Just Jen

Singleness and loneliness– these two words are often interchanged and it breaks my heart. People think that “oh, they are single so they must be lonely” or “oh, they are lonely so they must be single” and often times we think this of ourselves, too. We think that we will be happier if we are in a relationship. We think a relationship will cure-all of our aches, doubts, and anxious thoughts and make us whole again. We think having companionship will rid us of ALL of this, but in reality nothing will rid us of this as much as Jesus does. If we are not content with singleness and the season of life we are in right now then we will jump into things that aren't the best that God intended for us. When we jump into these things it may cure our loneliness temporarily, but after awhile we may become lonely again or even lonelier than we were before. It won’t create a satisfying joy because we are chasing after things that were never meant to create a true satisfying joy. When we trust...

A few weeks ago a statement was brought up that really made me consider how I spend my time. This statement was "the way you spend your time is where your heart is at". This made me really contemplate how I currently spend my time and how I want to spend my time. The things that I say are important to me, but are they really important if I don't make time for it? And if I say they are important, then I need to follow through with action to confirm that they are. This is how we grow and better ourselves. Words don't really mean anything unless we back them up with action. What I have learned is that there is ALWAYS time if it is important. It is just the enemy speaking that there is no time, but if you listen to God, he is saying there is always time if you make the time. I know there is a limited amount of hours in a day and things come up, but you can always find time for it if it is important to you. So I challenge you to think about how you spend your time and ...

A couple Sundays ago, the pastor gave a sermon that really struck a chord with me. It is called “Alive and Free in the New Year” and I have put the link below if you want to listen to it. It is a really great sermon with a lot of great points, but there was one point that really stood out to me - and this was surround yourself with more people that call you back to the truth! We have too many people in our lives that say do what you want or do what makes you happy. But this way of thinking could hurt yourself or the people around you if doing what you want or what makes you happy is leading you down the wrong path. We need people in our lives that will confront us with grace and call us back to the right path. The path towards God instead of the opposite direction. Even if it is not what you want to hear at the time, you will be thankful for these people in the long run. A small time frame of being upset at someone for saying something is better than nothing being said, and being...

Sharing in an accomplishment as a team is so much sweeter than reveling in an accomplishment you made as an individual. Everything comes to an end, but the memories and lessons learned will last a lifetime. There are new opportunities everyday. You never know what is going to be around the next corner, so always get up and live with joy and a willingness to embrace opportunities. Living with more purpose and intention will grow relationships and friendships in your life. Nothing grows without effort. You should never lessen or make excuses for someone’s actions that go against what you strongly value just because you love that person.  If you have a feeling that something is not quite right, trust your instincts for they are more than likely right. People will lie and cheat you, but it’s how you react that makes a world of a difference. There is a beauty in forgiveness and giving people grace.  There comes a strong amount of respect for people that tell the truth and...

A year ago, I posted a photo saying that I didn’t know how 2017 was going to top 2016 because 2016 was so great, but now that a year has passed, I take that statement back because 2017 was pretty great! It may have been great in a different way. I would have to say it was a more difficult year with many more challenges than 2016 contained, but I think that is what made it so great! This year, I have learned so much about myself. I've learned more about what I deserve, what I want, what I am capable of, what I can handle, etc. I have also found this peace and contentment with myself that is stronger than it has ever been, and this is because I opened my heart to God and placed my worth and trust in Him. I will tell you this year turned out a lot different than what I imagined, but sometimes reality turns out to be a lot better than what you hope it to be. God has a plan for what he is doing in our lives and it is always bigger than us and what we can dream up. So as we close t...

Have you ever had a decision weighing on your mind that you know you have to make, but instead of dealing with it, you decide to put it off and not think about it, making you feel worse. I had this happen to me a couple weeks ago. I felt like I was walking on this downhill path because every decision I made to avoid the big decision I knew I had to make seemed to make me feel worse about myself. I seemed to be hurting myself and others more and more the longer I let this decision weigh on my heart. It got to a point where I knew I had to make a decision to start feeling better and get off this downhill path I was on. It was a tough decision that I was avoiding, because my head and my heart were telling me two different things. My heart was telling me that I should feel more, but my head was telling me that I should give it a try, because it is something familiar and something I would be comfortable with. I was sitting there, going back and forth between these two sides, when I r...

This week in life group the word "intentional" was brought up. It was a word that was on the heart of my friend this week and now it is a word that is on my heart... and I absolutely LOVE this word. It has such a strong meaning and when lived out is even stronger. The definition of intentional is "something done purposefully that is deliberate and planned." You can be intentional in everything you do. You can be intentional in your words, actions, thoughts, relationships, jobs, etc. Being intentional takes effort, but wow is it worth it. If we weren't intentional, we wouldn't grow. We would be stuck in the same patterns, which could lead us to distance, unhappiness, and brokenness. It would lead us backwards instead of forwards. Being intentional doesn't only mean being purposeful though, it also means being truthful. It means being truthful with your own heart and communicating that truth intentionally to yourself and others. If we aren't in...