a few years ago I read Donald Miller's book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years"
and now am delighting my way through Bob Goff's "Love Does"
both talk extensively about whimsy.
whimsy: the idea that life could be magical;
it could be special if we were only willing to take risks.
Bob says
"What whimsy means to me is a combination of the "do" part of faith
along with doing something worth doing."
I like that.
whimsy to me has always evoked some sort of fairy-tale beauty,
princesses twirling in sparking dresses, and talking animals that come to the rescue.
And I suppose a part of what we love about fairy tales is that
things are not always what they seem.
the frog or the beast is really a prince.
or maybe that the impossible seems to be possible,
mulan takes on all of china with a cricket and wins, ariel gets legs,
or cinderella meets a fairy god-mother who turns a pumpkin into a carriage.
like weird things happen.
like weird things happen.
and really, our favorite part is that the endings all close in the same way...
"and they lived happily ever after"
and they do, because the author says it's so.
As as I was losing myself in the prettiness of "whimsy"
I realized that this is exactly how we should live,
because the Bible is just one long book of whimsy.
Nothing really is as it seems.
Jesus tells us that the first shall be last and the last will be first.
and that he who gives his life away will really find it.
and the impossible is always possible with Jesus.
the lame walk, the blind see, the leper is healed and begins to dance
and really, as believers our ending is always happily ever after forever and amen.
heaven, it's going to be JOY unending for all eternity!
prayer is whimsy,
because prayer causes things to happen that might not have happened if we didn't pray.
impossible things like cancer being healed, and addicts becoming sober, and girls being rescued from brothels.
impossible things like cancer being healed, and addicts becoming sober, and girls being rescued from brothels.
and you guys, WE GET TO LIVE LIKE THIS!
we get to pray CRAZY things into being.
and choose to invite God to move in powerful ways when we risk.
and when we risk, we get to see light come into the darkness.
and drive that blackness away.
and drive that blackness away.
a few days ago we got to skype with our precious girls at the home we worked at in Nepal.
it was all craziness and laughter and swapping stories.
and when it was done Kevin and I sat there in AWE
that we got to be a part of this,
a part of watching God rescue and transform 5 little girls,
and bring them into the kingdom.
this whimsy that we got to live,
that was worth pouring every fiber of our being into.
it made me dance, like literally twirl with joy.
and now as we leave this week to begin a new chapter of our lives
I'm excited to share with you
a new whimsy i'm moving myself into,
one I haven't shared on the blog yet.
And it is this,
I'm going back to get my masters in Counseling!!!!
God called me to this while in Nepal,
as I watched our counselors work with the girls there,
and the incredible transformation that took place as a result!
I'm excited and nervous,
but i'm so grateful for this call on my life because
like Bob echoes,
this whimsy that we got to live,
that was worth pouring every fiber of our being into.
it made me dance, like literally twirl with joy.
and now as we leave this week to begin a new chapter of our lives
I'm excited to share with you
a new whimsy i'm moving myself into,
one I haven't shared on the blog yet.
And it is this,
I'm going back to get my masters in Counseling!!!!
God called me to this while in Nepal,
as I watched our counselors work with the girls there,
and the incredible transformation that took place as a result!
I'm excited and nervous,
but i'm so grateful for this call on my life because
like Bob echoes,
it will be a
"combination of the "do" part of faith
{standing with the broken in their suffering}
"combination of the "do" part of faith
{standing with the broken in their suffering}
along with doing something worth doing"
{watching people begin the healing process and break free!!}
I start school in January, and hope I can get my "school" brain back on again!
haha, it's been quite a few years since I flexed that muscle, haha!
Thank you for your sweet support in my life!
have a week full of whimsy friends,
love Katie
{watching people begin the healing process and break free!!}
I start school in January, and hope I can get my "school" brain back on again!
haha, it's been quite a few years since I flexed that muscle, haha!
Thank you for your sweet support in my life!
have a week full of whimsy friends,
love Katie
oh my goodness! that is SO perfect for you katie!!! congrats on the new adventure!
ReplyDeletethis is such exciting news! congratualtions :) I'll also be starting school again in January to be a teacher and I'm pretty nervous about getting back into the school groove.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Katie! I am so proud of you for going back to school. I think you will be a fantastic counselor. You are already doing it after all. :)
ReplyDeleteI love Bob Goff and I love living a life of whimsy and I love that you're pursuing something you were so meant to do!
ReplyDeleteSo excited for you sweet friend!!! :) The Lord is going to BIG things through you and is going to use you to bless a plethora of people! Praying for you and your next adventure!
ReplyDeleteChloe
This is wonderful, Katie!!! I know God will bless you in this next stage of life!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Katie! That is SO exciting! Funny story - Bob Goff is my best friend's soon to be father-in-law! I didn't realize he had written a book - apparently he's even cooler than I realized! ;)
ReplyDeleteHow amazing!!! You will do amazing things for God in this :) excited for you!
