July 9, 2025 • 30 mins
In this heartfelt episode of Faith Fueled Woman, host Kristin Fitch reflects on the recent loss of a close friend—and how it has brought renewed clarity about what really matters in life.
If you’ve ever felt like you're just going through the motions, this episode is your reminder that life is both precious and unpredictable. Kristin invites you to take an honest look at how you’re spending your time, using your gifts, and showing up for the people you love.
Through faith-filled encouragement, she shares how to live with intention, let go of what doesn’t matter, and pursue a legacy that reflects God’s calling on your life. Because this moment—the one you’re in right now—is your opportunity to live fully, faithfully, and with purpose.
If you’re ready to trade inner criticism for clarity, and overwhelm for lasting peace, this episode is for you. And if you'd like to jump start shifting your thoughts and experiencing more joy go grab my free Rewire Your Mind Guide to help you get started. Rewire Your Mind Guide
Download My Free Joyful Living Devotional: https://kristinfitch.com/devotional
Ready to take your first step towards a more joyful, faith-filled life? Download our Reignite Your Passion Workbook and start living with purpose today!
What to feel more energized in midlife? Grab my 5 Day Energy Reset Jump Start Guide here.
Ready to work with Kristin to make a shift in your life? Click here to get started.
✅ Key Takeaways
- Time is not promised—what we do with today truly matters.
- You don’t have to have it all figured out to live with purpose—you just have to start showing up.
- Your gifts were given to you for a reason—use them to build legacy and community.
- Stepping outside your comfort zone is often where the most joy and impact are found.
- Legacy isn’t just about the future—it’s about being present and intentional right now.
- God calls us to live fully, love boldly, and serve faithfully—even when life feels uncertain.
Christian podcast for women, living with purpose, biblical encouragement for women. Christian mindset in hard seasons, using your spiritual gifts, leaving a legacy of faith, faith-based personal growth, time management for Christian women, living intentionally with God, embracing uncertainty with faith, finding meaning in loss, spiritual growth for midlife women, showing up with purpose. making an impact with your life, how to live fully in faith, prioritizing what matters most, daily faith-filled living, faith-based reflection podcast, encouragement for Christian women, navigating change with faith
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hey.
Hey, beautiful friends.
And welcome back to FaithFueled Woman.
This is your host, Kristen.
Today we are going to talkabout spending our time well, I'm
talking about our lifetime,I'm talking about today, and I'm
talking about our gifts.
And this is really out of myheart because sadly I had a friend
pass away the beginning ofthis week.
(00:25):
And it's just another reminderthat we aren't promised, you know,
decades or a lifetime or noteven promised next week.
We don't know how long we have.
And that is why today I hadsomething else planned.
But that's why I want to talkabout this today.
I have shared before my dadpassed away in February.
(00:48):
We've had some other friendspass away soon after that.
And, you know, it's just heavyon my heart because I think so many
of us get caught up in the dayto day grind of the things that don't
truly matter for eternity orfor the legacy we're building or
for even putting out our giftsand talents into the world that God's
(01:13):
given us.
And for doing things thatmatter, that point people back to
Christ.
And so this is what I want toshare with you today.
I hope I'm going to give you acouple questions that you can reflect
on and think about.
And I hope also it'll justencourage you, you know, to live
fully, to live with faith andto stop worrying about things that,
(01:40):
that really don't have a great impact.
It might in our mind thinkthat they do, but it, but it really
doesn't.
So let's dive in.
Hey friend.
Are you craving deeper faith,renewed purpose and more joy in your
everyday life?
Welcome to Faith Fueled Womanpodcast that helps Christian women
grow spiritually pursue God'scalling and embrace the abundant
life he has for you.
(02:01):
I'm Kristen, an encourager,mentor, entrepreneur, wife and mom,
here to uplift, equip andinspire you with faith filled conversations
and biblical wisdom.
Subscribe now so you nevermiss an episode and join our Faith
Fueled Community for more encouragement.
Okay, the first thing that Iwant to share with you today is something
(02:22):
that Pastor Chuck Swindle said.
He is the pastor of StonebriarCommunity Church and I must, I think
I follow him on Instagram.
Here's what he says and itreally hit home for me.
Each morning God deposits86,400 seconds into our bank of time,
but nothing carries over tothe next day.
(02:43):
Spend it well.
And that's really what today'sepisode is about.
How can we spend well themoments of our life?
How can we spend well, thetime we have and our gifts and just
pour out into the peoplearound us, into our communities,
into the work and gifts thatwe have.
(03:06):
And here is what I think.
I think one, we're called toshare our gifts and talents with
people.
Two, we are really called tocreate a legacy.
We are called to think abouthow we're contributing, right, in
our communities, in our homes,in the world.
And then fourth is, are weactually delighting and enjoying
(03:32):
the world in everything God's created?
Connection, connection withhim, connection with others.
The beauty of.
In the amazing miracles allaround us, Are we praising him and
giving him?
Are we grateful for those things?
And so that's what I want todive into.
All right, I want to sharewith you this verse, Bible verse,
(03:55):
it says each person is givensomething to do that shows who God
is.
Everyone gets in on it,everyone benefits.
And that's 1 Corinthians 12, 7from the message.
So it is obviously written ina different way.
It's not one of thetraditional Bible verses, but it's
really clear, right?
It just kind of hits home.
(04:16):
Each person is givingsomething, given something to do
that shows who God is, andeveryone gets in on it.
Everyone benefits.
How beautiful is that?
And so I was actually readingtoday's devotional in Catching Whimsy
by Bob Goff, which I've shareda little bit about before, but today's.
Today he's talking about thischildren's story, Stone Soup, which
(04:40):
is basically where someone inthe forest has a pot of water, and
there's not much in it boiling.
And as different villagerscome through, they say, they.
He offers them a taste, andthey say, oh, you know, it would
be great in this.
And then they say, cabbage.
And they say, oh, I know whereI can get some cabbage.
And they add it.
And the next person does thesame thing, but they add carrots.
