36 Weeks

Sarah McKenzie Photography

36 weeks today. And I can hardly even believe that we’re already here.

When I tell people how far along I am in this pregnancy, at this point the automatic response is “Wow almost there!” or “Oh you’re getting so close!” But what’s weird is that, while I do have brief moments where I feel like the pregnancy part of this journey is basically over (typically coupled with slight panic!), MOST of the time I feel like I still have lots of time between now and when we meet this baby face to face. For the first time, 36 weeks just doesn’t feel THAT close to being the end, when that next chapter will begin. I still (hopefully) have many weeks left with this babe growing and rolling inside of me. We’ve just BARELY started talking about names, haven’t prepared a space for baby, washed clothes or anything like that.

Maybe I’m in denial. Or maybe 4 weeks actually IS a long time. Enough time. The right amount of time. However long it ends up being. I’m still focused intently on the present, no countdowns or number of days left of xyz...because I know how sacred, special and important these last few weeks are to me. I also know from experience that baby’s birth story doesn’t begin with broken waters or a contraction or the arrival time at a hospital, but in the hours, days and weeks before that. For some mamas, this time is about wanting to press fast forward. Just get through it. End it already. Sprint the last 100 meters, cross the finish line, without looking up. And to others, it’s about desperately wanting to slam on the brakes, out of fear or just needing more time to prepare, nest, bond (👈🏼 usually me!)... this time I DO want to take it slow. But not out of desperation. But out of honor and respect for the process. For my body and baby’s natural rhythms. I plan on spending a lot of time in nature, meditating, praying, nesting, connecting with my body, listening to baby and his/her timing... and MAYBE at least having SOME name options for this baby!

Here’s to the last month-ish of pregnancy!! Enjoying each day of the next month or however long. (And if God wants to give me a little extra time I’m okay with that too 😉.) To the next 2-6 weeks - I’m here for you.

40 days. 34 Weeks.

Sarah McKenzie Photography

40 days from our due date today! And while I am aware today of that specific number (only because I went out of my way to look it up a few days ago) we still have no countdowns over here, no focus on “how many days/weeks until _____” or how many more “alone” days I have before baby arrives. (In the past I’ve known EXACTLY how much time I had left.) I hardly know what to tell strangers when asked how far along I am - not because by baby number 4 you lose track or are too preoccupied to remember but because I actually haven’t been focused on knowing. I’ve been BLISSFULLY unaware of timelines and it feels amazing. I’m still focusing intently on the present and hardly looking ahead any more than I absolutely have to. Turning my eyes towards the Lord and being more intentional with my time with Him. Preparing my heart for birth. Preparing my soul for the sacredness of the postpartum experience. Seeking guidance from professionals as well as my labor support team to come alongside me and lead me on this journey towards birthing another life into this world. 🙏🏼💗

This past weekend we were so fortunate to have some time with @sarahmckenziephoto (who was actually with us for 2 of our previous births!) to capture this sacred time for our family. I am so grateful for her and can’t wait to see more!!

Sarah McKenzie Photography

20 weeks

20 weeks. 20 weeks with this baby growing inside of me. I’m a little sad that we’re already to the halfway point, but also SO excited for the second half of this pregnancy.

I truly believe that God did not intend for pregnancy to be a miserable time to just wade through, waiting and wishing for it to be over. It’s part of the journey that He created for us. Yes there’s some sacrifice, it’s not always “easy” and there certainly are some growing pains (both physically and emotionally). But I believe that His timing and design is perfect, whether we understand it or not.

Something I’ve been doing a little differently this time around is focusing intently on the present, and on BEING present in this pregnancy. In the past, I feel like there was a lot of counting down to specific milestones. “How many more weeks until ____?” “I cant WAIT until I’m ___ weeks!” “How many more days until my next ultrasound?” “When will I look like THIS? or feel THAT?” ”How much more time until ____ happens?” And this time I’ve done none of that. I am 20 weeks right now. And that’s that. I’m not thinking about 21 weeks, or 27 weeks or 39 weeks. (Still preparing diligently for birth and my postpartum experience though, of course.)

My hope is that when I’m 40 weeks pregnant, I can look back on this time and think “What an amazing journey this has been!” and not “Oh crap where did the time go?!” I’ve experienced the latter in a very negative way before and I don’t want it to feel that way again. Because I want to enjoy it and never ever take this time and blessing for granted.

So here’s to the past 20 weeks. And to enjoying EACH of the next 20!!

Baby #4 on the Way!

