The Joy In Every Season Podcast

 Hey guys. Welcome to episode two of The Joy in Every Season Podcast. So I was inspired by my best friend to make a list on my birthday, when I turned 24, to write down 23 things that I learned in my 23rd year of life. And I did, I wrote it down in my notes app, and I also posted it on my personal Instagram.

So some of you might have seen or heard some of this already, but I wanted to go through the list and talk through it a little more in-depth, even though my birthday was in November. But I just wanted to share some of the things that I’ve learned, and you can look forward to, like six months from now, when I do 24 things I learned at age 24. 

 The first one is that God qualifies the called. God has called my husband and I to do full-time ministry, and we’re not really sure what that looks like right now. And we’ve, we’ve got a little bit of imposter syndrome and, wondering, God, how are we supposed to do this? What are we supposed to do? Where are we supposed to do it? All of these different things.

But in 1 Corinthians 1:26-28. I’m reading out of the ESV version. It says, “For consider your calling brothers. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth, but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, and God chose what is low and despised in the world. Even things that are not to bring to nothing. Things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

So basically what that’s telling me is that God didn’t choose me because I am like a super popular celebrity or anything like that. He chose me because I have a story and I have things to share. I have a unique perspective, and I have wisdom that I can share with other people. We already have what we need for the time that we need it. And sometimes we don’t even realize that the things that we’ve gone through or the little skills that we’ve learned are things that we’ll be using when we get ready to pursue the calling that God has on our lives.

 Number two is that community is possible. It was really hard for my husband and I to find community when we moved back to the town that we grew up in because it’s a really small town. We’re young adults, and a lot of our friends were either still in college or they had moved away. And so we didn’t, we didn’t really have a lot of friends where we grew up. And then we felt God calling us to start, a young adults group. And it changed our lives. It brought me my best friend, and another one of my really good friends and her husband who’s now Austin’s best friend. And it’s just brought so much joy, and it’s brought people into our home and taught me about Godly hospitality, and learning about the Bible together, and having people that sharpen you and bring you closer to Jesus. Because the church without community doesn’t really feel like a church, it feels like a building.

And so you have to be able to have community and people who sharpen you and people who bring you closer to Jesus and help you understand what you’re learning, and what God is speaking to you.

 Number three, that I can do anything through Christ, he strengthens me. This was a really hard year for me. There were a lot of different things that happened this year. And I’ll probably share some of that. but God was with me through all of it. This year was simultaneously, going into number four. a year can simultaneously be really horrible and really amazing. this year was really, really bad. Was really stressful, really hard.

But it was also one of the best years of my life because I have made some of the most incredible friendships. my marriage is so much stronger, my family relationships are stronger, and, I’ve learned so much this year and I know that God is doing so many things in my life and it’s been really cool to see. 

Number five is that gratitude is really important to having real joy. my husband and I are in a waiting season right now and it feels like we’re in like five different waiting seasons. But it’s been really, really good to be able to stop and be thankful for the little things, thankful for the things that I already have, thankful for the blessings that God has given me. And as I go through hardships, I can even be thankful for those because I know that what I’m learning through them, I will be able to use in other seasons of life. And I’ll also be able to share with others what I wish I had known and be able to help other people with it.

 Number six is that God brings the right people into your life at the right time. Trust his timing. I’ve had a lot of friendships that didn’t work out, and I could never understand why. But as I’m getting older and making new friendships and becoming a better person, and becoming a better version of myself, a more healthy person with healthy patterns and healthy behaviors, I can see that those friendships were for a season and God is bringing people into my life that are for this season, and hopefully for all the other seasons of my life.

And it’s been really interesting to be able to watch that and to be able to trust his timing. even just my husband and i’s love story, had I met him any sooner, I probably wouldn’t have liked him and he wouldn’t have liked me because we were very different people in very different seasons of life.

Yeah, it was, we just probably wouldn’t have liked each other if we met sooner. so we just, we met at the perfect time and were able to form a really beautiful friendship that led to dating and then engagement and marriage, and now we’re almost six years in and couldn’t be happier.

 Number seven, is that infertility sucks, but God is greater. My husband and I have been dealing with infertility for about two and a half years. And it’s been really awful, just the things that you take for granted. The things that your body’s supposed to be able to do, and you realize that you can’t do everything.

And that every life is so incredibly, such a miracle because it takes so much for conception to even happen and it’s crazy. But God is greater than infertility. And, even just the seven different women in the Bible, that have gone through infertility and their stories and, the miracles that God has performed in their lives and in so many other stories in the Bible, God is so much greater than anything that we go through.

Yeah, and I eventually I want to I wanna do a series on the different women in the Bible who struggled with infertility because it really helped me in this season.

 And number eight is that friends are so important. They build you up, they call you out, they are there for you when you just really need somebody to talk to. Yeah.

