let your yes be yes

There are things that you learn about yourself. One thing I have learned about myself, and perhaps it has finally suck in (can you hear my husband saying finally!?), is that I am (too) quick to say yes. 

I say yes without thinking, without hesitation, without consideration. While this makes me agreeable, it can also make me flaky because there are times when I have to replace my yes with a no. 

Last week I said yes to teaching kids' camp at my church. And as the week rolled into view, I wondered why I said yes -- it was a good thing to say yes to because I love my church and the work they do -- but I was also prepping for another yes I had already said -- a yes to Renegade Craft Fair the following week. 

So my yes was hard. I worked all day, then went to kids' camp held in the evenings, and then came home to sew. And a lot of me regretted my yes. 

There's this guilt we have in saying no. And by saying we, I mean me. I feel guilt. So I say yes to dinner, when really I'm tired, or I say yes to an event, when part of me knows I don't have the time to commit fully. Honestly, sometimes it's good to to force yourself to say yes -- we don't live life binge-watching Netflix -- but then there are crucial times when the yes should really be a no. 

Here is the thing: when you have your yes be yes-- when you can fully commit with all of you, it is far better than a lackluster yes, a yes where you regret being there, a yes you have to pull back later. Nine times out of ten, I want my yes to be a full commitment. 

In the end, I am grateful for my time at kids' camp. I did enjoy each moment, and let's be honest, kindergarten girls are pretty cute. However, it was also slap-in-the-face wake-up call. I need to consider what I say yes to. There are good and beautiful and wonderful opportunities and it is so good to take part in them, but before I step in, I need to consider my answer -- and whether I can make it a full yes. 

Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Matthew 5:37

What do you need to say yes to? What's better to say no to? 

finding sabbath

"Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway? But you say, ‘I can’t help it. I’m addicted to alien gods. I can’t quit." Jeremiah 2:25

We were all sitting around, under a cabana, at Nile River Camp on our last full day in Uganda, talking about what awaited us when we returned home. 

I confessed at that time that I wasn't ready to go home. I didn't want to get caught up in the business of life again, running from one thing to another. Uganda's pace was easier. 

Carey looked at me and told me bluntly that it didn't need to be that way. 

"We need rest. It's a sin not to rest," she said emphatically. "What can you give up so you can rest-- so you can create Sabbath?"

The truth in her words was a welcome smack to the face. 

As a Christian, I am called to find rest, to take time to be quiet and still. And I don't think this is a commandment that just applies to those of faith-- it's something that we all could be better at. 

So Sabbath. Rest. Quiet. Stillness. I am going to make it my goal this April-- to really dive into what it means to incorporate a day of Sabbath or even small bits of Sabbath in everyday moments. I am busy -- and I can let that be my rallying cry; my excuse, my rule to live by or I can seek something better for myself, something that God designed for me. 

xo, erika

friendship

Writing on a post about friendship feels like some exercise, like some junior high essay prompt, but I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately, so it only makes sense that it makes it out here.

To be honest, I've always felt like the person that struggled with making good friends. My dearest friends growing up were not the same age as me, and as such, I was lonely sometimes during school. I had some hurtful friendship experiences in high school that also left me a little jaded; girls can be so mean.

And when I got to college, I started out with my walls up. I lived in a house of 16 girls and my goal was to have fun. But it's hard to hide your true self when you're surrounded with 15 other girls, sharing just four bathrooms and one kitchen. And I discovered that being honest with myself -- with others -- and truly asking the right questions and letting them ask questions in return -- brought about true, deep friendships.

Friendship is not always easy -- it's a give and take. There are times when you will need to be loved, poured into and then there will be times when you will be the one pouring in, selflessly serving someone else. There will be times when you are the leader; there will be times when you follow. There will be times when you feel taken advantage of and you have to step back and there will be times when you need to have hard conversations. But I know it's all worth it: the honesty, the sacrifice and the peeling back layers to show our true selves.

I believe so strongly that friendship is living out God's call for us to truly love others. He designed us for good friendship, for deep community and it's something that I'm still striving after and may never fully understand. But I am thankful that I am at a place where friendships have become a priority. Right now I feel incredibly grateful to have good friendships. I have friends that say good, true things to me -- who ask hard questions, and who let me voice doubts freely.

xo, erika

2014

I struggled with writing this post.
I read so many good 2014 posts and so many good words that people chose.
And I thought. I prayed. And I came up with a lot of good words.

But that is exactly the problem. I am a take-on-too-much, do-all-the-good-things kind of person.

