Paying Sallie Mae

Student Loans Are Ridiculous

School is just getting more and more expensive by the year, but scholarships aren't getting raised any. People are out here doing crazy stuff just to go to college and better themselves in the long run. Some girls are working as exotic dancers, some guys are doing illegal things. This is outrageous. And it seems like they never actually give scholarships to the ones who need it the most. Here I am, working two jobs and this guy just bought two more cares (in addition to the three he already had) with his left over scholarship money. Really? Really?! Well, mama always told me that life wasn't fair and I've known it for a while. But, even in high school I worked hard for college scholarships. I started looking at scholarships my freshman year of high school. I can't even begin tell you how many I applied to through Cappex, Unigo, Fastweb and more. I never got one of them. All of my scholarship money came from the university I attend and it's not that much.

People are working so hard to try and go to school but so many drop out because it is jsut too expensive. There are those that think a lot of us don't go to college because we are lazy, but that couldn't be further from the truth. We can't afford it! We have to take care of our families and provide for ourselves so a job just seems like the best option, at least at the moment. Nobody I know just has $30-$60,000 they can just hand to the bursar. Do you? Probably not. And getting scholarships is a lot harder for some people, there are some requirements that don't make sense. Most scholarships now are for legacies, you have to know somebody to get anywhere or you have to promise to join a certain organization or be in that organization for a certain amount of time. It's really not fair, but that is not the point of this post.

But We Made It Anyhow!

This post is to congratulate everyone who is in school or has graduated. You made it and here are two songs to congratulate you on your accomplishment. You could've been doing something else, anything really but you chose college. I'm proud of you and I hope you are proud of yourself. And you know what, although it's disheartening at the moment, one day you will be able to pay off those loans you had to take out, interest included. And these are two songs that I hope you listen to and put in your playlist. You made it and one day Sallie Mae is going to stop calling you asking for her money.

Momma We Made It by Corey Paul

Sallie Mae Back by Dee-1

Leaving Friends

When You Have to Leave People Behind

Sometimes we have to leave the people we once called friends goodbye. When there are people that are going in a different direction than you and all you want to do is help them out...sometimes you can't. People see you changing and when it's for the better you realize that you don't have as many friends as you thought you did. There are the people who want to use you, those who don't want to see you grow and those that like staying where they are and when you grow they lash out. Either way it goes, these are the types of people who you thought were like family back when you were in your mess but now they want to act like they don't know you or try and keep you from your growth. Have you ever had to deal with these types of people? I know I have but the good thing is that once you start keeping your distance, you will gain closer friends who are going on the same path you are and can help you along. I'm not saying to cut off all communication with your old clique (even though you have to sometimes) but I am saying that sometimes it's a lot easier to love somebody from a distance.

When you have been there for somebody for thick and thin sometimes you don't want to let go. Sometimes you think that because you have been there for so long that you have to keep being there for that person. That's a bold faced lie from the very pits of hell and now that I got that out of my mind, I just you to remember that you should never feel obligated to do anything. God gave us free will and if you ever feel obligated to talk to someone or do something for somebody then, chances are, you probably should NOT do it. Stop doing it, those so called friends aren't going to be as nice to you as they used to be. They'll talk about how you're never there for them and about how you aren't the same anymore when really the only thing that changes is that you have stopped being their benefactor. Ain't that about a nothing?

Then there are those friends who like being rock bottom. Lyfe Jennings has a song called "Greedy" and there's a line in it that says, "she got comfortable at the bottom and wanted to stay there". We have all had friends like that, and you may think I'm generalizing but trust me, once you live long enough you'll understand. There are people who will moan, groan, whine and complain about where they are in life but don't actually want to change. They like being where they are or are afraid of change and because they are afraid they hate it. So when you start moving on up like George, Wheezy and Florence, they start acting a little shady. They start talking about how you're acting different. How you think you are better than them and how you are forgetting where you come from. No you haven't forgotten anything, you just used your past to move forward while they used their pasts to keep them in their own little pity parties. But I rebuke that in the name of Jesus. Nobody has time to be feeling sorry for themselves, there is way too much to do and not enough time to do it. Don't let those people keep you from living out your dreams or moving up in your life. These are people you have to let go slowly. It will be hard, they will talk about you behind your back and shun you to your face but when you out there doing it big and living how you have tried to live for years, who is going to be the one smiling? You are. That's the important thing.

