S8 E3: Choosing To Celebrate Part 2

Happy Sunday friend! I’m hoping you’ve had and are having a refreshing weekend. The day this episode is coming out we will be heading back to Florida from Georgia after gathering together for a family wedding. My niece Sarah Grace is getting married to the love of her life and we are all excited to be there to celebrate with them and cheer them on as they are beginning this new season together.

In case you missed it I shared in the trailer kicking off season 8 here on the  podcast that I was going to continue dropping the Sunday episodes that move along seasonally for those that are moving through the she is awakening seasonal journal.  You absolutely don’t need to have the journal to get something out of the episodes as we will all be moving through the season regardless.

I will also be releasing episodes on Thursdays and once a month one of those episodes will be an interview with a guest sharing her story with all of us. I”m excited about having different women share their stories here on the podcast and already have recorded several that will be coming up soon that I know you are going to love!

Before I jump into a continuation of the previous episode…

I wanted to remind you that the first official day the Autumn season is right around the corner and I would love to have you walk through this season with having your own Autumn journal.  I’m so excited about this seasons journal . and I know part of it is because fall colors are my favorite so it just makes the thought and words on the page even more yummy haha

I’m serious about that AND I’m also serious when I say it’s not only about the colors it is about the message and theme this season. The autumn season is all about allowing things to fall away in our life ..which can be scary and painful…but what I found as many of you have as well …the falling away opens up the space for new beautiful and needed future growth.

You can find the links to both the hard and soft versions of the journal and as of the time of this recording, Amazon has the hardback marked down and is only a few dollars more than the softcover if you would prefer the keepsake hardcover edition or have wanted to try it out but didn’t want to pay extra before nows your chance! But I’ve got to say I didn’t expect to love the softcover version so much. I love the size and how it feels in my hands so not trying to persuade you to switch if you are a softcover gal.

I wanted to finish up a thought I started in the previous episode so if you haven’t heard that one you can stop and go listen and then come back to finish this…or not haha

 in that episode  I made the statement saying “I’ve sang all the songs and been to all the services and I was full until I wasn’t”

…and I want to take that thought a little further today…

The thought I was sharing was a loose comparison of real whole food and hearing and experiencing God for ourselves.

I shared about how when I fill my body with food that has been overly processed and filled with fillers and man made ingredients they might satisfy me temporarily but it’s not going to be long before I am needing something else to try and satisfy my hunger.

I then went on to talk the difference I experienced when I ate real whole food. Meaning food that has not had a bunch of stuff added to it. Like a piece of meat or a potato not coated with anything artificial.

So when I eat these whole food I mentioned it was satiating and made me feel full and satisfied.

And what I want to add to that today is that not only is it satiating and fills me up …it is nutritious. And the nutrients bring strength and energy to my body. They do what they are made to do. Nourish me.

Truly nourish me.

What that statement is not saying is that there isn’t anything nutritious in going to all the serivies and singing all the songs.  To stay with the nutrient and health analogy I would say those things are supplements to your personal relationship with God.

So they can be needed an of great benefit to your spiritual health but just like taking supplements and vitamins and not eating real food would not allow you to thrive and live it’s the same for us spiritually.

We will never thrive and grow up into all that God has for us if all of our intake and talking with God is  happening through another person.

Or if the only time we are singing songs in praise to our God is when we have someone leading us in that.

Hear my heart on this…

At the core of everything I do my intention is to push you towards you hearing and experiencing God for yourself.

My heart is to encourage you to follow after God more than follow after others.

And I think it’s important for us to dig into why we are so caught up in following and chasing after the voice of others…

 is because we are scared of what we will experience when it’s just us and God.

Maybe you’re thinking it will be awkward well yeah it probably will be if you’ve never cultivated the relationship for yourself. But it won’t always feel like that. 

Maybe you're scared he won’t be enough so you don’t even want to try for fear of being disappointed.

Maybe you don’t feel worthy to offer up the prayers or lead out on the song yourself. I get it. And if hear that and think that’s me …can i remind you that you and I being worthy has absolutely nothing to do with us.

That’s some good news right there!

You are worthy because your life was his idea from the beginning and he gave you a voice because he wants to hear it.

He longs for you to show up just as you.

We don’t have to hide from him.

He loves us 

And longs for a meaningful relationship with us.

And it’s possible friend.

And you don’t have to have a journal or write one single word.

That’s just a tool

A tool that helps my always-on, easily distracted brain

To get still and know….

I want to leave you with this as we are heading into a new week and a new season.

Let’s open up our hearts and eyes to intentionally see how God is working in our lives in this season. I think sometimes we can think he’s not when things don’t look like what we thought they would look like.

But I”m learning that’s when he’s doing his deepest most beautiful work.

God doesn’t think and work like we do.  

You can trust him friend.

Praying you have a beautiful week!

Don’t forget you can find ordering info in the show notes for the Autumn journal.