Dear friend,

My friend and fellow author, Vella Karman (learn more about her here) is visiting us this week. Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and join us for a conversation about people, change, and inspiration!

People change.

And if that sounds frightening–I’m here to tell you that it’s not. 

Change is a promise we can make. Jesus is the only thing that stays the same, today, yesterday, and forever, so I can promise you that things will change.

People will change. And not only can we let them change, but we can be inspired by it.

Change is inspirational. If you hadn’t figured that out yet, just look at how many people are inspired by the different seasons.

Change means something is different, new, unexpected (anyone catch the Encanto reference there?) and it’s beautiful…

Maybe you’re in a season of change right now and it doesn’t feel beautiful.

Maybe your relationships are changing, your passions are changing, or your whole life is upended and you don’t know what to do.

I’m sorry. That’s hard.

I want to encourage you today: no matter what happens, an unchanging God is holding your hand (Isaiah 41:13).

An unchanging God is in control.

So instead of gripping your seat with terror, why not be inspired by the wild ride?

I love kaleidoscopes. No matter which way you spin them, the shifting colors inside create a beautiful and awe-inspiring pattern. 

Relationships are like kaleidoscopes.

People are constantly growing and shifting and dreaming and changing, but it’s always beautiful to look at them.

Even our relationship with God is like a kaleidoscope. Even though he is unchanging, we change, so our relationship with him shifts and evolves. 

And if nothing else in this world is inspiring, God is inspiring.

Realize your freedom.

For me, it’s easy to stay inspired…until I’m stressed.

Until expectations are like a backpack full of bowling balls I’m hunched under the weight of and I’m afraid I’ll drop a bowling ball on my foot.

If emotions are overwhelming me, I’ll talk it out with a friend (oftentimes to your very own RJ Catlin). Sometimes talking it out and praying fixes everything. Sometimes it’s deeper than that.

Like expectations (those bowling balls I mentioned a minute ago). They’re heavy.

If you feel burdened by the expectations of people around you, especially as you’re preparing to emerge into the adult world, here’s one helpful mindset:“I can only tell you who I am and who I’ve been, not who I will be.” 

You will change. And it’s so freeing to know that the people back home will accept that.

Stay curious.

Brad Pauquette has a theory that you can never completely know someone. 

Even if you spend all your time trying, there’s no way to keep up. Even if you’ve known someone their whole life, you can never know them completely. They’re always changing and growing. That’s why it’s so important not to ever lose curiosity about the people around you. 

Stop asking your family members questions and you start losing touch.

You’ll start losing inspiration too. 

Like I said, change is inspirational. But even without that, so are people. 

Other people have different perspectives, ideas, and worldviews. They can challenge you, surprise you, encourage you, and expose you to new things. What’s not to love?

People change, and so can you. You can change from someone uninspired to someone bursting with ideas. Stick around, let RJ teach you a thing or two. 

I’m excited to see how you grow. :)

Thanks for joining us Vella! What great advice. It’s so easy to forget that people change until you blink and they’re different than you remember. Stay curious, and remember that God is with you in whatever change you encounter.

Sincerely,

R. J. Catlin