one of those pesky grey clouds that hangs around way longer than necessary. leaves you asking, “who invited you to this parade, anyways? and why did you decide to show up now?”

I’ve been in the process of reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and it has truly been changing my life. 

There are so many things I am realizing and processing because of it, but the one thing that I have been continually aware of is how I need to learn to

s l o w  d o w n .

I spend so much of my time and energy trying to get from point A to point B, trying to get one task down to start another, and all the while I’m mentally exhausted because I’m thinking about tomorrow - constantly. Not literally thinking about tomorrow, but thinking about the future in general. I tell myself I’m not worried, but then why do I use so much of my mental energy thinking about what I’m going to do in the future, how I’m going to do it, when I’m going to start doing it…? It’s exhausting.

And I finally see why I have had so many “highs” and “lows” in the past year. Or really, my entire life. Because I’ve spent so much time worrying about tomorrow, I have forgotten how to live in today. How to be here, present, fully engaged and taking the moment for what it is.

Ann Voskamp started a daily discipline of seeking out moments and things that she loves, and was dared to write down one thousand of them - hence the name of her book. I have started to do the same, and it is amazing how much it is changing me. It is inclining my heart more towards God. It’s lowering the volume on my inner voice so I can better hear His. And it is making me live more joyfully and presently than I ever was before.

And this is only about a week in. I might be in Africa, a million miles away from what my heart really desires, but somehow He is changing my heart and my person, and I am waiting on Him to continue the inner changes in me.

I’d say I’m excited, but I’m trying to sit, quietly and patiently, turning my face to the Son, and really feeling the light on my face, the breeze in my hair, and the smile that creeps up from within.

Ah…God is good :)