What You Need To Know About The Unwritten Pages Of Your Story and A DIY Book Wall.

Stories take us places.

I think this is why so many of us love a good book.

They take us away.

Away from whatever may be weighing on your mind, away from the pressure, away from the demands, away from whatever it is you need a way through.

I lent a dear friend a fabulous fiction book on Wedesnday night and she texted me this morning that she was up until 1:30 AM THIS morning reading it and she is almost finished!

Now THAT is a good book am I right?

(If you’re dying to know what book I lent out, yes it’s that good…check out Emily Giffin’s latest book here.)

This week, Pinterest inspired me to tackle two DIY projects.

The first being a DIY Hocus Pocus costumes for the girls. After an hour roaming the racks of our local Goodwill store and layering garments and many loud laughs shared, we determined that despite our valiant efforts…this attempt was in fact a big old FLOP.

Exit stage left and enter Amazon for the costume rescue.

However, the other dose of inspiration I was swimming in was the idea of a “Book Wall.”

All the expert DIY tutorials directed you to shop places like your local Goodwill and antique stores for old books. But again, as I perused the racks, I just did not fee connected to any of what I was seeing.

We left Goodwill empty handed but with a head full of ideas of what I already had at home to move forward with this project.

After all, I had loads of books and magazines filled with words I LOVE. Quotes and stories that jumped off the pages and held meaning to me. Now that was the kind of inspiration my heart was searching for.

I started with a loose layout, opting to go with a barn wood frame that was hanging in another room to serve as the centerpiece.

This, along with a favorite magazine page I tore out became my focal point to work out from.

More than likely, I will swap the center piece out from time to time to go along with the seasons. For now, I decided to go with a “season-less” option for the birth of this new space.

This is the part I loved.

Pouring through my own personal stash of favorites.

Favorite magazines, new books, old books from childhood and many books given to me by my Mom.

Also, in my stash is a book written by my Dad.

An Anthology of his long standing newspaper column called the “Earthline.” (currently unavailable on Amazon. However, drop a comment if you would like to order a copy. I have an “in” with the author.)

Once I had a loose layout and the “tools” I needed to hang everything, we got to work!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGH1_4Iheoh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Hot tip: If you’re looking to try this at home. I would say go for it! I gathered an assortment of tapes that I thought I may need. At the end of the day, scotch tape was my “go-to” to tape the loose pages to the wall.

I used these “Command” velcro strips to help hold the books up and prepped each backside of the book with one strip each.

Once the books were hanging on the wall, I used these small nail pins to hold back the pages. I left a few pages hanging out and nailed the rest of the pages back. Then, I used scotch tape to ruffle as many pages as I wanted and taped them down one at a time to give the wall texture.

Just like any project, I would step back and take a look at the progress.

We started with this blank wall.

And eventually, this office / home-school room became alive with words of encouragement, inspiration and the opportunity to pause and breathe in positivity when we pass by…

or sit and stay awhile…with my favorite childhood books.

Friend…I know that “escaping” with our favorite Netflix series or a good book can be a good thing for short periods of time.

Getting “away” from your reality is not a bad thing…in moderation.

When we look around our current landscape…it’s easy to see all of the hard places and want to escape it all.

I’m willing to bet that more than a bunch of us have said recently:

“It’s just TOO much.”

Yes?

Head nod?

Me too.

But, often when I feel this way and I take the time away that I need to get with God alone, He reminds me…

…that I am not the one tasked with the heavy responsibility to hold all the pages together in everyone’s stories…HE is.

“You saw me before I was born. Every day my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

psalm 139:16 NLT (emphasis added)

We are hemmed in friend.

No matter where out story has gone off script. No matter if you were the one to grab the pen and throw your storybook into the pit, strike the match and walk away.

No matter what you have done…no matter what out of your hands battle you are in…God’s hands are in it with you.

He goes before us, He follows after us.

He uses every stitch of our stories and weaves it together for good.

No matter what.

(Here is a good song to remind you of this truth.)

Hemmed in friend.

“Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

Psalm 139:4-5 NIV

The thing with running for me is not that I like to run.

But I do like to hear from God…and right now? He seems to be speaking to me mostly when I take a run. Probably because those 30 minutes are the only time I have alone these days. Alone, but with God.

He keeps showing me…that it is in the darkest places where the light is the most magical.

His light.

The trees are crowded on the trail where I run. This week I kept looking at the tree trunks, how hard and stiff they all seem. Then…the light would shine through and touch the trunk of one or a few and suddenly…they looked softer.

Do you see that one in the middle?

It is receiving God’s light.

Oh friend, I think God is wanting us to receive His life-changing light so we can lay the heavy pen down to every story line we are trying to control and receive His gentle penmanship and guidance of light.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Yesterday, on my run I passed a woman who was walking alone up the hill I was running down. I could tell she was trying to ask me something.

So I stopped, took my ear buds out and listened to her ask this question:

“Does it end in a loop?”

I replied “no” and then gave her directions to help her get back to where she started her walk.

This quick exchange made me reflect on how many times I have been running and writing my story in a loop.

Despite taking steps, I still end up back where I started.

Maybe you have felt that way too?

Or maybe we find ourselves flipping back to Chapter 2 of our story where a deep hurt is still raw but God and His light is calling us forward illuminating the next chapter…to turn the page.

I remember our marriage counselor likening this habit to the rearview mirror of a car.

“There is a reason the rearview mirror is so small and the windshield in front is so large and clear.”

She went on to encourage and explain that God has bigger plans for us ahead…that the rearview is small but the windshield that helps us to see ahead, holds large opportunities for new stories.

God works shines brightest in our most authentic “rough-draft” stories.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

Maybe the next chapter simply requires a little “light editing.”

A gentle re-setting of expectations of ourselves within our current story.

Maybe it is “Part-Two” of a “to be continued” and it’s time to stop handing over the pen to other people around you. After all, YOU AND GOD are the ONLY ones who meet the unique set of requirements to take pen to paper in your story.

Perhaps, you need to stop walking in the same story line loop and receive the Light that is beckoning you into a new direction.

No matter what friend, I just know that I know that I know…yes that is a lot of I knows…but I know that YOUR STORY matters. I also know from personal experience that you can never be too far gone for God to throw away a life book He started writing.

Though the pages may rip, your good story still gets written.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

God does not stop the good work He started in you.

He never falls asleep, exhausted from the same storyline on repeat…or as my Livvy puts it:

“He never closes His eyes.”

He sees you and your story and His light wants to work inside it.

I say…let’s reflect that Light and let it bounce of our pages.

Father God,

Thank you that you are always working. Help me to remember that I am not the one who is responsible to hold all the pages together in my story or anyone else’s.

God, thank you for all the ways you have protected me over the years, sheltering me from harm without my even knowing it. You remind us in your Word that you are the author and finisher of our faith and that your ways are not our ways and that your plan for us is good.

Sometimes, my faith falters and I need help. Thank you for building it back up and reminding me that I can trust the Truth behind your Word.

Thank you for your patience with me. I want to seek you and your Light. Please help me to seek it and reflect it where you may cast it.

amen.

Living on a prayer,

Heather

In case you are looking for books to put in your daughters hands to help guide her in Her personal story and walk, I am linking three Devotional books that I have given to Eve (age 11), Maci (age 9) and Livvy (age 6) this year. They are really enjoying spending time inside the pages and each are appropriate for their ages.

Eve’s Devotional:

Maci’s Devotional:

Livvy’s Devotional:

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