Deep Roots

Hey girlies!

I know, it has been forever! Honestly, I haven't had much to talk about until Monday of this week. God put the perfect topic on my heart for you guys and I am just now finding time to write about it. Sorry. :/

Ok, so we all know that inevitably we are going to have hard times in our lives. Things are going to happen that we just are not going to like. You may be thinking, "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." You may be going through something hard right now, and I am truly sorry if you are.

I want to talk about something that can make the hard times easier. I'm not talking about getting rid of the problem, this is a soother for problems that you can't change or fix. A soother for ANY problem.

Read God's word. Every single day.

Think of yourself as a plant. A beautiful flower. As a plant you will want to grow, but without the proper nourishment and care, you won't. You will die. That is common logic. Just like as a child of God we desire to grow and we get frustrated with God when we feel stuck. But, are you nourishing and caring for yourself with the truth of God's word? It is daily nourishment for your life. Without it, you will feel dead.

Store up God's word in your heart. When the hard times come and things get shaky you have a reservoir of strength and comfort and hope hidden deep in your heart. You can pull out the strength from God's word whenever you need it. How amazing is that?!

Psalm 1:1-3 says :
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, 

and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 

which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers. 

Start reading God's word. I promise you will not be disappointed. God's word is a love letter to you. Use it for encouragement and strength. You're going to need it. This world is not your home and in it you will have trouble. So, lean on God and let Him speak to you through His word today.

This beautiful song says, 

"With my roots deep in you, I'll grow the branch that bears the fruit

And though I'm small, I'll still be standing in the storm

Cause I am planted by the river, and by your streams of living water

And I'll grow up strong and beautiful

All for Your splendor, Lord" 

Maybe you're like me and some days you wake up late or you forget because you're busy. I understand, I have been there. Let's make it a priority this week to develop the habit of fighting for time with God. Find an accountability partner and let each other know how you're doing. If you can't find anyone.. I'm here for you ashleannepotter@gmail.com

Wasted Potential

We all have it.. 

The potential to be/do something greater than who we are or what we are doing right now.

 Let me ask you something, "Who are you and what are you doing?" 

Seriously, what kind of person are you? 

Are you the kind of person that is constantly growing? 

Are you seeking out God in your daily life?

I heard this quote once and I can't even remember who said it but it always stuck with me.

 "God accepts you exactly as you are, but He loves you too much to leave you that way."

It's true.. He loves and accepts you. However, He wants you to become the best possible version of you.  Think about it...

 If you are the best possible version of you, won't your life be more fulfilling?

Hmm.. Something to think about for sure. 

I know for me, personally I have a million dreams and goals that I want to complete. 

These can change from day to day. I want to write a book, or I decide that I want to start a charity. Random, I know.. but, I overwhelm myself with all these things that I want to do and accomplish. 

Yes, my intentions are good.

 But, if I just lean on God and walk with Him daily He will direct my steps.

 I will accomplish HIS will for my life by surrendering. Its hard, but its necessary.

Once you and I choose every day to be the young women that He has called us to be,

 It opens the doors for some amazing opportunities for greatness.

My simple encouragement to you is that you will surrender yourself to God who has such great plans for you. Don't waste your potential. Do not settle for the mundane.
 Commit your plans to your Heavenly Father. 

I promise you will start to feel so much better about your life.

 A life surrendered to God is the most exciting life we can imagine. Start today.
Be who you're called to be.

As always, I am available to pray for you and encourage you.
ashleannepotter@gmail.com

XOXO

Don't Settle

Hello beautiful girls,

I know it has been a seriously long while since I have posted on this blog. Life has just been crazy busy lately. We can blame this partially on the fact that last week my sister got married!!!

It was a beautiful wedding. I could not be more happy for Mr. & Mrs. Grooms! 

The ceremony sparked some deep emotions in me and I thought back to my own wedding to my sweet, amazing husband. In that moment, watching my sister say her vows I was so thankful that the two of us didn't settle. We didn't settle for anything less than the man that God had for us. 

Yesterday, I saw on TV an interview with Trevor Bayne. 

