Hello! A few days ago, Tori, a friend of mine on Instagram, asked to interview me as a part of a new series that she is doing. I agreed to do so, but as you likely know, when I write, I write a lot, so my answers were just a bit too long for Instagram (in other words, 3x the caption length). Since Tori also has a blog as well, we came up with the idea to post a short version of my interview on her Instagram account, & then post the long version on her blog. I loved her idea of interviewing, & thought, "Why not interview her as well?" So, here we are! I asked Tori on the spot if she would be willing to answer some questions for me, & she kindly agreed. I enjoyed reading her answers, & I'm sure you will too! Click here to read my interview on Tori's blog.
~ Hi! My name's Tori, otherwise known as @Gods_Girl_4_Life on Instagram! I'm seventeen going on eighteen & I'm totally in love with Jesus Christ. I enjoy photography, & writing devotionals for all of my lovely followers. ~
Who/what has influenced you the most in your spiritual journey thus far?
"Honestly, I would have to say my mom. If I could pick one person, it would have to be her. Because she's been through so much in her life, & even today, the strength that I see in her daily life is what keeps me going, & her faith is just amazing to me. Her love for God is my inspiration every day, & I strive to have that same level of spirituality as she has."
Who is your favorite Christian writer?
"Honestly, this might sound strange, but even though she probably doesn't consider herself to be one officially , I'd say Sadie Robertson. Her book, "Live Original", is to this day one of my favorite books. We're pretty close in age & personality, & I find myself relating to her often. She's so well-spoken, & has this amazing heart for God. You can tell she was gifted with the ability to reach people for Him :) "
What are some things that you include in your daily routine as a Christian?
"Hmmm... This may sound terrible, but I'm not the girl that has a bible plan in the morning or who has set times with God (even though I probably should, because my day would be so much better). My day consists of school (I do have a faith-based course), & after my daily things are finished, I work on things for my followers! I dive into the Bible to see what tugs at my heart & I go to town. I pray constantly, because as you guys probably all know, being a teenager can be difficult. Especially at the glorious age of 17-18, the pressure of adulthood is unreal, along with graduating, friends, & boys. I have talks with God constantly. I just wish I spent even more time with Him."
What is the most powerful thing you have learned throughout life as a Christian?
"The most powerful thing I have learned is that even though I stumble in my messed up life, God will never leave me. He'll never stop loving me. I think that learning that & accepting that has been one of the hardest things to do in my life, because we all want to believe that once we mess up, we're no good, right? My self confidence is something I've always struggled with. I've gone into deep depression because of it. I didn't feel worthy enough to be a child of God. After all, why would He want someone like me? I'm so far from perfect. I just don't get it. But, learning that God sees past my mistakes and loves me even when I don't love myself is something so incredible to me."
What has been one of your hardest struggles as a Christian, & how has God worked through that?
"One of the things I've struggled with the most is persecution from other Christians. There was this one person on Instagram (whose account no longer exists) that constantly put out God to hate people that didn't follow Him, & would make comments that Satan didn't love them either, & that they had no reason to be on this earth. It broke my heart, so in the most loving way possible, I always tried to reach out to this person to explain that the way he portrayed things would never bring people to Christ. On the forefront of Instagram, we should be loving, & welcoming, to even the most horrid of people. But you see, he never understood that. He challenged my faith & told me that I needed to read the Bible more & stop being a baby, when in reality I can proudly say that I did what God put on my heart to do. & God took care of him. Needless to say, that account was deleted by Instagram because of how many times it was reported, & I believe that God Himself took care of that for me because I did my job to relay His message."
What is one piece of advice that you would give to the person who has just recently become a Christian?
"The one piece of advice I would give is to have patience. Life isn't always going to be perfect. It's likely that you're going to be mocked because of your faith, & people aren't always going to understand. The devil is going to work harder on your heart because he doesn't want to see you with God. But in the end, one day we'll be standing next to our Savior, & He will look us in the face & say, “Well done, good & faithful servant.” I don't know about any of you, but I would much rather be hated by the world than to have to suffer being denied at the gates of Heaven."
I would much rather be hated by the world than to have to suffer being denied at the gates of Heaven.
How did you end up on Instagram as @Gods_Girl_4_Life / how were you inspired to start in social media ministry?
"August of 2013, I started coming across TONS of Christian Instagram accounts. They inspired me so much in the way that they reached people for Christ, & I wanted to do that for someone. I wanted someone to look at Christ through me and be inspired in their daily life. So, I came up with a username that was pretty generic, but turned out to be how people know me. In September of 2013, I became Gods_Girl_4_Life. I posted the WORST edits, & going back to the very beginning, I still laugh at where I started. But, it's also amazing to me to see how far I've come. To watch my style change & my devotionals become more mature. The growth of my Instagram account is something that I don't take for granted. I'm so blessed to be able to reach as many people as I do, & I hope & pray that God works on the hearts of every person who happens to come across my page. :) "
What is your favorite post that you've ever written?
"Favorite post... That's a toughie. Honestly, I could never pinpoint that to a certain post. But, I can say, any post that is related to self-love is one of my faves. Because I go through so much insecurity, & I love to be personal with you guys & show you how even I myself struggle every day. But, just as I can conquer insecurity, so can you. It's amazing to me when I do posts like that because I feel like you guys relate. & I hear what you think and how you're feeling as well. It's just the greatest feeling to me to know that I'm not alone in how I feel, & that none of you have to be alone either. The worst problem in teens, especially nowadays, is insecurity. We all want to look like the people on the tv, or sing like the artist on the radio, etc. So, the best thing we can do for each other is support one another & build each other up. That's why I love this topic."
What is your favorite Bible verse?
"Hmm.. interesting question!" { Tori asked me this question as well ;) }
"I have a lot of favorites. After all, the Bible is filled with amazing scripture. But, my favorite for the past year has been Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength." I feel like I connect with that verse so much because it's an amazing reminder to me that even when I feel like I can't go on, I can do anything because He gives me the strength that I need."
"I have a lot of favorites. After all, the Bible is filled with amazing scripture. But, my favorite for the past year has been Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength." I feel like I connect with that verse so much because it's an amazing reminder to me that even when I feel like I can't go on, I can do anything because He gives me the strength that I need."
Thank you for letting me interview you, Tori! I loved reading your answers, & I enjoyed being able to answer your questions as well.
Click here to read my interview by Tori, either the long version (blog), or the short version (Instagram). Also, feel free to answer any or all of these questions down in the comment section. I'd love to read your answers!
Blessings, Allison