Collaboration

Published on by Caitlin SnyderLeave a comment

Some of my favorite things begin with the letter, “C”. Community, church, Cru, college, coffee, cooking, creating, celebrating, compassion, the color coral, chocolate, and my new favorite – collaboration.

Just for fun, my name is Caitlin, my favorite girls name is Charlotte, I drive a charcoal CR-V, my college’s colors were cream and crimson, my sorority’s flower was the carnation, I love champagne and I am a recovering Coca-Cola Classic addict. I’m also a high “J” on the Myers Briggs personality test, meaning that I like closure. (I challenge you to pick a letter and see if you can come up with as many favorites as I can with the letter C!)

Anyways, I work in an office full of women. While this may not be the ideal environment for a man (we’re welcoming, I promise), it has been so life-giving to me over the past year and a half. I love my work environment because we celebrate birthdays with cakes and cards, my co-workers are intelligent and compassionate, and also because it encourages collaboration.

Late last week, I spent a couple days working on updating some of our marketing materials. I was updating a document that has had some revisions over the past couple years, but they have been minor, not major changes. When I start a project with updating in mind, I’m not always asking the big picture questions – Is there a better way to present this information? Why have we used this picture in the past? As I made some cosmetic changes to this document, there was still something off, but I could not figure it out. Thankfully, I work with people who happily give feedback and know that sometimes it just takes another set of eyes. The end result of this document is far better than anything I could have come up with on my own. It is organized better and instead of just being updated fonts and consistent sizing, it is easier to follow and pleasing to the eye. Because of collaboration.

My boss and I have been talking a lot about this concept because of how we have seen it transform our work place.

Collaboration says, “What we can accomplish together is far better than what I can accomplish on my own.”

Collaboration says, “I care more about the end goal than about my name being the only one on it.”

Collaboration says, “I’m willing to combine our ideas together to create something new.”

Unfortunately collaboration is not what comes naturally. Collaboration contrasts with 17 years of my public education where my grade was what I earned. Yes, class projects factor into an overall grade, but it is primarily what one is able to accomplish as an individual. Collaboration has taken me unlearning selfish habits and keeping my eyes focused on the greater vision. Thankfully, in my workplace, the greater vision is easy to get on board with – families for children in need, but even with that cause, I can make it about me. I worry about my own career or how I can achieve my goals. My aspirations and selfish desires can start to taint the community-oriented work place that we have created.

I am beginning to understand that collaboration is the way of the kingdom. Collaboration lays down personal rights for a higher cause, is that not what Jesus Himself did on the cross?

Collaboration is worth the fight and the surrender. When we each bring our best to the table and combine it all together, creating something new, everyone wins. The kingdom of God needs us to get over ourselves and our differences, remember that the vision we are united in is not ours, but Gods, and come together for His glory.

The kingdom needs us to collaborate.

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Collaboration occurs in community and calls us to celebrate with champagne, or Coca-Cola Classic 🙂 How many “C’s” can you use in one sentence?

Monday Lovin’

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It’s Monday. I’m lacking motivation to write today, so instead of writing about things that I’m lovin’ right now, I decided to share 10 fun facts about me. I know that there are some of you who read my blog and who do not know me in real life, and perhaps even for my real life friends, maybe a couple of these facts may surprise you!

