Kendall B.

Kendall shares with us thoughts on the God who sees us through tragedies, her life as a new mom, and the lessons she has learned on parental leave.

Kendall B.

Inspiring biblical passage of the moment: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Spiritual growth focus at the moment: Now that I am on maternity leave from my job, my whole life and schedule has changed. I have taken that as an opportunity to refocus on some aspects of my walk with God that I have let slip away. I am really focusing on prayer and meeting with Him daily. I have always wrestled with communicating with The Lord. When I am struggling with hardships and anxiety, I have the tendency to shut down and isolate. I will isolate myself from friends, family, and especially God. I won’t answer texts or calls; I won’t make plans with anyone and I certainly won’t pray. I get into this headspace where I just tell myself that I am going to “power through it” on my own, but during this new season of my life, The Lord is teaching me that I need to cast all of my burdens on Him and He will sustain me (Psalm 55:22). The amount of growth that I have experienced over the last couple of weeks is amazing, and He has given me such peace during this new season.

“When I am struggling with hardships and anxiety, I have the tendency to shut down and isolate.”

Profession: I graduated from university with a degree in creative writing, but I am currently an inside sales representative for a printing company. I write, blog, calligraph, and create YouTube videos, on the side.

A one sentence bio of yourself: I am a totally right-brained, twenty-seven-year-old follower of Christ, wife, and brand spankin’ new mother from Michigan.

When did you first encounter God? I grew up in the church, so I was always exposed to Christianity. I do not remember the specific moment, but I have always been most sensitive to the Holy Spirit through worship. I remember always being very affected and emotional whenever I went to events like Acquire the Fire as a young teenager. My relationship with the Lord did not truly become my own until I was going into my senior year of college.

What has helped you grow spiritually in this season? Becoming a mother. I knew entering into this new role would be the biggest challenge of my life, but also the biggest reward. Being a mother forces me to face my anxiety and fears every day. It can feel paralyzing at times, but so far it has been a crash course in releasing my worries to God.

Just read/currently reading: I just started the devotional Pressing Pause by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk and I am also in the middle of reading the fiction novel The Girls by Emma Cline.

Top three essentials: Worship music, my family and friends, and great books/movies.

How did God speak to you recently? This is such a cliché thing to say as a new mom, but The Lord has spoken to me so clearly through my son. He has brought me such an incredible joy and calmness that I didn’t even know that I had in me. Just this morning, I woke up to the sound of Beckett crying in his nursery and my first instinct was to feel annoyed and tired, but as soon as I saw his face my spirit lit up and my attitude totally changed. God is teaching me a new way to love like I’ve never known before.

“God is teaching me a new way to love like I’ve never known before.”

Hobby: Oh man; how much time do you have? I have so many hobbies! In my creative writing degree, I studied nonfiction and screenwriting, so I have a huge love for movies and scripts. This is kind of a dorky hobby, but I’ve been known to print out screenplays of movies that I love and read them from beginning to end (and take notes)!

Top three practical tips for staying spiritually strong: Pray, pray, pray. Communicating with Him keeps you close to The Lord and your relationship and reliance upon Him strong! Staying in the Word and studying it. (I really need to do better at this.) Strengthening your knowledge of Scripture is pertinent in your walk with Christ. Lastly, surrounding yourself with fellow Christians. People who can mentor, inspire, and keep you accountable are worth their weight in gold. Fellowshipping with other believers is so important and special!

Favorite person in scripture? My favorite person in scripture is Job. My family has endured a lot of loss and tragedy in this life, and Job’s story is an example of staying faithful in the midst of trials and not questioning or blaming the Lord when tribulations arise.

What do you want people to learn about God when they look at you? Woof. This question made me instantly tear up just because I desperately want people to see Jesus’ love in me. I want people to see my heart for serving Him and serving others and just loving on God’s children endlessly and without bias.

Favorite season? Definitely summer. I am a warm weather kind of gal, through and through.

Favorite holiday? Christmas!

A dream you have: To be published and/or write a book.

A special tradition you and your family engage in or keep: My family does not partake in too many traditions, but we always make sure to spend our holidays together. Everyone pitches in to cook, and we spend every holiday laughing together and loving on one another. Also, Father of the Bride Part One and Two are our “family movies”. We have watched them 100 times and will watch them 100 more times in the future!

Question you will ask when you get to Heaven? I’ve never thought about this! There are many times in my life when I’ve thought, “Why God?” But I’ve also become content with knowing that God’s timing and reasoning is greater and bigger than I could ever understand. He does not owe me any explanations.

“He does not owe me any explanations.”

Thing you want to raise awareness about: I want to raise awareness about mental health issues, specifically anxiety and phobias. I struggle with anxiety and emetophobia, and it is a daily battle to let go and trust the Lord. I am constantly trying to control my environment and circumstances, and I desperately want to grow in learning to give my burdens and worries over to Him.

What do you usually do before 9 a.m.? My morning routine has changed drastically within the last couple of weeks! I gave birth to my son, Beckett, on February 6th, and now I am up at all times of the night and morning. I always start my day off with a cup of coffee and singing to Beckett as he nurses. I spend quiet time with him and pray over him and our day.

What is on your nightstand? My earrings, necklace, and watch that I wear everyday, a photo of my husband and I on our wedding day, I always have a glass of water on the nightstand, a midcentury modern lamp, the baby monitor, and a good book.

Define Christianity in a sentence: A daily walk with God.

For more Kendall:
Tumblr: scout-joy.tumblr.com
Instagram: @kendallbades
Twitter: @kendallbades

Until next time, keep witnessing!
XOXO