Between the Pines | April Newsletter
on buying a house, surrendering to God, & discerning next steps
Hello reader,
This past month has been full—full in the true sense of the word as in having a busy, almost chaotic to-do list but also full in the sense that I feel covered by and filled with goodness of God. I’m filled with His blessings to the brim.
In case you haven’t heard: WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! This has been a desire of ours for two years, and God has been so faithful in the process. He prepared this house for us and made way after way for it to be ours. When we came up against obstacles in our home search, God continued to make it evident that this house would be ours. We’ve only been fully moved in for a week, but we’re already getting a taste of the sweetness God has for us here.
On the other hand, we’re also encountering issues with homeownership that don’t feel like blessings. They just feel annoying, time consuming, and expensive. To be honest, these last few weeks of owning this house and moving have made me weary. I’ve felt spread thin and weak.
I’ve been reminded over and over, especially within this first week in our new home, that God delights in my weakness. He wants me to surrender to Him. It’s just like God to prepare a way for us, give us a blessing, and remind us to surrender to his will as we walk into it.
Perhaps this is the lesson to be gained in this transitional season: God wants us to surrender to his will, even—or especially—in the midst of the blessing he’s given us. The blessing, answer to prayer, or gift from God isn’t the end of the story or something for us to take and run off with however we please. It’s just another part of our journey and another opportunity to trust God, surrender to his will, and steward what he has given us well. May we remember this as we go on our journey—regardless of what that looks like for you in this season.
Words and Resources for Your Journey
A Book: Embrace Your Life: How to Find Joy When the Life You Have is Not the Life You Hoped For by Elizabeth Woodson about finding joy in the midst of inevitable longings of life.
A Quote: “These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” - Najwa Zebian
On the Blog
Walking in the Wilderness is my blog where I write about seasonal and present moment living, as well as about looking for God’s goodness and provision in every season. I post every other Friday.
The Water Crossings of Life about facing our challenges in life as we would face a water crossing on a hike. This has been one of my favorite blog posts I’ve written to date. It’s the only one I wrote this month so please check it out!
This Month’s Writing Life Update
Friends, I’m sure you can tell that life has been a little chaotic recently with starting a new job and moving. I skipped writing a blog post last week because I simply did not have the brain power or time to do it. I also went through a short writing life crisis last week where I questioned my entire calling and desire to write. This was partially spurred on by receiving another writing rejection but it also was partially because I’m struggling to find good time to write now that I’m working. I also started researching literary agents and had a small internal crisis—I mean, how am I going to get a book deal with such a small platform? Is what I have to say really good enough to get an agent, let alone a book deal? Does anyone even care about what I have to say? Have I actually been called to this by God or is this just a dream of mine? And how am I going to build a platform when all social media platforms are so saturated and all of my content receives low engagement and it all feels so overwhelming to post anything and keep up with the ever-changing algorithm? All of this makes me feel entirely inadequate as a writer, let alone an author. It feels like a dream that is so unattainable.
I’ll be taking some time to further ponder these things and pray that God would give me discernment on my next right steps. I’m hoping to still find inspiration to write as I’m pondering and working through these things so it won’t be total radio silence over here. Please pray that God would give me wisdom in making decisions regarding my writing, especially when it comes to pursuing book publishing. And, as always, if you have any topic you would love to see me write about either for my essays on Substack or for my blog, please do not hesitate to reach out. I always want to be writing content that you want to read! Sometimes I just need a little inspiration and encouragement to know exactly what that is :)
A Question Worth Pondering
Use this question for spiritual reflection and respond in the comments.
In what way(s) is God asking you to surrender to his will during your current season or circumstance?
Thank you for reading Between the Pines. I hope you found some encouragement in these words to keep you going. May God meet you on your journey between the pines.
Talk to you soon, friend.
Lauren Carrizal