  1. I am messy. My bedroom floor almost always has clothes on it and depending on the day my desk may look like a disaster zone.
  1. I am not good at routines. Doing laundry on the same day of the week, getting prescriptions filled, and workout schedules are the death of me.
  1. I have a crazy creepy memory. That’s what I call it. It can be such an asset, but I also have to remember to preface some conversations with, “I only remember this because I have a crazy creepy memory…” I rely on my memory to avoid organization sometimes, but I’m thankful for my ability to recall details and remember special comments that friends have made.
  1. When I moved to college, my 8 year old brother told me that he was going to miss my high pitched sneezes. No lie, I sound like a mouse.
  1. Running is one of my favorite hobbies. It is a huge stress relief, keeps me disciplined and helps me love my body well. I’m currently training for a half-marathon.
  1. I try to plan my outfits at the beginning of the week. I do this in hopes of wearing a variety of the clothes in my closet and not just wearing the same thin each week. It also prevents me from buying things spur of the moment at work just because “I have nothing to wear.”
  1. Not a morning person. I hit the snooze button at least twice every morning. Thank goodness our day at the office doesn’t officially start until 9am, an 8am arrival time would be the death of me. I’ve tried to get in the routine of morning workouts, and I do love them, but see #2.
  1. I will almost never turn down a margarita. I like flavored margaritas, but plain ones are great too. They’re my favorite alcoholic drink, which is perfect because Mexican food is also one of my favorites.
  1. Beach sunsets are my favorite. Beaches are my favorite, too. The sand and waves crashing is like walking on holy ground for me.
  2. I am deeply relational. I thrive on connecting with others. Good conversations bring me joy. Friendships energize me. There’s something so special as a friend saying, “I love you and I trust you.” I joke that my goal at both my jobs is to make a friend. I want the people I’m talking with to trust me, whether it’s information about a country program or which jeans look best. Relationships, they’re what keep me going.

“Come and See”

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I love to plan. I’m not necessarily a planner, but when it comes to events, trips and parties, I put my planning hat on and dive right in. Being highly relational, I thrive on connection with others and watching others connect with one another. Our apartment has seen many gatherings over the last 18 months. Each step is fun for me – creating the Facebook event (sometimes I get out of control and come up with marketing plans), selecting food to cook, making drinks, decorating the apartment, and even cleaning up. It is a privilege to host and plan, and it brings me joy.

I’m spending the Lenten season reading through the Gospel of John. Relationship and gathering people is central in this Gospel. Four chapters in, and I’m starting to wonder if it can be summed up with the following statement – “Come and see.” The disciples started to realize early on that they could not change people hearts, only Jesus could do that, therefore, they needed to connect Jesus with the people. “Come and see,” was the invitation.

More than an invitation, it was a promise. Come, see and be changed. You wouldn’t leave the same as you came. One encounter with Jesus is all that it would take to see their lives radically changed.

The woman at the well is one of the Bible stories. I come back to time and time again, reminded that Jesus refused to let cultural boundaries and norms define the people who He would interact with. Here’s a woman outcast by society – unmarried, promiscuous, Samaritan – and yet once she meets Jesus, she tells the very people she was avoiding, “Come and see Him; meet Him for yourselves.” And lives are saved because the people meet Jesus and place their faith in Him.

I am the woman at the well. Afraid of what others think of me, the life I’ve chosen for myself, the mistakes of my past, and my current sin, I avoid those who need Jesus. I do not extend the invitation. Or instead, I am like those who avoided the woman at the well, watching from a distance and casting judgment upon someone who is different from me.

I get caught up in the details, in making it about me, but when it’s an invitation and not an agenda item, God gets the glory and lives are changed. Isn’t that evangelism? Being the connecting piece between Jesus and people who do not know Him? “Come and see Jesus” is the invitation to the eternal party, the one that will last forever in Heaven.

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Monday Lovin’

Published on by Caitlin SnyderLeave a comment

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Thankfully it is the last Monday of February. These bitter cold temperatures are killing me, and making it difficult to be creative with the clothes in my closet. I’m ready to be able to wear dresses and skirts without tights and sandals instead of boots. I can handle the cold weather through February, but into March and I start to say, “I can’t even.” It better not snow into April this year. After taking a brief break from Monday Lovin’ last week, I’m excited to share with you the things I’m enjoying right now.

1. Indianapolis does not do a good job plowing the streets when it snows, but the Monon Trail gets cleared pretty well. After 7 miles on the dreadmill last Saturday, I ventured outside for 8 miles yesterday. Even though we got at least 3 inches of snow on Saturday, I was beyond thankful that the Monon was pretty clear. It was a bit chillier than I prefer to run in, but it was better than running inside.

2. Lazy days are my favorite. Two in a row and I can tend to go stir crazy, but yesterday, after church, a Target run and my run outside, I showered and then laid on the couch all afternoon. I had a chance to make some food for the week and treats for work today. I am learning how to rest, and yesterday’s rest involved lots of West Wing, coffee and comfy clothes.

