[buzzsprout episode=’1906166′ player=’true’]
Hello everyone, Welcome back to Hear and Now Podcast, my name’s Sophia, and in this week’s episode we are talking about finding peace and refusing to conform.
Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode, make sure you like our Facebook page at Hear and Now Podcast, follow me on instagram at @sophialebano and subscribe to us on iTunes and Spotify! As always, the link to the transcript of this episode will be in the show notes, or at sophialebano.com/podcast
Before we get started, I want to highlight Pura Vida Bracelets, which means pure life in spanish, points us to a lifestyle of living free. If you want to save 20% on your purchases, enter the code sophialebano20 at checkout. Again, that’s code sophialebano20. You can also apply to be a brand ambassador like me and get your own code to share with others! When you make a purchase using my code, dm me to be entered to win a free bracelet!
I added some changes onto my blog – I added a recipes section, so you can check that out for some yummy recipes. You can also check out my new blog section! I am getting into writing more and more, so I will post my thoughts there once a week or so. So go check it out!
This week’s prayer intention is for you to find your purpose. A lot of us get stuck trying to listen to what society wants us to do, but trust God. He will lead you to find your purpose. I’m also going to have this serve as your bible verse and encouragement of the week. This week’s comes from Romans 8:28. “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)” Sometimes I think that reading bible verses are like a breath of fresh air. I hope this offers you some comfort.
And one more thing before we dive into the episode. I started out this podcast 10 episodes and two months ago! I began by talking about my hearing loss journey. I’ll eventually get back to content like that, but I wanted to try something else for a little while. But, I wanted to quickly share a funny story that I can’t believe I haven’t shared before! So it was a couple months ago and my sisters and I were sitting outside my grandmother’s apartment and my parents were inside like having a conversation with her. I leaned up against her door and just felt this force pull me against the door. My implant magnet had actually gotten stuck to the door! Which meant that I did too. I texted my dad that if he heard a thump not to worry, that I just got stuck to the door! It was definitely a laughing moment. It didn’t just happen that one time unfortunately. Whenever I’m standing near magnetic surfaces (within like close proximity) I will get stuck. I have a metal bed frame and I cant lay back without getting stuck to it! Anyway, that was just a little funny anecdote for ya.
Ok, let’s get into the episode.
So in this week’s episode we are going to be chatting about finding peace and what God teaches us about conformity. So let’s talk about finding peace first. Peace is something that is frequently preached in the Bible. It’s a state of being, a freedom of disturbances or wars. It’s very hard to find peace in a world where all we see is flashing lights, screens, colors, and distractions. Everything around us is constantly moving, so to find peace in our day might be a task for all of us. But how can you find peace in the midst of chaos? There are three things we can do. Focus, trust, and just be. Focus on the things that aren’t distracting to us. Focus on moving towards the future, focus on giving yourself time and healing. Trust God, trust a loved one, trust yourself. Be present right now, because there is no greater time than now. We all need to slow down and not try to climb the ladder that is already worn. Read St. Augustine’s Confessions, where he talked about time and how it is fleeting. Time never stops moving. There is no past or future. Time is never in the present. There are a million things you are thinking about right now, but everything I just said is already in the past. God already has seen and foreseen what is happening. God is outside of time. There is no greater time than now. We all need to slow down and not try to climb the ladder that is already worn. Instead, build a new one in a different direction.
Conformity is so stressed in this day and age. Be like everyone else and you’ll fit in. Wear the same clothes and you’ll fit in. Have the same body and you’ll fit in. The list is endless. In the day and age of influencers its so hard to not want to be like everyone else. I feel the same way sometimes. I see someone who has this awesome wardrobe and when I go to find an outfit to wear, I end up hating everything in my closet and have a desire to buy all new clothes. That strips me of my identity. And that’s terrible, because it is so hard to be yourself. You feel like you’ll get ridiculed and judged for wearing something that everyone else frowns upon. You’re afraid of doing something different than everyone else. Even if no one says anything, deep down you are scared. But that’s okay.
One of the most impactful poems I read when I was in middle school was the Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I’m going to read it to you because it has so much imagery. Okay, here goes.
The Road Not Taken BY ROBERT FROST
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
I just love that poem. I actually wrote my college entrance essay on that poem and how it’s applied to my life! I’m the type of person that likes to do my own thing. I go through waves of wanting to do my own thing and feeling like I’m a total weirdo for doing that. It’s so hard. It’s a tricky thing to talk about because I don’t want to sound cheesy, cliché or like I’m attacking anyone. I always think of inspirational cat posters like “be your own person” or something like that.
Forget what society says about being your own person. The bible teaches us so much to be applied to our day. Jesus never conformed. He did His own thing. It’s a hard thing to do, influencers in this day and age have such a big influence. I know and truly believe that something good is going to come out of this. Even in darkest days, something good will come out of what you are going through.
God teaches us so much about refusing to conform. Roman 12:2 says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
1 John 2:15-17 says Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
I just got chills. The world is passing away along with its desires. We are going to far away from what God wants us to do. We will find our ultimate peace in the word of God and how God is teaching us that Heaven is where we don’t have to conform.
I hope that you can find comfort in the word of God. I’ve mentioned this before, but I know how hard it is for some people to take in what God is saying when we have all of this distraction in front of us. It’s going to be hard to stay on your own path, but I applaud those who do. God does too. He loves you so much. He wants you to be your own person and be who you are called to be. I know that God is working miracles in all of us right now. He is calling all of you to do His work on earth right now.
Okay, so that is it for this week’s episode. I hope you all enjoyed it! One more thing before I forget though, if I made a private facebook group for the podcast, would you join it? That way you can help me decide the topic of the episode, and maybe I’ll feature some of you on there! If you like that idea, Make sure you leave a comment or dm and follow me over on my instagram, subscribe to the podcast, and check out pura vida bracelets. I pray that God shows you peace, helps you find your purpose, and that you refuse to conform!
Have a blessed week everyone! I’ll see you next week. Bye!