Hi friends!

When I first started dreaming up My Beloved, one of the things I really wanted to incorporate was the opportunity to have other girls share their experiences and their relationship with the Lord. Testimonies and experiences can be overwhelmingly impacting - We can't deny someone of their story. This is where the series #HerStory came from!

Today we are lucky enough to have one of my favourite people in the world share on identity and what that has looked like in her life.

Everybody meet Holly

I met Holly at the beginning of my freshman year at Summit Pacific Bible College. We were both freshmen and were both in the same program called Omega - a one year discipleship program focused on serving in the local church and missions. Anyways through a series of events we ended up becoming roomies!

Let me tell you, Holly is by a landslide, one of the coolest girls I have ever met.

Holly has been one of the most constant people in my life. She is always challenging those around her and is always calling out the good that she sees in those around her. She lives her life fearlessly and is always taking on new opportunities and challenges. She is one of the funniest people I know and I can't go a couple hours without laughing my butt off when I'm around her. Holly has a beautiful, flourishing relationship with Jesus and it is very evident in how she lives her life. Im telling ya, this girl is completely captivated by Him and is figuring out daily, ways to live out His love. Holly is unique and she really embraces that part of her! She's not afraid to stand out in a crowd and challenge social norms. Holly loves metal music and has the best style! I love that she doesn't chose to wear what everyone else is wearing or whats trendy, but instead she wears what she loves! As cliche as it is, she's one of the most beautiful girls - inside and out (she's also single, if any boys are reading this). I am so thankful that she's apart of my life, let alone one of my best friends. I wouldn't trade her for anything and I'm so excited you guys get to hear from her today!

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect”

YO. My name is Holly, and I’m PUMPED to chat with you. One of my favorite activities ever is hanging out with my friends while coffee is present. Which it is for me at the moment, so if it is not for you, go grab some coffee, then come back.

So, something that I’ve always struggled with is knowing exactly who I am. I went through all the stages you could imagine. I went through my ‘scene’ years in middle school and a bit of high school where I hid myself in dark clothes and watching titanic every night. I had a few years in high school where I tried to act more girly than I actually am. When I got into the older grades of high school, a lot about my life started becoming hard and fast. Things got really difficult when I was around 15 and then I became even more confused as to who I was.

When I entered into college I got wrapped up in the lie that my confidence came from whether or not a boy was interested in me. This took me a long time to get over, and if I’m being real, I did not get over this idea until recently. There are plenty of reasons I could potentially peg to be the root of this problem, however I believe the reason for the problem is not as important as how I overcame it.

Something that is a reality in my life at the moment is that everyone around me is either dating, getting engaged, getting married, or even having babies. Therefore, I began to think that because I was lacking in all of those departments, what did I have going for me if nobody was showing interest in me? This was such an unhealthy outlook on life, and not fun at all! I went through a couple of bad relationships over the past few years; situations that were just not healthy and were not centered on Christ.

At the end of a hard semester this past spring, I decided that I was going to hang back on the whole dating thing. I can honestly say that since then, I have genuinely never been happier, as I simply haven’t been living to please anyone other than my homie Jesus Christ. This summer and these past few months have been a time where I focused completely on myself and have been learning what it means to be confident on my own, and I quickly learned that there was no such thing as being confident on my own, but only confident in knowing I am God’s creation.

1 Corinthians 15:10 says “But by the grace of God, I am what I am”. This brought me to the reality that the only thing I need to feel confident in myself is the assurance of grace, in which I am living proof that this has already been given to me.

I have made many mistakes in my life, which my friends and family could attest to, however I know that by the grace and love of God alone, I can be confident in every part of who I am. The fact that I am loved with a relentless love from the Creator of the universe is more than enough reason for me to wake up everyday and feel stoked about the adventures in the life that God gave me!

This summer I learned to love myself in the least annoying way possible, I promise. I found so much enjoyment in uncovering more layers to the spiritual gifts I feel God has blessed me with, trying to better my musical abilities, and just trying to be a better person all together. What this does not look like is trying to be the best version of myself, rather trying with every fiber of my being to look like Jesus Christ.

I have found so much enjoyment in simply being who I am, strengthening my relationships with friends, deepening my relationship with God, and then getting to pour that out onto my youth students, family, and my friends.

I am definitely not and never will be perfect. Some days I don’t really understand myself. For example, one night I will be crying in front of my TV watching the bachelorette, and another night I will be falling asleep peacefully while listening to heavy metal. I don’t really understand exactly what label I would have, and I have learned that that is okay. Who keeps the labels on things anyways? Aren’t we supposed to throw those things away when we purchase something? God made so many layers to all of His children, and what a privilege it is that we can uncover more about ourselves as we grow up!

So my advice to you is to fall in love with your life, stay real, and keep God at the center of your life. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

If anything I said today resinated with you and you want to chat about it you can find me on Instagram or you can email me at holly@rossroadcc.ca

STAY RAD!

Holly