God's Reminder and a Brief Update...

“Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” –Matthew 6:21

As I mentioned in the previous post, I was either going to write about exciting opportunities that have come my way for the Children’s Miracle Network and my platform (The Sibling Support Project), or about a few important reminders God showed me while being sick for two weeks.

The winner is….option two!

To briefly update everyone on what I have been up to: This past weekend was full of filming for my Miss America “America’s Choice” video. I have been blessed with incredible opportunities my whole life, and especially these past two months. This weekend was nothing short of a blessing! Thanks to two incredible people (Kellie Appel and Erin Haney, who work for Turner Broadcasting), I was able to have two producers, Bill and Jonathon, film my video. They both work for Turner Sports and have won multiple Emmys for their videos…again, it was indeed a blessing. I don’t want to give away too much, but the weekend included some driving, family time, an amazing surprise, and some laughter. 

I have been hard at work on my computer as well; sending e-mail after e-mail and scheduling some neat appearances. Details on this in my next blog. I will save the “exciting” things pertaining to my platform and CMNH for the next blog post as well. I am trying to keep my posts a little bit shorter than the first few!

Going back to Orlando for a minute: After hearing Laura Kaeppeler speak to the 2013 class of Miss America contestants, I knew even more that I want to be Miss America. She did not stand there for thirty minutes and tell us about the glamorous side of the title or the job. She also did not go on and on about how happy she was and how much she has enjoyed the year. However, she did let us know that she would do the whole process over again. She is happy enough, rested enough, and content enough to go back and do it all over. Laura explained how the job of Miss America is a selfless one, it’s a job where you don’t have much say in the decisions that are made (or even the clothes that you wear), and that you give so much every day, not always getting the same in return. But her speech by no means had a negative tone. She was simply stating the reality of the job, something each of us 53 young women needed to hear. For that, I thank her tremendously. I thank her because she reassured me that the whole year, all 365 days, were about service. I often say that my life is nothing about me, it is about Him and how He can use me to help others. Laura let me know that if I was blessed with the job of Miss America 2013, I would be blessed with 365 days to serve until I felt I couldn’t anymore, give until I had no more to give, and the opportunity to show love and compassion to thousands of strangers.

Now jumping to the week where I was home and sick, and had nothing else to do but think, God revealed some truths to me. It is quite easy to sit here and write, or even speak, about why I want to be Miss America. The not so easy part is making sure none of those reasons have anything to do with me or with anything superficial. It’s easy to tell God that I want to be Miss America if HE wants it for my life…if He can use the title to bring glory to Him. It’s not as easy making sure I go about each and every day living that plain truth. To sum it up, it is easy to know what I want, but it is hard to keep a God-filled perspective on this whole journey. People are placed around you to build you up, support you, and make sure that you are on the correct path. All too often I find myself getting caught up in the little details of life and looking for man’s approval. I find myself losing perspective of this thing called life. The simple answer always comes back to me. Whether it takes two weeks or two minutes, I always hear God reminding me, “Leighton, stop. Stop what you are doing; stop stressing out; and stop running. Be still and listen for My voice, My wants for your life. Remember what you have promised Me, and what I have promised you. It’s you for Me, and Me for you. So again, stop. Weigh the fruits of the spirit, and remind yourself what is important in MY eyes, not your own.” It’s this moment that always gets me, and I fall victim to it every time. But because of His never-ending love and sacrifice, I am able to let it all go and continue on with clear vision.

Bringing it back to Miss America: I do not want to be Miss America for me. I want it for Him. I want this job only if He wants it for my life. I want to be Miss America if God can use it to bring glory to Him. For the next four months (crazy, right!?) leading up to Miss America, I will be reminding myself of these realities: I work out and eat healthy so I can honor His temple through my body, I dance because He has given me the ability to do so, I educate myself on different issues because He wants us to be knowledgeable, I continue to make appearances as Miss Georgia because He has blessed me with this job, and I pray every day that He helps me keep perspective.

"Who we are is found in Our Character, not our appearance; Our choices, not our possessions; Our courage, not our comfort; Our compassion, not our successes."

 No title in my life will define who I am. How I lived my life here on earth will define all of me.

My advice for those reading this: Do not succumb to the pressures of everyday life and the constant feeling of failure that comes when only seeking approval from man. Instead, look only for God’s approval of you and your life. It will make your time here on earth so much more enjoyable.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” -1 Corinthians 9:24-25

-Love in Christ,

Leighton
*If you would like to support my journey to Miss America, please consider donating towards an ad in the Miss America program book! Looking for 50 people to donate $30+. Thank you, I truly appreciate it. https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=9MeuLAk7O_E1yTZEkLhPJKGOoAJaL8MhwSgHiDn6b7CWH4E5iDZlKAmh9eq&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8da6a0e86558d6153d7722c6eea13ecd7b