The last 18 months haven’t been all that fun to walk through.
Change hasn’t always been something I’ve adapted well to. It would cause crippling anxiety within me and I hated the unknown. My mind would race to plan and work out all the details, and then crash and get stuck on worst possible scenario every time I was faced with a season of change.
When I realised that so much around me was out of my control, it lead me to begin to control what I could. So I began to control what I was eating, how much I exercised and, my actions so I could predict the way people would act towards me. This false sense of control and peace caused much heartache for myself and others around me.
So, what happens when someone who is always healing from this type of thing is thrusted into a situation that they have absolutely zero control over?
Well, you learn to lean into change.
These types of seasons and challenges that we walk through aren’t necessarily from God, BUT He can and will use it for good – even if you don’t see it right now in the pit.
When we’re hit with change, we truly learn about our human resilience. We pivot, recalibrate and lean into God and what He is saying, and it’s His now Word that gets us through each day.
If you didn’t know, I’m from Melbourne, Australia and I believe we’ve gone from the most liveable city in the world, to the most locked down city in the world. What an achievement, right?
However, as isolating as the last 18 months has been, it was a season of growth for me. I leaned into what I could no control and focused on working on myself and what God wanted to do with me as a complete empty vessel for Him. Funnily enough, I actually learnt more about myself in that time than I had in awhile. It’s amazing what the Holy Spirit will bring up in your life when you allow Him the freedom and reign to do so.
I went in deep, and learnt more about the way I cope with things, really became aware of my strengths and weaknesses and I walked away with a strategy to challenge myself with when I’m feeling like I’m in a ‘lull’ in life.
The Lord knows I needed that strategy this year!
I really wanted to share some of these keys with you today, as I think we can all some way apply them to our own life and season we are walking through.
I pray that this encourages you to seek out Jesus no matter what your everyday may look like right now.
1. Be a better friend by showing up.
I was really surprised when I assessed my own friendships and realised just how toxic some of them were. Friends, don’t put friends to the test. Like any relationship, friendships take work, they take compromise and they take love, lots of love.
So when your BFF goes MIA, be that person to reach out to them. Approach them, see what is going on.
There are a lot of silent battles going on right now that people going through. Go beyond the simple, yet effective, are you ok?
”"So, if it's unusual behaviour, ask open ended questions to find out the why, and learn to love offensively because you can't get offended by someone loving you too much."
Be the girl who shows up.
Be the girl who shows up for her family.
Be the girl who shows up for her friends.
Be the girl who shows up to serve.
Be the girl who wakes up with purpose and intent in her heart.
Be the girl who never gives up.
Be the girl who believes all things are possible.
Be the girl who finds strength and comfort in who you are because you know who you are in Christ.
I think all of us can be a better friend no matter the situation.
The beautiful thing about friendship, is that it’s a partnership. This means that sometimes you’re going to be down and your friend is going to be there to pull you up out of the pit, just like you did for them.
So, if you have friends in your life and realise that there are some toxic elements to the friendship. It’s ok to chat with them, it’s ok to ask the questions why, why are they putting you in these uncomfortable positions if they’re your friend, it’s ok to process these feelings and reassess your friendships and remove yourself from something that isn’t growing good fruit.
There shouldn’t be a ‘power struggle’ in a friendship.
So check in on your friend, love them offensively, pray about the friendship, reevaluate the friendship, look at the fruit of the friendship and if you need to cut it off, then this is your permission to do so.
To those of you who may be struggling right now, your feelings are valid, you are seen and you’re not alone. Why don’t you reach out to a friend and check in on them. It may just open up a conversation where you can both share how you are feeling and lean on each other to get through it and pray for each other for strength and comfort during this time.
2. Be Generous always, in all ways
There’s no time like the present to be generous. Whether it’s donating some money, groceries or your time. Step out and do something for someone else. And you know what, why make it a regular thing that you do!
Studies have shown that generosity leads to greater joy, happiness and fulfilment in our lives.
2 Corinthians 9 says, God loves a cheerful giver.
I don’t know about you, but there is something that completely lights up my spirit when I have the chance to give someone a gift. To see the looks of surprise and joy on their face is a priceless gift.
Imagine the look on Jesus’ face knowing He was able to give us a priceless gift through His death and resurrection.
Being generous not only makes someone else’s day but it can also make yours.
So, be encouraged to listen out for the prompting of the Holy Spirit in areas that you can give. Don’t you want to make someone’s day by being part of their miracle? I sure do.
