So my sweet sister one night decided to have a real and deep conversation with someone she cared about while I was in the car and she kept asking if they could have a "real talk".
I think so many times we don't have this- we act like we have it all together and do everything that society deems appropriate for our age and just keep trodding on. But let's be real, that's not helpful nor does it help our friends and loved ones feel normal. So real talk on our 20's- here goes nothing!
There is a verse that has struck me over this past year -So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. If you are out of college and in the real world or maybe in the depths of school, this verse rings true. There is never enough time, never enough money and nothing is ever perfect. So how do we do it? How do we go about life and really live it to the fullest as God intended? Honestly, I'm not sure but I'm willing to figure it out through a few steps. I've started on a few below that I'm trying to consistently practice to fully take in each fibre of God-given life around me.
1. If you're like me you try to do things and keep up like you're rich- i.e. eat out, go to concerts, go out all of the time, but chances are if like me you are also poor- you might have a house and food and are able to pay your bills but are really one emergency away from having no money SO this step is to live within your means. Establish a budget and really stick to it. This will make you more creative and more fun because when you do have the money to go out it will be AWESOME.
2. Be intentional. People in the old days just made it work and we can too. Go outside to parks, meet friends at your house or theirs and use what you have to make a good night- leftovers, cheap wine, tea, good stories, childhood movies, etc. Establish that community that really matters and really makes you rich.
3. Take care of something. Grow a garden, or just one plant, or work really hard to maintain a blog. Nothing in life is going to get easier so the sooner we learn to take responsibility and find joy in it the better and what better way than a nice air giving plant (:
4. Exercise. It is the best way to boost your health, your mood, and your life overall and better yet it is a free activity to do with friends.
5. Live with integrity. Nothing will ever be lost in the long term from your doing the right thing now. You have a small part of the world that has been given to you to harvest and to change for better or for worse- which will you choose on the daily and how will you change the trajectory of your life to meet this new path you are choosing to walk on?
6. Don't live in a Facebook bubble of comparison and isolation- call your friends and family. Those tv shows you love- there are approximately 10 characters and yet they live a "good life". The same goes for books. That's because its not about how many friends you have but the quality friends you have. So spend less time online and more time experiencing things with these 10 people. Make those movie/tv show moments real and stop thinking about this persons engagement or that person's new baby. You are amazing and your life is as full and as great as you want it to be. So call your friends and go live your life!
6. Pray. Whenever things get rough, because let's face it the farther we are from college and the safety blanket of our family back home the more overwhelming life seems. But it is not impossible and we are not alone and God honestly will give you what you need. If what you are praying for doesn't/isn't happening it is either not the right timing or God is doing something else right then. Even a prayer as simple as "God I literally can't do this project anymore can you please help me find a way to figure out this problem", can lead to a beautiful end. Don't underestimate how much God loves you or how He wants to provide for you.
7. Listen to your gut but don't follow your desires. Sometimes we just know things and those things lead us to the perfect place at the perfect time- follow that. Other times we are overcome with how much we want to devour a massive 3 layer cake or be with a person that isn't good for us, etc. this leads to some sort of flooding/destruction of your life. Try to do this and give yourself grace when you don't and you let that destruction in. Nothing is beyond repair and your life can become better. Sometimes you just have to take it a moment at a time. Live.
8. Love fully. You are going to get hurt, it's inevitable. Be careful who you are close to and who you let love you but try your best to love others always and everywhere. There is no better or fuller or more perfect way to live. (Also, if you haven't, take time to love yourself- that is important too because having a strong foundation of knowing who you are and fully accepting it will help you help others on that same journey to self acceptance and the reception of love)
9. Lastly, fix your minds on good thoughts. When you started to go down the thought of what if, or well this happened, and really start to get tired and sad- STOP. Do not go down that road. Change your thoughts and literally think of 10 thoughtful things. Write them down. Do something nice for someone else. Do not let life or this moment get you down because it is about to get better. Believe it and accept it- it is a blessing from God in each moment to be received if we only fix our minds on beautiful things.
Thank you for listening to my thoughts on this, I would love to hear your thoughts too! Feel free to comment or call. This is not an easy life but we are all in it together and that's why it's beautiful. The verses below are great for being in our 20's and freaking out about the things we don't and can't yet have. But then reading this you realize, maybe we don't need to!
Ciao!
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Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But
when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if
the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that
darkness is!
No
one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other;
you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both
God and money.
That
is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have
enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than
food, and your body more than clothing? Look
at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for
your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him
than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And
if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and
thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do
you have so little faith?
So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
[Matthew 6:19-34]
Liz, you are such an inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteLiz, this was so good! So true, and God spoke to me through it, just reassuring me to live life, even in a season of doubt and uncertainty about future plans. :)
ReplyDelete