I have decided...

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that life is full of decisions… and I can’t even decide what I want for dinner most nights!

In late 2014, I decided that I wanted to stop wishing that I could do calligraphy and actually learn to DO IT. I knew that I wasn’t just going to magically wake up one morning and be gifted with beautiful writing skills, so I made it my New Year’s Resolution to write at least one word a day as beautifully as I could and attempt to teach myself the art form. I called it my “art project” and titled it “A Year of Words”.

Would you like to see the beginnings of my journey? No, you would not. Because it was ugly, messy, sloppy, and kinda dumb. I had zero technique, absolutely no idea what kind of supplies I needed, and I cried several times because I was just so frustrated at the fact that I wasn’t an immediate prodigy. I became wishy-washy and doubted myself so much.

But the Lord spoke something to me… One word. “DISCIPLINE”.

I’m going to have an honesty moment. I’ve never been good at quiet times. I remember as a kid trying to read the Bible from cover to cover about 100 times. And let me tell you, I never made it through Leviticus. (Although, in my defense, have you tried to read Leviticus? It’s not the easiest book… haha.) I’ve never been good at reading my Bible daily at a certain time in a certain spot for a certain number of minutes. It’s much easier for me to watch tv or take a nap, to be honest. And once upon a time, that filled me with a lot of shame. Because I saw so many awesome ladies around me that were just SO GOOD at being faithful disciplined quiet-timers, but it just wasn’t me. I held onto my guilt and just resigned to be being an unruly, undisciplined follower of Christ.

And then the Lord spoke something to me… One word. “DISCIPLINE”.

Just as my calligraphy skills were going nowhere fast without guidance from people who had gone before me, the right tools, and the discipline to devote to the craft. Daily our walks with Jesus will never be all they can be unless we give him our time, energy, and focus. And doing that requires a decision. Discipline = the decision to do something repetitively. It literally means to train as if in a race.

Because I decided to practice my calligraphy every. single. day. for an entire year, I was able to open a small business specializes in calligraphy services for weddings, logo design and branding, and all sorts of other special projects.

Because I decided to follow Jesus every. single. day. for my entire life, I have seen miracles performed before my eyes, watched prayers be answered time and time again, found a community that provides me with a home on this earth, and been able to love others more fully because of the love He gives to me all the days of my life. And there’s also this thing called everlasting life… Jesus is the only one that can offer it, and boy let me tell you… It’s worth every missed tv show and nap you’ll ever sacrifice to draw closer to him. I promise. ☺

Music just speaks to me, you know? One of my favorite hymns is “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”. (And let me just say… In a sentence, that’s THE BEST decision you could ever make.) The lyrics of the hymn are so simple. So repetitive. So powerful and strong and self-assured and disciplined. It’s not a wishy-washy song.

See for yourself:

I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus;