The Life I Want is the Life I Already Have
speaking, hidden work, journaling, and finding God in the details of everyday life
It has been a whirlwind week for me. Last Thursday morning, Rosie, Paloma, and I packed up the van and headed to Atlanta on backroads. (I drive a 15-passenger van, and really hate being squeezed in by semi-trucks on both sides, especially when I’m trying to make those split-second turns off of Exit Whatever Number, Lane A or B, turn left or right…) I literally had no idea that you could click the “avoid highways” tab on Google Maps and get to Atlanta calmly and peacefully through sweet little scenic towns at the cost of 30 extra minutes. It was a beautiful drive. The colors of the leaves were spectacular. On the way, we listened to the girls’ book club book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie. My first of her novels, and I am really enjoying it. The girls finished yesterday, but I still have a couple of hours left on the audiobook, so don’t tell me what happens!
I was invited to speak at a beautiful, interactive journaling event at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church Thursday evening. (Hello to those of you who were there! It was so nice to meet you. Thank you for the warm welcome and the wonderful evening.) This was the first real speaking engagement of my life. Yes, I write weekly and share my words. Yes, I talk into a microphone in my office and record and share podcasts. Yes, I have been standing on stages for 25 years with my husband, playing music. But this was really, really different. I absolutely loved it.
I spoke about The Sacred Everyday, which is the message of my whole life. That life is this moment, not what has already happened to us, not what may happen in the future. But this moment, where God can redeem our pasts and give us hope for our futures. Life is not the next big thing that happens to us, but it is all the millions of little details that make up this day. Life is now.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed by life. To see it as a series of tasks that will never ever get done. I think about this especially as a mother of young children who need me for everything. The work is never done. So many times it feels like I am accomplishing nothing. Sometimes, I want to run and hide and hand my life over to someone more qualified to live it out than I am.
But the truth is this: every little detail of this life is part of the story of God’s goodness and faithfulness. The story of my life is not even really about me. It is about the work that God is doing. I want him to move through me. I want to be like clean, transparent glass, that when people look at me, they are seeing Him more clearly.
I have found that journaling brings me back to the sacred beauty of my everyday life. It reminds me that I am part of the kingdom of God, that He is always at work, that my life is part of a good story. It helps me to turn away from discontentment and see that the life I want is the life that I already have. It reminds me that the story is bigger than me.
When we arrived at the church, we were ushered into a hallway decorated like a wedding, with beautiful fabric all along the ceiling. In the foyer, there were huge prints of my artwork and handwriting from journals that had been enlarged and hung all around the room. When I opened the doors to the main event, my eyes filled with tears. The worship band was practicing, singing a tender song about God’s goodness, the room was decorated with pages that had been torn out of old books, artfully scattered around the framework of the stage. There were candles on the table and little twinkling lights hanging everywhere. Dozens of people were moving around, bringing in food, putting the finishing touches on the tables. At every seat, there was a new journal. The whole first impression of all the love that went into the planning and executing of the event took my breath away.
There are moments in my life when I see clearly the hand of God at work. This trip was one of those moments. I didn’t know how much I would love speaking to a group of women like this. The event brought so many of my passions together—ministry to women, sharing words of hope and encouragement, journaling, and teaching others about the profound role of journaling in finding God in the everyday details of life. I felt that a decade of writing and scribbling away in closets in the early morning hours, a lifetime of journaling, years of talking into microphones to an audience that I couldn’t see through podcasts—so much of the hidden work of my life was leading up to this experience—speaking, in real life, to a group of women. It feels like something I was made to do. I didn’t know I would love it so much. Once again, the message hits home to me—God is always working. He is always moving us in the direction of his will and purposes. Even when we don’t see where the path is leading. I’m surprised and delighted at his grace and goodness in bringing me here.
I would love to book two or three more speaking engagements before the baby is due in March. If you are interested in hosting a women’s event at your church and would like to have me speak, email me at admin@mackenziechester.com (or reply to this newsletter if it arrived in your inbox.) I would love to discuss details with you!
Thank you so much for being here, for bearing witness to my life, for your encouragement and support. For those who have recently joined (or continue on) as paid subscribers here or on Patreon, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how God has used you to provide, just in time, for the needs of my family.
Sending love and gratitude,
Mackenzie
Journal With Me!
My 6-week video journaling course, Innermost Journaling: Mining the Depths of Your Sacred Everyday Life, is now available as a thank-you gift to all of my paid subscribers. Join Patreon at any level (or become a paid subscriber here on Substack), and get instant access to my full video course, with 6 instructional videos and 36 journal prompts.
From the Family Archives:
This is a song about finding peace in a broken world. I started it when I had just had my first baby (15 years ago). Here she is, playing along on violin with me at age 12. My husband, Randy, is on the upright bass.
Dear little one, while you are young
I have to tell you
Life is unkind, one day you’ll find
This world will fail you
It breaks my heart
To tell you that life can be so hard
Remember one thing that I say…
It’s going to be okay.
One day this world will pass away
The soul and spirit fly away
From the Podcast:
Posted on Jan. 5, 2023
“How do you do it?”
I have been asked this question so. many. times. When people learn that we have eight children ages 1-15, I think they are genuinely curious what our life looks like. Today I am sharing a bit about life as a mother of a large family, as well as some thoughts about growing up as the youngest of nine children. This is not a how-to episode. It’s just a story of what life in a big family is and has been for me, how it has shaped me and made me the person that I am. I will sum it up by saying I wouldn’t trade either of my large family experiences for any other version of family I could imagine, and I am very grateful to have had my place as one of many in both.
Now availalbe on amazon, bookshop, or wherever you buy books online. If you’d like a signed copy shipped directly from me, you can purchase it on my shop page.