mindfulness practices – Sarah Faith

things i wish more people knew

i had this thought this week and knew i needed to write about it. then i forgot, it slipped my mind, we went on a road trip, came back, it never resurfaced…. until just now when i sat down to write this.

immediately, the thought resurfaced – that’s how i know it’s the right one. that’s how i know it deserves a spot on the blog.

there are so. many. things. i wish more people knew. i could likely write another 100-page thesis about this topic. not because i’m a genius… but because there have been so many things that i’ve learned the hard way, i’d like to save someone from that if i could. too many people ask me how i’m so brave, where my thoughts come from, how i’m so “wise,” and it makes me sad because i don’t have access to anything you don’t. i just knew things needed to change if my life was going to. i couldn’t keep living in the shade and shadows of victimhood that the cards of my life kept trying to deal me.

so here we go:

i wish more people knew it’s ok to be wrong. it’s ok to screw it up. it’s ok to get it completely upside down, sideways, unrecognizable… because you can always fix it. you can always right the wrong. you can do it wrong a bunch of times and keep learning about all these different ways to do it almost right. eventually you will get it right. people don’t generally stay wrong forever. that would be more like the definition of insanity. you’re naturally going to improve. you’re naturally going to get closer and closer to the right place and you will eventually land in the right place. you’ll be more well-rounded the more risks you take and the more “wrongs” you rack up… if you’re convinced that’s what they need to be called.

i wish more people knew that there’s no benefit in life to taking yourself so seriously. no one gets an added bonus or any special perks for having less fun or being more stuffy. it’s not that serious. i guarantee it, no matter what “it” is. it’s a harder path living like it’s all gotta fit in between the lines, so you owe it to yourself and the days you’re subtracting from the end of your life to loosen up a bit. you can’t add days to your life by worrying more – the Bible even says so.

i wish more people knew that comparison is the absolute thief of joy. all the time wasted with your head on the swivel is time that could’ve been spent focusing on your own path, your own skills, your own strengths – there’s no way to get better at your own zone of genius by wishing you had someone else’s. anyway, it’s theirs. head on the swivel may be good in a war situation, but it’s not helpful when you’re battling between your ears, trying to create some momentum for yourself on in uncharted waters.

i wish more people knew that rest is, indeed, productive. it’s hard enough to get it all done as it is, much less with half a tank of gas in the tank. i’d say maybe women feel this more, but i’m not sure that’s true. i think men probably believe in the lack of rest just as much as the next human does. there’s no special badge you get to wear for being the most worn or burned out, either, so it would do us all some good to just hang it up every now and then. once a week really isn’t too much to ask. give yourself a day to recharge. honestly, there should be some rest time daily… and that five hours of sleep you’ve been surviving on does NOT count as rest. that’s a sad excuse for a night of sleep, is what that is. you’re killing yourself.

i wish more people knew that precisely NO BODY has it all figured out… but guess what… everything is figure out-able. you CAN figure it out, even if you’re not there right now. you’re not stuck. you’re not a tree. you can move. also… the perfect time doesn’t exist. being “ready” for whatever that next move is doesn’t either. social media is a liar. every person you see whose life looks “perfect” and “aesthetic” is lying if they don’t also show up on the crappy days. a good aesthetic is not reality. i think we live under this illusion sometimes that people are further along because they had some kind of golden knowledge that we don’t have and can’t get. not true. couldn’t be further from the truth. they just had the ability, whether it was guts or reckless abandon, to throw caution to the wind and move scared.

so do it anyway. because if you don’t, someone else will. those you’re watching take the action are doing it scared, myself included. wanna know who gave me permission to start writing in this blog? no one. wanna know how many people i’m “more qualified” than to write these things? precisely zero. but i had an idea, and i went with it and i’m still just going with it.

if you needed permission, here it is. take it from me. i’m not qualified to give it, but you’re not qualified to just sit on your butt and not take action towards those things you really really wish you could start or figure out or whatever other excuse you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t have or do what you want. we live in a weird time, but it’s also a blessed time of opportunity where you can basically create a reality if you don’t like the one in which you’re currently existing.

it’s time. it’s been time. it’s past time. you know it. i know it. we both know it. so. here’s the five things i think you should know and now you know them, so you can get moving on that thing now.

i can’t wait to see how big, bold, beautiful, and amazing it is.

