A Letter To God's Best For Me

Hello love,

For some reason i’ve spent the better part of today thinking about you and praying for you. I don’t know if I know you yet but that doesn’t stop me from praying for you. Maybe I have met you, maybe I will meet you later in life. 

You should probably know, I absolutely love love. The Lord has given me a HUGE heart for His people. The desire to serve, encourage, and love burns deep inside of my heart. I am quite the softy even though I don't often show it. But this stirring love for you is different than the movies and the fairy tales. You see, as much as I enjoy looking at pictures of cute couples on Pinterest, dreaming about my wedding, or imagining what my little nuggets are gonna look like one day… This is more. This is more than random “I love yous” and cuddling on the couch. This is ministry. This is the Lord’s work. By grace, He has given you to me. What a precious gift you are. Right now, this very moment, God is preparing your heart to lead and love me! I have tears in my eyes just thinking about that! God loves me so much that He’s given me someone as wonderful as you, a faithful partner. Whether I’ll meet you at age 20 or 55, I’m not sure. But I can’t wait to serve you and serve the Lord along side of you. This is more than a hopeless romantic daydream and the novels of love. This is a partnership to serve God and further the Kingdom of God together all the while delighting in one another! How cool is that?! As much as I love the mushy gushy, corny, frilly, romantic things (Trust me when I say I love them) — my heart is focused on the bigger picture and I pray it will stay that way as I grow older. So until God graciously sends you into my arms, I will continue to pray for you.

 I pray that you are falling passionately in love with Jesus every single day. I pray that a fire burns in your heart to serve, learn, lead, and be a man after His own heart. I pray that you are surrounded by a solid community of guys, accountability partners, and brothers in Christ. I pray that you’re diving into the Word and that you fight against being a lukewarm Christian. I pray that you’re growing and learning and seeking. I pray that you are preparing your heart right now to one day, in our conventional marriage relationship, to lead me and our children in truth and light.

I pray that you resist temptation. We live in a sinful and fallen world. I can’t help but think about the poison our generation of young men are becoming numb to because it’s “normal.” I pray that you guard not only your heart, but also your eyes, and your mind. I pray that you resist. I pray that you value the women around you– at work, at the gym, on the street. I pray that you take every thought captive. I pray that you war against lust. I pray that you change the channel, click off the website, and use discernment when looking at accounts on social media. It’s damaging my love, it’s addicting and has ruined marriages of solid believers. I pray that you are grounded in truth and lead by example for other young men. Therefore, I pray that you resist temptation.

I pray that you extend grace. First, I would like to say that I’m sorry, my love. I’m sorry for not guarding my heart better in the past. What an incredible God we serve; one who redeems, restores, brings dead things to life, and clears our transgressions out of sight (Psalm 32:5). Praise Him for grace upon grace. But you are human, beloved. You will need to exercise patience and grace towards me as I work through my flesh. I am not perfect. I have made mistakes and I will fall again. I pray you extend grace to me as I move past old wounds, as I process through hurt and fears. I pray you extend grace and forgive me for ways that I have given my heart away to other people. I pray that you extend grace as I struggle against insecurity and comparison. I pray that you live with a mentality that the past is the past and that all things have been made new in our Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17 & Isaiah 43:18-19). I pray you believe in me. I pray that you think my scars are beautiful. I pray you are patient and compassionate.

I pray that you think of me. Whether I know you right now or not, I pray that you take into consideration the fact that right now, spending her friday night blogging in a coffee shop in Clinton, Mississippi, there is a young woman who loves you. Oh boy, does she love you. She thinks about you, yearns for you, loves you, and prays for you. God is also preparing her heart. He is speaking to her, teaching her, guiding her, disciplining her, all so that one day through joy and tears, pain, loss, fun times, excitement and new beginnings— she will be a strong and loving helper, servant, sister in Christ, and an adoring wife.

I look forward to the long work days. The ones when you come home to a wife that wants to fill your cup after you’ve poured out on others all day. I look forward to being a wife that seeks the Lord and seeks her worth in Him rather than you so that I can better love you. I look forward to wrapping around you with my little arms and laughing with you. I look forward to working through miscommunication and promising to never go to bed mad. I look forward to fighting with you, then turning around and loving you even more afterwards. But most importantly, I look forward to serving the Lord alongside of you for the rest of our lives. Just two broken sinners who love the Lord and love each other, doing life. Now that is beautiful.

