God — Blog — Kristen Alexis Cave

To The Girl Whose Plans Are Different Than God's Plans

I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was my first “big-girl job” — I wasn’t working at an ice cream shop anymore. I was the marketing assistant for a small business located down the road from where I was going to college. But I wasn’t just the marketing assistant. I was also the office custodian, which is absolutely hilarious if you know me personally. I hate cleaning. I hate it with a passion, and yet it had somehow become part of my job description. I was suddenly starting to miss the ice cream shop.

Looking Back On 2018: Seeing The Purpose In Your Pain

As the end of the year approaches, many of us are starting to map out our goals, dreams, and expectations for 2019. Knowing January is just around the corner instills so much hope and excitement for what’s to come. But before all of the planning and prepping begins, I like to take some time and meditate on everything that’s happened over the past 12 months. December has become a month of reflection for me. And this year, more so than years past, there’s a lot to think about.

I started this year by hearing “no” about a job I had interviewed for as I attempted to pursue a career change. Another “no” came in March, and then another in April, and another in June. In February, my little sister experienced a ruptured brain aneurysm, leaving us all wondering if she was going to make it. Then a few weeks later, I was the maid of honor in a friend’s wedding, and while that was so fun, I once again wrestled with the doubting voice in my head that kept saying, “Is it ever going to be my turn?”

What Kind Of Legacy Do You Want To Leave?

I refuse to believe that I was put on this earth to just focus on myself and what I want to do and where I want to go and what I want to obtain. Jesus didn’t live that way. Mrs. Layne didn’t live that way. And I don’t want to live that way either.

Jesus’ entire life on earth was dedicated to ministering to other people and preparing the way for them to have a relationship with their Heavenly Father. He didn’t spend His time being selfish or self-focused, but rather He spent his days looking for ways to care for the people around Him. And if we are going to call ourselves followers of Christ, shouldn’t we have the same mentality about our own lives?

What I Learned In The Holy Land

The reason why I was wearing modern day Jesus sandals in the middle of the New York airport wasn’t because I was experimenting with my fashion sense. It was because where I was headed, the walks would be long, the weather would be hot, and the terrain would be dusty. And in true Kristen fashion, I wanted to be prepared. But what I didn’t know is that I never could have prepared myself enough to see and experience the places where those shoes would accompany me to.

For ten days, I had the opportunity to tour all throughout The Holy Land. I went to Jericho and Bethany and Capernaum and Galilee and Bethlehem and Jerusalem. I traveled all over the area, seeing with my own eyes places I’d been reading about and hearing about since I was a little girl. I got to see where Jesus lived and slept and walked and healed and preached and died. My faith came alive more in those ten days than it ever had, because these places weren’t just settings of stories to me anymore. They were real.

Character Lasts, Good Looks Don't

Have you ever been sitting in a Starbucks when a guy walks in and you think, “Dang I want my husband to look like that”? Or maybe you were scrolling through Instagram and saw a guy who was your type down to the green specks in his eyes and the type of shoes he was wearing. You start making mental notes or you add to your “list” more and more physical attributes you’d like for your husband to have. Brown/blonde hair, blue eyes, a pretty smile, at least 6’2, and an athletic build were just a few that showed up on my list the first time I wrote it out. (Don’t judge me.)

It’s funny for me to look back on that version of my list now and see how detailed I was about what I wanted my husband to look like. I wrote down things about his height, his hair color, whether or not he had tattoos, even the way he dressed. But over the past few years, my list has had several updated drafts. And in all the ways my list has changed, it’s shifted the most in regards to my standards on appearance. Because if I’ve learned anything about dating and relationships, it’s that there’s more to a person than how they look.

Is Your Comfort Zone Really That Comfortable?

I feel like a lot of times, being comfortable goes hand-in-hand with being stagnant. We get settled into where we are, and we don’t want to move because we don’t like change. We get stuck in a rut, living day-to-day without a bigger picture in mind. We stop dreaming. We stop chasing the things we really want because we’re scared they will be difficult or frustrating or disappointing…or dare I say uncomfortable.

But let me ask you something. If God is calling you to do something big, would you say “no thanks” because you didn’t want to lose your comfort and stability? A lot of us would like to say we wouldn’t, but in reality, a lot of us have avoided (or are currently avoiding) God’s call on our lives for fear of the unknown.

In The Midst Of Your Waiting, He Is Working

January 2nd. It’s the day when your alarm clock rings a little louder and more obnoxiously than usual. The day when a single cup of coffee just won’t cut it. The day that makes you wish you were still in college and had another week to sleep in and eat an undisclosed number of calories.

Nevertheless, I woke up on that dreaded second day of the year and prepared to face the day. (Translated: By some miracle of God, I rolled out of bed and managed to pour myself enough coffee to shock me back to life.)

Even When Life Doesn't Make Sense, God Is Still Worth Trusting

It was about this time two years ago that I thought I had it made. I had been out of college for almost a year and was loving the post-grad life. I had an amazing group of friends that I got to hang out with all the time. The holidays were coming up, which is my favorite time of year. And on top of all of that, I had landed my dream job.

Kristen CaveFebruary 26, 2018faith, God, trust, trusting, confusion, waiting, patience, dream job, job, college, unemployed, lost job, plan, plans, planning, change of plans, kristen alexis campComment

Is Waiting Really Worth It?

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who enjoys waiting. In fact, if you’re reading this and you actually like to wait, please be my friend and teach me your ways.

I personally hate waiting. It’s uncomfortable. It’s confusing. It’s aggravating. And it often seems pointless at the time. It doesn’t matter if it’s something as simple as waiting for coffee in the Starbucks drive-thru or something as important as marriage, waiting sucks.

Kristen CaveFebruary 26, 2018faith, God, romans 8:28, ecclesiastes 3, friend, friends, friendship, wedding, speech, waiting, timing, patience, marriage, starbucks, wait, painting, paint, draw, drawing, art, kristen alexis campComment