Author: Taylor Arroyo - Live Original

Embracing a Life of Being Enough

by Taylor Arroyo | Oct 11, 2019 | Life Advice | 7 comments

There’s something interesting to be noted about the functionality of a gas tank. When we decide to fill up our gas tank (or let’s be honest: we are forced to speed to the pump because our light just went on) we’re bringing ourselves to a source of replenishment. Without the gas, we’re in big trouble. We can’t really move our cars any further along the road, and we’ll inevitably just be stuck right where we are.

While we roll up to the gas pump and sit there for a few minutes, we might have the idea to completely fill the tank instead of just throwing in a few bucks. Why not? We’re already here, we’re not sure where we’re headed or how much gas we might need to get there, so we decide it’s probably safer to just fill up right now.

Well, sometimes you probably wish you could just pump out a little extra, right? Heck, some of us might even try to click the handle just a little bit more than we’re supposed to, even though there are signs that tell us not to. Signs that warn us of the potential dangers of “topping it off”. Yet, we just want it. We want even more than we’re given, because we like to feel that extra security. We don’t know how long our drive ahead might be, so we’ll squeeze out every last drop – stocking up on every bit of safety. All the while, we know fully well that what we have in our tank is enough.

The car was designed for a full tank of gas to engage the engine and to run the car properly. So, why doubt it? Why push it? Why add the extra stress? There is enough within the car. You have enough to operate. You have enough to keep going.

Do you relate to the gas tank? There’s a heavy connection between how we interact at the gas station and how we interact with God. So many times, I just want a little bit more. I just doubt that everything within my inheritance in the Lord, my God-given gifts and talents, that all of it will be enough. Do I have enough? Am I enough?

If you’re like me, you might convince yourself that you need more. More than what we already have within us. We tell ourselves that we aren’t enough because we look to the culture that runs around us and we feel like there isn’t a space for us to just be enough. We stress out over pulling all-nighters so our grades are nothing less than perfect. We spend late nights at work because maybe our boss will notice a significance rooted in over-performing. We fervently scroll through social media and self-loathe for the clothes we don’t have, the trips we aren’t taking, and the experiences we aren’t involved in. We’re breaking a sweat just trying to keep up with it all and I’m afraid we’ve forgotten how much our identity in Jesus really is enough.

How is Jesus truly enough? How is He really all we need for a life propelled into greatness, but centered in the resting arms of God? We hear it so many times, but if our identity is tied to Christ, then why do we strive to live outside of that? Why do we introduce ourselves to each other with our job titles, rather than the love that lives within us? Why do we lead conversations with our accolades, but set aside our compassion and understanding toward others?

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 (ESV).

Friends, the world around us isn’t deeply rooted in the spirit of God like you and I are. There is a race running around us, but you and I have been called for a much greater purpose. A purpose of love, an identity rooted in the gospel, and the views of the world differ. The world will find purpose in what you do, not whose you are.

The Christian life is one of counter-culture. The world, the culture keeps trying to overfill the tank they’ve been given, striving for more and more with a fatal implosion just around the corner. Beloved – you and I are rewarded with the most beautiful alternative: communion and relationship with Jesus. Scripture reminds us that it is easy to see the “fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.” Colossians 2:9-10 (MSG).

Your identity in Christ is enough. While the world toils away at convincing themselves otherwise, you can rest in knowing that the Lord has bestowed upon you a life not promised of abundant tasks, but abundant life.

Maybe you’re in a place right now of trying to strive for more than what you think you’re capable of. My hope is that you find rest and comfort in knowing that the God of the universe has equipped you for exactly all that you need in this moment. You have a specific purpose to live out and have a calling over your life whether you have started to see that or not. There is peace in knowing that just your presence alone on this earth is enough.

“…whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.” Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 (ESV)

I hope this last bit of scripture resonates deeply within you as a constant reminder that God has done it. Rejoice in that fact – that which is, already has been. Nothing can be added or taken away. Your identity in Christ is surely enough, because God has proven sufficient.

Take a moment to rest in this assurance, and the promises of God. Don’t let the world and its opposing views let you think for one minute that your additional efforts will prove you to be anything other than the anointed child you are. Let the love of God fill your tank until it is enough, and then stop. He designed you to be enough. His promises are that it works perfectly when you’re enough. His fullness is within you – and you are called to safely venture through any of life’s roads in that truth.

