From the Heart

Hi there! This is my first blog post in…. I honestly don’t even know how long ahaha… But here I am, finally sitting down to write some, and it’s probably because I’m so sunburnt that I need a quick break from the sun and this beautiful and wild July. I really just want to share a message that’s been on my heart for a while, and also to share some of my favorite shots from the past month or so. Hopefully as I type this I can make my message and photography somehow mesh and not seem like a jumbled up mess all over the screen :)

So here goes. In the last couple months or so I’ve definitely realized that life does not go according to plan, but that it also doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful. There are days where I wish I was out traveling the world, sitting on a beach in Hawaii, or taking care of starving children in a third world country, or out there spreading the Gospel, and living behind my camera capturing experiences that are going to make a difference to people. But the reality of it is that I’m not doing that, and probably won’t get to anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean I can’t create experiences right where I’m at, and it doesn’t eliminate the option to make a difference right where I’m at either. Adventure is anywhere and everywhere, and probably also right outside of your comfort zone. But it’s good to suck it up and be brave and to focus on the current situation and not the what ifs.

Another thing I’ve learned is that loneliness is a choice. Friendships and relationships are intentional, and you can’t be afraid to make time for other people even if your life is already insanely hectic. You choose where you spend your time and in whom you invest your time into, and sometimes instead of wallowing in that low lonely feeling, you need to be brave and reach out to your friends and family, because maybe they were feeling the same way as you were and waiting for someone to reach out to them. We can’t all be the waiters, sometimes we have to be the reachers. If that even makes sense.

Here’s another valuable tidbit: Know your worth, and know who you are, and don’t give a flying hoot about what anybody else thinks of you. No one besides Christ can know yourself better than yourself. No one else on this earth knows all of your crazy ambitions, or what lights a fire in your heart and puts a gleam in your eyes, or what you think about before you go to sleep at night. They don’t know all of your passions, or who you would someday like to be like, or where you want to end up in life, or the one thing that drives you crazy. Most people won’t care, but the key is to get over that negativity and drown it out with hope and positivity because it’s always going to matter that you have a grasp on your own identity.

I think being young is kind of a challenge. I don’t know where I’m going to end up in life ( if you do know then props to ya), but I’m learning day by day to quit worrying over it, and to build on my ambitions even if it won’t get me anywhere. I don’t care. I want to be chockfull of stories when I’m old and to be able to say I did all these crazy things even if I did end up somewhere else or doing something that has nothing to do with the other crud I was putting all my time into. I think experiences are good and powerful and build character.

Overall I think it’s crucial to be brave. To be so present over your fears that you can recognize them and tell them to shove it. To be able to say yes instead of no. Listen to your gut, and sometimes don’t listen to your gut, but keep Christ at the root of every decision and to seek freedom through Him in this world because He’s the only place you’re going to find it. This world is so vast but you’re not going to get anything out of it by hiding in a corner or from hiding from yourself, so you might as well as go at it with all you’ve got and see where life takes you. As 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” I cling to this verse and the freedom it rests on my soul, and I hope it does the same for yourself.