Authentic Living: Faith

Where does one even begin to describe their faith journey in a simple blog post? It’s certainly no easy task, which is – once again – why it’s been so long since I last posted.

Last year began with the goal to discover what it means to live authentically. As the year progressed, I quickly realized that as I uncovered authentic living in each area of my life, the meat of the issue came back to my faith – what did I believe, and how did I act on that? I can’t say I was in the space last year to tackle much of this head on, but life circumstances necessitated that I learn to “trust without borders,” to simply believe that God had a plan and walk in that absolute faith. It’s a pretty amazing space to dwell in – and honestly, pretty petrifying at the same time – but I’m so thankful for that experience. To be brought to the end of myself and realize that I will still be sustained is a lesson that I cannot soon forget.

However, as I’ve learned authenticity in other areas of life and have seen how it intersects with my faith, I’ve come to a place this month in which I’ve recognized the need to explore what it is I truly believe. I can no longer say that my faith informs my actions if I cannot clearly articulate what my faith states. And so my journey from last year continues and informs my New Year’s goals for 2014.

My goal for the year began with a plan to dive into the gospels and explore them in depth – spend a whole lot of time with Jesus and learning what it is he really said and did. However, as I’ve been doing some “reading for fun” (a novel notion since graduate school has ended, haha), I’ve encountered a few books that have challenged my faith in some deep and powerful ways. Do I really know what the Bible says or how it calls me to live, particularly as the scriptures relate to social justice? When I learn these things, am I willing to change how I live? What if those closest to me don’t understand or don’t agree – will I still hold true to my convictions?

I’m really looking forward to seeing what this year holds and how my faith is challenged and grown. I know it’s not going to be an easy journey, but I feel more ready than ever for it, and I can’t wait to share what I learn with you! 

Authentic Living: Vocation

Happy New Year my friends! I hope you all are greeting this new year with happiness, healthiness, and excitement for things to come!

It’s been a while since I’ve provided an installment to my “Authentic Living” series: in part due to the seemingly inherent hectic nature of the holidays, and in part because I haven’t quite figured out how to tackle this subject of vocation. But after several days of a lot of quiet time and space for introspection, I feel much more ready to share with you all.

At my undergraduate institution, the word “vocation” was used by faculty and staff until we students were quite nauseated by it. Although as a college student I didn’t fully understand what vocation meant, over the past two years I’ve come to not only understand what vocation is, but also appreciate and embrace the concept and what it means in my life. As I worked my way through graduate school, I imagined myself in my post-graduate life building a career in a non-profit organization that was doing something related to women’s equality, human rights, or some similarly “sexy” work in the NGO world. At the time, my boyfriend was in the army, and I knew that could mean frequent moves in the future, but since there are so many non-profits and I wasn’t too fussy about the type of work I’d be doing, it all seemed like a great plan.

Come late spring of last year though, and within a span of 7 weeks, I was single with my Masters degree in hand. On the one hand, the freedom that gave me felt incredible, and yet at the same time it was a bit terrifying to know that I could really go anywhere I wanted. It wasn’t until June that I absolutely panicked. I was in a meeting with my supervisors when they looked at me and bluntly asked, “What is your dream? What are your goals?” Friends, I have never felt like a deer in headlights more than I did at that moment. In a split second, it occurred to me that I hadn’t been planning my career on my dreams and the talents God has given me. So much of my thoughts had been based on the life I used to know, and with that gone, I had no idea what I really wanted to do. The “world was my oyster,” as they say, and I was terrified. I suddenly found myself in my mid-twenties with two degrees and not a clue what I wanted my long-term career to look like. How did that happen? But more critically, how do I even go about figuring it out?

That same week I went to a film screening of a documentary about an artist who takes her work into broken communities and brings color, life, and healing to people who have experienced so much pain and destruction. I’ve had the privilege of seeing her work in Rwanda, and as I watched the film that evening, there was something in my spirit that quickened. I wasn’t sure if it was the heart of her work, the images and sounds of Rwanda in the film, or something else that caused it, but I felt it so clearly. Whatever was causing that sensation was stirring something at the very core of my being, and I knew it touched on that dream my supervisors had asked me about – whatever it was. After that experience, I started a “Vision Journal” – a simple notebook in which I record organizations, events, projects, etc, that capture my attention, why they interest me, and the steps I’m taking to engage and participate. Instead of just knowing my dream as a feeling inside me, I wanted to find a pattern in what I loved and why.

