Quiet is a weird thing.  Suddenly you can hear noises you wouldn't otherwise notice.  The hum of the refrigerator, the creak of the wall, the whir of the cars driving by, the ticking of your watch, the slap of your cat's tongue drinking water out of his bowl.  You discover that the quiet is quite noisy, yet peaceful.

That's how my house feels tonight.  Coming off of weeks of busyness I can honestly say this is the first time in far too long that I've even noticed the quiet.  With a husband out of town and nothing on the agenda I'm sitting on the couch watching my cat climb into the fort I made him just cause I thought it'd be fun (yeah I'm special, and maybe a cat lady... oh well) and I'm feeling the quiet.  Throughout these busy weeks full of social activities, household tasks, and a good chunk of writing I remember saying to my husband, oh man I feel like I need a break!  And tonight, as I am experiencing this break, I'm struggling between the joy of doing absolutely nothing and the odd complexity of the feeling of sadness as I sit here in an empty house.

Reading in a book called Kingdom Come by Allen Wakabayashi,  I ran across this quote about spiritual disciplines - "Spiritual disciplines are disciplines that provide places and times for the Holy Spirit to work in us and equip us for kingdom service.”  Thinking about this quote and my struggle with the quiet, I can't help but think how little emphasis I give this truth in my life.  I have been SO busy lately, working on so many things - things that in and of themselves are good and are for the goal of the proclaiming the name of Jesus and yet I've neglected to just sit, be quiet and provide time for my heart to be filled by Him.

Lately, I've been leaning into the Lord for me.  Continuing to struggle with this issue with my pinky fingers and just wanting them to work like a normal person, feeling like my eyes have been an issue with being at the computer so much (sometimes I really think I might be 90), and pouring my heart into a message I'm writing as I prepare to speak at a college ministry next week, I have been coming to the Lord saying, "Hey God, here is what I'm doing, here is what I'm struggling with, can you help me?"  While there's nothing wrong with this attitude as I am seeking Him, it's still less than I want to be doing.

I want to be pursuing Him wholeheartedly when I feel I need Him and when I don't.  It's sad how desperation can drive us to realize we are nothing without Him, but then when we feel semi-normal again we act as if we can do life all on our own.  I hate to admit that I operate like that.  But, I do.

I want to lean into the Lord in a desperate, soul-thirsty sort of way no matter what I'm going through, good or bad.  And I think an important piece of that is making room for the quiet.  Putting the cell phone away, stepping away from the social scene, and shutting out the rest of the world (even our loved ones), is such a valuable practice to allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to feed our souls and encourage us to keep coming back for more.

This is something that I need to get better at.  It takes moments like these where by chance I'm here in the quiet, to make me realize how energizing and how necessary it is for my soul.  As I move forward into the rest of this evening, and into a crazy week ahead I really need to cling to this memory and reminder that while quiet may be difficult to prioritize, difficult to create, it is so so worth it.

As you're going about your weekend, whether in the crazy or in the quiet - I am praying that you recognize the Lord's presence with you and that you'd lean into Him, prioritizing Him wherever you may be.

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Thanks for being patient with me as I've been MIA from lovemin for a little while.  I look forward to getting back into a rhythm as soon as time allows.  If you think of me, can you pray for me?  I have a big week ahead with speaking at a local College Ministry and heading off to the Influence Conference  (which I am praying will be so fulfilling and energizing).

Much love
xo

I am so excited to share that Thryve Magazine's Fearless issue is ready for pre-order!!! It feels like forever ago now that I submitted an article about Kicking Fear to the Curb and found out it was going to be in their next issue.  But the day has come, and I can't wait to get a copy into my hands and see my name, my words, (and some sweet pics by Brandon Brown at Roost Photography) in a magazine for the very first time. 

