About Allison Rector

Alli is a Psychology Student at Augusta University that has a passion for Jesus, writing, people, and her planner! Her goal upon graduation is to continue her studies and work in the mental health rehabilitation field helping those with PTSD. When she is not writing for @sheisfound, The Captivating Woman, or her classes, Alli can be found in a river, fly-fishing. Alli also serves in Celebrate Recovery at her church where she leads, and is a part of a community that helps each other to find joy in Christ after their “hurts, habits, and hang-ups.” Her favorite thing to do is start her days super early with a large cup of tea, walks with her dogs, and, of course, quiet time with Jesus.

December 21, 2016

Love: John 13:34-35

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:34-35

Have you ever had to work, support, or be around someone that you thought was nearly unlovable? Or, better yet, have you yourself ever felt unlovable. Girl, if you’re a college student, or are anything like me, then you probably find yourself in this situation often.

It happens, and I mean that in the most humble way I can.

Life happens, and so do situations like these.

Almost every semester I’m faced with someone with in my classes that I just cant work with (and with my luck, I usually end up working with them anyways). They are usually those Type B students that procrastinate, slack off, and end up sending every fiber of my brain over the edge. But, every time I find myself sitting in my group project, screaming internally, I can hear God whispering the same thing: love them.

Dang. I mean, God can seriously throw a gut punch every once in awhile, ya know? Love someone who is annoying, painful to work with, and completely different from me?! Yeah, that is exactly what He is saying.

To make things even worse, God doesn’t just tell us to love certain people, but rather He calls us, as Christians, to love everyone!

John 13: 34 tells us to: A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Simple enough.

But it’s in verse 35 that God convicts us as Christians to fulfill His command: By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Everyone will know we are His disciples.

No matter where we go, or what we do, as Christians we represent God and His Kingdom. It doesn’t matter if there is a crowd, or one person; a classroom, or a single group, by loving others, even the unlovable ones, we are showing everyone what Christ’s love looks like. If that isn’t a life calling, then I don’t know what is!

I’m not telling you that you won’t be aggravated. No, in fact, it will be hard.

These situations will be hard and the people in your life will sometimes be beyond unlovable. Sometimes you will even seem like the unlovable one, and in those times we can still cling to this verse. We can still love those that persecuted, isolate, and hurt us.

He called you to His will and plan for your life.

So, go out into this world. Love the unlovable. Live out your calling on your life and act out as His disciples. In a world that is filled with so much hate; in a world where hate is the new bedrock of society, be His truth, be His light, be His Loving Disciple.

December 7, 2016

Peace: John 14:27

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” – John 14:27

Have you ever been tricked into buying something or trying something because the ad made it sound perfect? Once you’ve spent the money you realized it actually wasn’t the quality you were expecting to receive.

Yeah, I’m pretty much the poster child for this situation.

We’ve all been there.

Something, anything, can look so satisfying when it is presented to us in a sweet, tiny, precious little package! I personally am always sold on office and craft supplies that I don’t always need. They are advertised at an amazing price. But, to each his own.

Seriously, how awful is this situation?

You’ve spent time and money on something you really wanted and worked hard for, and then it comes out dissatisfying and lack luster.

Every time I find myself in this situation I can’t help but think that this is exactly what the world does to us.

Daily we are faced with pretty packages like a 4.0 college career, a happy-go-lucky family life, or a perfect marriage. But, once we’ve “bought” these ideas from the world, we soon find out that our “products” aren’t as good as they seems. Our dissatisfaction breeds anxiety, anger, and discouragement. Our restlessness can lead to sin and ungodly actions, bringing our lives to disasters rather than the prefect little presents we thought we were getting.

After meditating on this thought, I came to one major question we must ask ourselves: How can we defend ourselves from falling into the world’s most deadly trap?

Like anything else, we have to trust in the Lord and turn to His Word!

John 14:27 tells us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world give to you.”

Let stop there for just a second because that alone should be enough to let us know that God gives us our peace, not the world nor it’s picturesque offers! Our Savior is willing to hand over His peace to us because His love runs so deep for us!

Already, we should be comforted and motivated to run towards the life Christ hands us, not what the world deceivingly offers.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

In the second half of the verse God is comforting us yet again. He is putting our anxieties to rest when He tells us not to be afraid. And even though its not stated in this verse specifically; when you’ve built that relationship and trust in the Lord and you arm yourself with His Word, you can trust that when He says not to be afraid, then you really don’t have to be!

You know that ultimately His plan is far better than anything the world could hand us.

Go out in confidence! Go out into this world knowing that what it offers is nothing but distractions from the beautiful and perfectly designed plans God has created for your life.

