Hi everyone! In my last post I mentioned washi-taping my dream board. It was really fun...it brought back so many memories of creating boards like these in junior high. Did any of you do this? Sitting around with Seventeen, Tiger Beat, and probably some of my mom's Good Housekeeping magazines. Cutting out all the things that I loved or wanted or dreamed of becoming. It was scrapbooking onto a bulletin board.
I would add pictures of my friends that I had taken to my local Kodak developing place (Gesslar's Drug Store in Wichita, Kansas) and then WAIT A WHOLE WEEK or more to get them back! Slumber party pictures, riding our bikes to the park, or just taking candid photos at school. I'd sit in my room with all of them spread out on the floor, picking out the ones that weren't blurry or where we all weren't blinking or making a weird face. Whew! Our kids HAVE NO IDEA how good they have it. Everything now is instant. In some ways that's probably not good, but that is another post.
Anyway, this time was a little different. It wasn't about that cute guy in Tiger Beat (Rob Lowe anyone?) or the latest makeup or fashion in Seventeen, but it sparked something in me that I hadn't felt it years. I almost felt twelve again. It was FREEDOM. The space to create whatever I wanted and write down whatever words and thoughts and scripture that came into my head. With no limits of what NEEDED to happen or obligations or thought of what other people needed FROM me. It was all about being in that moment and letting myself JUST BE
It started with a Holy Yoga class taught by my wonderfully awesome friend Brooke. She is amazing and doing exactly what God has called her to do. She led us in a prayer starting with Ephesians 3:20.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." Eph 3:20
She encouraged us to write down any thoughts or ideas that crept into our minds as we relaxed and meditated on those words. Of course since writing is my jam I probably spent more time writing down words and ideas than I actually did meditating on the verse. My paper was completely full after the 45 minutes and I was anxious to put everything on the board in black and white. She provided paper, pens, lots of washi tape (washi tape would have been AMAZING back in 1982), and then gave us the space and time we needed to create whatever our hearts were calling us to. She led us in prayer before we dove in and a room of fifteen women became quiet with contemplation. It was marvelous.
Prayers for my husband and kids came to me first. Then each Fruit of the Spirit. Then my ultimate dream of 2019...to write and publish the book that we have been working on. I saw it so clearly and wrote it in big bold letters right next to the scripture that promises that He can provide more than we can possibly imagine. Wow. Cuz I can imagine A LOT.
I am here to encourage you to take the step and get a board and take the time to sit with it and think about what is ahead for you? Where do you want to go? Where do you see yourself in the next year? Another great thing is the board can morph and change as you do. Goals get bigger, ideas go wider, prayers change as kids and marriages grow. As you grow.
Also made available to us were books about prayers and quotes and stories. Listen to this...
"She designs a life full of dreams only one can fulfill. She finds value in being His instead of being busy. Her passion is contagious. She measures herself in strength, not pounds. She trusts the struggle and breathes in the joy of the journey. Her story is one to be heard. She runs from comparison into the arms of confidence. She turns her back on perfection and she chooses grace."
-Jenn Sprinkle,
Thirty one days of Prayer for the Dreamer and the Doer.
I think I've taken a picture of this saying ten times in the last week to send to friends to encourage them and build them up. It's so RAD!
So, now it's time to encourage you, our faithful readers! I say these things to you: Your story is one to be heard! Choose GRACE. Move into this season with a place where you can record your ideas, write down your thoughts, hopes and dreams and spend time thinking about them and bringing them into reality. It's powerful stuff and sometimes we all need a little boost of motivation to chase after those things our heart longs for. It will take some work, but we are here to support and cheer each other on!
Love, {H}
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
