Finding Yourself

Feeling God’s Love || Finding You Series

Hey y’all. So often I find that we lose ourselves in the midst of life’s happenings. Pulling ourselves apart and almost forcing ourselves into the mindset that we are the problem. So often we seem to forget that we are rooted and grounded in love. And how comforting is it to know that that love is from our sweet, sweet Jesus?!

A few days ago I read 1 Corinthians 13 for the hundredth time and every ounce of uncertainty and doubt from my thoughts was diminished afterwards because the love of our sweet Jesus was so abundant and right there in scripture for me to read as many times as I needed.

Read these verses so we can chat some more about how sweet His love is.

1 Corinthians 13 – 1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Processed with VSCO with c4 preset
my Bible on the page of these verses

I cannot tell you how many times I have gone back to read these verses.

Whether the love you are feeling is painful or reassuring, that love is Jesus’ and every bit of that love has meaning. Understanding that Jesus has a meaning and a reasoning behind his actions is something that has always been rather hard for me to wrap my head around. When I cry to Jesus and allow Him to hear my prayer I often find myself feeling disappointed when I don’t see or hear or discover His immediate response. And that is what’s wrong with our perception of Jesus and his doings. His love is far more than good. It is bad and it is painful and it is disappointing at times but it is graceful and rejoices with the truth and is worthy of us all.

So next time you find yourself wondering where Jesus’ love is, read these verses so you too can be reminded that his love is present in more ways than we could ever imagine. And if you’re in need of something more to read, check out any or all of the verses from Proverbs and you will instantly feel at rest. This book is longer but consists of beautiful, short verses that have so much meaning behind them.

I prefer to journal my favorite parts of a book. All I use is a pen and this helps me really feel God’s love in every aspect. Try it out and see if this is something that might work for you too.

How does Jesus speak to you and what verses make you feel His love? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to chat about it. Be sure to check out the rest of the girls blog posts that were apart of this collab as well. Sending lots of love and many blessings your way. With love, xx McKenz.

jasminegrace.net
lemonadepressblog.com
rubies.blog.com
kelsemoriah.wordpress.com 

Finding Yourself

Best Of 2016- Makeup, Clothing, Moments, and More

As promised, today I will be sharing the best of 2016. From the moments to the makeup and everything in between; I am so thankful to be able to share it all with you.

Alright starting with the clothing. This was the year I truly began to experiment with my style and really try new things that forced me to step out of my comfort zone style wise. No doubt about it sandals and booties were what I lived in during 2016. My most worn shoes this year had to be my lace up sandals from Target and my maroon booties from Old Navy. My Gap Girlfriend jeans were always on repeat as well as my Gap overalls. You could count on a watch being on my wrist at all times as well. You can check out my top 16 outfits from 2016 by reading that post here.

Makeup is definitely narrowed down to my Too Faced Chocolate Bar, liquid lipsticks, and contouring. I really stepped up my game this year. I still have tons of stepping up to do but I gained a lot of skill and experience this year.

Sorry Gossip Girl- One Tree Hill takes the cake for best show of the year. No doubt about it.

Song of the year- my gosh this is tough. Maroon 5, She Will Be Loved. This one reminds me of all the good times, therefore I have to give it my top pick for the year.

My favorite book of the year has got to be The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Although, I really didn’t do too much reading this year so it’s not like I had tons to choose from. As far as reading in my Bible goes, Proverbs takes the win. It is beautiful in every way shape and form. It has short, sweet verses that will really speak to you. It provided such a gorgeous learning experience for me.

As far as the year goes as a whole I am so thankful to have been the school’s makeup artist for our most recent plays throughout the early months of the year. In March I traveled to New York for Spring break and in April I found the most amazing friends and my relationship with Jesus completely took off. In May I turned 15 and celebrated with all of my dearest friends after making Varsity Cheer for the second year in a row. In June I finished my Freshman year and took off to spend a few weeks in Wisconsin. Half of my July was spent at the beach with my best friend and once I came home I had the most amazing opportunity and was interviewed for the local new station. A huge milestone for my blog. Another one came shortly after in August when I reached 1,000 Instagram followers and released my first YouTube video. I started Sophomore year and blogging really began to take off for me. In September football season as well as competition was in full swing leaving me cheering every second of my ‘free’ time. October meant homecoming everything which is always so fun. In November my high school cheer team placed second in the county and my school’s football team finished with a perfect winning season. December treated me oh so good in every way. The first week of the year my boys became State champs for the second year in a row. It was the best feeling. December 7th I hit 1,000 blog followers leaving me with more than double my original goal for the year. Basketball started up and my love for cheering for it came back in a heartbeat. I then had Winter break and was back in New York with family. January 1st I celebrated one year of styledbymckenz.

