“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."
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
*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
