Made to Fly.

I love when the timing in life is just right! I received a shirt in the mail that says "A Volar" which means "Let's Fly" in English at just the perfect time. I had planned to wear the shirt the following day to church which happened the be the same day that some horrible words about me were brought to my attention. See... it is easy to just let words float off your tongue without thinking about who they will impact. Will my words hurt others? Will they hurt me after I have said them? What benefit will there be for saying something mean about someone else? 

I imagine Jesus when He was here on Earth walking up to the woman at the well and saying "Hey Lady, you are a harlot. Sucks to be you. One day you will be judged." WHAT?! No way! Can you imagine the story happening like that? But what Jesus had to offer her was Himself; He offered kind words and LIFE. And because of His compassion, He not only had a positive impact on HER but also her entire community! Super cool I must say. 

So back to my first story. I could have let those horrible things said about me negatively affect my life. I could have went into a downward spiral about how bad my life is and start feeling sorry for myself. Or... I could choose to fly. Fly above the mean words, fly about negative thoughts, fly above the circumstance. It says in Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

You need to realize that you were made to FLY! You were made to succeed. Don't let anyone cut off your wings with words. Don't let anyone hand your past over you and convince you that you can't move forward because of the things you have done. Don't let anyone tell you that you are unworthy and that your mistakes cannot be forgiven. Don't let them tell you that you are not good enough. Because YOU ARE! All those unkind words are bull crap. God made you! And He does NOT make mistakes. To say you are anything but perfect is to say that God didn't know what He was doing when He thought of you. You are made in His image and He has an awesome plan for your life!

So the next time a negative thought about yourself OR someone else comes into your mind... STOP & THINK! Words hurt. But WORDS DO NOT DEFINE YOU. 

Touch the Sky - Hillsong United // Spanish Cover

Hi All! It's been a super long time since I have posted but I am happy to say that I release my first Spanish cover video to YouTube! Touch the Sky by Hillsong United is one of my fav worship songs at the moment so I wanted to do a cover. Since I LOVE trying to better my Spanish and learn Spanish I thought... why not do the cover in Spanish?! So if you would like to watch the video... just click the "Play" symbol above! Much Love!

My YouTube Channel // Ashley Garza YouTube Channel

My Touch the Sky Cover- Touch the Sky - Hillsong United // Spanish Cover 

Sex. To wait or not to wait.

"Don't have sex before you're married. Sex before marriage is a sin. Remain sexually pure! Don't even get close to the grey area when it comes to your boyfriend. Wait until your wedding night to have sex and you will be blessed. The devil lives in the basement (and all dark areas)"... these are all things I heard growing up in my church youth group.

This all started around 11 years old, the year I transferred from the kids ministry to the youth group. At age 11 I MADE SURE to NOT sit next to a boy in class. At age 12 I started figuring out that boys really DID NOT have cooties. At age 13 I had my first real crush. At age 14 I was fully interested in boys. Age 15 I wanted a boyfriend really really bad. At age 16 I finally went on a date and went to prom with someone I had been crushing on for years. (MY LIFE HAD BEEN MADE!) By 17... I still had not held a boys hand, had not had my first kiss yet, and making out was something I only saw in the movies. That was until I met a guy named Mike. I had been praying and praying to God that he would send me the perfect guy and it seemed to me that he had just walked into my church. 

Mike and I became boyfriend and girlfriend and that is when it all began. "I don't know how to kiss and my hands are too sweaty for him to hold. Cuddle? What is cuddling? Should I go in his bedroom? I mean... his mom is home? The basement... well the devil lives there so... can I go down there with Mike? The grey area... what in the world does that mean?" All these thoughts were running through my head!

I was given bible verse after bible verse explaining to me WHY I COULD NOT HAVE SEX before I was married. I was told that your body was to be hidden and saved for your husband. I was told kissing would lead to "other things." OTHER THINGS?! What does that mean?! "But once your married... the marriage bed in undefiled." Um... okay. So what now? 

Well I will be the first to tell you that NO... you should not go into your boyfriend's bedroom even if their parents are home. Kissing usually DOES lead to other things. And in time... those "other things" get boring and then THAT leads to more "other things." The devil really does live in the basement and any other area you and your boyfriend can find that leaves you all alone (dark or not). Cuddling... well that is just a launching pad to start making out during movies and well... we all know making out leads to more "other things" we most likely shouldn't be doing before we are married. 

So what now? To wait or not to wait? WILL I BE BLESSED if I wait until I am married? Will sex not hurt because I waited? 

Back to my first boyfriend Mike. We were together 9 years before we got married. I felt guilty as could be anytime we did anything more than a goodbye kiss. Could we get SUPER CLOSE to the grey area without me getting struck down from heaven by lightning? Could we do "everything BUT sex" and not feel guilty? The answer was no. My Christianity, my faith, my love for God, and also my love for my dad and his view of me (not to mention I had a wonderful boyfriend who never pressured me into having sex) helped me stay sexually pure until I was married. 

Many people think that if they stay "pure" until marriage that people will look at them differently or people won't treat them the same as other people. They will be called a "prude" or get made fun of. I personally was very proud of my choice to stay sexually pure. During my undergrad at a local University I would always get crazy looks when I openly shared about my sexual purity with my boyfriend... but it never hindered people's reactions towards me. Some people wouldn't believe me, other christians would high-five me, and other people would flat out tell me what I was missing.

All the sudden Mike and I were engaged and preparing for our wedding (and wedding night) and all I could think about was... "everyone will know I am no longer a virgin." A huge grin would spread across my face as I knew I would FINALLY (after 9 long years) get to sleep with my husband. 

Many people thought (and heard growing up in church) that if you waited until your wedding night it would feel wonderful and never hurt or be awkward. They have also heard that if you wait until marriage that your marriage will be perfect (because you waited). They are wrong. It may hurt, it most likely will be awkward, it may be messy, weird, NAKED, crazy, the best thing you've ever experienced, who knows because EVERYONE'S first experience is different. But I can tell you one thing... if you marry someone you love, those awkward moments turn into the best memories you could ever have! And the best part is? Knowing it's something only you and your husband share. You guys will start a new inside joke the night of your wedding as a married couple. 

Marriage is WORK. It is awesome, and fun, and crazy, and a new experience... but it is work. Love is hard work, commitment, and compromise. But the best part of it all is entering into marriage under the covenant of the Lord and making sure He is the center of your marriage. AND THAT is something He wants to bless!