I'm in this with you, girl

A couple of years ago, I read Looking for Lovely by Annie F. Downs. I loved it, like I love all of her books. She has a way of being vulnerable and so relatable, as well as encouraging. Recently, I read her new book, A Life of Lovely: A Young Woman’s Guide to Collecting the Moments that Matter. It is also so good! Today, I want to talk about the latter book and how to live a life of lovely even in the hardest seasons.

Before we get in further though, I just wanted to let you know that I did receive A Life of Lovely from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. As always, all opinions are my own!

Finding a Life of Lovely

Life can be hard, can’t it? I know that I have been through hard times in my life and I am sure that you have as well. We live in a fallen world and suffering is a part of that. And because we have Jesus, that’s honestly okay. I know for me, some of the sweetest times that I’ve had with Jesus have been during the hardest times of my life.

To me, that’s what a life of lovely looks like. Finding Jesus even in the most difficult seasons. Jesus is faithful and can turn the worst situations into the most beautiful.

I love these verses Annie referenced in the book:

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

So we know what a life of lovely is now, right? Finding Jesus in the middle of the hardest night. But how do we find Jesus? And what does Jesus even look like?

How do we live a life of lovely?

1. Look for beauty

I think beauty looks different for everyone. Kind of like “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” So what do you find beautiful? Look for it and hold onto it with all you’ve got.

Does waking up and watching the sunrise make you happy? I think you’ve found lovely.

Is the sound of children’s laughter beautiful to you? I think you’ve found lovely.

Is doing your makeup or creating a skincare routine therapeutic to you? I think you’ve found lovely.

Keep looking for beauty all around you. Make habits that sound beautiful to you. Slow down and take it all in.

When you do, you’ve found lovely.

2. Find your people

Annie Downs is a huge fan of finding your people and finding lovely in them. I totally agree with her. I know I definitely do not have as many friends as she does (introvert over here 😉 ), but I have no idea what I would have done without my friends and family in some of the hardest seasons.

Find your people. Tell them how grateful you are for them.

When you do, you’ve found lovely.

3. Learn to worship

Oh man, do I love this one. When I went through a tough time last semester, I truly learned how to worship. I created a Spotify playlist and would just worship on the way to and from school, work, and babysitting. It changed my life and my relationship with God.

So put together a Spotify playlist and worship Jesus. Worship isn’t just about singing, but it’s a great place to start.

When you do, you’ve found lovely. And you’ve found Jesus.

4. Spend quality time with Jesus

This one sounds so basic, but its the most important. A life of lovely is found at the feet of Jesus, learning more about Him and pouring out your heart to Him. How do you expect to grow in Him if you don’t spend time with Him?

So even during the hardest times, make time for Jesus.

When you do, you’ve found lovely. And you’ve found Jesus.

Read: How to Create the Perfect Quiet Time Routine for You and 6 Bible Study Tools for Every Christian Teen Girl

I feel like I just scratched the surface of living a life of lovely. Sometimes, it looks different for every person. What is lovely for me may not be lovely to you.

Just keep searching for lovely. Slow down. Allow Jesus to become your Best Friend. Journal when you need to. Do you see how to live a life of lovely now?

What does it mean to live of a life of lovely for you?

If you haven’t already guessed, I highly recommend this book! Honestly, I recommend all of Annie Down’s books. They each have encouraged me in big ways.

You can read my review of Remember God here: How to to Remember God in Waiting + A Book Review

Annie F. Downs

You can buy the book here if you are interested!

Blessings,

Tags : book review, books, devotion, encouragement, lifestyle, reading