My Vicarious Life: 30 Days of Truth

30 Days of Truth | Day 30

30 Days of Truth June 08, 2012

By Katrice

A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.

Dear Katrice,

I guess I'll start this letter off with the one profound thing that has become increasingly apparent over the past few years ... the thing that I believe has begun to be a rousing theme in your life and that it is your courage. Before 2006, I would never have described you as courageous ... though I know it was always something you desired to embody. To that point, I am so proud of you for not shying away from these 30 Days of Truth. It has been 30 days of freeing yourself, which is sometimes scary. I love that you are committed to reconciling to the bottom lines of your life and that you used this challenge to face some realities head on.

I love your natural hair.

I love your desire to be of service to others and how that has threaded every facet of your life together. I love that you love hard, despite past hurts and are able to let go of things that could otherwise weigh you down. I love that you are forgiving and unselfish. I love your humility and willingness to acknowledge God as the center of everything you are, possess and all that you do.

I love your mind.

I love that you plan and work ... even planning and working out your life, leaving very little to chance.

I love your zest for life and striving for better all the time — from knowledge to style and experiencing the world. I love that you're an avid dreamer and hold fast to dreams until they have been realized. And with that, that you believe there are few, if any, limits on what you can do and have.

I love that you have chosen to be happy and have taken your happiness on as a guiding factor in the decisions you make about both the present and the future. I love that you have chosen to ever be better. I love that you have chosen resilience. I love that you have chosen to live a set apart life and the narrow path. I love that you have chosen to be free. I love that you revere the power of choice. I love that you revere the power of God.

I love that you love life.

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30 Days of Truth | Day 29

30 Days of Truth June 07, 2012

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30 Days of Truth | Day 28

30 Days of Truth June 06, 2012

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30 Days of Truth | Day 27

30 Days of Truth June 05, 2012

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30 Days of Truth | Day 26

30 Days of Truth May 30, 2012

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30 Days of Truth | Day 25

30 Days of Truth May 29, 2012

By Katrice

The reason you believe you're still alive today.

When I was 23, I met a young man named Mark through a mutual friend. He was unlike any guy I had ever dated in that he was very settled down, genuinely spiritual and just simply authentic. We became exclusive after getting to know each other for about six months and there was never a dull moment. Really. He was a young preacher and it fascinated me how serious he was about his ministry — especially the time he dedicated to studying. At first, I thought he wasn't really interested in me because I had never experienced a guy telling me that he was going to do a little work and call me back in three hours. Three hours!? But, it wasn't long before I realized that he kept his word and when he did call back or visit, he was extremely attentive. I admired that about him. After we had been dating for two years, he fell ill and passed away suddenly at the age of 27. I could barely focus on anything. I had never experienced anyone close to me dying at such a young age and the sheer unexpectedness of it was enough to turn my world upside down. People tried to console me, of course, but I refused to be comforted. At his funeral, one of his friends came up to have words about the impact that Mark had on his life, particularly influencing him to not only develop a relationship with God, but to dedicate his life to it and how that changed everything. I knew that Mark was always reading his Bible and working on sermons. But, during his service I heard so much more about everything that he had been doing at his church, his humility and how many people he had been a beacon to in drawing them to Christ. And even in my grief and haze, I had a moment of clarity ... I literally wondered, while sitting just few feet from his casket, "what would people say about me if I died today?" At that time in my life, I was already saved and working in my church. But, I was really just doing things that I had always seen my peers do and what I thought I should do. I wasn't reaching. And I thought: What if I had, at 27, done everything that God wanted out of my life? What an honor that would be spiritually.

That thought changed my entire trajectory. Mark's life and his death changed me.

I believe I'm still alive today because there is some very specific thing {or things} that God wants of me, as well. One thing I know for sure is that He has blessed me to inspire. Since I know it, I take every opportunity to do and be that so that His goodness and favor show through my life. And still, I believe there is more.

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