"Renew," I thought in January as I mediated on what word I would focus on this next year. "That is the word." 
"The Lord is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 

I'm afraid of being busy.

I get anxious when I don't think I will be able to get everything done that needs to get done. I feel overwhelmed when I look at a color-coated planner with a rainbow of words across every inch of space.


Perhaps you are afraid of being busy, too. Perhaps the demands of life seek to wash over you. Perhaps you, too, struggle with enjoying God's work for you today instead of just anticipating the weekend.

If so, I have some encouragement for you today.



This past semester has been, in a word, busy. I had four jobs, school, church, family, and other things like cleaning my room, showering, and necessary parts of life. People often asked me if I had time to sleep or have a social life. I didn't.


I faced my fear of busyness all semester, and it was rough. I can't say that I enjoyed it or handled it well, either. More often than not, you could have found me watching Friends in my spare minutes because I didn't want to try to think about anything. I tried to push my way through the tasks and deadlines, not really submitting to God or resting in the gospel. I didn't feel like I had time for that.




In the beginning of the year, I focused on a word and quality of God for 2019. The quality of God is faithful and the word is renew. I rejoice now in seeing how God prepared me for this season of busyness with those two words.

For in my unfaithfulness during this busy season, God proved Himself faithful. When I faltered, He was unfaltering. When I gave up, He pressed on. When I numbed my mind with Netflix, God stayed close, reminding me of Himself.


"If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." (2 Tim. 2:13)

He is not going to leave us. He doesn't grow weary of us even when we grow weary of ourselves. This is really true! This is an eternal hope for our souls. He will remain faithful even if we are anything but faithful. That hope is not conditional upon our own behavior, feelings, or success, but solely upon Jesus. And Jesus never fails. 

In time of busy, it is important to remind ourselves that God holds our hand, even when our hands are full. He will never let go, for He is a faithful God. 



Not only is God faithful, but He renews us. Yes, there is abundant grace for us in overwhelming seasons, for God Himself is our hope and strength. He will renew our spirit.

As I thought about the word renew this past semester, I wanted it to apply to my own ability to get things done. But that is not what the renewal of God is about. No, He renews our minds so that we can see more clearly His will, which is what really matters. His renewal is one of hope, not that everything will go perfectly but that He will make everything perfect.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Cor. 4:16-17)



We are renewed in order to get a little closer to this glory, this surpassing beauty that outshines productivity and success and dreams come true. God renews our spirit not so that we can get chase our dreams but so that He may become our dream. 

And in this hope, in this vision of Jesus, we will also find strength to press forward with the challenges at hand, that we may glorify Jesus through hard work and joyful spirits.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col. 3:17)



I'm not done facing my fear of being busy, but God has given me comfort, perspective, conviction, and practice in leaning into His faithfulness and depending upon His renewal. I hope that you discover in Him a love far greater than every fear, including the fear of being busy. 

Please leave a comment below with how you deal with busyness and what God has been revealing to you about this. 

Princess Hannah

P.S. PIVOT

"It was when I finally felt content in my singleness that I found the perfect someone. The timing couldn't have been more perfect."

"Once I stopped looking, it just happened."

"Be happy and content with where you are. The rest will come."



I've been told these things by well-meaning people before, and the theory behind these thoughts has always confused me. For, although they sound sweet and solid, underneath this logic is a huge monster of discontentment mascaraing as contentment.

What these kinds of thoughts are saying is that feeling content about singleness will solve my singleness. Pursuing this kind of remedy for a disappointed heart treats contentment as a magical cure for the "disease" of singleness. Contentment is more like an avenue to get what I want than a beautiful place of peace.

The truth is, contentment isn't the answer to singleness. Being content about being single won't solve my problems. It won't erase all of my desires. It certainly won't get me a relationship in the next couple of days.


When I'm content in Jesus, I'm happy to be with Jesus. I'm happy to serve Him, know Him, and follow Him. I'm content in Jesus while I'm single. I'll be content in Jesus if I'm not single. My contentment isn't in singleness but in Christ. 