The result has been beautiful. Granted, not all the opportunities have panned out – at least not yet. Perhaps someday they will. But I’ve begun to think of my career very differently now. It’s no longer a 9-5 job with a clear ladder to climb – it’s something I want my life to be about. And when that shift in perspective happens…oh my goodness. I have been able to make the distinction between my jobs – I have my “pay the bills” job (as I like to call it) and my “vocation” job. I am so blessed to have a full-time job that allows me not only to pay my bills and gain solid work experience (with skills related to my future career!), it also provides me the time and space to do my vocation job, which is perhaps the most wonderful blessing of all. Because of this job, I have been able to participate in extra trainings, travel to Rwanda to continue work on the radio documentary, and I will be starting volunteer work at a peace museum in the coming weeks.

Is my full-time job what I thought I’d be doing 6+ months after graduating? Absolutely not. Do I feel fulfilled in my life’s work right now? More than I can possibly express in this blog post. I have come to a place, and am continuing to move more fully into a space, in which I am discovering life dreams and career goals that feel undeniably authentic to who I am. Who knows, maybe there’s a PhD in my future? ;)

Looking Forward

A few weeks ago, during a conversation in which comments were made on how quickly the year has gone by, someone remarked that I must be glad the year is almost over. The comment caught me off-guard…why would I want this year to be over? Sure, 2012 was rough, and I was certainly ready to see that year go. But 2013?

And then it occurred to me why someone might think I’d want this year to be over. I was broken up with twice and spent months working through the worst heartache I’ve ever experienced; I haven’t been able to find a job in my field despite a nine-month search and several interviews; and there have been so many changes at work that my stress level has been through the roof for the better part of the year as far as work is concerned.

That’s not how I see this past year though. For me, this has been the best year of my life so far, and for so many reasons…

I’ve learned what love really looks like and how to fight for it. I’ve also learned when and how to just let go.

I’ve let myself dream and explore those things that stir at the core of who I am.

I’ve learned what it means to really sit with emotion and simply own how I feel in the moment.

I have wept bitterly, but it’s only let me enjoy that much more the moments of laughing so much your stomach hurts.

I have come to learn who my closest friends are, and that despite the fact that friendships are changed as we move to different parts of the country and grow into adulthood, there are friends who will just simply be there. I’ve also learned that God brings new friends along in those seasons when we need them most.

I’ve finally figured out how to negotiate the different “homes” in my life, and I can fully appreciate both  living on my own and the time I travel home to be with family.

I traveled back Rwanda to do “vocation” work, and in the process have had friends who have become family there.

I have witnessed my family grow, as we welcomed my sister-in-law and got news of more grandkids in the extended family.

I have witnessed the faithfulness of God in some pretty huge ways in so many small, everyday, almost unnoticeable ways, and it has helped me move into a space of trusting God in ways I never thought I would.

Sure, it may have been a rollercoaster year in many respects, but I wouldn’t give a moment of it back. As I think back to the person I was on January 1 of this year, I can honestly say that it is a very different young woman who will be walking into 2014. I feel more confident, more sure of where I’m going in life, and more sure of who I am. I am so excited to continue wrestling with the “tough stuff” and discovering the authentic me in this new year.

With the holidays coming up and lots of visiting with family and friends over the next week or so, I’m not sure I’ll get to post again this year. So I’d like to leave you with this song I heard last week that, to me, is such a perfect song to end 2013 with. It is my hope that at the end of each year, and at the end of each day, you can say “I lived” to the absolute fullest.

Peace

Hectic. Busy. Uncertain. Excited. Worried. 

And those are only a few of the words I would use to describe the past week and how I've been feeling. Heck, that’s how I’d describe much of the past year or so. Not all bad, but not all good, and a whole lot of highs and lows in a short amount of time. (Needless to say, it does a number on one’s nerves and emotions, haha.)