ReplyDeleteSo happy it is working out for you, Katie! :)
ReplyDeleteAll our love from Nepal,
Shona and Santosh
So happy to hear it is all working out, Katie!
ReplyDeleteAll our love from Nepal,
Shona and Santosh
What a great reminder to live magical whimsy lives for Christ! I love your encouragement on our lives!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you, Katie! I can't wait to hear about your new adventures. All of my prayers and love are being sent your way :)
ReplyDeleteSO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! WOW!!! Also, we are meeting up now that you're back in OC!!! YAY!!!
ReplyDeleteOh Katie!! I am SO thrilled for you!! What an amazing new chapter for you guys!! =) =)
ReplyDeleteI am so blessed by your posts girl! They are always so thought-provoking!
SO privileged to call you a friend =)
Much Love!!
L
allglorious-within.blogspot.com
I just love everything about the word whimsy. :) And that's so exciting! You will be an amazing counselor Katie!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo excited for you! Being in a graduate program to be a counselor has been one of the greatest experiences for me. You will grow in so many ways and your heart will become (even) bigger for serving and helping others in this special way. Can't wait to follow your journey.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the parallels you're finding here between those fairy tales we love and the real amazing tale we're in right now. So true! Why did I never see that before?
ReplyDeleteAlso, yay for pursuing your dreams!
How exciting!! I'm so glad to hear about the next steps you're getting into!
ReplyDeleteCongrats for going back to school :) a dream of mine as well....once I figure out what I want to be when I grow up! And can I just say I LOVE Donald Miller and have read all of his books through at least twice and I just finished my second time reading love does by Bob Goff. Those guys bring a lot to light especially in our society and living a good life.
ReplyDeletei can totally see you doing that Katie. you are such an encouraging and warm person, this will fit you so well. so happy for you!
ReplyDeletereally nice photos! ;)
ReplyDeletethat is super awesome!!! enjoy this next step in life :) i know what you mean about the school brain! ha!
ReplyDeleteGolly... I've so enjoyed and loved all these recent posts on dreaming... and now whimsy =) They're such an encouragement lately!
ReplyDeletelove this post sweet friend. and i love hearing your heart and seeing how the lord is totally working in you. amazing.
ReplyDeleteand omg congrats!!! soooo excited about school. wow. you will be such a great counselor and mentor to your future clients/students/whomever. prayers your way during this new chapter! xox
I keep hearing about this Love Does book! I need to read it! Also, I am so excited for you that you have decided to pursue this path! You will be such a great counselor!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! Found your blog through your ad on Beyond Blessed Blog and will absolutely be checking back!! Such great truth!
ReplyDeleteAh thanks Callyn! Can't wait to meet you!
DeleteThat's great news! :) I know I don't know all that much about you, but I can already see God using you as a counselor and bringing hope to peoples' lives. I have both those books in my queue right now... my friend has been telling me to read it for a couple years now. haha maybe i should get around to it.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore this post!!! So true and so perfectly put. Thanks for always sharing your heart - it's beautiful my friend!!!
ReplyDeleteOh yay! I am so excited for you, that is wonderful news! I will be praying the transition goes smoothly and positively for you :) Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful post! Thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteWOWOWOW!!! I already know you are going to succeed at this beautifully! The Lord has made you a nurturing and loving counselor by nature! So happy for you!!
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely beautiful! I love to think about all the Lord can and will do through us. He is soooo good! You are such an encourager! God really used you to speak to me, thank you!
ReplyDeletei just discovered your blog, and read through your about pages and love story, and just wanted to say that it was all so encouraging. my husband and i also love to travel, have always dreamed of moving into a low income neighborhood at some point, and we are both graduate students. i just started my master's in august, and it definitely takes a bit of time to flex your school brain! be patient with yourself and always remember WHY you are in school. peace and grace to you,
ReplyDeletem.
Oh my goodness! I am SO excited for you!!! You have a heart for counseling . . . I can always sense it in your posts! You will bring LIFE where there is was once darkness and death. You will bring HOPE where there was despair. I am so very excited for this new journey for you! I work with so many kids and teens who are bound by depression and anxiety and am always so appreciative of the work counselors do. They are a vital part of the healing that happen in these precious souls. I get reallllly excited whenever I hear someone is in a counseling program because this is a part of my nurse practitioner work that breaks my heart daily as I see young teens waste away in despair and lies that they've believed for so long. So when I hear that a Jesus-lovin', compassionate soul is persuing counseling education, I am stoked because they are TRUTH-bearers in a land of lies. It's a hard job, but if God has placed this in your heart, He is faithful to equip you daily for His work!!
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