When You Find Community

I love words. I’ve loved the power of the written word since I was young enough to dive deep into a fictional world to escape the hard realities of a broken family. I see so clearly the power of the spoken word – the way we can lift and encourage, or tear down and destroy. Although God has taken me through seasons where passions and interests and friendships have changed, the love for words has always been there. And, in this season, it’s such a joy to find new ways to steward the words of women into the world.

Several years ago I discovered an amazing little writing community. These crazy women were writing for 31 straight days  – the entire month of October. They were writing about big topics and little topics, creative topics and serious topics. WHAT they were writing didn’t matter as long as they WROTE THE WORDS.

I figured I’d try it. Why not, right? I wouldn’t tell anyone so I didn’t have to deal with disappointment if I failed. I’d pick a topic and run with it and see if I could actually complete the challenge – by far the most words in a row I’d ever presented on my personal blog.

• In 2013 I wrote a series called “31 Days of Community” and through it, I realized I had this deep and abiding love for life lived with others – a surprise to this introvert, but a realization that shaped what and how I wrote for the rest of that year.
• In 2014 I wrote a series called “31 Days of Encouraging Conversations” based around the free printable prayer cards I offer to my email subscribers. I was an over-achiever, y’all – there were videos with other people and all kinds of things. It was so much fun, though, because it felt like I was hosting a dinner party & introducing old friends to new friends, all of whom have a huge heart for encouragement.

When God brings you to a place where the gifts He’s given you find a home among women who understand, you find community. And when you find the kind of community that is genuine, safe, and true? You learn that you can do the hard things – AND you keep going back.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise to discover that last year I wrote my third series – a journey of Faith & Fitness because God had placed me in a season where I was serving His daughters in a way that brought faith, fitness and friendship together in a way that honored Him – and our bodies. And it was the first year I hosted that beautiful group of writers. Several months before last year’s challenge, a dear friend emailed and asked if I would take something off her plate. After hosting the challenge for six years, she wanted to say “no” to make room for some other projects she wanted to pursue, and wondered if I would say “yes.” Nester gifted me the honor of managing the Write 31 Days community. And I said “yes,” because words are my happy place, and this challenge has changed how I write.

Isn’t that a beautiful gift? To be able to say “no” to something good to make room for what God has next? I’m learning that when God brings us to the end of a season, we don’t have to fear. We don’t have to strive and fight and scramble to get all the “next things” lined up to have hope, security, and peace. We can learn to lean into God in those unknown seasons, trusting that He’s removed us for a great reason that may not line up with our idea of great timing. But His Word is true and His promises are never broken:

God, the one and only—
I’ll wait as long as He says.
Everything I hope for comes from Him,
so why not?
He’s solid rock under my feet,
breathing room for my soul,
An impregnable castle:
I’m set for life.

Psalm 62:5, The Message

It’s through those in-between moments that God often shows up and does the most work on my heart, which ultimately turns into the words He wants me to share. So while I’ve learned that I love working with words as an editor, promoting them with beautiful social media graphics, and hosting events as an MC, God continues to ask me to share my heart on my blog. Which means that this year, for my fourth series in Write 31 Days, I’ll be sharing a journey from jealousy to joy.

If you want to join this community of writers who commit to publishing content every day for 31 days in the month of October, you can sign up here to make sure you don’t miss any announcements. We’ll hang out on Facebook in the meantime and encourage, support, and motivate one another as we get ready to launch our month-long series on October 1.

No matter what God is asking you to say “no” to in this season, trust and believe that He isn’t done with you. He has more for you, something better than you could ever imagine. Enjoy the breathing room for your soul as you wait expectantly on Him.