Refreshed by joy.

Hi friends! Merry Christmas! Eeeeek :) It's three sleeps to go! Well, I hope you have had a great week. Don't you just love this time of year so much? :) What's the most Christmassy thing you have done this season so far? 

Sooo my last post was on "Just chase the one rabbit", and you know what... I have taken my own advice. Yep. Rather than chasing a million rabbits and trying to get a zillion projects done, (and actually getting nothing done in the end!) last week I put everything else on hold and focused on one rabbit. And the rabbit I focused on was this little project... These ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN prints. And honestly, the only reason I was able to get them done amidst all the busyness of this time of year... was because I was able to focus on one thing. ;) Look how shiny they are!

Pretty beautiful hey :) So I have been a busy little bee this past week, processing orders and getting them out before Christmas. (More info coming soon (with pics!) on the printing process!) (PS: to order these prints see below). How about you, do you think you are able to cut back on the rabbits you are chasing? Let me tell you, there is LOTS more joy when we are focused on one thing at a time.

And speaking of joy, I recently noticed an article I wrote last year for Christian Woman Magazine on their website again this month. It's all about keeping our joy at this time. So I thought I would share it with you all today. Hope you have fun reading it :) xo

... REFRESHED BY JOY THIS CHRISTMAS ...

By Natalie Box

My family and friends know that by the time September hits, the Christmas season has pretty much begun for me. While other people are thinking about school holidays and sport, I’m already beginning to dream about decorations, gift ideas, Christmas parties and perhaps even playing some Christmas music (secretly of course). I just love the feeling of Christmas. Do you know what I mean? It’s that magical excitement that stirs when decorations start to appear in stores. Gifts are bought and wrapped, trees are trimmed, Christmas movies are watched and candles are lit (Christmas scented of course). However, even though these things do bring great joy, my favourite part of Christmas is celebrating the joy bringer himself. 

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given … and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6, NLT). The weight of hope that flows through these words carries truth and life. Here we find ourselves in a season where miraculous hope has suddenly invaded descended upon our planet. The whole world is looking to Jesus! However, despite the reality of this abundant hope, sometimes rather than overflowing with joy, we can actually become overwhelmed by busyness. Ticking off to do lists, sticking to (or going over) budgets, and watching our December calendar fill up right before our very eyes, all become the focus of our attention. All of a sudden we’ve boarded the train to “anxious-ville” and we can’t wait for Christmas to be over. What? Seriously! How crazy is that?!

But good news, this is not what our heavenly Dad has for us. Stress is not his will for our life. Instead of anxiousness and fear; peace, rest and joy are his gifts to us this season. Even as you read this article, I pray that his refreshing presence would wash over you, bringing life to your soul. The word ‘refresh’ means, “to give new strength or energy to; to reinvigorate” (Oxford Dictionary). However if you think about it with reference to a computer, ‘refresh’ means, “to reload and create an updated version of a website” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). God wants to reload us with strength, renew our minds, and refresh us with joy this season.

God is into exchanges. He loves taking our mess and replacing it with order. When he presses ‘refresh’; everything else fades away, and rest, hope, peace and joy come. In the midst of a flurry of to do lists, deadlines and appointments, joy is what he has for you. When it’s noisy, he gives you quiet. When things are moving too fast, he stills your soul. His promise for you today is, “I will lead you to quiet waters and restore your soul” (Psalm 23:2-3). Here are some ways you can be refreshed by joy this season.

5 WAYS TO BE REFRESHED BY JOY THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON:

1. Stop and remember.

What an incredible day that was, when hope entered the world. The finest of plans, meticulously set in place from the foundations of the earth, finally ready to come to pass. Stop and remember. That day, a waiting world watched. A Father’s generosity was poured out. And a Saviour came for the joy set before him. That’s you. What a reason to celebrate!

2. Instead of being overwhelmed, trust.

Worrying never helps the situation. Even though it feels like it’s helping, it’s not. Choose to consciously turn your affection towards him, despite feeling overwhelmed. In an instant his presence comes. “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for (his) voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” (Prov 3:5-6, MSG)

3. Rest in his presence.

All it takes is one moment in his presence. “In his presence is joyful abundance!” (Psalm 16:11, ISV). He is always there waiting with so much goodness for you.  The second you turn your affection to him; the connection is instant. This season, his joy changes everything. And he’s waiting right now with a fresh batch for you.