(05:01):
So by the end, they have thisbeautiful soup that they've all participated
in creating and share this soup.
And so Bob's basically talkingabout, let's see here.
He says the concept is beautiful.
We all need to throw in whatwe've got and it will be enough.
(05:21):
And then he says, let's see,God has created us to come together
and form a beautiful communitythat highlights what we have been
given and can contribute.
And, you know, he just asks,what are you good at?
And what lights you up andmakes you spring out of bed?
Because that's what we shouldbe doing.
And what I want to add to thatis these questions.
(05:44):
So here's my first questionfor you, what are you?
Or can you contribute to thisday, to your community, when you're
going to something, maybe toyour church and to the world?
And so I think it's a questionwe should regularly be asking ourselves,
because some of us mightregularly be contributing skills
(06:04):
and gifts, our time, our money.
But in some cases, it feelslike we get busy and we forget that
that's actually the assignmentor one of the assignments.
We get busy with whatever jobwe have, right?
With administrative things,with carpooling, whatever it might
be.
And we forget that it's ourcontribution that matters.
(06:28):
And then the next questionthat I would ask you is, what legacy
are you building?
What are you leaving behindfor the next generations?
And this is going to bedifferent for everyone.
And I'm not saying that it hasto be a book or anything like that.
So for some people, it mightbe writing down stories or memories
to share with your family.
For others, it might besharing recipes that have been passed
(06:50):
down to you.
Your legacy likely is whatyou're putting into the people in
your life.
So that could be your childrenor grandchildren.
It could be people that youmentor, people that you work with
at a church.
But the legacy is, what are wedoing in the world, right, to impact
the generations that comeafter us.
(07:11):
So it can be with things youwrite down.
It could be that you lovemusic, that you've written a song,
that you just share your loveof music.
But we do need to know, are weleaving a legacy?
Are we building people up andletting them know who they are becoming
and who are they becoming in Christ?
It's so important.
(07:32):
Okay, the next thing that Iwant to share with you is this is
more of a paraphrase of Exodus 4.
2.
And I read this and I thoughtit was really good, though.
It says, you do not need more.
You.
You just need to use what's inyour hand.
And I thought that was really important.
We don't need more gifts, more talents.
(07:53):
We don't even need more time.
What we need is we need to usewhat's in our hand.
And the actually story in theBible is talking about when God appeared
to Moses.
And God basically asked Moses,what's in your hand?
And it was a staff.
And so basically God, he says,throw the.
Throw the staff down.
And God turns it into a snake,and then he turns it back.
(08:15):
But the reason he did that isbecause Moses said, what if they
don't believe me?
That God came to him, right,and gave him the commandments.
And God basically says, youcan use this, right?
But the point is, is what youalready have available to you, use
it.
And remember, God is with us,in us doing these things.
(08:37):
He is with us, he is providing.
And so I just thought that wasreally good.
So I'm going to say it again.
And like I said, the actualscripture is obviously different.
It says, the Lord said, oh,sorry, I'm further down.
Then the Lord said to him,what is in your hand?
He said, a staff.
And that's the very beginningof Exodus 4, 2.
And then it goes on.
(08:59):
And then it says, the Lordsaid, throw it on the ground.
Moses threw it on the groundand it became a snake and he ran
from it.
Then the Lord said to him,reach out your hand and take it by
the tail.
So Moses reached out and tookhold of the snake and turned it back
into the staff in his hand.
This said the Lord is so thatthey may believe that the Lord, the
God of their fathers, the Godof Abraham, the God of Isaac and
(09:20):
the God of Jacob has appearedto you.
But imagine that, you guys,you do not need more.
You just need to use what's inyour hand and God is with us in it.
I love that.
Okay, so here's the next thing.
So, right, the first thing is,how are you contributing in the world
and what has God given youthat will help shine a light back
(09:43):
to him, that will help us showup in the world and serve?
And then the next question is,what are you doing?
Or are you using your gifts toshow others who God is?
Remember we in that it's notthat we're going to do something
and say, see, look, it'sbecause I'm a Christian, right?
That's not the point.
It's when we show up Christ,like when we show up ready to serve,
(10:08):
when we show up giving ofourselves through our gifts, whether
we can cook or bake or sitwith someone, hold them, whether
we can, you know, mentorsomeone, whether we can sing, whatever
the things are that we're good at.
And then especially that lightus up, right?
And make us want to get out ofbed when we share those things and
(10:29):
we do it with a Christ likespirit, the Holy Spirit within us.
When we do that, people willknow who Christ is.
They will know who God is.
They will see that littleglimmer and want to know more, right?
Over time, it's not aboutpushing down, you know, scripture
or, you know, saying, I'm aChristian down people's throat.
(10:52):
It is about showing up in theworld and being like Christ in the
world.
But we partly do that by thegifts we have, right?
And so that's just somethingelse we should ask ourselves.
Are we using our gifts to showothers who God is?
But it's because we are comingwith the right intention, we're coming
with the right heart.
(11:12):
Right?
We are set on the right thingsand not on the outcome, not on, you
know, if we will be recognizedfor it.
It's about showing up for theright reasons and doing it with that
open heart.
All right, but here's the thing.
So while that's so important,the things I just brought up, and
(11:33):
I would say in the scheme ofthings, for eternal, for eternity,
those, these are the thingsthat I just talked about, they absolutely
matter.
But it also matters how we'reliving in our day to day and are
we truly embracing andenjoying our lives?
Because as I shared at thebeginning of this episode, we aren't
(11:53):
promised tomorrow, we aren'tpromised next year, ten years from
now.
I mean, of course, I hope weall have a really long time to experience
the beauty, to experience Godworking in the world, God working
in our lives to experienceeach other.
But what I do know is that weshouldn't wait for tomorrow.
We shouldn't wait forretirement to go do the thing we
(12:15):
want to do.
We shouldn't wait for, forretirement or for when our kids are
grown to do the things thatare on our hearts to do, to go after
the dreams we have, to go tothe places we want to go.