♥,
SF

a new record

well. i didn’t really know what else to title this… nothing cryptic, no keeping the cat in the bag…. but we’re working on another record.

a few months ago, it was very clear to me that it was time for me to lay music down and i cancelled all of the live performances on my calendar. to be honest with you, i’m not still not quite sure how i did that. i was texting through tears the entire time. it made no sense to me how i could so clearly feel in my gut that this was the right thing to do. but i just knew it’s what had to be done. i knew it was time.

at the time, i had zero motivation to play one note on a guitar. not a single bit of inspiration coursed through my veins. i hadn’t recorded a note in months, probably not since i released Come Alive… i thought it was gone. i mean, i really thought…. “good goin’, kid. you taught yourself another useless skill…” after all, that’s sometimes what it feels like to have built a photography business in Michigan for five years only to shut it down completely for music. just meandering along, teaching myself random skills that i later abandon for unknown reasons…

i can really be a jerk to myself sometimes… i’m working on it.

a few weeks ago… another nudge. i started getting weird sporadic inspiration for songs, verses and choruses and chord progressions started coming randomly into my mind. i’d be doing something like laundry or taking a walk and another song would make its way into my mind… i think i probably ignored it at first because even if i did flesh out the entire song, i didn’t know what the heck i would do with it.

finally i had enough… the ideas wouldn’t leave me alone. so i started writing a couple of them in my Google Docs like i’ve always done — “idea” with the date. a few of them just stuck in my head, bouncing around and around, almost begging me to write them. eventually, the sentiment came… “write another record.” what? where is this coming from…?

“write another record, Sarah. write a Christian blues rock record.” such a clear direction. pretty hard to ignore. and crazy sounding, might i add… how on Earth am i gonna make THAT!? (from the heart… that’s how…)

so i’ve been diving in. that’s the news. i’m making another record. and it dives harder into blues, rock, some jazz and funk, more guitar, more instruments than i’ve ever experimented with… but i’m very excited to see what comes from this. i’m writing it with my buddy Josh Tobias, which, if you haven’t heard his stuff, i’d love for you to go take a listen. dude is mega talented. i’ve written some of my most favorite songs with Josh — it’s been really fun inviting him into this project.

fun short story on that: i told him i felt compelled to write another record and felt pretty strongly that he was supposed to be writing this with me. his immediate response was, “i’m in. say when.” turns out, he’s apparently been wanting to write something like this for a while so being asked to be part of this is hopefully as much of a gift to him as it is to me.

i think you’re gonna like this stuff. i know i say that every time, but if you’ve been following the evolution of my musicianship at all, this is going to be something i’m super proud of. there’s some killer emotions, themes, sentiments, and inspiration being collected and fleshed out for this one, and i’m hoping it’s going to inspire you in a bunch of ways.

i wanna write this record “in the gap” so to speak. i’m writing it for the person who’s going through it but knows there’s something more to life than their valleys. i’m not writing this from the top of the mountain. i’m not writing this about a life lived without trial or tribulation — that wouldn’t be a story i know anything about. i’m writing this for the person who, like me, finds themselves in some pretty desolate lows and knows relief is possible, but sometimes it seems like it’s far more common for others, or just out of reach. it’s for the person that needs something to hold on to and needs to figure out who this Jesus guy is because He might just be the last and only hope.

i won’t say much more right now… but i just wanted you to know. something’s coming, and i hope you’ll stick around and give it a listen.

♥, SF

public humiliation

i don’t know if you saw it at all… there’s been so much to see lately, honestly. too much… not much of it very good… i honestly usually keep my head in the sand on most things… maybe that’s ignorant. but, in this case, as a musician with friends who know i’m a musician, a friend of mine asked me what i thought about this… so i checked it out.

the situation was — and you can google more specific details if you wish, but it’s not my desire to out anyone or add unnecessary drama to an already dramatic situation — a musician / songwriter sang a public national anthem on a large stage, televised in front of the nation and it did not go well. more than not go well, it caused her the next day to post on social media that she had been intoxicated and she was going to check herself into rehab.

