"It is finished..."

This saying has easily gotten me through this year.

One of my favorite words is Tetelestai (τετέλεσται), which is the Greek word for "It is finished".

For me, this is the constant reminder that God has already done it in the past, that he is doing it now, and will continue to do it in the future. For me this has been mainly in regards to my health, a reminder that the price has been paid for, and I am the healed protecting my health. But it also means much more...

Like I said, this saying has helped carry me through this year and I am excited to announce that I have officially graduated from college!

(Men and Women's Basketball Seniors)

It honestly felt surreal up until this moment, but it honestly hit me extremely hard today! I've always been that person who says, "I cannot wait to be done here and move into the real world", "I can't wait to graduate and just be done", "Can't wait to get out of here..." Well the time has officially come and I cannot not feel anymore opposite about those words that have previously come out of my mouth. Today, I was thinking about life after graduation and I am equally excited and nervous. Nervous of the unknown. As much as I may have previously denied it...Jessup has been my home for the past three years...my comfort...where I spend each day with some of my closest friends...am I really ready to leave?

One season is coming to an end and I am stepping into a new one. I believe that I got what I needed to learn from Jessup, about myself in this season, and was able to discover God here, now it's on the the next place where I can do this all over again. Yes, it's a scary thing stepping into a new place...but it's also the amazing part of this "adventure" of a life. I was talking to my brother and he made a great point, "Part of us will always want to return to what we have known...but we must carry it within us and go forward into the unknown." This resonates deep within me. Jessup has provided me with some of the most amazing memories. It had it's highs and lows, laughs and tears, triumphs and battles, but one thing is true...I walk out a new person. I have learned so much about myself and about God. While at the same time making some of my closest and most dear friends and creating memories that will last forever.

Whatever season you are coming out of or into, I want to encourage you to make sure you get the most out of your situation. Discover God and get whatever you feel the Lord is telling you in that season that way when it comes time to move on you can confidently check off the box that you passed the test. That you learned all that God was trying to teach you there. Allow God to work in you, work through you, and work for you.

Now that I'm done with one season I am stepping into a new one where I feel the Lord leading. I am excited to announce that I will be interning/working for Jesus Culture as we prepare to launch JC Sacramento church at the end of this summer. Check back for updates and details! :)

Graduation....Embrace the Process

Crazy to think that I am graduating from college next week. As I think about my time here, it has flown by, literally right before my eyes. 

With that being said, there's something I want to address: Learning to embrace the process!

Sounds easy right? Especially because we all like to think that we so willingly "go with the flow." But do we really embrace all of life situations with joy, peace, and grace (not just the good ones)?

Since we're being honest here...school hasn't ever really been something I'm passionate about. I'd much rather workout, eat, sleep, you get the point. However, the Lord and his sense of humor has blessed me with the ability to do well in school regardless. But now looking back and my four years in college, I notice how I just did the schoolwork to get by, just to reach the point that I'm at now. I never really tried to excel, I never approached school as it being a blessing, my attitude was rarely positive. Oddly enough, I'm graduating Magna Cum Laude, but I don't know if I'm perfectly alright with that. Because why? There is so much more I could have gotten out of college if I really applied myself. I did work, just because I had to, not because I was embracing the process of growth that God was bringing me through. It wasn't until this past semester that the Lord brought this to my attention...let me rephrase that...It wasn't until this past semester that I actually listened and embraced what the Lord had been trying to show me.

The moment I shifted my perspective and improved my effort, I began to grow and mature. It's crazy to see how much I've grown just within my senior year. I now approach school with joy (even my 8am classes) because school is a blessing. When you give 100% in whatever you do, you are more at peace with where you are at in life. I believe this is because when you work hard for something, it has so much more meaning...because it cost you something. 

So whatever situation you are in...work, school, trials, tribulations, or the best time of your life... Embrace the process....approach it with joy (positive attitude), work to be at peace, and approach it with grace! You will get so much more out of it, you will enhance your growth and maturity, and you are essentially doing what God has called us to do in Colossians 3:23-24. 

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

It Works!! It will change your life...trust me!

So everyone who knows me knows that I am all for health and fitness... 

With that being said I have recently joined the It Works Global team as an independent distributor! We specialize in products that tone, tighten, and firm up stubborn areas (where ever that may be). Our products also reduce cellulite, stretch marks, wrinkles, veins, and scars!

So basically our body applicator has active ingredients to heal the skin, producing a tightening, toning and firming effect. The wraps work to release the toxins that the fat cells hold. They work for 72 hours meaning you will see your best results on the 3rd day. They promote circulation which tightens the skin, and "fat-breaking" which is essentially breaking up fat cells to be released. Since these wraps target the toxins in fat, these wraps are so effective and they last for a long time (so we tell you to drink lots of water). Normal wraps only target water weight which is pointless because when you start drinking water, you gain it back. So that's what sets up apart! It essentially a body detox....the herbs and botanicals seep into you skin and help release the build up of toxins in fat. We also have great facial masks that tighten skin and leave the skin feeling younger and hydrated! We also have a facial mask that gets rid of wrinkles, tightens loose skin, hydrates, and creates a younger looking face! Along with a huge variety of other great products!

One wrap is $25 which is considered a sample. 90% of people see results after the first wrap...but we always recommend getting a full treatment (4 wraps) in order to see the biggest result.

Ask me about it :) Summer is coming up, let me help you get the body you want! I'd love to help!!!

Message me at itworksbybrittany@gmail.com

Or check out my
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/itworksbybrittanytsmith
My It Works Website: http://brittanytsmith.myitworks.com/

Community

So recently in my Creative Communications class, I was told I needed to give a topic-based speech. First thing that came to mind was (drum-roll please).....COMMUNITY!
Community is something that I found myself struggling with this past year, so it only seemed fitting to share about how God's brought me to a place of desperately grabbing hold of community.

Growing up in a close-knit Christian home there were several things I was obsessed with. One of those was playing house (don't lie....you know you loved it too). I would always play the momma of course, just because I liked to tell people what to do. From a very young age...I displayed a lot of leadership skills...or so I like to think :) Well I said all that to say, I embraced my little community! Things began to change as I grew up, I began to battle with various auto-immune issues and I was left feeling alone. Starting from that point, I began to distance myself because I felt like no one understood me, that nobody knew what it was like to suffer. Fast forward 6 years to when I finally got to college. Good ol' William Jessup University. WJU is a small community, but a very genuine and real one. During my first year there (sophomore year) basketball was absolutely amazing...I was predicted to get "Newcomer of the Year" and had the potential of being one of the best guards to come out of there. However, 5 games before the season was over, I tragically tore my ACL and meniscus. I distanced myself once again. I was broken and hurt. I rehabbed hard over the summer and once season rolled around my game wasn't the same, which only led me to disconnect from my team. 

I like to think of community as the huge thick rope comprised of a bunch of smaller ropes intertwined together....each time I came up against a tough situation I would distance myself and was cutting those small ropes. Obviously, at the moment it doesn't seem like a big deal...but after a while the rope begins to get smaller and smaller until it's no longer connected. 

Ok, back to my story. Finally senior year rolled around and I was so excited to have the best year yet. Unfortunately, I started having ankle issues, but I wasn't going to let anything stop me. Eventually it got worse and I was told that I needed surgery to repair my torn ligaments. Talk about the best senior year ever....but something was different this time. I felt the urge to lean upon those around. For once I didn't feel the need to isolate myself, but rather desired to be in a community to support me.

You see friends, I believe that the enemy wants us to feel alone and isolated. In order for the enemy to lead you into the wrong place, he must first make you feel isolated. He clearly hates any type of healthy community, hence why he seeks division and attempts to fracture relationships. Because he knows when you're alone, he can mess with your mind. He speaks lies...we listen to them.

I'd like to share with you a few reasons of why I believe community is vital!

1.     To Grow: in the Bible it talks about iron sharpening iron. We need this community to thrive. Jesus and his disciples ate together, experienced life together. Another key reason is accountability...this is huge in growth, people are there to call you out.

2.     To Serve: God has given each of us different gifts, abilities, and skills to glorify Him and serve those around us.  By living in community we can discuss or passions, test our gifts, be encouraged, counseled, and be prayed for.

3.     To Heal: a huge part in healing and allowing God to work within those broken pieces is being vulnerable and transparent with others. Being in community allows us to heal and process even the deepest parts of us.

I hear the Lord most when its late at night and I’m laying in my bed…one night my roommate and I were talking. And I felt like the Lord gave me a great analogy for myself.

--So imagine with me a flawless face. All of the sudden a bacterial infection begins to develop….it begins to spread. Obviously you don’t want anyone to see it. You’re embarrassed…it looks gross and you’re scared of what people might think about you. So you cover it up with makeup…foundation. Then you begin to notice its getting worse and it gets harder and harder to cover up. I believe that the only way for this infection to heal it to let it breath, to stop covering it up and just be your raw self...flaws in all. This is community…this is being vulnerable and allowing others to see you. Yes, you may feel uncomfortable and yes you may feel ugly and gross, but this is the only way that God can work on us. He takes those broken pieces and makes something beautiful out of us.

Just like when I was a child and loved playing house and being in community…I believe that is just as much applicable today. The Lord wants to take us back to when we had child-like faith and completely embrace everything he has for us. Community.

So I want to encourage you all to embrace whatever community God has placed before you…recognize it will not always be glamorous, but trust that God will work within you and that through community, the very fiber of our beings will begin to look more like Christ.

It's been a while....

Safe to say that I've definitely been feeling the prompting to start writing again. Writing about Jesus, life, dreams, pursuits, coffee :), sports, and just about everything else.

Just a little update:

As many of you know, I graduate from college in a little under 3 weeks...which is both exciting and stressful, but I think I've reached the point where I'm ready to move on to my next phase in life. I'm graduating with honors from William Jessup University (Rocklin, CA--near Sacramento) with a Bachelor's degree in Intercultural Studies and a minor in Bible and Theology. That's a mouthful! I also have recently applied to graduate school at Azusa Pacific University, I am looking to get my Master's in Organizational Leadership (sounds official, I know). Crazy how times flies and it's crazy to see how much I've grown these past couple years. God has been so good and done so many great things that I cannot wait to share in these posts!

Please check back in the next couple weeks for more posts! Also please share this blog with your friends/family. :)

--Have any particular topics that interest you? Comment below and I will be sure to read and respond!

New Blog

Hey ya'll follow my new blog! I share about my endeavors to make my new apartment my home away from home :)

((Click on the Title below)) ;) Hope you ENJOY!


"There's No Place Like Home"

Long time, No talk...

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I haven't been keeping on top of writing on here. Life has been pretty hectic lately and I have been so busy that it's harder to find time to sit down and blog.

With that being said, I know I mentioned a ways back that I was transferring to Bethany University to play basketball...well to make a long story short...the school closed down. Thank God I immediately got a couple more bball offers to play elsewhere. Soooooo I will now be attending William Jessup University this fall and will be playing basketball :)

It's definitely crazy how God works things out for our good, even when we feel like there is no hope or chance of things working out. In this season, I was definitely reminded of the importance of trusting the Lord. Because of my circumstances, my only option was to trust that the Lord was going to work it all out for me. Nothing was in my control.

So I am excited to see what God has in store for me at WJU and am excited to be a light on my campus and in my generation.

So the point of this post, is to remind you to put your trust in the Lord. I don't know exactly what you all are going through in this exact moment, but I know that the Lord has a specific plan. That He is going to intervene in each of your situations and that whatever happens, is for your good. Trust in God and don't let anxiety/stress overwhelm you.

"He is more than able"

&& Remember ALWAYS BELIEVE