Hello and welcome back to the Sunday Series my dearest Reader!
I feel like you and I have a special connection. Even though I may not know your name or even where you live, I talk to you through this blog more than I talk to some of my closest friends lol!
I have to admit that I'm starting to feel very nostalgic about this blog. I started up my Instagram exactly a year ago with the open-ended intention of blogging or maybe just Instagram-blogging my journey as a housewife, my interest in sewing, and my large thrift collection. Honestly, I had no idea what I wanted other than to simply open up my life again and begin sharing.
For almost 3 years before I began blogging, I really did not share almost anything online: I was so caught up in the happenings and problems in my daily life, I simply had no energy or mental focus to even begin thinking about social media. But now, a year later, here we are Reader.
We have come together across the incredible divide of the world and are now meeting in this special place. So today, reader, I wanted to thank you: thank you for being here. Thank you for tuning in, and thank you for coming back.
It's always been my passion to see women step into greater decisions, more stable relationships, and better situations. I want women to thrive and blossom so that we can have a society full of sensible, strong, and feminine women. And now, a year after my blogging journey bloomed, I can see so much of that dream in real life.
Now, I don't think that all of us will reach our childhood dreams or fully come into whatever we've envisioned for ourselves, but I do believe that God has a mysterious way of putting dreams into our hearts and souls that He will then later use to create a beautiful story and purpose in our lives.
When I was younger, it was my dream to be some sort of influence on young women, and I assumed that that would be in a ministry capacity.
I dreamed of attending conferences and giving speeches to young women while simultaneously writing books, and articles about sexuality and modesty. I dreamed of owning my own magazine that published faith-filled and traditional content and even envisioned designing clothing and expressing my thoughts on fashion!
Basically, I imagined being an influence, even before the world of Instagram or influencers even existed! And now, I'm living out that life.
I get to curate and publish my own posts on this blog, which feels kind of like writing magazine articles. I get to share my faith, and give "speeches" on YouTube, and I get to talk about fashion, and spend my days encouraging women and helping them see an alternative way to live life.
In short, all of my dreams have been realized.
And now, I am left with a big question of "what's next?"
Today I say that achieving our dreams does not mean it's the end of our story; in fact, it means it's just begun.
Instead of packing up and getting lazy after we get into a good state, it's actually time to maintain and nurture those blessings in our lives.
We can see this played out in a myriad of real-life examples, such as our faith-journeys.
Receiving Salvation is not the end-- it is only the beginning. After Salvation comes Sanctification: choosing to do the right thing and to be Holy, despite the hardships in life. In marriage, this would be the idea that we should continually work towards blessing and serving our spouse, throughout the days of our lives, never letting a foot fall into laziness, lest we give up our marriage altogether. This could also be applied to reaching a desired weight or health goal, as reaching health is not an invitation to begin giving up your diet or getting unhealthy, rather it is time to maintain.
Basically, the achievement you've been working towards is not the end; it is only the beginning.
I think we get confused after reaching our goals because it FEELS like the end!
It feels like we've crossed a painful marathon to achieve something like marriage, or Salvation, or a career promotion. It's like a job well done; kaput, donezo, fini! It feels like it's time to give up the effort, work, and momentum because we've achieved the goal!
And this isn't exactly wrong; achieving our goals is a "type" of ending; it's the end to your first few chapters. It is a finale to the "Part One" of your story; we have reached the end of that struggle, and now sit upon a certain level of stability, whether that is newly found health or financial stability, or even career stability!
And this is what achieving our dreams is really about; it's about finding stability. Our dreams so often reflect the innate human desire to feel stable and satisfied, fully protected and ensured for the future. We dream of finding relational stability, eternal stability, or financial stability.
We long for the feeling of comfort, and the feeling that our needs have been met! In total, we dream of security, and reaching our goals can bring a sense of security and stability.
The cool thing about our lives though, is that we all begin in a state of instability.
We struggle with sin and need Salvation, or we're single and looking for a mate. Perhaps we're in debt, and we need to be financially free, or we are unhealthy, and we need to get healthy! Those stories of transformation and dream achievement take you from an unstable position to a stable one.
Even if the perceived stability is only in your mind, there is no denying that achieving your dreams brings a sense of peace and fulfillment. It has a sense of "rightness" to it.
But again, that stability is not an excuse to become self-centered and lazy for the rest of your life! No! It is the time when you are to use your stability to help others in their instability.
Now, I don't mean helping meth addicts rent out your spare room; I mean helping others achieve their dreams or their needs. This could be helping someone receive Salvation, or helping someone understand how you lost weight. It could be creating space for your children to thrive, or it could even be by using the calm in your life to help your husband.
As this shift happens, our stories tend to go to self-centric to others-centric. It is now time for us to take the focus outwards; to use our stable position to bless and help others in their instability. The key is that the story is no longer all about you and your achievement; it's about you helping others and lifting them up and showing them the way (if they so desire.)
So do not feel defeated or empty when you reach a dream or receive an achievement. Instead, I encourage you to begin taking the focus off of yourself and begin pushing it outwardly. The truth is that your stability is not only an asset to yourself, but also to other people.
And I really think that should be the goal in life; to get to a point where we are so stable that we can begin serving others and taking the focus off ourselves and our own personal drama. The truth is that there will always be times in life when we cannot escape drama, struggle, trials, and problems, and those are the times when we should be able to lean on our other more stable friends and family for support.
This is why it's important for us to reach towards goal achievement and stability; so that we may serve and bless others.
It's about turning from ourselves towards others, and about putting our energy into other people. This is of course, only once we have blossomed, and once we are capable. This is why it is so important for young women to use their twenties to become more established, mature, and stable, instead of using it as a perpetual party or excuse to avoid responsibility.
In total, I'm not encouraging you to be a doormat or to allow people to take advantage of you. I am simply encouraging you to see the bigger picture; that after your dreams are realized, it's not time to slip into self-centered melancholy; it's actually time for you to turn outwardly and use your position, stability, and achievements to hep other people and to encourage them to grow as well.
We cannot take up the spotlight for our whole lives; no one likes it when people who have already achieved their dreams try to upstage and steal the spotlight from those who are currently experiencing the journey.
Know when it is time to step back and help others, and understand that an achievement of a dream does not mean the story is over; in fact, it is just beginning.
Wishing all the blessings to you my dearest reader.
xoxo,
Cait