Taylor Arroyo is a self-proclaimed ‘Southern Belle trapped in Southern California’. She currently resides in sunny LA, where she works in marketing for FabFitFun. In her free time, she loves: being outdoors, fellowship with friends, and most of all, spontaneous dance parties with her husband, Aaron!

Following Freedom

by Taylor Arroyo | May 22, 2019 | Life Advice

A hiking trail is where I come the closest to understanding the concept of freedom and the grip of fear. While hiking, I experience God’s purest creation– a wild, vast wilderness with a narrow pathway that winds and winds through the great unknown until I reach a pinnacle. It’s expansive, limitless, boundless. It’s everything I think of when I think of total freedom.

In my hometown, hiking trails are practically nestled right up against my backyard. Growing up, they were the best place to go for a quick escape into nature. I recently went back to hike in that area. While there, I experienced a powerful lesson about the concept of freedom, particularly God’s concept of freedom for us, and the power we have to control fears that threaten our ability to live free.

That day, I was enjoying the peace of the outdoors with friends. I was taking in all that was created by the Creator of it all, when suddenly fear threatened my fun. It wasn’t the fear of coming into contact with something I had seen – no animal or dangerous step was in sight – but rather it was a fear and anxiety of what could be ahead. Suddenly with each step, I was frightened instead of resting in the peaceful environment that surrounded me.

My fear settled itself on the potential encounter with a rattlesnake. It was a legitimate fear for that location, but with each step, my fear began to take over. I was no longer enjoying my hike. I was getting increasingly anxious that something terrible, even fatal, could occur. To make matters worse, the weeds and plants along the trail were so overgrown that I couldn’t see beyond a few feet in front of me. As I took each step, blind faith and trust were all I had to carry me through. All I could do was set one foot in front of the other, despite how scary the unknown looked, and trust that I would be safe.

This experience really convicted me to look at my relationship with God and showed me how I should live each day in Him. The fear of the unknown can be so crippling to the abundant life we are called to live in.

“There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life – fear of death, fear of judgment – is one not yet fully formed in life.” 1 John 4:18 (MSG)

In Christ, we get to experience the fullness of perfect love, and in that love, there is no room for fear. Christ’s love chases out all fear and the chains that hold us down are broken. Does this mean we’ll never fear again, and that we shouldn’t fear the proverbial rattlesnake that might lie ahead of us, lurking in the unknown?

Of course not. I face a daily struggle to trust what I cannot see. So often I find myself crippled by the fear of the unknown and feeling so terrified of the “what-if’s” that could be lurking ahead. My heart races, my mind feels fuzzy and, in the blink of an eye, all joy and excitement for life becomes lost in a haze of worry and confusion All I can focus on is the potential that something could go terribly wrong.

On a hike, the narrow trails typically require the hikers to walk in a single file line. Typically the bravest hiker goes to the front of the line to lead the way and clear the path for those walking behind. Each hiker behind the leader puts his or her faith in the leader to pick the safest path and get the goup to the top of mountain. I am gratefulf for that leader. So, you might be askiing why I feared an encounter with a snake when the person in front of me didn’t seem to?

Again, it’s another lesson to learn about God and following Him. If I put my full faith in Jesus to lead me, then what shall I fear?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

Jesus knows the path I am walking on. He is the one leading the way. As long as I am following Him and putting my full trust in His ways, I do not have to fear. He has cleared the tall weeds ahead of me, scoped out the environment around me, and ensured that His path is the only path to reach the pinnacles of life.

Hiking will always remain an exciting activity for me and my friends and, although it will always have its challenges, it will always be worth it when we’ve made it to the top of a mountain or the opening of a beautiful lake. Hikes are not always easy, but the view along the way makes every step to the end worth it.

Rattlesnakes and other dangerous things are real. There will always be aspects to hiking that can produce fear and it’s smart to be cautious at times, but fear should never stop me from embarking on a new adventure. This is true about life too. Sharp curves and dangerous situations can pop up out of nowhere, but we shouldn’t dwell on the possibility, causing us to never take on an adventure. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not e dismayed, for I am your God. I wil strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God has gone before you and me and walks alongside us every day assuring we live out our purpose to the fullest.

In Him, I am free and, in Him, I can release the fears and burdens that hold me back from all that this life has to offer. As long as we live on this Earth, so does the “rattlesnake”, but the joy and hope we have in the Lord is that fears of the future won’t hold us back from fully experiencing the joy of the world around us. Jesus leads the way, and I just have to follow, simple as that. And I have a pretty great feeling that Jesus’ path will have the most beautiful views of all.

Follow Taylor on Instagram @tay.arroyo