This past weekend, I led a DNOW, and one of the questions in our study was "what does it mean to be in Christ?" When preparing for the study, I had to pause and think for a spell about this one.

In Christ. I say this phrase a lot, but what does it mean? What does it reveal about God and about how I respond to Him?

I started looking up verses that say "in Christ." As it turns out, there are quite a few instances of "In Christ" in the Bible, 89 to be exact. Here are a few:

In Christ there is life. (Romans 6:11)

In Christ there is grace. (2 Timothy 1:9)

In Christ we are one. (Galatians 3:28)

In Christ we are blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)

In Christ we put our hope. (Ephesians 1:12)

In Christ we are created for good works. (Ephesians 2:10)

In Christ God forgave us. (Ephesians 4:32)

In Christ there is peace. (Philippians 4:7)

In Christ there is fullness. (Colossians 2:10)

In Christ we will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12)

In Christ there is glory. (1 Peter 5:10)

Oh, contentment is such a small response to these truths! In Christ we have new life, new hope, new identity, and so much more. In Christ there is glory, peace, grace, forgiveness, and purpose. 

This is extravagant! This is joyous. This is worthy of all our adoration, much less our contentment. 

In Christ we can be fully content while also being fully single, not because we no longer desire to find romantic love but because we are saturated with the divine love of Christ flowing through us and in us. Not because we don't face disappointments in life, but because we have put our hope in the One who never disappoints. 

This is not to say that being single will be fun and easy when we are fully living in Christ. Nowhere does the Bible say that "in Christ all of your problems will go away." However, in Christ we can trust God with our desires and disappointments and move forward with purpose and strength from God. In Christ we are free not to serve singleness or feelings but rather be rooted in love for God and others. 



I try not to write much about relationships and singleness because a lot has already been said on the subject and I am rather inexperienced in this playing field. Funnily enough, though, the one time I do sit down to write about singleness, it turns out to mostly be about Jesus.

I wouldn't have it any other way.


Hannah


P.S. if you want to think more about how to serve God in whatever stage of relationship you find yourself in, check out Ben Stuart's sermon series about relationships, later turned into a book called "Single, Dating, Engaged, Married." I've listened to the first few sermons, and they have sparked so much passion in me for God's kingdom!

It's a well-known fact that the middle is the least exciting part of anything. The middle of a movie is filled with small setbacks leading to the exciting part, the end. The middle of a 14-page essay feels like the worst. The middle of the backseat of a van for 12 hours is actually the worst.

Yet here we are, in the middle.




In the middle where we end up watching Parks and Rec instead of praying. In the middle where we wake up already looking forward to taking a nap. In the middle where the days take forever to pass by yet are gone in the time it takes to turn the calendar page.

Yes, we're here in the middle.

The middle is frustrating because not only is it boring, but we know, deep down, that it shouldn't be. After all, there's so much excitement in the kingdom of God that how could we be bored? But it is here in middle where we struggle to see past the long list of things to do and people to meet and Instagram pictures to post. Things get hazy, and we start to lose sight of Jesus because we feel like to come to Jesus means that we have to get our act together, and we just don't have time for that right now. We think that coming to Jesus will look the same now as it did in an earlier part of our season, and we just can't get back to that place.




I'm here to remind us both that God is here with us in the middle. He invites us to follow Him now with just as much grace as He did when we were first saved. He isn't afraid of the middle. The middle isn't too long and awkward for Jesus to come and do His thing.

It is time that we stopped fearing the middle, too. It is time to cease fearing the place where the fog of the future and the mess of the past collide to create the present. It is time to stop wishing that we could go back or forward or sideways or whatever. It is time to follow Jesus, one step at a time, one moment at a time, even in the middle. Even when life's painfully normal. Even when we're confused.




