Persevering When the Creative Juices Have Left
There's been a lot of weight in our world lately. Illnesses, death, and struggle. It's been hard. I feel like the creative juices for blogging, baking, and starting a homestead have left. As you can tell by the delay between blog posts, there hasn't been a whole lot of writing getting done. I posted in September and then again for the first time since then just a week or so ago.
**Side note: I started writing this blog in February but never finished. I finally looked at it again this week and continuted writing. During the time I had first begun writing we experienced a couple of deaths, there were a lot of things breaking at the homestead, and my mom was in and out of the hospital a few times. It was a heavy season. Now, as I finish writing, we are in an exciting season preparing for Annabelle's arrival within the next month or so!**
First, I was really sick from pregnancy, and I don't know about you, but when I'm nauseous, not much is going to get done. Then we were just busy trying to fix all the things that were breaking down. Then, the heaviness set in. Now, we are full blown baby preparation mode.
So how do we persevere when things are hard? When we just don't feel like it? Here's what I am doing, maybe it will help you too.
First, I am allowing myself space to grieve, to be sad, to struggle, to be busy but I'm inviting God into that space with me. I am not letting myself wallow or get stagnant there. I am asking God to give me strength, to teach me, to heal my soul, and to prepare me for all the changes coming our way. Whether it's a tumultuous valley or the highest of mountain peaks or somewhere in the hike in between, we need to look for ways to draw nearer to God.
Second, though money may be tight and things have been breaking faster than we can get them fixed - projects and expenses are always abundant. I have had to go back to the dreaming stage of homesteading. Imagining our 40 acres full of livestock, trees, a garden, and an orchard have renewed my energy and vigor to scoop horse poop, to do the dishes, to sweep the floor.... AGAIN. It's easy to feel unmotivated when it feels like we are on a hamster wheel. Doing those little, daily tasks really does get us closer to those big, God given dreams!
Finally, I'm getting outside. I'm staying active and one step at a time, I am working towards the dreams that give me energy. Organizing baby things is NOT my favorite task, but imagining little Annabelle in a cute outfit or enjoying a cozy blanket; picturing her in my arms, that gives me energy to do things I don't really like to do!
We don't always have to be productive, or living an Instagram worthy life, but we do always need to be seeking the Lord, serving Him, and communing with Him. Jesus wept. He also withdrew to pray. Those are good things. We need to embrace the cycles we go through and pay attention to where our time needs to be spent. There are seasons of creativity, seasons of rest, seasons of work, seasons of changes.
Embrace where you are my friend! Even when we aren't feeling particularly creative or inspired, there is something we can be doing (maybe resting in the Lord) to bring us closer to the calling God has placed on our life.
What season are you in? We are transitioning from a heavy winter to a busy spring to a summer of changes, growth, and a baby!
xo,
Sara
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