Backing in at Bealls

As I was backing into a parking spot at Bealls today, a man who was walking to his vehicle noticed I was struggling to get my car just right without hitting the cars around me. Smiling, he held up his pointer finger and told me to wait just a second as he walked to the back of my car. Don't worry, Mom, my doors were locked! *wink, wink* He then began waving me back to ensure I got my car all the way into the space without hitting anyone. After I rolled my window down and thanked him, I noticed it was his car that was parked behind me.

I don't know about y'all, but I usually roll my eyes when a car pulls into the spot in front of me because I had every intention of pulling forward through the spot to leave so I didn't have to back out. Not this man, though. He didn't mind me occupying the spot in front of him. In fact, instead of getting in his car and driving off like your average person would do, he stayed out in this 100°F TEXAS HEAT a little while longer just to make sure a stranger didn't hit the cars around her.

I'm thankful for this man's unselfish heart in what I would have made a selfish situation had it been the other way around. 

God used those few minutes to remind me that it really is the little things in life that make a big difference. I was truly blessed!

Kindness matters, y'all. 

"Random Run-ins"

One of my favorite things about life is running into people who have influenced my life in one way or another unexpectedly. You know the "random run-ins" I'm talking about. The ones that actually aren't random at all. We may not have expected to bump into them, but God knew the "collision" would be taking place and He smiled just as much as we did, if not more, when it finally happened. 

I believe God ordains "random run-ins" to remind us who we are, where we come from, and who He purposely placed in our life to help us along the way. Without these individuals, we would not be who or where we are today. We may not get to see these individuals very often. In fact, we may go YEARS without seeing them, but they're always with us because their influence never stops. Maybe they taught you 8th grade English, maybe they let you join their Sunday School class when you were the only college student, or maybe they babysat you when you were little. Again, you know who I'm talking about. I'm sure a few people are coming to mind as you read this. These individuals fill your heart with so much joy and gladness when you see them, you can't help but praise God for the role they played in your life all those years ago. These are the run-ins we remember and cherish days, months, and years later. 

I remember seeing Mrs. Becky at Ellis Pottery, Mrs. Coones at McAlister's, and the Scoggin family at El Sombrero (that one actually just happened last night and was the inspiration behind this post, but you catch my drift) because I remember how happy I was to unexpectedly see a few of the individuals who helped change my world. 

God knows WHO we need in our life and WHEN we need them! They may not be physically in our lives, but they remain in our hearts forever. We take a piece of them with us everywhere we go until we meet again some day. I am so thankful for "random run-ins" that aren't so random after all but are, instead, divinely planned by our gracious Father to remind us that we didn't get here alone...and what a beautiful reminder this is! We are blessed! God is so good and His grace is never-ending!

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 

Do Something by Matthew West

As I was reading and laying out by the pool the other day, Do Something by Matthew West began playing on the radio. There's just something about this song that stops me in my tracks as the words begin rushing through me. I put my book down and let the sun beat against my face. My heart began racing. I smiled. 

This song makes me feel alive. It makes me think about life and, ironically, it's simplicity. 

Yes, I want to change the world, but I don't necessarily want to be famous. I just want to make Him famous.

We have all been given the same assignments, both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Because we are uniquely made and because God created each of us with a specific purpose in mind, the ways in which we complete these assignments will be unique to our purpose. In other words, we all receive the same assignment (love God, love others, glorify God and make disciples of Jesus Christ) but not the same instructions (teach children, find a cure for cancer, build schools in Africa, etc.). IT TAKES ALL OF US!

One of my all-time favorite quotes encourages us to "Live in such a say that those who don't know God but know you, may come to know God because they knew you." It's about living a life that points to Jesus as we serve those around us. It's about making His name known. It's about loving God and loving His people. It's about using the things we're most passionate about to glorify God and to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

It's about doing SOMETHING instead of NOTHING!

Every single one of us is called to do that. Every single one of us has been assigned the Great Commission. Don't wait for somebody else to do what you yourself have been called to do. Remember, we are the body of Christ. We are His hands and feet. If we don't do it, it may never get done.

Teach. 
Serve. 
Help. 
Comfort. 
Heal. 
Encourage.
Laugh.
Welcome.
Support.
Engage.
Love.

What are we waiting for?

LET'S DO SOMETHING!

Desert Development

As promised, this is a continuation of my previous post, Trusting the Tracks. Because my blog is called Seeking the Sunshine, I believe it to be of utmost importance that I share with you the reason behind my contentment. I want His name to be glorified through every step of this journey! In doing so, I understand that I must be vulnerable with each of you, so I will be completely honest about how I felt throughout this process. God is good about helping me see and understand the light, and I pray you find yourself encouraged by this blog post. After all, this is why I write! 

Believe it or not, I was horrified by the idea of living at home for who knows how long to save up money and gain experience instead of moving to Los Angeles. Here's why:

1) I felt like I was putting my dreams on hold. I had been waiting (and longing) to follow my dreams since I was a junior in high school and now that I had graduated college, I was supposed to wait even longer to "take [the] risk, take [the] chance, make [the] change" I'd been dreaming about for so many years? Um, check please!

2) I was terrified of getting "stuck" somewhere I feel I don't belong. Please, please do not get me wrong. I love White Oak! I was so blessed to grow up in this small, East Texas town. I know for a FACT I would not be the person I am today had I not grown up here. It will ALWAYS be my home, but I've known for a long time that this isn't where I'm meant to stay. I was scared of becoming complacent.

3) I also felt that I was letting you, my supporters, down. I thought you would be disappointed in me for not sticking to the original plan or think I had wimped out and chosen not to follow my dreams and discover God's purpose for my life. So, I put off posting this even though I knew it needed to be posted. Ironically, once I finally posted it, I received nothing but positive, encouraging feedback from each of you. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your constant love and support during both the difficult and easy decisions I've made! 

When I am facing a major life decision and am in need of wise, godly counsel, I turn to my mentors and prayer warriors. These ladies don't tell me what I want to hear, but what I need to hear. I have given them permission to speak into my life because I know they will tell me the truth, and it won't be sugar-coated. God speaks through them to me. Therefore, it was no coincidence that God used both Mrs. Becky and Casey to remind me of Moses' journey to the Promise Land! I listened to Ben Stuart's podcast "Heading South to Go North" and began both studying and praying through Exodus 2, Acts 7, and Hebrews 11. 

Destination: Desert #1 

As you may know, Moses knew he was to be a great-deliverer and tried to take matters into his own hands. Instead, he wound up in the desert for 40yrs. Because Moses could not see the big picture, it only made sense to feel as if he were wasting his life in the desert. God, however, was extremely busy preparing him both physically and spiritually for what lay ahead. Physically, he learned about life in the desert. He learned about the wildlife, how to find water, etc. Spiritually, Moses learned what it meant to walk deeply with God and depend on Him in all circumstances. It was in the desert he was becoming the type of man who would later be bold enough to demand, "Let my people go!" As Ben notes in his podcast, "It's in the heat of the desert God produces character." God wanted Moses to excel at leading sheep through the desert because he would later be called to lead PEOPLE through the desert! God was preparing Moses for life in the desert where he'd be for the NEXT 40yrs!

Destination: Desert #2

When Moses was leading the Israelites through the desert to the Promise Land, God sent them in the opposite direction (south) instead of fast-tracking them (north). God knew if they had gone through the Philistine country, they would face war and be tempted to turn around and go back to Egypt because they had no training, no coaching. He knew they weren't ready for battle. In other words, the shortest route had challenges they weren't prepared for, so God in his MERCY took them south! Further along their journey, God tells them to turn back so that Pharoah will think the Israelites are lost and pursue them. In doing so, the Israelites appeared to be in a place of hopelessness, trapped between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. It was then that God told Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the Red Sea. The sea parted, the Israelites walked across it on dry ground with walls of water to their left and right, and the Egyptian army was washed onto shore. God did this to display His glory! The greater the challenge, the greater the glory. 