The most exciting aspect is not just the fact that this is my first published piece (besides my good ole days writing for Ripon College Days newspaper), but that this is another way that the Lord continues to affirm me over and over again in my writing endeavors.  Making a commitment to myself at the beginning of 2015 to really give writing a go, and placing that dream into the Lord's hands, it has been unreal how much encouragement I have received from Him, and from my sweet community.  

So I want to thank you - my readers, my family, my friends, who have challenged me, encouraged me, affirmed me, pushed me to write more, and shared in my excitement over this next step.  And for that reason I want to share a DISCOUNT CODE with you so that you can get your hands on a copy of this issue of Thryve!!!  

But before I do, I want to tell you why I am so excited about this issue and why you should go snag a copy- and it's not just because I am featured in the magazine...

• I really believe in the heart behind Thryve. The women who make up this team have such beautiful hearts for the Lord- it is evident in the way they conduct their business, speak with grace through emails, work with writers in the editing process, and encourage their Thryve family throughout social media.  It has been an immense blessing to be accepted into their little community and I can't wait to work with them in the future.  

• The message contained in this issue is one that each and every one of us needs to hear. Titled Fearless this issue is all about conquering fear. Written by the Thryve team, the issue description reads: Fear runs deep and visits every one of us. It is often the root of the things we resist, the steps untaken, and the taunting lies we allow to command our souls. This is why this issue is so important. Our prayer is that you would grab a hold of the power that you possess in Christ. God alone is unmatched by the forces that rage against you. We believe that the truth of God's Word will break every chain and propel you into the life you have been created to live! This theme hit home with me, and my guess is that it does for you too.  Through Jesus we are given the opportunity to be free, and it's about time we embrace that. 

So without further ado, head on over to Thryve Magazine and order your copy (it even includes a journal to go along with it) using the discount code MINDYLARSEN for 10% off!  

**Keep in mind, the discount is available for the pre-order which closes in about 2 weeks.  So make sure to snag your copy before the pre-order ends!! **

-- image by Thryve Magazine --

Throughout the past couple months, discussion about my body has made an appearance on the blog. I’ve talked about the joys of seeing results from time spent in the gym and the excitement that comes from the process of transformation. But now I need to come at the body talk from a different direction. I need to be real with you, let off a bit of steam and admit that I am super discouraged.

So, I have a weird body. In the words of my sweet chiropractor, “It’s not weird. It’s special.” I so appreciate the positivity and encouragement reflected in her words because today I just don’t have it. Today I feel frustrated. Today I feel like a 29 year old trapped in an 80 year olds body wondering why I have struggled with such random body issues when I’m still so young!

A couple years ago the weirdness started when I had an issue with my clavicle. One night I came home from seeing the movie Argo, lifted my arms up above my head to change my shirt and was greeted by excruciating pain pulsing through my body focusing itself at the clavicle joint on my chest. For weeks I couldn’t raise my elbow above my shoulder unless I wanted to cower in pain. Many trips to the chiropractor, months spent in physical therapy, lots of stretching and a roll of kinesio tape was what it took to get myself to a place where I was no longer in constant pain.

Then several years later, bending over to stoke the fire was apparently the other “crazy activity” that caused chaos on my body. Suddenly the muscles in my lower back contracted; grabbing on so tightly they refused to let me move forcing me to awkwardly roll onto the floor and wait until the muscles released just enough to allow me to get up and run for my ice pack and essential oils. Again, I found myself back at the physical therapist for a couple more months learning the stretches and exercises needed to keep my back happy.

And here I am, facing yet again another random body issue – this time with my pinky fingers. For the past couple months I’ve woken up and realized my pinkies were contracted. Going to straighten my fingers from the sleepy fist position, it now takes a clunky pry to extend my finger. What the heck?! Just like my other weird issues there's no injury to explain my struggle. No justification to make, no blame to place, other than the fact that my body is “special.” Discouraged and confused, I’ve taken myself back to the chiropractor and maybe soon to be back at the physical therapist to find a way to return to and maintain a happy, tension free body.

