“Now the lord said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family and from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.”
My Dearest MacKynzie,
The longer I live, the more I can see that life is broken up into several little stories.
Chapter 6 - High School (Worries about fitting in, boys and acting big).
Chapter 7 - College (Halos, books and dreams. HA! Those stories will go in a different journal).
Years as a single adult are obviously much different than married years, or at least they should be. I think the chapter I am in right now is titled 'Drowning in Laundry' or maybe that is just a reoccurring theme throughout the rest of my book. There once was a chapter when I could sleep in till 9am without waking up to two little smiling tornados that left a path of destruction in every room. But, there will come a day when I miss the morning snuggles and giggles.
In Genesis, God spoke to Abram and told him to leave his home.. everything he knows.. to go live in an entirely new country. Could you imagine? This is the extreme of starting a new chapter in his life.
Each chapter in your life will have a mini story line with its own set of priorities. The more I talk to others, the more I recognize the chapters of their lives unfold. My friend Evie lived in other countries, had the opportunity to photograph Sting and Beyonce, worked with costume jewelry and is now opening her own business... so many different worlds in one life.
I think sometimes we get so caught up in the current chapter that we have a hard time remembering there are many more chapters left to read. We must be intentional about making the best out of every paragraph. Hard times will come and go. There are some parts of the book that we will love and some that will make us cry... but it will slowly change as you turn the pages. The bible says that God uses the tough chapters in our lives to create ones that are great. So If you are in a tough chapter, keep reading.
In this chapter, I am the most unhealthy I've ever been. It is hard not to constantly focus on feeling like a blob. The truth is, that at this moment, I would rather spend time with you and your brother, volunteer to help others, and grow my business mind than spend hours running or at the gym. I can't do it all and there is nothing wrong with cutting things out. Hopefully the next chapter will be about getting a hot mom bod... but if not that's ok.. that just means there are other amazing things that I am conquering.
We recently watched The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy spends the first part of the movie wishing she was somewhere else, 'somewhere over the rainbow'. Then she spends the rest of the movie trying to find her way back home. Sometimes I catch myself doing the same thing, always wishing to be in a different place in life and not appreciating where I am and what I have.
My loving advice to you. If you are entering into a new chapter in life, remember that God is with you and will not leave you. When you go through hard times, remember that they will most likely be temporary and the next chapter is just a couple of pages away. Set and embrace the different priorities you have throughout your book. The more you laugh and cry, the more interesting your book will be.
My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life! Live to inspire <3 to create!
The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)
** As a big advocate for healthy living, I am not saying this to give you an excuse for being unhealthy. I am still very active and eat good food (most of the time) and if you are struggling with health issues due to weight, this should definitely be a priority in your life.