Because however normal or confused or unmotivated life can get, these commands ring true:

"The most important is this, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

(Mark 12:39-31, emphasis mine)

Perhaps if we obeyed these commandments, the middle wouldn't be such a wearisome place. Perhaps it is love for God and love for others, not love for ourselves and our current position in life, that will help us to get up on a Wednesday morning and chose to smile and have joy. Perhaps it is that kind of love that will motivate us more than any #MondayMotivation.

When our lives are about loving God and loving people, the painfully normal days take on a whole new meaning. Suddenly, life isn't about what we're feeling or doing or wishing. Life is vibrant with opportunities, big and small, to obey God and love others.

May we obey these commands as they bring purpose and light to the middle seasons of our lives.




Praise the One who wastes nothing and brings everything into His glory. Praise the One who is with us in the middle, not demanding perfection but commanding love. Praise the One who is the beginning, the end, and every moment in between, including this one.

Let's start in the middle, shall we?

Princess Hannah

This small town blogger got to study ballet with the American Ballet Theatre in New York City this past summer! I packed my bags and lived the NYC dancer life for three wonderful, tiring, exciting weeks. Weeks I won't soon forget, Weeks I will treasure forever.

Adventure is out there.

That's what we've always heard. That's what we grew up thinking and dreaming. We dream of far off places and fantastic experiences. We dream of getting away and finding something truly spectacular.

Adventure is out there. 

But where is there?



During the past year, I've spent a considerable amount of time where most people would consider there is. Five months in Disney. One month in London. Three weeks in NYC. Two weeks in Ireland, Germany, and France. I guess you could say that I've been there this past year.



The funny thing about there is that if feels an awful more like here than I expected. I'm still the same person there as I am here. My body still needs sleep and food. I still struggled with the same things.

My adventures delighted me, but they weren't in and of themselves life giving. They were actually rather draining. I came back from each one tired physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And even after traveling much this year, I'm still searching for there. 




I think that though my mind and heart had adventured away during the past year, my soul had been a little abandoned. The quest for adventure isn't just a heart and mind thing. It is most fundamentally a soul thing. I think that God created our souls to long for adventure.

Where, then, is this adventure that our souls long for?

It is in Jesus, my friends.

Jesus is the grandest adventure. God is the journey that our souls long for.



Jesus is the epic story of love and loss, battles and victory. God is the glorious beauty to behold; He is indeed the Creator and definition of true beauty. Jesus is the driving purpose and excitement of our lives. In God is a rich history, splendid present, and promising future. He is ever unfolding to us more of Himself for us to discover.

That's the truly exciting part. You see, I got to go to some pretty cool places. I saw Buckingham Palace, the Harry Potter Studios in London, the Eiffel Tower, and so much more. However, I didn't go to these places as a participant but as a spectator. I didn't visit these cities as a citizen but as a tourist.



God, though, gives us a place in the adventure. He gives us citizenship in His kingdom. Suddenly, this adventure becomes more than just a stop in our life but becomes our life itself. It is an adventure that doesn't end. It doesn't leave us dry and wanting more.



Following Jesus is the grandest adventure of our existence, not because it is filled with excitement and love and purpose (which is it) but because it is centered around God. And God is with us. Immanuel. And God is for us. Our cups overflows.

I may have come home from a year of traveling, but the real adventure, the grandest adventure, is only just beginning.



So I guess adventure isn't out there after all. Immanuel changed all of that when He brought adventure right here with us.

Jesus, thank you for taking us on this adventure. May we follow. May we worship. May You be glorified.



It's been a while! Perhaps, because this crazy year has settled down, this blog will get some more attention. Please comment below your recent adventures with Jesus and around the earth.

More posts to come about my travels!

Princess Hannah

21 DAYS UNTIL I MOVE TO DISNEY WORLD!!!

In case you didn't know, I will be a part of the Disney College Program this fall, and I couldn't be more excited! I posted the announcement a while ago, but much has happened since then. Also, nothing has happened since then.

Mostly, I've been waiting.

Wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering when will my life begin

Maybe you're waiting, too. Perhaps for you college starts in the fall. Maybe you're waiting for a new job or a move or simply a new school year. Maybe you, too, are counting down the days instead of making today count.