I have to be real with you – I’m frustrated. I’m sad. I want to be fixed. I don't want to have a "special" body that seems to need so much maintenance.  Last night, tears slid down my cheek as my husband wrapped towels around my elbows securing them with tape to keep my arms straight overnight in order to give my ulna nerve (which is apparently causing this finger grief) a break. I felt like a freak, I felt like this pain wasn’t going to end, I felt like something was seriously wrong with me, and I felt so so alone.

The reason I share this with you is not just to complain, be sad about my body issues, and search for a little commiseration – it’s to put the encouragement that I need to be reminded of to words. To vent out the icky, sad feelings I have, replace them with truth that I need to hear and hopefully encourage you along the way.

So here’s a bit of truth.

• Bodies are amazing. The intricate way that God designed our skeleton to give our body shape, our muscles to hold up our weight and keep our bones where they need to be, the way the nerves and tendons stretch and contract as our brains ask our feet to take a step forward, is pretty awesome. I mean really, the fact that they our bodies are capable of so much is mind-blowing.
• I am a human, and my body is not perfect. Finding out that both my clavicle and lower back issues, (and most likely these pinky finger shenanigans) were mainly caused by improper posture, overuse, and under strengthened muscles, I’ve realized that bodies are delicate and precious. And that it takes work on our part to keep them happy. 
• I am not alone. Wallowing in my self-pity and letting the frustration of my locking fingers send me into a mood of depression, I was jolted into thankfulness as I thought about the many, many people who suffer with chronic pain. And can I just say, if that’s you, you are a rockstar – I admire you, I respect you, and I am so so sorry for the pain that you suffer day in and day out. Dealing with this pain is just a blip on the scale in comparison to the ailments, diseases, and pains that others are dealing with.  I need to get over myself, because what I've got is not all that bad.  

The moral of the story is, I need to change my attitude. Yes, my fingers are still having issues. Making a fist and waiting for the lock on my pinky to release is no fun – and it definitely makes writing and typing a bit of an issue. But I need to be patient, choose joy, be thankful for what the Lord has given me and trust that He is going to provide.

Jesus Calling, my daily devotional, spoke some much needed truth into my heart this morning as it said, “When things go ‘wrong’, you tend to react as if you’re being punished. Instead of this negative response, try to view difficulties as blessings in disguise. Make me your Refuge by pouring your heart to Me, trusting in Me at all times.”

That is what I need to do. To pour my heart out to Him, with joy and thankfulness, but also with the sadness, frustration and fears that I’ll be stuck like this, and trust Him. The reality is pain sucks, disease sucks, cancer sucks. But the reality that is even greater is that there is hope in the Lord. Placing our trust in Him we give him the opportunity to meet us in our struggles and give us joy like no other, no matter what we’re going through. And what’s even more exciting is His promise that with Him, there will be a day when there is no more pain and no more tears; there will be a new heaven and a new earth and we will have new heavenly bodies!!

I cannot wait for this day to come!!!! But as I do, I’m going to work on changing my focus and trusting that He is faithful – that He’ll meet me in my sadness, in my pain and love me like no other. If you think of me, please pray for me – I’ll take as much support as I can get.

And if you’re struggling with pain, know that you are not alone. I am here for you, and here to remind you that we have a God who’s a comforter, counselor, the ultimate healer and He is with you – so cry out to Him. Take heart dear ones – and be thankful.

xo

-- Image by Roost Photography --

P.S. If you are looking for a good chiropractor please check out Dr. Jamie Mabeus at Full Motion Family Chiropractic!! She is amazing - and even offers animal chiropractic!! AND For an awesome physical therapist head to Health in Balance and ask for Maria.  She too is so great.  