It's official! We're pregnant with Baby #4 and are SO excited to become a family of SIX! As always, here are a few of the initial details about growing this new little life!

Due Date: January 19, 2020

How many weeks along am I now: 12 weeks

How big is Baby Kresta: Currently the size of an apricot

Boy or Girl: I have no clue! I'm leaning more towards boy just based on previous pregnancy experiences/symptoms but there's just no telling. With baby #3, it was pretty obvious to me that Cami was a girl... this baby seems much less obvious... it could to either way! When others have an opinion or feeling one way or another they almost always say they feel like it’s a girl!

Morning sickness: YES. Lots of nausea with this one! Probably one of the roughest early 1st trimesters I've had out of all 4, but I feel like I shouldn't complain because it really isn't THAT bad compared to how bad it could be. Luckily, I usually have only 3 weeks of feeling really crappy (weeks 6, 7 and 8). By the end of week 8 I'm typically already starting to feel much better, though still OH so tired. 

Exhaustion: SO. FREAKING. TIRED. You just always forget what that kind of exhaustion feels like. You're just SO wiped out. Words can't describe it. But it's a different KIND of tired. It's different than newborn/sleep deprivation tiredness... I think because you could literally sleep for 16 hours straight and wake up and still feel dead inside. Add in also caring for 3 other littles and that's a recipe for LOTS of naps and letting the kids play in their beds/rooms until late morning before getting them up for the day. Oops! 

Belly:  Lots of giant end-of-the-day food babies starting around week 7 or 8. (After a few babies you pretty much just start showing by week 4 anyway!) Baby belly definitely popping though between weeks 10-12.  

Planned: 110% (btw I don't really like using the word "planned" for this. Maybe "intentional" would be a better term here?) But yes, even before conception this was already our most planned for, talked about, prayed for and thought about baby. For a lot of different reasons. But we were absolutely wishing/praying/wanting this baby to come into existence at exactly the time when he/she did. With NFP/FAM we are always saying YES to God and His plan for our family, and we are grateful for His perfect timing. 

A little more background(/TMI) info on “planning” for this baby: We've been talking about this baby for a while now. We knew what our desires were/are for our family, and we prayed that those might align with God's. For over a year now, I kind of had 2 different "timelines" if you will as to what I felt would work best for me, my health and for our family to add another member. Once we knew what felt right, I decided to plan a fun getaway for us (sans kids)! Looking ahead on the calendar, I figured out when I would be ovulating during the month of April (the earliest I would want to get pregnant = January baby and [unless something goes awry] no December baby. Sorry Christmas b-day people!) and booked us a babymaking trip! I really went into it knowing our intentions but also recognizing that if we were to NOT get pregnant at that time I would be at peace with it. I know that it's not about OUR timing but God's timing, and if this was not His desire for us to conceive then we wouldn't. And we could continue to "try" if we wanted to. Or not. So although this is what we wanted, I wasn't trying to hold on to this idea as an end-all-be-all decision/timeline because I know it's not really up to me (as much as we like to think it is most of the time).

How did we find out/pregnancy test details: We had only been back from New York for a few days when I decided to start testing. This time around I did a lot of research on pregnancy test sensitivity - meaning which pregnancy tests truly pick up the lowest amount of HCG. (If you're curious, First Response Early Result Tests REALLY DO tell you first! First Response will pick up HCG at as little as 6mIU/mL, whereas most other brands won't pick up HCG until it reaches at LEAST 20mIu, or more.) ANYWAY. That being said I started testing with First Response the earliest I thought implantation was possible. On Monday, May 6 at 3w1d, (9dpo and 6 days before missed period) I got that first VERY faint positive! I was absolutely blown away at how early we found out. I share these specifics because: a) it took me 4 pregnancies to figure this out - knowledge is power people - and b) I honestly feel that I would have known about our other babies much sooner had I actually been using First Response and not those darn cheapies. (Don't get me wrong I love keeping the cheapies on hand for "emergencies" BUT they just can't tell you much if it's before your missed period. I've never been someone to suspect a pregnancy and then wait to test until AFTER my missed period. Cheapies are great if you're already late, when hcg levels have already had a chance double a few times, in my personal opinion.) Not that WHEN you find out changes anything at all, but if you're like me and you prefer to know at the soonest moment possible maybe you found this information helpful :).

1st pos. test with a very faint line! Hard to see in a photo! (9dpo)

The next day. Feeling more real! (10dpo!)

