Hello #JustWrite!! It has been a long time since I've posted and I'm glad to be back. I spent the last month regrouping after an intense 2-month summer STEM program with training in Philadelphia to working my assignments in NC (Wake Forest University) and ATL(Emory). I was definitely on vacation because when I came back, the desire to write was gone. It was as if my spirit went to those places and never came back. I literally had to be mentally, spiritually, and physically back in those familiar places that reminded me of writing. Slowly, but surely I'm back. So as you all know Hurricane Irma hit FL and GA this week and I saw the effects of it in other states and Mexico. As a native Georgian with family ties in FL and other parts of the US., I had never experienced a storm like that before. As always with many natural occurrences and disasters, my mind and thoughts are always brought back to the scripture of being prepared and staying ready(Matt. 24:24),not just when storms(physically and spiritually)occur, but in and out of season. Two things I learned from this week's storm: the reminder of God's strength and how to rest. With me slowly gaining my desire to write back, I realized that I couldn't force it to come back, like how we as believers sometimes try to do everything in our own strength. A few days ago, a dear friend reminded me of the creation story and the importance of the Sabbath. God, the Creator rested after his magnificent tapestry of the earth. We should do the same in resting and allowing God to do the work so we can be more effective. Speaking of being effective, it's funny and interesting how the same night the storm hit, everything was shut down for me from electricity to laptop. Yep, my fully charged laptop went out completely a few hours after the power did. Luckily this blog was started on my phone (thanks to the Blogger app) before everything happened. For a moment I thought I lost all my docs but thanks to Google Drive I didn't. Unfortunately, my writing will be limited only to my phone or my ancient desktop (lol) until I can get a replacement. Anyways, back to what I was saying earlier, this storm reminded me that although we try to avoid being caught in certain storms, we have to be wise, prepare, and endure those storms as a test of our character. Notice I said character, instead of strength. Remember it is in His strength, that we are no longer weak. The older I get, the more I appreciate the rain because it brings a calmness to my organized chaos. I truly appreciate the storms that come every once in awhile because they allow me to rest and be thankful for the stillness. Also I can't forget the opportunity to create content(this blog and so much more). As I close, I pray that you all received a little rest this week and new revelations about your writings! See you in the next blog!
In His service,
~Lequvia Ousley~
