In this month of September, I am soon approaching having spent three years of my life living in California.

Needless to say, there have been many things I’ve learned living life here…

There’s so much to say, and so much I wish I could share right now, but that time will come. For now, I ponder and share the biggest lesson I’ve learned: your path may not look like everyone else’s, and you cannot allow the pressure of others to dictate who you’re supposed to be.

When I first moved out to California, my life looked completely different, and in truth, I was a completely different person in many ways than I am now. Within the first year of living here, the path I thought I was staying on changed, and needless to say, it certainly looked odd from the outside looking in. It’s almost as if, my first year of living here was about seeing what it felt like going down the path other people expected me to.

While this was an exciting season and I hold no regrets, I burned out at the end of that year. That path, as I came to realize, was not the path I could stay on because it wasn’t my own path. In making the changes in my life that I did, it appeared foolish to some. It was me choosing to go off the map and go into the wilderness. This is a terrifying prospect in many ways, as it is full of so much unknown and there’s no real roadmap as to how to navigate it. But I knew it’s where God wanted to take me.

So over these past couple of years, really diving into the unknown route, something amazing happened:

I actually started to heal and get to the core of who God actually made me to be.

You see, when we’re living our lives in a manner to try and fit in, it’s easy to distract ourselves with the noise. But when we step away from that place, it forces us to face ourselves, which isn’t always fun. It can force us to look at a lot of hurt, a lot of pain and disappointment, but it is ultimately where we can choose to heal and choose to actually see ourselves.

I am in no way perfect. There are so many things I have yet to figure out and I am still growing and healing, but if there’s one major thing this California adventure has given me, it’s been the gift of finding my own path so that I can be fully alive, no matter what anyone else thinks.

So to you reading this, what I am describing here is not limited to California, or even a geographical location. What I’m describing here is a spiritual, personal season that can be found anywhere, but it is up to you to seek it out. If you feel stuck, hurt, discouraged, know this: life doesn’t have to stay that way for you. There’s a life ahead for you full of hope, joy and love. It’s easy for others to just tell you how they think your life should look, but what they think pales in comparison to what you know is true for you in your heart.

There’s a quote I love from Saint Irenaeus that goes, "The glory of God is man fully alive." I believe this applies to every single person on this planet, and I hope for you in your own life and path, that you can find your way of being fully alive.