I think we're called to dothose things now or soon.
In other words, let's make plans.
Let's not put off for anotherday, another decade the things that
(12:40):
we yearn to do.
I think God designed us,right, right for adventure.
He designed us to step intothings, to experience new things.
Because when we experience newthings, we, our heart is more full.
But we also encounter thingsand, and we may be a blessing in
those experiences.
(13:00):
We meet someone, right?
That we're able to dosomething for them.
We meet someone that has aword of encouragement for us, we
have a word of encouragementfor them.
A place allows us to rest andreset so that when we come back to
our day in and day out lives,we are rested and ready to be of
more service.
(13:21):
So you see, I think we arecalled to do things.
Now I'm not saying that meanswe're going to go on vacation every
week, but what it does mean isif we feel like, you know, I really
want to get out in nature,I've wanted to see this, you know,
mountain or ocean or whateverit is like There's a reason we're
called to see beauty.
We're called to live andexperience God's greatness in the
(13:46):
world.
But I also want to share thiswith you.
So there is a professor andauthor, Michael Easter, and he shared
a really.
I think it's from his.
One of his books, but heshared something recently that I
really kind of hit me.
He says, modern life isquietly killing your sense of aliveness,
the antidote, adventure.
(14:07):
And then he goes on to say,most people live in loops.
Wake up, work, scroll and sleep.
You're not in danger, you'renot in crisis, but you're also not
fully alive.
Everything feels predictable,controlled, comfortable.
Even your stress is digitizednotifications, deadlines, inbox,
overload.
(14:27):
And he said, movement without meaning.
But he says the cure is tostep into the unknown.
And actually God calls us to that.
God tells us he's not going toeliminate our path, right?
He's going to show us just atiny bit of it when we're on the
right path.
But he isn't going to say, oh,go over here or have this adventure.
But he is calling us into the unknown.
(14:48):
He's calling us into placeswe've never been or to conversations
we've never been.
And so Michael Easter says,put yourself in a place that demands
your full attention.
Challenge your body.
Test your mind.
Do something that scares youjust a little.
And he says this.
He.
He shares what Joseph Campbell says.
Follow your bliss isn't about comfort.
(15:10):
It's about feeling the raptureof being alive.
That rapture comes when thingsare unscripted, when you don't know
what's next, when you have tofigure out as you go.
And let's see.
He says, I feel most alivewhen I'm dropped into an unfamiliar
place with a mission.
And then he.
He goes on.
He says, start smaller.
Take a solo trip.
(15:31):
Sign up for something thatintimidates you.
Learn a new skill in the wild.
Go somewhere with no cell signal.
Just exit the pattern, even briefly.
And he basically explains thatwhen we do that, we collect tools,
skills, and stories that makeyou more resilient.
In normal life, the adventuredoesn't just wake you up, it upgrades
you.
The adventure won't schedule itself.
(15:52):
He says, go looking for it,and when you find it, go all in.
It'll give you what routinenever could.
Presence, clean verity, andthe rapture of being alive and friends.
One thing I keep feeling, orfeeling like I'm realizing more,
is we aren't meant to live in these.
(16:15):
These days, where we'reExhausted and overwhelmed and overworked.
We are meant to slow down andto live in community, to connect
with people, really connectwith them.
And we were, as I said, wewere meant to delight and to.
To find joy in the thingswe're doing.
(16:36):
And yes, we were meant tostretch ourselves to grow.
And we will never grow when weare comfortable.
We will never grow when we gofrom work to home, work to home.
And that's where we stay inour safe place construct.
I shared it recently onInstagram, but I don't think I specifically
shared it here, that there wasa study done and now I forget if
(16:59):
it was in the 1980s or 90s,but they basically did this biosphere
in Arizona where they createdan entire self contained ecosystem,
I guess.
And in that ecosystem they hadplants and trees and everything they
would need kind of in a bigbubble, if you will.
(17:20):
But what they found is thatthe trees grew really tall and fast,
but they ended up falling overand dying.
Because when the root, whenthe trees don't have resistance,
when they don't have tension,when they don't have a change in
their environment, which isthe winds pushing and moving, they
(17:40):
do not grow strong and they donot grow deep roots.
The same is true for us.
If we don't have adversity, ifwe don't go to new places, have uncomfortable
conversations, if we don'thave trials and tribulations of some
sort, we do not become more resilient.
We do not appreciate thebeauty in our own lives if we do
(18:04):
not walk through somethingelse right, it's much like light
and dark, day and night,without the tension, without resistance.
We stop appreciating everylittle thing, every little good thing
in our lives.
We stop appreciating how bigand mighty and great our God is.
(18:26):
We stop appreciating that wegot to talk to our son or our mom
or our spouse.
And I'm just here to say wehave got to snap out of it.
We have got to step into the unknown.
And we've also got to have toembrace life now.
Not wait, stop delaying doinghard things, but also delaying doing
(18:50):
things that scare you or thatyou think, I would love to fill in
the blank, but thensomething's holding you back.
What is holding you back?
And can you move that obstacleout of the way so that you can actually
go have that experience?
I.
My friend that just passedaway, I saw her about, let's see,
(19:14):
nine or 10 days ago, weactually ended up meeting at the
beach and we went on a reallylong walk on the boardwalk about
two and a half hours.
And we were supposed toactually go to the beach that morning
with another friend, but sheended up having to cancel.
She wasn't feeling well.
And so we almost scrappedmeeting that day.
But then we said, what about walking?
(19:34):
And I'd already walked thatmorning, so I could have easily said,
let's just plan another day.
But I said, no, let's let medo it.
I would love to get down tothe beach.
And I haven't seen her in some time.
So we walked and we caught upand we enjoyed that, you know, solo
time together.
But it's much like that.
(19:54):
It would have been easy for meto say, you know, I have too many
things to do.
I could have been, you know,cleaning up.
I could have been working onthe podcast or my website or a million
other things, but I said, no,this is important of my time.
And for a long time I've knownthat putting people in moments ahead
(20:17):
of my to do list is so important.
And it actually reminds me, Iremember my dad has said more than
one time when he was alive,still, we were having family over,
you know, because I often hostfamily and I must have made a comment
like, oh, the yard is, youknow, is a mess or something like,
(20:41):
you know, it just.
It doesn't look like thisbeautiful manu cured lawn.
And he said, that can wait.
You're busy living life andraising your sons.
And I think that's the messagethat some of us forget.
We.
We think we have to get thelaundry done or get dinner, hot dinner
(21:03):
on the table, or we have tofinish some email, you know, for
work or whatever it might be.
But in that moment, we arepicking a task over a connection,
either time with God to lethim refresh us, getting in the word
(21:25):
we are picking.
Maybe not connecting with afriend, going on a walk, connecting
with our spouse, whatever itmight be.
But I would challenge each ofus, including myself, to ask throughout
the day, is this important?
Like, in my lifetime, is mepicking this over the other thing
important?
(21:45):
And this doesn't mean that wedon't still have to get the laundry
done or eat, but what it doesmean is, can it be delayed or deferred
till later tonight or firstthing in the morning?
Or can it wait three days?
Or can you eat leftovers?
Can you eat a lighter snackand you don't have to make dinner
tonight so that you canprioritize people and going places
(22:08):
that will both stretch you,grow you, and also allow you to remember
who God is and what all he'screated because when we remember,
it's just so powerful.
And then also, I think we justhave to remember what is our holy
(22:32):
assignment.
And I think there's amultitude of those.
1.
One is just showing up andbeing present in our day because
there's going to beconversations, there's going to be
ways we help people, big or small.
We are points on the path forpeople as they come across us.
We are here to serve.
How can I serve people todayin loving ways?
(22:56):
My family, my community, right?
Maybe remembering someone andsending them a note, it could be
in volunteering or be of service.
It could be that when in yourjob, you're.
You're lifting someone up,you're supporting them, you're giving
them the resource they need.
And then also our holyassignment is absolutely continuing
(23:18):
to deepen our relationship,our faith relationship with God.
And then showing up in theworld to be that little tiny light,
that little example to otherpeople of who he is and how, in what
it's like to have arelationship and walk with him in
faith.
And so I just.
(23:39):
I just want to come on andsay, I think it's both things.
One, that we show up and wefigure out, how can we contribute?
How can we be present?
How can we love people better?
What legacy are we leaving?
Are we using our gifts tocontribute right, to our communities,
(24:00):
to our group of friends, toour family?
And then are we actuallystretching ourselves?
Are we growing?
Are we thriving both in ourfaith, but also in a lot of different
parts of our life, right?
Physically or in our health,mentally learning skills that are
going to benefit us or maybegenerations to come?
(24:23):
Much like planting seeds now,right, of trees.
People often plant seeds ifthey have property or whatnot.
Those little seeds might notgrow if it's a big, huge fruit tree
and give them the produce, right?
Produce the fruit.
Now, it may be years or insome cases, certain trees take decades,
(24:45):
but they're doing it for thenext generation.
And so I think we do need tobe mindful and think about those
things.
What are we planting today forour kids, our grandkids, generations,
the next generations?
And then also, are we actuallydelighting in life?
Are we?
(25:05):
God did not create us to justwork, work, work, right?
He created the Sabbath for usboth to rest and get refreshed, but
also to connect.
He created it for us todelight and to have joy when we're
not toiling, when we're not working.
And so while we're.
We're called to take a Sabbathevery week, and it's for our benefit.
(25:27):
It's not a punishment.
But also throughout the year,the week, we are called into that
same idea, but in bigger ways,I believe.
And so my question to you is,are you spending your time well and
moving forward, would youspend it differently?
(25:49):
And are you willing to take alittle time and to reflect on these
questions, to reflect on yourlife and, and ask yourself, am I
living the way that I want tobe living, or do I need to make some
changes?
And I'll share this with you.
I wasn't planning on it, butBob Goff also says this, and I love
(26:10):
this idea.
I'll probably do a biggerepisode on this.
But he says on Thursdays hequits things.
So every Thursday the entireyear, he quits something.
And what do I mean by that?
He quits something.
Even good things.
So let's say he's on, I don'tknow, many different boards, right.
Of companies or nonprofits,but he will quit one, right?
(26:33):
Because either the time isn'tright anymore or it's just taking
too much time and he has toomany other things to do and going
on.
They can all be good things,but he quits something.
So my call to both me and youis, what are we going to quit this
Thursday?
What can we let go of this Thursday?
(26:55):
And what else, if anything,can we invite into our lives that
could be shifting, that we'regoing to make a priority of spending
another, you know, going outon date night with our spouse.
If we're not doing itregularly, it could be meeting a
friend for coffee.
Maybe we haven't seen them ina while, or maybe we're just finding
it.
(27:15):
Weeks and months pass beforewe talk to that person.
Or maybe we're notprioritizing doing something that
just lets us be in awe ofGod's creation.
Or we keep putting off a tripthat we know in our heart we're being
called onto.
Not because it's to be ofservice always, but because we're
(27:38):
longing to see the old townsof Italy or the coast of Greece,
because those things will fillus up in ways that I don't think
going to and from living inour day in and day out will do.
For us, it's about steppinginto the unknown, finding that next
adventure, both big and small.
(28:00):
And so this is what I wantedto come on and share with you today.
This is what was on my heart.
And if this connects with you,I also want to encourage you.
I have revised my Reigniteyoue Passion guide or workbook.
I now have a five Day Reigniteyoue Passion Guide it's just five
(28:21):
simple ways and just quickprompts or exercises you can do each
day to really reignite your passion.
To reignite your or reconnectwith your soul to just understand
what it is you want from lifethat aligns with your values and
your priorities and thepurpose God has for you here.
(28:43):
But it's just done in a moreconcise, really beautiful way.
So if that's of interest toyou to kind of get started.
It also has a reflection areaand a daily gratitude sheet.
Head over to my websiteKristinFitch.com and and join my
email list.
But it's on my freebie sectionand it's at the top.
It says reading out yourPassion five Day Guide.
(29:04):
Grab that.
Even if you grab my oldworkbook, this is different.
It's more concise and Iliterally just finished it a couple
days ago.
So go grab that.
Or if you just want to join myemail newsletter because you haven't
already, go join.
Let me encourage you via emailas well.
And if you haven't grabbed it,I also have on that same page a Joyful
(29:26):
Living devotional.
It's a 15 day devotional tojust put you to help you shift your
perspective and let you tapmore into the fruit of the Spirit.
All right, so until next time,I hope you have a beautiful and blessed
week and I would love it ifyou would leave us a rating review
(29:46):
on Apple Podcast if thisepisode or others have helped you
or helped encourage you in anyway that helps more people discover
us and us get found so that wecan connect with more people.
Thanks again for listening tothe show and if you enjoyed today's
episode, we would love it ifyou could take a minute to leave
a rating and review on ApplePodcast because it helps our show
(30:08):
get discovered by more people.
Hey.
Hey, beautiful friends.
And welcome back to FaithFueled Woman.
This is your host, Kristen.
Today we are going to talkabout spending our time well, I'm
talking about our lifetime,I'm talking about today, and I'm
talking about our gifts.
And this is really out of myheart because sadly I had a friend
pass away the beginning ofthis week.
(00:25):
And it's just another reminderthat we aren't promised, you know,
decades or a lifetime or noteven promised next week.
We don't know how long we have.
And that is why today I hadsomething else planned.
But that's why I want to talkabout this today.
I have shared before my dadpassed away in February.
(00:48):
We've had some other friendspass away soon after that.
And, you know, it's just heavyon my heart because I think so many
of us get caught up in the dayto day grind of the things that don't
truly matter for eternity orfor the legacy we're building or
for even putting out our giftsand talents into the world that God's
(01:13):
given us.
And for doing things thatmatter, that point people back to
Christ.
And so this is what I want toshare with you today.
I hope I'm going to give you acouple questions that you can reflect
on and think about.
And I hope also it'll justencourage you, you know, to live
fully, to live with faith andto stop worrying about things that,
(01:40):
that really don't have a great impact.
It might in our mind thinkthat they do, but it, but it really
doesn't.
So let's dive in.
Hey friend.
Are you craving deeper faith,renewed purpose and more joy in your
everyday life?
Welcome to Faith Fueled Womanpodcast that helps Christian women
grow spiritually pursue God'scalling and embrace the abundant
life he has for you.
(02:01):
I'm Kristen, an encourager,mentor, entrepreneur, wife and mom,
here to uplift, equip andinspire you with faith filled conversations
and biblical wisdom.
Subscribe now so you nevermiss an episode and join our Faith
Fueled Community for more encouragement.
Okay, the first thing that Iwant to share with you today is something
(02:22):
that Pastor Chuck Swindle said.
He is the pastor of StonebriarCommunity Church and I must, I think
I follow him on Instagram.
Here's what he says and itreally hit home for me.
Each morning God deposits86,400 seconds into our bank of time,
but nothing carries over tothe next day.
(02:43):
Spend it well.
And that's really what today'sepisode is about.
How can we spend well themoments of our life?
How can we spend well, thetime we have and our gifts and just
pour out into the peoplearound us, into our communities,
into the work and gifts thatwe have.
(03:06):
And here is what I think.
I think one, we're called toshare our gifts and talents with
people.
Two, we are really called tocreate a legacy.
We are called to think abouthow we're contributing, right, in
our communities, in our homes,in the world.
And then fourth is, are weactually delighting and enjoying
(03:32):
the world in everything God's created?
Connection, connection withhim, connection with others.
The beauty of.
In the amazing miracles allaround us, Are we praising him and
giving him?
Are we grateful for those things?
And so that's what I want todive into.
All right, I want to sharewith you this verse, Bible verse,
(03:55):
it says each person is givensomething to do that shows who God
is.
Everyone gets in on it,everyone benefits.
And that's 1 Corinthians 12, 7from the message.
So it is obviously written ina different way.
It's not one of thetraditional Bible verses, but it's
really clear, right?
It just kind of hits home.
(04:16):
Each person is givingsomething, given something to do
that shows who God is, andeveryone gets in on it.
Everyone benefits.
How beautiful is that?
And so I was actually readingtoday's devotional in Catching Whimsy
by Bob Goff, which I've shareda little bit about before, but today's.
Today he's talking about thischildren's story, Stone Soup, which
(04:40):
is basically where someone inthe forest has a pot of water, and
there's not much in it boiling.
And as different villagerscome through, they say, they.
He offers them a taste, andthey say, oh, you know, it would
be great in this.
And then they say, cabbage.
And they say, oh, I know whereI can get some cabbage.
And they add it.
And the next person does thesame thing, but they add carrots.
(05:01):
So by the end, they have thisbeautiful soup that they've all participated
in creating and share this soup.
And so Bob's basically talkingabout, let's see here.
He says the concept is beautiful.
We all need to throw in whatwe've got and it will be enough.
(05:21):
And then he says, let's see,God has created us to come together
and form a beautiful communitythat highlights what we have been
given and can contribute.
And, you know, he just asks,what are you good at?
And what lights you up andmakes you spring out of bed?
Because that's what we shouldbe doing.
And what I want to add to thatis these questions.
(05:44):
So here's my first questionfor you, what are you?
Or can you contribute to thisday, to your community, when you're
going to something, maybe toyour church and to the world?
And so I think it's a questionwe should regularly be asking ourselves,
because some of us mightregularly be contributing skills
(06:04):
and gifts, our time, our money.
But in some cases, it feelslike we get busy and we forget that
that's actually the assignmentor one of the assignments.
We get busy with whatever jobwe have, right?
With administrative things,with carpooling, whatever it might
be.
And we forget that it's ourcontribution that matters.
