Hello everyone! I have been gone for two weeks and I’m so happy to be back at it! When I started this blog, I never knew what joy it would bring me. I’m so thankful I took a leap into the unknown to do something that was a little different for me. I knew I could be setting myself up to be laughed at, but this has just been something that has given me so much peace this year.
This past week I was able to go camping with my family in the upstate of South Carolina. I hardly had any service, but it was nice to disconnect from the craziness of the world and focus on what is most important to me – MY FAMILY. It was a time of adventure, laughter, restoration, and being able to more understand the people in my life. I was also able to be with my cousins, and that just made me so unbelievably happy. All of the waterfalls, orange flowers, and old country white houses reminded me that the little things in life are the most important to reflect on. Little moments of laughter, God’s beautiful creation, and the people I love most just remind me that life is a blessing and I need to live it in full.
Now let’s get into my monthly goals. I hope you can gain some inspiration from these!!!
MONTHLY GOALS:
1. I want to focus more on my relationship with Christ and make spending time with Him a top desire in my life. I am going to be really open and honest here. Lately, I haven’t had as much motivation to really open my Bible and dive into the Lord’s promises. I have noticed that this AFFECTS the way I interact with people! No one else would probably notice anything, but I am not as patient and loving when I put my relationship with God on pause. So I want to be more intentional in reading my Bible and listening to worship music.
My favorite song right now is “Available (Live)” by Elevation Worship.
2. I want to be more intentional in working out. And I want to change the way I thinking about exercise. I so often want to exercise because I am not confident in who I am or what I look like. I think a lot of people struggle with this. As individuals, we tend to want to mold to society’s standards of beauty. We’re told we aren’t tall enough, skinny enough, or toned enough. I have been realizing that God’s standards of beauty are completely different than society’s standards of beauty. He calls us His chosen children. With that in mind, I want to workout to be as healthy as I can with the strength that God has given me. I no longer need to workout to fit a mold or feel “good enough”. God says I am already “good enough”. I am His temple and I want to honor Him with the choices I make regarding my health. It will be simple. My doctor likes to say to “move your body in a life-giving way.” This might be stretching, walking, swimming, or even something more intensive. No matter what, I want to move my body. That is what my goal will be this month.
3. I want to go out of my comfort zone to grow myself and to help other people. This could be in teeny ways but it will still bring growth!!!
4. I am learning that I need to be content with the season of life I am in. This year has a purpose beyond what I can see. The disappointments and loneliness and change all have a purpose. This season of life is exactly where God has placed me. I was reading Morgan Harper Nichols’s encouragement of the week. She said, “You have not missed out on what was meant for you.” I really resonated with this. Our country and our world never expected that we would be living in these crazy times, but God knew. He is the only one with true control. I want to rest in His purpose for me, knowing that my time has not been wasted.
You have not missed out on what was meant for you.
Morgan Harper Nichols
5. Finally, I want to always give a smile to others. You never know the battles that the other person is facing! You could just make their day.
I hope you enjoyed these goals. I am wanting to implement them more into my life this month. If you decide to practice one of them, let me know! I’d love to hear from you!!
Love, Em
em's journal: navigating life after high school 