Celebration and Introspection

Blog Post by Brandy Edenfield

In the past month I have celebrated my 44th Birthday,

with it came introspection over the last year…

What did 43 teach me?

It’s ok to give more love to one child than another for a season. You give attention to the most hurting kid.
God’s word is TRUTH. There is one truth. However, I recognize there is a “my truth” in my life that is mine alone due to my life experiences and the scope in which I view things through. My perspective.
Loving myself is not contingent on being “the perfect” version of me- perfect look, perfect spiritual walk, perfect parent, perfect weight, etc. I can both, simultaneously love myself and be evolving into a better me.
Conquering fear looks different than I thought it would. I thought “getting victory” over my battle with fear meant I would no longer wrestle with fear. It doesn’t always mean that. Sometimes I will still be SHAKING IN MY BOOTS scared. Like when I gave a speech in TOASTMASTERS CLUB about myself- it was a much smaller audience than most times I teach or speak and the environment was familiar, yet the intimacy of sharing my own personal story made me physically shake. On that day I learned this- sometimes God will call me out of my comfort zone and ask me to stretch into a place that’s unfamiliar and vulnerable, yes that’s scary- DO IT SCARED!!! Let me say that again: I know you’re scared- DO IT ANYWAY!!!
Don’t sweat the small stuff. And most things in my day to day life are small. I ask myself this question “will this matter in a year?” When the answer is “no” which it often is, I choose to let go (working on being more consistent here. Lol!)
Cliché, I know, but lastly, this past year has taught me that the sun really will come out tomorrow. Tough days don’t last, tough people do.

I’m so grateful for another year to grow, learn and be more of who God created me to be. I’m so grateful that the same Creator that made a sunset, made a beach and a mountain, made great humans like Moses and Billy Graham, looked at all He had created and thought this world needed a ME! WOW! That wrecks me every time! How can I not love myself and accept (the very flawed but changing and blooming) methat is THAT LOVED AND THAT NECESSARY!

What have you learned in this last year?

[This space is being left empty intentionally, it’s your space, your story. Go for it, answer the question for yourself. Know you are very important to this time and season we all live in. ]

Prayer

God, thank you for creating us intentionally and with a purpose. Help us to reflect on and see the ways you have been designing our days all along (from the most exciting and fruitful to the hardest of them).