Shut off the internal bashing. Melody Carlson More Quotes by Melody Carlson More Quotes From Melody Carlson I have become convinced that God thoroughly enjoys fixing and saving things that are broken. That means that no matter how hurt and defeated you feel, no matter how badly you have been damaged, God can repair you. God can give anyone a second chance. Melody Carlson second-chance hurt mean I welcome each new day with a hopeful expectancy that I, too, will rise above the ordinary. For I am not content to live a merely 'normal' life or settle for an average existence. No, I am destined for more - much, much more. Melody Carlson hopeful average new-day I mean all this focus on how we look on the outside. It's just all wrong Melody Carlson focus mean looks God planned for our lives to connect. Let's make sure we keep it that way. Melody Carlson our-lives way A book is kind of like a river; I simply jump in and start swimming. Melody Carlson swimming rivers book Girls can be so petty and jealous. I swear they're worse than guys sometimes. Except they're all quiet about it. They sugarcoat it or else they talk behind each other's backs. It's seriously twisted. Melody Carlson jealous guy girl It takes a good habit to replace a bad habit. Melody Carlson teenage habit girl Mostly I think I've learned to trust God more. I mean, if I start getting worried or freaked, I just try to put it in God's hands. Sometimes I imagine God cradling the globe in his hands, and I tell myself that as long as I'm with God, the Creator of the universe, I can be comfortable and at home anyplace on the planet. Melody Carlson home mean thinking To the casual observer it looks like I have moved on since I go around wearing my little happy mask all day. I smile and laugh and carry on like my heart's still in one piece, but beneath it all, I am dying. Melody Carlson dying heart laughing Being a teenager these days is not for the faint of heart. Melody Carlson these-days teenager heart I grew up in a difficult environment, but I became a Christian as a teen. My mom and my sister soon became Christians also. Melody Carlson environment mom christian It seems totally unfair that the way we look matters so much. I mean, why can't we just get over this gotta-be-thin-and-beautiful thing? Why can't we just accept ourselves and others for what we are? Melody Carlson beautiful mean looks It's amazing the things you realize Melody Carlson mad taken waiting But fear is confusing. It tears you in two. Half of you wants to run far, far away, but the other half is paralyzed, frozen, immovable. And the hard part is that you never know which half is going to win. Melody Carlson fear winning running I don't usually think of my writing as a 'challenge' because I enjoy the process so much. I suppose that's what's helped me to avoid 'writer's block' all these years. Melody Carlson challenge think me enjoy