Say whaaaaat??
This girl has been crazy busy! Between working two jobs, going to two schools and keeping up on everything I have on my plate I have no spare time! Literally. I now have to shcedule in chill time to take a moment to breathe. Somedays I’m just going going going and I have SO much to do that there have been several moments where I feel so overwhelmed. Moments where I felt like I couldn’t breathe as stress choked the air out of my lungs while my heart began to race thinking about ALL the things I needed to get done. Papers after papers, tests after tests, phone calls in between classes, emails in between phone calls in between classes and meetings after work which was right after school. All. Day. Long. Everyday.
Burnt out. Several times I’ve broken down feeling so drained with nothing left inside of me to accomplish all that I need to. So I finally sat down and had to decided on some things to let go of for this season. Those decisions were so hard! I LOVE everything that I’ve been doing! But all at once is is not allowing me to give my best at what I NEED to be doing right now. About a month after letting go of several things, a random out of the blue opportunity practically fell into my lap!!
I got a text from my mom one afternoon with a woman’s information asking me to call her because she was interested in having me intern for her magazine. SAY WHAT!????!!!? I called my mom and got a few more details from her. I began to think about the incredible opportunity that was before me. I knew I had to atleast try for. Part of me really didn’t want to pursue it. When would I have time for this!?? I’m already SO busy that I have to make it a point to eat or I won’t have time! Not to mention, I just gave up several things out of my schedule to make for breathing room. I decided to call the woman anyways. After a great and exciting phone call we set up an interview for the following Monday.
Now, writing articles has never been something I’ve dipped my hands into. I dabbled a little in writing travel articles for a travel writing class I took a few semesters ago, but that’s it. I have NO experience! I was able to send her a few travel articles and a creative piece for samples of my writing. I revamped my resume printed on fine resume paper and wrote a killer cover letter sealed in a manilla envelope. I felt pretty official :)
I was so proud of myself, I was 15 minutes EARLY to my interview! I’m the first to admit that punctuality is not my strong suit. Waiting for someone whom I’ve never met and my mother’s met once is somewhat awkward. I felt like a creeper checking out every person that walked through the door of the restaurant. As she walked in, I knew it was her. The interview went great!! She complimented my writing a lot and we talked about the magazine. This magazine is SO cool! Focused on the communitites within Octotillo, the articles are centered around the people in and near the neighborhoods themselves. There’s a family of the month spotlight, business of the month, restaurant reviews etc…! It’s a quality magazine that’s all about local people and what they do with their lives!!!!!!!! HOW COOL!!!! I think it’s so inspiring! Local businesses also advertise in the publication so it’s a great way to support the economy and small business owners while getting to know their heart and mission. Oh, and did I mention that my boss is Christian? AND, the owners of the publishing company are BOLD Christians. This has God written all over it! At the end of the interview, I got the internship :D
I was also handed my first assignment. A restaurant review, which I just finished yesterday!! My boss loved it. I’m getting paid to write….about people…and get published too!! The magazine’s first run is in February :) I couldn’t be more excited! & shocked. Like what in the world!?!? Where did this come from?? I wasn’t even looking for it!
All this to say that sometimes God moves things out of our lives to make room for other opportunities that He has for us. I gave up my job working for my parents this last month and it seems this was part of God’s plan in doing that.
There are seasons we walk through that are crazy busy but we must press on. God purposed us to go through those seasons which also means if we’re obedient and faithful in doing our part, God will take care of the rest. God is so faithful. We also don’t have to carry the burden of stress through those seasons. His word says that it is His to carry. So if you’re carrying overwhelming stress, let go! There’s a difference between healthy stress that motivates you to keep doing what you’re responsible for but there’s an unhealthy stress that we’re not called to carry. You will know the difference when you’re in that place. I’ll give you a hint: It feels like you can’t breathe. You’ve done everything you can to schedule out your time but nothing is working. You feel exhausted and less than. Several break downs occur and you no longer feel inspired by the things you love, your life, or the move of God.
It’s easy to say, give your burdens to the Lord. There are no tangible steps to go through. This is because it takes FAITH to walk with God and in the life He’s called you to. He hasn’t called you to a life that would be easy for you to do on your own. If your life is easy for you to do on your own, then I think it would be beneficial to evaluate if you’re on the right track because with God because our lives witness the impossible, the miraculous, the God given favor and God given dreams and opportunities when we’re walking with God. It’s never about us and our abilities but what God’s doing in us and through us just as we are. He has BIG plans for all of us and we can’t achieve that on our own! What would be the fun in that!?
Choose to put God first. In busy seasons it’s SO easy to not get your quiet time in with the Father. Putting God first changes everything! It changes you, your attitude, and your situation when you focus on God.
Take time to enjoy the simple moments in life. Roll your windows down and BLAST music while driving! This can be a great recharger!! Coffee breaks are also fantastic!
Anyways, I just felt like posting an update. If ya wanna talk give me a shout and we’ll figure something out :) And if you read this whole post, give yourself a pat on the back ’cause it’s LONG! Sorry! Ha :)
