Savannah Jaye

Today was a really exciting day for a lot of reasons: first, we finally got caught up on messages! second, we had a the first day of our mini-MOVE conference! and third, we got to hang out with Jamie for an hour and half this afternoon, just swapping life stories.

Probably the greatest moment of the day occurred during our mini-MOVE, while we were all sitting around a table and having a discussion about why society feels so uncomfortable having open and honest conversations about our struggles. We talked about the stigmas surrounding mental health, and we talked about shame and what we thought people would say if they saw who we really were.

Since we’ve gotten here, it has become really easy to get caught up in the awesome people we’re living with and working with, the incredibly inspiring people we’re meeting, the stories that people share with us, what our lives are going to be like for the next three months, what our lives are going to look like for the next week, or even what our lives are going to look like for the evening. The truth is though, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because I think honest conversation is important, I believe that our stories have value. I’m sick of watching my friends be scared to share their pain with the people who care about them most. I’m sick of being too scared to confront my friends’ pain with honesty and compassion.

I can’t fix you, but that’s okay. I believe in a community where it’s alright to admit our brokenness, because deep down we’re all broken. I have faith in a community where there is power in being known deeply and honestly, even when we don’t have all the right words to say. I want community to be more than a word or a concept, but a lifestyle we’re committed to, one where there is never a need to struggle alone. 

The most impacting part of our mini-MOVE conference today was when we were asked what the first step to treating addiction was, and none of us actually knew. We were told that it wasn’t just admitting that you have a problem, but that you were powerless to overcome the problem by yourself. That this is the reason it important for us to seek out community, because alone we are powerless to overcome our struggles.

We were created to be relational beings.
We were created to be so much more than individuals fighting alone.

So call the friend you’ve been avoiding all week.
Ask them to coffee. 
Be nervous and take a deep breath.
Then tell them the truth.

Tell them about how you’re still struggling with your last break-up.
Tell them about how you’ve been feeling lately.
Tell them about how you’re feeling stuck.
Tell them about how you don’t have any sense of direction.
Tell them that you feel disconnected from God.
Tell them that you’re in an unhealthy cycle of finding your self-worth in all the wrong places, but you just don’t know how to stop.
Tell them you’re overwhelmed with school and money and work.

Then stop and take another deep breath.
And then ask them how they’re doing, and mean it.

Ask them how their heart is.
Ask them about their soul.
Ask them what they’ve been worried about lately.
Ask them what they’ve been happy about lately.
Ask them what song they’ve really connected to recently and why.
Ask them if there is anything you can pray for them about.
Ask them about their family.
Ask them about their friends.
Ask them about their roommates.

Don’t know what to say.
Tell them you’re sorry that you don’t know what to say.
Give them a hug.
Tell them they are loved.
Tell them you appreciate their bravery in being open with you
Tell them that you’re glad to have the opportunity to have an honest, compassionate conversation.

These conversations don’t become easier or more comfortable overnight, but keep speaking truth, keep speaking love.
Don’t quit.
Don’t give up.
These conversations are important.
These conversations are powerful.
These conversations are life changing.
These conversations are beautiful.

Don’t give up. 

Please, don’t give up.