Full Influenster #FrostyVoxBox Review

I recently received the Influenster #FrostyVoxBox. All products were complimentary for testing and reviewing purposes. This post will give a small review of each of the products that I received.

The product I've most recently tested is the Boots No. 7 Protect & Perfect ADVANCED Serum. This product is effective in reducing the appearance of wrinkles in order to keep your skin looking young and bright. It goes on smoothly and does not leave any oily residue like I initially expected. It left my skin feeling soft. This product is hypoallergenic, as well. Overall, this product would be great for anyone on the market for something to preserve younger looking skin. #GetADVANCED

The NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum was a brilliant shade of lipstick. It was not overly bold, which I was afraid of, but it was perfect just to add some color. I usually do not wear lipstick, so I was hesitant when applying this product. I wore it on Christmas Eve and Christmas day and loved it! Definitely a great product from New York Color Cosmetics. Get #SugarPlum

The Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea was a product that I could not test personally because I am allergic to cinnamon. However, I got my dad and my stepmom to try it and they both loved it! They said that it had a very refreshing, minty taste. It was not overwhelmingly so, but it was perfect! It left their mouth feeling fresh, rather than bogged down with too many clashing flavors. The #celestialtea was a great hit with them!

I love my EcoTools Hair Brush. It is a round brush, which I usually do not use, but it is fantastic. It left my hair feeling soft and smooth, rather than its usual frizziness. I used the brush when drying my hair and it left my hair with more volume than it usually has. #LoveMyEcoHairBrush

One great ingredient to the #FrostyVoxBox was the McCormick Gourmet Thyme (see what I did there? :D). My favorite recipe to use with thyme is a hearty beef stew. This thyme makes a great addition to any recipe that calls for thyme. Very delicious. #McCormickGourmet

The Rimmel London products were potentially my favorite products. I am used to a liquid eyeliner, but the Rimmel Scandalizes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner blew my mind. It went on so smoothly and was perfectly dark without having to go over it again. I loved it! When the day was done, the Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover came in handy! I usually just use my facial cleanser to get all of my makeup off, but when using this product, I fell in love. It was not oily, nor did it burn like some eye makeup removers. These two products are slowly becoming part of my daily routine (for the days I actually wear makeup, anyway. :) )#Rimmel is great!

Last, but most certainly not least, is the Fruit Vines Bites. I was expecting them to taste just like twizzlers, but they are SO much better. This is coming from someone who LOVES twizzlers. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for this product in stores near me. They are packed with more flavor than you would expect from this sort of candy. They are definitely worth the try, if you are curious! They spoke to my #sweetside!

I hope you find this review useful when you are looking for more products to try out. All of them were very good and I loved them all! Hope you are all having a great holiday season and that you enjoy family time. :) God bless! If you have any prayer needs, please let me know!

With love,

Alexa

Influenster Review: Rimmel Products

Rimmel Scandaleyes Warerproof Eyeliner

This eyeliner is a little different from what I am used to. I usually use maybelline liquid eyeliner pens, but I have use this Rimmel product for the past few days. It is longer-lasting than my usual eyeliner and goes on easily. 

I feel as though this product makes my eyes pop rather than be easily overlooked. This eyeliner is definitely one that I would recommend to anyone looking to change their "usual" makeup. 

The other product I tested by Rimmel is their Just Let It Go Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. 

Unlike most makeup removers, this product does not leave an oily residue. It leaves your skin feeling clean rather than feeling the need to rewash. It succeeded in easily removing the waterproof eyeliner and fiber mascara that I used for the day. I normally do not use this type of cleanser, but I will start! I loved this product and would recommend it to anyone. 

Hope you've enjoyed this review! I received these products in my #FrostyVoxBox from Influenster. Check back in a few days for a overall review of what I received. 

With love,

Alexa 

Influenster Review: Celestial Seasonings

I recently received my #frostyvoxbox from #Influenster! I'm so excited to review these products that I received for free in hopes of making them a part of my routine! 