Success was my favorite. Feeling proud of what you’ve accomplished is truly a feeling like no other.

This was the year I felt like I did the most growing. I really feel like I began to found myself and understand my place in the world and that is a wonderful feeling to have. I was a flower, blogging was my sun, and people were my rain. I’ve grown now.

Although this year had its downs it most certainty had its ups and I could not be more thankful for that. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope you had a fabulous 2016 and that 2017 blesses you with something even greater.

With a whole lot of love, McKenz.

Latest Post:
Related Post:
Instagram: styledbymckenz

Some of my favorite posts from the year:
1,000 Followers
Styledbymckenz Turns One
The Power of Makeup
The Best Days With You
Fall fashion: Outfits+Trends
GRWM: First Day Of School
I Chose To Love Life
Top 16 Outfits of 2016

 

Finding Yourself · Uncategorized

Styledbymckenz Turns One

Three hundred sixty-five days ago I hit ‘publish’ on my first blog post ever. It took a lot of courage to hit that button too. I remember spending hours with my mom at my Grandma’s kitchen table on New Years Eve designing my logo, editing every bit of the website’s layout, and triple checking my very first post, unable to put my first thoughts into words in a way that made sense.

It takes a lot more than courage to write about your life and post it on the Internet. It takes a lot more than hard work to stay consistent and achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself. And it takes a lot more than real, raw feelings to write something with true passion beneath it.

It is more than unbelievable how much I have grown as a person and blogger over the last year and it is through the support of my friends, family, and viewers that I have become half the person I am. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means the perfect person now, but I truly believe that blogging has bettered me in every way.

Every little accomplishment feels so huge when you have passion behind what you’re doing. The day I hit one hundred followers on my Instagram I felt like I was on top of the world despite the fact that I had twenty times as many followers on my personal account. The day I created a YouTube channel I had tens of DM’s from people that I don’t actually know saying how proud they were of me. The day I hit one thousand blog followers the amount of comments, congratulations, and hugs I received from my family, friends, and bloggers was absolutely heartwarming. I never knew so many people actually payed attention to what I spent every ounce of my free time pouring my heart into.

Those are the days that I feel like nothing can stop me. The days where I want to work five times harder so I can feel that feeling again. The days where I feel so surrounded by love that my heart feels like it’s bursting at the seams. It’s love, success, and so much more all in one.

I love every bit of what I do. I love the slight bit of stress I have when I wake up Sunday morning knowing I have thirty different pictures to take and four posts to write. I love posting pictures of my outfits every day and talking to my camera rather than hanging with my friends on a Saturday night. I love that I am half the recipe to my own success. I love the love I have created.

I can’t imagine spending my free time any other way.

Three hundred sixty-five days ago my whole life changed, and I had absolutely no idea. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for the love, thank you for the support, and thank you for the presence you provide. I am far more than grateful.

Wishing you the world and more to come in your next three hundred sixty-five days.

With a whole lot of love, McKenz

Processed with VSCO with c4 preset

All pieces from my birthday party are from Hunter&Honey except for my lace up heels. Those are from DSW and the balloon is from Party City.

Current Blog Views: 71,500
Current Blog Following: 1,095
Current Instagram Following: 1,720

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset

Finding Yourself · Uncategorized

Blogger Awards & A Bit Of a Life Update

 

Hello everyone, I have gotten a couple of blogging nominations recently and wanted to answer them this morning because I love getting to know other bloggers and think that these posts are so fun to read. Plus I love checking out everyone’s nominations. So without further ado, let’s get into the nominations!

I am so thankful for my sweet friend , alittlebitofcoffee for nominating me to do the Sunshine Blogger Award! Her blog is the cutest thing and exudes so much positivity, I def recommend you checking her out! And another friend, marioness for tagging me in the Sunshine Blogger Award as well! Her blog is full of fashion, beauty, and reviews. Stop by and give her blog some love!

