Author Your Own Story- Episode 50

Gigi is back after relocating to Florida! Beginning a new journey with lots of truths being revealed along the way.  Join her in this episode as she divulges some hard lessons and gives encouragement to write your best life story.  

Resources Mentioned:  Scripture- Job 14:5

 Suggested Worship- “Write Your Story” by Francesca Battistelli 

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Transcript

Aloha Ladies- Welcome Back. 

I know.  I know, it's been a super long time. 

So much has transpired since my last episode! I’m no longer “Gigi In Hawaii” but now- “Gigi flourishing in Florida!”

It has been a whirlwind, with closed doors leading to unexpected new beginnings. There is just so much to say about what transpired leading up to this big move that I’ll save it for another episode; let’s just say that, at this juncture, this transition required us to listen and trust God at whole new levels that required surrender and the difficult task of letting go of people and things we dearly loved.

Ultimately, God has shown me that He is taking us into a “new season”, and reflecting over the last several years, I see now that I was overextended and wearing way too many hats!

Let me give you a glimpse into all the “hats” I was wearing:

1. Managed my husband’s investigation business;

2. Church administrator;

3. Board member & media director at a local women’s club;

4. Co-Leader of a church’s security team;

5. Led a monthly women’s IF Table group;

6. Member of a women’s leadership team at church;

7. Worked the media booth during church services;

8. Assistant Leader with a church’s hula ministry;

9. Danced with an additional hula ministry that focused on outreach to veterans and care homes;

10. Led a marriage ministry group;

11. Led a family Bible study over Zoom;

12. Facilitator, speaker, and board member with Freedom Advance Ministries;

13. And let me not forget writing this blog/podcast!

I share this not for praise, but to admit embarrassment. As many of these worthy roles began without seeking God’s guidance, and my overextension led to neglecting my household and my marriage! Busyness, appearance, and performance subtly became idols. Where the ACT of serving Jesus brought me my deepest level of joy and delight, rather than Jesus himself!

Over the last three years, God, in His perfect timing, helped me let go of what I clung to and brought me to a place of rest, reflection, and renewal.

When we arrived in Florida, God showed me it was time for “hibernation.” Initially, I resisted, associating it with inactivity. But I learned, like a mama bear, hibernation also means healing, conserving energy, and nurturing the future. You see, it is during hibernation that the mama bear gives birth, nursing and rearing her new cubs to prepare them for life after the winter. Thus, it became a time for me to focus inward and prepare for my new growth- my life after winter! Preparing for what’s next. 

This has been a precious time during which God has spoken truth into my life; as such, I’d like to share some of those truths with you.

Starting with something I heard spoken to me in the middle of the night-

“The story has already been written.”

I see scripture in this from the book of Job 14:5– “a person’s days are determined; you Lord have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

I now disagree with the C.S. Lewis quote, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” I’d like to tweak this a bit, as I now see that God alone authors both our beginning and ending. We don’t choose our birth or our family, nor can we alter the end.

Our ending, like our birth, is solely in God’s hands, and no amount of health, medicine, or technology can change what He has already written.

However, the beauty is in the middle: the place that WE get to create our story. It is that “dash on the tombstone” that represents our choices, not only shaping our current existence but also our eternity.

God gives us the creative freedom to write the most important part of our story. Made in His image, we have the ability to create, to choose our path and our destiny.

As I say this, I’m reminded of an encounter I had with the Lord back in July 2025, at a Freedom Advance conference. In this encounter, I was in the library of Abba Father’s house. The room was filled floor to ceiling with shelves of colorful books, and one full wall of windows overlooked a beautiful garden, with sunlight pouring in. I was seated on Abba Father’s lap in this comfy overstuffed chair. We were reading a book together. Abba told me that this book was my life and that we were writing the story together. He turned to a blank page, and He asked me, “What should we write next, my daughter? What do you want to see in this next season- on these new pages?” I replied that I want clarity on what He wants for my life. That I know, if we do this together, nothing can go wrong. Abba responded, saying, “My daughter, I give you confidence – confidence in knowing that I am always with you and you can never disappoint me.”

What I believe God is speaking into my life and what He wants to speak into your life is this….

Time is precious. Time is fleeting. The clock started the day we took our first breath, and the final chapter is already written.

So, what are we doing with this precious gift of writing the middle?

What are we writing in our story?

Is our story influenced by the world, by ourselves, or by God?

Would God be pleased with what is being written in our creative latitude?

None of us is promised tomorrow, and none of us knows the number of the days that God has already ordained.

But, may I encourage you today to learn from my mistakes! Pay close attention to what season you are in and give yourself some grace. It’s OK to say “no.” It’s OK to struggle. It’s OK to hibernate.

It’s all part of the journey… part of the story!

Just know that YOU ARE WRITING THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, and determine why you are writing it. 

And, beloved, write your story WITH God.

Because when you do, it will be a good one! God cannot fail.