Words of Kindness

Hello hello! How has yours been? Mine has personally been pretty busy and good. I've just been training, doing some community service, and studying for the most part. What is your favorite part of this past week? Let me know in the comments below!

So this morning I was struggling to wake up when I saw that I had gotten a new text from a friend. It said:

Hey, I just wanted to tell you: you are an exceptionally nice girl. I never even had to question whether you would be there for me if I was feeling lonely, and you always had a cheerful attitude to brighten anyone's day when I saw you. You are very faithful, and regardless of different beliefs or traditions, I think God will do amazing things with your life. But most of all I wanted to remind you that you are loved above all things because you are loved by He who created all things. God bless, Riley.

Usually the texts I get are short and I tend to take them for granted, but there was just something about this text that was encouraging and sincere, and it really gave my day a good start.

Kind words mean a lot to people, guys--infinitely more than we may think. This week, I want to challenge you guys to write one or two long, sincere texts that carry inspirational and/or meaningful messages to some of the people that mean the most to you. Thank people for the difference they've made in your life, and something as simple as that will make a difference in their lives too. We never know when someone may need some extra love or joy, so just take a little bit of time to spread these!

thedailyquotes.com

Take care,
-Riley XO

Be One

Hello! Has life been treating you well? This week's post is a little belated because I've just been getting busy with training for Taekwondo Collegiate Nationals and studying for midterms! I was also elected to be secretary of my pledge class (I joined a non-Greek, co-ed service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega this semester) and was also trying to figure out my schedule this week.

Buuut at least there is still a post this week, eh? I am hoping to find time to film a video for a future post and the topic is something that has been on my heart for a while, so I will do my best to make it a quality video for you guys. That is one thing to look forward to!

Anyway, today is about kindness and gratitude. I found this picture from emilysquotes.com, and I think that just taking a look at it and basking in its meaning.

I saw this picture early this morning and knew it was something that you would appreciate! 

Guys, I can truly say from as little as 18 years of personal experience that there is a lot of darkness in this world. But it is up to only you if you become a part of this darkness, or if you become something greater. Although this post is pretty short and quick, I hope that it inspires you to go out of your way to do something kind today, or to look for kindness and feel your heart be filled with empathy. (Maybe even both?)

Have a wonderful rest of your Friday!

-Riley XO

Take Flight

Hello hello! Do you ever follow any of those Earth Porn, World Porn, or Food Porn sites on Facebook? Well, I think that Earth Porn is the best type of porn there is, and hopefully one day it will be the only type of "porn" that anyone looks at! I just love scrolling through my feed and seeing pictures like this to start or end my day:

Crater Lake
"Like" the Earth Porn page by clicking here!

It is wonderful seeing all of the beauty that surrounds us in this world.

Yesterday morning, I saw this image from a World Porn page and it sort of made me stop a bit and think for a moment, so it became something I wanted to share with you.

It personally made me think specifically about what goals I've set in place--where I want to go in life. We truly have everything that we need to chase and achieve our dreams, even more so with technology. One of my dreams is to hopefully help brighten someone's day, or inspire another person, and look, this blog has allowed me to do so right now (you're reading this, aren't you?). 

Don't just have dreams. Don't just use your wings to get up a tree--use your dreams to fly to great places! 

Set a new goal for yourself today, or refresh your resolve to continue pursuing a goal that you've already made. Write down the steps you're planning to take to reach that goal. 

Where do you plan to fly? Please share in the comments!

Fly high and do great things,

-Riley XO

Are You Suffering?

Dear Friend,

How are you today? No, really. Is everything okay? Are you going through something hard? Well, times can be rough. I can't quite say that I know what you're going through, but I know just as well as anyone what suffering feels like. 

To me, suffering usually feels a lot like nobody understands, that nothing can make things better. Like there is darkness wrapping itself around me and all I can do is let it stay. 

Saying that it is difficult to deal with death, natural disasters, rape, eating disorders, illness, lies, etc. is a major understatement. How are we supposed to look at suffering? How do we explain it? Can we explain it?

People's reactions to your suffering vary depending on what their core beliefs are. They say, "You're going through this because it'll make you stronger in the end." Or, "Don't worry, it'll work out later." Sometimes an "It's okay" even when things are clearly not okay.

And then there's the Bible. 

Paul says that he rejoices in suffering (Romans 5).

The other night at Bible study, we were taking a look at John 11, which is the account of Lazarus. 

Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus came. There was weeping on this day because in Jewish tradition, four days after someone's passing signified that his/her soul had passed to the next life. Can you relate to the grief? Knowing that a loved one is gone forever... I think that this kind of sadness is, in a sense, greater than if I had died in the other person's place.

Why would Jesus allow Lazarus to die? He had loved him--why would he allow the death to occur and allow the suffering to happen?

Could it be that he allowed Lazarus to die so that he could raise him from the dead?

God's Word tells us that his glory is manifested through our weaknesses. The suffering that we go through--his glory can shine brighter and stronger than all of it.

God's love is essential to human life, and that is why our lowest points can sometimes be the most important points of our lives, because those moments are when we experience the greatest potential for letting his love shine through.

Take care,
-Riley XO

Image from Quorri Scharmyn

How To Love Yourself

Hello, hope you are having a marvelous Sunday! This post consists of a couple things I found online for when you're just feeling down--little reminders that you should trust and love yourself.

 

Without any ado, here are some ways you can learn to love yourself, brought to you by Tumblr:

 

The "mirror work" one amuses me because it's hard for me to imagine myself looking at a mirror and talking to myself one-on-one, but whatever works for you right?

...Moving on...

I've been thinking a little bit about the concept of "self" lately, and it seems like Jenna Marbles's video came out at just the right time:

Watching this was inspiring and encouraging for me, and part of it is from her honest and frank tone. (On a side note, I'm Riley, and I'm addicted to Jenna's videos.)

I do agree that people find out a lot about themselves while they're going through difficult times. When things are great, it's easy to be happy and go with the flow. But while fighting "the current," your attitude and reactions give a powerful message of who you are.

Hope this little mash-up of the outline and video worked out well and got you thinking a bit about yourself. What makes you tick?

I'm also wondering: How do you get through the rough times? How much do you think you have grown because of those trials? Please share in the comments!

-Riley XO