Here are the rules:

  • Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog
  • Answer all the questions sent by the person who nominated you
  • Nominate blogs to receive the award and write them new questions
  • List the rules
  1. If you had all the time in the world, and nowhere to be, what would be the first thing you did? I think the first thing I would do, is call my best friends over and have them come on the adventure with me. I love time to myself don’t get me wrong, but I would love to have them along for the ride with me.
  2. What is one thing you do for relaxation? I usually get thirty minutes of relaxation time on a school night before I’m so tired my body just wants to sleep. I tend to spend those minutes with my Bible and talking with God. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders once I’m done.
  3. What’s your favorite fall essentials? Scarves! I have so many of them and pair them with almost anything in the Fall time.
  4. What do you love to write about the most on your blog? I love writing Weekly Wrap Ups because I get to analyze everything I did throughout the week, and I adore seeing all the outfits I wore that week all lined up.
  5. Would you rather be too cold or too hot? I want to say hot, but I’m going to have to go with cold because you can always add layers of clothes, you can only take away so many.

 

  1. What is the purpose of your blog? The purpose of my blog is to do what I love most and share that love with people who feel the same way about it!
  2. Are you excited for autumn? Why? Yes, it is by far my favorite season. I love the chilliness, leaves changing, and all the festive food that comes with it. Not to mention; Halloween!!
  3. How it has been the first days of school? Honestly, school and everything that comes with it has been kicking my butt. I’m taking my first AP class, cheering about 20 hours a week, and have my first play of the school year doing makeup in a few weeks.
  4. Tell us one big dream you have: I hope to be older and actually enjoy my job. I want to look forward to my job and enjoy what I do everyday which is why I’m not entirely sure what i want to pursue in the future. As of right now, I am leaning towards fashion journalism or fashion merchandising.
  5. How has your blog changed you? This is an interesting question, I have definitely changed since I started my blog. I feel like I have become  bit more independent and I have learned a lot of time management skills. I also feel like I carry a lot more pride around with me.
  6. What is your favourite book and film? I don’t have a specific favorite book other than the kind that makes you question everything about yourself and being when you’re done. The kind that made you feel apart of the story, those are the best. My favorite movie is probably The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.
  7. Where have you been this holidays? This year I have been to New York, North Carolina and Wisconsin!
  8. What made you start a blog? I was sitting with my mom one evening complaining about not knowing what I wanted to do in the future. I wanted to write, be in front of a camera but also behind one, wanted fashion to be involved. So after thinking of countless hours contemplating the idea of a blog and trying to choose a name, styledbymckenz was born.
  9. What do you like the most about autumn? The fashion!
  10. How you would name your favourite color? Happiness, yellow reminds me of happiness perfectly.
  11. Best place in the world for you: I’m not sure, I do really want to travel around the United States though and try to make it around to all fifty states.

Bloggers I nominate-

aIn the midst of the last few weeks I feel as though I have been losing myself. I have felt so detached from my relationships with everyone, including myself and Jesus. It is in these times though that I try to remind myself that God is making me feel these things for a reason. He wants me to feel these things so that I understand what happiness and fulfillment is. I  have been reminded these last few weeks that it is perfectly okay to feel down in the dumps as long as you know that there are better days ahead. It is perfectly okay to take time for yourself and be filled with the Lord’s presence. Everything we do is rooted and grounded in love and that is the most comforting feeling of them all.

I hope you all have a fabulous week. Thank you so much for stopping by. With love, McKenz.

 

About · Finding Yourself · Uncategorized

500 Followers!!!

Today is one of the most exciting days ever….  Yesterday just seemed like the worst day ever, and for no particular reason. Everything about it was just so “ugh”. I felt like I was crying out to God but He couldn’t hear me. I felt like I had been losing touch with Him and His love these past few days. I was tired but restless, stressed and anxious. After closing my laptop and insisting I just wait till the morning to finish the blog post that seemed like just the beginning of my pile of things to accomplish, I quickly said a prayer and went to bed. This morning (after the worst day ever) I got up and loaded my computer, thinking I was going to be in a time crunch yet again about struggling to finish the post in time to catch the bus. NOT ONLY did I finish the blog post, but s I was closing out of my tabs I caught a glance at my follower count. It read “502”. My heart jumped and my smile widened. FIVE HUNDRED people take time out do their day to read my blog posts and no amount of words is enough to express how grateful I am for that. God is so so so good and I am so thankful for His little reminder that He is working in ways I can’t even begin to imagine. Thank you from the absolute bottom of my heart if you’re one of the beautiful souls that takes the time to support me each and everyday , I love you all so much.

