faith | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

great expectations.

8 November, 2015 by Gracie 8 Comments

This is something that has been on my heart and mind a lot lately, and something I’ve posted about a handful of times before (see below related posts). I actually believe that one of my “life messages,” if you want to call it that, is encouraging women not to settle. Not just in regards to relationships, but in all areas of life. This quote helped put that ideas into a new perspective for me, and I wanted to share it with you.

I talk often about having hopes/dreams/desires - and I absolutely think that’s important - but lately I’m realizing what a huge difference it makes to have a YES from God on those areas.

Because here’s the thing. When we decide on our own hopes and desires, we can easily second guess ourselves. When things don’t seem to be working out - or when a “good enough” version comes around we think, “well maybe my hopes were just too high?”

But when GOD gives you the dream or desire, there’s no second guessing. There’s no settling. It’s time to start letting HIM set our expectations.

It’s not based on entitlement, but on trust. When you trust that was He has for you is far beyond what you could even dream up or achieve for yourself, it kind of doesn’t really matter what else happens or what comes along. It makes it easy to rely on the TRUTH of what He has given you, rather than on (ever-fleeting) emotions.

This is something I’ve been experiencing a lot over the past few months. I can’t exactly explain it other than the whole “when you know you know” sort of thing. I’ve gotten a very clear YES from God in certain areas of my life, so when something seems off from that…I know with certainty that it is.

So I want to encourage you today - have you asked God what He has for you? Have you asked Him if the things you’re dreaming for or working toward are part of His plan? Grab a journal and write down your answers. It can be a bit of a scary question to ask, but I can promise you that if you leave room for the impossible in your life, God will fill in the spaces…and then some.

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In what area do you need to let God set your expectations?

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ridding vs replacing.

20 October, 2015 by Gracie 3 Comments

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the idea of giving up.

Don’t worry - this post isn’t going to be as pessimistic as that suggests 😉

Recently I’ve seen a handful of articles online addressing when and why it’s important to give up certain things in life. And then of course there’s the countless “inspirational” quotes on Pinterest saying things like:

“If it doesn’t matter, get rid of it.”

“Saying yes to happiness means saying no to things and people that stress you out.”

“If you ever find yourself in the wrong story…leave.”

I’ll be the first to admit that those quotes have resonated with me. I found them all on my own Pinterest board, in fact. Don’t get me wrong - I get it. I understand that there is a time and a place in life to give up on things that are unhealthy or harmful. But lately, quotes + articles centered around the idea of giving up have left me feeling so…icky. Defeated. And it has got me wondering if sometimes in an effort to free ourselves from painful things, we’re going about it all wrong.

Maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe I’m looking too much into something that is just mere semantics. But, what if those semantics - the words we speak over our lives and let resonate with us - what if they affect us more than we realize?

I think it’s important to look at the fruit that certain beliefs and thoughts have in our lives. For example, any time I’ve “given up” or “stopped wasting my time” on something, it never left me a better person in the end. Instead it left me feeling defeated, fearful, and empty.

Yes - getting rid of unhealthy things in your life is important. It IS a good thing. But even more important is REPLACING those unhealthy things with something else. Something positive. Something that will ADD to your life.

So instead of just getting rid of fear - replace it with PEACE.

Instead of just getting rid of your worries about the future - replace those worries with HOPE.

If cutting out unhealthy relationships - replace them with the right ones.

Instead of speaking over your life that you’re giving up - shift your focus on what you DO want. Be expectant!

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What are your thoughts on this? What in your life needs some replacing right now?

faith: no turning back.

7 July, 2015 by Gracie 19 Comments

I get asked fairly often what the *why* is behind my faith - more so than usual over this past weekend - and I started feeling convicted when I found myself giving a sort of fluffy, easy answer. So I’m challenging myself to be more bold in my response (hence this post).

Why I follow Jesus isn’t about how I was raised, and it’s not about checking off “Christian” as my religious preference. My reason is a pretty simple one, but it’s also one that makes people a little uncomfortable when they learn it, as it may for you right now.

The truth is that I’m completely and utterly lost without Jesus. Period. Gracie without Jesus is hopeless, depressed, anxious, and selfish. That’s right - I’m not a “good” person in my own strength or doing. Anything good about me comes from Him.