The first product I am reviewing is the Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Holiday Tea. Now, I was unable to taste this tea for myself because I am allergic to cinnamon. Lucky for me, my dad and stepmom are avid tea drinkers. 

Upon first sip, my dad said that the tea had very good flavor. It was minty and left a refreshing feeling in his mouth sort of like a cool breath mint. Both he and my stepmom appreciated and enjoyed the minty, refreshing tea and plan on purchasing this flavor in the future. 

Check back here in the next few days to see a review of the Rimmel makeup products that I received in my voxbox! Until then, hope you're enjoying the holiday season' 

God bless,

Alexa 

Don't Count Yourself Out

This is a post that I wrote for the guest blogging day of the #blogtemberchallenge on Thursday. I haven't actively participated since the first week because of personal reasons, but I hope to get back into the blogging swing of things soon. 

Photo taken by Alexa in Glorieta, New Mexico, Summer 2013

I hope this finds you in good condition. Me? Well, muscles that I forgot I had are super sore, my leg is all scraped up, and I have a miniature club for a finger.

Flag football got the best of me.

So, typing this with a jammed finger is super difficult. I took the split off and am attempting to type at my normal, fast speed, to no avail. Walking is a special feat, as well. One shin aches from the scrapes I received from sliding on a turf college football field; the other knee is swollen from some other fall during the game. Every muscle is screaming at me just to lay down at watch Criminal Minds or Once Upon a Time (super tempting!). I didn’t realize just how important it was for me to have all of my fingers and limbs functioning properly.

Just as it pains the body when a part of it isn’t working, it effects the body of Christ (the Church, your fellow believers) when its members aren’t working. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” We were all created to be unique, but we all make up one body. Each part of the body has a specific function.

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many,” (1 Cor. 12:14). If an eye served the same purpose as a foot, why would we need it? Each one has a different, vital function to the body, just as each Christian has a vital function in the body of Christ.

Just because you don’t feel the Lord calling you to overseas missions, or to work in a full-time ministry does not mean that He isn’t going to use you. He will use you. Your everyday actions and way you carry yourself speaks volumes. Paul tells the church of Philippi, “only let your manner of life by worthy of the gospel of Christ,” (Philippians 1:27). You may not be called to move to some far off land to live out the Gospel, but that does not give you an excuse not to do so where you’re at right this very moment.

If you’re anything like me, you may have thought, at one point in your life or maybe you currently think, that there is no possible way that the Lord could use you. Well, He will. I never thought that I would be working in Children’s ministry, but here I am, five years after being saved, working at a church at least 3 times as big as the one I attended when I was saved. At the point of my salvation, if you’d asked me if I would be considering attending seminary after I graduate college, I would have laughed at you. The Lord works in ways that we may never see coming beforehand, but we can rest assured knowing that He will work

I’ve just stretched out to see if my muscles still ache (they do, if you’re wondering), and the point to my blog has been driven home in my heart. Though we may be tired, though we may get overworked, or stretched to our limits in our daily Christian walk, we must persevere. Christ conquered the grave, He defeated death. Therefore, take heart and, like Paul, “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

If you ever need prayer for any reason, please do not hesitate to let me know. Until next time, stay strong. Keep your head up. Seek the Lord. 

Day Five || Fueling that Fire

Welcome to day f i v e of the #blogtemberchallenge hosted by Bailey at Brave Love Blog. If you haven't gotten involved yet, you definitely should! Today we are writing about what we are passionate about, what fires us up.

Image found here

My biggest passion is writing. I included this in "Happiness" on day two, but I'll go more in-depth here. Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction: I love it all. I first began writing little spin-offs of Harry Potter characters for fun. From there, I began to write poetry. It wasn't until freshman year of high school that I really became interested in writing fiction. My English teacher that year wanted us to write novellas. I fell in love with writing from then on out. Sophomore year, we were to write a continuation on five characters in The Lord of the Flies. Most students in the class wrote about a paragraph, whereas I wrote 33 pages. I hope to write works that people fall in love with. I've loved many a character and many a book, so I hope to be able to do the same thing. Entice them with a world all their own, write realistic characters to whom readers are able to relate.

