Oh, The Places You'll Go!

I’m gonna be honest. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually read the book that the title of this post is referencing(like, we’re talking since my childhood). But it’s Dr. Seuss, so there’s no doubt in remembering it being great.

BUT ANYWAYS…

These words from that title came to mind from looking at this current season. David talks about this with God in Psalm 16: 6 when he says, “Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places”. It may not always feel like that, but it’s true. I feel that this is not just what God wants to do for David, or even just myself, but for everyone. What this season has taught me is that the “pleasant path” often looks a lot stranger than we expect.

Let’s be real for a moment: we’re more often than not, pretty limited in our thinking to the scope of what our path in life looks like. God, on the other hand, never runs out of new ideas and likes to take us weird places. By weird, I mean, things that are above our comprehension of logic.

If you had told me 5 years ago, even 2, where my path would lead me, I would laugh at you(respectfully, of course) and tell you that doesn’t make sense. But then again…

God isn’t really concerned with making “sense”. He’s more concerned with making paths for our lives that lead us to the destinies He has for each and every one of us.

We get scared, as I do, that the dreams we hold won’t come true because the path we’ve followed doesn’t make sense with the logic of the world. And in a sense, that’s true. At least, if you wanna get there the same way just like others have before, maybe the weird path isn’t for you. But if you want, and are willing, to go somewhere completely new, where others may have never ventured, then you have to be willing to go off the map and look “weird” to everyone else.

There are commonalities and pieces of wisdom that carry through the spectrum of everyone’s lives, but each of us hold a story that is only ours, uniquely written by Him, because He never runs out of new ideas.

So if you’re like me, in a completely new place that seems weird, compared to where you thought the path was leading next, just remember:

If you’re willing to go to the weird places, you’ll discover the new places. Don’t settle for living out other people’s stories. Live out the new one He made only for you.

*Photo Credit: Matthew Freres

How did I get here?

It certainly has been a long time since I've written anything here on my blog. I can't even begin to describe how much has happened and how vastly life has changed in this period of time.  

Everything from saying goodbye to friends and family to moving out to California to pursue my dreams in film. You know, the little stuff. 

Anyways, as I sit here in Los Angeles on this cool morning enjoying a cup of coffee and book before work, I'm struck with one thought:

How did I get here? 

Moving to California has certainly put so much into perspective for me, including leaving my family and friends in Illinois.  

I ask this question, because I have had so many moments lately of questioning how I will make it moving forward. When you live a life of pursuing your true dreams and passion, it can honestly be terrifying and make you question everything about who you are. If we're not careful, these doubts and fears can hold us back not only from moving forward, but from living fully present in the moment today. 

But I have found that when I ask myself how I did, in fact, get here, I begin to see my whole journey in life up until this point. In seeing this, I realize not only how much I've worked and sacrificed, but how blessed and moved by God I've been to get here. When I take all of this in and see all that has gone into getting to this present moment, the fear begins to slip away because I realize that my story has been so intentional thus far and God has put too much into my life for me to give into doubt and give up now.  

I share this not to put a sole focus on my life but as an encouragement to everyone reading this. We all experience doubt and fear with how to move forward in our lives, especially when we care so deeply about where we're going. But if you take a moment to ask yourself simply how you got here, then that reflection of your journey may be the answer you need to move forward. 

Your story is too important to give up on now. God says so. I agree. Hopefully you will too.