Hey y'all! So before I full send and ish, lemme preface this post by introducing my FIRST EVER GUEST WRITER! This gal has been a pal of mine for quite some time and I'm so excited for her to share her journey with you in this post. So let's give a warm welcome to Trista Payne!
Hey guys! My name is Trista and I have had the pleasure of knowing Delaney for about three years, and before I start I just wanted to say how amazing she is and I am so incredibly proud of how far she has come in the past few years.
Let me give you guys some back story. In middle school, things were not going well for me. I was constantly bullied, and I was so insecure about myself that it brought me down so many pegs, to the point where I tried to hurt myself. I didn’t want to go anywhere, and I most certainly did not want to go to school, because that’s where the source of my bullying was. At this time I was not connected with the Lord. I didn’t go to church, and I had no intentions of going until the middle of sixth grade, where my mom had suggested we attend Mariners Church. I didn’t know what to expect, and ultimately I was terrified. Meeting new people was very hard for me, as back then I was a shy girl. I knew who God was, but in no way had a relationship with him. Yes, during family dinners we would all hold hands and someone at the table would pray, but I never really understood, and it kinda made me uncomfortable. Little me was like, “Uh why’re we talking to some random guy in the sky,” but now that I’m older, there is so much more I understand.
About a year passed, and I was so involved with church. I started worshipping in the Junior High Ministry, where I met some people who I can call my best friends. I would easily say that Mariners was a second home to me. Things were going really well, and I was so proud of where I had come. I had so many amazing influences in my life at Mariners (one being Delaney, you’re quite rad) and each of those people helped me build a relationship with the Lord.
My eighth grade year was probably the hardest year of middle school. I was incredibly stressed, and I had started to stray away from mariners. I lost a connection with the Lord, and it took so long for me rebuild that connection with him. All of my friends who were with me in sixth grade were all sophomores in high school, and it was so hard for me to make friends. I was still worshipping at Mariners and was doing the best I could to maintain my relationship with God.
Now here we are, freshman year of high school. My world has completely changed. I have such a powerful connect with God, and I have put all my trust in him. I have become more wise and I have realized that things do get better, and I am loving every moment of life. I joined my school's colorguard team, in which I stood by amazing girls and learned so much from them. I got into advanced choir at my school, along with varsity colorguard. In middle school, I would have never thought I’d be here. I am so proud of my accomplishments, but I could not have done this without the Lord leading me on this path.
The Lord had such an incredible plan for me, and I almost gave that up because others wanted to tell me I didn’t belong here, but I did, and I do. I want to take the time to tell everyone reading this, that God has an amazing, incredible plan for you. Things may be rough right now, but the Lord is on your side. He loves you, you are his masterpiece. You are his child. The Lord is alive in you, remember that. Give him your pain, give him your sorrows, give him all of you. Put your trust in him, and he will show you which path to take. He took me out of such a dark place, and showed me that there’s hope. There’s hope for every single one of you. Trust in the lord unfailing, unconditional love. When you are afraid, trust in Him. Do not let your heart be troubled, trust in him.
xoxo,
Trista Payne
“Trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Trust the lord in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6