Conclusion: After studying and praying through these scriptures, I understand that I'm not spiritually or financially prepared for what lies ahead. I must first set aside time to go through the "desert" so that God can develop my character and equip me for the upcoming battle. Because of that simple truth, I am content. God directs our lives in ways that will give Him maximum glory, and if me staying in White Oak for a little while to gain experience, save up money, and prepare myself spiritually will give Him more glory in the long run, then that's what I want to do! I realize now that I'm not putting my dreams on hold! I'm taking it one step at a time as I walk hand-in-hand with my Savior. I know I'll get there when I'm meant to get there...in God's timing, not my own! My joy comes from the Lord, not my circumstances.

I don't know what you're struggling with right now, but I want to leave you with these three things:

1) If you don't have a mentor or individuals to pray both with and for you on this journey, I urge you to find a spiritual support group as soon as possible. Seek spiritual maturity and pray that God will bring individuals into your life who will not hesitate to give you tough advice! My mentors and prayer pals are one of my most treasured gifts and I would not be where I am today without them. 

2) Trust God's timing. If he has you in the "desert" right now, be willing to let him mold your character so that you can be prepared for what he has in store for you! You will get there when you're meant to get there, wherever it is that you're going. You'll know when it's time to go! Moses made a mess of things when he tried to take matters into his own hands. Whatever you're facing, put it in God's hands. After all, that is the safest place for your problems to be! 

3) Most importantly, never forget that life is about the journey, not the destination. Don't let Satan cause you to think otherwise! "It's not what you do. It's what you do along the way." This life is all about Him. Let God organize your life in the way He sees best fit so that He will receive maximum glory! 

Trusting the Tracks

Now that I've graduated, a lot of you have been asking me about my future plans and, more specifically, when I plan on moving to Los Angeles. Therefore, I thought it was time I updated my readers on everything that's been going on in my life and the decisions that have been made throughout the last several months. I'm working on making my blogs shorter, so I'll be writing two separate posts about this subject. In this specific post, I will touch on the plans I made that God rearranged! In the second post, I will discuss Moses' journey to the Promise Land and how I am able to be content with where God has me right now. 

As some of you know, I had originally planned on moving to Los Angeles after I graduated. I'm ambitious, a go-getter. There's a quote that reads, "If you never go after what you want, you'll never have it." So that's what I do, I go after what I want. I always have and I always will. When Madi, Rylea and I visited Los Angeles over Christmas break, God used that trip to reassure me of my hopes and dreams and I left feeling like I was on top of the world! I wanted to move to Los Angeles STAT and had every intention to move as soon as I graduated. However, after a few months of job-hunting and praying for direction, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart to wait a little while before moving to LA. Seeing that my niece was due in June and this would be my last guaranteed summer at home, I was content with this decision. I would wait until the fall.

Well, the months flew by and before I knew it, I had graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in English! WHOOP! I moved out of my apartment and moved back home to White Oak, TX. As I mentioned earlier, I was going to live at home for the summer and then head to LA in the fall. However, after praying a lot about it and after seeking advice from my family, closet friends and mentors, I made the decision to stay in White Oak for a while and look for jobs in the area. I would wait to move to LA when I had saved up money and gained experience. As they say on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, "Is that your final answer?" 

FINAL ANSWER. 

As you can see, my plans have changed a LOT! I went from moving to LA as soon as I graduated, to moving to LA in the fall, to having NO IDEA when I'll be moving to LA. It has been one heck of a roller coaster ride...but because I know the Designer, I can trust the tracks!

Stay tuned for a follow-up post that will go into further detail as to how this final decision was made and how I'm able to be at peace with everything! I'm going to be extremely honest with you guys about how the changes affected me (because it definitely wasn't an easy decision) and how God has used this situation to draw me closer to Him!