Knowing what to say YES to

W H A T   M A K E S   Y O U,   Y O U   ?

What are the things that you feel stronger about than anybody else? What song makes your heart jump out of your chest and run away? What truth resonates with you in the most tangible, vibrating way? What comes naturally to you?

‘Normality is a paved road, it is easy to walk on but no flowers grow on it’ – seek the wild, seek the flowers, and seek the unfamiliar. Every single thing that you are passionate about, was placed inside you for a reason. You are His masterpiece, and you have an unique role to play in the Missio Dei (God’s plan of redemption for all peoples). And when looking at what God created, the world cannot help but burst out into songs singing His praises. The world needs what you’ve got! 

For me, that means embracing my love for all things creative, minimalism, and my passion for finding purpose. And then in the midst of this season of accepting all that I care about, the indescribable happened a few weeks ago: I was offered a job doing a combination of everything I’ve ever wanted to do in a job. When I began taking steps in a direction that seemed more difficult, but also more clear – inspiration found me. 

O N   T H E   I N S P I R E D   P A T H 

When we allow ourselves to just BE who we are, to care about what we care about, to spend time doing what we want to do, something amazing happens: we are set free. “By accepting Christ, you are only giving up on the person who you were never meant to be” – T. White. 

But another thing that happens when you know what your purpose and motivations are, is perceived as less of a good thing: you struggle to commit to ideas that are not aligned with this direction. The saying: “If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for anything” is kind of in reverse here: If you know what you really stand for, you won’t be interested in anything that stands against that. When you allow Christ to rewrite the truth in your heart, you won’t fall for the lies that you hear every day. One helpful practice that a friend advised me to do is to write down the things you think about yourself- then write down next to that what God says about you (found in Scripture). An example would be: ‘I am not allowed to dream so big’, versus ‘He will give me my hearts’ desires’ (psalm 62).

So how do we know what is supposed to be on our path, and what is not for right now? I was in a conversation with an inspiring woman recently where she told me that she started blocking all that she has to do by choosing three categories – everything else is extra. An example of three blocks would be: family, work, and passion projects. And if there is something that is weighing on her shoulders that is not in any of these three categories, she simply takes a step back from that. This reminded me of a piece I read about Nehemiah building the wall- He wrote to people trying to distract him: “I cannot come down from the wall now, I am busy doing a good work, and I will focus on this”. 

T A K I N G   A   S T E P   B A C K

After all, there is so much more peace in laying down one of the balls you were juggling -quietly, than continuing to try and do it all and eventually dropping a ball- letting it scatter onto the floor. In a sense, we are clearing the clutter from our own lives by saying no. When the clutter is cleared, we can distinguish God’s voice amidst the chaos of what all of life can seem like. I believe that we can spare our relationships and responsibilities from so much destruction by simply admitting when we have reached the end of our rope – asking for help is actually a strength, not a weakness. 

When we do less, but do the things that we choose to keep doing more intentionally we just might find that life is more enjoyable, at a slower pace, and more meaningful. We have more time for the things that really matter to us, and we are generally happier versions of ourselves. We’re giving God a chance to finish the good works He started in us.