BY: MEGAN DRAKE

Do you have a word that haunts you? A word that circles around your mind that you can’t seem to get rid of?  I do. This word pops up in my head at the most random of times, all the time. When I am relaxing, having fun, working, writing, exercising.

All. The. Time.

Should. 

This is the word that haunts me. That tells me I am not enough where I am. The word that not only beckons for more, but demands more.

Why does this word have so much power over me?

I should look harder for a job.
I should workout more.
I should make my resume more kick ass.
I should make my quiet time with God longer.
I should be thinner.
I should be married by now. If not, I should be doing something exciting.
I should enjoy singleness.
I should be more content.
I should write more.
I should dance more often and sing loudly.
I should be more carefree.
I should enjoy unemployment.                                                                                                             I should read instead of watching The Bachelor.

Should steals something from me. It keeps me from being present and engaged in the moment. It steals my wholeness, makes me believe that who I am right now is not enough.
Should is a lie. Should comes into your life and destroys the time spent in the present. It destroys jamming out to T-Swift and J Biebs. It destroys putting the talents God has given you to work. It makes you believe you ought to be doing something other than what you are doing.

The truth is, I am enough. You are enough. And some days are to be productive, run 3 miles and get work done, others are for fun-tivities like dancing in the kitchen and watching football all Sunday. But wherever you are, be fully you. Don’t let should dictate who you are to be.

I want to stop should-ing on myself so much. To give myself a break and allow myself to embrace who I am and not allow this word to tell how I spend my days, how I spend my life.
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Don’t feel guilty for being you. Don’t give into the pressure to change who you are. Don’t should on yourself.

BY: JORDYN FERRARO

Reading a new devotional book “Streams in the Desert“, I came across this Annie Johnson Flint poem, & it immediately struck a cord with me.

If you’ve read Megan’s latest post, you’ll learn what this season is about – unemployment, moving home, transitioning away from Ireland, and most of all, learning to be content in the mess. And I couldn’t agree more. It’s a huge season of unknowns, a desert season where it can be a whole lot easier to look at the barren land than to trust in the Living Water.

For me, moving home for me started out to be much easier than I ever anticipated. The only way I can make sense of it all is that the Lord was answering many, many prayers about this move. I was able to approach the holidays joyfully, being filled with family time, movies, lots of food, and catching up with friends. I couldn’t have asked for more.
But now, as life settles in and the traveling around slows down, I’m beginning to see how quickly this season is going to be a desert.

I’m far too much a figure-it-out kind of girl. I like to keep moving and when the Lord reminds you to be still, it makes for some anxious moments, some bended knee prayers, and learning (over & over & over again) to trust in the Lord who said

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” Isaiah 43:2

                                                                       and

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” Exodus 14:14

Whether trials come from the smallest things like motivation to write a cover letter or wondering how financially you’ll make it through the month – big or small – God is greater. We will not sink, we will not reach the ocean floor because our God is a Father who will not let His children go under, but instead lead us straight on through.

So while the desert may feel long and the ocean may feel wide, the moment you step forth in His Word & resting in His Truth, the distance won’t seem so paralyzing. The hurry and the anxiety to figure it out becomes a peaceful journey – a journey where hardships produce character and lead to a life that may not be safe & comfortable, but that’s filled with far more adventures than you can possibly imagine.

I’ve been in need of this reminder the last few weeks, remembering The Lord will open every path as we come to them. Anyone who has been through the job hunt can probably agree with me here, it sucks. So instead of sitting in how much I dislike it, I trying to take this to be a daily lesson, a reminder in the moments of ‘how’ or ‘what if’s’. A reminder at the start of every morning, after every rejection email, & every application sent out – that God is faithful. That the unknowns to us are fully known to Him. And instead of fighting against it, I’m learning what it means to be content in every situation – to trust in His will with open hands, even when it looks differently than I’d imagine. Because, ultimately, every desire & every hope is safest with Him anyways. Most of all, my prayer is for us all to remember that even when the desert has no end in sight, or the oceans rising seems unbearable, we will not go down, but through.
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I may not have answers (who am I kidding, I definitely don’t have any answers right now),  and I may have desires greater than what a 9-5 job looks like, but I also believe there is excitement in this season. There is a renewed joy in trusting the Lord with the finest of details, in stepping out of the boat & into the storm with eyes locked on Him. So, let’s keep embracing this mess. Let’s keep looking ahead to the open desert and know that out there, the Lord’s stream is flowing, we only have to keep walking.

BY: MEGAN DRAKE