It’s OK to reinvent yourself and change

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I sat with my English Breakfast tea, my quinoa energy bar (homemade!) and my laptop as I do most mornings. Don’t mess with my routine I tell you! After my sweaty workout and my time conversing with Jesus my  fingers were poised and ready to type away for the day. The project: My blog ABOUT ME page.

Today you see a new look to the LIVE IT OUT! blog. This is me, refreshing my look on the world wide web. In the build up to this project I needed to rewrite my About page and I about had a identity crises in the process.

So much has changed in my life. So much has changed in my story and the way I write it. I even have a new look to my wardrobe. Until that day, I really never took the time to evaluate this change and put pen to paper. The crises began when I just couldn’t even start to explain the “who” of Sarah. With shaking hands and a heart in palpitation I felt as if I were betraying…myself. I THOUGHT I knew who I was. I thought I knew what roles I played and even what colors defined me. The idea that I thrive in the fact that I’m a pretty stable, unchanging personality is what kept me going through the roller coaster of life this past decade. For goodness sakes, I part my hair on the same side every single day!

So I pushed through and pounded out the words of my “about me” and trusted what I would express since it was coming from a place of discovery as well as authenticity.

I had an identity crises at the age of 34!

This is supposed to be the decade where I have myself all put together. I should KNOW who I am, right?

This all serves to remind me that things change, I change…and that is OK.

What kept me in check through this moment of identity crises was the whisper from God in His Word:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 ESV)

I found freedom and relief that it is fine that I’ve changed life roles. It is kosher that I’ve changed my go-to styles in my closet. It is alright that I’ve changed my hair color. It is OK that I’ve changed even a bit in my personality.

It is EVER IMPORTANT for me to remember that my GOD never changes.

He allows us to grow and mature and stretch even as He never sways or waivers.

So today, with a new look to my blog––my main means of communicating my faith and love for the Lord––I’m excited to share the change…my identity  not-so-crisis.

You will see the beautiful setting in the banner picture above. This picture conjures up feelings of community and communion for me. As I sit still and fill up on Jesus (my main theme for this year) I realize there is much fellowship and friendship to experience with Jesus when we sit at the table and commune with our King. I invite YOU to join in. Gather around and sit at the table, too!

The flowers and the casual, shabby chic nature of of that scene is what I think my soul longs for: to just chill out, enjoy the moment at the table and celebrate LIFE. Life right here and right now.

Be sure to check back on Friday. I have a fun new project to reveal that I hope…oh I PRAY…that you will join in. Ever heard of Ebenezer Stones? These are ways to remember and memorialize the great things God is doing in our life. I’m combining my love for writing and getting messy with crafty paint together…stay tuned! 

 

What do you think? Leave a comment…let’s chat!

It’s Hard to do the Hard Stuff

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Last week God pressed pause yet again on my life as we enjoyed another “blizzard.” Yes, in the south we are not prepared nor equipped so we tuck away for an entire week to weather all of 7 inches of snow. Don’t laugh. It was glorious.

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In metaphorical terms, it was also a week of calm before the storm. I’m now out of my comfy cozy place of snuggling with a warm blanket and hot chocolate and deep into the HARD STUFF of editing my book. I call it hard stuff because honestly, I really didn’t want to come out of the comfy cozy and dig deep. Yep…there were tears and a bit of a tantrum on my part. But God is good. God is faithful. And God and I had a hard chat about this hard stuff.

It’s all about the bigger picture. The bigger picture and the Kingdom perspective.

Do you have hard stuff you just don’t want to dig into?

Your hard stuff might be reconciling a relationship because you see the bigger picture and that is LOVE.

Your hard stuff might be saying sorry and you do it because the bigger picture of freedom and forgiveness is better than bitterness.

Your hard stuff might be doing THAT THING you just don’t want to do. That thing might be something heavy God laid on your heart. Something or some task which He equipped only YOU to do. Use your gifts. Use your talents. Use your time and do the HARD STUFF.