4. Cultivate thankfulness.

Thankfulness releases the miraculous. When you begin to thank God for the blessings around you, big or small, your perspective changes and hope invades. God says to you, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (Rev 4:1) Instead of being overwhelmed by small thinking, let thankfulness elevate you to a place where joy abounds.

5. Have fun… It’s Christmas!

Think about kids. They don’t do anything unless it’s fun. So, it’s time for you to have some fun. Sometimes as adults we think we’re “too old” to really get into all the celebrations. Well I am here to tell you that you have permission to have fun this Christmas! So get ready because guess what… it’s the most wonderful time of the year!

So right now, take a deep breath. Breathe in his presence. Rest in his love and be encouraged. You are doing an amazing job and I am cheering you on! God bless you and Merry Christmas.  Remember to expect surprises... because anything can happen. ;)

Have a beautiful day guys! This is me bursting with excitement putting together my first orders :) If you would like to order these prints for $25 each (regular mail) or $30 each (express post in time for Christmas) simply email natalie@thewritersink.com.au to place your order :)

Love you guys lots!!

Love Nat xox

Images 3-7 via Pinterest

Trusting in transition.

The definition of trust is "the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Trusting in God is actually pretty easy when life is great, don't you reckon? But when things are messy, uncomfortable, unsettled, uncertain, confusing and completely overwhelming... trusting in God can suddenly become a challenge. I wasn't going to write a blog entry today because I didn't really know what to say. Then I thought that maybe others might be in a similar season of transition or stretching... so I got out my laptop.

I've been back from New York for a week and a half now. (You can read about my NYC journey here and here). After spending two months there (three months travelling in total) I knew it might be a bit difficult coming home, but this past week has been a little bit trickier than I had imagined. After returning from many long trips overseas in the past, I've always settled in quite well and quickly, however this time has been different. 

Have you ever been completely fine one moment, and then the next moment find yourself totally overcome with emotion? Well this has been me all week. So many times I've thought to myself, "What the HECK is wrong with you Nat? People are dealing with much worse situations, pull yourself together!" but when our heart is sensitive to something, we can't just ignore it. Even when we don't know what's going on, we need to slow down, listen and be kind to ourselves. 

God is so faithful though. Whatever season we find ourselves in, he's always right there with us, ready to speak and bring clarity. I've been waking up pretty exhausted since I got back (a mixture of jetlag and emotions I think) and this morning as I lay in bed, half asleep, I offered up a simple one-word prayer to my heavenly Dad: Help. It wasn't until later that I remembered praying it, and I just heard him say...

Ah yes. Jesus. As I heard those words I pictured him and peace came. That's just what happens when we think of him. Peace invades. My mood shifted, my worries faded and I just felt hope. The second we think of Jesus everything changes. Isn't that incredible?

When thoughts and fears cloud our thoughts, we can't see truth. When we're overwhelmed, it's hard to trust. But, the moment we choose to look to our Saviour, hope always comes. So as I continued to focus on him, I felt his comfort so beautifully. I didn't necessarily have all the answers to my questions, but I just felt strengthened. Sometimes we still have to walk through the snowstorm, but he gives us extra strength to walk, and brings other friends around us so we don't have to walk alone :)

And sometimes it feels like we are holding on for dear life to the thinnest most tiniest branch... but he always holds us up.

So when everything is all over the place, when it's messy, when we don't know whether we are coming or going, we can breathe deep and rest assured that he is with us. And he is always doing something NEW.

He creates new things out of NOTHING.

(Romans 4:17)

What are you believing for? Maybe it looks impossible. Well, it's not to God. He's very clever and he always wins.  :)

So today, let's take a deep breath and choose to trust. I pray you have a beautiful day, and that he speaks to you about the things in your heart, bringing clarity and hope. :)

Love Nat xoxo

Images - Pinterest 

Flourish no matter what :)

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. 

It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. 

It has no worries in a year of drought, and never fails to bear fruit. :)

Jeremiah 17:7-8

~

Hi friends, just a little encouragement for your week. Whatever you are doing, wherever you are going (even if you have no idea where your path might be leading and it's a little bit scary!)... let's choose to trust him this week. He is cheering us on in all that we do and his promise is that when we trust him we flourish no matter what.