Yesterday I was getting ready for yoga, and took a few minutes to look at my body in the full-length mirror. Standing there in my underwear and sports bra, I realized how my muscles were being to take shape. Seeing the strength in my biceps, growing definition in my triceps, and being able to feel how much stronger my foundation feels from my legs to my hips to my glutes to my stomach, I couldn’t help but get excited and be proud of the progress I have made in my journey to become a stronger person. I used to giggle and roll my eyes a little bit when I would catch Chris flexing his muscles in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, but now I totally get it. When you’ve worked really hard at something, dedicated time, energy and a whole lot of sweat, being able to look in the mirror and see results is so, so exciting. 

I share this not to be like, ooh look at me, I share it to remind and encourage you that transformation is exciting!!! Each baby step taken towards a goal is always hard, hard work but being able to look in the mirror, compare swimsuit selfies and see the difference obtained from disciplined time in the gym and the yoga studio – that is exciting, rewarding, and that’s what makes all the hard work worth it.

Looking back on my Pursuing Transformation posts, I’m realizing how much I really enjoyed this little series. Taking the opportunity to reflect, ask myself how I am doing and be honest about where I am at, was a valuable exercise that encouraged and challenged me to keep pushing forward in each of the goals I set for myself in 2015.

I started out the series with one of my favorite verses, Ephesians 4:15, and it seems only appropriate to close with it as well. It says, “And we all, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” If you’re in a place where you, too, are pursuing transformation in many different areas of your life, I want to remind you that we have a God who is all about transformation. So keep your head up, and if you get discouraged, remember that you are not doing this alone.

xo

This is my handsome husband. His name is Chris and I think he’s a stud. I spotted him across the classroom in French 101, right away taken aback by his charming good looks, blonde hair, and his beautiful blue eyes. Sitting nearby when given the chance, asking him what page the professor was telling me to turn to, and receiving a wink in return, I couldn’t help but blush- I was crushing hard. Several weeks into hanging out, and a few cocktails into the night, the words, “I have high hopes for us…” and, “I think I love you” flew out of my mouth before I could think twice about them. Although my timing was most definitely a bit crazy (blame it on the alcohol... cue Jamie Foxx), I don’t doubt those words because that boy had my heart way before I even knew it. 10 years and a whole lot of fun later, I have the privilege of calling him my husband and those winks still get me.

If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve been doing a series about Pursuing Transformation. It started with this proclamation that I made back in January, pinpointing five areas of my life where I want to see growth in 2015 - and I’ve been checking in with each area, sharing where I'm at and encouraging you to do the same.

This week I’m onto my last goal (!!!) and that is, to invest in building a stronger marriage.

Years before getting married, I heard a sermon from pastor Steve Sonderman about marriage. It wasn’t your standard, run of the mill, love each other, be faithful, sort of marriage talk – it was all about the importance of dating your spouse. His focus for the message was that even more so than before marriage, your relationship with your spouse needs to be cared for, nurtured, protected, and most importantly invested in – and that continuing to date each other played a big role in that. He talked about how, too often, all the hard work, the charming, the getting dressed up super cute, the sweet talking, the flirting, the fancy date planning, the focus on fun, happens before marriage but then falls under the radar after.

With just about four years under our marriage belt, I can totally attest to that statement. Now that we’re married, and the honeymoon phase has worn off a bit, dealing with Chris’ crazy work schedule, my evenings of volleyball or bible study, and then with the craziness of summer activities and packed weekends, we’re lucky if we even eat a meal together, let alone have a date night! It’s not that we don’t want to have fun together, or to enjoy getting dressed up, staring into each other’s eyes in a romantically lit restaurant filling our bellies with a mouthwatering steak and washing it down with a full bodied glass of merlot and a creamy, decadent spoonful of crème brûlée. It’s just that as of late, neither of us takes the time to plan it.

Thinking lots about this pending blog post, and asking myself how or if I have yet to make steps towards investing in our marriage, I can’t help but come back to this idea of dating. Going back to Steve Sonderman’s message, I really appreciated his approach to the marriage discussion; but what really stuck with me was the example that he gave of him and his wife. He said that they have a commitment to date each other weekly, have an outing monthly, and travel yearly. I remember hearing this and thinking, “that is awesome!” It seemed so inspiring, so fun, and so… simple.

