A Reset & Realities of The Journey

Slow down, it's okay to be honest with yourself.

Dec 09, 2023

Welcome back to another letter! I honestly can’t believe we’re in the last month of the year. Wow. It’s also been five months of writing to you and I’m so happy to be able to serve and reach you in this way. Thank you for riding with me! I took a mini break from writing to have my own personal reset. I started November navigating burn-out and I knew I needed rest. But not the type of rest that can be resolved with a couple of hours of sleep, I mean deep rest. Mentally, spiritually, emotionally etc. I say this to say, we are all human beings. It’s okay to recognise when we need to slow down and ask ourselves, are we truly okay? I’m still in the process of recovering and also taking stock of the year, but slowing down really makes a difference. The world can truly wait, try not to feel pressurised to do anything, we really have nothing and no one to keep up with. I initially felt a bit bad for not writing as consistently as I promised myself I would but I realised, it’s important we pour into our cups first and ensure what we pour out is from a place of overflow. So here I am again, feeling much better!

💗 A note on today’s post: That being said today’s letter is a reflective one, it’s a call to pause, take stock of the past few months and begin to lay foundations for the new year. Grab a journal, get comfy and let’s reflect. I’m trying out something new, and I’ve decided to add a short soundbite to expand a little more on points that stand out to me in the newsletter. Listen below and let me know how you find it!

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How is your Heart, Really?

I know a deep question right? A question we may easily want to gloss over but it’s also very necessary to ask. With your shoulders relaxed, and your walls torn down, I’ll really like you to ask yourself this question. How is your heart, really? Outside of the noise, the affirmations , the non-ending to do list, I’m asking again, how is your heart?

Sometimes life gets in the way and we don’t realise we’ve been moving on auto-pilot to the point where we’re crumbling internally. The constant hustle and bustle of our days can be huge distractions preventing us from asking ourselves necessary questions that when answered, will help us to truly live whole lives. I find that when I’m not okay my behaviour and body signal to me that there’s a problem. This could look like having little to no energy to do very basic tasks, or over-socialising. As hard as it may be to admit sometimes, I’m learning to not ignore the nudges the Holy Spirit gives me and the signals my body sends. Confrontation will always be better than avoidance because eventually everything does come to the surface and we’re going to have to face those parts of ourselves we’ve been putting to the backseat.

We may even be in so much pain and not even realise it because of how we have allowed life, situations, circumstances etc, to rush us. Then we realise, we’ve become so accustomed to simply managing to get by and not showing up fully as we are. As we wind down over the next couple of weeks, I encourage you to allow God search your heart. I did this recently and pheww it was necessary! Only God can truly reveal to us our areas of weaknesses, where we may hurting deeply and so on. It takes a lot of courage to be this vulnerable with God and receptive to hearing uncomfortable truths, but it’s worth it. So I invite you to do the same, pause for about 2 minutes before you continue reading. Breathe, and I encourage you to start asking God to show you areas where change is needed.

⭐️ Here’s a short prayer, ‘God only you know me completely, you know me more than I know myself. Please show me what is hidden within my heart and reveal to me what needs to be addressed with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.’ Here’s a song to help with this process :) Listen here.

Slow Down, It’s Okay

Even as we ask ourselves these hard questions there may sometimes be pressure to opt in for a quick fix. We may even slip into self-condemnation, but please remember we are all work in progress. There is no rush, allow yourself to process what needs to be processed and let God meet you where you are. Appreciate how far you have come this year. You may not be where you want to be, but you’re still here. Some of us may have actually gone through very tough moments this year that forced us to slow down or led to stagnancy. If you fall in this category it’s okay to realise you are not comfortable with where you find yourself. But draw strength from God, allow Him help you navigate these difficult situations. I must also add, giving ourselves time to grieve painful situations is not a waste of time. It actually allows us to come out on the other side strenghtened, wiser and with a renewed perspective.

These are two of some of my favourite scriptures that remind me of the importance of relying on God for strength.

“The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet And makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility]. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”

Habakkuk 3:19 AMP

“He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble]; He sets me [securely] upon my high places.”

Psalms 18:33 AMP

☁️ 2023 Reflections on Times & Seasons

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve spent quite a lot of time reflecting on the year. One of my biggest takeaways has been, understanding times and seasons. Here are some of my reflections.

On hibernation: Don’t be afraid to incubate when needed. There are times where God may call us to a time of quiet and stillness. In these moments, it’s important we don’t fight this invitation to develop greater intimacy with God. But rather, choose to come into agreement with the journey God wants to take us through. There is always something beautiful brewing if only we choose to stay and remain.
Silence is purposeful: In a world where it’s easy to feel the need to speak on every matter, I’m learning the power of restraint. We don’t need to speak all the time, silence is purposeful. Better to be one of few but meaningful words, than one who constantly chatters but there’s no meaning nor susbtance to the words we speak. There is also a time and a place for everything. We may have the knowledge or experience on something, yet it may still not be time to share this with others. It’s okay to wait, there’s a time for everything and wisdom in silence.
On Relevance, Being in the Will of God & Fruitfulness: Sometimes there can be pressure to do things so one can be seen and have an increased sense of worth. However, this year I have learnt that visibility and activity do not equate to fruitfulness or impact. To be fruitful for me means, to cultivate the seeds, the resources, talents, gifts God has placed in my hands and nurture them at the right time with God’s guidance. There’s no pressure in this place of rest, no timelines, or keeping up with others, but simply focusing on the race that has been set before me and running it well.

These are just a few reflections on times and seasons and perhaps I’ll unpack this further in another newsletter. Let me know if you’re interested!

The Season Has Changed but what Next?

With all that being said, I’ll like us to now move on to changing seasons. When a season changes, it is evident. It may become colder, we may need to change our clothes. Often times I find that when I’m entering into a new season there’s discomfort I feel and it’s a pull from where I currently find myself to where God is taking me. Even as we end the year, seasons may have changed for some of us. Mentally 2024 has actually begun, and this is a time where I’m asking God to prepare me for all that is to come. Practically, I’ve also been taking stock of the past year. Are there habits that push me further from fully stepping into what God has for me? What are my daily practices like? There’s honestly so much to unpack with this, but I’ll leave you with this. Allow yourself to be still as the seasons change and enquire from God on what is needed to navigate this new terrain. We need discernment on knowing what is good to do versus what God’s perfect will is as we step into new phases.

Stay Planted and Connected

As I wrap up today’s newsletter I’ll like to encourage you to stay planted in community. Our journeys are not meant to be solo and I shared more on this in a previous newsletter. You can read it here. This is the perfect time to begin to assess our relationships, and evaluate on the relationships we need to cultivate more. Whose voice are we listening to? Where do we gain counsel from? Who are the people who we’re pouring into and vice versa? These are important questions we need to ask ourselves. Destiny helpers are very real, and it’s important we recognise these people when we encounter them. Apart from human relationships, our relationship with God should be our top priority. You may not even have one as you read this, but I’ll like to encourage you to take steps towards building one with Jesus. Without God, we truly cannot produce any lasting fruit. This is a time to really lock away with God and begin to pray for understanding and revelation for the new year. What is on God’s heart? What does He require of you? These are some suggestions to get you thinking and I hope they encourage you to start from somewhere.

Journalling Prompts 💭

Here are a few journalling prompts to ponder on:

How is your heart, really?
Are you content with the pace your life has gone this year ? If yes, why? If no, why not?
How has 2023 been for you? Do you have memories you’ll like to relive?
What season are you in? Are you coming out of an old one and stepping into a new one?
What does the new year require of you?

As you reflect, I’ll leave you with this video, I watched it about a month ago and it’s so apt regarding the new year! Watch here and I’ll love to hear your thoughts, share them below.

As we wrap up here are some points to hold unto as we enter a new week:

Silence can be purposeful: knowing when to speak and when to be quiet is crucial. Seasons change and so does what is required of us per time.
Assess the state of your heart with God, it can be uncomfortable but it’s necessary.
Visibility and activity do not equate to fruitfulness or impact. Focus on knowing God’s will for your life and embrace the pace He has set out before you.
And remember, God is the vine and we are the branches, without Him we cannot be fruitful. As we continue to priortise spending time with God, He gives us direction and shows us the way to go.

Resources

Before I go, I need to share this podcast episode:

💌 Podcast: ‘You Can Rest Here’ by Mazino Malaka: this episode was fantastic and really helped me as I navigated my personal reflection on the past year. I highly recommend it. Watch here.

As always I hope this met you where you are! I’ll love to hear your thoughts, share them with me.