December 1, 2016

Hope: Isaiah 40:31

“… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grown weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31

Have you ever gotten super discouraged during the holiday season? Well, if you said yes then I’d tell you, I’m right there with ya girl!

The holidays, especially the advent season, can be exhausting. School, work, kids, presents, decorations, Christmas parties, cooking, baking, family, church events, and volunteering are just a few of the things that set us over the edge during what is supposed to be the most joyous season of the year!

Amidst this discouragement however, have you ever felt beyond that? Have you ever felt hopeless?

I know, I know, hopeless? During the holiday season?! That’s blasphemy to say but I’ll be the first person to tell you that yes, indeed, I have felt completely hopeless during the holiday season.

In the middle of the hustle and bustle I cant help but worry about this and freak out about that. I get discouraged when plans get changed and anxious and uncomfortable when parties last longer than they should. I begin to feel inadequate and, eventually, the hopelessness creeps in.

Slowly, but surely, the dread begins to take over and I find myself praying the season would fly by. And how crazy is that?! God doesn’t want us wishing His Sons birthday away! Yet, I always find my self doing it! And this is exactly WHY God sent us his Son in the first place.

God knew that we would become hopeless.

He knew, long before our DNA was created, that we, His perfect creation would become hopeless. We have sin to blame for that, but God solved this problem with one major Band-Aid, the cross.

In fact, Isaiah 40:31 is a beautiful image of what this hope looks like!

“… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grown weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Did you hear that?

God RENEWS the strength for all that HOPE in HIM!

God sent His son to defeat death & evil, the only true hopelessness in this world. Jesus beat the grave and rose again to assure us of our HOPE in Him and in God’s Kingdom.

So, I challenge you to ask yourself this during the holiday season:

Am I putting my hope in myself or am I putting my hope in the person who saved me, defeated death, and connected me with our Father in Heaven?

If you answered yourself than take a moment to read through this verse and the others I have listed below. It’s human nature to get caught up in ourselves but, when we take the time to hand it over to our King, you can be surprised at how much more joyous our lives, and our holiday season, can become.

Let’s give this Advent season over God and honor His perfect Son, the one who gives us our hope, Jesus!

Check out these other verses:

Psalm 34:17-20
Jeremiah 29:11
Philippians 4:6-7
James 5:13
Revelation 21:4

September 22, 2016

God With Us

Today I woke up scared.

Scared because I didn’t have any other writings to submit that I was proud of. Scared because I hadn’t replied to emails that I needed to reply too. Scared because I didn’t think I was good enough to be a writer for His Kingdom. Scared because, well, I am always scared.

I have lived my life this way for as long as I can remember and as I woke up to this deadline this morning I was scared that I let my fear ruin my chances at writing for my very first blog, ruining my chance at getting published for the very first time. Ironic? I think so. Pathetic? Maybe. Not how God wants me to act? Most definitely.

As I panicked, I ran to Instagram to lose myself in pointless procrastination when I came across a verse,

‘God said “My presence will go with you. Ill see the journey to the end.” -Exodus 33:14

…and this is where is hit me. God is with me! I know you’re probably like “Well, duh Alli!” but, hear me out.

Our Prince of Peace, our Savior, our Alpha, Omega, Jehovah Shammah, our Father, is with me. And He knew I had this journey. He knew I would get scared and let my poor self-esteem hinder me. He planned for that verse to pop up on my feed because He promised to see this journey through to the end.

As I meditated on this word and how it affects my thoughts, I thought about the horror that is surrounding our nation and how this verse can relate to that. Racism. Murder. Hate. I pray daily for a revival in this country but I find peace today knowing that God is there! God is there in Dallas and DC. He is there during every protest and shooting. Every act of terror, our Lord is there. He knew this would happen and He predestined our days. As new places and horrors pop up on the news, I pray that God uses these situations, these people, and these events to put His Holy Name on high! He promised and He will see this journey our nation and our world is going through to the very end.

Our God gave me the kick in the pants I needed today, and while this small, soon to be, Instagram post isn’t my best work, it’s real. It’s in the moment, real, authentic, and my personal, actual thoughts. This is what God wants me to write to the Kingdom today and how He wants to prove His grace and glory through me. This is what He lays on my heart to pray over and I will not allow my fears to keep God’s words from echoing out to others, especially at a time when the world needs more truth and more Jesus.

We get scared.

As a sufferer of anxiety, I get scared a lot. But, we can all relate to this. We get scared and mad and let our minds get the best of us daily. When this happens, however, we just need to remind ourselves that our God is with us. He promised to see our journeys through to the end and with that, He will lay the stones for us to take our steps in His direction. I cannot be more thankful for a God that constantly lays stones of peace and patience in my life and constant seeks to life me up even when I give up on myself.