when i heard the performance for the first time, it was before she had made such a claim, so the only thoughts i had were, “man, if she has a problem and nobody knew, that’s really sad.” and then, i saw her statement.

following that, there were some claims that it was a technological problem. it happens all the time. but here’s my continued issue with the whole situation.

i should add that i’m speaking from a fair bit of personal experience on this, as i, too, have been in the position of singing a couple of high-exposure anthems, very gratefully so. while in those situations, there has never been a shortage of people asking me if i’m ready, asking if i need anything, asking if i’m ok… there were so. many. people. checking on me, probably honestly making sure i wasn’t going to blow it. making sure my nerves weren’t getting the best of me. maybe thinking to themselves, “man, i don’t know if i could do this, so is she going to be able to?” with the occasional outward warning, “don’t forget the words!”

who was checking on her? who was asking her if she was ok? if she really wasn’t ok and it was that noticeably poor of a performance, i would think that someone would have been able to notice that she wasn’t acting like herself — there were likely signs that this wasn’t going to be the best idea.

i also grew up with an alcoholic. this is the part of my story that really lends a hand to my thoughts on the situation. i could always tell my mom was drinking within seconds. i could call it out plain as day. it took me zero effort to see that she wasn’t herself. and if someone’s issue with alcohol is so serious that they need to call themselves out the next day on social media about their immediate check-in to rehab… i would venture to say it was serious enough to be able to notice.

there’s a lot of hate on the internet these days. far too much. unfortunately, she’s being made to look pretty bad in some corners of this wild wild web. but this is not on her. none of this is on her. her team failed her. and from personal experience, getting upset with someone who struggles with addiction does nothing — you don’t realize the amount of shame they already feel. they certainly don’t need your help.

i hate that this happened. i hate that it keeps happening. i hate that it seems so hard to find a team of people that you can actually trust, that actually have your best interest at heart. the fact of the matter is she hired these people… when a musician or artist hires a team, they’re doing so because they can’t manage their career alone. the scope of responsibilities and tasks that go into a music career are far too heavy for one person to carry. so they hire help. trusted help in a sea full of “helpers” that oftentimes don’t care about anyone but themselves. but i’m sure she thought she had made the right choices. and then this happened.

i’ve let my assessment of the situation reset mostly in the possibility of an addict performing with high stakes that wasn’t protected by her team. then there’s the possibility that her technology failed her.

but my opinion remains the same.

if the technology fails, you don’t go burn your house down by telling people that you’re going to rehab. if the technology fails, no one lets you die on that hill. there’s no reason for someone of high profile to admit they’re going to rehab unless they’re actually going to rehab.

either way, whether a team isn’t paying enough attention to an intoxicated artist about to take the stage or is allowing her to throw herself under the bus to cover for someone’s terrible technological failure, that’s a team that’s not really looking out for the best interest of the artist… and that’s unfortunately the way of the world it seems.

we don’t care enough about each other. we don’t even check in. we’re more concerned with power, ego, self, me, gain, money, and fame to even consider love, kindness, selflessness, or peace. no one is looking at someone about to burn part of her career down and thinking maybe it’s better that we consider a Plan B. or maybe no one truly knew her well enough to be able to decipher the signs? i’m not sure about that… i just find it negligent.

and what about the kids? what about all of our kids watching us adults completely screw this up? they soak up everything like a sponge. they watch every move we make. they imitate, they regurgitate… and they deserve better. they’re watching adults on TV show up this way, and we keep allowing it to happen. it makes me so sad, because i just can’t see the train slowing down or turning around. it’s a complete self-destructive forest fire and we keep pouring more gasoline.

if we want better, we have to be better. think better. act better. speak up better. say something. love better. care better. quit being the center of our own universes. humble up. be willing to look stupid, but not in the humiliating way. be willing to say the hard thing to avoid the bigger tragedy. quit going with the flow when you see the waterfall clearly approaching. the only way the cycle stops is with love.

one of my very favorite quotes of all time is from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

anger, hatred, or judgment will never be able to stop things like this from happening. and being a keyboard warrior solves nothing. we’re only going to see benefit or improvement from caring more about each other, putting someone else before ourself, and being walking, talking examples of love.

peace + fire

June 12, 2024 by Sarah Faith

blog posts.

christian, christian blog, christian life, confidence, confidence building, how to live a peaceful life, mental peace strategies, Mindful self-acceptance, mindfulness practices, mindset, mindset work

i had a friend ask me this week, “can we talk more about how to keep your peace intact when people in your circle insist on throwing fire?”