Praying for you always, loving you from afar (or maybe close by),

Your future wife

Twas The Night Before Squeal Day

General rush is great. But after the long days and nights are over, celebrating squeal day with the newest pledge class is the icing on the cake. A lot of thoughts and emotions run through your head before the actual day arrives, which can make the night before squeal day just as stressful as the weeks leading up to it. 

Twas the night before bid day, and all through the house

Every sister was stirring, owl and mouse.

 

The pref cards were turned in to the council with care

In the hopes that a new pledge class soon would be there.

anxiously praying as you crawl into bed

 

because you know a new and exciting journey is ahead.

Rush chairs breathe a sigh of relief

While now the new member chairs start dealing with grief.

I bet your feet hurt from wearing high heels

But at least for a week you had calves of steel.

Exhaustion sets in toward the end of the day

And you try to remember, "what did I even say?"

Meanwhile some pledges are too excited to dream

But you, on the other hand, have run out of steam.

Was the skit funny? Did anyone laugh?

At least Insta got some cute photographs.

Finally pref day ended the week

You're so excited, you can hardly speak!

T-shirts and presents and parties galore

Tomorrow you meet the new pledges you've been waiting for!

The new member coordinator is ready to go

And you're so excited to put on an elaborate show.

As you lay down to sleep after long weeks of rounds,

You can almost here the exciting sounds.

“We can’t wait to know you!” “We love you!” and “Welcome home!”

The nerves settle in, but deep down you know,

The best pledge class ever will arrive tomorrow!

Ready for sleep, you call out and say,

SEE YOU ON SQUEAL DAY!!!!

 

  

A mouse, a sweetheart, a owl, a elephant, a fox, what will I be? We'll just have to wait until Squeal Day to see!

WARNING

 

 11 reasons why being best friends with your college roommate would be the worst decision you've ever made

If you and your roommate actually get along, it'll be horrible. You'll have to deal with all of these things... Bless your soul...

1. You'll have movie nights
Who really wants to ignore their homework, watch movies that make you laugh so hard that your stomach hurts, and eat tons of junk food? Not me, and probably not you.

2. You'll get to share clothes
Having a closet that is twice as big? No thank you. Just the thought of it is making me want to cry.

3. You can play your music as loud as you want to, and have dance parties
Beyonce? Ew. Hannah Montana? Absolutely not. Being able to play your music at the highest volume and dance around your room with a friend? Nope, not really something college kids enjoy. 

4. You'll have someone to not go out with
On those nights when all we want to do is keep our sweatpants on and lounge around, you'll actually have someone to keep you company instead of forcing you to dress up and do something that you don't want to do. Now that's just annoying. 

5. Cleaning can actually be fun
No, no, no, absolutely not. I want to do my chores seriously, no fun, no laughing, no enjoyment. College students LOVE doing chores. We don't need someone to help us enjoy them. 

6. You'll have heart-to-hearts
Literally not one person wants to have someone that they can confide in, that listens to all of their little annoying problems, who gives them advice, and encourages them. Nope, nobody needs that in their life. 

7. You won't have to look appropriate all the time
If you're close with your roommate, you really won't have to look presentable all the time, and that just appeals to no one. Wearing no pants and no bra will be acceptable, and that is just absolutely horrible. In college, we like to look put together 100% of the time. 

8. Someone will be there to check your outfits
When you're going on a date or to a party and you don't know what to wear, someone will actually be there to help you look your best. Really, no thank you. I don't need someone telling me that the black shoes don't match with the brown belt and the pink earrings look better than the blue. 

9. They'll go on adventures with you
Not one person I know has ever wanted someone to tag along on their adventures to really cool places. Talk about annoying. 

10. Someone to eat with
Laughing your head off guessing what the mystery meat in the caf is? No fun. Midnight pizza runs? Awful. Friday morning chickfila dates? Torture. Making random runs to Kroger just for ice cream sandwitches and cheese-its? The worst.
 

11. You'll enjoy coming home
Why would I want to enjoy coming back to where I live? I don't need my home to be warm, inviting, and friendly. And I for sure don't want someone who can make me laugh so hard that I cry or make a horrible day better just by being there.

