Discouragement and Rest

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with where you were at with life? Maybe you feel overwhelmed with your job or your goals or a decision you have to make? I think it’s a feeling that a lot of people can relate to and come face to face with but don’t know what to do. It’s a feeling that can cause a lot of anxiety and discouragement. I know I have faced a lot of discouragement and will continue beating discouragement down so it doesn’t consume me.

There are times where I feel overwhelmed with life. I have a dream of working in music and entertainment. More specifically I see myself either being on the radio, owning a record label or working with some no name band helping them build a career and launching them to rock-star status. I am going to be honest. It’s a dream that feels distant and hard to plan out. I don’t always seek Christ in those moments but I know I should. It’s in those moments that I should be seeking Christ in hope that he will consume my burdens.

I am going to be honest again. I have a variety of thoughts and ideas that I think are going to be the next best thing. I want to work on these crazy ideas because I know there is something interesting there. I want to pursue these ideas because there is some sort of cool opportunity there. In the midst of working on these ideas I end up feeling overwhelmed with exactly how to make that idea work and get lost in the details. So I spread myself thin and feel stressed and discouraged but I think there is hope.

I think we should remember three things when we are faced with being overwhelmed, discouraged, depressed or any other feeling that is thrown our way.

The first thing that helps me is allowing myself to take a break and do something else. If we take a step back for a little while and allow ourselves to rest and kind of reset, we give ourselves the opportunity to get a different perspective and let our creative juices a chance to fill back up. I find myself constantly drained of my creativity and ideas if I am overworked and frustrated about the details. Allow yourself the freedom to daydream and see if that helps you work out the details. The bible talks about rest 508 times. I think that rest is important if the bible talks about it that many times. After God created the heavens and the earth he took a day and rested. If God can take a day and rest, then its important enough for you and I to do the same.

The second thing that helps me is to seek council from parents, mentors or a person you trust. I know that if I reach out to someone, pick their brain and let them in on how I am feeling that they will help me figure out where I am stuck. So often I get hung up on a specific detail and don’t know what to do. I dig myself into a rut and don’t know how to build a ladder to get out. My parents are a great example. I have been fortunate enough to move in with them while I figure out what I am doing with my life. It’s not ideal but they are encouraging and a great way for me to bounce ideas and questions off of. They want to see the best for me and watch me succeed with my dreams and goals. Seeking council from someone that you trust allows us to share our burden with that person. Galatians 6:2 says “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” It’s a great way for us to grow as individuals and encourage each other. It allows us to shed light on our burdens.

Lastly, I believe that we should spend time with God in prayer and the word. I think God allows these feelings to well up inside of us because he wants us to rely on him and build that connection with him. God is a relational God. He desires that we build a relationship with him. He wants us to trust him with our deepest burdens through our relationship with him through Jesus. Psalms 55:22 says “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” If we let God take our burdens he will give us freedom. I think freedom is far more valuable than getting hung up over details. Giving my burdens up to God and knowing that he is in control, allows me to see the bigger picture. It gives me peace. That is far more valuable than being overwhelmed.

My prayer is that if you are reading this, wherever you are in life, that you would not be overwhelmed with your burdens. I know that God has a plan for your life and that he would never allow you to be stuck in a rut without a purpose or without a way to get out.

Learning to Breathe

So often I find myself thinking about where I have been and what I want to do with my life. I get caught in the past thinking about people, places and things that I have met, been to and done. Some good. Some bad. I also wander off into the future and think about the things that I want to do. The things that I want to accomplish. The legacy that I will create and then eventually leave behind. I get caught in this cycle of back and forth. I teeter totter on the past and the future aspects of my life. Bouncing from one to the other never living in the present.  

I think if we aren’t careful we can let that control how we live our day to day lives. Getting lost in the past prevents us from living in the present and enjoying the here and now. Likewise wandering around in the future can cause us to miss something of important in the present.

If you turn off all of the distractions or storms that consume our lives for just a moment and sit still just long enough you can begin to breathe. I think that allowing ourselves to breathe is important. Breathing allows us to live. Breath flows through our bodies and recharges us. As I write this I have turned off the all of my distractions and can hear the air move through my nose to my lungs. Its peaceful. Even after God created all the heavens and the earth he took a breath and rested on the seventh day. Taking a moment to breathe allows us to seek clarity in a world of distractions.

I think God created us for moments like these so that we can trust him and listen to what he is trying to tell our hearts. One of my favorite verses is found in Mark 4:35-41 where Jesus calms the storm. The passage describes that Jesus and his disciples were taking a trip across the sea when the calm sea turned into a great storm. In the midst of the storm, Jesus had fallen asleep. As for the disciples they were panicked and afraid that the boat might sink. Mark 4:39-41 says “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

I think that the disciples learned two important lessons on that trip. The first is that they realized who Jesus was. They learned that he was God and that he cared for their safety. He wasn’t going to let them get hurt or drown. The second was that they learned to trust Jesus. They began to actually put aside their fear and have faith that Jesus was going to provide a way out.

I am a lot like the disciples. I tend to panic and freak out when life gets out of my control and messy. I lose sight of who God is and my faith becomes fear. I have to continually remind myself to trust God and rely on him so that he can provide a way out of my storm. I have to actively seek him out when I am struggling with sin or some fear much like the disciples did and then allow God to take my burdens and transform my heart.

Are you actively seeking out Jesus and trusting him with your burdens? Are you willing to put your fear aside and have faith that Jesus will provide a way out of the storm? I think once we realize who Christ is and actively seek him out like the Disciple, then we can actually begin to breathe knowing that our fierce storms are much more gentle.

One Year In

Living in a small town is tough sometimes. Not a lot of opportunities. So you have to make your own. On December 29th 2017, I decided to sign up and start driving for Lyft. Then in August of 2018 I started driving for Uber. Let me tell you. Its been an interesting experience. I have met a lot of different people. I have met a wide range of people that I am sure are addicted to some drug and living paycheck to paycheck and others who are probably the smartest people who have a giant house, an expensive car and everything they could ever ask for. I think I have given close to a thousand rides between two ride share apps in a little over a year. Its been a fun experience but one that doesn’t pay big bucks in a small town like Laramie Wyoming but rather stories. I think stories are far more important than money. Sure stories cant pay my rent but they allow me to build relationships with people. If I wanted to I could move anywhere and start driving for Uber and Lyft in a bigger city like Denver or Seattle and make enough money to live a comfortable life. I could probably pay off my debt in a short amount of time. But that’s not what I am pursuing at the moment. Right now I am pursuing my education so that one day I can move to a bigger city, get married, start a family, start a business and travel the world. One day I hope to change the world. One day I hope I can impact the world in a way that matters. I’m not sure what that looks like but I am taking baby steps towards my ideas and dreams. Right now I hope I can change peoples lives that simply need a ride three blocks.

Currently listening to Not Afraid to Die by Written By Wolves.

The Beginning

Its 2019. With a new year comes a new me. Honestly, I haven’t changed much. I am still the same guy. I still have shaggy hair. I probably could cut it. I’m still full of energy and a little awkward at times. I have so many ideas. This is one of them. I have so many stories that I want to share. Here’s to a new year. One where I follow my old dreams and new ones. One where I talk about stuff and share my thoughts. This is something new. This is the beginning.