Either way, I know that getting my thoughts on paper will be better than letting them sit in my head.

Another thing I'm passionate about is softball. I played softball for the majority of my life (somewhere around 15 years). I started in coach pitch and played second base. I was MVP of the League all but two years during my softball career. In high school, I was MVP of the team my sophomore through senior years. I was awarded all-district first team infield (a few times), all-area first team infield, and all-state player throughout my high school career. It was my dream to play in college. When I came to college, I was on the team. But, this leads me to my third, but definitely most important, passion: The Lord.

I was saved when I was 16. What that means is that I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and believed that my sins are forgiven when I confess and repent from them. Hear me say this: I am not perfect. I have fallen many times and I have run away from the Lord many times. Praise God that He accepts us with open arms when we realize how pointless it is to run away from Him. How does this relate to softball? Well, the summer before my senior year of high school, I felt the Lord telling me to forget playing college softball. Softball was my life, the reason for my existence, or at least I'd put it on that high pedestal in my life. Softball was my god and the Lord was just there in the back of my mind. I had made an idol out of softball. As I went into senior year, that was my mind set. I would play that year with everything I had, leave it all on the field, and hang up my glove and put away my cleats.

But my pride got the best of me.

I continuously put softball before my relationship with God. All in all, I ended up quitting during the fall semester of my freshman year of college because I knew that I had been running from what I felt like God was telling me to do. I wanted my name known, instead of making His known. I still play co-ed and intramural slowpitch, but I make sure that the Lord gets more of my life than the field does. I like going to games and watching the Women's College World Series, as well.

So, I probably should have just done a list so I wouldn't get so carried away with writing. But, I felt like someone out there may need to hear that testimony of cutting an idol out of my life. If not, well, at least I took up some of your spare time. Hope you all are having a wonderful day. If there are any prayer needs, let me know! If you want to link-up, go to Brave Love Blog and check out the prompts! God bless!

Days Three and Four || Dreams and Things

So...... I missed yesterday. I'm combining days three and four into one blog post. It really works out well for  me because I have loads to say about "What I want to be when I grow-up," and not so much about "Fashion."

 (Icons have been accumulated over the course of years of internet browsing. Not sure who to credit, but here's me publicly stating that I didn't create them.)

I want to write, travel, and read. Is that really too much to ask? I want to be an author. I want to write books that capture the hearts of many, that shine lights into the darkness that is our world, and that are able to glorify the Lord. I know you're thinking that there are already too many "Christian Fiction" authors that never reach beyond the population of a Lifeway bookstore. Sure, I want my books in Lifeway, but I want to be a Christian writer that is able to write works that are attractive even to the unbeliever. If we write just to a Christian audience, how will we ever reach the lost?

I want to travel and do mission work. The Lord has placed a calling in my heart for children's ministry and missions. I'm not positive on the time duration for missions, but it is in my future in some capacity. In my hometown tucked away in the middle of the Bible belt, I never really thought about people not having heard the Gospel before. Even before I was saved, I had heard about Jesus and about Bible stories. It's just something that's commonplace where I'm from. I learned once I hit high school that not everyone was a Christian, whether they claimed it or not. When I came to college however, I realized that there was desperate need for the Gospel. At my small private baptist college, there are so many that don't know Christ. In this city, there are so many that need Jesus. Most of them have at least had a chance to hear the Gospel. What about in those countries where people haven't even heard wind of what a Bible is? What about in the areas of the world where it's illegal to be a Christian? We take for granted how good we have it here.

As for traveling, I really want to visit Spain. I making steps toward speaking Spanish fluently and hope to be able to do so within the next year. I also want to visit Venice and London just for personal pleasure. They're just so beautiful!

Now fashion. That I don't know much about. I'm the girl that's in nike shorts and a t-shirt 95% of the time. The other times, I immediately change into shorts and a t-shirt once I'm done with whatever special occasion made me decide to look halfway decent. So, for fashion....uhhh. I like pretty much anything from Maurices. I like Old Navy shorts and button-up shirts. But for real, the majority of my clothing is t-shirts. So there's me. :)

If there are any prayer needs, let me know! :) Check out Brave Love Blog if you want to get linked up in the #blogtemberchallenge! Until tomorrow, (hopefully I don't forget again :) ).

Day Two || Happiness

Welcome to day two of the #blogtemberchallenge. Today, our prompt is to write about what makes us happy, from the small things to the game-changers.

What makes Alexa happy? 

First and foremost, the Lord makes me happy. The fact that He loves me enough to have sent Jesus to die for my sins amazes me. It is my daily prayer that I delight in the Lord and in His Word, because sometimes I have no motivation to read it or to seek Him. But Praise God that He forgives me for even those moments when I don't feel like putting forth any effort to do anything more than lay in my bed and eat cookie dough.

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."  - Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)

Secondly, I love Harry Potter: books, movies, fanfiction, spin-offs. Major props to J.K. Rowling for inventing a world that so many have fallen in love with. Her characters personify different characteristics that each of us have, even some of them that we may not know about ourselves. My favorite character is Draco Malfoy. Anyone that knows me knows that I'll make any argument to say that he's not the devil incarnate. He has a heart, despite popular belief. The fact that Tom Felton is beautiful is just a perk for my liking his character.

Writing brings me much joy. I feel as though when we put to use the talents that God has blessed us with, we are going to reap joy. Though others may not deem what I write worthy of being written, writing is the only way that I feel like I can properly convey my thoughts. I love writing poetry, fiction, devotionals; I just love to write.

Other things that bring me joy are:

My yorkie Mufasa. Books. Vintage books with old pages. Shakespeare. Criminal Minds. Crafts. Painting. Cookie Dough. Video games. Cold days. The beach. Cherry Dr. Pepper. Hand written cards. Scrapbook paper. LSU Football. Colored Felt-tip pens. Planners. EOS Chapstick. Duck Dynasty. Nutella. Writing outside.Coffee. Blogging. Children's Ministry. Mango Sweet Tea. Sonic's happy hour. Tanya Runyan's Poems. Khan's Mongolian Grill. Food in general. Studying in solitude. Coloring with children. Watching movies. Scary movies. Working out. Index cards. Corkboards. Germ-x. Camelbak water bottles. Air conditioning. Football games with friends.

Thank you for sticking around and reading my ramblings. Hope that this post has found you in good spirits and good health. Personally, I'm trying not to let my allergies kick me to the curb. If any of you have anything that I can pray for, let me know! If you haven't linked up with the #blogtemberchallenge by Bailey at BraveLoveBlog, what are you waiting for?! Until tomorrow, my friends.

.001 || About the Author

I'm super excited to participate in the Blog-tember challenge. I feel as thought it'll propel me over this mountainous writer's block I've been experiencing lately and it will incorporate me into a fantastic community of bloggers. The #blogtemberchallenge is headed up by Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog. She's awesome and a great friend of mine. So why not participate in this challenge? :) Today's prompt is About the Author.

Bottom Right picture belongs to She Reads Truth.

About the Author: 

Though she was born in southwest Arkansas, Alexa lived the majority of her life in a small town in northwest Louisiana. She excelled in sports and academics throughout her junior high and high school careers. After graduating valedictorian from her high school, Alexa ventured three hours south into central Louisiana for college. She currently attends Louisiana College, a private baptist school, where she is a senior.

If you would have asked her where she would be attending college during the majority of her high school years, the answer would not have been LC. It wasn't until March 25 of her senior year that she felt God's calling to pursue an English degree at the division three school. An avid fan of LSU football (GEAUX TIGERS!), Alexa had aspired to pursue her degree in Baton Rouge, LA, at the aforementioned university. As senior year approached, her plans changed. Her top choices going into senior year were ULM and ULL. The Lord had other plans.