There’s a lot happening this week, and a lot of it is things that should completely stress me out and cause me to question everything. Don’t get me wrong – my adrenaline has been pumping, I’ve been a bit stressed, and I’m just plain worn out already. Despite this, though, I haven’t been shaken to my core. It’s as if there’s a ton of crazy happening around me, and the space I’m in is quiet and peaceful. It’s difficult to describe, but this is the best explanation I’ve been able to come up with:

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

It’s a verse I heard frequently growing up in the church, but I never quite understood it. Perhaps it was because I didn’t know what peace really felt like, or perhaps it’s because I didn’t have such big worries, or maybe my faith just wasn’t mature enough to comprehend it at that point. But at this stage in life, it’s the very thing I cling to. I can assure you, it’s a strange feeling – feeling like I should be over-the-top stressed or anxious or worried and yet my spirit is quiet and resting. And while this deep peace doesn’t negate emotions, it makes the day-in and day-out so much more enjoyable knowing that God has the “big picture” under control and that everything – positive or negative – happens for a reason and is used for his glory.

I know there’s a lot of people who might disagree with me or think it’s just the “Christian crutch” thing. And that’s okay with me. I don’t even have any type of intellectual or logical argument for why this isn’t just a bunch of cockamamey crap – but that’s the point. This is peace that surpasses my limited understanding. What I can tell you though is that this peace is real and it is deep and it is the most remarkable thing I have ever felt. As you’re reading this, I pray that you would know this peace that “transcends all understanding,” however it manifests in your life today.

Authentic Living: Finding my Voice

Ask anyone who has known me since childhood, and they’ll likely tell you I’m the shy, quiet one. To some extent, this hasn’t changed – I’m still on the quiet side, as listening tends to be my default position, and I usually think for a while before I speak. In a way, I find it ironic that as such a quiet person, I place such a high value on people sharing their stories, particularly when I’ve been so hesitant for so long to open up and share my own perspective.

This year, however, I’ve really started to learn how and when to speak up. Although I’ve previously tried to challenge myself to speak up, there was a point in the spring when I sort of “snapped” and just started using my voice. There had been a few weeks in which there were a number of situations in which I felt like I had no agency or autonomy. It’s almost difficult to explain the absolute frustration I felt. Shortly after these events, I came across a post on social media that was so disrespectful and hateful towards an entire group of people, and I just couldn’t hold my tongue anymore. Though I don’t usually engage in charged exchanges over social media, I had come to a point where I knew I had to say something – even though it was completely unrelated to the personal events of the previous weeks, I felt the frustration of voicelessness in the deepest way and had to speak in defense of those to whom this post was directed. I can’t say the exchange went too well, but I felt a sense of agency I had never felt before, and it encouraged me to speak out more frequently.

As this year has progressed, I’ve worked hard to discover those values and issues that are most important to me – the ones that, for me, are worth stepping out of my comfort zone a little. I’m not going to lie – it’s a little scary to do when that hasn’t been the norm for 25 years of one’s life. But there is something that is incredibly refreshing in discovering your voice and claiming agency. I believe there comes a point in everyone’s life, or at least there should be, when you recognize that not everything is done to you, that you have a role in situations and can impact the outcome…or at the very least, that you can add a different perspective to the conversation.

That’s part of why I love this new song – this song resonates with me and reminds me to be “brave” and use my voice when necessary. To some extent, the purpose of this blog is to provide the space for me to do this, and it’s been a challenge for me to write a lot of these posts and put it all out there. But I believe there are some things that are just too important to keep quiet about.

Authentic Living: Love and Relationships

The thing with the quest for an authentic life is that you can’t be authentic in just one area…if you’re gonna do it, you just gotta do it. Dive in head first and tackle everything as it comes up. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to me then, that love and relationships would be one of the first battles I’d fight in my search for authenticity.

Just a few short months after I first set out on this journey, my three-year relationship with my college boyfriend ended. I can’t say it was completely out of left field, so to speak, but I did think that we were really fighting for our relationship and learning to work through differences. Needless to say, I was utterly heartbroken. And while there is really no “good” time for a breakup, ten days from my Masters thesis due date proved to be more than challenging. Yet strangely enough, I’m also thankful for that timing…it gave me something else to focus on and work toward rather than be completely consumed by sadness day in and day out.

In these first few weeks after our split, I learned (and even relearned) a lot about coping and the value of a support system. One thing my mediation professors had taught me was about emotional intelligence and how to center oneself. As I processed the breakup, I was careful to let myself feel whatever emotion I was feeling at the time: if I was sad and felt like crying, I’d cry; if I was happy and wanted to laugh, I’d heartily laugh. I’ll be honest, it’s probably the most unstable I’ve felt in my entire life – you’d be amazed at how quickly emotions can change when you let yourself really feel them, and how quickly you find yourself curled up on the living room floor sobbing like a baby. But in letting myself really truly feel, I came to a place where I felt very honest with myself, which let me work through things that much faster. In addition, I had an amazing support system of friends and family members who patiently walked beside me and beared witness to the emotions (whatever they happened to be) each day.