Lots of love to you from NYC ;)

Nat xox

Image

What are you waiting for. Just do it.

What is it you love to do? What's that thing? 

The thing that makes you come alive and filled with joy. Do you know? 

Sometimes it feels like time goes forever. And we'll be here forever. 

And have plenty of time to do all the things we dream of. But it doesn't. And we won't. 

Life is actually quick. It's a vapour.

I don't mean to sound all morbid or anything, but this is LIFE we are talking about here! Your life. :) 

Do you love your life? Are you thriving? And flourishing?

What is it that makes you feel alive? 

When you're creating? Or designing? Or building? Or helping? Or planning? Or writing? 

Or teaching? Or listening? Or parenting? Or encouraging? Or exploring?

Well for me, it's encouraging people to recognise how amazing they are. To see what desires they have in their hearts, and to encourage them to be everything they have been called to be. Everyone has a dream. You do. And even writing this makes me feel so passionate to encourage you right now! As you read these very words I pray God begins to awaken something new in YOU. 

I want to let you know something. 

Before he breathed the stars, God created you. You. He designed you with perfection. Unique and unlike anyone else who would ever walk this earth. He placed specific, precious desires in your heart, things only you can do and things that will make your heart come alive when you do them.

So what are you waiting for?!

It's your turn to dream my friend. Cos guess what... :)

Abundance is God's normal! We are often satisfied with 'pretty good' or 'near enough' - but God is extravagant. He's not happy with 5 days of you working in a job you don't love and 2 days of 'I wish this weekend would last forever so I never have to go back to work'. He wants you thriving every moment. So come on, it's time to take that leap!

Just DO it. Okay? Whatever is in your heart... remember, it's never too late, too early, you're never too old, too young, too serious, too loud, too quiet, too busy. NO excuses. 

(Seriously I am going to follow up on this and check back on you okay?!)

Have an amazing Tuesday friends. Stir it up!

Love Nat xoxo

Images - Pinterest

Just stay on the path.

I was walking through the bush yesterday morning. Well technically, it's not actually "the bush", it's actually suburbia... but it was like the bush. I live about two minutes from a beautiful 750 acre wilderness reserve called Braeside Park (if you want you can read a fun little story of a time my sister and I played in the playground!)... Anywayyyy, as I was walking I was just praying about life, you know those walks where you almost zoom out of yourself and you know something is happening, but you have no idea what it is? As I entered a denser part of the forest, thick ferns covered the ground like carpet. Apart from the five metres in front of me, the rest of the path had suddenly disappeared from view.

At that moment I felt God speak to me... 

"Stay on the path Nat."

Sometimes that's all we can do, right? Just stay where we are. Keep walking. Keep being faithful. Keep focused. But how do we navigate this unknown journey? Well, friends... I am happy to say that no matter what season you might find yourself in, whether you can see a lot of the path or a little... just remember He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And regardless of your circumstances, God doesn't change.

Are you someone who likes change? Or do you prefer things to stay the same? 

Change = to make or become different.
 

Hmmm. Different? Is that what we really want? I mean New. Yes, yes we want new. Of course we do. But different? Change? Ah... I don't know about that? New is exciting. But change, ah... change means 'out of my comfort zone' type stuff and 'can't see the path ahead of me' kinda stuff. And that's scary. But friends, let me tell you, we have stepped into something brand new. Something fresh is happening, something we have never experienced before. And with that new thing (whether we like it or not), comes change. So here are three tips to stay encouraged in this season, even when we can't see the path ahead. :) 

1. Stay on the path.

2. Lift your eyes.

3. Lean on him.

Proverbs 3 tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all our heart, and to not lean on our own understanding". Our Father's great promise is that if we lean on HIM, and acknowledge him, that he will direct our paths. Leaning is pretty easy don't you think? I mean, think about it, it's just a transferral of weight from one thing to another. So as we 'transfer the weight of our burdens' on him, he takes them and "makes our path straight"

I pray you have a beautiful day today my friend. 

Be encouraged to know that whatever part of the path you are on... 

Jesus is right there with you and is lighting even more of it up right now!

