Wow, my first blog post. I guess this is really happening. In my intro, I gave you guys a small glimpse into my personality, and I'm sure while reading it many of you thought, "Oh no, not another basic girl who drinks handcrafted lattes in pseudo hipster coffee shops." How tragic. And while that may be true (sorry to disappoint, take it or leave it), I also have a lot to say but have never really had the appropriate medium to say it. That's when the idea of starting a blog came to me a few years ago. Because of my many interests, I wanted my future blog to be a representation of my personality. But, finding a name that did not restrict my blog in its subject matter was quite the task. A few months ago, while I was surfing Pinterest (as I usually do, because I have an unhealthy obsession with pictures and photography), I came across the following image:

To be honest, it was my first time coming across this Bible verse, and something about it really stood out to me. Being the huge nerd that I am, I decided to do some investigating, and read Psalm 46:

"God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

The Holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day." Psalm 46:1-5 (NIV)

Alright, let's break this down. Verse 1 states that God is our refuge, strength, and an ever-present help in our times of trouble. Let that sink in for a moment. He's always present. You know, I really think sometimes we fall victim to the idea that God is some being just chilling in the sky, waiting for us to update Him on our life situations. He already knows what's going on in your life. He was there to see it. He was standing right beside you. How many times have we gone through difficult times and called just about everyone and their mother to tell them about our issues before talking to God? I know I'm guilty of this. We need to remember that God is a refuge in the storm. Tell Him. He's jealous for your attention (Exodus 34:14, just so no one goes screaming bloody murder for using that adjective).

Verses 2-3 go on to boldly state that even in the most catastrophic of disasters that could possibly occur, we will not fear. Now, I'm going to be honest, when I read this, my first thoughts were: "Hold up. You're telling me that if the mountains should fall into the sea, and up rose the greatest tsunami known to mankind, I'm supposed to stand there and twiddle my thumbs as though I had just seen a squirrel climb up a tree?!" Well, bluntly speaking, yes, that's exactly what the Psalmist is saying. Let's put this into perspective. Maybe there aren't any literal mountains falling into the sea in your neighbourhood, but perhaps you've got some metaphorical ones that are wreaking havoc on your life. Trust me, I know, life can be rough. Sometimes you'll feel that the waves of life are tossing and turning in every direction, and your ship is destined for wreckage. But it's not. Let's see why...

Verse 4 is where it starts to get interesting. Here, the Psalmist speaks about a river whose streams will make glad the city of God where the Most High dwells. First, I'll address the city of God. According to Church tradition, the city of God mentioned numerous times throughout scripture represents the Church itself, more specifically the people of God. Following that logic, let's imagine that the people of God were placed in a far off distant land where mountains were falling into the sea, the ground started splitting in half, and tsunamis were a constant threat. Sounds dramatic, I know, but stay with me. Now, let's imagine that in the midst of all these catastrophes, there was a river that flowed throughout the land, from which the people of God received their water supply. Everyone who drank of its water was safe from the fear and worry of the outside world. Let me make it very clear that I'm not saying that the people of God are immune to these catastrophes. No, they too will go through turbulent waters, but they are not afraid. Why? The River. Here, the River represents the Holy Spirit. For the city of God, the Spirit is their source of peace and fearlessness. The Psalmist states that the Most High dwells in the city of God because His Spirit literally dwells in each and every believer. Think about that for a moment. God literally dwells in you. Now, when you read verse 5, things start to make sense. She (the Church, aka the bride of Christ) cannot fall if God Himself dwells within her. He that dwells within you has authority over the wind and seas of your life. Your ship, regardless of its dire straits, will not sink.

After that long-winded breakdown of Psalm 46, you're probably thinking, "Great. But what does this have to do with your blog?" Well, Within Her, starts and ends on the very fact that God himself dwells within us. He has given me a passion for writing through which I'm able to share my thoughts with you in the hopes that my interests in things like fashion, beauty, food, faith, and lifestyle, can point you to Him. I'm no professional writer, so don't be expecting any Oxford-worthy pieces. Feel free to call the grammar police. All jokes aside, my hope for this blog is that I have a community of readers who can share a dialogue with me and each other about their passions and what's within them. So, whatever it is that God has anointed on your heart to share with the world, know that He is within you. And you will not fall.