This is your LIFE, are you who you want to be?

"Jesus said, 'Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.' Peter replies, 'Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water.' So Jesus invites Peter to come. Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water toward Jesus. But when Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and sees the wind and waves, he begins to sink. Peter cries out to the Lord, and Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and catches Peter. As they climb into the boat together, the storm ceases. Then the disciples worship Jesus, saying Truly you are the Son of God."

What are the wind and waves in your life keeping you from following Jesus? This passage is relevant to all of our lives, yet we don't follow it to the best of our abilities. The Lord is there for us and will do anything and everything to help us follow his path, but once we lose sight of the Lord's teachings, that is when we begin to sink in our sins and sorrows. Yet we can all be saved by the Lord if we just ask and pray.
Recently being retold this story a couple days ago at CCM, I have constantly tried to live up to this passage. I have been reviewing the obstacles in my life that are keeping me away from Christ, asking myself "What people are in my life for the betterment of me?" and "How can I change my ways for the betterment of Christ?". Growing up, I always felt the need to belong, just like every other human being; but does that mean having to please everyone in order to do so? Not everyone I meet in my lifetime are going to be my best friend, are going to want to hang out with me, or even like me, and that is what has been my biggest "wave" keeping me from Christ. People are meant to come in and out of our lives, whether they stay there or not is our decision.

Life is too short not
to jump and scream.

That was just one example of what I have been trying to change in order to keep my eyes on Christ. Also, Lent is coming up soon; a time to truly reflect on your own personal life. Jesus gave his life in order to save ours, what can we do to honor that act? I know the biggest question coming up the next few days is "What are you giving up for Lent?" It is always nice to give something up, but you can also do something good instead of giving up something. To give you an idea, I am going to babysit for free. Some couples with children just need time to themselves in order to build on their relationship, so why do they have to pay for that? There are so many things that one can do through this time of forty days and forty nights, but do we have to stop there? Why not keep the good deeds flowing through the next couple of months, years, maybe even lifetime. We have to get out there and at least try to follow Christ's teachings.
What I'm trying to say through all this is that we can no longer be selfish. In order to love yourself and love others, you have to have a strong and loving relationship with Christ first. God gave us the power and will to do whatever we want in this lifetime, why not follow Him in the process? I am.

Through everything you go through, Christ is always there with you, holding you oh so tight!!

Erika Watson

The Road less TRAVELED..

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach." (Romans 12.6-7)


God has blessed us with many talents and instruments to use to the best of our abilities, but are we truly using them? This is an issue that I feel, as a student, I struggle with daily.

My amazing family:
Little brother Evinn, Me, Big sister
Erien, & Big brother EJ.

With the many pressures from family, peers, and social statuses, do we really know what we want to do for the rest of our lives? Luckily, I have not had too much of a problem with doing what I want to do. When I decided to be a teacher, my parents backed me up. When I decided to spend my whole summer working with kids in the middle of WV, my family supported me. And when I decided to go travel the UK twice, it didn't surprise my friends one bit. I have been truly blessed with a great support system, to figure out how to use my talents that Christ has given me.
I know that it is not that easy for others to do so. With the pressure from parents "strongly encouraging" them to graduate with this major, or with friends wanting them to be a completely different person. Who are they to say what kind of person you should become. Call me crazy, but I believe Christ gave us our own mind, body, and spirit to live the life we want to live through His name.

One of the amazing places I visited:
Big Ben

But stepping down from my soapbox, I just wanted to encourage all those reading this to do what you love. For the past couple of weeks, I went to go visit friends across England and Scotland. It had to be one of the best journeys I have ever done because it helped me to appreciate the meaning of friends. Even though I did travel to an amazing country, the best journey that I did make was to visit my family in California and Texas. Spending Christmas and time with them made me appreciate the value of my family and how blessed I am to have them. They support me in all that I do, that I can enjoy life and actually be me. I love teaching and helping children grow so why wouldn't I become a teacher? Traveling the world is my passion, so why not do it? Life is too short to worry about the if's, and's, and but's of life, so go out and live it.
I have learned through my many experiences from the past couple of years, that we do not know how long we are here on this earth, only God does. Life is too precious, so go do what makes you happy!!


