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Meet Jasmine! Teen Guest Blogger
Sunday, April 09, 2017
OMG! I am so very excited to kick off my teen takeover month! My first guest blogger is the beautiful and talented Jasmine Thurmond! Jasmine is the niece of a childhood friend and I met Jasmine last year at a teen conference. She spoke and shook the place! I immediately knew that I needed her on this blog! She’s 18 years old and a freshman at Columbia College majoring in vocal performance. She is the only girl with three brothers. Her heart is huge and her testimony is even greater! This girl is a superstar!!!!!! Meet the amazing Jasmine!!!!! Oh…..these pictures….she didn’t come to play! She served so effortlessly in every single pic that I almost wanted to crop myself out! Hahahaha! I asked her to be lead and share whatever God gives her and she did not disappoint!!!
In her own words, meet Jasmine…
Human.
I learned self-love at a young age. I have moderate hearing loss, and I have worn hearing aids since I was 5. They made me stand out and I was bullied a lot as a child. The kids would say “Alien… You’re an alien!” when I wore them. I kept a strong face and laughed with them but I cried so hard when I got home. That was when I decided to love myself unceasingly. I wore hearing aids and I was awkward, but I loved every part of myself.
For me, this love is rooted in Christ. God was my friend before he became something to worship. He taught me to be a friend to myself. He made music my outlet through church. I did prophetic worship and gained more self-love through my connection to music.
In high school, it was still hard socially, but my confidence and self- love was growing. In the winter of my junior year I sang a solo in front of my entire school. Some people cried, some rolled down the bleachers (literally) and people clapped and hollered for a while. It was that moment I knew I had something special, and my fight to love myself was becoming easier.
The next year and a half was fantastic. I sang the national anthem, did shows at colleges and gained the acceptance of my peers. They no longer taunted me for being different, they accepted me because my music felt like love. I find that love really changes people and how they act toward you. I always try to love people as much as I can. I became less and less afraid. I was ministering at church, praying and prophesying alongside singing. I truly and fully believed in myself and trusting God made my life a ball.
I was nervous the summer before college. My ACT scores weren't as good as I had hoped and I didn’t want to get there and fail. Since my high school didn’t really have a music program, I felt going to music school would be tough. But I trusted God and applied anyway. My first day at Columbia College was absolutely magical and I met my soon to be best friend. We spent 12 hours together that day. We made a band a month later called “The Contradictions”. We are a soul indie rock group with heavy gospel influences. We went on to win The Battle Of The Bands and we gig around Chicago a lot.
Never in a million years did I actually think that my weird, oddball self would turn out to be this blessed. We have a show at the Chicago House of Blues, this April 30th! Isn’t God good! People used to think I was crazy, for dreaming of being a musician with hearing-aid. Dreaming so big and so much, and believing myself and God so hard. But I’m not crazy-- I just love myself unceasingly.
My decision as a little girl to love myself has made all of this possible. It wasn’t an easy journey. It was a struggle of patience and belief. Some nights I wanted to quit but I was committed to finishing what God and I started. So though being human comes with its challenges. Emotions run rampant, relationships can be rocky and overall life can really suck. Young people, there is nothing you can do or have done for God to depart from you. Remember to dream too big. To be a little crazy and believe in yourself. Be okay with being human.
Be everything you want to be. Put God first and whatever you do love yourself unceasingly.
-Jasmine
Jasmine’s story touched me so much! When she sent me this I cried for sure!!!! She is such a sweet example of what trusting God looks like!
I asked Jasmine a couple of questions to add to this blog post and she did not disappoint….
How has your family encouraged you through this journey?
Jasmine: My family never let me make any excuses. I could do anything and everything! My parents have also been married for 20 years!!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Jasmine: In 5 years, I see myself doing whatever God calls me to do. Changing the world one, one song, one message, and one heartbeat at a time.
WOW!!! Jasmine is such an amazing young woman!!! I thank God for her life she is surely a WORLD CHANGER!!!!
To follow Jasmine's band on Facebook and Instagram:
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