Love Nat x

Images - Pinterest

Anything Can Happen ~ Book Sneak Peek { Everyday Adventures }

On a scale of one to ten, how much adventure would you say you've you had lately? Would you say you are adventurous all day? Half the day? Or would it be more like 1 hour per day? Or maybe not even be that much? Well, I've been working on my book "Anything Can Happen" quite a bit lately and yesterday I was writing all about adventure. Ah, I love this pic below, doesn't it make you want to go and climb a mountain?

What is this desire in us for adventure? Even if we don't realise it's in us, it's there. We have been given "life in abundance" (John 10:10) Abundance = a very large quantity, more than adequate, over-sufficient. So for me, abundance is simple, I need to have a lot more fun and adventure. So, here's a sneak peek of a snippet from Chapter 4 of the book ~ "Expect Surprises Everyday" :) xx

A N Y T H I N G   C A N   H A P P E N 

{ e v e r y d a y  |  a d v e n t u r e s }

"If I say to you “expect adventure today”, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? You might have a list of great things that just roll off the tongue, which is great, but if you don’t, then it’s time to dream. 

I’m challenged even as I write this. What am I expecting today? It’s 3:48pm on Tuesday 25th February. There are still just over 8 hours left in this day. So, what am I expecting? It would be easy for me to think, “well it’s almost 5pm, that’s the end of the day, then I’ll go home and just relax and have an early night”. Sensible, yes. Adventure, not really. What time is it now, as you read these words? Look at your watch, then work out how many hours are left in this day. Even if it’s only 30 minutes, that’s plenty of time to encourage someone, write in your journal, send that email, look up that course, or take one tiny step toward that dream you’ve been putting off for six months. 

An adventure is “an unusual and exciting or daring experience”. It’s “participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises” (Oxford Dictionary) and really, "life in abundance" means we should be participating in and experiencing these all the time right?! So let's stir it up. Let's stir up a sense of daily adventure and expectation. Adventure and fun are not just for ‘every now and then’, they are for everyday. 

Even if you don't know quite what you'd love to do... just ask God, and he will show you. :) Life is too short not to have fun and do what you love all the time. So what is it for you? Take a few minutes, take the limits off, let your mind go wild and just ask, “What’s the adventure awaiting me right now?” Because guess what he says to you...

As we start thinking like this, adventure actually becomes our normal. God has put so many seeds of adventure inside us, and it’s up to us to dig them up. When we have a vision for what we are expecting, we go after it with greater tenacity, and we actually SEE it happen. So write down some things on your heart right away, then get ready because... Anything Can Happen."

Have an amazing day expecting adventure.

Love Nat x

Images - Pinterest

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Transition :: Just Keep Going.

Transition is a funny thing isn't it. When you're in transition, you never feel like you are. I mean, you never think, "Well, I'd better make the most of this uncomfortable season, because it will be over soon!" No, usually, when you're in the middle of a season, you feel stuck, because you can't imagine it actually will ever end. The definition of transition is = the process or period of changing from one state or condition to another. So what does that mean for you? Are you in a period of transition at the moment? Are you're waiting for something?

When we're IN transition, we can often feel frustrated and discouraged. Especially in the final moments before we move into that new thing. However, let me encourage you. This is a what a butterfly looks like, flitting around in all it's beauty... Stunning hey.

But now look at the "not so glamorous" transition it had to go through to get into this world... Ouch.

Transition is rarely smooth sailing and glamorous. But the moment we come through it and move into the new season, it always, always makes sense. When you're in it however, it can be so hard to see. And this, my friends, is where the leap of faith steps in.

Many times all we can do is trust. We just have to believe that what we are doing IS leading us somewhere, and there IS great purpose in it all, even though most of the time it actually doesn't even make sense. But... let me encourage us all today... :)

Your harvest is certain. The reward is already part of your future. I am standing with you in this race and cheering you on. Whatever season you are in, just remember, that's exactly what it is -- a "season".  And if we think about our four seasons, sometimes they feel like they go on forever (hello... winter!?) but the thing that gives us hope is that we know they each have an end date. The season is not going to last forever. And so it is with us. Just when things seem like they're never going to change, they always do. So, in the words of our wonderful friend Dory, whatever season you are in my friends.............

Because, guess what...........

And you know what else?

That's right. ANYthing. Are you ready for that? Have you pictured it in your mind? Have your written it out and stuck it on your mirror as a reminder? Because, as we declare and expect things to happen and change, they will. 

Have the best day! 

Love Nat xx

Images - Pinterest