Life is like a Coloring Book

Many days I don't feel like I'm a very good example of what a Christian should be. I think of myself before others. I complain. I don't think before I speak. I try to take things into my own hands and forget to trust God. Is God really at work in my life? Does he have a plan for me?

I may be 20, but I still love coloring books! I love seeing a blank black and white page come to life. It's amazing to see the transformation. A once drab piece of paper is now full of color! It reminds me of the work God is doing in us. Philippians 1:6 says that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion." It's a comforting verse. Just like it takes time and care to transform a coloring page into a masterpiece, God is slowly growing us to be more like him.

Though we often mess up, we are assured that God is still at work in us. He's still molding us. He's still completing the picture. He cares for his children. He has a plan for my life if only I trust him! Growing in godliness a slow process, and it won't happen overnight. It won't happen if I just try harder next time. We need our forgiving and gracious heavenly Father to nurture us and grow us more like him.

Maybe you've heard this a million times, but it's something I need to be of reminded over and over again. I hope it is encouraging to someone. Trust that God can nurture and grow you. Trust that he will complete the good work he has began in you.


Caroline Stegman

Back to School Organizational Ideas

Well it's time to go back to school. I don't know about you, but the idea of having homework and tests doesn't sound appealing. However, cute school supplies makes it a bit more fun. So today I'm going to tell you how I organize my school supplies.

First, I color code. I assign each class a color. For instance, I am taking four classes this semester. Sociology is orange, science is blue, English is pink, and psychology is green.


I then order planner stickers from Etsy (click here). I love these stickers because they are customizable. You can choose whatever color and text you want. I choose the colors based on the colors of my classes as I mentioned above. For example, a pink sticker that reads "test" means I have an English test that day. It makes it easier to scan over your planner and know what is coming up.

Next, I find spiral notebooks in the colors that I have chosen. My binders don't always match because they are patterned, but occasionally they will somewhat match.

The binders that I own have no pockets for papers. Handouts never seem to be hole punched, which means those loose papers full of important information are apt to be lost and crumpled in the bottom of your backpack. So to fix the problem I made my own. I picked out some scrapbook paper. The fun part is you can choose exactly what paper you want. With a bit of cutting, folding, packing tape, and hole punching, you'll soon have a sturdy pocket ready to hold important papers.

Don't be that person who shows up only on tests days and asks to borrow a pencil. You're smarter than that. What might help though is some cute school supplies. I just couldn't pass up this cute pencil case. I ordered mine from Nordstrom because it was 40% off  (plus free shipping), but they are now sold out. You can get one (full price) for $14 at Bando. Of course, I now need pencils to go in the pencil case. I bought these cute pencils at Home Goods. It was my first time to go to Home Goods, and I fell in love. They have so many cute items for low prices! I love the gold print on the ends of these pencils.

Well looks like you're now ready for classes to start back up. Just make sure you've got your textbooks, and you should be ready to ace this semester. Thanks for reading! I wish you the very best as you head back to school!