Hi! I’m Kara :) It’s so nice to meet you!

I’m from a small town deep in the heart of Texas and a recent college graduate :) I majored in Spanish education, and now I am a high school Spanish I and II teacher at the private school from which I graduated. :)

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My Story in a Nutshell:

My parents were Christians, so when I was growing up they would take my brother and I to church every Sunday morning and night, as well as Wednesday night’s- pretty much as often as it was open. So, I grew up hearing about this guy named Jesus and how He was God and how He loved me. But I didn’t understand that I didn’t love Him back.

You see, I had done wrong things in my life, things that made God sad. I disobeyed my parents. I was mean to my brother. I was jealous of my friends. And even though those actions might seem like small things, they separated me from God.

When I turned 7, I began to realize that I was indeed separated from God, and I wanted to stop the separation and be right with Him, but I didn’t know how. One day, I talked to my mom about it and she explained to me what it means to ask God for forgiveness for my wrongdoings. And so I did, and God forgave me. From that day forward, I began to follow His ways.

When I was 16, my 18 year old cousin died of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and that shook me hard. I didn’t understand why God would allow someone who loved Him to die. I became very bitter and angry towards God, crying myself to sleep every night for about 3 months. I kept a smile on my face, even though I was broken inside, because I didn’t want anyone to know anything was wrong. As months past, I became more and more depressed.

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My cousin and I the July before he died.

About a year after my cousin died, I finally realized that God never left my side like I thought He had, but rather I had turned my back on Him. He had always been there, offering me comfort and peace, but I was refusing His gift. Once I realized what I had been doing, I turned back to Him and immediately felt His love and peace.

There’s a verse in the Bible that records Jesus Christ saying, “I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

That verse quickly became something I clung too as more and more family members and people I loved died over the next few years. Each time someone died, I came to Jesus with my pain instead of trying to cope with it by myself. And each time, He took my pain and gave me peace.

Sometimes we don’t understand why bad things happen, but even through the hard times, God is there offering peace and comfort to those who turn to Him. <3

My Singleness Story:

Up until January 2017, I had been single my whole life.

When I was 13 and in the 8th grade, I made a commitment that I wouldn’t date until after I graduated from high school. I figured that once I graduated, the guy I liked would immediately ask me out and all would be happy as we would watch the sun set over the lake….

Yeah, that didn’t happen. I didn’t date while in high school, and remained single for the next two and a half years after that.

January 2017, Caleb, a guy who I have liked for years, asked me to be his girlfriend. (Read more about that in this post.) But the waiting for him to ask me out was H-A-R-D. I’m not exactly a patient person, and God used that season of singleness to help me learn to trust Him and trust Caleb.

And thus, in that season of waiting, this blog was born. 

If you would like to read other stories about singleness written by Christian girls, check out the My Singleness Story archives

I’m so glad you’re here on my blog :)

There are so many websites out there, and the fact that you’re choosing to check out mine brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart :)

Here on Joy Because Grace you can expect posts about relationships, singleness, friendships, encouragement in the Christian faith, and a few posts here and there about my life.

Here are some examples of what you can find on Joy Because Grace… Happy Reading ;)

Singleness:

Dating:

Concerning our Future Husbands:

Faith:

Personal:


Thanks again for checking out Joy Because Grace :) I hope you have a fun time here :)

Blessings,
Kara