I’ve tried finding fulfillment in the things of the world, and it has always left me feeling emptier and more hopeless. Money, alcohol, status, approval from others, and even self actualization are terrible masters. The only real joy and fullness of life comes from Jesus. And when you realize that, and once you’ve been set FREE, there’s no turning back…

I feel like I’m supposed to extend an invitation. If you’re reading this and think it seems crazy (ha) but it still struck a chord with you, or if you just want to chat more about faith/Christianity - shoot me an email at gracie(at)girlmeetslife(dot)com <3

from the outside looking in.

1 July, 2015 by Gracie 6 Comments

Just about every morning I have an hour of “quiet time” where I pray, read, journal, and sometimes even just sit in silence. I’ve actually become quite dependent on that time alone with God. It sets my heart and mind in the right place before starting the day, and it’s during that time that I get the deepest revelations/realizations about God, myself, and life in general.

Today as I was journaling (I’ve posted before about how important I think journaling is), I made a list of all of the things I’m thankful for. This is something I do pretty often, and to be honest the list usually looks the same most of the time.

Today, though, it looked a bit different. I started writing things down that I didn’t even know I was thankful for…things that I either didn’t realize I had, and even things that one arguably wouldn’t/shouldn’t be thankful for.

I realized that the moments of my most sincere thankfulness and gratitude comes from looking at things from an outside perspective. Sometimes I even look at my life as my 16-year-old self. I think she’d be pretty excited if she knew what life in her late 20’s would look like.

It’s so easy to focus on the things we don’t have - “if only THIS happened I’d be so much happier,” or “if only THAT happened my life would somehow be complete.” But if you take a second to look at your life from the outside looking in, you might be surprised that you’re a lot further along - with a lot more to be grateful for - than you realized.

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When you look at your life from an outside perspective, what does it make you most grateful for?

bikini acceptance.

10 June, 2015 by Gracie 52 Comments

I’ve got to be honest - I never thought I’d be one of those body acceptance blah blah blah people.

Haha. I think that came out wrong.

I guess what I mean is that I don’t find anything wrong with wanting to lose weight and even aim to be *gasp* skinny (yes, I said the S word). Those things seem to have become taboo in the blog world, and I think that’s unfortunate. Especially when the irony is that so many behind the “body acceptance” movement are actually the most restrictive.

WHOA. I digress. Writing a blog post at midnight will do that to ya. Where was I going with this again?

I remember. So, the other day when I was putting together my part 2 Vegas recap, I decidedly left out a few photos. And what did they all have in common?

I was in my bikini.

As someone who considers herself to be pretty damn confident, I was kind of bothered by this. Why did I care enough to purposefully leave out those photos?

After thinking it through, I came to a pretty solid conclusion. It’s not that I feel like I’m “fat” or unworthy. I don’t even think it’s necessarily an insecurity.

When it comes down to it, I think it’s an issue of pride. That my body isn’t what it used to be. It isn’t what I feel like it should be for how much I exercise. It’s that if I just waited a few more weeks, I’d have a better bikini body to show for.

And you know what? I had no idea that I felt that way until I wrote that post. Good ol’ GML, once again helping me dig up any issues left behind, ha.

So here I am, drinking the body acceptance Kool Aid, I suppose. But I’m totally down with that, because I’m in favor of FREEDOM in all shapes and forms. So these are a few revelations I’ve had over the past few days…

Why can’t my body look like it used to? Because it doesn’t. Because bodies change. Because I’m not 17 anymore - I’m a grown woman, and proud of it.

Why don’t I have washboard abs and a thigh gap? Because that’s not how I’m built. At least not right now.

Don’t get me wrong - I love fitness and aiming to be healthy. And do I still want to lose some weight? Yes, and that’s okay. But, as I focus on the changes I make in my body, I never want to forget that the real importance lies in the changes that happen in my heart. My soul. My character.

Yes, I want to feel confident in my own skin and proud of the work I’ve put into my fitness. But even more so, I want to be confident in the condition of my heart. In the destination of my soul. In the character I’ve built through overcoming hardship, surrendering my life to God, and becoming a woman that stands for more than just a “perfect” figure.

{listen} even when…

9 June, 2015 by Gracie 4 Comments

Hillsong United - Even When It Hurts (Praise Song)

I’ve been listening to this song nonstop (and the whole new Hillsong Empires album, for that matter). The lyrics are amazing and I’m sure everyone can relate to at least some of them, so I figured I would share it with you…

It’s easy to have joy and praise God when life is going great, but what about when it’s not? Let’s be real - life is always going go have its peaks and valleys. But I’m learning more than even that my joy and the condition of my heart doesn’t have to rely on what may or may not be going on in my life at any given time. I know the source of joy, so no matter what’s going on around me - I will only sing His praise.