Glimpses of Joy: May 2017

The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?” -Psalm 27:1

1. Hopkins Date Night

Aaron and I had the most fun date night on a warm Friday night in the middle of May. While eating at Longfellow Grill earlier in the month, we found an advertisement for the Hopkins Comedy Festival in the City Pages paper we read as we waited for our food. Aaron loves comedy shows, so we seized the moment and purchased tickets right then and there online, so we wouldn’t forget or back out.

We decided to grab dinner in Downtown Hopkins (which is adorable, you should check it out) and found a Brazillian restaurant called Samba Taste of Brazil. You guys, the food was AMAZING. We drank a pitcher of sangria and there was fresh grilled steak and pork and yuca fries. All of my favorite things! The owner’s son was so helpful in suggesting what we order and it reminded me how much I love family-owned restaurants. We definitely will be visiting again!

After dinner, we walked down the street to the comedy club. There were a few stand up acts in the show (some better than others 🙂 ) but we definitely laughed! The last guy was my favorite. He was definitely very drunk and very high but I think that made him very funny. His bit on the Todds who started Nantucket Nectars slew me.

Sometimes the best nights are the ones that catch you by surprise. This was one such evening- full of surprises of good food and unexpected laughter.

2. Tim and Paola’s Wedding

Last weekend we celebrated our good friends Tim and Paola’s wedding. Maybe it was because I was coming off of a LONG week at work (I’m talking 5 a.m. to midnight days and sleeping on the floor 🙂 ) so I was definitely ready to let my hair down and have some fun.

They had a beautiful ceremony and reception and it was so great to celebrate where they’ve come and support them as friends. The food was delicious and the live band was so much fun to dance to! There were so many new and old friends surrounding us that made the night just what I needed.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” – Psalm 27:14

Uncertainty, Anxiety, Trust & Control

This month, I really feel as if God has been teaching me about letting go of control and trusting him with the things in my life. I think after all the transitions of getting married, I’ve kept my life and schedule free of stressful situations and kept my life full of things that are within my control. I think everyone needs a season like that once and a while, especially after a big transition. It’s healthy for you to have time to rest and recover.

But since that was almost two years ago, God is now saying, “Wake up, Lindsay. You’re a little too comfortable and holding on to things a little too tightly, so let’s shake it up a bit to help you let go.”

In all honesty, May has been a stressful and difficult month. I have a new role and team at work and we’ve had very hard deadlines for the projects we’re working on (and have never done before) which has caused conflict and has caused things to be outside of my control and not finished well or on time. All things I hate. All things that make me anxious because I like to do a good job at what I do, but a lot of these things are new to me or outside of my control. Which I also hate 🙂 .

In the personal life realm, Aaron and I are looking for houses and the market is definitely not on our side. As we wrestle to figure out what we really want in a house and how much is smart to spend, we see offer after offer get overbid and fewer houses get posted as we see the end of our lease draw nearer and nearer.

There is a lot of uncertainty right now. And with the uncertainty, I realize how uncomfortable I am sitting in it. I just want to KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. If these work projects will work. If we’ll find a house. I want to know so that I can be in control. But that’s not how life works. Things in life will continue to be uncertain, out of my control and difficult. Now is the time to strengthen my “trust God” muscle and shake off the little things that make me anxious that are out of my control and not really that important in the long run.

This is definitely not a lesson completely learned. I’m going to be working on it the rest of my life. But practice makes perfect and I think I’m in a season where I’m to practice every day better ways to deal with uncertainty than anxiety and grasping for control: