Writing has always been within me. I remember in third grade, we had a class project to write and design our very own book. Of course, there was no publishing deal, but I was ecstatic about the book project. As a third grader, I loved to draw, and writing brought me great joy, too, so third grade became my favorite.

My teacher had just opened the door for me to run carefree with creativity. I wrote about a flea who lived in the forest. A flea? I’m unsure what inspired the flea since I didn’t have a dog, but I’m glad the flea lived in the forest. All I knew was I was writing my “first book” and doing what I loved.

Are you running carefree with what you love? While life comes with responsibilities we can’t ignore, we can always make room for what our hearts enjoy.

My third grade writing adventures continued into middle school. A couple of years ago, a high school friend who suddenly lost her mother sent me a message that took me back to middle school. When I thought nothing good could come out of middle school, her message said otherwise.

As my friend looked through her mother’s keepsakes, she found a copy of our middle school newsletter. She sent me a photo of the article I had written for our school. After reading my article, I thought about how I would have edited it if I had a chance. But then I realized my middle school self wrote it just perfectly. My article about ice skating and its catchy title included artwork to accompany my writing—art and writing – two things that always allowed me to run carefree.

What in your life allows you to run carefree?

I treasure these simple childhood memories, reminding me I can run with my desires. Reflecting and looking back, I see how our marvelous Creator weaves the good together and writes a story just for us. Our stories come full circle as we lean into what we love.

I love when our desires come full circle with God’s creative design. I always thought I had to have a big gift, like being able to sing or lead groups of people, but I know now that whatever brings my heart joy is a gift. And for me, writing is that gift. Sharing my heart with you here on this blog, hoping you’re inspired and encouraged, is a treasure to me. Even if it is just for one, I’ll be here, writing from within my heart, because that opens the way for me to run carefree.

I share my heart for writing and want to share with you exciting news! While my writing is always here on my blog, I have the opportunity to share my writing with Proverbs 31 Ministries readers. I will share the blog post later this week and let you know once it’s there!

Thanks for being here, and may you always find this a place to find rest and inspiration.