Faithful in the Fray

It was a hard month. Lots of grieving and adjusting and new, but it was also a great month.

Have you ever heard of the saying “if you are lacking something, give it first.”

Do you need encouragement? Give it!

Do you need patience? Practice it.

Do you need community? BE IT!

Do you need grace? Extend it.

Feeling lonely? Invite someone over.

I’m thinking back to my birthday, which was last week, and as someone that struggles with birthdays and being the center of attention, the one thing I look forward to the most (outside of my day of free items from my favorite shops) is the words people share with me.

I don’t know why we wait for birthdays to express how we feel about someone, but as a words of affirmation girlie, I come alive. I have a hard time receiving compliments, especially in person, however reading, pondering, and re-writing my people’s words into my journal fills my cup to the brim.

Which then lead me to the above.. I didn’t know how much I was lacking in the words of affirmation bucket of my life until I received so many that it made me want to share the wealth, and so I did! See, it’s that easy!

There’s nothing earth shattering about this post.. It’s just a reminder that I can almost guarantee that if you’re lacking something, chances are you know someone that might be lacking it too, and how amazing is it when you can bridge the gap and be what they need! Celebrate people everyday like it’s their birthday.

So anyways, what are you giving?

If I sat down and listed out all the hard things that have happened in my life in the last year, you might not be able to make it past month two.. let alone to the end of the list (that truly grows daily…)

I was talking to a friend recently and we got on the topic of how the only constant in my life right now is me.

There are many, many things that are completely out of my control right now but what is in my control is my mindset. I owe a lot of how I’m handling it all to the decade worth of therapy I’ve been in off & on, and the tools that I’ve consistently picked up along the way.

Let’s face it, none of us are immune to the heaviness of life, but we are able to decide how we’re going to handle it.

What rocks you? What causes you to question good vs evil.. why me? How long do you stay wallowing? In the short term, none of these are bad, however staying there or going there first can prove more damaging in the long run than having the solid foundation of not letting it get to you too quickly.

Now, have I found myself an overwhelmed sara crying in a hotel bathroom? Certainly.

Have I laughed at how absolutely insane this season has been because truly…. You’ve got to be kidding me.. absolutely.

But have I also explained to people what is going on and know without a shadow of a doubt that I’m not forgotten? Yes.

My foundation is solid.

My hope is secure.

I know where I put my trust.

I’ve walked thru hell and back many times, and I live the tell the story of the faithfulness of God.

So I guess the point in all of this is to remind you that mental health is important & where you build your foundation directly impacts how you handle life not being the way you imagined it to be. And also, it’s okay to cry.