Marisa Donnelly

I’ll never forget a sermon I heard about seeds of faith.

I come with baggage; we all do. I come with stories from my past that are tender to the touch. I come with bruises.

Sometimes I just can’t shut off my stupid mind. I breathe. I write. I try to sit in the quiet. I dig into the word. I read. I run. I pray. And still, there’s this never-ending stream of thoughts.

Your sin is not your identity. Read those words again.

You are not your sin. You are not your mistakes. You are not your failures, your pain, your defeat, your brokenness. You are not the times you’ve hurt or been hurt.

This world is filled with uncertainty. But as Christians, we’re encouraged to trust God’s plan, to let go of our selfishness, to know that God sees and hears us, and is guiding us through.

No matter how much we know, or understand, or believe, we’ll still worry. We’ll still wonder. We’ll still question. This I remind myself of when I start to doubt and hate myself for doubting.

Here is a quick lesson on how to compliment a woman!

So much competes with God—the fast pace of this life, the temporary pleasures, the media, the vices, the distractions, the news.

Pain is of this world, not of God.

It sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? Finding a lover. A person to kiss. A person to go on dates with. A person whose hand you squeeze during scary movies.

There is more to this life than believing what you have right now is all there is, that this is all you can get, that you’re stuck. There is more out there; go get it.

Let God fill your emptiness. Let His love overflow you, overwhelm you.

We spend so much time getting ready for this future, stressing over what hasn’t happened, and setting plans for what’s next that we forget to live in the moment. We forget to celebrate how far we’ve come. We forget that life isn’t always going to unfold how we want it to—but maybe that’s the most beautiful part.

We are like stars—there’s a chance we might burn out. There’s a chance the universe knows our destiny, knows we’re meant to fade before the light years even reach us.

What if we forget what it’s like to feel the softness of one another’s lips, the taste of one another’s love on our tongues?

Maybe plants are just one giant metaphor for the way this world works. Sometimes we have to fall down to learn how to get back up again. Sometimes we have to lose what we’ve held dear in order to chase what’s of value. Sometimes we have to say goodbye because everything is impermanent, we ourselves are impermanent, and goodbyes are healthy sometimes.

Seeking perfection is a losing battle, but being authentic? That’s the pursuit of yourself, of real love, of a life that sings with joy and purpose.