you're not ready for a real relationship.

Love is not easily angered and it keeps no records of wrongs. In a relationship and marriage you will hit hard times. There will be fights and wrong things said and done. You must forgive quickly and listen to him. Men are just as hot headed as we can be and they also need you to hear them out. When they do something wrong you can't keep bringing it up or using it as a weapon. Constantly bringing it up will ruin a guy’s self esteem and make him feel useless. Like I said before, be quick to forgive and let go, doing this will show real love.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. If you love someone, you're not gonna be happy when the one you love does something wrong. If he's doing something or saying things that are wrong to you, do not accept it! It's not gonna change. Talk to him and tell him the truth as to how you feel and if he doesn't see your way or agree with your views, I'm sorry it's not meant to be. But, maybe it's not him; maybe it's you doing the things that bother him. I believe that, in every relationship, the couple should sit down with each other and talk about what kind of bugs them about the other. This shouldn't be a point the finger time, but a time of truth and acceptance of each others failures.

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres; Love never fails. You must always protect the reputation of your man; this means if he ticks you off don't go and tell all your friends what a jerk he is. Keep your relationship problems to yourself; if you go around telling everyone your problems then your friends will start to look down on your boyfriend or husband. If he is ticking you off don't go around messing up his reputation. Sit him down and talk things out and PRAY about it. Doing this will help you guys to grow closer.

Always try to trust your boyfriend or husband. Don't just think he checked out the "babe" that just walked by you guys. Trust in him and if he really loves you, he will keep his eyes on you and not someone else. If you're worried about it, sit him down and tell him your worries. He'll like that a whole lot better than you just thinking the worse of him.

And finally, love always hopes for the best, it always perseveres herself in thought, body and mind, and it never fails. You will run into hard times in a relationship no doubt, but if you're mature about the problems you may have with the other and push to work things out through communication and prayer, I believe God can do anything.

I hope and pray that I gave you some things to thing on and prayer about. You girls are in my prayers. Until next time.

With Sisterly Love,
Haley.

"We All Have Problems"~ Advice Column by Nadia

Dear Nadia:

I want to talk to my mom about dating but how can I bring up the subject without making her think I want to date right away?

Wondering

Dear Wondering...
If you don't have a great relationship with your mom, you might want to start small and just start trying to talk to her more - asking her about what her life was like when she was your age, how she dealt with issues that you're dealing with right now - drama at school, doubting your faith, etc. - or just small-chatting with her about anything, from favorite colors to current events. If you're already pretty close to her, you could ask her about what her mom used to say to her about guys, advice her mom had for her about dating and stuff, when your mom started dating, her tips about it, or whatever. If you don't want her to think that you're interested in it, you can tell her that right off the bat. Hopefully she'll understand! God bless you!

Dear Nadia:

Ive seen so many things that say or imply that God loves everyone. Does he REALLY love everyone? Even the non-Christian? Murderers? Terrorists?

Freaked

Dear Freaked, there's a line from a song that says, 'God's love is amazing, steady, and unchanging.' So, God loves us all from birth and if His love is unchanging, that means He loves us 'till we die, right? Yup. It may seem unimaginable, but God loves EVERYONE... that means Every. Single. Person. In. The. Whole. Wide. World. He sees the good in each person, no matter how little of it there is. He gave us free choice and even when we abuse it, He still loves us and longs for us to come back to Him. God's love is unconditional and there are SO many scriptures about it in the Bible - John 3:16, the stories of the Prodigal Son and Mary Magdalen. However, even though God loves everyone, in the end all people receive their judgement (which is according to God's standards, not ours) which means that God will examine the motives and underlying details in the lives of those murderers and terrorists and He will send them where they deserve to be. Bottom line - it may seem totally unbelievable and unfair and humiliating that God loves us just as much as he loves people who kill babies, He loves slave masters just as much as He loves the best Christians... but think, isn't that an amazing love that can look past even the most flagrant crimes? And that love belongs to Y-O-U! In the end, though, God will bring each and every person to justice. God bless you!

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