Grace Upon Grace / T-shirt Shop

Hey guys! It’s Melani here. I’m Maddy’s sister and I blog at Reflections of the Heart. Our mom started a new shop selling super cute mom and faith shirts.  I modeled one of them for her at my blog and I’d like to share that post with y’all!

“Hey guys! For several years now my mom has had a business where she sells little girl birthday outfits and costumes. Or outfits for everyday occasions. : P NOW she is branching out and selling super cute and fun t-shirts. She has this beautiful faith based one that I will be modeling today! Check out her Joyfully Made shop to see what else she has up for sale!

T-shirts are pretty great. I think most of us can agree with that! My mom had several shirts come in the mail today and they’re all super cute! My personal favorites are this one and a Georgia one. My home!

This shirt is a medium on me. It’s a little longer than it looks since I tucked it into my skirt. ; )

My flower headband came from Hobby Lobby. I’m pretty sure my skirt came from Cato. Which is probably my number one favorite store. They have a lot of pretty skirts and dresses that are longer than what you’d find in most other stores.

Thank you so much for visiting today! Here are a few more t-shirts my mom has up for sale. Click on the picture to go to her shop!”

Currently…

Reading… The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson.

Listening… to the piano guys.

Thinking… about the future.

Feeling… excited about my upcoming dance performance.

Trying… to play a song on the piano.

Watching… food network and full house.

Dancing… to All I Ask of You by Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson.

Enjoying… the little things in life.

Note : all pictures in this post are from pixabay.com 

Mirror, Mirror~ What Lies Within

Hey friends! I am not an official contributor to Girls Living for God’s Glory, but today I am guest posting. My name is Melani and I blog over at Reflections of the Heart. Maddy, the one who began this blog, is one of my sisters. : )

I find it funny how so often we let a piece of glass define who we are. Yuck, not a great hair day. I wish I were as tall as her. Do I look okay? What will my friends think of this outfit?

Does this sound familiar? If you grew up watching Disney, I’m pretty sure that you know this next quote.

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall- who’s the fairest one of all?”

How often do we look in a mirror and wonder the same thing? Well, maybe not the exact same thing, but pretty close. Our reflection is what determines whether or not we feel comfortable with ourselves for the day. The glass decides. And to a point it has control over us.

The Evil Queen was absolutely obsessed with her appearance. To the point that she would kill to be the prettiest. You know the story. Snow White runs into the forest, meets the seven dwarves, and- never mind. I’m getting carried away. ; P

Why don’t we spend more time dying to self and worrying about something more important? The world has plenty of problems on its own. We don’t have to add our own petty issues.

I really like the lyrics to a song by Barlow Girl. Don’t worry, I’m not going to sit here and type the entire song, but here is a small portion:

Mirror, mirror on the wall, have I got it?

‘Cause Mirror you’ve always told me who I am.

I’m finding it’s not easy to be perfect.

So sorry, you don’t define me.

Focus on ways to build inner beauty. What truly matters, not what the mirror hanging in your bedroom shows you. Jesus gave the perfect example of a life of service. Goodness, He wasn’t even too proud to wash feet! How much more should we be willing to give our time? Time that could be spent putting on makeup, trying on outfits, or fixing your hair. That won’t last. That won’t matter.

It won’t bring fulfillment, either. I know that the less I think of myself the more joyful I am. Isn’t that funny? Thinking about yourself doesn’t make you happy. It only makes you more miserable. Instead, focus on other people’s needs. Find ways to serve. You could…

*Make a meal for your family.

*Read a book to your little siblings.

*Start an email prayer or Bible study group.

*Find ways to serve outside of the home that is appropriate for your age. I go to a crisis pregnancy center on Mondays, and this is a huge blessing to me!

*Help out around the house.

*Pray for strangers.

*The list is endless!

Thank y’all for visiting today!

The Importance of Family

Sometimes I wonder how girls my age can spend all day away from home, barely see their family, and feel fine about it. I spend most of my evenings dancing, and my public school friends pretty much go to school, go to dance, and go to bed. Oh, and don’t forget the hours of homework awaiting them!

They really don’t see their families very much. Their schedules just don’t allow it. They will come into class straight from school and start talking about how they haven’t seen their parents in days. I know that I could never do that. Your family is very important. Friends, they will come and go. But your family will always be there for you.

It really makes me value my life more. I am so blessed to be able to have the family that I do. They do so much for me and I appreciate them so much.

“The love of a family makes life beautiful”

We have this quote hanging up on our wall, and I really love it. Sometimes the most satisfying thing in life is getting to spend time with your family. Even if it’s something as little as just all being together. Those are the moments that I love and treasure. So guys, really just treasure your family and know how blessed you are to have them. Your family is one of the most important thing you have.

Character Analysis

Hello everyone!

My dance school is doing a show about the Nativity, and they assigned each one of us to write an one page character analysis on whatever character they gave us for the show. They wanted us to do is so that we could learn more about our characters and really be able to feel what they were going through during that time. That way it would make our show look more like we’re telling a story, rather than just dancing. I am going to be the angel Gabriel in our show, therefore I had to write a character analysis about him. Today, I thought that I’d share my paper with you all. I hope that you enjoy it and maybe learn something new about Gabriel.

( Note : they wanted us to not only write different facts and such about our character, but they also wanted us to write about what sort of movement quality’s we thought that we should use from a dancers perspective. That is what my last few paragraphs are about.

What would it be like to be a messenger of the Lord? Scripture doesn’t say much about the emotions of the angel Gabriel, so I can’t really say how he truly felt. For me though, I know that if I was chosen to share this Good News, I would be humbled. Maybe a little nervous as well, hoping that this young girl would receive the news well that she was carrying the Messiah.

People were most likely scared of Gabriel because he came from the presence of God. In Exodus 34, Moses spoke with God and was in His presence. After he came down from Mount Sinai, it said that he was unaware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all of the Israelites saw Moses, they were afraid to come near him. In both instances, God’s glory and holiness reflected off of both Moses and Gabriel.

Besides being a messenger, Gabriel’s main purpose was to give glory to God. The name Gabriel means “ Mighty One of God” and I believe that he is a really good example of giving glory to God, and also being a good messenger of the Lord.

One fact that I found neat about Gabriel was that he is one of only two angels that was explicitly named in the Bible. He was the first angel ever mentioned in the Bible, and then the other angel, Michael, was mentioned in Revelation.

As for thinking about Gabriel from a dancer’s perspective, I think that he should retain the emotion of a joyous attitude. He has been sent by God to tell Mary that she will give birth to the King, what greater news could there be to tell?

For the movement quality, I think that it should be a mixture of both gracefulness and strength. He is an angel and therefore the moment should look light and graceful, but I think that it should also look strong and grounded at the same time.

Have a great week!

 

Monday Inspiration #2

Hello everyone! I am back with another Monday Inspiration post! If you didn’t see my last inspiration post, than basically what I do is share a few of my favorite posts that I have read throughout the month. Down below are a few of my favorite posts from the past month, and I hope that you enjoy them as much as I did!

Wordy Wednesday – Isaiah 43:2 from Spreading my Joy

One Life to Live from Reasons to Smile

31 Hugs – Announcement from Apples of Gold

The Real You from The Bubblegum Ballerina

Relax ~ blogging doesn’t need to be stressful from A Writer’s Faith

And there you go! I hope that you enjoy these posts!

~Have you read a post this past month that really stood out to you? If so, then share it in the comments below!~

Monday Inspiration #1

Hey everyone! I have decided that every once in awhile, I’ll do a Monday Inspiration post in which I’ll share some posts that I have recently read and really liked. I have seen other people do it before and I really like the idea because we all aren’t going to see every encouraging post out there, so why not share the ones that you like with each other. 🙂 Down below are a few of my recent favorites.

Little Eyes from Daughter of the King

Philippians 4 from The Bubblegum Ballerina

Finding True Joy from Joyfully Living for Jesus

Blessed from Green Gables of Avonlea

Using our Abilities and Resources for Adonai

 

Hey y’all! Summer is officially here and, if you live in the south (like me) it honestly feels like, it has been summer year round. Haha. Anyway, Adonai (Christ) has blessed us with many gifts and abilities like singing, art, hospitality, etc. but, are we using them for ourselves or for Him? When we are doing something, it needs to be done ultimately for God’s Glory and, (Colossians 3:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:31) especially humbly (Proverbs 11:2).

Whatever gift you have been blessed with, pray about what to do with it then, let the Lord lead you in turn, to bring glory to His name. If you are good with cooking, crafts or whatever-donate items, give to friends, family, leave tracts, pray with people, etc. If you don’t quite know what you gift is (of course pray, pray, pray and talk with you parents) but, if you have any social media like, email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, (or one of the thousand other social media sites..lol, or just send letters) then, encourage friends and family in Christ. Believers, unbelievers, and especially the unbelievers who think they are believers. Talk with them *communicate, communicate, communicate. You need to have good communication. Without it, you won’t get anywhere*, pray with them, send verses, let them know that you care and, make sure to follow up.

Now, onto humility which, is something I am constantly reminding myself. Sometimes for me, it is hard to be humble when you cook or crochet something that lots of people like and, when people say, “Oh, it looks so good, you should make a career out of it!” I tend to feel too proud but, when I know I am thinking to highly of myself, I remind myself to be humble. Kind of like this *humble, humble, humble* Lol. So, if you struggle with pride like me, than pray and pray and be consistent with yourself and, let the Lord work in you.

I know this was rather brief but, I wanted to get to the point so, I hope y’all were encouraged and that’s all for today!  Have a blessed day! Love y’all!

Thanks so much Maddy!

In Christ,

Anya Smith xo

2Corinthians5:17

❤ 😀

Life in a Large Family

For those of you who live in a large family like me, you know that it can be hard at times. You know that it means changing diapers, giving baths, looking for shoes before leaving the house, keeping them happy in the car, quiet at church, and so on. You know that it’s not always easy to get out the door on time. 😉

But you also know what a joy and blessing they are to you. You love them so much. You know how special they are to you and they mean the world to you. Living in a large family isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it.

A lot of people think that living in a large family is not worth it or they may think that it’s too hard.   But guys, it’s really not as hard as it may seem. Yes, there are going to be times when things aren’t always easy, but you can make it work. Little kids love ( well most the time 😉 to help. They feel big and grown up when they do. Your siblings ( or kids ) may be young, but they can still help. Ask the 5 year old to help the little ones find their shoes, or play a game to see who can clean the fastest.

Guys, one of the best things about having siblings, is that you get to live with your best friends. When you have a lot of siblings ( and just a few as well ) you can build such close relationships that last forever. Siblings are amazing and I’m so blessed to have 6 of them. 🙂

So guys, just remember that it’s always worth it. 🙂

That being said, I just want to congratulate my mom on being pregnant with #8! It is such a joy to be able to watch my siblings grow up, and see new ones come. I can’t wait for little Mabrey to come in August or September!