It reminded me that there are still good guys out there. It seems that girls date whomever they want to by using the excuse that there are just NO good, Christian guys left. Its not true and its not a good excuse. By the way, if more girls would sit down and be ladies, more guys would stand up and be gentlemen.

If we believe the Bible we can find numerous verses that remind us of God's plans for us.

God had Zack prepared for me. I believe that wholeheartedly. I'm so thankful that I didn't waste time with guys who were clearly not "THE ONE".

When I was in high school, I dated quite a bit, but, I never wanted to be serious. I never told any guy that I loved him and no relationship lasted longer than 2 months. As soon as I knew that I couldn't possibly spend the rest of my life with whomever I was dating, I immediately called it off.

This saved me from so much heartbreak. 

When Zack entered my life I had my entire heart to give him. 

If your heart has never been broken, be so thankful. Don't sit around wishing you had a boyfriend and all the drama that comes with it. Instead, focus on becoming the woman you want to be when God places the perfect man in your life. Remember to guard your heart. 

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

If your heart has been broken, look to God to heal your wounds. He alone can make your broken heart like new and give you the strength to love again. Don't regret the heartbreak either. God is using your heartbreak to teach you and grow you. He is making you into who you were meant to be. 

For those of you that are in a relationship that needs to be shut down I have some strong, hard words to say to you. Break up now. Ouch, I know. I'm sorry, I really am. I have watched so many friends waste time with the wrong guy. They experience the hurt over and over again. I read this once and it sums it up pretty perfectly. "A bad relationship is like a loose tooth. It’s annoying, but you keep playing with it because its there. You are afraid to pull it out because you know that its going to hurt. Eventually, you pull it out. It hurts very badly and it even bleeds a little. The bleeding stops and the pain subsides. Now there is room for something new, stronger and beautiful to grow."It is very frustrating to watch someone stay in a bad situation when they know they should leave. It would be better to have a couple months, maybe even longer than that where you are healing and hurting, rather than a lifetime of unhappiness. Do not stay with someone just because you are comfortable with them. Sometimes love isn’t enough, and its ignorant to say that love is all you need in a relationship. A healthy relationship is based on commitment, respect, adoration, stability and trust. Those are the components of a good and loving relationship. As a woman, I would not be willing to settle for less than what God has for me. You shouldn’t either.

Its true. God has someone for you!

 You need to trust Him. Be patient, because it will be SO worth it. I can promise you that.

Kindness... Part 2 (And, an update)

Hello, ladies!!!

It has been awhile and I apologize. I have been wanting to finish out my posts on kindness, but I literally have not had enough time to sit down and write. 

Last week was SUCH a busy week. It was a good week, fun too... just busy.

There was literally something going on every single night of the week! Thursday, we were at the Braves game for Chipper Jones' bobble head night! It was a lot of fun and of course the Braves won!

Also, I got hit yesterday afternoon with the nastiest cold. I feel slightly better today but still want to just crawl in bed. I'm fighting it though because I really really really want to finish this up! I feel it pressing on me today and I just know that its so important for someone to hear on this very day!!!

But, before I begin... I must ask you... Have you tried NUTELLA??? That stuff is amazing. I've eaten half of that jar in one day. Pretzels + nutella is a pretty spectacular combination. 

Ok, lets begin with the previous disclaimer-

DISCLAIMER : Nothing, and I mean nothing that I am about to share with you is because I believe that I have mastered kindness. In fact, I will only speak to you girls about things that I struggle with myself. I'm sharing what I'm learning.. so that you may learn also. Please, never think that I see myself as superior and as someone who believes I know everything.
Now, here we go... 

Ephesians 4: 31-32 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Those are our verses on kindness. In the last post, which you can read here we talked about verse 31. I broke down bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking and malice for you. 

I hope that you all accepted my challenge to read through Ephesians and to pray for your sisters in Christ. I know how difficult it can be to just be a teenaged girl. Life is tough for y'all and the girls around you can make it even harder. However, just because they are unkind to you does not mean that you are required to retaliate... Like I said before, you are required to be kind. 

Now, we will focus on verse 32.  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

What does it mean to be kind? According to the dictionary it is a person of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person.

