::explore.

“cherish your solitude. take trains by yourself to places you have never been. sleep out alone under the stars. learn how to drive a stick shift. go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. say no when you don’t want to do something. say yes if your instincts are strong. even if everyone around you disagrees. decide whether you want to be liked or admired. decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here.”

{come find} Me.

“sometimes God allows us to have what we are asking for, to let us see our own lack of understanding.”

& i finally saw that today in the sermon at church.

& how it applies to my life.

to a “T”.

& yes, it took me driving all the way down to sarasota, florida to finally get it.

maybe because i just feel so close to God’s unique beauty + creations.

or maybe because this is a familiar place to me. a home.

either way, i know fear is what held me back.

i thought this someone in my life was too big {of an influence} + God was//felt so small. that mindset has crippled me. & i was living in fear of letting go {of surrendering} because i didn’t trust that God has something better planned for me. i just wasn’t listening…

& i heard Him say, “stop looking at their life, sarah. it only hurts + hinders you. nothing good is coming from it. just let it go + I will take care of it.”

i know it’s going to be a daily challenge, but it’s not impossible.

i can do this with God’s help.

sarahjobell

& run {with reckless abandon}

“you got a fast car

but is it fast enough so we can fly away?”

i have loved this song since middle school.

it really is terribly sad.

but my gosh, it’s beautiful.

just how hard life is…

& there is still so much adventure + beauty in it.

i want to see more of those two things in my own life.

& i feel that vacation brings that sort of reckless abandon back in my life.

just like i crave.

sarahjobell

soak up {the sun}

my vacation time is literally a blink + a heartbeat away!

i can't wait to stick my toes in the sand.
& feel my pulse thump at the first drop of a rollercoaster {universal studios, i've missed you quite terribly.}
& stuff my face with the best amish food on the planet.

& just be in the passenger seat alongside my hubby.
until the palm trees appear.

sarahjobell

costs + rewards.

i hope maybe someday you'll see that i'm not such a terrible person.
{& that you messed up too.}

i wonder if you even realize how costly your mistakes have been...
& how hollow the reward is.

sarahjobell

delicate + enduring.

i hate having sleepless nights.

i hate when i feel that someone got the best of me.

{insecurity can be such a thief.}

& i really hate letting go when i don’t want to.

but i know i need to.

thank goodness i don’t need to be strong all the time.

because He will be that for me.

sarahjobell

{by His} grace.

{He breaks every chain.}

{You took} my heart.

today is not about “singles awareness” {in my opinion.}

let’s see the glass half-full, shall we?::

it’s about loving others.

loving yourself for who you are.

& even greater, God’s love for us that is an anchor holding steady.

He is constant.

& no one else could have a love like that.

He took my heart + i’ll never take it back,

sarahjobell

conviction + grace

oh you got a fire + it’s burning in the rain

thought that it went out, but it’s burning just the same

& you don’t look back, not for anything

‘cause if you love someone, you love them all the same.

you know what i don’t get? love that supposedly we, as humans, have for one another {or lack thereof.} it’s selfish, judgmental, + critical. i read an article the other day about this victoria’s secret model that quit because of her beliefs. the reactions + comments some people wrote were harsh + cruel. i guess it’s ok for us to gossip about a young christian woman {who obviously realized an error she made} + put her down simply because she is in the spotlight? or because she’s pretty + thin?

God forbid YOU make a mistake, feel convicted about it, & have it shoved back in your face by others. that’s not love. i find it so refreshing that she recognized the veil being pulled over her eyes. & that is why there's forgiveness + a second chance. GRACE. we may not deserve it, but that’s why His hands took the nails.

what if i share my brokenness?

what if you share how you feel?

& what if we weren’t afraid of this crazy mess?

what if we were real?

sarahjobell

confession session {memories + milk}

i'd like to think i don’t act my age all the time {in a good way.} i get kicks + giggles out of simple pleasures:: sleeping kittens, pastel//light//airy photography, period piece movies {pride + prejudice never gets old}, the smell of book stores, hidden critters on my water bottles, & now milk cartons!

hello, milla milk! this brand puts childhood confessions//misdemeanors on the carton, because let’s face it:: whether you just plain love milk, enjoy a nice chocolate mustache, or prefer a little with your cereal and//or oreo’s…milk creates a happy feeling!

{wish i knew where to shop for this stuff}::

can you tell i love milk?

sarahjobell