Say. Less.

YES. we can. matter of fact, let’s talk about that time a few years back when three of my family members died within 18 months, i was the executor of all of their estates by THEIR choice, NOT mine, and my entire family hated me for it. that was a good time.

there is NOT ONE THING on this Earth you can call me or say about me that i haven’t been called. by my own “family.” the people that are “supposed” to have our backs no matter what…. that’s just not how it works sometimes unfortunately. i definitely know that feeling.

that experience taught me exACTly how to deal with peace in the fire. and it had nothing to do with throwing more fire in their direction. that does not even the scale. that does not level the field. for every comeback i wanted to say, i’m sure they had another insult waiting. that’s how evil works. that’s the plan – destroy, destruct, at all costs, nothing held back.

you cannot tip the scale back in balance by meeting darkness with more darkness. you have to put your own desires aside, die to your pride, and meet it with light. you cannot grow, prosper, or thrive if you’re convinced it’s your job to make it right. you are never going to make it right – they’re hellbent on seeing you in a certain light, their words are drenched in lies, and there’s no amount of proving yourself that’s ever going to really change their mind. it’s sad, but it’s true.

light cancels out dark. love cancels out hate. when their actions don’t get a reaction, eventually, they have nothing left to say. they have no actions to spin off of if you give them nothing. and that’s been one of the hardest lessons i’ve ever had to learn. but it has paid MASSIVE dividends. so i challenge you – blow their minds!! meet their evil with love. meet their insults with kindness. be slow to react and let your heart know that whatever they’re saying is meant to get under your skin. it’s not truth. it’s provoking and intended to get a rise out of you.

you will never know what’s going on inside of someone else when they choose hate, but i can almost guarantee it’s not your fault. it’s much deeper than that. those tendencies have nothing to do with you – that’s just how they show up in the world. and it’s sad, because they have access to the same light, love, and joy that you and i have, but they’re just stuck in a vicious cycle of self-righteousness and hatred.

the only thing to do is give it up. release it. don’t hold on to it – again, it’s not the truth. it’s a bunch of lies, so free yourself from them. look up and know that God knows the truth and has the final say. no perfectly curated response you create will trump that, ever. it’s not our job. it’s not your assignment to deliver the justice. you’ll drive yourself crazy trying.

where in your life can you create more peace for yourself by giving up the need to balance the scale? what have you been holding on to that’s not your job to fix?

love y’all. i hope this helped you today <3

humility

what is it? how do we do it? can there be too much? yes.

what i’m guilty of thinking humility is – shrinking, taking up less space, not being confident in who i am, saying less, being less present (so i don’t get in the way), being unable to take compliments. among other things. but this is not humility.

i parked at Proverbs this week – Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord is riches, honor, and life.

some people read something like this and think “all i have to do is shrink and the Lord will bless me with everything i ever wanted.” and to that i say…. good luck.

here’s what i learned + confirmed this week – humility is surrender. humility is wanting my own will less. humility is giving up thinking i had it all figured out. humility is giving without worrying what i’ll be getting because He’s got that part figured out. humility is saying Your ways are higher and better, and i’m going to humbly do whatever i need to in order to let You work through me to accomplish that. on Your time table, not mine. through Your path, not mine. humility is showing up with confidence in the path He has me on with authority, vigor, excitement, and joy. not with quietness, unenthusiastically, or meekness.

i’ve been acting a little too meek sometimes i think. i’ve been acting like i might offend someone if i say the wrong thing. and i probably will if it’s me and my flesh talking. but if i allow Him to work through me, where’s the offense in that? how can i possibly offend someone with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, or self control? what’s offensive about that?

do you find yourself taking humility too far? mine has been borderline deprecating at times, and i think i’ve about had it with that mental pattern. so here’s to showing up LOUD with love and joy and generosity. because those are the things that are going to make this world a better, more beautiful place.