When I look back over 2013, it was a good year and it was a full year but I don't know that I fully lived or enjoyed all of it.

When I was with friends, I confess to thinking about the things I need to do for the shop, or my home, and when I'm working on the shop, I am thinking about the other things I could be doing. Simply put, I am rarely good at being content in the moment -- present with others or the situation.

This year I want to be present before God, so I can focus on Him, His calling and His plan for me.

I want to be present with others, to listen and step into my relationships more fully.

Wherever I am -- at my day job, sewing late at night, or sitting on the couch with the husband watching SNL reruns, I want to be present.

I don't want to set up a bunch of little goals -- although I'm tempted to! -- I just want to focus on this one thing and pray that life will flow from that.

Do you have a word? Or goals?

xo, erika

linking up to the "make 2014 count" linkup.

christmas

art via calebfaires.com

I entered the season with so many expectations, ideas and plans. I was going to have a Christmas craft party! I was going to DIY like all my gifts. We would light an advent candle and have a Christmas devotion every night! We would go on romantic, Christmas dates. It would be so festive!

And yet, here I am, feeling like my expectations fell through and I am not prepared for the holiday. Rather, I am exhausted, messy and emotional. Not what I expected or wanted this season to be, at all.

Yet, I know that God never wanted the season to be about the perfect or expected. Two-thousand-plus years ago when the Messiah was expected, people thought He was going to come in a storm of glory-- as a warrior, a King robed and ready to take over Rome's rule.

Instead, His coming was seemingly imperfect. He was born to a young mother, in a barn. And she likely did not feel prepared. She probably felt exhausted, messy and emotional.

And Jesus was not the expected either. He was strong, but humble and his leadership was not the take-over-Rome kind. He came as a baby in a dank stable -- not as a warrior storming the palace. This, however, was God's perfectly orchestrated plan.

So why do I, 2,000 years later, want to put Christmas lights all over the stable, and sweep away the hay, ignoring the messiness of the first Christmas?

It's ok-- or I would argue-- it's good to be a little messy this season, to feel a bit like a wreck because God entered that wreck and embraced it. He came for all and for all circumstances, not just the picture-perfect Christmas.

If you're grieving someone -- missing someone who should be around the tree with you, or feeling disillusioned or lost, this season is for you. It is not for the perfect, put-together event-- although we can enjoy those as they happen-- it is for real life, the gritty, born-in-a-barn-type bits and unexpected parts.

Merry Christmas, friends.

xo, erika

away from bitter

I didn't mean to not blog last week.

It wasn't a matter of writer's block; I have plenty to write about. It was a matter of time block. I didn't have space for a lot last week and unforunately blogging (and sleep) were the things to go.

I missed blogging and not being able to do something I really love, as well as feeling limited and unable to do a lot of things that I wanted to do, left me feeling bitter.

Bitterness is a horrible thing. Even the word-- that double "t"-- sounds harsh. There's no softness. Bitter is a biting ache that seeps in and stays awhile. I'm embarrassed to admit, it's something that I've been struggling with quite a bit this month.

I let myself get upset, or jealous, because the shop has been in a busy season- - almost too busy and overwhelming -- my day job has felt like a lot. And other things have piled up on my plate and while these towers of tasks seem tall, I have not worked at all to look beyond them-- to see the good things in my life.

This preoccupation with all.of.the.things on my plate paired with a deep-seated exhaustion is what makes me bitter.

I feel bitter toward myself -- that I choose to put so much on myself -- and bitter toward others who I imagine living much more carefree lives. And then I get into this spiral -- more and more bitter each busy day. And then there's this moment, where you're like-- "what is the matter with me? It's the Christmas season. I need to feel all of the joy! And drink a latte and see Christmas lights and bake cookies..." and that doesn't really help, does it. It might just make it worse.

But I'm trying to move past it-- to move my little towers of to-do lists aside and see the good in life. It's my prayer right now, that I can see past this moment where I feel overwhelmed, exhausted and undone.

There's a song that we play at church a lot. It was written by one of the church members and the chorus resonates me so clearly with me right now. It's become my anthem:

hold me close, away from the bitter
out of the cold, wash me in the river
lay me beside still water, and green pasture
and I'll find rest,
and I'll find my rest in you.

hold me close by andrew platter

xo, erika

i am not superwoman

I am not superwoman.

I am here to confess that I do not in fact have it all together. Ever. 

Never was that more clear than this weekend. 

As you may know, we are painting our house ourselves —with the help of family members (a lot of help from family members).