 

Finding Yourself · Makeup

The Power of Makeup

Christmas morning of sixth grade I received my first mascara. I was bursting with happiness and excitement. All the other girls had been wearing mascara and eyeliner for months and I looked at them with envy in my eyes. I hoped that soon I would wear makeup too. I never felt that I was ugly because I didn’t wear makeup, never felt that I needed it either. Just the idea of painting my face each morning sounded thrilling to me. Little did I know that that one tube of Covergirl Mascara would shape me into the person I am today. Gradually I grew my collection as well as my love for the task which I somehow came to view as an art. I asked for makeup for holidays, birthdays, just about any occasion I could. Fast forward a handful of years; I’m now going to be a sophomore in high school and have let my love for makeup taken over me completely. A lot of people don’t understand it, but I don’t expect them to anymore. I turned makeup into my own outlet of creativity. And I love it, every last bit of it. Because makeup is mine. I can wear none if I want, I can alter my features and throw on different colors, I can blend and curl and paint whatever my heart desires. And if I don’t like the reflection staring back at me, I can simply start over. So to all the people that say “you don’t need to wear makeup to please other people, you look fine without it” : you’re absolutely right. I don’t have to wear makeup for other people and I don’t “need” it. But what is “needing” makeup? Having a zit so you need to cover it? Wearing eyeliner cayuse your eyes are too light? Contouring your face because it’s too round? There is no need for makeup, nor do I think there ever will be. The fulfillment and the confidence and the passion that I have discovered in myself is what I ‘needed’.  Five years ago if you told me that I would be sitting here blogging about the power of makeup or going to theater after school to fulfill my duties as the school’s makeup artist, or having makeup jobs on the weekend I would have laughed in your face. I would have laughed because the tables have turned. The little girl that once envied the people that applied thick coats of mascara ten minutes before they left the house, is now me. The girl behind the want for a tube of mascara turned into the girl who’s life was changed. So if you ask me, that’s the power of makeup.

 

with love, McKenz.

Finding Yourself

Trusting God’s Plan

I know that many of you are probably going through some stuff right now, and that sometimes makes it hard to put your faith in the Lord’s hands. Trusting God’s plan is something scary, so today I decided to round up ten Bible verses that really speak to me and help remind me that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you guys enjoy these verses as much as me. Remember that God’s love for you is absolutely endless and His path for you is greater than anything you could plan yourself. Wishing you all the best today and all the days to come. With love, McKenz.

Isaiah 60:22- When the time is right, I, the Lord will make it happen.

Isaiah 49:23- She who trusts in the Lord, will never be disappointed.

Psalm 56:3- When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Psalm 37:4- Delight yourself in the lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 118:6- I will not be afraid, because the Lord is with me.

Proverbs 4:13- Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to my life.

2 Corinthians 12:10- When you’ve done everything you can do, that’s when God will step in and do what you can’t do.

John 13:7-  Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what I’m doing now, but someday you will.

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

Philippians 4:4-7- Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finding Yourself

God’s Everlasting Love

Hello friends, ever since my new Bible came in the mail a few weeks ago, i have been reading like crazy! It’s gorgeous and leaves me a few inches of space on the sides to journal and write down my thoughts on the verses I read throughout the night. I purchased mine from Amazon so definitely check there if you’re looking into buying one.

One of my absolute favorite chapters is 1 Corinthians 13, as I find that the words of it are absolutely breathtaking. It says “If I have all faiths as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not get jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

These words speak to me so loudly, for it is a reminder that the Lord’s love is forever and we should seek his qualities in the people we surround ourselves with. “It bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” One of my dearest friends Jeanie always says “if love fails, it wasn’t really love” and as I read these verses from Corinthians it dawns on me that she is right. Love rejoices in the truth. I’ve learned that if you love life, it will love you right back and if you seek God’s everlasting love, you will have the power to love.

Let me know what you’ve been reading lately, I would love to chat about it! thank you so much for stopping by and reading. Never forget YOU are loved; wishing you the best today and all the ones to come. With love, McKenz.

