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Embracing The Gray Hair

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Sarah Martin

I sat in my car after a long morning at the salon with my hair guru. What should have been a light moment to toss around my freshly cut and colored hair and feel sassy was instead a deep moment of decision. That morning my hairdresser revealed that, unbeknownst to me, she had been covering up gray hair for some time now. As she broke the news to me, I tried to hold it together sitting there in the chair as she styled my fresh do. I put on a smile and made a joke, but this was no joke to me at all.

While driving home I rehashed this news and realized this could go one of two ways: I could allow my heart to break over the fact that maturity is catching up with me, or I could embrace where this maturity has taken me over the last few years. During my 20s I could not wait to turn 30. I envisioned a decade where I would be taken more seriously professionally and feel more confident personally. This current decade, my 30s, has surly not disappointed. So here, on this day where the gray hair threatens my peace about where I am right now in life, I recount how this maturity has changed me for the better…

~The years past (34 of them) are now years that I look back and recount how GOOD my God is. I lean on past experience with my Jesus to better embrace rough, uncertain days in the future.

~My confidence comes from knowing that everyday, all I can do is be who HE made me and not someone I think I should be.

~My confidence also comes in knowing that God’s opinion of me, my actions, my words, my life is the only one that matters at the end of the day.

~Intentional living is key. Living in the here and now rather than worrying over the future or pining for the blast from the past does me no good.

~Over the past few years I’ve grown in creativity and found new passions and ministry. It is fun to grow and learn!

~My 30s have brought me to a place of thankfulness as I realize that I am so blessed: husband who loves me dearly, seriously cute son who is healthy, family that is always there, friends I cherish and the fact that I get to do what I love every day.

To my sweet young friends that I love to hang out with both online on this blog and in real life, please don’t fear turning 30 or 40 or 50 or whatever…embrace the idea that with maturity comes an enriched life if you let the Lord lead and guide you and meet your needs. Your 20s are a time to grow and learn. I see too many of my friends concerned that “life” ends or gets dull or gets hard when you turn 30 or beyond. Embrace life NOW!

To my awesome girlfriends who sit with me in our 30s and beyond, let’s keep doing life and doing ministry with our life. Everyday that we embrace our maturity and reach out to others, we share the light that Jesus placed in our heart. Let’s not waste our maturity fretting over gray hair, wrinkles or lament over our ever lost 20 year old figure. We have people to love, those in need to serve and a King to worship.

So yes, I did cover up the gray with a gorgeous color of reddish brown but I am still embracing the gray hair…symbolically.

Who’s with me?

You can say “I AM” whether you are 23 or 38 or 99 years old…

I Need A Nap

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Sarah Martin

Learning To Use The Word N.O.

Photo credit:
LIVE IT OUT Team member Lou!

Off balance. This described my sophomore year in college. The only problem is that I had no idea I was living off balance until I ran smack into mononucleosis. It is amazing how differently you look at your life situation when all you can do is stare at the ceiling, too tired to get out of bed, and think about how in the world you ended up there. I lived the college dream life, or so I thought. My days were jammed packed with having a blast with friends, the executive committee of my sorority, making some money with a part time job, and oh, a little school as well. I had too much fun to notice that I ran my body to the ground. God must have tried to get my attention to tell me to slow down several times, but I never listened. So, He let me hit a brick wall.

I realized during the many months of recovery that I couldn’t treat my body this way. I had to find a way toward balance in my life and this meant making time to take care of my physical and mental health. Looking back, though I missed out on many fun activities while laid up in bed, this lesson of balance is one I would be hard pressed to forget in the future.

I’m going to make a bold statement here that might make most of you ladies cringe: it is okay to say N.O. If you are the type who loves dinner with your girlfriends, but school has worn you out this week…N.O. is an acceptable answer. If you are the go to gal at work when an officemate needs help with a project and you are already neck deep…N.O. probably won’t get you fired. Or, if you have been running on empty, but the treadmill is calling your name…N.O. won’t mess up your fitness goals if you skip one workout.

A balanced life that makes time for rest is actually God ordained. If you don’t believe me, check out Genesis 2:2. Doesn’t it say that, on the seventh day of creation, God took a rest? Or take a look at Mark 1:35. Jesus broke away from the crowd begging for his attention to relax, rejuvenate and spend time with His Father. The Lord knows that our bodies can’t handle constant wear and tear so He set the standard Himself for balanced living and time for rest.

Take a few minutes to do a little exercise with me. Write out all the activities you are involved in. Then, put those activities into two categories:

~Absolute priority-N.O. is not an option(ie school, work, family, etc.)

~Moderate priority-N.O. might be an option if I’m worn out (ie. volunteer work, social clubs, work, friends, etc.)

The activities or responsibilities that fall into the first category are those that you just can’t skip out on. It is when you cut down on those in the second category and take time to rest that you can put your full attention into your top priorities. This is balance plain and simple.

I wish I could say that I have this concept down, but I don’t. Just the other day I hit that wall even after a great time of worship at church. I treaded water all week. By Sunday, I had nothing left and I was terribly grumpy. I don’t believe I took even five minutes the entire week to step back, prioritize and then say N.O. God never intended us to live our lives off kilter and our priorities out of whack. Had I taken that time to step back I wouldn’t have made life so miserable for those around me that one grumpy Sunday.

So, let’s set an example for the women around us headed toward their own brick wall. Let’s live our lives in balance. And, let’s be bold and make it okay to say N.O. for our own sake. I’m headed to take a nap. How ‘bout you?

Inspiring Bible Verses:

Genesis 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Let’s Celebrate Monday Again…Picture Fun

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Sarah Martin

Well…it is MONDAY again. In order to keep ourselves from falling into the trap of despising Mondays, let’s celebrate! It will help us be grateful for TODAY…even though it is Monday. It will help us focus on what we can do TODAY even though we are daunted by the idea of a busy week ahead. It will help us to see our life in a new perspective when we look for things to CELEBRATE.

Come join the fun! Take a picture of ANYTHING that inspires you to celebrate MONDAY and post it on the LIVE IT OUT! Facebook Group and/or on Instagram (@sarahfmartin) with the hashtag: #liveitoutmonday

Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

***NOTE: no special photo editing apps required…sometimes it is just fun. Below are some fun and raw pics as well as some made with photo apps on the smart phone. Just SNAP a pic and post!!

Here’s some of the fun pictures from last week!

Here is Tonya with some beautiful artwork…