The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.- Hebrews 11:1
(shorts:Old Navy, top:Forever21, shoes:Target)

A Light in the darkness.

  What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.-John 1:3-5 (MSG)

    Sometimes in life we can feel so blind. Like we're trapped in a dark room and can't find our way around. It can be so frustrating to be stuck in this constant darkness of fear and doubt, to be held in chains that drain us and cause us to worry and stray from peace. The darkness that we can sometimes experience can be so draining that we feel lifeless. Well there is some great news for anyone experiencing this. Jesus is life. He is light. In the midst of our darkest nights we can experience the light that comes from Christ. When we are in darkness and experiencing tough times turning to Jesus makes the light come on. How? Well just like the verse above says "The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out." The darkness in your life is no match for the blazing light that Jesus holds! When you turn to Christ for comfort know that He is going to show up. Your situation might not change instantly but Jesus gives you light and life when you are in such a draining and dark place. Know this, Jesus has so much in-store for your life. So much grace, love, peace, and light! And it's all free! All we have to do is except it. Today I encourage you to seek the marvelous light that Jesus holds. Turn to the Life that is truly Life and watch in amazement as the grace of Jesus pours out over your life. 

                                                           Love,
                                                              Sofia

 Hey guys! Today's post is an outfit from the closet of my best friend Courtney!

First of all I love these shorts they were only $10 from Old Navy!

Three things I love about this shirt. The scooped neck line, the dove in the middle, and the inspiring message that it bears "Please Stay Alive." This shirt comes from the beautiful foundation To Write Love On Her Arms. It's all about bringing awareness, support, hope, and love to people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. I love when people combine a good cause with fashion! To check out more apparel from TWLOHA or to learn more about the foundation visit their website at http://twloha.com/home


 God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, He saved me.- Psalm 116:6



Love,
Sofia

Pray Without Ceasing

             Hey everyone! I hope you guys have been having a good week and a great Sunday! Over the past few days God has really placed the meaning of prayer on my heart.The testing of  my faith and willingness to pray and let God take control has really come into play this week and I believe that I've really grown in my walk of prayer just over the past two days. Life is hard. That's something we all know. But Jesus never once told us that it would be easy. As a matter of fact in Matthew 16:24 He says "If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [ disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if needed be, in dying also]." Doing this is not easy. Denying yourself each day and taking up the cross is one of the hardest things there can be to do. But we have hope. Right before Jesus was arrested to be crucified He prayed. He went aside by himself and cried out to God. "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42) Before praying he said to His disciples "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death..."(Matthew 24:38). Doesn't this sound like us sometimes.? We can become so overwhelmed and burdened with sadness that we become hopeless.  Before taking up the cross Jesus himself prayed seeking peace and guidance in such a dark time. He was burdened and in anguish so He prayed. What does this tell us? We are supposed to imitate Christ and if Jesus the very person who wiped away all of our sin and shame got down on His knees and cried out to God for help then we to should do the same. Taking up the cross is a big deal and there will be times when it feels impossible to do. That is why we must pray.   Knowing that we have been asked to take up the cross, which is a task far to impossible for us to do on our own, we must pray asking God to help us throughout our day. So my challenge to you today is to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) know that your prayers are powerful and effective and that God is listening and will provide all that you need and ask for. My prayer for everyone that reads this post today is that "The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13  

Love,

Sofia

Bethany Hamilton speaking event!

Hey guys! So eight days ago I got to see Bethany Hamilton and her husband speak! I know I'm late blogging about it, but better late than never. Anyways last Sunday my youth group and I went down to Cocoa Beach to see Bethany speak at a church youth group service. It all started about four weeks ago when me and my mom were on our way to my brothers football game. As she was driving we passed a church and my mom said "Sofia, that church sign just said something about Britney Hamilton, Soul Surfer." I then corrected her saying it's "Bethany mom." and then slowly started to freak out. Bethany Hamilton! What? I made her turn the car around so I could make sure she wasn't just seeing things, and it turns out she wasn't. I couldn't believe it. Just a few days ago I had been on Bethany's website looking at a poster to buy and I just casually said " God it would be so awesome if I could meet her or see her speak somewhere." Now the opportunity was lying right before me! For those of you who don't know I'm a huge fan of Bethany. So this was a gift straight from God. I was in such awe at that moment. I never really actually thought that I was going to meet Bethany when I said those words to God but look what happened? Through this God has taught me a huge lesson, nothing at all is to big of a request or dream for Him to make happen or come true. Can I just first say it was one of the top coolest experiences of my life. She of course shared her famous story of loosing her arm, she talked about surfing and her love for God and the amazing things He has done for her life. She then went into other awesome things like saving yourself for marriage, true beauty, and finding hope in God even when life isn't so great. It was amazing, and then to top it all off, her husband Adam came up and spoke. That was awesome. He talked about his past and the struggles he went through. He also talked about how he met Bethany and the importance of having Jesus in the center of a relationship. It was such a nurturing message and so inspiring to see two young people who are so in love with each other but also so in love with Jesus. They break the worlds view of relationship and live out God's view of relationships. I was so extremely blessed to have experienced this. I give God all of the glory for blessing my life with such an incredible gift. My encouragement to you is never doubt! Know that God is listening even when you might not think so and that He is ready to make your wildest dreams come true! Nothing is impossible for Him. 

Bethany and her husband! (They were so cute)

       
     
 Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.” Mark 9:23(MSG)