I have also been pushing myself really hard to grow my shop (and some of it is paying off.)

The house painting and shop crashed together spectacular on Saturday when I started attempting to prepare my backyard for a bridal shower I was hosting Sunday afternoon. My parents and brothers had spent the morning helping me paint and I was sweaty, wearing a hot pink t-shirt from high school, trying to weed and water my neglected yard before I headed inside to sew. 

I was covered in sweat, dirty and tired when I headed inside to find two of my best friends in my house—they came over to borrow a dress. 

One of them looked at me, and said “You look tired.” And, I being in the place that I was, burst into tears. Hot, choking sobs. 

My friend pulled me in for a hug and was like, “I am so sorry! I didn’t mean it that way!” 

But that wasn’t it. I am tired. And trying to keep it together was exhausting. How was I supposed to host a Pinterest-worthy shower the next day that would show my friend how much I loved her when I can barely stay on top of laundry? 

It was as if my friends sensed this, and one of them, cupped my face and said, “You do so much. You do not need to do so much.” And the other asked me, gently, if we could move the shower to her yard. 

My first reaction was to say no, I could host it at my house. To do otherwise would feel like a failure. I was about to say so, when they both insisted that it could be moved. 

And with that, a giant weight lifted from my shoulders. It was okay to admit I was floundering and to take the grace that my friends were freely offering me. 

I still helped host the shower—cooking and prepping—but I didn’t have to keep weeding or scrub my toilet or move the stack of totes I’ve been working on for a wholesale order from my living room. 

I tell this story to say with utter conviction that we don’t need to be superwomen. I don’t know where this idea came from—that we need to cook perfect meals, and look perfectly put together and host a bridal shower when our backyards are covered with paint chips and our house hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. 

I am not superwoman. I am messy; I have too many things on my plate as I try to chase my dreams. I need more sleep and less caffeine and I need to learn more on the grace given from my friends and from God.

This next season is going to be busy—I know that. I know that there are going to be some things I need to take completely out of my hands so that I can focus and just survive, honestly. 

And I know that I am not alone in this—I know there are other women, other people, maybe you—who feel like they’re trying to be superwoman and can’t be. Please rest in the grace that God gives you—He is enough so you don’t need to be. You don’t have to be superwoman. And if you happen to have friends, who will stay up late and help package orders, or tell you with love that you look tired-- cling to them.

xo, erika

thoughts on jealousy

 

via mulberry press

I feel like lately it's gotten easier for me to be jealous. It's easy to compare myself to others.

That's hard to admit.

But I get jealous.

I'll start with confessing a little thing I get jealous over.

I get jealous of over people's toenails.

No joke, but I am missing a few of my toenails and the ones that I have aren't so pretty (blame it on running). So I see people with perfect pedicures, rocking wedges with confidence, and I get a little jealous because my toes are not pretty. And even when I paint them, I don't really want anyone getting too close. (One reason to hope for boot season?)

That's a little thing. Toe jealousy.

But then there are bigger things that I find myself bogged down with jealousy about.

And what I have just realized is that my jealousy is often my way of making excuses.

Take for example, my jealousy of others and their success with a handmade shop or blog.

I start making excuses-- that they live in a place that's far more affordable that Seattle, so they can afford to make a handmade shop their only income. They are married to a photographer. They know people who work for magazines. They have connections. They have this, they have that. I begin to make excuses for why it's ok to for me to be jealous.

And that's not OK.

The thing is we are all here, right at this moment, in one place and it's going to be a different place from someone else. We are going to measure success differently than someone else, we are going to have experiences and friendships and moments that are different from others so it's no use becoming jealous. Jealousy can only bog us down.

In the moments where I find myself becoming bitter-- scrolling through someone's instragram feed and thinking that they must have it so easy, and that's why they have this success, I stop and remind myself that everyone comes to places differently; everything is cyclical. 

I need to remind myself that I don't need to copy what someone else is doing, or wondering about what they do to find success. I need to worry about what I'm doing to find success.

What is a good time for them now, may not be a good time for them in a year. I need to trust that God has me here, right now, in this place and He has them in a different place. I need to continue down the map He has marked for me. And that route He's traced is going to be my own, different from anyone else's.

It's actually quite beautiful to think about.

So I'm on my own path. There's no need to compare to anyone else's path. Or anyone else's toes.

What do you do when you're jealous?

xo, erika

transitions

I am not good in transitions.
I am good at thinking of the past.
Dreaming of the future.

