Dreamer Contact — Liv Photography

HOPE OVER HYPE
Hope isn’t a ploy, it‘s a promise.

This summer and fall, I fell into some soul crippling disappointment. I felt so exhausted. So angry. So hurt. So sad. So DONE.

Slowly + gently, the Lord started to restore hope to my heart this fall. He carried my disappointment. He reminded me that hope isn’t some fake fluffy thing - it’s a fight.

When I say that GOD IS GOOD and WILL work out all things for good, I’m not over-stretching his promise. I’m not exaggerating. I’m not denying the problem.

God is just so good, so big, so kind, so trustworthy, and so honest that it blows my mind. Yet that isn’t hype. It’s not smoke and mirrors. It’s not marketing.
It’s truth.

Clinging to hope isn’t naive -it’s fierce, it’s audacious, it’s brave.🔥
//
“Oh! May the God of hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭MSG‬‬
#allgoodthingscollective #hopeoverhype #goandtellgals

Divorce has stolen so many things from me - but happy memories & a sense of home have been the hardest to lose.

Yet still, there is hope.

This weekend we went to the Iron Range for a wedding and I got to show Caleb the land that held almost a decade of my growing up memories. He also met some of the people who loved me & shaped my life in high school.

In Joel 2:25 God gives a promise to the people of Israel that I’ve taken for myself: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.” This weekend felt like a restoration of happy memories that the locust have eaten away. It was a sweet holy moment where I remembered the goodness of God coexisting among the heartbreak. I remembered the safe people + places that shaped me just as much as the tragedies. I remembered the wonder of frost tipped trees and views of mountain-looking mines.

Let’s press on as we watch God restore all those stolen years. He won’t just do it for me, but it’s for you too.✨

Confession: I’m trying to find a picture for our Christmas card and really wish I could just use one from 2017.
I mean, we had tons of cute pictures (like this one) from engagement/wedding AND I was 40 pounds lighter.
Yeah...
That’s the real reason.😬🙈
Because setting a timer and putting together a quick photo isn’t that hard. But dealing with a bigger body? That takes some more heart work.
Not only do the holidays bring TONS of food to the table, sometimes they bring up feelings of shame or comparison or fear. I doubt that I’m alone in navigating the emotions connected to food + body image this time of year.

Here’s what I’m preaching to myself today:
You are not less because you are more. Smaller does not equal happier. You are wildly loved, in the present moment without changing a thing.
Your body carries a story of fighting, trying her best, and finding her way home. Listen. Care. Be gentle. Give yourself credit for all that you’ve held. Let go of the shame that never belonged to you. Let go of any junk holding you back.
Don’t go looking for food to fill your soul, but don’t go chasing a number for that either. Jesus has always been + always will be the only thing that will satisfy.
Embrace the healing. Embrace God with us. Embrace the messy journey of learning to tend to the temple of God.
And again remember that you are loved. Size has nothing to do with your value. No number can capture your worth.✨

The weekend good list //
• young women gathered around my living room talking about the hard stuff & experiencing a good God.
• morning talks with a kindred spirit who drove up & spent the night.
• planning + dreaming for @wellwaterfargo. Also: co-leading a nonprofit with a dear friend is highly recommended.
• making these shirts - complete with munchkin wrestles & knoephla soup.
• slow morning to recoup + prepare my body to serve others this afternoon & week ahead.
• cinnamon rolls + coffee. Forever & ever amen.

Hey party people! It’s Friday and that makes it the perfect day for friendship + fun!
🎉👯‍♀️
Since we’re getting towards the end of 2018, I want to ask you this: what did you do this year that changed your life for the better?
It can be big or small!
One simple thing for me was that I fell back in love with reading & devoured more books this year than the last 5 combined.
📚🤓
Now it’s your turn!

For the Fight // FREE simple tools to fight anxiety + depression!
💥👊💥
I’ve walked a journey with mental health for years. When I was 15, I struggled with depression, self harm, and suicidal thoughts. As I got better with the help of medication & family support, I knew that keeping an eye on my mental health would be an important part of my life.
Yet somehow I felt taken off guard last year when grief caught up to me in the form of anxiety and depression. Pent up pain, unforgiveness, perfectionism, and chronic stress decided to gang up with brain chemistry to make life extra hard.
The last year I’ve been in a healing process to dig deep and figure out what I need to thrive - physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.
As I’ve been reflecting on recent breakthrough, I wanted to share a few things with you! That’s where this guide comes in.
In For the Fight, I give you a few tools that helped me: declarations, gratitude, and good words.
It’s not a magic quick fix. Friend, I WISH I had that for you. The reality is that even when there is miraculous healing & breakthrough, there are still areas you need to fight for with God on the daily. There is beauty and closeness to be found in the process. You get to build history with God.
My hope is that you go right now to download + print this guide (link in bio). My prayer is that it gives you encouragement & strength as you create history with God in the fight.💪🏻

Fargo, ND based wedding and senior photographer. Roaming the world and telling the stories of your adventures.

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