Be Present

This summer…. in the midst of all this madness, I have learned to stop and be in the moment.

Flashback: Everything about 2020 had been the opposite of what I had imagined, and nothing seemed to be going my way…it was then that I realized what was wrong.

1. It’s not MY way, it’s HIS way and I am just a part of it. I spent a little time at the beginning of this year being mad at the Lord for the way things were going in my life simply because it wasn’t going the way I WANTED it too (selfish, I know). I had to take a step back and think about all the good things I have and find a way to start finding the best version of myself.

2. I was SO focused on the future and the fact that I didn’t feel like my life was moving at the same pace as the people around me, that I was missing all the little joys of life. I have always been a planner, the type to think ahead about all the exciting things to come, and I still am. BUT it wasn’t until this summer I have remembered and re-connected to the fact that this life isn’t about me. It is about using my life to bring joy to the people around me.

Fast Forward:I stopped. I finally just stopped. & I can honestly tell you I have never been more happy…

I have found the best version of myself and have been living life to the fullest this summer. This quarantine forced me to stop and think deep about things...the good, the bad, and the ugly. It forced me to sort through things that I had tucked away and has allowed me to really enjoy the little things again.

You can ask the friends and family around me, and they will all tell you…I have spent probably 70% of this summer on the road. Driving from home to Athens, and back to home, then back to Athens again, over and over again. AND I WOULD NOT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.

Want to know why?

Because I am choosing me.

I am doing what makes me happy and I am loving every second of it.

Do I drive an hour and 15 minutes home most Tuesday’s and Thursday’s JUST to play sand volleyball and be with my church peeps?? You betcha.

Do I come all the way to Athens after JUST to work and have the best summer with my friends?? You betcha.

During all these drives to and from, I have had SO much alone time.

Alone time, to think and truly be myself. I had cracked myself up, I have driven in silence, I have brought myself to tears, I have worshipped, and in the midst of it all....I have found myself.

LIFE HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO ME. & I spent so much time overlooking that, that I missed the joy I could have had. I promised myself that I will not let that happen again. We are called to be present, to be in the moment and live it to the fullest. We are not promised tomorrow, so live everyday like it is your last.

Tonight, as I lay in bed and type this out, I can’t help but smile… because we are so loved by the Lord its unimaginable. It is even more crazy to see, that we forget that as easily as we do. We get so caught up in life and the pace of it, that we forget to be thankful for the memories we make.

This summer…. make memories.

Be in the moment.

Be the light and joy this world so DESPARATELY needs to see right now.

And always, above all….Choose Joy!