I’m (finally!) selling t-shirts!! It took a while to figure out a design and finalize it, so I wanted to give some details & explain the meaning behind it all 🙂
As for the practical details, these shirts are comfort colors & come in 2 color options (olive green and dark gray). They’re not preshrunk and are 100% cotton, so that does need to be taken into consideration when choosing your size. I’ve had several comfort color shirts and from my experience the shrinking has been pretty minimal as long as it’s laundered correctly!
I’m selling them for $22 per shirt plus $4 for shipping if needed! You can pay through venmo (@jennopdahl), cash, or check! Reach out to me with your size and color if you’re interested! I’m planning on selling them for 2-3 weeks.
I’ve learned a lot about freedom in the past few years. At different points throughout high school, I dealt with lots of worry and anxiety surrounding school, friendships, and skating. While it’s definitely not uncommon to struggle with these things, it became easy to feel somewhat paralyzed by fear, anxiety, and worry. It was easy for me to feel exhausted because I put so much time and energy into worrying. I’ve learned freedom is a choice, just as much as holding onto anxiety is. In the times I’ve chosen to hold onto fear and anxiety, it’s become a huge burden – and we weren’t meant to carry things on our own.
Philippians 4:6-7 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. This verse has given me an understanding of what it practically looks like to find freedom from anxiety & worry. Just as the Bible commands not to be fearful, it also commands us not to be anxious. I’ve learned to thank the Lord for the things that make me anxious and fearful. And not because I love dealing with these things – but because in the midst of these situations, thanking Him has helped me acknowledge that He’s in control of my circumstances & that He has power over whatever I’m facing. It’s easy for me to become bound to anxiety & constantly living in fear. But I have the choice to walk in freedom by giving my burdens up to God. It’s a day by day communication, acknowledging He’s sovereign and in control of my life, which has brought me a peace the passes understanding!
Jesus died for our sins, defeated death, and rose again in victory so that we could walk in new life, free from our sin and bondage. He didn’t come just for us to continue to walk as we did before – He came to bring new life & freedom. And with finding freedom comes the ability to proclaim it to others. I’ve experienced the Lord’s power & the freedom He offers, and I long for others to experience it as well! At the beginning of this month, I was given the opportunity to share some of my experiences with the girls in my youth group. In short, I shared how I persevered through those seasons of anxiety. It was a really special experience, testifying of the freedom I had found to others! (if you want to watch it I can send you the link!:)
I’m still learning about freedom & always will be. I’ve learned a lot about the Lord’s unchanging character during the last few months & have been reminded that there is freedom in every season of life. He is faithful and sovereign all the time & just because the last few months have looked a bit different doesn’t mean His character has changed. So even in the midst of everything going on in our world, I can choose to walk through this season proclaiming freedom. And the world needs to know this more than ever! There is hope and freedom from anxiety, fear, shame, etc. In Jesus we have freedom to walk with authority even in the midst of uncertainty!
That explanation might have been a bit all over the place but I hope ya got the gist of it! I’d love to talk if you have any questions about the shirts or the meaning behind them & please feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested 🙂
ALSO – I didn’t want to make this blog unbearably long, so I’m hoping to post another one tomorrow with alllll the updates – both personal and COVID related!
As always, thank you all so much for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement, especially during this time! You all are incredible & I’m so thankful for every one of you 🙂
<3 jen
