Happiness vs. Joy

With it being the holiday season, it's been hard to keep up the blogging! But the other night I was up late and this thought occurred to me: is Christ happiness?

         I think a huge problem with my generation and our society as a whole is that we are so bent on being happy. I recently spoke to an agnostic girl who, when asked, exclaimed that the purpose of her life was to "just be happy".This caught me off guard because that seems like a good purpose on the surface, doesn't it? But when you think about it, this question arises: is happiness really the answer to life? Do I claim to be a Christian to get some sort of satisfaction and happiness out of my religion?  No.

I do not get happiness from Christ. Following The Lord often times brings me much sorrow and "persecution" for lack of a better word. (I do not like to consider the petty things that I face to be persecution when so many other Christians face much harder circumstances.) Being a Christian quite frankly is rough! We are called to love our enemies even though the world hates us! That commandment in itself brings much frustration! This proves that not everything associated with Christianity is necessarily "happy". See this is where so many people (Christian and non-Christian alike) get happiness mixed up when it comes to having a relationship with Christ. True Christians are not selfishly living to be happy, but we are living to spread joy. True satisfying joy can ONLY come from The Lord. So here's the answer: I'm not always happy because I'm a Christian. I have ups and downs just like anyone else. What's different about me is that I am going through those happy and sad moments of life with joy. Joy allows me to be full of sorrow at times but always knowing that there is a greater cause. Joy allows me to have a hope that The Lord is making all things work together for my good and His glory. Happiness lasts only a short time, but Joy remains in a persons heart for a lifetime.

So this thought is a wonderful way to share your faith with a non-believer when they ask why they should be a Christian. The benefit of joy far outweighs anything of this world. And not only do you get joy, but you are able to understand the true purpose of life: to glorify God. 

Gotta Love Army Green

Army green is one of my favorite colors at the moment when it comes to clothing, and it works great in the fall! best of all, you can find it just about anywhere right now! But beware! You have to be careful when you are picking out an outfit to go with your army green piece, because it can be a little bit on the dark and dingy side... which I try to avoid as much as possible! So be sure to always wear plenty of bright colors! These two outfits I'm wearing are perfect for fall and have one important thing in common: army green!

With this first outfit, I am wearing an army green utility jacket from Old Navy, paired with a blue and white striped shirt from J. Crew (that I got on clearence, of course!) I love how the strips on the ends of the sleeves of the shirt peek out from under the shorter jacket sleeves! My electric blue necklace from Forever 21 serves as a pop of color, and I am in love with my new skin colored booties from Old Navy that match pretty much everything!

Now this outfit just perfectly fits the fall season. Army green pants are the inspiration, and yes, Old Navy provided me with these! They are SO comfortable, and go with just about as much as jeans do! I've got a navy striped long sleeved t-shirt from Forever 21 with this awesome silky looking orange patterned scarf I bought from JC Penny a few years ago. Putting a patterned scarf with a striped shirt is a great way to amp up an outfit in the fall! My Marshall's cardigan helps to break up the stripes and also lighten everything up. This is a very easy oufit to copy, throw on with some leather riding boots, and take on the day!

Scripture & Style

Alright, before I get to blogging my heart away I want to explain why I have decided to start a blog in the first place, and the reason behind the odd name "Embellished Utility". At first glance I can understand how the name could throw anyone off, but I promise, I can explain! 

           As a struggling Christian girl trying to live in this crazy world but also trying to influence it, this blog will be sort of a venting place for me that hopefully some of y'all can relate to. Pleasing The Lord with my every action is above all other priorities in my life, and I hope that motive is revealed within this blog. This is the "Utility" part of the name. The definition of utility is "the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial" This is exactly what the Gospel is, and recognizing that is very important! Now to explain embellishment... okay, you caught me. Like any other girl, I love clothes. I love dressing up and I love feeling confident in what I wear each day. little embellishments (or little decorative details added to someting to make it more attractive) in life are always a good thing! But you know what I hate? I hate how so many blogs, advertisements, and celebrities out there make us regular, middle class girls think that we have to go bankrupt in order to be stylish at all. Guess what ladies? It’s all a hoax! Dressing nice and feeling embellished can be done on a budget, and I’m here to prove it with some of my own awesome (and cheap) outfit finds. So not only will I be writing a "Utility" post every-now-and-then about something that The Lord has revealed to me, or some scripture that has touched my heart in a special way, but I will share some "Embellishment" posts also, with my favorite outfits and stylish, affordable clothing finds along the way! But please bear with me, I’m new to this whole blogging thing! Enjoy and don't forget to tune in tomorrow for my first official Embellishment post!