After my degree was done and I no longer had school work to occupy my mind, I really had to confront some of the hardest parts of processing the breakup. In the first place, I had to recognize and own that I had ultimately let myself stay in what was turning into a very unhealthy relationship. Although some of those closest to me had seen it and warned me, I had not been in a place to hear it and had continued on in the relationship. In the end, I can’t say that I regret it – I was able to walk away from our relationship with a deep peace knowing that I had done everything I could and fought until the end to make it work – but in the process I only hurt myself. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of good things about the relationship too. But when unhealthy habits take hold, it takes a heck of lot to turn them around.

In addition, processing our breakup brought up a whole lot of ugly in me that I didn’t know (or hadn’t wanted to acknowledge) was buried deep within me. It’s no secret that along with “happy” and “sad” days, there are also days of seething anger and nothing short of a desire for vengeance. From a place of feeling so betrayed and so heartbroken, there were days when my anger would boil over and I’d spend hours venting to my ever-so-patient friends. It was a bit shocking at how quickly anger and hate can rise to the surface unchecked, and I had to confront this as well. It was a rather difficult lesson that when seeking a life that falls in line with my values and the core of who I am, I also need to work through the ugly, fleshy parts of human life that sit within my heart.

There was a moment about two months ago when I finally allowed myself to let it all go. It was a conscious choice, and it doesn’t mean there aren’t still days when I feel a little pain at being left by someone I had loved so deeply. But as I looked around at my friends who were present in the room that night, I felt the strangest sensation – in a split second I felt every crazy fun night in college, every day we spent crying on one another’s shoulders, every difficult life decision, every well-earned accomplishment, all at once. I realized in that moment that despite all those highs and lows we had experienced together, my friends and I were all okay. And no matter what came next, I’d be okay too. That night I let myself weep one last time – they were the most healing tears I have ever cried.

Despite the heartache, I can’t say that I regret my last relationship. If anything, I’m thankful for it…and I’m thankful for the breakup. Through it, I have come to see more clearly who I am. I’ve learned both how to respect myself and that I am worthy of respect from others. I have learned to speak up, voice my thoughts and needs, and be more mindful of the needs of others. I have learned how to have the difficult conversations, both with others and with myself. And while I realize I still have a lot to learn about love and relationships, I now know that relationships don’t define who I am, but rather help me and the other person grow into the people we are each called to be.  

Authentic Living: Starting the Journey

I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions…they tend to be a little too stress-inducing for me and just remind me of my fear of failure, especially since every resolution has typically been broken by January 5^th anyways. What I do like though, are New Year’s goals. Reframing them as goals reminds me that it is an ongoing process – not something to be maintained and achieved within the next 365 days, but rather a process, and a non-linear one at that, toward a more ideal way of living.

Early in January this year, I was contemplating recent events and realized that in the rush of life and while I was in grad school/survival mode, I had come to a place where I didn’t recognize myself or the person I had become. It was at that point that I asked God to show me what an authentic life looked like. I was tired of living in a space in which I felt so disconnected from myself and what was important to me.

Surprise, surprise…praying for an authentic life is like praying for patience. It seems like a harmless prayer, but what we forget is that God doesn’t just give us patience…he teaches it to us. In the same way, God just didn’t show up one day and say, “Here you go, Cait…here’s an authentic life.” (Which, by the way, could have been nice, haha.) Instead, every day this year has been a challenge to me to dig deep, ask the difficult questions of myself, and be willing to be wholly vulnerable at times. As painful as this process has been though, I can say that, even before this year is over, I have, without a doubt, become a more authentic version of myself in every area of my life. Whether in my faith, my relationships, or my work, God has been rooting out the old, the toxic, and the life-draining and has been filling it with the new, the healing, and the life-giving.

As painful as this year has been at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything…I am so thankful for this journey, for what I’ve learned, and for who I’ve become. This search for authenticity is, in part, how this blog started, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about this journey toward authentic living in the next few blog posts.

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that 

self may prove to be.”   ~ May Sarton