DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?
It is only APRIL and this year has been a whirlwind. Have you seen that movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once”?
Trying to process all of the earthly and spiritual transitions of this year has… honestly done a DOOZY on your girl. There were VERY REAL wildfires that disintegrated half of my city. The political landscape is insanity; full of so much antagonism and chaos. Even when I try to avoid it, it attempts to ooze under the thresholds of my heart. Spiritually, God has drawn me closer and into deeper intimacy than I couldn’t have envisioned for myself. Personally, I’ve experienced growing pains (blog post coming soon). God’s given me glimpses of the time and season we’re in… Baby, bunker down. You’re going to need SPIRITUAL STAMINA to not just survive, but excel in this next phase.
This is not a doom & gloom message. In fact, I’m here to encourage you. I’m gonna give you a glimpse into my mind & practices. I’m here to give you some quick tools for STABILITY in this season:
Establish disciplines. You are building muscle and it’s important to gain trust with yourself. We are always practicing something: healthy eating habits and devotional time with the Lord… or other things like gossiping and betraying your own values. Self control is a fruit of the spirit for a reason. As we grow deeper in God, obedience becomes the MAIN thing and this coming year will stretch us. We will fall to the baseline of our disciplines.
Prioritize your relationships: As my friend Mariah says, “We suffer in isolation, but we grow in community.” We have a loneliness epidemic and superficiality is on the rise. Does it feel like you’re in a time warp or is it just me? I can look up and realize I haven’t spent meaningful time with friends in weeks. As humans, we need to be seen, heard and sharpened. Perhaps it’s time for a relationship overhaul? Maybe it’s time to be honest about what you want and intentionally avail yourself to it… even romantic (blog post coming soon 😂).
JESUS!: YOUR GRANNY’S FAITH IS NOT GOING TO SUSTAIN YOU IN THIS NEXT SEASON. Cults and New Age are on the rise. Countries and stock markets are volatile. There are new, hybrid temptations that we never thought could be. Now is the time to ask yourself, “Do I truly believe? What do I believe?” That can be scary- to challenge your paradigms. However, I’m believing that God will meet you in your questions… with truth, with resources, and community to help engender your faith!