Investing in my marriage doesn’t have to be this difficult, sit down and read a marriage book or do a strengths finder test and discuss how we could do better as a couple. It can be as simple as going on a date. But here’s the thing, even that doesn’t have to be super fancy. That’s fun every once in awhile, yes, but the most important thing about having a date with your husband is, intentionally spending time together.

This past weekend, I found this to be so true as Chris and I had a really great, much needed chunk of alone time. Instead of going out to dinner Friday night and seeing a movie on Saturday like we had originally brainstormed, we never left the house - and it was great. Friday night consisted of sitting in the backyard, eating steaks on the grill, enjoying a few Moscow mules, playing a bunch of games of cribbage, kissing a bit (duh), and sharing a lot of laughs. It was perfect – we reminisced about the early days of Chris and Mindy, poked fun at each other when the other lost the game of cribbage, and just soaked each other in (as cheesy as that may sound). And then Saturday was even better – sleeping in, eating a late brunch, and plastering ourselves to the couch making sure to cuddle and take bathroom breaks we watched ridiculous movies (umm.. Sharknado?! We might have watched the marathon on the SyFy channel... what?! Insert wide eyes blushing emoticon) and then finished the night with another game of cribbage and fell asleep on the couch. It was seriously, exactly what we needed.

We’ve had weekends where it’s looked pretty similar to this, but I think the difference was – this one was intentional. There was plenty we could’ve done, probably should’ve done – but both of us knew that we hadn’t spent much time together and that the week ahead didn’t foster much time to see each other’s faces so we chose to do nothing but spend time together.

I am so thankful for Chris.  He’s my rock, my safe place, my comfort when I’m a hot mess, he gives a perfectly timed wink when I’m feeling insecure, and he’s the perfect balance to my crazy 12-at-heart self.  I am sooo thankful that God brought us together, that I get to call him my husband, and that this weekend gave me a really good chance to focus on that.

My prayer is that moving forward, as I continue to think about how I can invest in building a stronger marriage, that I would look back on this weekend and remember the benefit that simply spending time with one another had for both of us. And that I would be challenged to make it more of a habit.  Going into the week I feel reconnected, refreshed, and very much in love with my husband – and I am thankful.

If you’re in a place where you need to reconnect with your spouse – do it. Make the effort, cancel your other plans, carve out time for each other, and go on a date, play some games, be silly, or do absolutely nothing and just soak up time spent together. It is so so worth it.

And if you’re not in this place, my prayer is that you wouldn’t feel singled out (too punny?) or neglected in any way by me speaking about my marriage. You are valued, you are loved, and you have great worth right where you are.

xo 

-- image by Marissa Maharaj -- 

If you’ve been following along, you know that I am in the middle of a little series about Pursuing Transformation. It started with this proclamation that I made back in January, pinpointing five areas of my life where I want to see growth in 2015 - and now I'm checking in with each area, sharing where I'm at and encouraging you to do the same.

This week I’m onto my fourth goal – to be a better friend. So far, I feel the least prepared to write an update on this one.

Friendships continue to remain a mystery to me. And honestly still a struggle. Here’s the thing: I really struggle with friendships when they unexpectedly take a turn for a different direction or fall right off the map. It’s happened to me time and time again where I’m super good friends with someone (not just acquaintances- but actual know each other’s deep feelings, thoughts, histories kind of friends) and for no reason that I’m aware of, something switches. Phone calls disappear, text messages remain unanswered, and the once strong bond that made our friendship so beautiful weakens – and with no explanation even when pursued.

I understand that relationships are not easy, that yes there is some truth to the cliché statement of friends are in your life for a reason, season, or a lifetime – but when it feels like someone just ups and leaves your life for no apparent reason and doesn’t have the guts to tell you why they’ve decided to cut you out, that hurts.

