I keep seeing this reel go through my feed, "You're life can really change in a year."
That feels entirely too accurate. So often I reflect on where I been and it leads me to where I am going. And as much as I hate spoilers, you won't have all of those answers by the end of this post. Only because, I don't have all of those answers and I am leaning into God's design and not my own. I have my dreams and if that is His will, I am going to let Him continue to lead me on this journey because, well, He's gotten me this far and it is pretty amazing.
Granted, there have been some major highs and major lows. In those lows, I have learned to trust in Him. His timing and His purpose. Between January and February my life completely flipped upside down. I honestly didn't know which way was up. As I look back now, it all had a purpose. In those dark times, it is so difficult to see the light. See which way you are supposed to go. I can see now, I was being completely guided.
My heart was empty. My life not living according to my purpose. I had dreams for a long time. But five years ago when I became a single Mom, those really became things I talked about and not so much things I did. I spent three months at the beginning of this year seeking therapy, crying out to God, and honestly skiing. Almost every, single day.
In each of those days, I headed to my spot. My favorite spot, a cliff overlooking the valley. I would sit or lay in the snow and do nothing but BE STILL. It was in those moments I heard his voice. That he was sending an army to rescue me. Little did I know, what would transpire in the rest of the year. It was on that cliff, where my dormant dreams started to come to life.
I saw purpose in my trauma. My passion for the outdoors began unfolding in the light it was designed to create. He showed me that my pain, was meant to heal. He would heal me and help me guide others to a life of healing. My purpose was never for me, it was for others. For His glory.
So I began studying, working in any spare minute all while remodeling my house, how to start my business and my non-profit branch. I had started Encounter Outdoor to document my journey outside on new adventures with my boys in the summer of 2021 and slowly gained a few hundred followers. I decided to design a new website and launch this year on 6.23.23.
Since that day it has been a wild ride. All the glory and recognition goes to God. I am rusty in my writing, I am rusty in my photography, but I have never felt more at peace when I represent a light in a very, dark space. I will be honest the social media world can be heavy and unsettling. There is so much negativity, darkness, and self-inward focus that it can be hard to keep your emotions and my mind straight. But I am reminded that I am here to be a light. Nobody said it would be easy, but I will continue on the path I set out on.
I have been beyond blessed with some incredible experiences and gifts from some amazing companies that have taken me under their wing. I am so grateful for them and will share products and companies that I feel are doing good and have a purpose aligned with my values. The sharing can be difficult at times for me because there are so many in this world that go without, that struggle and we live in a world that is constantly tell us we need more. So I hope to find balance in my representation, because what is tangible is not what will change this world. How we make others feel, how we show up, and what we give will by far be the things that we can make a difference in this world with. I think we can all agree that we need it.
I came across this verse recently in my Bible Study I attend and it will now be the verse that I base Encounter Outdoor off of.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not over come it." John1:5
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