Alexa's life was changed just after her sophomore year in high school. She accepted Jesus as Savior during May 2009. Though she has struggled and failed numerous times, God is good and loves her even when she is the most unlovable. The desires of Alexa's heart are to glorify the Lord both through her writing and through her work in children's ministry. She knows that without the Lord's saving grace, she would be headed down the long, gloomy path to nowhere. With the Lord, however, the possibilities are endless. :)

Alexa's hobbies include writing, reading, doing craft activities, playing video games, and enjoying time with family and friends. Though she no longer plays in the official competitive leagues of softball, she enjoys playing coed slowpitch when the opportunities arise. Her favorite books include, but are not limited to, the Harry Potter series, Divergent Trilogy, Hunger Games trilogy, and the Mortal Instruments series. She also enjoys reading books by Matt Chandler and Beth Moore.

If Alexa were to write a novel, which you know she does, it would involve interweaving her faith through the characters and (hopefully) writing it in such a way that it not only attracted her Christian audience, but would reach unbelievers as well.

I enjoyed writing about myself too much, I think. :) Ah well, if you finished reading all of that, thanks! I appreciate your willingness to read about me. If there's anyway that I can be praying for you, or someone you may know, just drop a comment. In case you don't know about the #blogtemberchallenge, tomorrow's prompt is writing about what makes you happy! Visit braveloveblog to see the list of prompts!

Patience

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)

So much has happened since the last time I posted anything. I finished my senior year in college, attended three weddings, and have been working as Children's Ministry Intern at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, LA. Approaching the summer, I felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. I felt as though I was running out of time for everything: to find a place to live for the summer, to find a job, to have fun with my friends before they left, to relax, and to find a boyfriend. You're laughing, I know. But it's true. 

Since I'm writing this from an apartment in Alexandria where I work at Calvary, you can see that the rest fell into place just as God had planned just like, deep down inside under all my worry, I knew it would. So, I'll address the most ridiculous one: boyfriend. Being Maid of Honor in my best friend's wedding, going to two more, and my mom's wedding looming overhead kind of put the urgency in me. Oh, did I mention that a thousand and two of my friends have gotten engaged recently? 

Lie #1: I (or you!) need a boyfriend to be happy.

It feels like that's the truth a lot of the time. We are built to desire relationships. The desire for a relationship with creation should not outweigh the desire for a relationship with your Creator. That's where I was at before I even went to any of the weddings. I wanted nothing more to be in a relationship. You've heard that God has great timing, right? Well, at the right time, He revealed this verse to me:

Truth #1: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

We're told not to worry about anything, that we should seek the Lord and His will and everything will fall into place. It's easy to say that, but believing it in your heart is another vile creature in itself. Just like in the Garden of Eden, Satan tries to twist words around and make us doubt what the Lord tells us. Jesus tells us to seek the Lord first. Paul writes that we should imitate God (Eph. 5:1) and that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). To counteract that, Satan tries to tell us that we can achieve our dreams by pursuing them ourselves and forgetting about God's guidance. Satan tells us that we can live however we want and that we will never be good enough to get into Heaven anyway.

That's exactly what Satan was telling me to tempt me to go against what God has for me. God tells us that His plan for us isn't to hurt us (Jer. 29:11). Since I know that God's Word is infallible and 100% true, I know that God's plan isn't to leave me broken-hearted and unwanted. He loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me so that I may have the opportunity to come back to Him. My Heavenly Father wants a relationship with me. His love endures forever.

Truth #2: "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." - Psalm 100:5 (ESV)

I'm not ranting and raving on relationships. They're fantastic, as long as they're glorifying the Lord. I'm ranting on my susceptibility to feeling like I have to have a relationship. I don't. All that is to say is that at the beginning of the summer, I vowed that I would fast from thinking about relationships because just the thought of one was becoming an idol in my life. That obviously means that I was in no place to be wanting a relationship because I would have put that guy above God in my heart. No guy deserves the pressure that would come with being held to such a standard and God deserves my whole heart. 

My thoughts betray me and I linger toward that feeling of loneliness when being single becomes almost overwhelming. Satan knows weaknesses, but in my weaknesses, I’m made strong.