Finding Yourself

Half Way Through the Year/Life Update

Happy Friday friends, I feel like I haven’t really been able to sit down and chat with you guys lately. The last few weeks of school are always super hectic but luckily yesterday was my last day of school so I am finally free! Which reminds me, I wanted to tell you guys about my new uploading schedule. During the school year I was pretty all over the place depending on whether or not I had theatre, cheer, or other obligations. Regardless, I will be uploading Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the summer. However, Sunday’s are always devoted to Weekly Wrap Up’s. I’ve also been getting lots of new followers here on the blog, so if you are one of them: Welcome, I’m McKenzie and I really hope you stick around! 🙂 I feel like a lot of people consider my Weekly Wrap Up’s to be more like vlogs but the pictures from each day are actually what I found happiness in that day! Last summer around this time, I did the 100 Happy Days Challenge and I adored it. It allowed me to look for the good in every day and remember that there is always always always better things ahead. So now, on Sundays I include my happiness posts with my outfit of the days!  Anyways, starting Thursday through the first week of July, all my blog posts will be prewritten and scheduled to go up. I will be visiting family in Wisconsin and am not entirely sure if I will have service. I honestly wouldn’t be blogging much there anyways because it’s inconvenient and I really just want to spend some good quality time together while I am there. That being said, that new uploading schedule will still apply those couple weeks!

Also, I wanted to take the time and thank you all. I can not even believe that the year will be half over on Sunday. It is absolutely mind blowing to see how far I have come in such a short period of time. Everyone of you reading this has played a part in my success here on StyledByMcKenz and I can not express my gratitude enough. I can only dream of where this blog will take me next, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You guys mean the world to me! And please, if you have ANY suggestions leave them below. I want to produce content that you guys are interested in and I am happy to write anything you would like to hear about. I promise I don’t bite (;

Oh my gosh guys, I just ordered a new Bible journal off of Amazon and I am SO excited for it to get here. I will show you all asap, it’s gorgeous!! That reminds me, if you all have a youth group in your town; please go! A bunch of the highschoolers here get together and it’s so much fun. If you don’t have one I encourage you to get a few girls together and just sit with some blankets and snacks and read your Bible’s together and embrace the world around you. The world is at YOUR fingertips and it is up to you what you do with it. You get one shot at life so I suggest you use it wisely. Never forget that God’s love for you is so great and He will be as present in your life as you let Him!

Well this post is getting awfully long and I know it has been all over the place but I really just wanted to get my thoughts out. Thank you all so much for sticking around. If you’ve even made it this far, you rock!!! I love you all always. ❤ With love, McKenz.

Finding Yourself

I Chose To Love Life

Hebrews 6:10 says “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.”

As a normal teenage girl with responsibilities, a family, and a social life I have found myself feeling aimless in my own name time and time again. I am fully aware that feeling lost in place with ourselves often means feeling lost in Jesus’s name as well. A few months ago if you asked me where I stood with myself I would’ve told you that I wasn’t sure. It felt like everything in my life was temporary, that I was putting forth so much effort into everything I did and getting absolutely nothing in return. I felt lost. And then one morning I snapped out of it and realized that nobody else was going to mend myself but me. So I threw myself into action. I began to invest my time in people that invested there time in me. I joined theatre and started doing stage makeup. I dove full force into my blogging, setting record views for myself within the weeks. I started going to church on Sundays, spent time with Bible every night. I told my friends and family I loved them everyday, tried my absolute hardest not to take them for granted. I looked in the mirror and saw the good in myself rather than picking out every flaw. I shared more laughs with my best friend in one hour than I had in the last month. I put myself out there to make new friends who I’ve spent some of the best days of my life with. I chose to love life and it loved me right back. I’ve come to realize that the effort we put into life is only recognized if we believe it is. I now know that regardless of how close or far I am to God His love for me is everlasting and that my deeds do not go unnoticed by Him. I’ve learned that “The pain you’ve been feeling, can’t compare to the joy that’s coming.” -Romans 8:18

I’ve realized that God’s love endures forever. I realized that there is no weakness in forgiveness. I realized that true love is being as happy for someone else’s accomplishments as you are for your own. I realized that the world was mine and life was only as good as I chose to make it. I realized that I’ve found people that I see nothing but absolute greatness in, people I would do anything for. I realized that I love myself and I’ve created a life I couldn’t imagine any other way. And most of all I’ve realized that you have to lose yourself in order to find yourself.

I hope one day you feel a smile inching it’s way across your face for no reason as much as I do, but until then I’ll continue to tell you how I’m managing to do so. Sending so much happiness your way. With love, McKenz.