I will end with something I posted on Facebook as a reminder to myself and encouragement to others who need to do the hard stuff.

Doing the hard stuff well…is hard… But we must look at the bigger picture––the Kingdom perspective. For, the blood, sweat and tears put in along the way are markers and reminders of what God is doing IN us while we grip HIS hand ever so tight and JUST DO THE HARD STUFF.

I’m off to go and edit this book now. Hang in there…do the HARD STUFF. There are blessings to behold when we step out in obedience to Him.

releasing Fall 2014...here's a sneak peek

releasing Fall 2014…here’s a sneak peek

Any thoughts? Leave a comment…let’s chat!

The Grand Goal of Simply Beholding

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We sat perched between the weather radar on the screen and the window sill. Peering through up to the sky, our eyes begged for snow. Our hearts leaped for joy at the littlest flurry, even though it was just that…a tiny flurry. The five year old in me right alongside of my very own 5 year old yearned for the joy of seeing snow, the joy of the anticipation, the joy of snuggling in and beholding the beauty.

We waited. We did all kinds of snow rituals. Rituals just for the sake of having fun together more than for superstition.

Pajamas worn backwards, running around the table 5 times and topping it off by flushing ice cubes down the toilet…we waited.

Then it came. All 2.5 inches put so much thrill in our hearts. We yelped and hollered. We ran around in the pitch dark to welcome the snow. Oh it was cold, but the thrill over arched any discomfort.

Whoohoo It's snowing Selfie

Whoohoo It’s Snowing Selfie

Commence the viewing of the winter wonderland, the beholding, the act of sitting in the present {the now} and embracing the season.

Oh we did. We were over the top: snow cream (laced with Pop rocks candy no less!), an abundance of hot chocolate and snow ball fights to boot.

It was a week for me to put everything aside and be present. With my laptop tucked away (except to view the weather radar, of course) I refrained from perusing emails and writing blogs. I refrained from planning and from doing anything above and beyond the effort of sitting present and beholding God’s awe and wonder right around me. But, I soon found out how hard sitting still can be for one who’s natural inclination is to DO. Thoughts of projects I should work on, guilt from not meeting deadlines, fear that I would loose footing threatened this peace of sitting still, being present, beholding.

Then, the very One who lavishes me with peace and prods me to keep sitting still spoke to me with His Word. Oh how I need His Words to set me straight, to refocus my priorities, to garner my beholding of His presence…

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of theLord
in the land of the living!
 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord! {Psalm 27:13-14 ESV}

In God’s Kingdom ––in His economy–– if we are simply (yet not just simple) sitting and beholding the GOODNESS, we are more successful than if we were simply “doing.” For success (defined by the Giver of Beauty) consists of living and sitting and just being who He made us to be, what He made us to do: living as worshippers of His GOODNESS. For when we immerse our heart and soul in His heart and His will and His purpose we take part in just that, His Kingdom. The everlasting Kingdom with eternal value. Our life has meaning and purpose when we sit and BEHOLD.

But, this takes a large element of trust for the system surrounding us demands doing and going and being and striving and not sitting and just beholding.

Beholding and admiring and worshiping the One who brings us to the promise land of the LIVING.

So our perspective changes. The lens is switched out. The thought processes and the wiring of our brains transform to reset our goals:

~First behold His Goodness.

~Then and only then we GO and DO and BE that goodness. 

As the weather warmed up and melted the beauty while leaving the grimy muddy film outside my window, I’m tempted to jump past that short stint of snuggling in and beholding the Beauty. The innate nature of  mine calls me to make up for lost time and to get going. On the contrast, The One ––the giver of Goodness–– calls me back to the place of beholding.

So I sit, fighting the temptation I recognize the PRIVILEGE of beholding His HOLY presence. We have the privilege of FIRST sitting and filling up on His goodness, the divine act of beholding. We then have the privilege of going, and doing and being based off of His goodness…all the more than we could offer on our own.

Where do your priorities lie? How do you feel about simply sitting and beholding?

Leave a comment…let’s chat!