It's been eight months since my last post, and well...a lot can happen in eight months. But I'm back and stronger than ever, and my life has been overflowing with blessings. My word over this year is
faith overcomes fear, and I have declared 2014 my year of fearlessness. Fear of being alone, fear of being unloved, fear of disappointment, fear of being forgotten, fear of worldly opinions, fear of rejection...I am free from all of that now. Being fearless doesn't mean you're completely unafraid; it means having fears, but not letting those fears get in the way of living your life to the fullest. It means having complete and utter faith because “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). It means taking risks even when you don't know how well—or how terribly—things will turn out. I think one of the most important things I've come to learn in life is that taking risks is essential. I wanted to share a poem by Tyler Knott Gregson (below) that I recently came across and immediately fell in love with. It flawlessly captures the indefinable satisfaction of launching yourself into the unknown, despite an overwhelming sense of fear and doubt. So go forth with faith and hope and courage. Take risks. You have no idea what you could be missing out on, just on the other side of your fears. I seriously get the chills when reading this poem, in the best way possible. I hope it tickles something in your heart when you read it. Also, check out
http://tylerknott.com for more sensational poetry; this guy sure has a way with words.
In addition to taking risks, here are a few things that my heart has been inspired by lately...
First of all, How I Live Now is an incredibly captivating dystopian film about love, purpose, freedom, war, survival, and everything in between. Such a powerful story that leaves your heart racing with an uncanny mix of emotions, and Saoirse Ronan does a remarkable job portraying Daisy. On top of the beautifully executed cinematography, the English countryside where the movie takes place is absolutely breathtaking. One of my new favorite films. It's deep, it's insightful, and it's so worth watching.
Zaria Forman, a New York-based artist, created these unbelievably realistic 3D paintings of Greenland by using varying waves of thick paint to depict water and icebergs. “Chasing the Light” is a series of paintings from Forman's second expedition up the coast of Greenland, inspired by the dramatic geography and the documentation of climate change. In my opinion, water is by far the hardest thing to portray realistically, so I am beyond impressed by Forman's immaculate paintings. Seriously, just look at that detail.
Happy Spring! It's hard to believe it's already May! I am surrounded by new light, and I couldn't be more grateful. Here's a quick glimpse into what songs I've had on repeat lately...I highly recommend you give them all a listen, and you'll surely be glad you did. What songs made it onto your Spring playlist this year? Please share! :)
- “My Lighthouse” by Rend Collective
- “Riptide” by Vance Joy
- “Fireworks” by Yoya
- “On The Rise” by The Kin
- “Made Alive” by Citizens
- “Be Okay” by Oh Honey
- “Difference Maker” by NEEDTOBREATHE
- “Fall Afresh” by Samuel Lane (thanks, Danielle!!)
By the way, just out of curiosity...what does your name mean? I recently found out my name (Kristin) literally means “follower of christ” or “the anointed.” HOW COOL IS THAT. I know, I know. I'm pretty excited about it too. Why I've never really known that for the past (almost) 20 years is beyond me. Feel free to comment below if you want to share the meaning of your name! I'd love to hear.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...” — Isaiah 61:1
xx Kristin