3. The West Wing’s season 3 has some of my favorite (and in my opinion, best) episodes of television. I binged watched them today, falling back in love with some of my favorite television characters. I like the witty banter of Gilmore Girls, but West Wing is sharp, smart and oh so good.

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4. My new Sorel snow boots have been keeping my feet warm and dry during these arctic days. I’m excited to have them, especially since Indiana has been getting snow each week the past couple winters.

5. I spent a lot of time sitting around a table with good friends this weekend. Some were old, some were new, but I am convinced that we’re not meant to walk this life alone. Important conversations happen in relationship. It is one thing to put something on Facebook, but to share your story through relationship and to listen to others share, is to be able to begin understanding. I am thankful to have friends a lot like me, and to have friends very different from me. Being in relationship with all types of people helps me see the world differently; it strengthens and challenges my beliefs in a healthy way.

I am thankful for another week. I hope your week is awesome!

The Holy Dance

Published on by Caitlin SnyderLeave a comment

I have a signature dance move. It has become well-known in my circle of friends. I should trademark it, except Taio Cruz may consider that copyright infringement.

Yes, I have been known to, “throw my hands up in the air, sometimes.” I’ve tried to learn to love other dance moves, but my lack of coordination has made that very difficult. However, I love watching people dance. It’s not just the passion with which they do it, but more so the emotions they invoke in my heart. To me, that’s the moving part about art – the feelings it brings out in me.

As Lent kicked off yesterday, I’m reminded of a holy dance, the dance of the Christian, and the one that we remember

as we pass through this time of year and reflect on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross 2.000 years ago.

At the foot of the cross, life and death meet each other in a sacred dance. It is here where death and life are but one, occurring simultaneously. Death leading life and then life leading death. The boundary between the two is so thin it is almost non-existent, as two bodies hold themselves closely while keeping with perfect rhythm. Here where glory and humility intertwine. Here where you can lose yourself in Him and where His spirit comes alive in you.

I must tether myself to the foot of the cross. If I start to go too far, I hear the whisper calling me, “Come back, Beloved, don’t wander too far. Here is where you belong.” It is here where the distance between my head and my heart seems to be non-existent. It is here where His glory is what I’m focused on, and not my own. It is here where I find myself wanting to myself humble as I fix my eyes on His humility. It is here where His death and resurrection remind me of the need of death to myself so I can live in Him. It is here where truth and grace balance each other perfectly. It is here that I remember that grace is both costly and freely given to those who believe. It is here where surrender and submission are all He wants of me.

It is at the foot of the cross where I can confidently say, “Your scars will bring my healing, Lord. Your suffering has become my freedom. I will obey and I will follow.” Because as I fix my eyes upon the marvelous cross, I cannot bring myself to do anything to surrender it all – fears, failures, hopes and dreams. Here it isn’t about me, but about Him.

My temptation is to wander. Sometimes I wander so far that I start to believe it is about me, about my success, about my reputation and my selfish desires. As soon as I start to wander, I try to prove myself worthy of grace and fear that one misstep and I’m out, fallen, and forgotten. Thankfully, when I wander, I am not forgotten, and instead, His love, mercy and grace beckon me back. Back to the foot of the cross. Back to where I belong.

And there, at the foot of the cross, instead of throwing my hands up in the air and saying, “Ayo,” I lift my hands in surrender to a God whose humility brings glory, and I marvel at the holy dance of death and life.

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It’s Monday

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Last night I put on a borrowed leather jacket, black suede wedges, liquid eyeliner and pink lipstick. I drank one of the best margaritas in the city, surrounded by some of the best women that I know and we made sure to take pictures to document the night. Two hours later, I checked my phone with about two songs left to hear at the concert. Twenty-one Christians lost their lives to ISIS. My social media feed went from the happiness of Valentines Day to the grim reality of the world. I am feeling numb and raw today. My heart is far from chocolates and flowers, it sits heavy in my chest, longing for Jesus to make things right. I can’t quite put into words how I feel so today I’m borrowing from a great.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: ‘ye were bought at a price,’ and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” (The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

May I live in light of costly grace, instead of the cheap imitation. May I follow after the call, dedicating my life to true discipleship. May I accept that which cost Jesus His life, remembering that it is the only thing worthy of my life.

