the power of prayer

my faith has always been something very close to me, but with time, and especially in high school, i’ve noticed myself growing more and more into the young daughter of the king I am supposed to be. i’m learning as i go each day, how to incorporate God into my daily lifestyle. by reading books, looking for counsel from friends and family, and just looking into God’s word, i’ve found so much guidance and peace.

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i recently had a short 40 minute bible study with the youth group praise band and felt called to share what i took out of it. we talked all about the importance of prayer in a strong relationship, because without that line of communication with God, our faith will starve. the act of continuously praying is what we must work towards, but the foundation is us simply setting up those basic lines of communication; first starting with a simple prayer at the beginning and end of your day, getting into that habit of talking to God in your own, quiet situations. we must start small.

it’s kind of like those pesky new years resolutions a lot of us create. you can’t start off the year telling yourself you’ll run a full 20 miles a day. that isn’t a reasonable goal if you’re starting off the year as a newly “trained” runner. it’s the same thing with prayer.

so we have to start implementing small prayers … when we find ourselves in those same locations each day, we can make a routine of praying in those places. right when our alarm goes off each morning, before breakfast, once we reach school, at the lunch table, while taking a  calculus test, on the bus ride home, before starting homework, right before dinner, and then before bed; God is omnipresent and will listen to us no matter where we are.

and we don’t have to make up our own prayers each time we pray. maybe on your ride to school you can just pray a few simple words, such as “God, guide me today throughout the hallways and allow you to shine through me as I am with my peers”. It can be a repetitive prayer each day as long as you still mean it. it can be a prewritten prayer, one you find in the Bible or write yourself. it can also just be you rambling to God, giving him all your thoughts and concern, repenting for your sins and asking for guidance. God listens, and he wants to listen - how comforting is that?

we also have to implement 2 mindsets - we must have a positive outlook and be willing to persevere. we have to know that God has our best intentions in mind, and we have to continually pray through both the rejoiceful times and also those sorrowful times.

this leads to the main purpose of this post, and that’s sharing 1 prayer I found and am ready to begin incorporating into my own, daily life.

my morning prayer comes from Ephesians, 3:16-21; it states,

For this reason I kneel before [you], Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of [your] glorious riches [you] may strengthen [me] with power through [your] Spirit in [my] inner being, so that Christ may dwell in [my] heart through faith. And I pray that, being rooted and established in love, [I] may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know [that] this love surpasses [all] knowledge—that [I] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of [you], God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all [I can] ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within [me], to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

here’s to creating a daily and constant conversation with God, starting with the smallest of steps.

xoxo

take time

dearest readers,

{ a much needed blog post to tell you exactly where I've been,

where I'm going, and my honest thoughts }

what a crazy thing life has been these past few months. sophomore year took me by surprise, new friends entered my life, thanksgiving and Christmas came and went, and now we're (somehow) in 2015 and I'm ready to get this year started. 2014 absolutely flew by - it feels like just yesterday I celebrated my 15th birthday and was blogging my heart away. it's amazing what can happen in a year; I'm a year older (and wiser, isn't that what they say?) and blogging has been put on the back burner.

I don't think there are any valuable excuses as to why I've been seemingly absent on this little corner of the internet, but I can say that school occupies almost all my thoughts and time. (this post specifically has been a draft for way too long) I'm enrolled some challenging classes that are taking so much energy and mental though that the last thing I want to do when I finish homework is stare at my computer screen. I want this blog to be a place where I can just write my raw thoughts, a place that I can encourage and inspire others. this leads into my next point - I think the mission "statement" of sydney huss the blog is changing. like I said, I want to give advice, be inspirational, encouraging, and share more about my faith and what it's doing for me at this time in life. I want to connect with each one of you, my reader, and I want your say in what is published. you're the reader and I want you to enjoy your time spent here. so please, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to shoot me an email (sydhuss16@gmail.com).

school //  I've had a memorable and exciting sophomore year so far, so I can't wait to see where second semester takes me. school itself has been quite the roller coaster.  during first semester, I auditioned for all state chorus, and was accepted with a ranking of the first second soprano in the state. it was (and still is) a shock to me and I am so humbled by the support and results. it blows my mind. I also auditioned for national choir and am happy to announce that I will be traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah to participate in the Senior High School Choir, performing in the Mormon Tabernacle. (pinch. me). more than just vocal accomplishments, I am ended the semester with grades I'm happy about and have definitely had my ups and downs with teachers/courses. I've learned a lot from these struggles and have been able to make myself a stronger student.
grades are a constant concern and homework piles up each and every day ... it's never ending! however, being able to see some of my closest friends each day, whether it's in class or at lunch, I have been able to make this year special and memorable, which was one of my main goals since it could be my last year at home. (more to come on that later) I've been very challenged with the classes I'm taking and have learned better study skills, (even better) at planning and organizing, as well as just trying to find that balance between school and having a fun, high school life. (I won't lie, it can be a challenge!) although school can be quite draining, I know what I'm working towards and in a positive retrospect, I can't wait to see where it takes me. each day is filled with moments of anxiety, but the endless laughter that makes my stomach hurt turns it around.