Why did we decide share the news when we did: We shared our news "publicly" at 7 weeks. Ever since my first pregnancy, I have felt very convicted to share our pregnancy news as soon as possible. When I was pregnant with Heidi, I can remember thinking to myself: "I'm doing this thing that everyone is telling me I'm supposed to do (by waiting to share) but why?" I do not feel like I'm protecting myself by keeping my babies a secret until a certain magical time. It is a personal decision for everyone, but I would be hurting myself and making things much much harder on our family should a miscarriage or other health issue occur. Every woman and every family is different, so the decision truly is different for everyone, but I feel very strongly about not keeping our pregnancies a secret until X number of weeks. And if you've been around here for a while you know I don't make decisions based on fear or the "what ifs" if something were to go wrong. I also am not naieve to think that something could go wrong at any point. Because in our family we place such a high value on the support we receive from our community, we will always share the news of pregnancy with those who we are closest with right away, and publicly within that first month or two. Regardless of whether it's a healthy pregnancy or if a miscarriage happens a life is a life and one that deserves love, joy and celebrating. One way or another. 

How far apart will Cami and baby #4 be: 2yrs 4 months (somehow the largest gap we've had between kids so far - insert smiling sweating emoji!)

We are SO excited to welcome this fourth addition to our family. Pregnancy is totally my jam and bringing babies into the world is something that I truly love to do. I am so excited and SO grateful that God is allowing me to experience it all again. We look forward to sharing our journey with you for a FOURTH time!

Why I'm Not Afraid to Have More Babies

I get asked a lot if I'm "afraid" or fearful of having another baby. Originally, I thought I would hold off on writing a post like this until I actually was pregnant, but since it seems to come up frequently (and plus our "plans" and futures are never 100% guaranteed regardless of what we think we want) I figured why not now? (Also, just to be totally clear over here - we are not currently pregnant.)

To some, it might seem odd that this question gets asked often, but I suppose it's because of my ongoing openness about wanting a large family/additional children. So it does come up quite a bit.

"Are you afraid of getting postpartum depression again?"

The answer? No. Absolutely not.

Why am I not "afraid"? First of all, I am not a very fearful person. I don't make decisions based on fear or the "what ifs". I don't let fear affect how I live my life. Nothing that I do or believe is rooted in fear-based thoughts. Even when it comes to how I speak to my kids, I have been very intentional about never using fear-based statements to try to influence them. ("Don't do that! That's scary!!" "Don't touch that it's SCARY!" "____ is scary/will scare you!") I won't ever say or feel "I'm too scared to have more children because I'm afraid I'll have postpartum depression again." I truly believe that living like this or making decisions in this way is the enemy's way of robbing us of experiencing so many wonderful God-given things, and His love and desires for us.

I've even had some people really challenge me on this and in a fairly criticizing/judgmental way. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" "What makes you think it's going to be different?" "What if ____ happens again? Then what??" "How can you possibly consider having another baby after what happened to you the last time?"

Here's the thing. Everything is different. Even IF nothing is different "situationally" (which it is) - I am different therefore it WILL be different. All of it. Does this mean future pregnancies/births/postpartum experiences will be easy? Absolutely not. Will they be more sacred? Looked at with completely different eyes? Prepared for differently? 100%.

People EXPECT me to be scared. But the truth is I'm not. There's actually not a single aspect of this that does scare me. It is in fact quite the opposite. I can hardly wait.

So what will actually be different??

There are a lot of ways I plan to handle/be more intentional with my pregnancy/birth/postpartum experiences - and I do plan to go into more detail on this if/when that time comes. I truly believe that pregnancy experience + birth experience (+ community/support) = postpartum experience and I can't WAIT to lay the groundwork. I am SO excited to honor the postpartum period specifically. I have so many ideas and tools that I've learned about. One example of this would be instituting a 15 day "lying in period" post-birth (5 days IN the bed, 5 days ON the bed, and 5 days AROUND the bed). No leaving the house. No going to the grocery store. And certainly no traveling out of town to be a bridesmaid (in heels) in an outdoor wedding 10 days postpartum (hehe). This is actually quite common in other cultures, but even just honoring the postpartum period in general is something that is tragically SO foreign in our society. I believe postpartum (and a lying-in period specifically) is something that can be prepared for and can truly enhance the SACREDNESS and holiness of the immediate postpartum. It sounds absolutely BLISSFUL to me. I do believe that by being proactive you do have the ability to "set yourself up" for a positive postpartum experience.


A few other (brief) ways I plan to create a different (physical) space and headspace for myself in the future:

- My mindset/thought process - changing the way I think about the connections between pregnancy, birth, postpartum (and my physical body), focusing on what I HAVE learned about these intense deep-rooted connections and taking the time throughout pregnancy to sit in silence and honor all of those connections and experiences (see previous post!)
- Intentions - by being more intentional about setting aside time to focus on connecting with my growing baby, my body and our upcoming birth experience (both the physical and mental aspects of labor and delivery) as well as the breastfeeding and postpartum experiences
- Planning/preparation (mostly mental) - preparing myself for the days immediately following birth, preparing myself and my family for what I want that to look like and creating a plan for how that can be achieved

One day, hopefully, I look forward to sharing more of the specifics of these and how I plan to make them happen.


Of course, there are plenty of situations that are NOT in our control (which I am WELL aware of and all too familiar with) and I'm not expecting to have control over everything - nor to ever be immune to LIFE. But over the last year and a half I have learned that there is so much that I DO have control over. I have learned so much about connecting - what it means to connect with myself, with a baby/pregnancy, and connecting with God and His desires for me. I have really explored self-care and gotten really good at it. But even IF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION DOES HAPPEN AGAIN - we've been through it before. My husband and I know what we are dealing with (to an extent). We have so many more tools and resources and knowledge than ever before. I believe that we would be able to take control of postpartum depression much more quickly and more effectively. I'm confident that (based on what my PPD looked like the last time) it would be so different should something similar happen again in the future - but I'm far from convinced that it will happen again :).

The Pregnancy/Birth/Postpartum Connection

This post might not really "do" much for very many people out there. This one's mostly just for me - as a way of organizing what's in my brain and dumping my thoughts out. BUT I do think there is some importance in not just keeping this to myself, because if it helps one person out there - then of course it's worth it to throw it out there. Even if postpartum depression is completely nonexistent in someone else's journey, there is always a postpartum experience. I do believe that there is value in recognizing how connected all of these experiences are to each other (regardless of whether the postpartum experience is positive or negative). For me personally, it just took actually going through postpartum depression (and all of these other things) to actually realize this. Postpartum depression aside, maybe this will help someone else out there understand and honor these connections (and how they can possibly affect the postpartum experience) - whether on their own journey or someone they are close to.

I have always viewed pregnancy, labor & delivery and postpartum as very separate events. Sure these experiences all have to do with bringing a new baby into the world, but up until recently, I have seen each as a "phase", completely independent and separate from the others. When one chapter ended, the next began, unrelated (for the most part) to the one before or after it. By allowing my eyes to be opened to just how intricately woven together all of these experiences are, I have a much better understanding of my own journey and how all of these "phases" led me down the path towards postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression is very different for everyone. I do believe that for some women is it 100% hormonal, and that there is no getting around it. Medication is necessary and helpful and the only solution. I am confident that hormones did play somewhat of a role in my own postpartum depression, but I think it went SO much deeper than that for me. Let me attempt to sum this up very briefly (feel free to click the links if you are interested in learning more):

Pregnancy - My pregnancy experience was different the third time. I love being pregnant and it seemed that I could hardly get to the point of even just feeling like I was pregnant, let alone focus on or enjoy the experience. I was very sick (colds, the flu multiple times, infections, etc.) and so were my babies! We were in a VERY very hard season of life - which had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I was pregnant at the time. I felt minimally supported during pregnancy - medically, hormonally/emotionally and personally. Every time I thought I was going to be able to reach a point where I could focus and rest and things would get "easier" life would only get harder.

Birth - My birth experience was also very different. This was my first birth without a doula present. The first birth that I was wheeled into recovery feeling ZERO sense of empowerment. I felt minimally supported by hospital staff. Even though my husband's presence and involvement was undeniably and insanely awesome, I still felt very alone. Unheard. There was no one creating that space for me to do my thing. The birth didn't go "how I wanted it to" - even though it totally DID on paper, it didn't FEEL that way - and that's important. (But I also realize that's a totally loaded statement when we're talking about birth experiences as we don't REALLY have "control" over them per say). Every. single. woman. should leave her birth experience feeling nothing but powerful, heard and strong - and I believe that goes for ANY "type" of birth. I had a freaking natural hospital birth with zero meds, delivered a 9 lb. 3 oz. baby vaginally, my husband caught her and I still felt like the smallest person on the planet. What the actual F***?! It felt like such a let down. (Again, not saying that a natural birth is what is required for me to feel heard and empowered - obviously - because that's what I did and still felt deflated.)

Community/support -  This was also very different the third time around. Almost ALL of my closest friends had moved away. Plus, naturally, the more babies you have the less that people care (tragically. This is quite opposite of how it SHOULD be - but I get it.) We didn't really have any support systems in place anywhere, (no church community, no neighborhood community, no other groups we were apart of, only a few friends) so this was definitely one of the more isolating postpartum experiences that I have had.

All of this being said, I believe this equation to be true (in my case) when it comes to all three of my postpartum experiences:


Pregnancy Experience + Birth Experience + Community Strength/Support = Postpartum experience


For me, there is a direct correlation between all 4 of these "dynamics" if you will. The postpartum experience is DEEPLY rooted in the combination/level of enjoyment/satisfaction during these other experiences - however they are also not necessarily mutually exclusive from each other either. They are intricately woven together. Having a strong community/support system can directly affect the birth experience and even the pregnancy experience in my opinion. I think this "formula" is actually the simplified version of what I believe this truly looks like, which is more of a spider web looking flow chart.

I have actually come up with a mathematical equation and scale to represent these factors, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready to share it yet - mostly because I'm just a random person and no professional in any way, shape or form. (But I'm kind of tempted to do a little study to see how accurate I am!) And OBVIOUSLY this doesn't take into account any physiological aspects either - aka hormones.

Anyway, I do believe that for myself being conscious of the correlation between ALL of these experiences and being aware of just how connected these things all TRULY are will help me moving forward - whether it be in my own future journeys or by helping me to better serve other expecting mamas in my life! Maybe it will do the same for you.

Thanks for sticking with me :)

Sarah McKenzie Photography

The 10 Year Challenge

So there's this trend going around on social media right now "How hard did aging hit you!?" Have you seen it? You post a picture of yourself from 10 years ago and then next to it a current photo. Some people look shockingly different and others look amazingly the same. I've seen some people reacting positively but also a few negative responses from people about their changes as well (though I assume the people that are truly unhappy with the differences in the photos wouldn't participate in the first place.)

(There really was no reasoning behind me choosing these two photos other than convenience!)

I definitely don't take these kinds of things super seriously and I think it's fun to see how people (myself included) have changed! But this little "challenge" got me thinking: I don't ever want to look at my own physical aging as a negative thing. This isn't the first time I've written about this, but lately I have been feeling extra grateful to have made it long enough on this earth to even HAVE wrinkles/lines/age spots/"imperfections" whatEVER you want to call it. That in and of itself is such a blessing. There are people that I have known that aren't so lucky. People that I wish were still here to gain another line on their forehead or wrinkle on their neck.

But also - I EARNED every single one of those "imperfections" on my face, and I refuse to ever try to erase, cover up, hide or change those. Finding joy in my age/aging is something that is a priority for my own health/happiness but also for my kids. It's JUST as important to me that they grow up seeing a mom who embraces her face/body for what it is and what God created it to be. What the world might see as "imperfections" to me are the physical results of the things that have made me who I am today.

When I see the tiny creases starting there on my forehead or a little laugh line starting to form, I think back to all of the AMAZING beach trips I took with my friends (and didn't wear sunscreen - oops!), laughing non-stop with a friend over a cup of coffee or glass of wine, or my face ugly crying and holding on tight to a friend going through something difficult. One day I'll have grey hair from worrying about my babies and my husband and my friends. My boobs certainly aren't what they used to be (ARE ANYONES?!) but I GOT to grow and birth and FEED 3 babies with this body and those boobs. And I don't want to erase that. Not that erasing the wrinkles or changing my body would erase the memories or undo what has been done, but when I'm (hopefully) 90 years old - I want to LOOK like I have really lived 90 years...lived them SO FULL of life. (And honestly, when I'm 60 or even 50 or 40 years old I'm 1,000% sure I will look back to photos of myself from now and think "MAN I thought I started looking older THEN?!")


This actually isn't the first time that I have thought about my own "aging" actually. Here is an excerpt from a previous blog post I wrote 2 years ago that digs a little deeper into to how I still feel now, and what has led me to this place:

"I was recently at a church event with a group of women where the conversation essentially led to "what kind of plastic surgery do you want/what part(s) of you body are you unhappy with". Those weren't the ACTUAL initial questions but the conversation had basically turned into that. So many women - ALL of the women - were talking about Botox and wrinkles and boob jobs. It just blew my mind how each and every one of these women were insecure/unhappy with the way they looked or hated at least something about their body. Some of the girls even said that after they undress to get in the shower they shield their eyes from the mirror as they walk by so they don't have to see their own bodies. My heart absolutely and completely broke in two for these women. I also can't tell you how strange it felt to literally be the only one at the table who didn't (doesn't) have a desire to change anything about my body, my face, the way I look or how God created me. But it definitely got me thinking. WHY do I feel this way? Why DON'T I want perkier boobs or plumper lips or a smooth forehead? Part of it might be that I do work hard (and God has blessed me with a lot that allows me to do so - a healthy body, a double stroller to take the kids on runs and a husband who watches the kids so I can go on a long run by myself). I also have gotten to a point where I never want to fight the aging process. My time/energy/emotions are better spent elsewhere and I think I will be much happier if I just accept that I'm going to get wrinkles and grey hair. It's going to happen. I've accepted it and I'm okay with it. I don't know how to tell anyone else to get to that place but I promise if you can get there you'll never regret it.

BUT. I think the absolute BIGGEST reason that I do not share those same thoughts is because of my mom. My whole life I have NEVER not once heard my mom complain about her body. As a child or adult, my mom has never complained - at least to me - about any insecurities that she may (or may not) have about her body or the way she looks. She's never talked about boob jobs, or having a flatter tummy or her wrinkles. This realization has been so eye-opening to me as a woman and also mother to my own daughter. Even if I start to get saggy grandma "bingo arms" that jiggle when I wave, or my midsection is soft and fluffier than I'd like or my boobs look like some flat-ass pancakes or WHATEVER it is - I NEVER want to let my daughters OR sons hear me complain about that. I want all of my children to see a mom who is confident and happy with the way she looks - however that might be. A mama who has love and respect and appreciation for all of the MANY things my body has done and is doing for me and for this world." (You can read this entire post from 2017 here.)


My goal is never to make others feel guilty for the way they feel or the choices they make. But since a lot of my personal beliefs/thoughts/decisions go against (what I feel is) the norm, I feel like a lot of times I need this outlet. I want to put it out there in case someone else out there feels like they are the only one. Please don't take my own thoughts personally - I'm just sharing what I feel is right for my own body/life. You are, of course, entitled to the same.

I make a point to not complain about my body when I'm around other women and/or my children (at least I TRY not to). It's not about faking acceptance, or pretending I don't feel insecure sometimes, but it's about ACTUALLY not having anything to complain about! It's about working towards that when I do have those off days. When I do have those days where I'm feeling insecure about something or unhappy with my body (I have been there before for sure) I talk with my husband or a close friend about it and work through my feelings. I have never dyed my hair or used an anti-wrinkle cream and I have no intentions of starting anytime soon. I hope I live long enough to look 90. Hopefully I will actually BE 90 when that happens but if not, I'm also okay with it. Bring on the grey hair, crow's feet, saggy boobs, jiggly neck, vein-y hands and creased-up forehead - I'm ready for ya!! I'm 32 years old and HAPPY to look it. I hope when I'm 40, 50, 60+ I feel the same way.

"I am the only one who can give my children a happy mother who loves life." - Janene Wolsey Baadsgard

On Getting "Cut Out"

Jesus calls us to be in relationship with lots of different kinds of people. We ARE without a doubt called to be in this world (but not OF this world). 

Do not feel brought down by someone who cuts you out of their life (real life and/or social media life) because you don’t fit THEIR idea of a perfect mold or because you do something for yourself that doesn’t have a place in their life. That’s not how Jesus (or Christianity) works. 

Can you imagine if Jesus pushed someone away because they didn’t fit a particular mold or meet certain criteria? Or maybe because they did something that he didn’t see fit for his own life?

“You do you” can only get you so far as a Christian in this world, because frankly “you do you” isn’t really a Christian mindset at all, but quite the opposite. 

I realize what I’m saying might be very elementary, (and I can’t say that I’m all that good at this 100% of the time) but I get so sick of hearing “you do you” when it comes to how we connect and relate to other humans. Relationships take work, sacrifice, and sometimes can even be a little uncomfortable. You might not always agree. But one way to end up very alone and with no true friends is to only allow a certain group or type of person into your life and heart. That’s called ignorant (and very “un-Jesus” if you ask me). 

I am grateful to have many deep and meaningful relationships with a lot of people who I love and love to support and who also love and support me. I may not agree 100% with some of their choices or lifestyle choices (and they probably feel the same about mine), but I LOVE them. And I love my people who love me in spite of our differences and imperfections. Thank you to my people. I am grateful for you 💗.