“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” – Ephesians 4

Remember over the summer, with too much time on my hands, I started driving around trash picking for projects?

-Renovated a toy kitchen

-Found a like new Hobby Lobby scripture sign

-Found a chalkboard

What would I do with all of these items? I don’t know, but it seemed like a good thing to find out. I’m not one to be mechanically inclined, and while I like crafts have never built anything before. Baking, and now cooking, are things I am good at. I can chime in with ideas or variations and know what works and what doesn’t. Building stuff? The idea has always been too intimidating, but to grow in any aspect of our lives, we have to be willing to try new things, and even more than that, we have to be willing to fail.

With this week off, I put on my big girl pants. I FINALLY dealt with this chalkboard that’s been sitting in the garage for months. I was emboldened after hanging the mirror as doing that mentally freed me up to do things I never had before. It’s never about the task at hand. At least, it rarely is for me. Little steps can be a giant leap that leads to incredible journeys, but we have to be willing to take that first one to find out. You will never know if you never try. There is so much to be said about how much God has done in my life to get to this point. Suffering with crippling anxiety from fear of failure for years only to be delivered and set free from that mind trap is indescribable.

So, this Thanksgiving break, I went to Lowe’s more times than I can count, learned what a mitre box is, and bought one, and also bought my very own staple gun. I’ll spare you the details of that one, but I am pretty excited to be accumulating my own tools. I got things done, tried new things, and it feels so good. I put a few fresh coats of chalkboard paint on the wood, bought strips of decorative wood and stained it, and SAWED EDGES. I am SO excited about this tiny project and pretty proud of it.

While this was a little project, it was also a big step for me, opening the door to future projects I would have been too intimidated to start. I joked with my family, “You realize this only means I’ll be picking up more garbage now that I know I can fix it.”

This amazing week has ended in the most incredible way! As I was cooking and going back and forth to check on my frame, my phone rang. I assumed it was one of my best friends but knew she had a different ring tone. When I picked it up, I saw my BFF/ a favorite customer’s name from my old job I had not talked to since checking on him during the hurricane months ago. I told him how excited I was that he called and mentioned he could call for any reason at any time. I left out all details but made sure to tell him it was God confirming that we do not need to worry about losing people. Not everyone is meant to stay in our lives. God always replaces the loss, shows who is meant to be in our lives and is always on time.

Speaking of God being on time… Another door has opened it seems. I could not have done this project without my new gentleman friend. I mean, I could have, but I got a lot of rapid-fire advice and support in a short amount of time. I sent my blog to him a while back to scare him away because people usually run or don’t know what to do with that… Only, he did the complete opposite and is still around after reading a lot of them (insert cringe face emoji). He has joked about being in a post, but none are quite what he has imagined so far. I think this marks the third one now. You’re welcome.

““You cut yourself off from all sorts of experiences because you tell yourself you are ‘not that sort of person’”
“But, I’m not.”
“How do you know? You’ve done nothing, been nowhere. How do you have the faintest idea what kind of person you are?”

“Push yourself. Don’t settle. Live well. Just live.”

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. It always does feel strange to be knocked out of your comfort zone.”

― Jojo Moyes, Me Before You