 Number nine. My husband is pretty incredible. I already knew this, but this year he has really showed me how much compassion he has, how hard he works for our family, and, just how he’s, how much he’s willing to grow and his work ethic is really inspiring to me. And, I was really proud of him.

  And, Number 10. If people want to, they will. And if they don’t want to, they won’t. this is just sometimes relationships are really hard and, in, in any kind of relationship. I’ve gotten to know some really great people this year they’ve shown me how beautiful friendship can be.

And that if people want to be your friend and to be kind you don’t ever have to ask them to be a good friend, they just are. and obviously like everybody has conflicts and relationships and it’s healthy to be able to like go through those and talk about things that bother you. But in general, like. If you have a good friend, you don’t have to ask them constantly to be a good friend. something I didn’t really know for a long time, and I’m really glad that I know it now.  

 Number 11 is that kittens are cute, but they’re insane. we got a kitten, recently and he’s so cute. So cute. But he’s so stupid. He’s an orange cat, so I should have known, but he’s also just insane. He has so much energy, such a weird little guy. I don’t understand him.

Anyway, number 12 is that communication is a powerful tool for all relationships. Open, honest, loving. You can’t change what you don’t know. If you’re doing something that hurts someone else, you can’t fix it unless they tell you what’s wrong.

And the same thing goes for other people in your life. If they don’t know that they’re doing something that bothers you, they can’t fix it. They don’t know. I’ve learned it a little bit over the years, but just a lot this year. I’ve learned that.

And, yeah,  number 13 is that you can’t control how other people act, but you can control how you respond.

Proverbs 15:1,  the NIV version, says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” You can’t control what people do, how they act, what they say. But you can control how you act and how you talk and how you respond to what people are doing, if it’s good or bad. But specifically in this context, if someone is doing something wrong to you, that’s very hurtful. You can’t control that, but you can control how you respond if you’re screaming at them. And yelling at them and being super negative. It’s not gonna change anything. It’s not gonna make it better. But if you respond with love and truth, it’s so much better. I’ve learned that the hard way.

 Number 14 was that I really love podcasts and will be starting my own once I figure out how to and, uh, boom. Done. I did it. I’ve been listening to so many podcasts. I do want to share with you guys like all the different podcasts that I have been enjoying and what’s been helpful for me. And, I didn’t realize how much I loved podcasts until I started listening to them the past like three years, I wanna say.

I just really enjoy listening to them and learning new things. And, also, the ones that are purely for entertainment, there’s one that I’ve been listening to that’s just comedy, and it’s so funny. It’s called Naughty Nation. And it sounds, it sounds really bad, but it’s not. It’s just these two dudes being dudes. I’ll have to link it because it’s super funny. It’s good, clean Christian comedy. It’s so great.

 Number 15, medical care in Montana needs a lot of work. There’s just, there’s, there’s not just cows here anymore. We’ve got a lot of vets. We need some better doctors. There are some really great doctors.

But there are also some really bad ones, and I don’t really wanna get into it a ton, but, uh, medical gaslighting is a real thing and it’s not fun to experience.

 Number 16: Rest is so important. There’s a reason that the Sabbath was made for us. I recently went through a season where I just. Didn’t rest at all. I worked full time. I did ministry Sundays and Saturdays. and sometimes during the week. And I was also working, another part-time job, and working on getting my business, Castle Books, which is an online bookstore, up and running, but also being a wife and a friend, and doing all the stuff that you do when you live in a house.

And so I learned about burnout this year, the hard way. My health was really deteriorating, and I was stressed, so stressed, my hair was falling out, and I felt God telling me after a while to step down, slow down, and make room for rest. So I cut out a bunch of things. It was really sad. It was bittersweet. I didn’t enjoy it, but I knew that I needed to, and I’m so, so glad that I did because my health has improved. I’m learning that I didn’t really know how to rest for now, so now I am learning, and it’s been so nice ’cause I’ve never really, I’ve never really given myself permission to rest. But now I am, and it’s been great.  

 Number 17, I really enjoy reading memoirs. I never used to. Along the same line is more like nonfiction books, biographies, stuff like that. I never really liked reading them when I was younger, but I really enjoy them now. They’re so interesting. So cool. My favorite memoir that I read this year was “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jeanette McCurdy. So, so good. If you haven’t read it, you should read it. The story of growth and resilience just so good.

 Number 18: Health is wealth. Now that I have been resting, it has completely changed my life, and I’m figuring out how to make it a rhythm, like something weekly. In the Bible, I don’t really know where, I should look that up, Sabbath is a daily thing, a weekly thing, and a yearly thing.

So, something that I’ve been learning, specifically through a podcast called Walk in Love (so good), is that every day you need to make a little bit of time to rest, unwind, to spend time with God. And then every week, you need a Sabbath day. It’s not out of legalism, out of like, you need to do this or you’re not a good Christian and you’re not gonna go to heaven.

It’s purely because God made the Sabbath day for us. He gave it to us as a gift, a day of rest, so important for our health. and then yearly Sabbath is something that I didn’t know was a thing, but it makes so much sense. But a yearly rest period where you’re not working or serving or doing anything but resting, spending time with family, spending time with God, just really refilling your cup for the year. I actually have been doing that, sort of, but I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing. It’s something that’s becoming a lot more important to me, just because I’m learning how important rest is and how beautiful it is, and how beneficial it is, for everybody.

 Number 19 is that art is my favorite. I love to create in multiple forms, ways, mediums. My grandma was an artist. She was a painter. I like to think I get my creativity from her. But yeah, I, I really like to do pottery, and crocheting, writing, embroidery. I recently picked up cross-stitching, which is basically embroidery, but one stitch the whole way.

I really enjoy creating things and making things that are beautiful, and I hope to continue doing more of that and I hope that this podcast is also a way that I can showcase some creativity.  

 Number 20 is that it is possible to continue to choose joy and hard times. That is the basis for this podcast. Because I’ve gone through multiple hard seasons in my life, even if you are having a really hard season and it’s super hard to find anything to be happy about, there’s still. Little things that you can be happy about.

And I’ve just learned that so much this year because I’ve been mentally, I’ve been grieving so hard, the infertility that we’ve been going through. Just the heaviness of it and grieving what I thought my life was gonna look like. Because I thought I was gonna be a mom by now, and I’m not.

And it’s not in my plan. It’s not in anyone’s plan. but there’s still so many good things that have happened this year Even if you have a bad day, there are little good things that happen in a bad day, even if it’s just the sun is shining today. Or look at those dandelions, they’re yellow and they’re cute.

So you can find joy even in hard seasons. And a lot of the time it is really a choice of, life is really hard right now, and I don’t know how to keep finding the joy, but I’m gonna choose to specifically look for that.

 Number 21 is that God answers prayers. So you can pray courageous and specific prayers. The whole Bible is a story of answered prayers. It’s a story about Jesus, first and foremost, but it’s also a story of all the different prayers that God has answered throughout history. It doesn’t always look how people think. It might when your prayer is answered. Sometimes it’s a no. Sometimes it’s a yes. Sometimes it’s a not yet, or a wait, or you get no answer, which is still an answer. No answer is still an answer. And oftentimes the no answer is a wait, or a not yet, or you’re not ready for that information.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you. Ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”

God’s not a genie, but ask according to his will. And like truly, when you are seeking God’s will for your life, God’s will is good. He’s not bad. He doesn’t seek evil for you. He wants what’s good for you. He’s a good father. The Bible says. What father would give their child a snake who asks for bread or no; a rock who asks for bread? And God’s not gonna give you bad things, so you can ask for specific things, but most importantly, start with “God, if it is in your will, let it happen.”

That’s how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before He went to the cross. “God, if it is your will, let this cup be taken from me.” But He knew that He needed to go. So God’s answer was no, but that’s still an answer. God answers prayers, and it was for the good of all mankind because now we can, we have the ability to know Jesus, and to go to heaven and to be saved, which is so cool. follow God’s example or Jesus’s example and ask God if this is in your will, let it happen, or let it not happen. Whatever you’re, whatever you’re praying for.

  Number 22 is: You can have friends that feel like family. There’s a lot of talk about chosen families and, I didn’t really understand it until this year where my best friend feels like a sister to me. And, her mom has been so kind to me and also like a mother, and she checks in on me and all that kind of stuff. You can have family that you choose.

 Number 23 is that protecting your peace and your marriage is so important. In the priority list, it’s God first, and then your spouse, and then your friends and family. Don’t take it out of order. Don’t put others before your spouse, and don’t put your spouse before God. Because if you’re seeking God, your marriage will be stronger. And so will all of your other relationships, but don’t let other people come between you and your spouse.

Don’t give them opinions they don’t need to have. Don’t give them the space to be a leader in your life when they’re not supposed to be. What I’m saying is, your spouse is more important than your friendships because that is your person. When you get married, you become One.

And, the only other relationship more important than your relationship with your spouse is your relationship with God. We learned this year that sometimes you have to say no to things, say no to other people, because they’re just stressing you out. Not good for your marriage, and you’re giving too much to other people and other things and work and all of this when you really need to be giving that time to your spouse.

Yeah. Anyway, those are my 23 things that I learned. I learned a lot this year, and I look forward to sharing the 24 things in my 24th year. I pray this blesses you and that you learned something with me. if you have any questions, email me or DM me and I’ll do my best to get back to you.

Links:

Podcasts I Mentioned-

Naughty Nation: https://open.spotify.com/show/2G6S5qHnfFcFAIgWnlxsso?si=0feaf0fb97294bd7

Walk In Love: https://open.spotify.com/show/6JVfVaJZ6p6qeFt8gF1I4q?si=e49cb0edc6d54a1d

Book: “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy https://tr.ee/dL1HES