Hello dear readers! I have a wonderfully hot raspberry hibiscus tea steeping, and a lovely muffin to go along with it. But I’m also slightly bummed about the book I left behind at the library today :(. So here’s to sharing both the good and the bad. I figured since I didn’t have a particular topic in mind for this post I would do a little q&a. I used to do blog posts like this ages ago. I’ll link the past three below.
Related Post: Deep Questions from the Web
It’s been a weirdly warm February, and my expectations for February have been a bit topsy-turvy. For months, I’ve been meaning to do a life update, but there hasn’t been much to update you on, but I’m really hopeful that in March or April or even May, I’ll actually have something to share and my life won’t feel so stagnant. Funnily enough, when my life feels stagnant, my words do too, and that’s why we’re doing a q&a. I selected some random questions and will share with you my advice and thoughts below. Hope you enjoy!
What advice would you give someone in the same season as you?
This question came to me after I watched a video where a priest was answering When God unsettles your life, which is very relatable to me. So the first thing I’d say is go watch that video. Actually, the first thing I’d probably say is I’m sorry. You are experiencing the unraveling of your expectations for what your life was going to be. You’ve probably gone from hopeful to hopeless over and over again. And that’s hard.
Lean on your friends. Lean on the prayers of others. Being in community where people will lift you up when you can’t muster up any hope is so important. And change the way you’ve been praying. Silence is prayer too. God can meet you there too.
My last piece of advice would be two things: take time to breathe and read the story of others. Don’t wear yourself out trying to make your situation better. Take time for your heart to heal. And read the stories of others in faith. I read a lot of Christian memoirs of those who struggled with God, and it was a comfort to me.
Related Post: More Questions from the Web
What do you suggest to someone who is not “on fire” for Jesus?
I feel like the language of being “on fire” for Jesus could be so accusatory. It just demands that faith looks like raising your hands in worship and talking about Jesus at the second of the day. I highly recommend reading Addie Zierman’s Where We Were on Fire. I haven’t fully read it, but she talks about reckoning with her “on fire” upbringing.
I don’t think being “on fire” looks the same for everyone. There’s a level of maturity in faith that isn’t about being loud but is about your character and the way that your deep roots in Jesus comes out with a sense of peace. And this takes years to build. It’s not the feeling you have after a worship conference.
Falling in love with anyone including Jesus takes time. The best thing that you can do is to stop setting arbitrary boundaries on what that looks like but to begin being faithful every day. Read the word daily. Pray daily. Get into community. Be mentored and refined. And do this for years. Do this because eventually peace, love, patience, joy, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, and self-control will result, and that’s when you know you love Him. Because you’ve abided in Him and He comes out in you.
What do you wish you knew a year ago?
I kind of wish time traveled existed so I could go back a year ago, and say “this next year of your life is going to be really hard but ultimately it will have good in you. You will be a different person because of the hard. But it’s still going to really suck.
I wish I could give myself a warning. I once had this discussion with my friend Chloe about whether or not you’d want to know the bad that’s coming up front, and I do. I want to be able to brace myself, to protect myself from the damage. But you can’t.
How do you create margin in a busy season?
Margin in college came to me accidentally. It came to me in the hour I had between classes where I’d sit outside my favorite building, Nau Hall. I’d sit on the grass with my lunch, usually soup and grilled cheese. Sometimes I listened to music. Other times I listened to a podcast. There were plenty of times to read my Bible. It was wonderful.
You have to schedule margin if you want it. Schedule out 1 hour a week to do something you love. Or take a walk on your lunch break every day. If you do not plan it, it’s very likely you will find yourself without doing the thing you said you were going to do.
That hour on Thursday was only once a week. But I would have had more time if I actually scheduled margin into my life.
Related Post: Yet another questions from the web
What are you loving about this season of life?
I wrote about this on IG on Sunday. I’ve been sporadically on IG in this season, so I post when I feel like it. Not as often as I used to.
I feel really lucky that I can say yes to things my friends can’t say yes to. I don’t have any real responsibilities (and that means my bank account has suffered), but it’s been so nice. While I do want to make more space before I say yes to pray about my yes, I feel like “no” isn’t in my vocabulary this season. My availability is really awesome. For my next blog post, I will hopefully share with you one of those yeses, and for that, I’m thankful.
A song recommendation from me to you: Providence by United Pursuit.
That’s all from me, friends. Hope you liked this q&a style. If you did, let me know so I can do more!
Signing off,
Gigi
If you have any other questions, let me know and I’ll answer them!
All good stuff here. I especially agree with making sure you connect with community, that you nourish your network of family and friends. Accountability and encouragement lie there.