(06:28):
And then the next questionthat I would ask you is, what legacy
are you building?
What are you leaving behindfor the next generations?
And this is going to bedifferent for everyone.
And I'm not saying that it hasto be a book or anything like that.
So for some people, it mightbe writing down stories or memories
to share with your family.
For others, it might besharing recipes that have been passed
(06:50):
down to you.
Your legacy likely is whatyou're putting into the people in
your life.
So that could be your childrenor grandchildren.
It could be people that youmentor, people that you work with
at a church.
But the legacy is, what are wedoing in the world, right, to impact
the generations that comeafter us.
(07:11):
So it can be with things youwrite down.
It could be that you lovemusic, that you've written a song,
that you just share your loveof music.
But we do need to know, are weleaving a legacy?
Are we building people up andletting them know who they are becoming
and who are they becoming in Christ?
It's so important.
(07:32):
Okay, the next thing that Iwant to share with you is this is
more of a paraphrase of Exodus 4.
2.
And I read this and I thoughtit was really good, though.
It says, you do not need more.
You.
You just need to use what's inyour hand.
And I thought that was really important.
We don't need more gifts, more talents.
(07:53):
We don't even need more time.
What we need is we need to usewhat's in our hand.
And the actually story in theBible is talking about when God appeared
to Moses.
And God basically asked Moses,what's in your hand?
And it was a staff.
And so basically God, he says,throw the.
Throw the staff down.
And God turns it into a snake,and then he turns it back.
(08:15):
But the reason he did that isbecause Moses said, what if they
don't believe me?
That God came to him, right,and gave him the commandments.
And God basically says, youcan use this, right?
But the point is, is what youalready have available to you, use
it.
And remember, God is with us,in us doing these things.
(08:37):
He is with us, he is providing.
And so I just thought that wasreally good.
So I'm going to say it again.
And like I said, the actualscripture is obviously different.
It says, the Lord said, oh,sorry, I'm further down.
Then the Lord said to him,what is in your hand?
He said, a staff.
And that's the very beginningof Exodus 4, 2.
And then it goes on.
(08:59):
And then it says, the Lordsaid, throw it on the ground.
Moses threw it on the groundand it became a snake and he ran
from it.
Then the Lord said to him,reach out your hand and take it by
the tail.
So Moses reached out and tookhold of the snake and turned it back
into the staff in his hand.
This said the Lord is so thatthey may believe that the Lord, the
God of their fathers, the Godof Abraham, the God of Isaac and
(09:20):
the God of Jacob has appearedto you.
But imagine that, you guys,you do not need more.
You just need to use what's inyour hand and God is with us in it.
I love that.
Okay, so here's the next thing.
So, right, the first thing is,how are you contributing in the world
and what has God given youthat will help shine a light back
(09:43):
to him, that will help us showup in the world and serve?
And then the next question is,what are you doing?
Or are you using your gifts toshow others who God is?
Remember we in that it's notthat we're going to do something
and say, see, look, it'sbecause I'm a Christian, right?
That's not the point.
It's when we show up Christ,like when we show up ready to serve,
(10:08):
when we show up giving ofourselves through our gifts, whether
we can cook or bake or sitwith someone, hold them, whether
we can, you know, mentorsomeone, whether we can sing, whatever
the things are that we're good at.
And then especially that lightus up, right?
And make us want to get out ofbed when we share those things and
(10:29):
we do it with a Christ likespirit, the Holy Spirit within us.
When we do that, people willknow who Christ is.
They will know who God is.
They will see that littleglimmer and want to know more, right?
Over time, it's not aboutpushing down, you know, scripture
or, you know, saying, I'm aChristian down people's throat.
(10:52):
It is about showing up in theworld and being like Christ in the
world.
But we partly do that by thegifts we have, right?
And so that's just somethingelse we should ask ourselves.
Are we using our gifts to showothers who God is?
But it's because we are comingwith the right intention, we're coming
with the right heart.
(11:12):
Right?
We are set on the right thingsand not on the outcome, not on, you
know, if we will be recognizedfor it.
It's about showing up for theright reasons and doing it with that
open heart.
All right, but here's the thing.
So while that's so important,the things I just brought up, and
(11:33):
I would say in the scheme ofthings, for eternal, for eternity,
those, these are the thingsthat I just talked about, they absolutely
matter.
But it also matters how we'reliving in our day to day and are
we truly embracing andenjoying our lives?
Because as I shared at thebeginning of this episode, we aren't
(11:53):
promised tomorrow, we aren'tpromised next year, ten years from
now.
I mean, of course, I hope weall have a really long time to experience
the beauty, to experience Godworking in the world, God working
in our lives to experienceeach other.
But what I do know is that weshouldn't wait for tomorrow.
We shouldn't wait forretirement to go do the thing we
(12:15):
want to do.
We shouldn't wait for, forretirement or for when our kids are
grown to do the things thatare on our hearts to do, to go after
the dreams we have, to go tothe places we want to go.
I think we're called to dothose things now or soon.
In other words, let's make plans.
Let's not put off for anotherday, another decade the things that
(12:40):
we yearn to do.
I think God designed us,right, right for adventure.
He designed us to step intothings, to experience new things.
Because when we experience newthings, we, our heart is more full.
But we also encounter thingsand, and we may be a blessing in
those experiences.
(13:00):
We meet someone, right?
That we're able to dosomething for them.
We meet someone that has aword of encouragement for us, we
have a word of encouragementfor them.
A place allows us to rest andreset so that when we come back to
our day in and day out lives,we are rested and ready to be of
more service.
(13:21):
So you see, I think we arecalled to do things.
Now I'm not saying that meanswe're going to go on vacation every
week, but what it does mean isif we feel like, you know, I really
want to get out in nature,I've wanted to see this, you know,
mountain or ocean or whateverit is like There's a reason we're
called to see beauty.
We're called to live andexperience God's greatness in the
(13:46):
world.
But I also want to share thiswith you.
So there is a professor andauthor, Michael Easter, and he shared
a really.
