DAY 8:
I couldn't imagine living my life unsure of my purpose. To honestly choose to believe that I'm just some floating organism, lost in the universe, when there is another option?! The Bible, inerrant and powerful, offers everyone meaning in life. To live to love, to give, to grow, to know to show. To receive life eternally, to praise the Creator, to be in community, and to share all of these things with the people that are still lost.
I have purpose, I have life. I have a reason to live, and unbeknownst to Hoobastank, the reason is not a "you". It's to honor, serve, and mirror my Creator. When I spend my time letting Jesus change me, day by day, I don't have time or interest in greed, lying, gossip, slander. I then have my focus set on loving, being joyful, giving generously, serving. Too many people look at the Cross as fire insurance and Christianity as too many rules. But what about loving, giving, uplifting, encouraging, motivating, and living an inspired fulfilling life sounds like a rule book? If you focus on doing what you are called to do in Christ, you won't have time to do what God says not to do, and in the process you are guaranteed a fuller life.
I wake up, knowing that I have been created individually, given new life and perspective, and I wake up with motivation to live better because I have life in Christ.
If you are wondering about this Jesus thing, or you want a new view of Jesus, allow Him to "reintroduce Himself". Ask me, ask Him. Search the Word. Don't hate the author if you've never studied His work.
Laugh. Inspire. Believe. Love
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DAY 7:
This week has been an interesting one. If you did not hear, I got a new job! I have accepted the position of Executive Assistant for the Patient Safety Department at the Tennessee Hospital Association. This comes with a lot of excitement, anticipation of the transition, and a little sadness of the schedule and commitments I leave behind. I will be going to bed early, waking up early, and will no longer work the desk at Body Shop Fitness or be at so many events with Infinity Events and Catering. This, to me, is like graduation. It will be different to be out of the comfort zone I have acclimated myself to, but my real friends from either place will continue to be my friends. Today, I am so thankful for both where I have been and where I am going to. I have been looking for some time now to find my place in the world: a full-time career doing something that is important. So here I go. I am thankful to those who gave me the opportunities to be where I was and who helped me grow while I was there. Yet, I look forward to the coming weeks, months, and hopefully years of getting acclimated to new territory, learning and growing along the way. I thank God especially. Change can be hard, and with so many things out of my control in life, it's so nice to know that Jesus Christ alone is my solid rock, who does not waver in the storm or leave me in the valleys. He is right there in the ups, right there in the downs, and there in the times when I'm not sure what I'm feeling. I struggle sometimes with moving on and leaving places and people behind, but God has given me such peace for this move, that I remain completely content. Excited, but not fearful, and I am thankful for that. Laugh. Inspire. Believe. Love. This is it. I spoke of this a little over a month ago, and I am finally doing it.
This is the 30 Day Commitment Cleanse. DAY 1: I am recovering from two sprained ankles right now. I have cancelled Zumba, taken off of work, and cancelled social plans. What may surprise you is that I'm not really upset. Yes, the dip in my paycheck will hurt a little, but this time has been very valuable to me. Over the past week, I have slept, and read, and played with my little sister. I have prayed, studied Scripture, and spent time with my family. I have been forced to rest. And I am embracing it. I am thankful that I have time to experience the peace of God. I am thankful that I have the stillness to appreciate His glory unfolding in the creation around me. I am thankful that I have time to engage in quality conversation catching up with people whose friendships I hold dear. This time of rest has given me the time to write and send letters. This time has given me opportunities to build patience. I am thankful, and I am content. Laugh. Inspire. Believe. Love. If God made such a variety of people, surely He made a variety of ways for them to connect with Him It's true. God made you special. Yes, YOU! You were created with purpose, passion, and personality. And you were made very different than I was.
Diversity is a beautiful thing. That is one of the simplest, yet most profound, lessons I learned while in Haiti last week. In the Dominican church service, I couldn't understand a word that the congregation was singing, but through their body language, you could clearly see the passion they had for the Lord. My Lord. We serve the same one. They probably felt the same way when our group sang a song. The next example was in Haiti, when one of the GO ministries staff members drove from our construction site in Haiti, to his school in the Dominican, changed his exam time to earlier, and then drove back to Haiti, just to help us out with translation and some issues with customs. This meant he travelled a few hours both ways, went through the tedious customs process twice, and had to switch buses, all while having a test in the meantime. Yet, without hesitation, his response when asked why he would go through all the trouble, "It's my worship". Worship can look different for everyone. There is a reason there are multiple love languages, as well as multiple types of Spiritual gifts. I think it is more important that the heart of worship is full of pure intentions. Serving humbly with a positive attitude can be one of the hardest things to do, but if you see what you're doing as worship, it gives purpose to the situation. Just a perspective I discovered on the trip that I wanted to share. Laugh. Inspire. Believe. Love. Wow.
That was an incredible trip! Who knew I could go a week without eating a cookie or looking in a mirror. I joined in as a stranger and walk away knowing about everyone's intestinal issues! It's just mind-blowing that God hand-stitched this team together. We all brought our most honest versions of ourselves. Given the accommodations, we didn't really have a choice. But from that authenticity came real community with genuine interaction. I think there are some incredible people on this team, and I think God uniquely placed each person there for a few reasons. I whole-heartedly believe each person came as an example of something God calls us to be. Lindsay- BOLD. She showed us what it means to be out of your comfort zone. She watches the online service in Canada and never met any of us until the day we met to get on the plane. She has also never flown before, and to share in this experience with us, she flew a total of 9 times! I've heard it said, "When you step out of your comfort zone, you step into your purpose". I hope that Lindsay continues to have this attitude of adventure. Matt- WELCOMING. He provided genuine conversation. He made everyone he talked to feel listened to and appreciated. He is real and easy to relate to. One night, I walked around Santiago with him, and it was nice just hearing about his background and relationship with God, but he also inquired about mine. It's nice to have real dialogue with people. Zach- HILARIOUS. Faith doesn't have to be so somber all the time. Zach is a man of God who brings humor to situations. He does it appropriately which makes it easy to both open up to him and listen to him. And if you listen to him, this experienced traveler has wisdom to share. Jacob- PEACEFUL. He is so likeable. Everyone becomes friends with Jacob, I'm convinced. He is so easy to be around. He is someone who is easy-going and doesn't bring drama or conflict. Of course walking with God will naturally bring disagreement, but Jacob shows respect that would keep a heated argument down to a healthy discussion. Brent- PATIENT. While everyone around him was yelling and throwing chairs about going into triple overtime in a game of taboo, Brent found a way to calmly continue to play and led his team straight to victory. He was patient and paced himself, which was wise. He never complained about anything and I think there are few people who demonstrate patience well in our society. He is going to be a great leader to his family. Robin- SELFLESS. What a wise young woman. Married with a child, keeping things in balance. She really knows how to give without being taken advantage of. She even came up with an idea with Brent to turn their side photography into a giving opportunity. I feel like she did a great job checking in with people to make sure we were doing okay, and I never once saw her make herself first in line for the bathroom, the food, or the shower. Such selflessness really will show a great deal of spiritual maturity. David- GENEROUS. At lunch on one of the days of construction, I realized I hadn't seen David all day. He had jumped on a job that someone needed help with and no one even knew it. He is always very willing to jump up and give of himself and his talents. He is so appreciative of the life he has lived, and he just gave off a vibe of generosity. Katie- JOYFUL. Katie has an absolutely infectious laugh. Joy just pours from her. Even being in a tent on the ground, hot and uncomfortable, she persevered with a smile on her face. I feel like every time I talked to her we laughed hysterically at one point or another. She is friendly, and a joyful outlook goes a long way in being an example of Christ. Christina- PASSIONATE. She calls herself emotional, but I just think there is so much beauty in feeling everything you experience so deeply that it moves you to action and impact. This is someone who will be moved to do something against injustice and I can really see God using her in that way. Danielle- WISE. I am so blessed to know Danielle. She has unwavering character paired with inspirational faith. She is constantly learning about herself and people to find ways to better communication and leadership. She is making transitions in her life out of wisdom and obedience to God. She really has a gift for capturing people's hearts and is a great leader. Stephen- INFLUENTIAL. He is truly a man of God. Though he has a goofy side, his character and authenticity absolutely shines through. He is very wise and was a good person to lead this trip. He is down to earth and very wise. He makes you feel heard. I think God wants us to use our qualities to reflect His beauty and power and have influence in people's lives. This is not by any means an exhaustive list. Every person on here has overlap in other qualities, but I hope you see that my point is that God made people different so that collectively we can build off of one another as we build the kingdom. Laugh. Inspire. Believe. Love. Do you ever feel like there is something more you could be doing with your life? Content, but feeling like you aren't fulfilling your purpose?
I HEAR THAT. I graduated Belmont almost 8 months ago with a Bachelor's degree in Business. Guaranteed to open so many doors, right? Not necessarily. When I was looking at Belmont's business program, one of the leading factors in my interest was that there was, I believe, a 94 or 96% job placement rate within the first 6 months out of the university. That's HUGE. Yet, while some of my friends are getting engaged, some are travelling the country, and some are landing their dream job, I search and reach out, with no reciprocation. Sometimes I feel my life is just at a standstill. Do you have those moments? So what do we do? I guess there are only a few things to do: 1. Pray for opportunities to touch people's lives in whatever situation we are in. 2. Prepare for what it is we are searching for 3. Keep trying to find a path to our desired destination unless you feel called in a different direction 4. Enjoy the stillness- sometimes life is so busy and it's easy to take the calm moments for granted I just wanted to take a moment and encourage anyone reading that while we can't control what is or is not happening in our lives, we can make and take opportunities in the meantime! Please leave me some comments on any other suggestions you have! Laugh. Inspire. Believe. Love |
AuthorNative to Nashville, TN, Taelor Barnette is a hyperactive over-thinker, who likes to express herself though written word, pictures, and dance parties, all while she tries to figure out her God-given talents and how to use them to help leave this world a little better than she found it. Archives
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