Hello! And welcome back to Midtown Magnolia. Or, rather I
should say welcome back to myself. I took quite the hiatus from the blog and I
am sorry for those who were checking back in only to find no new updates over
the past four months. I’ll be explaining this hiatus in today’s post and will
tell you about a new beginning for this beautiful blog of mine as well as what
you can expect from it in the future. If you want to skip down to the ‘What will
Midtown Magnolia be about?’ section feel free to. But, if you want to hear the journey,
then grab a cup of coffee and sit back because this post is about to get real J
I started this blog as a way to share my love of fashion and
as a creative outlet from the day-to-day. However, back in the summer of last
year when I finally got on track and started posting more frequently, I
realized I wasn’t blogging for the right reasons. I was using it as a tool to
try and fill a void in my life. I felt bored with life and I kept thinking
blogging would relieve this boredom but it didn't. It wasn’t satisfying
whatever was missing so I hit pause
to reevaluate. What was really going on here?
Thankfully, at about the same time, a new bible study at my
church was starting up. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not the first person to
raise my hand to join a bible study and I probably would have ignored it
completely. But, the beautiful book on display at the signup table stole my heart.
I am a sucker for well packaged and beautifully designed items and this book checked both of those boxes. It was wrapped in a pretty pink bow that looked
perfect against the pink and green cover. Once I got closer to the table, I
noticed the book’s title:
Walking with Purpose: Seven Priorities that Make Life Work. Well, if that wasn’t a
sign from God I don’t know what is! I had been searching for purpose in my life and this book
claimed to offer it, so with that I signed up and started reading.
I could write an entire post on this book because I loved it
so much and continue to reflect on it daily, but I’ll save that review for
another time. What I will say is that priority one is God and I realized that’s
what needed to shift in my life, He needed to be moved to that number one spot.
Here are two passages that struck me that very first week of the bible study:
“Sometimes
our quiet desperation comes from having achieved everything the world says
matters, and finding it hasn’t delivered on its promises. We must believe that this life is not all there is. There is so much more... [And] God stands above all.”
“Putting
God first doesn’t just make Him happy. It makes life work.”
So, during that bible study and after, I took time to work
on my relationship with God and to establish a solid foundation for making Him
priority number one. And, of course, I try my best to keep it that way every day.
Fast forward through the winter months and thoughts of
this blog never went away. However, I still felt torn. I wanted to make sure I was doing it for the right reasons before I moved forward. As I reflected on it, I developed this fear that blogging
about fashion promoted materialism and a superficial lifestyle. Not to mention the comparison game it can lead us all towards. But, on the other hand,
I knew having this deep passion and love for fashion was not inherently bad. I do believe that we are passionate about certain things for a reason. So why
was fashion it for me and how could I share this passion the right way?
With a little help from my closest confidant, I evaluated why it
was that I loved fashion and came up with these two reasons:
- It allows each of us to express our unique and individual personalities.
- When we are wearing the
right clothing for our bodies, it allows us to feel confident and this confidence
helps radiate our inner beauty.
Individualism and
inner beauty both gifts
from and reflections of God. There is truth and beauty in fashion but I think
it’s important to realize what that beauty ultimately points to. Looking back, beauty is what drew me
to the bible study and beauty, true beauty, is the ultimate reflection of
God.
What will Midtown Magnolia be about?
If you’ve read this far, you’re awesome! Now, you get to find
out what to expect from Midtown Magnolia.
Fashion
will still be a large part of this space – it is my passion after all! But, the
mindset has shifted as I explained above. I am working on keeping my wardrobe minimalistic and
attempting to streamline it so as to avoid getting caught in the fast-fashion
and materialistic trap. Plus, I want this blog to be a reminder that fashion is a reflection of our inner beauty, not a
tool to compare or prove ourselves to others.
Another topic I love to write about is weddings so you can expect to find more inspiration posts around
this as well as relationship posts, since that is what weddings are all about after
all!
Finally, every Sunday, similar to today’s post, I’ll be
sharing a faith based reflection – it may be a reflection on
a Bible verse, a faith based book I’m reading, or simply sharing some of the
beautiful resources I’ve come to rely on over the past few months. While it
will be a great opportunity every week for me to keep this blog in check with
my values, I hope these posts will also serve as a way for you to reflect on
Priority #1 in your life.
Faith, Love, & True Beauty that’s where Midtown Magnolia is
headed. I hope you’ll join on this new journey. I am so excited to see where it
takes us!