But the here and now, in the messy -- where things are hard and not perfect and there's a lot of waiting and working -- that is hard. 

I am learning this in a tangible way with my house. If you've been around the blog at all (or follow me on instagram) you may know that the husband and I are painting our house. Painting the exterior of a house is nothing like painting a room. You have to scrape paint off, sand and prime and then paint. It is a process that we are stretching out over several weekends. So in between those weekends, we are living in the in-between-- the transition where our house is half-painted, half-scraped and absolutely ridiculous looking.

I joke with my neighbors that we ought to park our car on the grass or stick a toilet on our porch for good measure; our house looks that bad. But the thing is, it's fine that our house is looking pretty sorry right now because it's in transition. At some point it will look beautiful-- a deep charcoal gray with off-white trim and a burnt red-orange door. Right now, it's not there yet and that's okay.

This sense of being okay with transition-- the mess, the peeling paint-- I need to apply it to my own life. I need to be okay with the fact that I have not "arrived." I do not have it all, or frankly, anything figured out. I'm not sure what my future is-- I have some big dreams that I'm working through, but in the meantime, I'm in transition, waiting for the right time, and that's perfectly fine.

happy friday friends.

xo, erika

wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. psalm 27:14

linking up with Casey!
 

four years.

today marks four years-- four!-- that the husband and I've been married. As is tradition, he's taking over the blog for today.

<><><>

Hi.  It’s the husband again.  I know, I know, it’s disappointing to not have the lovely Erika writing this post.  Have no fear, this is just my annual anniversary post in which I share my deepest insights and sought after wisdom on the topic of marriage.  She’ll be back next week to share actual insights and wisdom on anything and everything diy.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to say in this space over the past two or three weeks.  I knew I’d be asked to write another blog post for Erika and I wanted to make sure I at least had a direction for my post instead of just kind of rambling on and on. The one word that kept coming to mind when I thought about our marriage over the past year was support.  

As some of you know, Erika will be heading to San Francisco today for the Renegade Craft Fair.  She’s worked really hard for the past three years building up to this weekend.  She’s sacrificed tons of free nights, weekends, and (most importantly to her) sleep to make her shop what it is today.  By no means has she pinnacled with her shop, but she’s currently higher up the mountain than she’s ever been.  And I could not be more proud of her.

One thing Erika’s always told me is that in marriage, each person needs to take turns supporting the other.  She got this from her (amazing) mother and has said it to me as long as we’ve been together. And after watching her work for the past few months in the rapid build-up to Renegade, that became crystal clear to me.  Throughout a marriage, each person will go through periods of struggle, hardship, triumph, and failure.  One of the most challenging, but at the same time beautiful, things about that is being the person standing next to a spouse who’s going through something difficult. 

The person who’s taught me how to do that best is Erika.  She has been blessed by God with the ability to put up with me and stand by me when I’m facing something difficult, demanding, or even heart-breaking.  When I slipped in the shower two years ago and tore cartilage in my knee (true story--swear to God) and all but ended my (running) racing career, Erika supported me and listened to my complaining about not being able to run, even though she probably didn’t have a clue as to what I was feeling.  At that point she didn’t really run and I don’t think she could really comprehend why I was so upset and frustrated.  Nonetheless, she listened and talked and listened some more for two years while I complained about my knee.  

I guess what I’m trying to say is that marriage is about supporting your spouse through the good times and the bad.  Each person will have their time to challenge themselves and try new things.  It’s so important for the other person to stand by their partner and help them by listening and caring about whatever it is that they’re doing.  

I’ve seen too many examples of couples with different interests not caring a bit about what their partner is doing, and it absolutely kills me.  The whole point of marriage love each other as much as possible.  And the best way to do that is sacrificing your own interests and putting your spouse first. 

In parting, I will say to those of you that are married: support your spouse in whatever ventures they are pursuing.  That doesn’t mean you have to like it or even be super interested in it.  It just means that you need to be there and walk with them as they experience something new in life.  Erika did such a good job of supporting me with my running injury that she ran a half-marathon last month.  Who knows, maybe I’ll start making bags in time for Renegade next year.  Ok, probably not.

<><><>

You can read previous anniversary posts here and here. 


and I will be in San Francisco this weekend selling my bags at the Renegade Craft Fair! If you're in the area, stop by and say hi, or follow along on Instragram. :)

xo, erika 

 

thoughts on the bachelorette

So I watch The Bachelor(ette).