you can start small by smiling at a stranger, or telling someone you love them <3 you may never know how much they needed it.

the horse just loves to run

i listened to Cody Asbury’s new album in the car this morning and i found myself getting really down with so many of the lyrics but one of them stuck out to me more than others:

“the jockey lives for racing, the horse just loves to run”

you could probably take these words a number of ways, but here’s my interpretation – i get excited about racing just like any human, but what i really wanna be like is the horse. win or lose, i just want to love to run. i want to have my blinders on and be so excited about where i’m going that i don’t have to care about the interpretation of the result. i don’t even have to worry about winning or not because to enjoy the journey is to win. the win or loss is subjective. how can you lose when you’re enjoying where you’re at, blooming where you’re planted? where’s the loss in that?

i don’t even want to worry about the finish line. i just want to be in the moment. running, doing, being, breathing, loving, enjoying, serving, giving – whatever it is that i need to do to run the race right now, that’s what i want to focus on. i’m not worried about the next lap. i’m not even worried about the next turn. i want “step by step” and “little by little” to be my largest concerns.

i think it’s when we are faithful with little that we are trusted with more. i think that we have to do the “little by little” first because running the entire race at once would be entirely overwhelming, not to mention the lack of sense it makes. people, we have to live one moment, one minute at a time, because we literally cannot live in two minutes at once. that’s as “nuts and bolts” as we can get… it can’t be about the next moment until we finish this one. and we also don’t get to be mad at time for passing so quickly if all we’re going to do is wish for the next chapter.

have you ever tried to read the instructions on how to build something or the entire recipe on how to cook something and realize that trying to memorize all the steps 1-10 at once is pretty impossible…? sometimes i get ahead of myself and think that i’m going to be able to follow like… four steps at once. and i’m always wrong. that never works. and the same is true for whatever path we’re on. there’s directions, but sometimes it’s as simple as, “run.” are you looking for something more complicated than that? do you think you need more information than that? sometimes we don’t get more information than that. no further instructions, no reasons why, and it doesn’t make any sense to us.

for example. i fired this blog back up about 12 weeks ago or so… i still don’t know why. you reading this right now is definitely part of the reason, but beyond that, i’m not really sure. maybe it’s not deeper than that. but i keep feeling compelled to write it. so here i am writing. and dang it, i am loving it. if there’s no further purpose, then ok, because the horse just loves to run.

i hope i allow that sentiment to bleed over into whatever i’m doing. and i hope you do to. i hope not everything you do today or this week “needs” a purpose, so to speak. i hope you can find a way to do something just because you love it. just because you’re a human who gets to breathe air into your lungs and do things for the enjoyment of being alive. not because it gains you anything, not because it “moves the needle” or whatever. just because you can. these are little moments in life that i believe we could use a lot more of.

in what ways can you just “love to run” in your life today?

//anxiety//

it’s been a heavy week for me mentally, and if i’m alone in that, that’s a good thing – i don’t wish weeks like this on anyone. i’m not tired necessarily from the week. i’m tired because i’ve been constantly battling with my mind trying to keep it as positive as possible. unfortunately, i’ve been falling short majority of the days…

what on Earth do i possibly have to worry about?! you may ask… and i’ll give you my whole whimpy list right here – maybe you can see yourself in some of this: am i doing enough?, am i good enough?, am i enough, period?, is this working?, fear and worry about success or failure, anxiety over what people think, worried i missed the boat on something, am i parenting well enough?, am i “relationship”ing well enough?, i didn’t work out today, what a failure, why am i eating so terribly?, why isn’t this happening faster?, mad that my efforts aren’t turning to fruit, worried that they won’t… should i continue? i won’t… you get the picture.

i took it to the Word, though. and without getting too preachy on you, i’ll give you some of my practical takeaways.

did you know that sometimes people obtain their success in not-so-innocent ways? have you ever stopped to consider that when you’re scrolling around in comparison mode in the black hole of the internet? people will go out of their way, oftentimes against their own inner dialogue, morals, or values to obtain success. and they’ll go brag about it like it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to them. no one is telling you exactly how they got to where they are. they are simply showing off that they got there.