I’m a, for lack of a better term, “no shit” kind of gal. If I am struggling with something, I’m not just going to harbor it, talk behind your back and wait until four frustrations later when I finally blow up in your face. If there’s an issue, I want to talk about it and work through it right away, together– with love, and with grace. Being able to be up front with each other, to be honest, and love each other through confrontation brings huge value and trust to a relationship. And I think that’s what makes relationships strong.

But this post isn’t supposed to be about the bitterness that I am still working on in my heart, it’s about how I am going to challenge myself and my role in the friendships that I have. One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 4:15 – it says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.” The reason I first fell in love with this verse was because I felt like it was a positive encouragement for healthy confrontation. Encouraging us to speak the truth to each other, bringing up hard conversations, but in a loving manner. And I very much still love it for that reason. But what I’ve been thinking about more lately is a slightly different perspective of the challenge to speak truth in love.

Dealing with all these friendship struggles, the silver lining through it all is that I’ve become so much more thankful for the relationships that I do have. It’s made me realize just how thankful I am for the friends who have stuck it out with me through it all, and it makes me want to tell them just how great I think they are. And that’s what I think the second aspect of speaking the truth in love is, to communicate how much we appreciate each other – to speak that truth in love.

Just as important as it is to be honest about frustrations, it’s even more important to share how valuable I think my friends are, how kind, how encouraging, how much of a huge blessing their friendship is in my life. How often do you go through weeks, months, years, without saying – “hey, you know what? I am so thankful that you are my friend. I really think you are amazing”? Do you tell your friends how much you appreciate them and the way that they wear temporary tattoos with you even though you’re 29 years old? Or tell them how great it is that they care about what you’re doing, encourage you to chase your dreams, giggle together over a glass of wine, play Heads Up in the middle of a restaurant or go to Sephora 1700 times and walk around for way too long. I don’t know about you, but my answer is not enough.

I want to be a friend who is willing to speak truth lovingly in confrontational situations, but even more so I want to be a friend who is known for telling you how loved you are. I want to be a friend who is caring, encouraging, honest, invested, intentional and present through thick and thin. I think that’s what God calls us to be isn’t it? To be a community of men and women who really truly care about each other and communicate that love!

That’s how I want to be a better friend. I want the people in my life to know how thankful I am for them, and I’m looking forward to showing them.

If you, too, have awesome friends in your life, maybe you want to join me in telling them. Shoot a text message, send a fun card, a lil email, or maybe even give them a call and actually say the words! Let’s be a community known for speaking the truth in love, both in the good and in the bad.

Xo

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a writer. I loved writing stories for school, sharing memories of my day in my Precious Moments diary and locking it up with the tiniest key, and had big hopes of writing a book someday. Even though my dream got lost in the shuffle a bit growing up, through it all, from a Religion major and a French minor, to a job as a ministry assistant at a church, my heart kept coming back to writing.

Asking myself what I was going to do with my life I've been seeking the Lord continually saying, “okay God – I want to do this, but what do you want me to do? I want to do what you want me to do.”  A couple years ago, I went to the Influence Conference put on by the Influence Network – a community of women who are all about using our influence wherever that may be, to make Jesus known.  At this conference, one of the speakers really spoke into the questions I was asking. She reminded us that God is the one who created us, who blessed us with our giftings – and then pushed us further to think about, if you have this dream in your heart, and you’ve been praying about it and seeking Him and it still remains intact- isn’t it possible that He put it there? That maybe instead of doubting it’s existence so much, maybe just maybe you should pursue it?

That is exactly what I’ve decided to do this year - to reach for my dream to be a writer. Finally, when people ask me what I’m doing – not only am I responding with the housewife title that I struggled with for so long, but now there is tag-on. I am a writer. Owning that title is a big step in and of itself, but now I’m working hard to put feet to that dream.

If you’ve been following along, you know that I am in the middle of a little series about Pursuing Transformation. It started with this proclamation that I made back in January, pinpointing five areas of my life where I want to see growth in 2015 - and now I'm checking in with each area, sharing where I'm at and encouraging you to do the same!

So this week is all about my goal to become a better writer. And I am super excited to share the ways that I have been intentional in this area.

Editing a cookbook:
Being a part of a community group through the Influence Network, I met an amazing woman named Natasha Red. She is the sweetest, loves the Lord, and has a gift for encouraging women in the kitchen. With her blog, and newly opened shop, her mission is all about encouraging women to get into the kitchen – to push past fears and risks that might be holding them back and create memories, traditions, and love on people through the vehicle of food. As a part of this mission to reach women with this message, she decided to write a cookbook. A few conversations sharing our hearts in our community group and the Lord made a connection - I love editing, and Natasha was in need of an editor.

For the past couple months I have had the pleasure of acting as Natasha’s editor. And I am so blessed. It has been a great learning experience for me, being able to exercise my gift with writing and learn how I can be a good support to Natasha and help her use her words for the mission God has placed on her heart. I am so excited to be a part of this project with her and I can’t wait for you to see the finished project. If you don’t know Natasha- please check her out – and stay tuned for when the cookbook comes out! My mouth waters and my stomach growls every time I edit her recipes, and her words have seriously encouraged me to be more courageous in the kitchen. I love it and know you will too.

Blogging more consistently:
This is an area that I am still working on. I am discovering that especially in the summertime, I am struggling with time management. There are so many things I want to do, but I can’t possibly fit them all in unless I make a better schedule. Having this mini-series has been a blessing because it has held me accountable to writing (minus my little hiatus for the holiday weekend), and pushed me to stay consistent. I think I might need to take that into consideration in the future, to plan my blogging out a bit more.

FEATURE IN THRYVE MAGAZINE:
I had to put that one in caps, because I am so excited to share that my first magazine article is coming out in August!!!!!! Thinking about this goal I made in January, I decided it was time to stretch myself, to submit an article to a magazine. It was totally a God-thing how it all happened, as a ‘like’ on Instagram led me to the homepage for Thryve Magazine, a Christian women's magazine whose mission is encouraging women to live fully alive. Instantly finding the “writers” tab, I was greeted by a submission theme that seemed to be the perfect fit for what the Lord had been teaching me at that time. With a few days left before the deadline, I went to work and poured my heart out onto paper, edited, prayed, and sent my first submission off for review.

Expecting to hear back in 3-5 weeks as described in the guidelines, I was shocked to receive an email a day after the deadline from the editing team. And even more shocked, and elated when they said, “Without a doubt, we’d like to use this article in our summer issue of Thryve.” I could not believe it. Immediately, I called my husband, my mom, my sister, anyone who knew I had submitted an article and shared the exciting news! My first article, my first publication, my first magazine feature! As small as it may seem, this was a huge step for me, and a huge affirmation from the Lord that for right now- this is what He wants me to be doing.

Working with an editing team, making changes to my article, and working with a photographer for the spread to go along with my words – this process has been challenging, growing, and so exciting. I can’t wait to see the final product in Thryve Magazine with my words, and the beautiful images captured by the fabulous Roost Photography. It's coming out sometime in August, so if you want to snag a copy - stay tuned to Thryve's website!!

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I'm really excited about the steps that I am making in this area of transformation.  Even if my future doesn't end up the way that I might be envisioning at the moment, this process of pressing forward, reaching for the stars and dreaming big is so rewarding.

If there is a dream in your heart that you keep pushing aside thinking it’s not practical or asking yourself how it could possibly come to be, I want to encourage you to ask God about it, and entertain the idea that He might possibly be the one who placed it there. God calls us to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8) So don't just sit idle.  Think about it, pray about it, and be brave - press forward - pursue it.

Praying for you and whatever His dream is for your life – chances are it’s way better than you could ever imagine.

Xo

-- Image by Roost Photography --