From Sourdough to Surrender

I’m in the midst of a Tuesday… unpacking from a winter along the eastern coast of Florida and trying to settle into the routine I left behind months ago, all in a matter of days. 

Return to Iowa means return to my kitchen… specifically my oven. My sourdough needed fed when we arrived, so I might as well bake in between loads of laundry, right?

Baking leads to thinking, so here we go.

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I haven’t journaled for a few days because we were on the road. It’s hard for me to look down to the page when there is so much to see out the window. But, as I sat at my counter this morning, waiting for the timer to signal a move to the oven, I had time to reflect on a few things. 

I’ve been reading two books at the same time, one is yet to be released, Leading Spiritual Hoarders by Sara Dangerfield and the other is famously popular, Let Them by Mel Robbins. 

It feels curiously appropriate that I would be reading how to share my faith (make disciples) at the same time I’m learning to let people think, be, and do what they please (surrender control) because it’s something I’ve been struggling with. 

In my previous life as a restaurant owner and later as a gym owner, I didn’t discuss my faith or my political opinions because I didn’t want to risk alienating anyone or making them uncomfortable.

I wrote a weekly email to gym challengers and posted an occasional blog when I felt creative. I posted on socials when we were starting a new group and I had a fair number of followers but didn’t really worry as long as I reached the people I was currently working with.

It wasn’t until I started writing a book that I thought about my platform and how I wanted to appear to the world. I worried constantly about who I might leave out, or offend. I also wondered how I could ease into sharing about my faith without it feeling like I had suddenly popped out of a cake and yelled “Surprise!”

My faith has always been important to me but I’ve been publicly “quiet”. I’ve posted more frequently about my prayer life and if you’ve read my book, you know how I feel, how I practice and all the ways God reaches into this little life of mine and makes things good. 

Now, as I try to build Writer-2-Writer, I’ve started paying attention to follows and likes. We’re teaching people how to launch their books, so we should probably pay attention to our socials as well, don’t you think? I check the numbers once a month, personally and professionally, because I don’t want numbers to rule my life. Curiously for every three people I gain, I also lose one.

Three steps forward and one step back does two different things in my mind: First I think “Yeah! I reached someone new!” (Make disciples)

Next, I think “Oh no! Who did I offend?” Obviously, I’m still working on the Let Them thing, but I have come to realize that I’m too old to worry about fitting into someone else’s image of me.

I can think what I think and believe what I believe. If it’s different than what you think or believe, we can have great discussions, learn more about the world, and still be friends. Maybe I can share the joy I have received through my faith and you can find comfort. Maybe you can share something you’re passionate about and bring me to an enlightened way of thinking. 

In this world, full of unique blessings and experiences there will undoubtedly be a difference of opinion on most of the things we encounter. I’d encourage you to tell your story. Share your heart and let others decide how to move forward.

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So as I sit here, sourdough cooling on the counter and laundry still tumbling in the dryer, I’m reminded that growth doesn’t always look like a straight line—it often looks like three steps forward, one step back, with a whole lot of grace in between.

Whether you’re sharing sourdough, stories, or your soul, do it with sincerity. Not everyone will stay, but the right ones will lean in. And that, my friend, is more than enough.

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”—Galatians 1:10

Be happy. 🧡