when i stop to think about that, it kicks me in the face and brings me right back down to Earth. or whatever planet i’m from.

did you also know that fast success isn’t sustainable? it’s not lasting success. fast relationships, fast money, fast anything – not the same as steady and sustainable. it’s just not the thing that’s built on a firm foundation and gonna stand the test of time. fast success is just that – fast. success. not lasting success. not fulfilling success. not better, not more, not happier…. fast. and sometimes the bigger they are, the harder they fall. that’s my first takeaway.

my second takeaway – it’s not the prudent person that’s got something to prove. it’s not the grounded, sound, confident person that’s out here trying to show off or show out. that’s the insecure, not confident person. and you can be whoever you wanna be in this life, but if i’ve got my choice, i want to be grounded. i want to be well-founded. i want to build my house on rock, not sand. it’s not usually the modest person that gets noticed first, but i’ll be danged if they’re not well-respected in their own time.

i’m gonna go ahead and print these words for myself and make wallpaper out of them… i know i’m going to forget tomorrow and need a front and center reminder… feel free to do the same.

♥, SF

when you don’t feel like it

story tiiimmmeeee!!!

i woke up this morning at 6:45am with no alarm. that may not sound that early for some, but that is NOT normal for me. i am not a morning person – i don’t care what you heard. they lied.

honestly, my first thought? go back to bed. but then… i thought to myself… “i think you’re supposed to get up…” so i did.

it was a weird, inconvenient morning… i had a bible study group i had been invited to attend, but the night previous i did that thing where i “loosely commit” (“i’m gonna try and make it in the morning…” so non-committal…) so that i could have an easy out in the morning if i didn’t feel like going… we’ve all done it. c’mon, tell me i’m not the only one.

well. against my better judgment… i decided to just cut the crap, commit, and get my butt in the car. but i wanted to read more. but i wanted to journal more. i wanted to sit around more. i wanted to eat more. but. but. but. and then i got in the car…

as i was driving, i noticed there was an absurd number of cars that were on the shoulder with flat tires… and then immediately realized that was because there was an absolutely absurd number of Car-Sized Potholes waiting to do the same thing to me… i thought to myself, “maybe i should turn around. maybe this isn’t safe. i should just go home… where i can get back in my PJs and scroll the day away…. i mean WORK…. WORK the day away…” (we all know how this trap works…)

but i pressed on. despite my mind’s many attempts to get me to turn around, throw in the towel, and pack it in.

when i got there… i was met with an overwhelming sense of peace that i’m not really sure i can accurately explain. i’m usually not all that comfortable in the middle of a room of people i don’t know, but i sat down and struck up a conversation with a stranger instead. surprised the pants off of myself…

the dialogue that was in this room was nothing short of amazing. within 10 minutes of starting, i felt like i finally understood why pushing through all of my futile excuses and feeble attempts to stay home were worth trampling. THIS. this is what life has for us when we decide to push our boundaries and lean into our discomfort. it’s the goodness. the zest. the juice that is so worth the squeeze. these little nuggets and tidbits that we so easily miss because we “don’t feel like it.”

not only would i have missed some really good biblical inspiration, i would’ve missed the conversations with two of my friends that i don’t see often enough, which were absolutely lined with gold. humans were created for connection. and social media does. not. count, people. so stop it. it’s a cheap alternative. it’s like… the fool’s gold of human connection.

don’t get me wrong. i’m well away that i would’ve gone about my day just fine with or without this women’s group, that’s a definite. but i proved to myself that my own internal resistance was worth pressing into this morning. i showed myself there’s more to life than what i do or don’t feel like doing. there are great things in this life to enjoy if we’ll just lean in a little and take the leap, as mini or mighty as it might feel.

i’d encourage you to take note of your “i don’t feel like it” moments, too. are there things or situations worth pressing into? i truly believe that you may never know why you’re put in certain places – queue all the internal questioning i’ve done lately in my current self-care journey of selling shampoo while clinging to the original “plan” of being a musician – but you guarantee that you’ll never find out if you can’t even push through and show up. the people you could meet, the lessons you could learn, the beautiful accidents you leave space for… the list goes on – and it’s all hinging on whether or not you can get over yourself and lean in.

♥,
SF