Flip The Script

Prepare for the worst

Hope for the best

Won't you steady my heart

For whatever comes next?

~King and Country, "Need You More"

I generally consider myself an optimist, a person who looks at the bright side of things, a person who sees the glass as half full, who always holds hope. I've been convicted lately, however, that I might not be as optimistic as I think. When times are good, I'm wondering when they'll be bad. When relationships are healthy, I'm afraid to give thanks, for fear that this will lead to a prideful fall and rupture. When I have ample financial resources, I act as a miser, for fear that one day the money won't be there. When I have time off work, I let myself get overwhelmed with home details, or fear of going back to work. When days are sunny, I wonder when the rain will come. I find that I have a tendency to label life as hard, instead of seeing it as good. In so doing, I miss the joy of the moment, and I can end up sabotaging myself.

Now that I've realized what I'm doing, I'm trying, by the Holy Spirit's power, to view life as more of a privilege than a struggle. I'm trying to be present in the now instead of looking so muhc into the future. I'm trying to give thanks instead of worrying. Life is good. God has blessed me. Sure, there are hard parts of living, but that's not the substance of life. There is so much worth celebrating. So many good things worth recognizing and further pouring into.

Let's flip the script, shall we? Instead of looking for dysfunction, let's look for function. Instead of living with foreboding joy* about the future, let's celebrate the now. Let's rejoice and give thanks, for when we have God, we always have good.

*Credit for this term goes to Brene Brown and her books.

I Choose Joy.

It's no secret that For King and Country is my favorite band. And I do get super excited when they put out a new song. (I'm eagerly awaiting the release of their new album October 5th.) But the reason I like their music so much is that it resonates with me. Take for example, their new song, "Joy."

"And I choose joy" is the central lyric of their chorus. My life is not terrible by any means, but I have been struggling. I get tired and exhausted and somewhat despairing of life more often than I'd like to admit. And multiple times lately, as I've been feeling this way, I've turned on the radio and heard, "Joy." Through it, I heard the Holy Spirit gently asking me, "What will you choose, Sarah?"

I truly believe in the importance of honoring and acknowledging feelings, but I also know I can't dwell in the feeling realm. Nancy Wilson, in her book, Learning Contentment, writes that “Ruminating on your troubles makes you grumpy, increases your lack of thanks for what you have, and 'stresses you out' so you can't enjoy your blessings” (p. 47). She states that the direction of our gaze fixes the contentment of our hearts. As I drove into Prescott last weekend after a particularly frustrating morning, I had to ask myself where my eyes where, and they're weren't on God or on expressing gratitude. They were on myself and my troubles. As God worked on my heart, "Joy" came on and the Spirit once again asked me, "What will you choose?"

So as I work to fix my eyes on Jesus, I'm giving myself a little challenge. I'm starting an #IChooseJoy hashtag campaign for the month of September to remind myself to look for the good, focus on Jesus, and express gratitude. 

Want to join me? Just use the #IChooseJoy hashtag and feel free to tag me when you post. I'm at MyArizonaAdventure over on Instagram and you'll see I started the campaign with my September 1st photo. My goal is to post at least once a day all month long, because I truly want choosing joy to become a habit.

Summer in Arizona

Summer is my favorite season. Why? There's sun and heat and hiking and good eats and so much more. I've written plenty of serious posts lately, so I thought I'd use today to give you a taste of what it's like to summer in Arizona.

Fire. Be fire-wise in Arizona, but also be forewarned that fires are part of our lives. They serve their purpose in clearing out death and decay, but they are also very dangerous. This fire was close to our home, but thankfully got put out quickly.

The rodeo.

And the rodeo parade. We have the World's Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, and going to it each year is a major tradition in my family.

Hiking. The lakes are low, but they are still beautiful.

Concerts. No, I'm not a King and Country roadie, but I have seen them twice this year.

Sunrises.

And sunsets. Days are long and hot here in the summer, but the mornings and evenings make it all worth it.

Cantaloupe. A refreshing treat on hot days.

And cookouts. Because why cook inside when you can leave the heat outdoors?

Fourth of July. We had no fireworks this year due to the drought, but I had my own two candles to celebrate year two in Arizona.

Monsoons look like they're starting to come. They aren't my favorite, but we do need the moisture.

Summers in Arizona are no doubt kind of crazy, but that's the way things go. There's a reason I call my Instagram My Arizona Adventure! Life is an adventure, and I'm thankful for it.

Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Daring.

My word for 2018 is Brave. (Or at least that's what my Dayspring Word of Truth quiz said.) As a type A perfectionist, being brave is hard, but the #bucketlistproject is teaching me to do it more and more. 

Time flies fast and life is taxing. There are few "good" time to do the things I want to do. I'm often tired and exhausted or don't feel well and would rather sleep or introvert than actually go out and live. (That sounds pretty awful, but I'm afraid it's often true.) There is a time and place for rest, but there are also times and places for risk.

Like eating the delicious ice cream even if it might not make me feel the best later on.

Or staying up late to see King and Country.

Or cutting loose from work early to take a flight to see my brother and sister-in-law.

Or deciding to go for a hike with Mom on Saturday even when it has been a long week.

There is a delicate balance between bravery and risk. And self-care is certainly important. But I'm realizing that for me, self-care requires me to be a little less perfectionistic and a little more brave.

Don't do stupid things, friends. But do make the decision to live now, not later. And if that means taking a few more risks, being a little more bold, being a little more brave, and daring more, DO IT! You only have one life to live.

For King and Country Concert

I did it! I finally went to a For King and Country concert. I've liked King and Country since their song, "Fix My Eyes" came out when I was in graduate school. It became my fight song as I started my internship for counseling. Later, after my dear brother bought me the CD, "It's Not Over Yet," became especially special. My roommate was playing it the night I came home after making a call for emergency assistance. I heard it on the radio after I made the final decision to let the deal on a house I wanted to buy fall through. I've watched videos of King and Country performing and gotten a little jealous of friends on Facebook who posted about seeing them in person. So in the spirit of the #bucketlistproject, I decided I needed to find a way to see them in concert.

I asked a few friends if they wanted to go see King and Country, but none seemed that interested. When Dad offered to go with me, I jumped on the opportunity to have an extra long date with him, and benefit from him driving the hour and a half to the concert venue. (Driving is not my favorite activity in life.)

 Here we are before leaving for the concert.

Dad was excited to see Matthew West at The RoadShow, but most of this trip was a sacrifice for me. He shortcut his Sunday nap for me. He parked at the garage I wanted, not the one he wanted. He walked with me from the parking garage to the venue instead of taking the shuttle.

He took a photo with me by The Road Show backdrop.

He sat with me in our "nosebleed seats," (which turned out to be pretty good, in my opinion). The tickets were only $10, and the GCU arena of 7,000 was sold out, so I'm glad we got seats period.

 He took a selfie with me.

The concert line-up was great, a little too great in my opinion. There were too many good artists before King and Country, which was the reason for my trip, and I kind of just wanted them to hurry up. But alas. They did not.

 The evening started with Bethel Music, which set the stage for worshipping Jesus, not just seeing a performance (ahem, six performances).

Next came Zack Williams,

then Natalie Grant.

We had intermission, followed by Matthew West and Social Club Misfits. Then came For King and Country. It was quite the production,

complete with shadow screens!

The set opened with "Run Wild," followed by "To The Dreamers." Then came, Fix My Eyes," "Not Over Yet," and a song from their new album (to be released), "Choose Joy." They were singing "Shoulders" at 10 pm (the concert started at 6 pm!) when we decided to walk out and head home.

It was an exhausting night, but worth it! I so enjoyed seeing and hearing (though the decibel levels could have been much lower) King and Country in person. And now I've crossed off one more item from my bucket list. (Big shout out to Dad for facilitating!)

What items have you crossed off your bucket list lately, friends? Please share in the comments section.