-Erika Watson

Why are we waiting for Tomorrow?

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118.24)

Day in and day out we think about what we are going to be doing tomorrow, the next day, in a month, or next year, and not even focussing on the moment of today. I know my last post was about cherishing those around you, but how are we suppose to do that if we are all so focused about the future instead of the present?

My beautiful mother!!

I know a lot of you know that I lost my mom a year ago to cancer. The anniversary of her passing was actually Monday, and believe it was not the best of days. I kept thinking about how life would be if she was still here, and if there was anything at all that could have changed  her from leaving this Earth so soon. But then I realized, God has a plan for everything and everyone. "Something good must end, for something better to begin." I constantly think about the "what ifs" and what is going to happen next, instead of just living in the present. There is so much going on around me that I need to be thankful for right now, instead of focussing all of my attention on what is going to happen.
Like I said before, God has a plan for all of us. I know I don't always see it that way because I constantly stress about the future and what is going to happen to me, that sometimes I just need to stop and hand it over to God. That doesn't mean that we should stop trying all together and let Christ do it on his own, no. It means that we need to break those barriers of self sufficiency, and ask God for the help that he can give.
I know it's hard, because I struggle with it everyday, but we are put on this Earth to enjoy the greatness of "now" and "today"; not to stress out about what tomorrow has in store.
I want you to listen to this song and truly ask yourself, why am I waiting for tomorrow?

rest in peace mommy..

Erika Watson

Just thought this would BRIGHTEN up your day!!

I truly love this song!!

Stop, Think, and be Thankful

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 107.1)

In this fast paced world that we live in today, our lives are always "go, go, go" without even thinking exactly what we are doing.  How many times today did you stop and just think about the tress around you, the people walking by you, and the creator that made this all happen? NONE. Same for me too, until I went to adoration tonight at my church.  Adoration is a time of worship, where the Catholic Church c an come together as one.  While sitting in church, surrounded by all of 5 people there, I began to notice the pleasure of sitting in silence.  It allowed me to stay still for once, and just think. After I was done praying and meditating for awhile, I decided to just look around the church and began to notice the lights of the cars from outside flashing in and out of the stained glass windows that surrounded the church.  I then noticed, that is what my life is comprised of; me constantly moving. I am so glad that I have a place where I can just sit down, think, and be thankful for what God has provided me with, while the outside world is still running as it normally would be.

Megan Upchurch and I.. What
would I do without you?

Also, something that got me thinking about this topic, was a conversation I was having with my friend Megan Upchurch just a while before I went to adoration. We were talking about how other schools ran, and if we did decide to go to the other schools instead of Ole Miss. I jokingly told her, "Your life would not be the same with out me!!" As self centered that may have sounded, it truly wouldn't be. Megan, and many others that I have met here at my time at Ole Miss, have changed and shaped my life for the better. Who knows what I would be doing right now if I did not come here. Those are just the little things to be thankful for.
Everyday we go through life busy as a bee, not knowing who just passed on the road or the lives we changed by smiling, but sometimes we just need to stop, think, and be thankful. Those wonderful moments are the moments that shape you into the being that you are. We can not forget about the little things in our lives such as our precious friends, and we must always keep the big picture in mind such as wonderful God.
As some of you know, I have been sick the past couple of days (or semester if you want to add all the mishaps that have happened to me), but I can not let me get me down.  I still wake up everyday thanking God for giving me everything that I have because I know others have it worse than me. We take so many things for granted each and everyday, that we do not think about how others live who do not have the privileges that we have. We should all be thankful for what we have, because someone somewhere else is striving to be in our footsteps.