Clearly, being best friends with your roommate would be a disaster. Speaking from experience, if you're best friends with your roommate, college will probably be a lot more enjoyable, and you'll gain a lifelong friend, and I just know nobody wants that. So the next time you have to pick a roommate, save yourself the fun and enjoyment, and pick the stranger you know you won't get along with. 

Xoxo - Jordyn

Dear Future Brother in Law(s)

To the man my best friends will marry,

Congratulations, you have won the love of one of the most amazing human beings that presently walks the Earth. I guess that means you are a pretty special guy. However, there are some things you should know about my best friend before you promise to love her for the rest of her life. 

She has been through more than her fair share of heartbreaks; she has been led on and used; and she has been lied to more times than it is possible to count. Despite those things, she had enough strength to continue looking for you and enough faith in fairy tales to believe that her happily-ever-after would one day come. Don't ever underestimate her ability to be your partner in life. She is there to support you just as you are there to support her. Should you ever decide that you are superior to her, she will be more than strong enough to show you just how wrong you are. 

She has one of the largest, softest hearts of anyone I have ever met. She loves everyone she meets, and she will ignore any and all opinions that are presented to her on one of her new “friends.” When she ends up getting hurt by her new friend and figures out that she probably should have listened to everyone’s warnings, she will do the most frustrating thing: She will forgive them. Her heart has a way of only seeing the best parts of people and pushing out all of the rest. She puts others before herself always and will do whatever she can to help someone in need. As her husband, it will be your job to make sure she is taken care of too. 

She is a dreamer. She has dreams that are larger than life, and her eyes can see things that are too far away for anyone else to focus on. There have been times when she told me of her dreams, and I responded by telling her that those dreams were too large for her. Over time, though, I have had the distinct pleasure of being proven wrong. I have seen those dreams become her reality, and I know that in time you will too. So do not make the same mistake that I did. Believe in her, and push her towards those goals. Do not be one more person that she has to prove wrong, because she will. 

She is my best friend and I love her. I know that it is not in the same way you love her, but my love is just as important. There will be things that she will go through that you will not be able to understand, and there will be times when she will choose to call me and not you. When those times come, do not be upset with her for choosing to come to me instead of you. It does not mean that she loves you any less; there are just some things only a best friend can fix.

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To the man who will marry Hunter Grace, watch out. She is a spitfire. I've never seen someone with so much compassion. I have watched her grow for many years now. Treasure her. Hold her when she cries even when you don't understand why she is upset. Embrace her love for international missions and never hold her back. You will probably have at least 4 dogs so go ahead and mentally prepare. And lastly, take care of my Gracie. She is a ray of sunshine everywhere she goes.

To the man who will marry Emily. She has a tender heart, so don't be too concerned if she starts crying during a commercial. It might take her a little while to break out of her shell but when she does, you will love her even more. She is funny, kind, sweet spirited, artistic and more. Lastly, she is strong willed, if she wants something, you'll know. Don't ever take her to a pet store, pet rescue or animal shelter, trust me.

To the man who will marry Skyler. You have found the biggest treasure of all.  She is an onion, but I am sure you already know that. We have been partners in crime for quite some time now. I have seen her at her worst and I have seen her at her best and I wouldn't trade a moment of it. Get ready because she loves to eat. Anytime, anywhere. But most of all she loves to dance so if she is in a bad mood, just crank up Tswift in the kitchen. Don't get too jealous if she spends an hour on the phone with me every night before she goes to bed, it's when we have our best talks. Buy her lots of pudding and tell her you love her even though sometimes she wont say it back. Lastly, hug her all of the time, because she hates it and its quite funny to watch her squirm. 

To the man who will marry my Chloe. If she has opened up her heart to you, hold on tight and never let go. She doesn't open up to people very often so don't take advantage of that. Know that Chloe is one of the strongest people I have ever met - There is nothing she cant handle. She has big dreams, encourage her to pursue them. One day she might lay eggs on the floor, squat over them and act like a chicken, just call me. Love her with all you have and she will do the same.

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If you cannot love and cherish these parts of her, then you do not deserve her love. But if you see all of the wonderful things that I see in her and love her more because of those things, then she will love you more than you ever imagined was possible. She is a rare and beautiful person, and I am glad she has you in her life. 

Sincerely,

Her First Other Half