Watching people

If you are anything like me you can relate when I express my joy for people watching. There are few thing much more peaceful than sitting down in a busy area and viewing the numerous people as they hustle by. Being the Christmas season, it is the perfect time to do so. I find it mind boggling seeing so many faces and realizing that I am merely one soul in this huge world. So many individuals, so many personality, so any dreams, so many stories. I do not know any of these people, yet I can relate to each knowing that we are all humans. Their lives are unknown to me yet for one instance we are connected through the fact that we are sharing the same moment in time. It donned on me today that for all of the times that I sit and people watch, I myself is sometimes the one being watched. There is something refreezing about the fact that I live in a world where very few people know my story. I am just one of the many. One with my own fears, dreams, and passions.  

The next time you are out in the busyness of life, take a chance to sit and people watch. Grasp the unique opportunity to share a moment in time with a complete stranger and appreciate the uniqueness of each individual in our world. 

SO much more.

God is always doing so much more than you think He is.

This has resonated with me for the past month now. Not always do we get to see the results of God working through our lives. But sometimes, if we are lucky, God reveals glimpses of the marvellous work He is doing.

Taylor and I recently planned an event called "The Cross". At the event, we showed a Billy Graham film and then Taylor shared his testimony. When "The Cross" was on our hearts to plan for our school we had no idea the impact that it could have. I prayed for 20 people to come and for God to reveal himself to each person. The day of the event I stood and the back of the room in complete awe. God had sent 150 people. God had a much bigger plan than I could have ever foreseen.
One girl on my team recommitted her life to Jesus that night. I had no idea that my passion for planning this event would result in someone coming to Jesus.
I am meeting up with another girl next week as she messaged me after the event and expressed how the night gave her so much clarity in the midst of her struggles. This is God at work.

I was reminded that night that when God places passions on your heart that He is going to show up. He will never leave you stranded and alone. When you life in inlined with His plan, he places passion in your life and He will be with you as you pursue those passions.

I was lucky enough to hear about the way God was at work that night. But not always do we see the results. At times when is seems like God isn't working, remember that He is always doing so much more that we think He is.

Who defines you?

Our days are filled with many emotions. Feeling of extreme joy, utter frustration, insecurities, successes and failures. These feeling we have come from the different situations that we find ourself in each day. And often these situations are out of our control. So why do we let the out of control situations define us as people? I have come to realize that you are far too beautiful, too precious, too extraordinary and too loved to define yourself by any unstable situation. No bad test score, poor performance, inability to measure up or destructive words will ever define who YOU are. These things are inconsistent and do not define you. 

God, on the other hand, is the one constant in our lives. The one thing that cannot change. And this is what God say. 

He says you are chosen and faultless in His eyes (Eph. 1:4).

He calls you His Child (John 1:12). 

You are redeemed and forgiven through the grace of Christ (Eph. 1:7). 

He loves and chooses you (1 Thes. 1:4). 

Instead of letting this world define who you are, let your Father define you. 

xo Jolayne

16 letters of love

I feel very blessed right now. Extremely blessed actually. I just received 16 letters from a girl in my dorm named Megan. For anyone who doesn't know Megan you are missing out on being constantly encouraged and built up. She is truly a gem. She constantly strives to love people just as Christ does. I came into my room at 12:47 am and saw a present on my desk. I soon realized that Megan wrote a letter to me for each week of this semester. What a beautiful surprise. Over the past week I have been feeling very convicted about making God number one in my life. Over the Christmas break I had neglected some of my time spent with Him. I started back into my bible reading yesterday and was in need of some encouragement. I opened my letter for this week and it read.

"But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you a well."-Matthew 6:33

"Give Jo strength to put you first and foremost in everything"

It is so crazy how God uses people to speak to us. I am feeling blessed. I am feeling encouraged. I am feeling love. I am feeling joy.

you are.

I found this quote. And I just think it is the cutest thing ever. Plus I think it is very true. Everyone has a little weirdness in them, that is what keep us unique. And if you want to try and argue that you are not weird...well thats just weird to argue about...therefore you are weird. So accept it. Embrace it. We are a all just a little weird.

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” -Dr.Seuss

passing moments

We are all on a journey. Writing our own novel. Traveling along our own path. We grow with each day as the days grow with us. I find that I am in constant battle with the capacity of my brain. I want to remember everything. Each moment. Each feeling. Each individual word that was spoken to me. Each instance of laughter. I want to remember it all. Take the moments that come and cherish them dearly.  We often grasp the tangible, and loose grip of the genuine emotions that pass with the day. Hold tightly not only to the tangible but to the emotions and passions that keep our journey alive. We are living our journey. Writing our novels. And traveling along our own path.

A thank-you.

What a surprise to come back and find a beautiful message written to my from my wonderful friend MJ. She is such a gem, and for anyone who doesn't know her you are missing out. I feel so blessed to be empowered each day by such incredible people that God has specifically placed in my life.