Back in college, a lot of my roommates would gather around to watch The Bachelor/ette and around the same time, randomly, a guy would always stop in and berate us for watching "such trash." What I told him, mainly to get him off our backs, was that we watched as "students of psychology and communication" and that the show was a "fascinating look at relationships." At the time, it was all hogwash but honestly, today, I find myself thinking a lot about relationships and people after watching it.

I'm sure we can have a lengthy discussion about how fake the show is, how terrible it is, and how bad Desiree's outfits are (sorry girl, I just don't dig your gown choices -- too prom circa 2002.) But what I think is interesting is how it is is a view into society. A strange view, but a view none the less about what so many of us think about relationships.

I honestly do think people can find love on the show -- honestly, they already have something in common: being on a reality TV show -- and people have found love in weirder places, let's be honest.


All of the people are looking for love -- looking for the one, the spouse and they share this dramatic stuff in order that they can find a connection with someone, and that someone will fix it.

The best example of this was this woman Ashlee on last season who emphatically told Sean, the bachelor, "You are my savior, you are my reason, you make me better!"

And I say, yes, good, Ashlee, find someone who makes you better, but you are never going to find someone who will be your "all," your "savior."

Why? Because you're going to end up with a person and people let others down. People are broken, people have bad days and say things they don't mean and do things that are hurtful. People are selfish and despite the best intentions and vows, and feelings of love, people hurt others.

I'm not saying this to bash on marriage or relationships. I've been married four years and strongly believe in marriage, and my marriage is truly wonderful, but I can honestly say that there are moments where I have felt lonely and misunderstood before.

In that moment, it didn't mean my marriage was over, because my view of marriage is different. I believe in finding someone you love, someone you are attracted to but also finding someone you want to journey life with -- someone who will be your partner in crime -- who will teach you about sacrifice and love but will not be the sacrifice and love you need to survive.

I believe in finding an identity outside yourself in a relationship. I believe in God-- a loving God who gives me purpose and my identity, but even if you don't believe in God, you can't expect another human to be everything.

And I watch these people on the Bachelor who are trying so hard to find their all-- and I just want to jump in and tell them to find themselves first.  As well as jump in and tell Des to stop trying to match her eyeshadow to her dress.

xo, erika

p.s. the husband read this and then we had a discussion about whether this post needed a photo. I said, yes, all posts need photos and he said that he didn't think this one did... am I breaking some unspoken blogger rule? If so, my apologies. 

10,000 hours

 

Life takes time. Good things take time. Yet I feel like so many of us, including me, especially me, want things to be right, right at this moment. And I forget this key piece that things, good things, hard things, don't often just happen. 

Sure, there are models who are discovered in a mall, chefs whose first restaurant makes it big, a random invention that changes lives. But for most of us, life is more fits and starts, failures and small successes and long, grueling hours where we want to say forget it all. Just forget it. I will take the easier path. It is not worth it. 

I'm telling myself lately, and maybe I'm telling you, that it is worth it. Even if you're not on the cusp of some big idea, you have to put the hours in. Maybe it's just running a 5k, reconciling with someone, writing a novel, whatever it is, I don't know that it will be easy. 

But as Macklemore sings, "put those hours in and look at what you get...nothing that you can hold, but everything that it is."

some deep thoughts for a friday, right?  

how about some lighter notes:

- next week is the list link-up, where you can share the best of the previous month and the goals for the upcoming month. Rather than making New Years the only time to reflect, join Beth and I the first Friday and share your post. 

- also, if you're interesting in sponsoring, I have a July extra-large spot open and a few large spots open. If you have a small biz or an awesome blog, (which I'm sure you do,) I'd love to work with you to promote it.

happy weekend!

xo, erika

p.s. do you follow on rouge + whimsy on bloglovin' or feedly? Google reader, as you may know, is biting the dust, and I'd love to have you stick around. :)

ordinary days

 top: anthro // pants: anthro similar // shoes: urban outfitters

I think sometimes I feel like I don't have anything big or deep to blog about-- to share with you.

My days are strikingly ordinary and most of the time I'm in the same pattern, doing the same things each day.

But what I've realized is that the beauty is in the mundane-- these ordinary moments of every day life. Few of us are rockstars, secret agents or Presidents-- we may not save lives or sign autographs.

Most of the time, our days are routine-- we rise and stumble to the bathroom, we greet our family or coworkers, we stop for a red light, we wait for a microwave to finish reheating our coffee, we meet the eyes of someone passing us on a sidewalk.

Yet it's in these tiny moments that real life happens-- where we make big decisions and small ones, where we interact with those we love and those that drive us crazy. And it is these seconds and easy-to-forget times that are the stuff of real life-- and yes, it's all worth sharing-- on a blog or off.