Truth #3: “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

If we weren’t weak, we wouldn’t need saving. The strongest person in the world could pump out a thousand reps on bench press, but a weak person wouldn’t be able to touch that number of reps. The weak person would need help. Likewise, if we think we are strong enough to do everything on our own, we will try and fail. Heaven is unattainable on our own. Acknowledging weakness is realizing that we need help. Realizing that we need help brings us to Jesus. Without Jesus, we would be held captive by our sin. Jesus broke the chains of that captivity when he arose in victory over the cross and the grave.

To be honest, I started this post out in order to write about my summer working at Calvary. God guided my words to another topic! I hope it helps someone who reads it. If not, well, it at least helped me to get it out in written form. If you need prayer, please don’t hesitate to ask for it. I pray that this post found you in good health and peaceful spirit. Though we may be weak, our God is immeasurably strong. Lean on His strength. 

Learning to Surrender

The past few months have been brimming with trials, slip-ups, and small victories. With the first semester of my junior year in college now in the books, I look back and can see how God had His hand in every situation. He is still faithful even when I am faithless. When I fail, I can rest assured that He never will.

I last blogged in October. After it, November slithered through like the calm before the storm. It brought a much needed break from college and time spent with the family. It did not come without some struggles and confusion.

I've found that that the hardest struggles appear in the midst of deepening your relationship with Christ. Sometimes it takes a few steps forward to realize you hadn't quite escaped the chains that held you captive. In other words, you hadn't fully surrendered what you struggle with to the Lord.

December came along and made it even more evident to me that I hadn't given God the complete lordship He deserves over every area of my life. I hadn't relinquished control over the desire for a relationship. At times, I think that I surrender it, only to yank the reigns back once an opportunity presents itself.

Essentially, I decide that I know what's best for me and can handle relationships on my own. That's entirely not the case. On my own, I compromise Biblical truths for temporary satisfaction. Having someone to talk to or compliment me all the time is not what a relationship should be about. Relationships are meant to glorify God and to be focused on Him. Not on yourself. Strike to the heart.


With the New Year, I made a resolution to focus my heart on the Lord more intently and intimately. If it's in His will for me to date, it will happen in His perfect timing and under His conditions. If He wills me to be single, He will give me the peace and strength to make it through it.

The Lord undoubtedly knows what's best for our lives. He knew what He had planned for us before we were even born. He is all-knowing and all-seeing. Who are we to think that we know how to handle something better than God?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6

These verses are often quoted, but not as often taken to heart. What does it mean to trust the Lord with all your heart? Oftentimes, we trust the Lord with part of it, but then give something else more of our heart and attention. How much time do we spend on social media, watching TV, texting, or anything else compared to the time we spend in the Word or in prayer? If your ratio is anything like mine, too often things other than the Lord have more of my attention. Then again, we don't trust Him enough to give Him full control over everything in our lives, either. I've realized that I haven't, at least.

When you don't let Him have his rightful lordship over things in your life, essentially you're saying that you can handle it better than He can. How bogus is that? You don't want to give up control over it because you want it to go your way. If it doesn't go your way, then it must not be going perfectly. Am I right? I know it's all too easy to look at it in that way. But, beloved, that's the wrong mindset.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:7-10 that " in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." (emphasis mine)

God's plan is not to take all the fun out of life or to not let us do what we want, but to unite us to Him. Since the Fall, sin has separated us from God. Christ lived a perfect life in human form so that He could die for our sins and provide a way for us to get into heaven and be united with our Heavenly Father. God so loved the world that He gave Christ for our sins. What greater love is there?

If God would give His Son for our sins, who are we to think that He doesn't deserve to have lordship over our lives? He knew that we needed Christ's blood to cover our sins. Trust in the fact that He knows what's best for us.

All this is to encourage you not to lose hope. Keep running the race. Endure. Persevere. Everything in the world will work against you, but press on, sister. Keep going, brother. The Lord is eternally worthy. Surrendering to Him will be entirely worth it.