This has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. And not just for me. Not just for you. Not just for the United States. But for the whole world. Hong Kong protests. Australian wildfires. Tensions with Iran. Death of George Floyd. Oil prices reach a record low. Postponed Olympics. Covid-19.
I went on spring break this March and then I never went back to UGA. I was contracted to work for a summer camp and it was cancelled. I signed up for a nine month mission trip overseas and I have been living in Gainesville, GA for three months. I went home for Thanksgiving and there was a covid outbreak so I won’t get to go back to campus until we launch in January.
We were told to write a blog about what we have learned during our time on the Adventures in Mission campus. I couldn’t decide what teaching was the most impactful or one thing that stood out as a “wow” moment. Instead I’m going to tell you what this year has been teaching me from the beginning and what living in Gainesville solidified in me.
There are strawberries amongst all of the leaves and weeds. The good isn’t always easy to see. Sometimes you have to manuever around weeds and look under leaves but the strawberries are there. I think God has moved boldly through the darkness that has been this year. It just had to get to that point of darkness for meto be able to see the light (or in this case, the strawberries).
My strawberries come in all shapes and sizes. 30 new best friends. Learning to love living in a tent. Morning devotions at 9 AM. Line dancing with Camille. Stargazing at the pond. Cute coffee shops in Foley, Alabama. Meeting fundraising deadlines. Doing hurrican relief. Taco Tuesdays. Buying a new pair of boots.
Strawberries don’t have to be some extravagant amazing moments, especially this year. They are just the little moments throughout the day that make it better than the day before. Moments that make you laugh or even just smile. If you aren’t actively looking for the good it becomes very easy to sit in all of the pain and sadness that this year has brought. It took me a long time to learn this. I still have to choose into this each day or I will sit on my couch and feel bad for myself all day long (and sometimes I do). This year showed me exactly how easy it is to be miserable and exactly how easy choose not to be.
So with that, I challenge you to start looking for the strawberry moments throughout your day. Look through the weeds, go around the thorns, push the leaves out of the way, and find your happy. Then hold on to it. And wake up the next day and do it again. Then, do it again. Keep doing it until looking for the good becomes your regular. It will change your life.
P.S. I’d love to hear about some of your strawberry moments in the comments!!!
all the love,
sarah hicks
