Concerts In The Car

Quick update: I'm still not on the beach, in the Caribbean.

"No Woman, No Cry" did get blasted in my car a time or two, and I may or may not have been singing along at the top of my lungs, with other drivers looking over at me having my own concert session.

Last week I shared my personal frustrations, which allowed me to take a step back and reflect. Walking into this week, I would remind that version of me that through all of my adversities, God has never failed me yet.

During one of those inside-my-car concerts, I spent some time in quiet prayer, grounding myself with a gentle reminder that anxiety is no longer my default setting. It was my way of releasing the pressure I'd built up from trying to fix an issue that was simply outside of my control and putting it back into the hands of my Creator.

Here's the beauty of it: I'd been out all day working my side job, and it was as if in that moment my prayers were also being answered in a way I hadn't even thought of.

Once I made it home, I was sifting through my emails and one popped out at me. I read it three different times to make sure I was understanding it properly. I almost cried, honestly. It was an answer to the very thing that had been causing me stress. A "thank you, God" moment.

Has that ever happened to you? The process of laying down a burden and holding onto the faith of knowing it's going to work out.

We can spend so much time overthinking our own ability to solve something that really and truly isn't ours to solve in the moment.

This week also reminded me that help often comes through the encouragement of other people, and perhaps that's another one of the ways God answers.

Some of that encouragement for me came in a text from my former therapist. We still keep in touch, and when I shared that I'd revamped my website and was following the path forward, one step at a time, she wrote back that my soul has always been on the right path. "It's just a journey. Sometimes it feels long." And she has EVERY faith I'll find my way to that well-deserved rest.

If there is anyone on this planet who has seen the full depth of range within me, from the darkest of times to the dusty cobweb basements, it is her. The level of work we did through our sessions is something I will forever be grateful for, so to read her encouraging words now, after so many years, helps me feel seen and heard + on the right path.

Then came a phone call with a dear friend. We talked about our own dark times, and somehow we still found the humor in life's often unexplainable circumstances.

We need people who can hold faith with and for us, and still find the laughter in the middle of the hard parts.

The reality is, I am still facing challenges I didn't sign up for, and I question why more often than I should. However, I can always find my way back to center. The past two weeks have really been more about being grounded in my faith while seeing more clearly where I'm growing.

When we're in seasons of growth, it doesn't always look pretty. We're allowed to be human.

"Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up." Proverbs 12:25 (NIV)

"This Weeks Reflection"

Who in your life could use a pick-me-up this week? What's a kind word someone gave you that you return to when you need it?

Words have so much power in the way they're used, and uplifting those around us is always a win.

Until next time,

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Nicole Z.

Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash​