life beyond the well...

To me, one of the most beautiful things about aging is that, for better or worse, we become more of who we are. I have watched women (and men) around me as we all have gotten older and it has been incredible to see them truly celebrate who they are with a richness and sense of joy and gratitude.

Living to become 40 years old is an incredible blessing. And I don’t know that I feel like it’s been 40 years. You can’t tell me that college wasn’t just yesterday – and yet I graduated from undergrad nearly 20 years ago. While there are many years behind me, I still feel like my best years are ahead. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow in love and marriage with Preacherman, watching the kids grow and achieve their dreams, impacting Jacksonville and beyond for the kingdom of God – the list is long!

As I’m approaching being “middle-aged” (or maybe I’m already there), I’m committed to running my race, at my pace, in my lane. I ran track for over 10 years, and one of the most common pieces of advice that I got from my coaches was, “Erin: Your race, your pace, your lane.” What they meant was that I didn’t need to spend time worrying about the people next to me. I needed to be focused on running the race that I had trained to run, at my pace, and I needed to stay in my lane. You see, what they knew, that I didn’t know at the time was that there’s a value in being focused on what you came to do. Also, you set yourself up to lose (or potentially be disqualified) when you become distracted and overly focused on others.

So at 40, I’m committed to running my race. I am growing in my understanding of who I am as a person with unique gifts and talents, called to make a difference in this world; and I am consistently seeking God for clarity on how those gifts and talents should be utilized, with the ultimate goal being that He is glorified.

I’m running at my pace. While there are others who may appear to be “ahead” of me based on the things they have or the life they are living (items, positions, titles, lifestyles, etc), it’s okay if it takes me a little longer to get there. Delays are not denials and He makes all things beautiful in His time.

I’m staying in my lane. If you have run track, you know that stepping out of your lane in a race can result in a disqualification. In the real world, stepping out of our lane may not result in disqualification, but it can create unnecessary tension and stress because you’re taking up someone else’s space. The truth of the matter is that my lane- the space of who I am and who I am called to be- is perfect for me.

While I’ve only been 40 for a few months, it has seemed less like “turning” and more like “becoming” – becoming more and more of who God has called me to be and being/becoming comfortable in that calling. Let’s see what God can do through me this year- and in the years to come!

Until next time- be encouraged! Peace and blessings!

One of the most useful modern inventions (and there are many) is the GPS. And arguably, not just the creation of GPS, but now the availability of it (on our phones, in our cars, etc) has really changed how we get to our destinations.

I grew up in the time of reading maps, and later, printing out directions from Mapquest to read to the driver or to try to read myself while driving to wherever I was headed. I distinctly remember planning a move to Athens, Georgia for graduate school and printing out pages of directions to EVERYWHERE I thought I needed to go in the first couple of days to ensure that I wouldn’t get lost – like, I had an entire binder that was labeled with directions on how to get to and from each place because I didn’t own a GPS and this was before smartphones were widely available/accessible. So, if you were going anywhere, you had a map and/or your Mapquest directions.

But, I digress.

We moved to Jacksonville a little over 10 years ago, and I am just now getting to the point where I don’t need my GPS to get to many places. At the same time, I almost always open Google Maps because I’m trying to assess if there’s anything that will delay my arrival to my destination. Usually, from that point, I’ll keep moving- going as directed. But sometimes, after assessing the situation and receiving the directions, I’ll make an executive decision to go differently than I’m directed. Sometimes the root of this decision is that I’m trying to take a “shortcut” that the GPS is “unaware” of and sometimes I just feel that if I go the way I know, I can get to my destination faster.

Friends, I am almost always wrong in this line of thinking and subsequent action.

What usually happens when I try to go my own way, as opposed to the way that I’m directed by the GPS is that I end up getting to my destination later than I would have arrived if I had just followed the directions that I was given. If I had just trusted the GPS, I would have arrived at my destination within the expected time frame.

Here’s the thing – we do this with our GPS, but we also do this in our faith walks. We pray, asking God to direct us or to provide clarity on the next steps we should take. And sometimes, we follow those directions. But other times we feel like we know best and try to take a shortcut or an alternative route. And while the shortcut or alternative route may still get us to our destination, we oftentimes are delayed and potentially encounter challenges that we never may have faced if we had just trusted the initial set of instructions or directions that we had received.

As we prepare to close out this year, and go into the new year, I want to challenge you to trust the GPS. Trust God. Don’t ask Him for advice or direction and then try to take shortcuts or alternative pathways to get there. Dig deep, and trust the process and the journey that He has for you, knowing that He is working all things for your good.

Until next time- be encouraged! Peace and blessings!

life beyond the well…

40: My Race. My Pace. My Lane.

Trusting the GPS