If so, I have some words of encouragement for you, but it is really just one word:

Today. 

Let's learn the art of today.

The art of one day at a time kind of grace.

The art of diligence in today without worry about tomorrow.

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

Jesus knew that we could only handle one day at a time. He knew that our hands are small and our capacity to do life even smaller. Although He is unlimited and does everything at once, He created us to do one thing at a time, one day at a time.

Today. 




For a planner, though, today can be hard, especially if tomorrow is uncertain. For a girl who likes to know everything, today isn't always enough. I want to know tomorrow, too. And sometimes living in today is hard simply because tomorrow looks so much more exciting.

Today is hard, small, and scary. Living fully in today might be life's hardest challenge, a challenge we can't fulfill on our own.

That's the point. We can't live today alone. We can't live today confident in our own ability to handle and plan things. We also can't live today in hopes of tomorrow.

This is where Jesus comes in to save the day, to save today. 

You see, Jesus calls us to live today with Him. He calls us daily to lean into Him as our anchor and hope, as our helper and friend. We can trust in His unchanging grace for all of our tomorrows as we diligently and joyfully live out all of our todays with Him.

Maybe that's why Jesus instructed us to ask God to give us our daily bread. Maybe that's why God only allowed the Israelites to take one day's worth of manna at a time. This way we keep coming back to Him each morning with new need. This way we receive great joy in His provision each and every today.




The beautiful thing about today is that Jesus is here. The God who created time steps into time with us to do today. And He loves us today. He wants to talk to us today. He is providing for us and holding us today. He has a mission and purpose for us today, even if today is hard, boring, or uncertain.

How will we live today? Even in the waiting, even in the uncertainty and troubles that tomorrow may bring, we are given a precious gift in today. Let's celebrate and work in it.



Are you in a period of waiting or moving? How have your learned to live in today? Are you excited for the many other Grace in Disney World posts coming in the near future?

Princess Hannah

14 years ago, I came alive.

After Mom and Dad put me to bed, 5-year-old me opened my eyes and prayed for the eyes of my heart to be opened. I guess I saved important decisions for bedtime thinking. Not much has changed.

I don't remember what led me to this decision. I don't remember many of the thoughts leading up to the night I prayed on my bed in the dark. God called my soul, though, and I answered.


I didn't stop at the ABCs of faith. I don't think that I even went over those steps. I simply recognized that without Jesus, I am dead. Without God's grace, I will struggle and struggle without true life. I wanted to do life with God.

14 years ago, God adopted me into His family. He took away all of my sins (sins like stealing candy every day while Mom slept) and clothed me with his goodness. He claimed me forever as a loved daughter of God. He is still claiming me.

What makes my heart smile even more is what I prayed after I received new life. I prayed that God would come and change every aspect of my little life. I realized that being God's princess meant that I would live differently. I would obey Him with all I am.

I prayed over everything in my 5-year-old life including obedience to my parents, love for my sisters, faithfulness (aka, not complaining) in school and dance, and joy in church. I don't distinctly remember everything, but I remember that the prayer lasted for, what seemed to me then as, eternity.

I treasure these fragments of memories. They remind me that nothing has changed. Every day, God still challenges me (and you) to surrender everything we have to Him, not because of some meaningless rule-book but because WE HAVE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST. Won't we want to walk step-in-step with Him?

14 years later, I prayed again. I rejoiced in how far God has brought me. Oh, He has done marvelous things! I surrendered the things in my 19-year-old life to Him. He is trustworthy. He is the Life-Giver. He is worthy.



Step by step, let us surrender to His will and ways, not because of guilt or routine but because of His life that shine in every aspect of our being. Let us, in light of our adoption into God's family, rejoice in how we can live grace in everything.

I guess the theme of this blog started 14 years ago where I prayed for the first time to live out grace in everything. Let us not give up.

Princess Hannah

God is trustworthy.  He never fails to deserve our complete and joyful trust. His ways are perfect; there is no flaw in them.