I am trying to enjoy the ordinary moments of real life. I want to see God in these small seconds, in tiny interactions and decisions, not taking even the smallest act-- like me, reheating a cup of coffee for the third time, for granted.

xo, erika

influence workshop

shirt: JC Penney // jacket: similar // jeans: Dorothy Perkins UK // shoes: Target

I would not consider myself in expert in many things.

I'm an expert at oversleeping and running late.

I'm an expert at laughing way too loud at inappropriate moments.

I also could be considered an expert in making meals the husband will like (good thing he eats everything), reading too many books at a time, procrastinating and eating lots of chips and salsa.

I am not, however, an expert in fashion.

I bring this up because I'll be holding a fashion workshop at the Influence Conference. The point of the workshop is not for me to hold court as an expert, but to host a conversation about faith and fashion-- something I think most people would think wouldn't mix.

But what I've been learning is that God is in all things-- big things and little things-- even little things like what you wear.

I share what I wear on the blog because I like it. I get a (strange) joy in putting outfits together (and always have-- ask my mother) and I like to encourage other people to do the same: to find a style that makes them feel good. Style isn't about just buying the next best or latest thing-- it's a form of art, really, a creative thing to have fun with. 

If you're thinking about going to the conference, check it out. And if not, that's totally cool-- now you just know what my areas of expertise. :)

xo, erika

p.s. do you like the dandelions in our overgrown grass? Forget weeding them; we're starting a dandelion farm... ;)

overcome the lie

There are many lies we believe. Maybe we believe that we're constantly going to fail. Maybe we believe that no one would care about our struggles.

You can likely fill in your own answer of negativity -- the thing you tell yourself -- even though you probably know, deep down, that it is not true.

Why do we keep letting ourselves be less that who we are? Why is it easier to fall into bad habits about our worth? We can blame media, models, society, but I think we also have to blame ourselves because we have become comfortable with thinking that we are less.

Ashley created Overcome the Lie,  a social media campaign that aims to help women break free from the lies and believe the truth about their worth.


Not only do I want to promote Overcome the Lie, I want to share the lie that I fall victim to all the time.

My lie? That what I do is not enough. That I need to do more. My house needs to be cleaner, my job needs to be better, I should get up earlier, I need to exercise more, I should bake cookies for that friend...fill in the blank...

I know that I am not alone in this. In fact, that's another lie I'm tempted to believe. I'm tempted to think that no one else feels inadequate, no one else feels like a failure, but in reality, conversations with other women tells me that we all have days, moments, months, years, where we feel like failures.

Yucky, right?

My answer to all this is relatively simple. We need to change our thought process. We need to look to God, who tells us our worth, who says we are incredibly loved. We need to look to each other and encourage each other that we are not the only ones that feel like what we do is not enough. And we need to go easy on ourselves... and teach ourselves to know we are good enough.

What lies do you believe?

#overcomethelie

xo, erika

p.s. check out the overcome the lie shop, too!

journaling through lent

Through most of my life I was a devoted journaler. From elementary school worries to junior high and high school drama and well through college.

I'm not sure when I stopped doing it as often. Maybe when I became a real adult. Got a job, got married and got busier.

I know that the moments I spent journaling, processing and writing prayers, I understood more of life and more of what God wanted for me.

It's always tempting for me to treat Lent as a self-help time -- to tackle eating sweets, or too much televison, but Lent is more of a heart thing, or at least it is for me.

Lent literally means to fast, so I've decided to fast from the little things I fill my time with and instead making time to write and process.

Lent means something different to everyone; if you feel called to give up chocolate, then do it. If you feel called to give up tv- then so be it. But this season, I feel called to re-engage something I miss.

xo, erika

o holy night

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! 

 This season I have been weary.  

 I have felt busy-- as someone once put it-- "rushing from circus to circus"-- and to be honest, I'm a little weary of a world that is so broken. 

Finally in the past few days, as I've had a few moments to myself, I've been able to quietly rejoice in Christmas. Seeing family and friends, finding joy in wrapping presents and eating cookies, and dwelling on the enormity of a God who came to our very dirty, mundane and messed-up world. I am thankful that even as I am weary, He is not. 

My prayer this Christmas, is that if you're weary, you may find rest. Seek time away from the computer, enjoy family and friends, eat more cookies and drink more cocoa and find time to enjoy promises of the holiday.

 

Merry Christmas friends! 

 xo, erika