3. It’s ok if productivity looks different in this season. Your value and worth don’t come from Your productivity BUT from God.
Friend, if change is overwhelming for you, then you don’t need to any spare time you may have to be more productive, to hustle and start a business or tick off all your fitness goals. If you need to stop and rest, then stop and rest.
You have permission to rest.
We need it. God gave it to us through the Sabbath. So just rest.
These days, whenever we have a free moment, we’re told to hustle and have a side business and multiple streams of income, and to keep busy because if we’re not busy, we’re lazy.
I really dislike this idea of the hustle. Hustle culture needs to be kicked to the curb!
I actually came across a meme just the other day that said:
“when you rest, you rust.”
It made me so frustrated, that because some thing like this exists people will absorb it and believe that they’re falling behind if they decide to rest.
Girl, you don’t need to be fitting into someone else’s timeline for your life. You hear the voice of God. You know what He has spoken to you. He will direct your steps down the path you need to go and NOTHING we do can slow down or speed up His timing.
I learnt two really important lessons through this:
- You can’t get behind on God’s good and perfect plan for your life.
- You can’t function in the gifts God has given to you if you’re exhausted and burnt out.
So let’s get rid of “the hustle,” because grace will take you places hustling can’t.
”"Grace will take you places hustling can’t."
Now in saying all of this, it doesn’t mean resting forever and using it as an excuse to procrastinate. Take the time you need, then slowly get back into your routine and if you need to set yourself up with a new routine, then do so.
4. Mental health matters
A lot of people, and at times myself included struggled with the isolation that was caused by lockdowns over the last 18 months.
So, I felt that it’s really important that you acknowledge and recognise the struggle, reach out for the support that you need, and put things in place that will help you when times are tough.
Self care and soul care are more important than ever, and this may look like seeking out professional counselling or therapy and that’s ok if you need it. There is no shame in asking for help. If you’re struggling during this time, please don’t try to deal with this alone. I’ve been there and the best thing I did was reach out. God never intended us to go through situations along. He created us for community so please reach out for help and talk with someone.
If you’ve found yourself here and need help, some wonderful organisations in Australia are:
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 or beyondblue.org.au
Beyond Blue’s Coronavirus Support Service: 1800 512 348 or coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au
Headspace: 1800 650 890 or headspace.org.au
The Butterfly Foundation: 1800 334 673 or butterfly.org.au
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800 or kidshelpline.com.au
If you are in a crisis or emergency please contact 000 or your local emergency services.
When Melbourne first went into lockdown March 2020, I had a lot of fear and anxiety creep in. This was another situation that I had no control over, and wave after wave of panic began to take over. In that moment, I had a split second decision I had to make. I could either fall into the pit of despair that God so kindly brought me out of all those years ago, or I could use the Truth of God and fight. I took a breath and said “this isn’t what God wants me to feel right now.”
So, I just turned off the news, blocked the news sites on my phone, unfollowed people on social media that weren’t speaking positively, and I shifted my focus solely onto God and what he wanted to do in my life during that time. In that time, the vision I had for The Grace Code came into fruition.
When we take a moment and rest in God’s presence, the noise becomes silent. It’s so important in these moments of stress, anxiety and fear to take our focus off everything going on externally around us, and bring it back to what is happening in the now, in the present moment you are standing in. I’ve found that as I fix my eyes on Him, in the moment of His presence, my anxiety and fear stops, the exaggerated thoughts stop, the what ifs stop, because His perfect love casts our all fear.
What do you need to surrender over to God today?
The bottom line is, while self-care is important, soul-care is more so. Our soul is what is going into eternity.
2 Corinthians 4:18: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
We serve a faithful, unfailing, everlasting God. Even in the midst of the storm He whispers to us to come. There is no sweeter friend than He, no better counsellor than He and no better remedy that He.
So friend, how is your soul-care today?
5. Look for Jesus in the everyday.
The most important lesson. To keep the main thing, the main thing and the main thing is Jesus.
This is what it’s all about. I want to encourage you to open your eyes, and look for Jesus in creation, in the small things, in the details as you go about your day and in the moments of rest you get. Take out your Bible and read a few scriptures throughout the day.
He is there waiting. Cultivate an intimate relationship with him.
Jesus will never let you down friend.
I know this was a long post, but I really had on my heart to share it. So if you made this far thank you! I hope you’ve taken away something from the lessons that I’ve been learning over the last 18 months.
Have a beautifully blessed week,