Walk with Integrity

"Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and i walk continually in your truth" (Psalm 26.2-3)

For the past couple of months, I have been on what some people would call a "Jesus high".  This being that through everything I do, even if it was just walking to my car, I try to live by the way of Christ.  I never know who is watching me or that one person I could affect in the process of doing these simple tasks, so I try to do everything through Christ. With this being said, it is not as easy as it sounds.  This means forgiving those who have hurt me, even though I do not believe they need to be forgiven, or by simply sharing a smile to those who pass by.
I am not perfect by any means, and I believe that one should never strive towards being perfect, but I do believe that the best thing to do is to stand up and believe in your personal beliefs and morals. As some of my close friends know, I have been having trouble with this. It is easy to go around saying that "I believe in the Father Almighty", but as anyone knows, it is harder to walk the walk than to talk the talk.  I struggle with this every day from being a certain kind of role model for this organization, or saying the right things to impress this group of people, when in fact, all I need to do is to be the tool that God set out for me to be, MYSELF!! Trying to please others in their needs and identities will only lead me further and further away from the morals and beliefs that I have set up for myself.

I don't know what I would do
without these two girls in my life.
Thanks for being amazing
Gabrielle and Meredith!!

The truth of the matter is that this is a common struggle for most college student and young adults as we live our daily lives. The main advice that I can give out to anyone, is to ask yourself "If God were to be standing right next to me, how would I act." Most people do not realize that Christ is with you 24/7 never leaving your side, yet we do crazy and sinful things everyday.
I am not one to condemn anyone for their actions, but I am one to encourage the simple tasks of following the path of Christ.  Be a shining light in a dark tunnel, be the person that takes the road less traveled, or simply smile at the next person you see.
I want to share this inspirational passage that I sent out earlier this week to a couple of my friends:
"Walk in Integrity: The word integrity comes from the root word integer meaning wholeness. A person walks with integrity when their words, actions, and behaviors are consistent with their morals and principles.  As you aim for the skies, allow God to develop in you a character of honesty.  It is possible for you to deceive the world because no man can see your heart, but you can never deceive your God. If God were to say something about you, could he claim that you had integrity? Your life must be reflection of your relationship with Christ from the inside out. Let the words you say and the deed you do reflect the person you are in Christ."
No other words could explain this better.

Also, I would love for all of you to pray for the 3 guys who passed away this morning in a car accident and for their families.  These young men were students at The University of Mississippi and members of the KA fraternity.

Erika Watson

how do YOU define yourself?

"Our love must not be a thing of words and fine talk. It must be a thing of action and sincerity."
(1 John 3.18)

These are two of my best friends that are
both in sororities: Brittany & Joanna

I know a lot of guys and gals went through a great tradition here at The University of Mississippi; RUSH!! As an independent (not choosing to join a sorority) one would think that I am against such "holiday", but it is exactly the opposite.  I feel like if people want to go through recruitment, they should.  I have many friends on both sides of the spectrum with being in a fraternity/sorority and also deciding not to take part.  What I am most worried about, is how incoming students into this organization will take such opportunity.
Rush, or formal recruitment as some would put it, is a great opportunity to meet new people, long lasting friends, and participate in great opportunities through the many philanthropies. But is that what most people really get out of it? I truly do not, and will never know, the answer to that question.  But what I can do, is offer a word of advice.

Crazy Independents:
Bekka, Gabrielle, Me, and Meredith

Many members, whether you are in a sorority or a fraternity, will welcome the new members as their "family" or there "brother/sister", and willing to be there for them no matter what; but can they walk the walk AND talk the talk? That is what's most frightening to me. Just think, what if God went through life granting eternal life to everyone who believed in Him or followed His footsteps, but then failed to follow through His promise; this world would be a mad house.
What I challenge sororities and fraternities to do is to walk the walk.  Truly be a brother/sister to your fellow members, be there for them when they are in need, and help them through their times of trouble. I sometimes wish I would have joined the craziness of a sorority, but I figured God has a plan for me through everything that I do.
I just now want to remind EVERYONE that you were all born original so don't be a copy, just be yourself!!

Erika Watson