The Darling Detail and I sometimes get in a tiff.

Huh? Okay I’ll tell you. There’s a pretty key piece of me that is mostly put on the backseat of my blog. Guess what it is? Okay the title of the post may have given my guessing game away: it’s my faith. Now – when I started this blog as a 20-something-year-old-lost-little-child, things were *a whole lot different*. Sure I grew up going to Sunday School, walked through the motions of church on Sundays in a good Christian household, and I, uhm, “believed.” But there was a big piece missing and it was: my heart. Where in the world was it? You know, caught up in boys, college, clothes, grades, football, parties, Facebook albums, lip gloss, paychecks, Greek life, shopping sprees, vintage jeans, and oh and did I mention, boys?

A lot has changed since then (especially if you’ve read my single girls post – holla holla – you guys loved this one!). But even just writing one post dedicated to a season of singleness encouraged by faith isn’t showing the authenticity behind my daily decisions. In the last 5 years, my heart has been transformed – so that my actions and choices are no longer set on clothes, as my blog might show it is. My heart is not dependent on Instagram followers and likes–as the world of social media insinuates it is. If Proverbs 27:19 says, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart,” then there’s a problem when my blog doesn’t reflect my heart.

Enter today’s post: my faith. What’s missing from The Darling Detail? It’s what goes on behind the clothes, photo shoots, glamoured IG stories, booties and bags. It’s my everyday life which goes back to the root of Jesus.

Living and walking towards a holy life (especially in my industry – or wait, in any industry) is a consistent challenge. Today’s post is absolutely not a I’m-doing-so-great-and-I’ve-got-it-all-figured-out post (I think that would be the best joke I’ve made this year). Today’s post is dedicated to the resources I’ve found along my journey that “equip my faith.” Let me be real with you: I fight every sin inside of me to not spend hours on social media, late nights at the bars, I struggle with finding my identity in the blog, or ignoring the man upstairs all day –and it feels pretty good when I sometimes overcome those things. Where do I turn to equip my faith? Here’s what I’ve found.

How I start my day: 

Sipping coffee with a side of Jesus Calling and my journaling Bible (see more about the journal Bible below). When I first started my walk, I read somewhere that one way to *make* quiet time something that actually happens (keyword: actually) on the reg is associating it something you love. Whether it’s tea on the couch, your favorite 2% latte, or outdoors in nature. Pick it, make it a habit, and stick to it. Give yourself 10-20 minutes to be still, be quiet, and rest. It’ll start your day a lot less “hurrier.”

Writing in my Prayer Journal. My favorite part about a prayer journal is being able to look back and remember what I prayed for. Often we forget the little things that we talk to God about, so this is a helpful way to see prayers come to fruition. I like using cute journals and pens to make it all that more fun (I know, I’m cheesy, whatever). The morning is ideal for me because I can set the tone for the day ahead. Find a cute option here.

Hitting play on Spotify. That is calming Christian on shuffle – honestly, I’ve tried listening to other types of music in the morning and I noticed that my heart rate begins to accelerate and I only can think about my to-do list and I am so nervous and frustrated and stressed that the day started with a big……..pause then…ka-boom (emphasis on the ka-boom). This station is encouraging, uplifting and grounding. Keyword: calming, Christian.

My Favorite Places to Seek Inspiration: 

1. The Best Way to Interpret Bible Lingo – Meet the Study Bible (paperback or leather). Below each scripture is modern day explanation, interpretation, context, etc. This is the Bible’s Best Guide for Beginners and I promise it won’t let you down (tested by yours truly!)
2. The (Hilarious) Voice of a Generation: Judah Smith – my favorite pastor, located all the way up in Seattle. Favorite part? He is hil-ar-ious. It’s like listening to a sitcom interpretation of the gospel from a skinny hipster in tight tight jeans. Him and I share the same grandpa glasses and the same love for Jesus. Start off with my favorite sermon of his here.
3. The Love Story That You Won’t Want to Put Down – the only book I’ve ever read twice, Redeeming Love. This love story mirrors the story of Hosea in the Bible and I promise you’ll be smitten.
4. Pinterest loves Scripture too, you know – my Faith Pinterest board. Honestly my obsession. I could spend hours on here – there’s something about beautiful aesthetic and encouraging pins that make me feel all warm inside.
5. A Hilarious, Informative Podcast Dedicated to Jesus: Enter Breakaway Ministries. A Bible Study that fills up the entire stadium of the A&M football field. Ben Stuart (probably my top 5 favorite speakers of all time) is no longer with the ministries, but I love listening to his podcasts from before he left. Listen to my favorite podcast about Narcissism by Breakaway here (it’s called Narcissism and it’s #57 on this list).
6. A book dedicated to your soul. Get ready to get deep with Soul Keeping. This book might be one of the most challenging books I’ve ever read and tops my favorites.
7. A devotional that will equip your morning quiet time – a toughy, but gospel-based, an incredible writer, and a devotional that doesn’t just touch the surface is New Morning Mercies By Paul David Tripp.
8. A Top Instagrammer Who Loves Jesus: Enter Jordan Lee Dooley – the cutest little blogger I ever did see, also a youtuber, podcaster, speaker and Bible-study-maker (whew!). Her Instagrams and stories are nothing short of inspiring. Makes you want to be a gospel blogger, #canigetanamen?

How to Fill in the Middle Moments: 

Find Community  – This is not something I can link to, but it’s one you can add to the prayer list if you’re feeling the pull. I personally had to spend years working on this – learning the importance of encouragement from other believers and running to them when I needed grounding, wisdom, and support. This was the biggest and most monumental step I took – and changed my walk dramatically. The business of my job often keeps me from immersing myself in community and is something I’m definitely working on to this day.

Guard Your Thoughts – Right now I’m immersed in the book “Soul Keeping” (mentioned above), and in the book, the author challenges himself to spend every single moment throughout the day in God’s presence. You’re taken through the author’s thought process as he realizes he has two options for the next 2 hours: to go through life stressed, angry, frustrated, victim-spirited, impatient — or he can do it with God. His goal [and now my goal] becomes, “How many moments of my life today can I fill with conscious awareness of and surrender to God’s presence?” He realized there weren’t many moments in his daily life – and he was a pastor. It’s an interesting thought and challenge; a deep one, too.

Trust the Process – Life is about the walk, not the end destination. Every day shapes you, makes you, molds you, and strengthens you. Don’t feel hurried, or compare yourself to others. There is no such thing as perfection and that’s where the freedom lies. Rest in grace.

My goals on how to end my day.

The Word. I recently stumbled upon The ESV Single Column Journaling Bible from blogger Jordan Lee Dooley (gosh she’s precious) and I’m smitten. This is the Bible that I featured on my IG story this weekend (so many of you asked!) and it’s the one I can’t get enough of. I love being able to make the Bible feel like a place of art, especially with fun colors (try these pens).

I hope this is helpful to those seeking truth, and hoping to enhance their faith. Please comment if you have any suggestions too! XOXO

Image author unknown. Found via pinterest.