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Whispers on Joy

Well guys, I have a confession to make. I have been letting myself fall into self-pity instead of choosing to be joyful. There. I said it. Now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you what I am learning.

I am 25 years old, so I’m not old or wise yet, but I have been through my share of distress and sadness. Yet, I have always been okay. I have been able to trust God through tears and hard times and frustration. But I have been struggling lately to find joy in each day. Some days I have it, and I’m light and free. Other days, I let myself crawl into the pit of self-pity and tremble in fear of what’s going to happen with my life and how I am going to take care of myself.

I still don’t have a job. I know. You’re thinking, “Mallory, it’s been a week since you last talked about this. What did you expect would happen?!” I know!!! I know. I am just struggling because I really want to be able to provide for myself and help my future husband so we can grow in new life together. 

Last night, God hit me with the truth that I already know, but I desperately needed to hear. Let’s just say I’m more than a couple days behind on reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. (This book is so good. I’ve read it year after year. Check it out!) Sooo I open up my book to the October 5 entry, and what does the first line say? “Remember that joy is not dependent on your circumstances.” Guys, I just had to LOL at that statement. God has a sense of humor for sure! 

Immediately I started reflecting on all of my emotions from the past couple of days. The fear I let myself feel and the stress that I allowed to fill my body had taken over and stolen my joy. But joy is mine to take back, so that’s what I am doing today. Today, I am fighting against the fear and the stress of my life, and I am trusting God to help me. I am allowing myself to put problem solving on the back burner and instead focus on living closely with God. It feels GOOD.

I don’t know what you are going through, but I hope you haven’t let yourself fall into the pit of self pity like me. If you have though, you can get out! Let’s work towards choosing joy together.

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” - Habakkuk 3:17-19  

XOXO,

Mallory

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Whispers on Hope

Guys! 

I have officially applied to 90 jobs since August... NINE ZERO. Only two companies have reached out to me about my resumé. The remaining 88 have been silent, or they have sent me the “thank you for applying, but we are moving forward with more qualified applicants at this time” emails. It has been so defeating! I feel like I might pull all of my hair out from stress and frustration.

This is me being totally human. As I said last week, I know God is good & He is in control AND I should be thankful that I am not in control. Butttttt I also am really ready for this job search to be over!!!

Every month, I fill out a goal planner called Power Sheets. Check it out, because it has been awesome for me this year! Well, every month you are supposed to choose a word or phrase to be your mantra of sorts, and this month I chose “cling to hope.” I brought my pen to the paper, and I said “Okay, Lord. What do I need to be reminded of this month?” Hope was His response.

I think we all need hope in our lives, not matter what we are going through. So my invitation to you today is to reflect a bit on your current circumstances. What do you need to cling to this month? Is it hope? Is it truth? Is it peace? Is it joy? Write it down, and remind yourself to cling to it.

Sisters, I don’t what’s to come for you or for me. But I do have hope that whatever it is it will be full and good. 

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11

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Whispers on Control

I am a graduate student in a competitive program for HR management, and I graduate in December. Woohoo! It’s so exciting! 

This summer, most of my classmates went all over the country to work as interns in various companies. We came back to class this fall, and many of my friends had landed full-time positions. Again, it is so exciting! It’s a really fun time in the program to celebrate each other’s success, because we have all worked so hard. 

BUT... you knew there would be a but, didn’t you? 

I have not yet landed a full-time job, and this has led me to experience a roller coaster of emotions over the past two months. 

I got engaged this summer to the love of my life, and I cannot wait to be his wife. Becoming engaged requires a change in priorities, which includes moving to the location of my fiancé’s job: Detroit, MI. Soooo. Long story short, I have been trying to land an HR job in Detroit for the past two months, and I have not had much success.

Some days I am so full of hope and joy, and I’m eager to keep pushing along and find the job I’ve worked so hard for. Other days I cry angry, frustrated tears because I’m worried I won’t find anything.

All throughout this process I have been reminded of two truths that God has rooted into my life and my faith in Him: God is in control & God is good. I firmly believe these two statements. So why do I still get so upset and worked up when times are hard??

Well, God whispered something to me this week. I was feeling extra strong on Monday morning, so I decided to stay for an extra workout class. That was a silly idea, because I wore myself out... bad. 

I came home and began journaling, and I had an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness for the way God cares for me. In that moment I felt God nudge me and say, “Your life would be so much different if you were in control. It is infinitely better under my hand. My timing is perfect. I know how much you can handle. My yolk is easy and my burden is light.” 

These words sunk deep down into my soul. I had worn my body and my spirit out that morning by pushing myself past my limits. God gently showed me that He knows me better than I know myself. He knows my needs. He knows what I can handle and what I can’t.

How does this all relate? Well, I remembered God is in control & God is good. What I was not realizing is that it would be a bad thing if I was in control over my own life. If I was in control over my job search, I would have had a job two months ago. But guess what?! That’s not God’s plan for me. I have to continue trusting that God is in control & God is good AND the plan He has for me is better than what I could imagine or choose for myself.

I rested well on Monday feeling at peace that God is working in my life on my behalf. I need this reminder daily. My hope for you is that you will believe the truth that God is in control & God is good. I pray that you would be able to take this a step further and believe that God is better at guiding your life than you are. I am learning this with you, sister. 

Give Matthew 11:28-30 a read. Let this truth resonate with you in your soul.

XOXO,

Mallory

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Whispers on Productivity

This past week, I was reminded that I was made for love.

Lately, I’ve bought into the lie that my worth relies on my productivity. I’ve behaved as if my purpose was to check things off lists, and I’ve failed to let my mind and body rest.

I started meeting regularly with a group of women to discuss a book we are reading about God. At the end of every chapter, the book has soul training exercises. This particular week’s exercise was to rest and sleep in until your body woke itself up naturally. I decided I better give it a try, so I cancelled my 6am workout and got some much-needed zzz’s. 

I worked out at 8am and headed over to Starbucks to grab a coffee and wait for our book club meeting. This is when it dawned on me: why am I setting an alarm for 5:30am when I don’t need to be anywhere until 9:30am? My brain quickly rationalized: because you need to be productive today. Why? Because.

In that moment, God gently whispered to my heart, “Mallory, I did not create you to be productive. I made you to be an image bearer of Christ. You are my beloved. I made you to be love and light in the world, not to check things off lists. Do not glorify productivity. Glorify me.”

I penned these words into my journal, and I’ve been speaking these words over myself each morning this week. I have to tell you, it has been so freeing!

Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s masterpiece. 

We are so much more than able bodies made for work and productivity. We are God’s favorite creation, true masterpieces. We are made for love. 

Dear reader, I don’t want you to believe the same lie I was believing. Yes, productivity is good, and I LOVE lists. But you were made for so much more than that. You were made for love. Rest in that truth, friend. Maybe even give yourself permission to take a nap or sleep in until it’s light outside.

XOXO, Mallory

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INTRODUCTIONS

Hi there!

My name is Mallory & I hope we can be friends.

I decided to start this blog to share my stories with you. I am nowhere near perfect. I have much to learn on the path to wisdom. But along the way, life has whispered lessons to me that I would like to share with you. It is my hope that through my vulnerability, you will be inspired to take note of what you are learning in your own life and pass it along to others.  

Who am I? I am a:

Follower of Jesus Bride to be Friend Daughter Sister Learner Lover of life Reader Truth seeker Communicator Type 2 (for you Enneagram folks out there) Pure Barre enthusiast  Cat person & Laughter fanatic

I am so excited for this journey. Thank you for being a part of it!

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