"What a year." This has become the mantra of my roommates and I. It's kind of an inside joke, but by now I think we can pretty much all concede that 2020 has been a year for the history books. We've all had plans interrupted, busy schedules halted, and a few less hugs. Plus everything that happened before March! Ha! I think there's also been some good in the forced reset from COVID-19 & if you haven't checked it out yet, you should read the post my mom wrote here. She has beautiful way of looking at things & I think we could all learn a thing or two. But before this pandemic becomes a distant memory, I wanted to throw a little more food for thought your way (& tell ya about this cute customizable necklace from Amazon...), so here's a bonus post for the month!
2020 might be my fault. No, I wasn't in Wuhan when this whole thing started. But you know how I wrote about how I pick a word every year? My word for 2020 was interruptible. How ironic! Promise I didn't mean for the whole world to be interrupted, more just for myself. But here we are ;) God always seems to use my word in a big way. I've been joking that next year I should pick a good word like prosperity *wink*
I want to share a little more about what this word means to me, but first I want to tell ya'll about this cute necklace! I found this company on Amazon and I kid you not, this necklace was $11. All 4 sides are completely customizable & it's available in black, gold, silver, or rose gold. The quality is great & it came in a cute little handmade box. I literally told my roommates I felt personally cared for by the cute packaging with a handwritten note "just for you." They laughed at me, but whatevs. Pretty sure you'll feel personally cared for too if you order ;)
But for real, I love wearable reminders (in case you didn't get the memo from WEAR & DECLARE apparel haha) and I think this is such a great way to wear your word for the year, a special date, a verse, or your kiddos names. Whatever floats your boat! It's also a great gift idea. I'll link the rest of my outfit at the end of the post.
So why interruptible? The back of my necklace says "Follow Me" and you may have noticed one side references Matthew 4:18-22 which says
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them,“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
When Jesus called these men they immediately dropped what they were doing & followed Him. Full send. No halfsies. They were all in. And this decision happened IMMEDIATELY. How often do I miss an opportunity to follow Christ in the unknown simply because I'm too busy getting to the next thing? My mind is ALWAYS in the future. I simply love dreaming & scheming. Seriously, at any given moment if you asked me what I am doing next I probably have about 10 options I could rattle off with enthusiasm. (I hold myself to the standard that only boring people get bored. But don't worry I don't hold the rest of the world to that standard. It's kinda a blessing and a curse: I end up with a monumental abundance of interests that I'm exceedingly mediocre at ;) Quantity over quality I guess? Haha I better get off this rabbit trail now...).
The problem is, when my mind is always onto the next thing, I often rush past these divine invitations to be interrupted.
And often that includes scrambling past people as well. I've noticed the most impactful people in my life are the ones willing to put aside what they are doing to make time for me. Interruptible. I see it in my parents. My grandparents. My mentors. My friends. Jesus.
Jesus never hurried. And He sometimes made large crowds wait while He poured into an individual. I want to be like that.
I guess "interruptible" is a lifestyle that goes for the big things and the small things. It goes for me holding my life plans & my daily schedule with open hands. Maybe instead of finishing that homework assignment I need to go pray with a friend who is struggling. Life is a matter of priorities you know & some things aren't as important as we think they are. Maybe I need to change my entire life plan as God nudges me in a new direction. Maybe a trip gets cancelled.
Or maybe Corona Virus cancels all our plans for a few months. And the world collectively gets to live without FOMO. Without hurry. Without so much busy and so much stress. This interruption has looked different for everyone. For me, this was a beautifully timed interruption that came as a very clear picture of God's provision. As years go by in my battle with health, I am thankful for the opportunity to do classes from the comfort of my home and the nearness to my doctor (who by the way wanted to see me every week around the exact same time as I came home due to the virus...that is not coincidence). We've all been given a crash course in interruptibility this year.
I think I've been a little all over the place, but hang with me here. Interruptions are sometimes pretty & sometimes they aren't. Some we choose, others are forced upon us. We don't actually have as much control as we'd like to think & there are going to be parts of everyone's story that they wouldn't have written themselves. But God uses them. He redeems them. This year I am choosing to trust that even when life doesn't go the way I planned, it will be used for God's glory and my good. And rather than chasing my own plans all the time, I want to be willing to drop everything and Follow Him. Full send.
Proverbs 16:9 "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."
What I'm Wearing:
Unfortunately, Hollister is no longer selling these Chambray Overalls, but I was able to find them on Mercari. I'll be honest, I've never shopped here before, but the overalls are new and the seller has good reviews so it seems like a go if you're interested :)
Striped Shirt (similar)
Hair scarf. Mine was from H&M but I'm not seeing it online. Here are a few similar options: Yellow floral, Blue & Yellow, Free People
make yourself at home,
Liv
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