I’m still coming off a high from reading the book “Girl Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis. Can we pause our chaotic day for a moment and get vulnerable together? I’d like to share a section that stood out to me during this season in my life. I have many take-aways from the raw, hilarious, and inspiring content, but here’s the homerun:
“Creating is the greatest expression of reverence I can think of, because I recognize that the desire to make something is a gift from God. The freedom to carve out the time and have a safe place to create that art is a blessing of the highest level in a world where so many people are unable to have either. Every time I indulge in the art of creation without worrying about what the public will think of it is craft in its purest form—and craft can be any old thing at all. For me it’s writing.” -Rachel Hollis, Girl Wash Your Face
For me, it’s photography.
I truly believe that all of us have a God-given craft. We have that craft for a divine reason. I also believe that so many of us shy away from the very thing that is meant to make us come alive in ways that glorify God. Why? Dare I say it’s because we fear that we’re inadequate and fear others’ perceptions? If that’s not true for you, it’s at least been true for me!
Can I be vulnerable with you, friend? A few of the lies I battle during seasons of entrepreneurship are:
- What I have to offer isn’t good enough.
- My community is already saturated with my craft, so they don’t need me. Why would they care?
- Following my dreams is selfish and unrealistic.
The list of lies the Enemy throws at me can go on to fill a whole page, but that’s what they are—lies. Fear-filled lies. Lies meant to keep me from living a God-breathed life of joy, abundance and faith. Lies meant to keep me from glorifying Him.
I appreciate the encouragement I find in Girl Wash Your Face to “decide that you care more about creating your magic and pushing it out into the world, than about how it will be received.” For me the “how well it will be received” part means more than just how other’s will receive it. If I’m being real, I don’t receive myself well. (That sounds weird, but humor me.) I’m WAY harder on myself than anyone else. Anyone else feel me?
The Enemy knows this too. I believe that the harder I’ve fought for my dreams, the harder the Enemy has worked to make me believe those pesky lies I mentioned before. How rude.
So, what’s interesting is that while I thought the journey of pursuing my craft, photography, would be about perfecting my technical skills, delivering beautiful images, and photographing high-end weddings, it’s become so much deeper than that. It’s more about who I’m becoming while pursuing those things. Not as a photographer, but as a someone pursuing full dependence on God for all things. It’s not been a smooth ride. There are days (maybe even most days) that I feel like untethered cargo in the back of a pickup bouncing around about to fall out onto a high-speed freeway. But I believe the divine reason God gave me this craft is SO worth it!
Friend, you have a craft. Your craft is unique to you. Refuse to place your identity, hope, and joy into popularity and earthly milestones. That’s lifeless. The satisfaction there’s short-lived. I’ve been there, and still struggle with that! Give into the journey refining you in the most deep, beautiful ways, ways that maybe can only be done once you decide to pursue your magic. You’ll never know until you push it into the world. So, stop reading my mumbo-jumbo, say a prayer, and do it now! Then, of course, come back and share your story with me, because I know it’s going to be an inspiring one!
Live loved,
Alyssa Rachelle
