Risk::

I’ve always been pretty risk averse.  Hedging my bets. Making decisions based on what had the best odds. Never taking a leap of faith without a safety net that has been triple-checked to ensure it is a hundred percentreliable. That’s why walking away from my position, as Director of Corporate Communications for the world’s largest Christian publisher at the end of June, was such a difficult decision. And the riskiest part of all…not having clarity on what’s next.

Change::

I can’t help but laugh as I reflect on how I thought, how I assumed, how I prophesied, this year was going to unfold. And just how off base I was. Job changes. Friendship changes. Life changes.

It’s silly, really. The way we make plans. The way we casually assume that tomorrow is going to look like today. The way we delude ourselves into believing we alone are in control of our destinies. The way we make judgments about right and wrong, good and evil, and even the past and the future.

There are really only a handful of things that we can count on with complete certainty.

One. That change is inevitable. Two. That life is hard. Three. That God is good. Four. That in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

Faith::

Some days I have the faith of a giant. But some days my faith is a little more difficult to come by. Some days I get exasperated with only seeing “the dim and blurry picture of things.” I can only hope that on those days that faith still characterizes my life.

“When I was a child, I spoke, thought, and reasoned in childlike ways as we all do. But when I became a man, I left my childish ways behind. For now, we can only see a dim and blurry picture of things, as when we stare into polished metal. I realize that everything I know is only part of the big picture. But one day when the Liberating King arrives, we will see clearly, face-to-face. In that day, I will fully know just as I have been wholly known by God. But know faith, hope, and love remain; these three virtues must characterize our lives. The greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (The Voice)

Waiting::

A few weeks ago I was in North Carolina with my sister touring a house that she and her husband are remodeling. The house was beautiful. It was a house like the one that we grew up in. It was a house that grown-ups live in.  And I thought, “I am 34. And I don’t have a grown-up house, or a husband, or kids, or currently a job. This is SO not where I thought I would be at this age. ”

But instead of pouting, struggling, fighting through this season that I’m in, I try to dwell on the opportunities that my singleness provides. Shifting from a posture of doubt, frustration, and impatience to a posture of trust, privilege, and hope. Focusing on possibility instead of potentially shattered dreams. Because in all reality, this season gives me freedom, time, and resources that I can invest however I choose. This season creates an achinghunger for intimacy with Christ. This season is my constant reminder that He is in control, that He has a plan, and that He makes everything beautiful in its time.

(And a new favorite word I got from Lindsey)

Uncomfortable::

I think that our generation of Christians are different. We not satisfied with the comfortable life. We don’t trust it. We want more. We want to be…uncomfortable. Because we know that our discomfort is a sign of growth. And it’s a sign that we are stepping into the audacious dream that God has for us.