There will always be friends you have to let go and at times it feels like you are so low on friends that all you have is enemies but that's not true. You can't really be true friends with two completely different types of people so God is not going to place a whole lot of people into your life until you start cutting off those people who are bad for you. I speak from experience, I don't even talk to my friends from when I started college, unless it's in passing, but I have never gone out of my way to make conversation and I have obviously grown since I stopped talking to them. And now I have a great circle of people who appreciate me for me, not for what I do. These people want to see me grow and are trying to grow themselves so I know that I won't be ostracized for trying to live out my dreams and that's an amazing feeling.

Don't get mad or upset when you cut people off. Don't feel bad. It'll help you be a better you in the long run. Be Me by Tedashii

Don't Forget: The Crown Was Made Of Thorns

 

People always want to wear a crown but they never seem to remember that the only crown Jesus wore down on Earth was made of thorns. It wasn't silver and gold and precious jewels. It was painfully and forcefully shoved onto His head before his crucifixion. People say that, "The War is Won" and that is most definitely true. Those who live in Christ are victorious but never forget that there are still battles going on every single day. They may seem small to you, but to someone going through the exact same thing it may seem like life or death. We have to be mindful of other people's positions in this. We cannot make light of another person's plight. If someone comes to you with a problem, listen to them. Don't talk about yourself or tell them it isn't that bad. You have no idea what that person is thinking of doing next. You may just save a life if you choose to listen wholeheartedly and show someone the love of God without being sarcastic, pretentious or snarky.

Anyway, back to the crown of Jesus. According to John:

The Crown of Thorns

      1Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. 4Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” 5Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” 6So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” 7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

Wearing that crown wasn't a status symbol! It was a mockery of the one, true King! It was the way the enemy wanted to mark his victory, little did he know that Jesus had come to die, in order to give His people power over sin. Today this crown is a reminder of the sacrifice we didn't deserve, correct? It is meant to remind the believers of what we do deserve: a gruesome death. So why are we acting all high and mighty?Yes, we are called to walk in the authority that is bestowed on us through the Holy Spirit but that does not make us better than anyone else. We were all sinners until we turned back to Christ. Don't be so heavenly bound that you're no earthly good.

If you want to wear a crown so bad, wear a crown of thorns and live like Jesus asked us to: loving those who hate us, giving back to those who are poor. Making sacrifices and being holy. We are kings and queens in God but we are called to be SERVANT OF ALL! It is the least we can do to represent God's grace, mercy forgiveness and love. Sometimes we are the only God people see and that is a fact but we do not always act like Him and that has got to change.

Here are two songs that talk about it a little more:

Crown of Thorns by God's Servant and Crowns & Thorns by KB

Love Never

Fails

What is the greatest love you've ever known? Come on, it's Valentine's day. You should definitely have an answer. Or maybe I am just bias. For those of us who are celebrating Singleness Awareness Day instead, I feel like the answer is a little clearer to see because we aren't wearing rose colored goggles. The greatest love I have ever known is that of the Triune God. 

I say Triune because Trinity implies three separate people. And God is three in one. The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit who contrary to common knowledge is in fact a person. And this post actually goes out to the three of them. Love never fails. It is impossible and God cannot fail. We are loved by Him are we not? His love cannot fail. Plain, simple, done.

Leaves

God said that He would never forsake us. Aside from the fact that He is unstoppable He also promises to be by our side forever. Now that's some unconditional love. And the truth is, I know that I probably couldn't love like that. You only have a certain amount of times to hurt me until I have to start loving you from a distance. Are you like that?

God won't turn His back or get ashamed of us when we do something extra stupid like break out into song in the middle of a Wal-Mart, which we have all done, right? He will just break into song with us and care for us during our troubles, even when we act like complete brats. Why? Because of His love for us. Isn't that amazing?

Quits

You cannot give up when you are in love. God does not give up on us so we cannot give up on those He loves. Even when someone does back flips on your last little nerve, you must not give up. Just pray, and like I said before you may have to start loving that person from a distance. If they hurt you, forgive them and pray for them to learn to be more responsible and respectable. If all you want to do is punch that person in the throat.....don't. Yes, that's the correct advice to give you, even though sometimes....man, sometimes. However, if you do feel like that just don't contact them for a while. Maybe a week or two, say hi and bi and then if God leads you to it go for a whole week more and pray that God gives you a heart big enough to love even the most obnoxious people you come in contact with.

This song by S.O talks about God's love and how His Son is the way, tell 'em all. Tell Em All by S.O.