relationships // I met three very special people and am beyond thankful for all of them in their own special ways. caroline, who I met on the first day this year, instantly clicked and have talked for countless hours the past 5ish months we've known each other. our emotional connection to coffee and #tallpeopleprobs are just 2 out of the thousand ways we connect. (just call us twins!) and then there's Adam, a quite handsome redhead (I'm definitely not biased :)) who I'd say is quite special. we're about to "celebrate" our 3 month anniversary and i can't wait to see where we go in the next 3 months. what an adventure it will be! he's a baseball player who is also a vocalist at soa, and he's quite intelligent too. and then there's Claire, one of the sweetest and most genuine girls I know. she can give some great advice and I'm truly thankful for her placement in my life. I've been so blessed with a great circle of friends who I know I can trust and I don't thank them enough.

so even if my post schedule is sporadic, I want to welcome you to join me on his exciting journey, finding my way through the ups and downs of high school, the beautiful relationships I've made with people, and through it all, my love for God. i am thankful to call this my own creative corner, and i cannot wait to share the joys and triumphs with you along the way - and I'd love to hear yours too!

here's to 2015

sydney

for more instant updates on life itself, you can find me on both instagram and twitter - @/sydhuss

Tea Talk Tuesday : Shannon from Prep Avenue

 

1.  For those who don't follow your blog, tell us a little bit about yourself! 

I’m a sophomore in college attending Furman University majoring in communications! As a typical type A girl, I over plan most everything and practically live out of my planner! I grew up all over the world as a Military brat, which sparked my passion for travel. My parents and brothers now reside in sunny Raleigh, NC with our schnoodle puppy, Cooper! I believe you can never have enough seersucker or sparkle. I believe in the power of pink and the infinite strength of the power of one to ignite change.

2. Where do you go to school and what's your major? 

I go to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina and I am majoring in communications while mixing in some graphic design art classes and lots of marketing classes from the business department!

3. What agenda have you chosen to use for this school year? 

To be honest, I haven’t chosen yet!! I really need to get on that! I tried a Kate Spade planner last year and previously I had always used a Lilly planner. However, recently I received a Whitney English Day Planner as a gift and I’m debating using that one!

4. If you could only own 5 pairs of shoes, what would they be? 

I would have to go with some of classic picks that would go with everything. I think I would say a pair of classic brown Sperry’s, a solid black pointed toe pump, a gold pair of Jack Rogers, a pair of brown riding boots, and a pair of brown duck boots for rainy and cold winter days!

5. What are some of your favorite blog posts you've ever written? 

Hmmmm… that’s a hard one. I think I have it narrowed down to two. The first one is a more recent one. #Gettingreal is about the power of social media. We all tend to compare our lives to other accounts that make their world look perfect through editing and filters (we’re all guilty). We compare our college experience against someone else’s college Facebook album. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. has the power to glorify your life and make it look like you’re living a near perfect life. When in reality, most of our lives aren’t posted on any social media platform. The second post is a letter I wrote to the incoming freshman class last year just before graduating. It’s a letter encouraging these rising freshman to take advantage of the precious memories they’re going to make during the next 4 years and not to wish it away.

Links:

#Gettingreal: http://www.prepavenue.com/2014/03/gettingreal.html

Letter to class of 2017: http://www.prepavenue.com/2013/05/dear-class-of-2017.html

6. You've gotten to work with some great brands! What's been your favorite to work with and what brand is your next goal/dream? 

I think my favorite person I’ve gotten to work with so far is Evelyn Henson. Not only is her artwork flawless, she is so sweet and graduated from Furman! If I could work with any brand out there it would definitely be someone like Kate Spade or Lilly Pulitzer. Maybe one day!

7. Favorite apps? 

Suprisingly I have resisted the urge and don’t have really any games on my iPhone because I know if I did I would become completely addicted! However, I do love Ellen’s app called Head’s Up! It’s so fun to play at the dinner table with a big group of friends, we always get so into it! I also love Shazam because I have a small music obsession and I get so frustrated when I hear a song that I love and then I don’t know what it’s called! And then like any other typical girl, I love Instagram, snapchat, and Twitter.

8. What pieces of jewelry do you wear everyday? 

I cannot walk out of the house without earrings, usually just simple pearl studs! I also wear my Kate Spade watch, a gold link bracelet, and a pearl bracelet everyday!

9. What's something you wish you would have known going into high school? College? 

High School: I wish I would have known that everything happens for a reason and that everything turns out. I was so worried about college and joining clubs just because they would look good on college applications. I would also tell myself to enjoy your 4 years there because it goes so fast! I think one of the other big lessons in high school, is that sometimes it’s important to take chances. It’s better to take a risk rather than feeling in the future.

College: I wish I would have known going into my freshman year (especially first semester) at Furman that it’s okay to take a break from school work and go out to dinner with friends. I spent a little too much time in the library first semester and because of this my first semester was was nowhere near as fun my second semester. It’s important not to take yourself too seriously and make time for yourself every once and a while!

10. If you could pack your bags and go and go anywhere, where would you go and why? 

Europe, definitely Europe! I lived in Germany for three years so I’m slightly obsessed with traveling. However if I had to pick a specific place in Europe I would either pick a small town in Germany called Garmisch or one of the Greek islands!

11. Social media handles? 

Instagram- @prepavenue

Twitter- @prepavenue

Pinterest- pinterest.com/prepavenue

xoxo