live louder.

“We live in a loud world, so we need to worship God louder.” - Peach Hardy.

A lot of things hit me this past week at Harvey Cedars.  A lot of things changed me.  A lot of things molded me, made me cry, impacted me, made me smile.  

I learned that friendship is stronger than trends and conformity, and that community is more than a number of people in the same place at once.  I discovered an even deeper love for my Savior, encountering His grace and mercy and compassion as I never have before.  I realized that this world of war and discord and hate is not all that life has to offer, and that, in fact, it’s blessings are very much within my reach.

Yes, this world is loud.  Yes, hate is prevalent, and pressures to conform and fit in surround each and every one of us every single day.  But I have decided that there’s no time to sit back and wait for the right moment to “take the world by storm”.  The time is now.  And my first choice is to leave tumblr, however small of a choice that may seem.  It’s been a quick but fun part of my summer, but in the end, I leave this site with nothing but hours lost and my self-image shaken. 

With God, nothing is impossible.  And while I may feel guilty over past mistakes, I believe this truth now more than ever: “I have no time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that He loves us.”

So I’ll leave you all with a challenge.  Simply think about the time you spend on sites such as this one.  Think about the time it takes away from friends, family, relationships, hobbies, .  And if it turns out that it’s more than you thought, find a passion to replace it with.  For me, it will be living for God.  For you, it might look totally different.  I’m not claiming to be perfect—in fact, this post makes me about as far as you can get from that: I’m leaving tumblr because I’m not strong enough to continue to be a part of it.  

This world is loud.  Live louder.