Kindness is NOT the person who continually judges, criticizes and puts down other people. We all know someone that makes us feel bad about ourselves. That person who never makes us feel good enough. She has the best clothes and house and car, but she is mean. She is unkind. 

Is that person you?

Please don't be that kind of girl.

Be tenderhearted.

To be tenderhearted basically just means to be compassionate and sensitive to the feelings and needs of others. 

When you see a girl that is overweight do you immediately make fun of her? Or do you think about the possibilities... maybe this girl is suffering from an eating disorder, maybe she was raped as a child, maybe she has recently experienced the loss of a loved one. You never know what someone is going through. Think before you speak. What about the girl in your school that wears the same unfashionable clothes day after day. Do you make fun of her behind her back? Or do you think about the fact that maybe she is a foster kid who needs a friend. Whatever the case may be, you should always look on others with compassion. Its not something that I always do either, but we should strive everyday to love our sisters in Christ with a tender heart. 

Forgiving one another... Yikes. I really hate telling people that they need to forgive because I know how hard it can be. It is extremely difficult and also a little scary to let go of those deep rooted feelings and emotions. However, it is required and it is freeing. I read this today, "If someone has wounded you - no matter how deeply - you must choose to forgive them." Its not easy, but it can be done. It may take time, years even, but it can be done. It all starts with a decision. The decision to forgive, to look past the hurt and see them through God's eyes. Forgiveness. Just as God for Christ's sake forgave YOU. God will give you the freeing power of forgiveness with time as you continue to ask for it.

I pray that you girls have learned the true power in being kind. It is a rare treasure to find kindness in young girls your age. Be that treasure to someone else. Be the sister who can be trusted. The sister who is a safe place for others. Be a sister who is a true treasure to another. 

I'm going to give you another challenge for this week that is very similar to the last one. Continue to meditate on these verses. Tape them on your mirror or wherever you will see them if you haven't already. Continue to pray for those sisters that you find it hard to be kind to. Next, pray for those that you need to forgive. 

That grudge you're holding will diminish the more you pray for them. 

THIS WEEK do at least ONE act of kindness for TWO different sisters that you notice may need some encouragement and uplifting. A note, candy, a flower, anything that will lift their spirits.

And, remember that God is making His strength perfect through your weaknesses. Don't give up. Stay encouraged. He wants to use you. 

If you need prayer, encouragement or advice this week (or anytime) you can anonymously email me here -ashleannepotter@gmail.com

Love you, beauties!!!

Going through something hard?

I don't know where you may be in life. I don't know what your circumstances are or how you feel on a daily basis. Maybe you're depressed, maybe you have given up on the possibility that God could actually love you and that He is real.

I feel very compelled today to share the love of Christ with you. I want to remind you that He sees you. He sees where you are, He knows how you got there and even though you may feel totally alone and wonder if things will ever get better, your life is literally resting in His hands.

Isaiah 41:10 - "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

In that verse, God is reminding Israel of their special status with God. I love that description of God's children - special status. How awesome it is to know that we have special status with God, because we are His children.

HE LOVES YOU!

That being said, I feel the need to remind you that the trials you are going through may not be directly from God. Never, ever blame God for your poor circumstances. Yes, He allowed things to happen. Nothing passes through His hands without His permission, but what I mean is that maybe your circumstances are a direct cause of something you did. Maybe, its the effect of a choice or an action that someone else made or did. Whatever the case, if you are a child of God, He wouldn't have allowed anything into your life that He hadn't already equipped and prepared you for.

If you know that your circumstances are because of something you did, confess it. Confess it to God and receive His free gift of FORGIVENESS. Forgiveness is my most favorite things that God does, because I ask for and receive it daily.

1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Oh, so you think you're too far gone for forgiveness? You're wrong! God forgave Paul for literally being an anti-Christ. Paul was the killer and abuser of the first Christians. He hated Jesus. He was a prideful Pharisee that God humbled and used. If God can forgive and actually use a murderer.. certainly you are not beyond His grace. The same amount of Jesus' blood was shed to save every single person no matter how great their sin.

Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15 - "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

Now the hard part... You're in a storm right now because of the choices of someone else. Ouch. Its going to be hard, but forgiveness is the first step towards sunny skies. Read Acts 27.  
Seriously, stop right now and read it.
You just read the story about Paul's sea voyage to Rome. In verse 10 he warns the captains that they are certainly headed for disaster. He was right. It wasn't his fault, he had done nothing wrong, but God still allowed them to go through the storm. He could have supernaturally allowed the storm to pass. He could have done something, anything, right? But, He didn't and the best part about that is Paul didn't question God, blame Him or doubt Him. He prayed and trusted. Then, God sent an angel to comfort Paul and give him peace. (verse 23&24)

Paul could have been angry with the people that did not listen to him, and rightfully so! But, instead He prayed for them, encouraged them (verse 36) and worked hard with them to keep everyone safe.
When you've been hurt by another person's poor judgment, don't give into the feelings of hate and bitterness. Forgive. Give it over to Jesus Christ. You may think you can never forgive that person, but with God's power you are literally capable of anything!

Like I said before, He sees you. He really does. Maybe you can't feel Him right now, maybe you wonder why He hasn't delivered you yet or why He allowed you to go through what you're going through. Honestly, I don't have the answers for you. I don't know why. I wish I did, but all I know is that God is God no matter what enters our lives and His love is bigger than anything that we may be going through. We need to have faith in His promises and rest in His hands. Allow Him to heal you and look for Him in your daily life. He is there, He just may be quiet right now. One of my favorite quotes is, "When you are going through something hard, and you're wondering where God is remember the teacher is always quiet during the test." He is teaching you something. Embrace it and love the fact that the God of the universe is taking the time to make Himself strong through you, because He loves you.

1 John 4:10 "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (Propitiation - a covering)

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (He knew all the ways you were going to mess up, but He still died for you)

1 Timothy 4:16 "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God abides in love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."

1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins."

He loves you. He has proved it. Don't doubt it. Don't question it. Ever.

Music speaks to me better than anything else.

 Listen to this song, hopefully it encourages you that way that it has for me!

Kindness... Part 1

DISCLAIMER : Nothing, and I mean nothing that I am about to share with you is because I believe that I have mastered kindness. In fact, I will only speak to you girls about things that I struggle with myself. I'm sharing what I'm learning.. so that you may learn also. Please, never think that I see myself as superior and as someone who believes I know everything.
Now, here we go...

Ephesians 4: 31-32 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

I have known those verses forever. When I was a kid, I knew a whole song about "being kind one to another" and honestly, since I've been so familiar with these verses they haven't meant as much to me as they probably should. Unfortunately, that's how it goes when you grow up memorizing scripture. You learn a lot without ever thinking about what it really means. But, girls, this is SO important.

Kindness is such a huge part of being sisters in Christ. It isn't easy, in fact its one of the hardest things for us girls, but it is crucial. Even better, it is required of us to be kind. 

So, let us begin with verse 31... "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice."

Bitterness is really resentment of another person or hostility towards some one else. If your bitter towards someone, it may be because they have hurt you very badly or done something to someone you love. I don't know why you may have bitterness in your heart toward someone else, but I can tell you that you need to "put it away". Yes, the person that hurt you may have been very wrong, but now you are wrong also. Its not easy to let things go, believe me I understand. I have been and can be the biggest grudge holder at times. I can let the thought of someone else ruin my day. However, when I let go of that bitterness and just forgive, it gives a freedom that can only come from God. Remember, being bitter towards someone hinders you and keeps you from being who you were called to be. It effects you greater than the other person. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. let it go.

Wrath and anger pretty much go hand in hand. We have all been upset and angry with another person at some point and guess what? Even God says its alright to be angry. Anger is just another emotion. It becomes sin when we allow our anger to control the way we act and what we say. Damage is done with anger.  So, "put it away".

Clamour. The only way I know how to explain this one is a noisy expression of something you don't like. In my mind, I go to a high school lunch table. Everyone at the table is upset about their horrible teacher who gave them too much homework. So, they spend their entire lunch hour droning on and on about how badly they dislike him and how they can't believe they're stuck in that class. Blah blah blah... Its just noise.. They could be spending that time making plans for the weekend, lifting each other up, talking about the good things that are happening in their lives, but instead they waste that time complaining.

Evil speaking is gossip. We are ALL guilty. This is perhaps the thing that bugs me the most, yet I fall into it constantly. I'm not going to go too deep into this one because I still have a long way to go myself. Just think about how badly it hurts to find out that a friend has been talking ill of you behind your back. Someone you thought you could trust, someone you loved and believed that they loved you. It hurts. I've been there and you probably have to. So why in the world would we do that to someone else? Because, its easy and its mindless. Beware of gossiping. Make a point not to do it. If you don't try not to, you easily will. Over and over again.

Paul tells us to put away all of these things, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking. Put it away with all malice..here's the actual definition - the desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness: the malice and spite of a lifelong enemy.

That sounds pretty nasty to me. Honestly, when I break down each of these things I realize how guilty I am at times and how badly I don't want to be that kind of girl. I want to be a safe place for other girls, a very kind person. I hope that you do too.

So, here is the challenge : Read through the book of Ephesians this week. Maybe only one chapter a day, I'm certain you can find time for at least that. Write these verses (4:31-32) where you will see them several times a day. Your mirror, the background of your phone, your locker, wherever. Pray for strength to "put away" these things and remember to pray for those other girls that you find it hard to be kind to.  The more you pray for them, the more you will see them through God's eyes. Then, do one act of kindness for a girl like that. THIS WEEK. Buy them some candy, write them a note, let them know they look nice. Its really simple and may seem small, but it goes SUCH a long way. Remember, you never know what that person may be going through.
Also, don't get discouraged when you fail. God sees you trying and He will help you progress as you ask Him for help. He doesn't, however, wave a wand and make you perfect over night. He uses your weaknesses to make Him strong through you. Remember that and stay encouraged! 

Let me know through the comments how you completed the challenge this week. YOU CAN DO IT!

Love you girls!

Part 2... COMING SOON!

Me. :/

Hey there,

My name is Ashle'. I am starting this blog with really no specific idea about where it may go. Yikes! For quite some time now, I have been wanting to start a blog - a place where young girls can come to find hope and inspiration about who God has called them to be. A place where they feel welcome, inspired and encouraged and find the freedom to be themselves. I'm not really sure how I am going to do that but I am finally taking the courage to go out on a limb and begin.

The main reason I have been putting off starting this blog is because I am scared. Scared that people might actually see the real me, my flaws and my weaknesses. I'm scared to open myself up to be judged. Because, by giving the world a glimpse into my life and my heart, I'm giving anyone an opportunity to judge me. Yeah, that's pretty human & I don't know if I'm quite ready for the world to know that I am not the person that has it all together with a picture perfect life. I'm just, me.

But, some days being me can be pretty great. Other days, of course are a different story.. but, for now we will focus on the great days! On a great day you can find me being a wife to my husband, Zack. He has been the light of my life for the past 3 years. We have been married for almost two months now. Being with Zack has taught me so much. He is literally the picture-perfect man. I'm not just saying that because I've only been married for a couple months, he really is! Of course, he has his flaws also, but I really couldn't ask for a greater guy! He is the youth pastor at our church, teaches History and Bible at the christian school and is so dedicated and passionate about changing lives! He's really challenged and inspired me to be a better person and a more dedicated follower of Christ. I really couldn't ask for anything better in a husband. I am also a student, studying to be an elementary school teacher. I am sooo close to being finished I can smell it. Of course, transferring a couple of times, taking semester breaks, and jumping the gun to get married has put me a little behind. Unfortunately. But, I'm hanging in there because I can't think of anything greater than teaching little ones and contributing to their lives. In the meantime, I work in the Extended Education program at CCA monitoring the middle school and early high school age group. Its pretty awesome just to be able to hang out with those cool kids while I'm still working on other things!

So now you know a little bit more about me, but its only a surface level. We'll delve a little deeper at another time! I hope you will come back so we can grow in Christ together and form a sisterhood. I think it will be great! I'm praying for the opportunity to challenge teenaged girls. I know how difficult it can be to be exposed to all the things of the world. But, 1 John 4:4 says, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world" That's pretty encouraging! I can't wait to help you understand better Who is in you and what He can do through YOU!