If you would of asked me just 6 months ago what I wanted out of life, I would of told you that I didn’t want to waste my life on insignificant people or things. I would of told you that life is too short to make careless mistakes and that you should find out what you are passionate about, and run with it.
Six Months
It’s been six months since I moved to Northern California and have called the beautiful city of Redding my home. It’s in this beautiful city that I have met the people that have most impacted my life. People that have taught me what God intended for “family” to look and act like. I have met people who have laid down everything in search for the “incredible” that God promised them in different ways. People that chose to chase after the uncertainty of tomorrow holding on to the goodness of God that brought them to where they are today. A group of individuals characterized as “crazy” by world standards for leaving great jobs, opportunities, and the security that this world offers knowing that life is too short to live your life afraid of what the future holds, or of what people may think of you.
I have never been more surrounded by such a group of dreamers and creatives who will stop at nothing to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth. People who are not afraid of failure but in fact are inspired by the beauty scars hold when you fall and are able to pick yourself back up and try again tomorrow. If there’s one thing that I have learned these past few months, is that the world will try to isolate you in hopes of drowning out your vision of what you were created for. We were not made for isolation, but for connection. We were made in the beautiful image of the one who first showed the world what love looks like. We were made to live in unity but diversity, learning and growing from the people around us that are mirroring images of who God is. The melody created by simple notes on a piano, the rain that falls from the sky and waters the plants, the laughter of a baby, and the colors of a sunset. All are mere versions of who God is, all pointing us back to the original masterpiece of heaven.
Growing up
This has been a year of growth and trust. There have been challenging moments that have made me question everything inside of me all for the purpose of what tomorrow holds. Moments that broke me only to build up an even stronger foundation. There have also been moments where I have begun to live out of hopes and dreams I once had for myself long ago not knowing that quietly God was listening to my dreams long before I even dreamt them up.
With growth comes sometimes uncomfortable space. Space that gives you the ability to expand and view past and present trials with new lenses.
With trust comes love in it’s purest form. Trust has to come from a place deep inside of you that is willing to let go of human reasoning in order to live from a place of complete peace. Every healthy relationship is built on trust because you give the person you choose to love everyday the power to choose you back. The beautiful thing about putting your trust in God is that he will never stop choosing you.
This year I have learned to not take myself too seriously all the time. I have learned that everyone has a different walk in life and it’s okay to say goodbye to people whose friendships you have grown out of in order to make way for new ones. I have learned that everyone’s past looks different and that even when no one quite understands the pain you’ve gone through, your pain is not overlooked or unseen because God sat through it all with you. I learned that we were not built to walk around carrying the shame or brokenness of our stories, but we were made to live completely free from the labels the world decided to give to us long ago. I learned that you don’t have to make the perfect choice all the time, but you should always include God in your choices. I learned that even if it’s just a few months you spend getting to know someone, you have the magnitude to impact that person’s life and they you, and even though you may not understand the way life plays out sometimes one day it will all make sense. I learned that we shouldn’t live in fear of being insignificant in this world, because you have already impacted someone’s life in one way or another. Even if for this moment in time however small or big that impact was on that person, they will always remember you as the one who made them come alive.
eyesofwander 