Some of these things might sound white girlish, and you would be right because I'm a white girl, and proud of it if I do say so myself. And some of these things maybe you've never thought of before, or at least I'm hoping that's the case. I just hope that what you get out of this is a renewed appreciation for the most beautiful things in life that sometimes we forget about. I think maybe some of you could use a break from all the not-so-beautiful things that are going on in the world right now:

1. Nature

Are you ever driving down the interstate and you're the only car you can see for miles, and you try your hardest to imagine what all the beauty you see around you would look like without this road you're driving on? Take a second, especially y'all from Chattanooga, to look around at all the beauty you see and appreciate the fact that God created it so we can live among Him and marvel at what he has done.

2. People

There is a lot of evil in this world. I'm not shocked or angry about it at all, however, because that's wasted energy. The world is supposed to be this way, and Christians are supposed to show the lost who God is and what He is capable of, not who we are because that won't help anybody. Christians are sinners like everyone else, but with a bigger task at hand. I think that task would be a great deal easier if we could empathize with people. if we could look at a person and see who they really are and understand why they do the things they do. People are beautiful, no matter who they are or what they've done. It's because of who they are in Christ; a lot of times people just don't understand that or even believe it, so they destroy who God created them to be. If Christians would look behind the sinful mask of a lost person and see what they truly are, it would be a lot easier for us to help them take it off a little at a time.

3. Children

I recently went to a friend's house, and she has a 5-year-old little sister, who is just the sweetest little blessing you'll ever meet. As I've been to that house several times, I've learned to sort of just not take notice if she's in the room seeing as I've been around her so often. Well, the other morning my friend and I were half asleep, just waking up after a long night of not sleeping, and we could hear the pitter-patter of little feet running from one side of the room to the other. Before we know it she jumps on our bed and startles us awake. We open our eyes, only to see the cutest little doe-eyed girl staring straight back at us. With her Cheetos stains all over her white shirt, messy hair, bare feet, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, she looks at us and whispers, "Good morning, I love you."

I don't know about you, but I can't wait until I get to hear those words every morning from my own little one someday. OK, maybe not every morning, I feel as though that's somewhat unrealistic. But coming from experiences of being around little ones quite a bit, I've learned to cherish the precious moments you have with them because they are truly a gift.

4. Making someone genuinely laugh

Seeing someone genuinely laugh and knowing that you had something to do with it is one of the most beautiful things about people, or rather one of the most beautiful things about God. I think it says a lot about our character. We want to see people happy a want to make a difference in people's lives, even if it's something as simple as making someone laugh when they don't feel like smiling.

5. Music

The great thing about music is that you don't have to know anything about it to know that it's beautiful. I do wish we could see people that way. Music changes lives, comforts the broken, and inspires the passionate. Our ability to create is like no other ability God has given us. One of the best things we are able to create is music. It's something I don't think I'll ever be able to understand, but have so much appreciation and respect for anyway.