Ending Your June.

Dear Friends,

Do you realize that after today, there are only 5 more days of June? I hope that this month you have been able to sketch out the beginnings of your story. Have you had the chance to sit down and write your answers to the questions I posted at the beginning of June?

If you have, the next few days will be a perfect time to reflect and refocus on where you are going this summer. If you haven't had a moment to sit down and jot down your summer story in your journal, it's not too late. It's never too late. Right now is the perfect moment to begin whatever your heart is calling you to do.

So in these last few days of June, I want you to carve out a time in your calendar to "escape" and go within. Maybe you'll carve out a slice of time to go somewhere daily - perhaps out in nature or in a quiet place of your home. Or maybe it works better for you to set aside a whole day for stillness and rest. Or maybe you'll be fortunate enough to leave on a 5-day hiatus to really get away from it all. No matter which option you choose, make sure it works best for you and your situation, because all three are perfect for the inner work you will be doing. So, pick up your calendar right now and schedule it in. Your story is too important not to.

Now that you have your time of rejuvenation inscribed in your calendar, all you need is an agenda for what to do while you are in the stillness. So let me give you a framework. 

1.  Don't do anything. Simply be. Take some time to just breathe. Maybe this will be all you do and that's okay. Or maybe, after being still for a time, your heart and mind will clear, and you will be ready for deeper reflection.

2. Reflect on how your summer story is unfolding. (And if you haven't had the chance to write down a synopsis of your summer story, now is the perfect time to do just that.) 

A few questions to guide you:

-Is your story being written in the way you thought it would?

-How do you see the hand of the Lord shaping your story (whether your summer is going according to plan or not)?

-Where can you extend grace to yourself?

-How will you rely on the Lord and trust Him more during the rest of your summer?

-Where will you go from here?

-With just two summer months left, what more do you want to write in your story?

-What will you subtract from your days so you have more time to do the things that really matter?

-What will be your focus for July?

-Where will you place your focus for August?

Will you commit to do this heart-searching with me?

To follow my journey of Stillness over the next 5 days, follow me on Instagram where I will be posting snippets to guide you for these last few days of June. My Instagram handle is @writinginthestillness.

(If you aren't on Instagram, don't worry. I will do a summary of my posts next Saturday for volume 3 of "Snatches for Your Story.")

And sometime this next week I will post here snippets of my answers to the questions above. Because I want to travel this journey together, with you. And I would absolutely love for you to comment or email me your summer story updates. Each of you are so important and if I can be a listening ear or just someone to bounce ideas off of or an encourager of your journey in any way I would be most honored. Let's not journey alone, my friends. 

I have so enjoyed reading the stories of those of you who have reached out to me and I look forward to hearing from more of you. So please reach out - I will respond to each and every comment and email. 

May you have the most restful weekend.

Love,

Jamie