Maria Allison

God isn't finished with you yet.  This is a phrase I have heard a lot while growing up in a Christian home and I have always heard it but never fully paid close attention to it until today. "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) God is doing a good work in you! In our walk with God we are never going to be completely perfect, or completely on fire with God without temptation. As Christians we feel as if we have to be perfect all the time and we are never allowed to make mistakes. If we make a mistake and people are informed of it, we can be considered a hypocrite. What Jesus wants is our heart and our full devotion to him. He doesn't expect us to be perfect or to never make a mistake, he expects us to give all of our struggles and temptation to him. We know that all of our sins are forgiven because Jesus died on the cross for us and paid our ultimate pun...

Approaching the new year allows for reflection of the past year and hope for the new year. Each year comes with blessings and challenges. For some, 2019 might have been an amazing year with new and fun experiences. While for others, the past year might have been filled with pain, suffering, and sorrow. A new year brings a new beginning, and a refreshing restart. Making a New Years resolution has never been something I have enjoyed doing. Making goals, and setting goals can be a good thing when you accomplish them. But sometimes, making goals can be discouraging when you fall short on those goals year after year. Typically, most people shoot high and make goals like doing 100 push ups for 100 days (tried that and failed miserably). Or working out daily, eating healthier, cutting out sugar, and the list can go on and on for days. Instead of focusing on a goal, I focus on a word. For the past two years, I have chosen a word of the year to focus on, read more about, pray on, and apply it...

After high school, big things begin to change. It is time to move away from mom and dad and become independent....sort of. By independent, I mean we now have to wake ourselves up on our own, make our own breakfast, and do our own laundry...BUT we still need mom and dad for support, advice, and the occasional twenty dollar bill. College visits from parents are also highly recommended with a trip to the grocery store, and with the hope of buying something other than Ramen noodles. College is all about new experiences and becoming the person you want to be. Before leaving for college, everyone told me that it goes by really fast and to enjoy it because it is the best time of your life. Is this true? I'm not sure yet, but I do know that it goes by really fast and really slow all at the same time.  In high school, some people judged me for being a Christian and my beliefs. Coming to college made me nervous because I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I...

      Its consuming, overwhelming, annoying, and dangerous. Its a monster that sneaks up on you on a daily basis without warning. The big green monster is called envy, and its middle name is jealousy. Social media causes the big green monster to come alive all too well. People post pictures of their new clothes, new car, new phone, new engagement, new baby, and new house. We post the things we have because we are excited and are proud of these things. We also desire the approval of others and acceptance. We want the whole world to know that we have a precious new puppy and the rest of you don't. However, all of these posts can cause a huge problem with jealousy. I know that when I want something (like a kitten), it seems like every other person on social media has a kitten and I am the only girl on the planet without it. Is this true? Of course not, but it seems that way. The more people post adorable pictures of kittens the stronger my want...