Kayla W.

Kayla speaks to us about the quarter-life crisis, how God always restores, and her experience sailing on the Sea of Galilee.

Kayla W.

Inspiring biblical passage of the moment:  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43: 18-20

Spiritual growth focus at the moment: To be persistent in all areas and pursue not all things I want to do but all things I need to do, wholeheartedly. I have been irresponsible in the past to begin something and not complete it due to discouragement or lack of faith in myself.

Profession: I am a jewelry designer and an Energy and Marine A.S.R. Assistant at McGriff, Seibels & Williams, Inc.

A one sentence bio of yourself:  I am a bold and passionate creative that hopes to be the light wherever this journey leads me.

When did you first encounter God and how did you encounter Him? I first encountered God many years ago but the greatest encounter tattooed on my heart was in April 2017, when I sailed the Sea of Galilee with my mission team. The presence I felt on those waters is truly unexplainable. The only words I can find to describe it are are many, many tears and an out of body experience that felt like a glimmer of what heaven will be.

“The presence I felt on those waters is truly unexplainable.”

What has helped you grow spiritually in this season?  Sphere of influence and family. There is a group of girls and family members, I call my best friends, that have sharpened and encouraged me every mile of this race of faith.  They never stop believing in me.  Never misleading, never judging, but always loving.  I thank God every day for these people – it’s rare, and it’s a gift I often don’t deserve but am thankful to call mine.

Just read/currently reading (and what has it taught you?): 20 Something/20 Everything by Christine Hassler. I am not finished with it yet, but it has been great for where I am at in life.  Walking through expectation let-downs of what I was so certain my life would look like at my age – the perfect job, a husband, kids…the American dream – but not at all has it turned out that way.  I am learning through this read to appreciate that I haven’t settled because I want the very best in every thing for me and I trust it will all come at the right time.  The 20s are some of the hardest years of our lives, making some of the biggest decisions, and I realize in the waiting that we need to be mature and wise enough to receive some of the best gifts these years have to offer.

“The 20s are some of the hardest years of our lives, making some of the biggest decisions, and I realize in the waiting that we need to be mature and wise enough to receive some of the best gifts these years have to offer.”

Top three essentials:  Coffee, quality time and frequent travels.

How did God speak to you recently? This has been a very trialing season for me, in what seems like every area of life.  All dramatic-ness aside, it honestly has felt like a quarter-life crisis.  Things are finally looking up now, and I have eager motivation and a fire within me to pursue ideas I’ve been sitting on for years (timing is everything though, right?!).  But if it were for the challenging times, I wouldn’t have been pushed out of my comfort zone to do bigger and better things – so for this season that led me to dance in the rain, I am thankful.

Hobby: Creating. My passion runs deep for writing, traveling, jewelry-making, painting, and really anything creative and adventurous. I am learning to focus on being excellent at fewer things while enjoying the many good things that God has given me a desire to reach for. I am excited to be working on a website (I’ll hopefully launch sooner than later) that will draw in all of my hobbies I’m passionate about into one platform – the goal is limitless. We are called to create and to make a difference while doing so.

Top three practical tips for staying spiritually strong:  I fail to abide by the following all the time but on my best days, I can say that loving, accepting and forgiving myself are the three things that bring out the strong and steady version of myself.

Favorite person in scripture? Abraham. How sold out can you be to be willing to sacrifice the very promise that God gave you and took years to even see?  He is the epitome of trust and courage.

What do you want people to learn about God when they look at you? That there is always hope.  No matter how low the valley or how high the mountain, God always restores, redeems, and recreates us in unconditional love.  I’ve been at the lowest multiple times, so I can say I understand how discouraging it can be – but I can also say that every single time I eventually see the light in the darkness that picks me up.  Perspective and positivity, usually remembered from trusted loved ones and the Word, are absolute key.

“God always restores, redeems, and recreates us in unconditional love.”

Favorite season? That’s definitely a tie between Spring and Fall.  Both are such cozy seasons with many events and vacations to look forward to.

Favorite holiday? Christmas because what a sweet time it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus while being surrounded by loved ones and watching 25 Days of Christmas on Freeform!

A dream you have? To travel the world being an influential designer and maybe even a motivational speaker someday. Our creativity and voice are two of the most important gifts we are given to make an eternal impact in this world.

A special tradition you and your family engage in or keep: We always take our family winter trip and go to cool and quaint places.  Though my parents are divorced, I am very thankful to say that they are friends, and we are all able to keep this tradition together.  It is always a special time being under one roof like the good old days.

Question you will ask when you get to heaven? What did I do to deserve the abounding grace that got me here?

Thing you want to raise awareness about:  Being vocal with love. Sometimes, I struggle with this, so I can speak from experience, because I am an Enneagram Type 8 and ENFJ aka very blunt and passionate about my opinions and views.  This can be my greatest quality and other times my worst flaw.  I am sometimes told I say too much– because I do, so even when I fail at this, I have to remember to be intentional to express things with love and not defense.

What do you usually do before 9 a.m.? I am in rare form if a day goes by and I didn’t begin it with Jesus, coffee, and my dog, Sims, before all else. I am naturally an early-riser. So I love getting up, thanking Jesus for another day, and going straight to the coffeepot before throwing my hair up and putting my tennis shoes on to take Sims for a walk. I like to talk to God during this time and just soaking in the peaceful mornings with an addicting creation surrounding me. Podcasts are always a good idea, too.

“I like to talk to God during this time and just soaking in the peaceful mornings with an addicting creation surrounding me.”

What is on your nightstand? Always my journal, the current book I’m reading, lavender oil, and water.

Define Christianity in a sentence:  Accepting imperfection while loving and following the perfect One who guides us to be the best version of ourselves, on this side of heaven.

For more Kayla:

IG: @kaylajoywillett + @kaylawillettjewelry

FB: www.facebook.com/kaylawillettjewelry

Until next time, keep witnessing!

XOXO