Storyline Conference

This past weekend I flew to Chicago to join my parents and my boyfriend for a conference called, "Storyline."  The man behind the whole thing, Donald Miller, has been one of my favorite authors since high school with his books, Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What, Scary Close, and others.  I remember becoming a Christian and reading his book thinking, "Woah, Christians can also be "cool!?" In other words, I thought he was a total badass for cussing in his books and his raw stories actually led me to pursue writing my own in a similar manner.  When I was a freshmen in college at Belmont University, they actually started filming a movie based on Blue Like Jazz  and my friends and I got to be a part of it. (They cut out my one mermaid scene, but I'm over it) Anyways, Donald Miller's has one way or another been like an old friend to me. 

At the conference, I had the incredible privilege of listening to stories told by creators, counselors, writers, and more.  Each person had something they were passionate about and if there is one thing that I learned from every single one it is that "Life is a process." In other words, each story consisted of a journey that the speaker had taken or the different routes they found to pursue their passions.  Sometimes they did not even know what they were doing but they trusted in God's provision, who seemed to correct their steps along the way.  I learned that to be human is to experience valleys and pain and to get better you have to walkthrough those places, hopefully alongside other faithful warriors.  To be passive and reactive to life is to miss the opportunity to co-create something wonderful with God.  I don't want to enter the pearly gates and Him ask me, "Why were you so afraid to even try? Didn't you know I will always be with you?" Instead, I want Him to exclaim with joy, "Good job! My good and faithful servant!!"  

I've become far too passive for my taste, but still acknowledging that sometimes God has us in seasons of waiting, filling up and listening before jumping the gun without having a reason.  Bob Goff recently posted, "It's easy to confuse a lot of activity with a purposeful life. Get some rest." I think I tend to confuse busyness with purpose, when in actuality, my busyness more often blinds me from the purpose of my actions all together.  

The night I got back from the whole weekend I slept for a solid 12 HOURS. My body did not do a whole lot of physical activity but my mind and heart were exhausted.  I don't think I will digest the rich food offered to me this weekend for a while, but until then I will enjoy and walk through the process.