Sacred spaces, life lessons and an invitation!

Hello friends!!

The new year is just around the corner, so I thought it might be fun to give you an update (with some freshly acquired life lessons),  as well as let you in on what’s ahead as we head into the last month of 2022!

Some personal updates…

As you know, Mike retired in July and we spent most of the summer enjoying the sunshine, resting, playing and journeying back and forth to Washington to see each of our brand new grand babes, as well as our amazing fam. Once fall hit, he knew it was time to get cracking on studying for his final test for the Home Inspection business he’ll be launching soon. I’m happy to tell you that just before we took off for vacation he took the test and PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS!

***Life lesson #1: It’s never too late to try something new.

Shortly after he finished that,  the snow began to fall in Central Oregon and we took off for Florida in hopes of catching a little more sun. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale the evening before a hurricane was set to fall there. (the first in 40 years—great timing, right?!).  After hunkering down for the storm to hit, we had a few days of intermittent sunshine before we headed to the port to get on a ship headed for the Caribbean’s crystal blue waters.

You guys, this ship was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it…(if you wanna check it out and do a visual tour you can go to Royal Caribbean’s website and click on the Harmony of the Seas boat).

Harmony of the Seas in Haiti

It was literally a floating city and even had it’s own Starbucks on board!

Unbelievable.

Also, how cool are these swings, in the beautiful water?! So so fun!!!

But honestly what may have been my favorite spot on the ship was our own balcony. To be able to sit and read and look out at the vast expanse of ocean before me was incredible. A simple reminder of the hugeness of God and his power, overwhelmed me as I looked out at the ocean and knew the depth of the water we were gliding upon.

And you know what?——I needed it. I needed the reminder that my God is not small. That He’s big enough to hold all the things that feel like might crush me. All the pieces of my life that feel overwhelming, sad, and disorienting. My time on this balcony was a tiny little holy space. A place to meet with my giant God, and hand over the things that are concerning to me, each morning.

Life lesson #2 any space can be converted to holy ground when you pause and recognize Jesus is right there with you.

You may be wondering how in the world could I have things that feel that heavy while on an amazing vacation? Those of you who have been following along as I’ve shared my journey, know that we have retired and moved to one of our favorite places.

That’s all good, right?

We are embarking on a new adventure together, starting a new business, in a climate we love, enjoying the benefits of four distinct seasons (with lots of sunshine, I might add:), and experiencing a slower pace.

Sounds great, right?

Well, as great as it sounds, there’s still real life. We’re real people who have all manner of real issues in our lives, just like every other person on the planet. Living with disappointments, unmet expectations, all manner of fears and sometimes loneliness that feels crippling.

You see, I had a fairly large community of people in Seattle that I had done life with for a very long time. People that KNOW me. People that I did all of life with— not just surface things, but the real thing, not to mention all of my kids and grand kiddos. And even though we chose to move, and have lots of excitement for what God has for us here (some of which we’ve already experienced and love), there is also deep heartache and sometimes overwhelming fears. And honestly, some days I just simply feel sad.

I will say it again, there is ALWAYS BOTH!!

And I am still learning how to hold both. How do you hold loss and excitement at the same time? Unmet expectations and good gifts? Joy and fear?  Sadness and gratitude?

Well……you keep practicing.

You keep showing up authentically and dragging the things that are hard to the foot of the cross. And you invite others in it with you to help shoulder the load, even when it feels embarrassing or you think you are overreacting. You keep pressing into being honest with yourself and others, rather than simply putting on a happy face and pretending all is well.

But it is hard and it feels vulnerable. And vulnerability, I’ve found, only feels good after you’ve done it…and sometimes it doesn’t. In the middle of doing it, I often feel like I might die, and, sometimes, or maybe I should even say often, after being vulnerable we have a vulnerability hangover, if you will. And we have to guard ourselves from the shame that often accompanies that.

Can you relate at all?

Have you ever been painfully honest with someone and went away and wondered if they think you’re crazy or if they will ever want to speak to you again.

I sure have.

Even with the people that are closest to me. Those who have proven themselves to be my people. But I’ve also found that the more I practice it, the less I feel the aftermath that came when I first began this practice. I’m finding that the more I’m willing to risk and let others in on the spaces in my head that feel dark and lonely, the more I get to experience genuine connection and God’s amazing grace.

*Life lesson #3 vulnerability is hard, but worth it when done with safe people.

Hard looks different for everyone, but here’s the simple truth, no matter what the hard is, it’s a little easier when we’re not carrying it alone. I don’t know what life is like for you, but I hope that my journey gives you courage to share yours with someone close to you.

Now, on to what’s next!…

This year we are going to do something a little different with the monthly write through plans and I’m super excited!!!!

For those of you who are like, “what is she talking about?”, every month I provide a format for you to go through some portion of Scripture with me. It’s been different every month and I usually post the new one at the beginning of each month.

(Well, I don’t post it, my sweet daughter Paige does that for me!:) Anyway, as we move into 2023, more than ever, I feel like it’s vital that we stay close to Jesus and look at the way He lived his life here on planet earth, in relationship with those He loves.

So, we’re gonna take the whole year and walk through all four gospel accounts.

For those of you who are new to the Bible, the gospels are simply the first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and they tell the same story, through the lense of 4 different authors. You might be thinking, why would we need to read through all of them all if they are the same story? That’s a great question! And I would say, it’s because they all have something different to offer.

Think of it like this….if you were to ask each one of my 4 kids to tell the story of growing up in the Levang home, they would each tell it a little differently. They’d have different things that stood out to them, through their own God given temperaments. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each experienced life with Jesus in unique ways and we get to get in on each of their particular accounts.

If you haven’t spent time in the gospels before, I would totally encourage you to come on this journey with me! And if you have…..well, I would still totally encourage you to come with me because honestly life is just so much better when we do it together:). For me it feels like coming home. Especially after we will have just celebrated Christmas, it seems fitting to spend intentional time around who this baby Jesus came to be and why it matters to us.

So, here’s how it will work.  Each plan will be posted (@karilevang.com) at the beginning of each quarter, and along with the Scripture, there will be some simple questions to ponder as you engage with Jesus through the Scriptures.

I have also been trying to think of ways for us to interact around what we’re experiencing, so I decided that I will post on Instagram and Facebook at the beginning of each month, with a couple of questions that will hopefully provide space for us to share our experiences and begin to pray for each other as we adventure together through all four gospel accounts!

So, that’s what’s new with me!

I hope you’ll consider joining me, not only on our journey through the Gospels, but each month as we talk through what stood out most to us and what God’s doing in our very own hearts. But more than that, I hope you’ll keep practicing in your faith journey. Keep showing up with Jesus and others! Keep asking questions. And stay curious, stay watchful and take big deep breaths.

Merry Christmas and Peace!

xo