Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
For the past nine months, I’ve felt trapped in a specific moment—the moment James* turned his back on me. I realize most people have experienced much harder things in life, but I’m still dealing with the sting of rejection and the internal what-if-he-hadn’t-rejected-me questions. Psalm 69 (part of which is included below) reminds me that the Lord is a mighty deliverer who can save His children from the mire—or the moments—where they feel helpless and hopeless.
For today's post, I'm announcing a new video I created—a video where I share my personal testimony. In recent days, I've developed a greater appreciation for testimonies, especially testimonies that are communicated concisely, clearly, and compellingly. (I try to communicate mine that way—it's less than two minutes long!) To watch it, simply click on my About and Contact page. I hope it'll inspire you to share yours with someone this week.
In Part 1, I admitted that I carried many worries about the future with me throughout college. But I also worried about making friends during college. I wanted to ensure I made “enough” friends, which is honestly a silly thing to worry about because no one can determine how many friends is “enough.” And that’s exactly why I’m writing this post—to encourage you to take the pressure off yourself to make friends and instead trust God to provide.
In His kindness, God sustained me through my first year—and my second, third, and fourth years. But I genuinely don’t miss that season of my life because I spent so much time worrying about things I didn’t need to worry about. My hope is that you’ll learn from my mistakes though. Please please please don’t waste your time worrying—especially about the future—while you’re in college.
We’re approaching a new year, which may seem like the perfect time to make some resolutions, right? Whether your goal is to eat more vegetables or read more books or spend more time praying, it likely stems from your desire to become a better person. Though that's a great desire, it’s easy to have unrealistically high expectations about how fast you can fulfill it. That's the problem with the “new year, new you” mantra—it's rooted in unrealistically high expectations.
It’s been nine years since I started Tizzie’s Tidbits of Truth. It’s been almost three years since Real Recovery was published. It’s been over a year since I started seeking a publisher for my second (yet-to-be-published) book. And while I certainly haven’t learned everything about writing, I have learned this: It’s. A. Long. Haul.
When I shared my not-so-kind remarks on The Office last week, I promised to recommend a more wholesome resource to you this week. That resource is Unsung Hero. It’s truly one of the best faith-based films I’ve ever seen, and I hope this post will inspire you to see it for yourself.
Though I had some preconceived notions about the writers' conference, it turned out to be much different than I had expected. It helped me realize (or re-realize) a few important things about my writing craft and my relationship with God. So whether or not you’re a writer, here are two lessons I learned at my first writers' conference that apply to anyone who belongs to Christ and wants to use his or her talents for His kingdom.
For the past (Two? Three? Four? More?) years, it feels like I’ve been walking through a boy wasteland. To be blunt, boys—specifically Christian single boys who are romantically interested in this Christian single girl—feel scarce. And to be even more blunt, even though I know Thanksgiving is approaching and I’m supposed to give thanks during this time of year, it’s hard to be thankful to God—who I know is capable of turning my boy wasteland into a flourishing paradise but hasn't.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 