March Recap: Behind the Scenes

It’s time for a March Recap! I knew this one would be long and I just had a feeling that it needed a special place on the blog. If you know me in real life, not just from behind the screen, you probably see more of the ins and outs than what I share publicly. You may see me out and about in the community, grocery shopping, or at church. So much has happened this month, not just in what I've done, but also in what I'm learning. So capturing it all in true authenticity is difficult to do in the scope of a single post on social media. Hence the blog, lol.

I was pulling all of my pictures together from the month and this thought just wouldn’t leave my mind… March has been a wonderful month filled with many special moments, but it has also been a month that I’ve wrestled with some hard things… what a juxtaposition! I know what 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 means when it teaches about taking our thoughts captive and how we don't wrestle as the world wrestles. In any case, I'm left with this thought...can something be wonderful and hard simultaneously? It can. Let me tell you how I know.

I normally wouldn't elaborate so much, but I think that opening up not only about what is happening in my life but about what I'm learning in the process may help some of you do the same. So often we go through life moving from one event to the next, but we miss out on the opportunity to open our eyes more fully to the ways God is moving. Like tracing the handprint of God, I'm constantly looking eyes wide open at where He's at and what He's doing, which helps me know Him more intimately. Here's the recap, in more detail, so you can get a better idea of real life....not just Kindall's highlight reel you often see on the screen.

•I spent time with friends and tried a new restaurant (technically on 2/29...but it'll have to count for March!). It was so much fun! I remember praying for good friends- friends in the same season of life I'm in. I see God’s faithfulness in my life in giving me healthy friendships. He answered a prayer.

•I soaked in all the baby snuggles at family dinners and birthday parties. This is the birthday season for us! I see God’s grace to fill my life with so much love when sometimes I struggle with loneliness.

•I went to the lodge to spend a quiet weekend away and I got so sick! I can’t remember being that sick… but thankfully it passed quickly and in this, I see God’s protection and healing...and answered prayers!

•I was finally able to get my kitchen backsplash tiled and finished. I love how beautiful it is! It’s as if God looked at me and reminded me that he makes all things beautiful in time and at just the right time.

•I baked… a lot! I am so thankful for the orders that just keep rolling in even though I can’t advertise and take on too much right now. I see God’s provision and blessing. There's always extra at just the right time.

•I spent a lot of time outside last month. Whether working in the yard or relaxing in the hammock I know that God is doing something special in this time and I just can’t put my finger on it yet. Stay tuned. I know there's probably going to be more to unpack here later.

•With the Lord's help, I led an Easter service for kids. It was so different this year for many reasons, but I kept recognizing how at peace I was throughout it all… even when I probably should’ve felt stressed. I felt God’s peace that passes understanding and it really is unexplainable.

•…and then, the Easter selfie. Through it all I can honestly say that for every hard thing, God reminded me that HE is good and He takes good care of me. The last picture was taken yesterday. Easter Sunday. After a morning filled to the brim with ministry. I was tired. And my feet were really hurting! It was the first time in my life that I can remember my family not being together on Easter Sunday to celebrate. I took a selfie, alone, and I remember feeling so very lonely at that moment. When everyone else was with their own family or taking pictures with their people… I was trying to manage a selfie at the front door with the bunny wreath (🥴😂) while not feeling completely ridiculous as the cars zoomed past. But you know what? At that moment, God reminded me that life is good and I am blessed even if there's not a man next to me or a full-on family photo. Even if I'm struggling to take a picture of myself, by myself, to document the moment and preserve the memory. The good news is that I did spend time with some of my family yesterday. We grilled burgers in the evening and did things a little differently simply because the whole gang wasn't able to get together, but sometimes different is good. I do have a wonderful life. I am never alone. I am so blessed. 

Here's the truth about what I've seen God doing in my life and what I'm learning: I didn't wrestle with physical things, but with my mind, in my thoughts. It was those little lies that tried to sink me. And every thought that tried to creep up to make me feel that I’m not enough (or in some cases too much), for every lie the enemy tried to make me believe, for every time I felt sad, unsure, hopeless, alone, or defeated, the truth of what God says about me immediately flooded my heart and my mind and those lies were like vapors in the wind. That’s what it means to rest in Him. To be held in the palm of his able hand and to know that He cares because He's fighting for us is what brings peace and joy! When we speak the truth of what God's Word says over the situations we face and over the thoughts we need to take captive, we can witness the Lord fight for us over and over again. That's where the joy is found.