I think it's from his.
One of his books, but heshared something recently that I
really kind of hit me.
He says, modern life isquietly killing your sense of aliveness,
the antidote, adventure.
(14:07):
And then he goes on to say,most people live in loops.
Wake up, work, scroll and sleep.
You're not in danger, you'renot in crisis, but you're also not
fully alive.
Everything feels predictable,controlled, comfortable.
Even your stress is digitizednotifications, deadlines, inbox,
overload.
(14:27):
And he said, movement without meaning.
But he says the cure is tostep into the unknown.
And actually God calls us to that.
God tells us he's not going toeliminate our path, right?
He's going to show us just atiny bit of it when we're on the
right path.
But he isn't going to say, oh,go over here or have this adventure.
But he is calling us into the unknown.
(14:48):
He's calling us into placeswe've never been or to conversations
we've never been.
And so Michael Easter says,put yourself in a place that demands
your full attention.
Challenge your body.
Test your mind.
Do something that scares youjust a little.
And he says this.
He.
He shares what Joseph Campbell says.
Follow your bliss isn't about comfort.
(15:10):
It's about feeling the raptureof being alive.
That rapture comes when thingsare unscripted, when you don't know
what's next, when you have tofigure out as you go.
And let's see.
He says, I feel most alivewhen I'm dropped into an unfamiliar
place with a mission.
And then he.
He goes on.
He says, start smaller.
Take a solo trip.
(15:31):
Sign up for something thatintimidates you.
Learn a new skill in the wild.
Go somewhere with no cell signal.
Just exit the pattern, even briefly.
And he basically explains thatwhen we do that, we collect tools,
skills, and stories that makeyou more resilient.
In normal life, the adventuredoesn't just wake you up, it upgrades
you.
The adventure won't schedule itself.
(15:52):
He says, go looking for it,and when you find it, go all in.
It'll give you what routinenever could.
Presence, clean verity, andthe rapture of being alive and friends.
One thing I keep feeling, orfeeling like I'm realizing more,
is we aren't meant to live in these.
(16:15):
These days, where we'reExhausted and overwhelmed and overworked.
We are meant to slow down andto live in community, to connect
with people, really connectwith them.
And we were, as I said, wewere meant to delight and to.
To find joy in the thingswe're doing.
(16:36):
And yes, we were meant tostretch ourselves to grow.
And we will never grow when weare comfortable.
We will never grow when we gofrom work to home, work to home.
And that's where we stay inour safe place construct.
I shared it recently onInstagram, but I don't think I specifically
shared it here, that there wasa study done and now I forget if
(16:59):
it was in the 1980s or 90s,but they basically did this biosphere
in Arizona where they createdan entire self contained ecosystem,
I guess.
And in that ecosystem they hadplants and trees and everything they
would need kind of in a bigbubble, if you will.
(17:20):
But what they found is thatthe trees grew really tall and fast,
but they ended up falling overand dying.
Because when the root, whenthe trees don't have resistance,
when they don't have tension,when they don't have a change in
their environment, which isthe winds pushing and moving, they
(17:40):
do not grow strong and they donot grow deep roots.
The same is true for us.
If we don't have adversity, ifwe don't go to new places, have uncomfortable
conversations, if we don'thave trials and tribulations of some
sort, we do not become more resilient.
We do not appreciate thebeauty in our own lives if we do
(18:04):
not walk through somethingelse right, it's much like light
and dark, day and night,without the tension, without resistance.
We stop appreciating everylittle thing, every little good thing
in our lives.
We stop appreciating how bigand mighty and great our God is.
(18:26):
We stop appreciating that wegot to talk to our son or our mom
or our spouse.
And I'm just here to say wehave got to snap out of it.
We have got to step into the unknown.
And we've also got to have toembrace life now.
Not wait, stop delaying doinghard things, but also delaying doing
(18:50):
things that scare you or thatyou think, I would love to fill in
the blank, but thensomething's holding you back.
What is holding you back?
And can you move that obstacleout of the way so that you can actually
go have that experience?
I.
My friend that just passedaway, I saw her about, let's see,
(19:14):
nine or 10 days ago, weactually ended up meeting at the
beach and we went on a reallylong walk on the boardwalk about
two and a half hours.
And we were supposed toactually go to the beach that morning
with another friend, but sheended up having to cancel.
She wasn't feeling well.
And so we almost scrappedmeeting that day.
But then we said, what about walking?
(19:34):
And I'd already walked thatmorning, so I could have easily said,
let's just plan another day.
But I said, no, let's let medo it.
I would love to get down tothe beach.
And I haven't seen her in some time.
So we walked and we caught upand we enjoyed that, you know, solo
time together.
But it's much like that.
(19:54):
It would have been easy for meto say, you know, I have too many
things to do.
I could have been, you know,cleaning up.
I could have been working onthe podcast or my website or a million
other things, but I said, no,this is important of my time.
And for a long time I've knownthat putting people in moments ahead
(20:17):
of my to do list is so important.
And it actually reminds me, Iremember my dad has said more than
one time when he was alive,still, we were having family over,
you know, because I often hostfamily and I must have made a comment
like, oh, the yard is, youknow, is a mess or something like,
(20:41):
you know, it just.
It doesn't look like thisbeautiful manu cured lawn.
And he said, that can wait.
You're busy living life andraising your sons.
And I think that's the messagethat some of us forget.
We.
We think we have to get thelaundry done or get dinner, hot dinner
(21:03):
on the table, or we have tofinish some email, you know, for
work or whatever it might be.
But in that moment, we arepicking a task over a connection,
either time with God to lethim refresh us, getting in the word
(21:25):
we are picking.
Maybe not connecting with afriend, going on a walk, connecting
with our spouse, whatever itmight be.
But I would challenge each ofus, including myself, to ask throughout
the day, is this important?
Like, in my lifetime, is mepicking this over the other thing
important?
(21:45):
And this doesn't mean that wedon't still have to get the laundry
done or eat, but what it doesmean is, can it be delayed or deferred
till later tonight or firstthing in the morning?
