Hello Adult World.

So. I bought that new Crest pro-health mouthwash the other day, and it is amazing... I hate the mouthwash that burns the mess out of your mouth, so obviously I look for the kind that doesn't engulf your mouth in flames. A couple months ago I bought this gargantuous bottle of Listerine because on the front it said "Less Intense!!! Equally Effective!!!", so I thought to myself "Hey, I would like that..." 

So I got home, and to quench my curiosity I went and tried out this "Less Intense" minty mouthwash... and to my alarming surprise, my mouth was once again engulfed in all sorts of burning-ness. Uh HELLO?! Less intense than what?! Being mauled by a bear??? It's definitely "Equally Effective". Sheesh. So yeah, my new mouthwash is great. And less intense.. much less..

So anyway, now that you're filled in on my mouthwash drama... My birthday was yesterday. That's right, I'm officially 22, the big double-deuce. Hooray. You may have noticed the absence of an exclamation mark. Birthdays seem to lose their excitement as you get older. It just seems like any other day... I did however, take some time to thank God for my life and everything I have, and I began to realize that I AM getting older. It's a fact. It's like I'm standing on a moving walkway and as I look behind me, those teenage years are getting smaller and smaller, and my adult years are finally here. Hooray. Again. I guess it just made me realize that life really is short, and I don't have much time here. It's so funny how when we're younger we can't wait to be 16, then 18, then 21... and then once that happens, it's like (in a really girlish voice) "oh I wish I was still 16". 

I can really relate with David in the book of Psalms when he says "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and it's place remembers it no more..." I guess it just made me think of how much importance each day holds. I look at Jesus and stand in amazement at how much he accomplished in just 3 years. Scholars say that Jesus was 30 when He first began His ministry, and He died on the cross at 33 years old. Still, the end of the book of John says, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." What a statement. In only 3 years? Wow...

I guess I am realizing that I'm not a kid anymore (even though I still act like one sometimes), and I have ALOT of purpose and destiny waiting to be unleashed inside of me. This year, I'm going to see what purpose each day holds, and grab it by the tail. I'm not called to just get married, have a 9-5 job, have kids, raise kids, get old, and die. No, God has much greater things in store for me... I just have to get up and pursue them. 

And I'm going to do so without burning my mouth!

With These Lips

So you're probably wondering why anyone would want to call their blog "With These Lips". I will explain that to you now...

Most of us reading this have these 2 beautiful things just below our nose. These things which we call lips hold the most incredible power. They are our microphone, our amplifier. Try saying "Penelope, pick some perfect pears by the portside promptly" without using your lips. See? 

I'll admit that this analogy which I am about to share with you is incredibly corny, but it fits nicely, so why not? So, as I was thinking about this, I realized that our lips would also lose all of their great potential without our tongue... You see, the tongue could survive and work on the most part without the lips. But without the tongue, the lips would be greatly reduced to barely spitting out the words "pa pa, ma ma, and ba ba" (Coincidence that these are the usually the first words infants use? I think not.) Oh, and by the way, you might have just looked a little dorky sitting there at your computer trying to speak without using your tongue... heh. Anyway, let's look here at God as the tounge and us as His lips. Without Him, we are useless. Babies. Infantile. We need Him. He also needs us. He needs us to pronounce and punctuate His word to others, to shine His light in the world, and to kiss broken humanity with His love. 

On a smaller and more physical scale, you still hold these beautiful lips. They have the power to show affection. To sin. To tear others down. Sadly, when the opportunity comes to speak up and create change in this world, they can also stay silent... The question is, what will you do with these lips that you hold?

So in closing... this blog will be about life, about God, with a little part of my heart, and what I will accomplish on this earth... with these lips. 

Laugh. Cry. Be Challenged and Inspired. But most of all, Love.

Happy Reading,

Danielle Jane

*Stay posted... I'll be back! =)