11th May 2015

Let the obstacles propel you forward.

Sometimes it feels safe to hide behind an Instagram wall filled with pretty things,  a Twitter handle reporting all of the happy times and a blog full of surface level, fashionable and whimsical fancies. It’s certainly not an intentional game of hide + seek, it’s just that positing the positive + glitzy things feels good. Those posts encourage and spur creativity. And that’s okay. I mean we, the modern women, need a killer outfit and a dose of inspo every now and again. We need a place to come, to drop our woes at the click of the button, and to breathe. To chill, relax, grab a cup of coffee and just be. Anybody with me?

But equally, there’s something so powerful about a story shared. It provides depth that others can relate to. There’s freedom in a testimony. The vision for this space is to be about all of the wonderful things that make life so enjoyable, but in that there’s got to be truth. There’s got to be a relatable voice. Because truth is, life gets real. We all face challenges, although not exactly the same, each one is significantly relevant to the next.

PROPEL US FORWARD

Mine comes in form of a challenge everyday to say no to something trying to win over my body, Cystic Fibrosis. I face it every new morning, but I don’t give it the authority to rule my life. Some days are down right tough. Are there days that I feel like throwing my hands up in utter dismay? Absolutely. Sometimes I may even feel the need to throw myself a full-blown Ben & Jerry’s pity party. But within that I have a choice, we have a choice, we can use that very challenge, as an obstacle to continually hold us back, or as the very thing to propel us forward to something greater, with a vast purpose far bigger than ourselves.

Take for instance the teacher that is passionate about her job. She’s great with kids, amazing at teaching and positively shaping those innocent little minds, yet is caught in a world of school and league table bureaucracy. Something that once felt like a passion now fills more like turning an unoiled cog.

Or the enthusiastic young graduate who is currently waiting tables to make ends meet and encounters relentless false starts to their career.

The athlete facing a career altering injury with no other dreams in sight. Fearfully uncertain of what’s next for their future. 

At the end of the day we are all chasing some kind of dream. There’s something we’d give anything to see come to pass. Endless nights, desperate measures, unending prayers and desirable hearts all awaiting ‘that moment’ or ‘that day’.   

faith over fear

The beautiful thing is that you have the power within you to conquer. Remember you’ve been born with a purpose. Never let what your up against hold you back. If rest is what you need then by golly, rest. You aren’t immortal after all. Press in and press on, the mountain will eventually crumble and break through will come. Each new morning is an opportunity to stand up to defeat. Your power and the power of Christ within is enough to see the unthinkable, unimaginable and unbelievable come to pass. 

Find a sisterhood to cheer you on, if you’ve not been blessed with one yet, make that your prayer. Until then let this be a place for just that – a place to encourage your soul and find rest for your weary heart. 

Chase that dream and keep going. You’re stronger than ‘that’ whatever ‘that’ may represent for you.