Or can it wait three days?
Or can you eat leftovers?
Can you eat a lighter snackand you don't have to make dinner
tonight so that you canprioritize people and going places
(22:08):
that will both stretch you,grow you, and also allow you to remember
who God is and what all he'screated because when we remember,
it's just so powerful.
And then also, I think we justhave to remember what is our holy
(22:32):
assignment.
And I think there's amultitude of those.
1.
One is just showing up andbeing present in our day because
there's going to beconversations, there's going to be
ways we help people, big or small.
We are points on the path forpeople as they come across us.
We are here to serve.
How can I serve people todayin loving ways?
(22:56):
My family, my community, right?
Maybe remembering someone andsending them a note, it could be
in volunteering or be of service.
It could be that when in yourjob, you're.
You're lifting someone up,you're supporting them, you're giving
them the resource they need.
And then also our holyassignment is absolutely continuing
(23:18):
to deepen our relationship,our faith relationship with God.
And then showing up in theworld to be that little tiny light,
that little example to otherpeople of who he is and how, in what
it's like to have arelationship and walk with him in
faith.
And so I just.
(23:39):
I just want to come on andsay, I think it's both things.
One, that we show up and wefigure out, how can we contribute?
How can we be present?
How can we love people better?
What legacy are we leaving?
Are we using our gifts tocontribute right, to our communities,
(24:00):
to our group of friends, toour family?
And then are we actuallystretching ourselves?
Are we growing?
Are we thriving both in ourfaith, but also in a lot of different
parts of our life, right?
Physically or in our health,mentally learning skills that are
going to benefit us or maybegenerations to come?
(24:23):
Much like planting seeds now,right, of trees.
People often plant seeds ifthey have property or whatnot.
Those little seeds might notgrow if it's a big, huge fruit tree
and give them the produce, right?
Produce the fruit.
Now, it may be years or insome cases, certain trees take decades,
(24:45):
but they're doing it for thenext generation.
And so I think we do need tobe mindful and think about those
things.
What are we planting today forour kids, our grandkids, generations,
the next generations?
And then also, are we actuallydelighting in life?
Are we?
(25:05):
God did not create us to justwork, work, work, right?
He created the Sabbath for usboth to rest and get refreshed, but
also to connect.
He created it for us todelight and to have joy when we're
not toiling, when we're not working.
And so while we're.
We're called to take a Sabbathevery week, and it's for our benefit.
(25:27):
It's not a punishment.
But also throughout the year,the week, we are called into that
same idea, but in bigger ways,I believe.
And so my question to you is,are you spending your time well and
moving forward, would youspend it differently?
(25:49):
And are you willing to take alittle time and to reflect on these
questions, to reflect on yourlife and, and ask yourself, am I
living the way that I want tobe living, or do I need to make some
changes?
And I'll share this with you.
I wasn't planning on it, butBob Goff also says this, and I love
(26:10):
this idea.
I'll probably do a biggerepisode on this.
But he says on Thursdays hequits things.
So every Thursday the entireyear, he quits something.
And what do I mean by that?
He quits something.
Even good things.
So let's say he's on, I don'tknow, many different boards, right.
Of companies or nonprofits,but he will quit one, right?
(26:33):
Because either the time isn'tright anymore or it's just taking
too much time and he has toomany other things to do and going
on.
They can all be good things,but he quits something.
So my call to both me and youis, what are we going to quit this
Thursday?
What can we let go of this Thursday?
(26:55):
And what else, if anything,can we invite into our lives that
could be shifting, that we'regoing to make a priority of spending
another, you know, going outon date night with our spouse.
If we're not doing itregularly, it could be meeting a
friend for coffee.
Maybe we haven't seen them ina while, or maybe we're just finding
it.
(27:15):
Weeks and months pass beforewe talk to that person.
Or maybe we're notprioritizing doing something that
just lets us be in awe ofGod's creation.
Or we keep putting off a tripthat we know in our heart we're being
called onto.
Not because it's to be ofservice always, but because we're
(27:38):
longing to see the old townsof Italy or the coast of Greece,
because those things will fillus up in ways that I don't think
going to and from living inour day in and day out will do.
For us, it's about steppinginto the unknown, finding that next
adventure, both big and small.
(28:00):
And so this is what I wantedto come on and share with you today.
This is what was on my heart.
And if this connects with you,I also want to encourage you.
I have revised my Reigniteyoue Passion guide or workbook.
I now have a five Day Reigniteyoue Passion Guide it's just five
(28:21):
simple ways and just quickprompts or exercises you can do each
day to really reignite your passion.
To reignite your or reconnectwith your soul to just understand
what it is you want from lifethat aligns with your values and
your priorities and thepurpose God has for you here.
(28:43):
But it's just done in a moreconcise, really beautiful way.
So if that's of interest toyou to kind of get started.
It also has a reflection areaand a daily gratitude sheet.
Head over to my websiteKristinFitch.com and and join my
email list.
But it's on my freebie sectionand it's at the top.
It says reading out yourPassion five Day Guide.
(29:04):
Grab that.
Even if you grab my oldworkbook, this is different.
It's more concise and Iliterally just finished it a couple
days ago.
So go grab that.
Or if you just want to join myemail newsletter because you haven't
already, go join.
Let me encourage you via emailas well.
And if you haven't grabbed it,I also have on that same page a Joyful
(29:26):
Living devotional.
It's a 15 day devotional tojust put you to help you shift your
perspective and let you tapmore into the fruit of the Spirit.
All right, so until next time,I hope you have a beautiful and blessed
week and I would love it ifyou would leave us a rating review
(29:46):
on Apple Podcast if thisepisode or others have helped you
or helped encourage you in anyway that helps more people discover
us and us get found so that wecan connect with more people.
Thanks again for listening tothe show and if you enjoyed today's
episode, we would love it ifyou could take a minute to leave
a rating and review on ApplePodcast because it helps our show
(30:08):
get discovered by more people.
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