Leaps of Faith

A few months ago I met with one of the most intentional people I know for lunch and she asked what I was learning from God. Although this thought always strikes me with anxiety as there are normally so many things I want to share, I was caught off guard and honestly didn't know what to say. I knew God was teaching me to just put one foot in front of the other in order to walk in obedience with Him, but I guess I couldn't think of those words in that moment. She shared in my time of silence "it's okay, sometimes God is teaching us to just sit still." Wow, that hit me more than I would like to admit. There are so many times when I catch myself so busy and on the go, just to get to the next thing that I don't actually take the time to be okay with sitting still. However, this past month, so many of the times where I've felt the presence of God the most have been during the times where I've intentionally been okay with sitting still and listening for His...

A few days ago, I was on a walk with one of my mentors. In the middle of our conversation, she stopped and looked at me and said the simple yet humbling statement of, "You're beautiful..you know that, right?"  I was very caught off guard by this question. Without much hesitation, I replied back with, "Yes." She went on to ask me about how I knew I was beautiful and what I thought made me beautiful. As we talked more and more about this topic and as I've processed this conversation over the past few days, I've come to the realization of how much our culture, especially women, struggle with knowing their self worth and their beauty (inner or outer) and how much our society doesn't talk about it or tries to mask it.  I feel very blessed to have not ever really struggled with self worth issues. I've had incredibly strong women in my life that have displayed what knowing and living out their self worth meant and from a young age, my mom always...

I have been reading several books just for fun lately. Reading is actually therapeutic to me so I somehow find time to read in addition to the books I read for assignments for my classes. Right now, I'm almost finished with Leeana Tankersley's book, Begin Again: The Brave Practice of Releasing Hurt & Receiving Rest . This book has been so life-giving to me and has really helped me walk through many of my struggles and thoughts in this season of life. One of my favorite quotes from the book has been something I've been pondering lately, as what it states is so true and raw and something I've wanted to say, but didn't really know how to put into words. She beautifully states, "Most of us, though, would rather hang on to a known, even if what is known isn't working, even if it requires no faith at all, than venture into the unknown."  On an early morning while drinking my coffee before class, I read this statement in the middle of one of the ch...

We all have those people in our life that feel like home, those people that we go to lean on in the hard times and the people we tell first when we have a celebratory moment. These people are sacred, so special, but often taken for granted. Something that I've recently been challenged with is finding the adequate amount of time to really stop and thank the people in my life that feel like home and have created safe places for me. Throughout the month of February, there were so many moments when I have felt God's presence the most through other people. I think this is such a special way that God reveals Himself and allows us to know Him more. Some of the moments that I documented experiencing the presence of God the most were.. -provision from God through friends, family, and even finances -sitting in my bed at home at 1am crying with my mom (although this seems like something most wouldn't share, I know that Christ sometimes seems the most present in our pain and hurting...

Two of the things I really want to focus on in 2019 are better self care and more contentment. Although I've been experimenting with several different ways to cultivate both of these in my daily life, I have found two that I really enjoy. I love to journal and I keep track of so many areas of my life through journaling. Throughout the month of January, I added two new aspects to my journal. I started keeping track of my five most listened to songs as I've realized how much music means to me and how much it really shows how I express myself through the season of life I'm going through. Another way in which I practice self care and contentment are by keeping track of the moments throughout the month is which I felt the presence of God the most. As I've taken time to reflect on both of these practices that I've done throughout the past month, it reminded me of how I had a goal for 2019 to write one blog post per month. Well, I guess for January that was an epic fail; h...

I often think about blogging, however haven't made the time to recently which is why my last blog was posted in July. I also took some intentional time away from blogging as I started to put pressure on myself to write a blog so often and it felt like it became a task and not something I really enjoyed. Now that I'm back, I really am enjoying it and have so much to say. This past semester, I have experienced so many life changes and have learned so many lessons from the Lord, especially through other people. One of the most important things I've learned this semester is the importance of self care. At the beginning of August, I was diagnosed with clinical anxiety. It became very clear to me that at school I would need to make self care a top priority in order to stay engaged in everyday life and to continue to excel in all of my classes. Honestly, at first I struggled. I had this image in my mind of what self care had to be. Once I released that thought of having to match...

As my birthday approaches later this week and I reflect on the past year of life, the one word that seems to reappear is the concept of growth. I have grown in so many ways this past year. I've grown through moving to Indiana Wesleyan University, quickly switching my major once I got there, learning how to live effectively with someone from another culture, finding a home church in Marion, and through figuring out all of the ins and outs of college life. I've grown in my self-awareness and knowing when I just need to be still and take a moment away from people, something that I would have never done for myself a year ago. I have grown in knowing what I want vs. what is best for me, such as feeling so much freedom from shutting off all notifications from social media. (If you haven't done this, I encourage anyone to do it!!) I've grown through hardships in my family life, having to learn to extend more grace than I wanted and learning to be extra patient (which is defini...