 

The Unfinished

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In the eighth grade, I started a book that I could not bring myself to finish. It bored me and I set it aside. There was nothing wrong with the book; I just wasn’t feeling it. I really wanted to like it and I kept reading it in hopes of it getting better. But about halfway through, I stopped. I shared this with my English teacher and she said, “Life is too short to read a book you don’t enjoy. There are too many good ones.” However, it is not in my nature to leave books unfinished, in fact it is so rare that I can remember when it happens.

On the Myers-Briggs Test, I usually score as a very high J. I like to check things off a to-do list. Unresolved conflict nags at me. I long to complete tasks before starting something new. Closure is the name of my game. Sixty days into my job, I confessed to my boss that my new position felt very unnatural to me at times because I don’t thrive on doing a hundred things at once. I like to start and complete one thing. In the 18 months since then, my job has greatly enhanced my ability to work on lots of things all at the same time. You can’t work as an administrative assistant at a small business without learning the art of juggling a hundred things over the course of one day, and maybe not quite completing each of them. Some days my coveted to do list and I are worst enemies because nothing is done enough to cross off. The unfinished feels a little less unsettling. Case in point, there are currently four books on my nightstand; I’m at least 100 pages into each of them.

I am not proud to be seemingly unable to finish reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom, but I don’t feel shame about it either. I just haven’t quite reached the end. I intend to keep reading; I want to put it on my bookshelf of “Books Read in 2015.” It just isn’t there yet. Neither are the other three other books sitting right next to my bed.

I often write about how has God been faithful when I have stayed in difficult seasons. He is. He will continue to be. There are going to be times when leaving something unfinished is disobedient, but staying in something that God is calling you out of is also disobedient. Walking away before it’s over does not always make you a quitter.

I am growing more comfortable with the unfinished, with allowing God to press pause on something so I can switch gears to something else. It’s as if I’ve quit trying to solve the formula of God’s plan for my life and I’m letting it ebb and flow. The equation isn’t always going to balance. There isn’t always a beginning and an end to the storylines, and some are abandoned before you even get to the good part. Some things are good for a season and then they’re not, so we’re forced to abandon them and to leave them unfinished.

Leaving something unfinished isn’t always a discipline issue, as I used to believe. With unfinished stories, there are just parts that are not yet written. Some will complete themselves with time and others will not. There’s beauty in the unfinished and incomplete.

Monday Lovin’

Published on by Caitlin Snyder1 Comment

Rarely do I end the weekend excited for Monday morning. This is not because I dread my job, I love my job, but the 9-5 schedule can be taxing. Add in a couple evenings of retail work and the rest a weekend can provide sometimes doesn’t quite feel like enough. I usually start the week wishing for more sleep, more rest and more quiet. But Sunday was full of rest and quiet, preparing me for another week.

  1. Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You captivated my attention this weekend. I took a break from the other book I’m reading (a younger version of myself would judge me) to read it. For a quick, weighty, forces you to think, read, I highly recommend it! My poor roommate listened to me gasp all afternoon when and say, “I just can’t even.”
  1. This weekend was full of quality time. Time with my parents, my brother, my co-workers and my roommate. Since quality time is my love language, my heart is so happy because of good time with the people I love. I enjoyed laying around the apartment doing absolutely nothing with my roommate today, online window shopping and talking about life. I’ve been so blessed to live with such great women, but with different schedules we don’t always get to spend a lot of time together.
  1. On a whim I started following Lauren Conrad on Instagram. I highly recommend it, if you’re looking to follow a celebrity who is girly and fun!
  1. One of my favorite authors/bloggers is Emily Freeman. She speaks my soul language. Last week she wrote a very freeing blog about work. I can struggle to want to work some days, and then feel guilty because the work I do is so worthy. I am thankful to do my job, and yet some days I just don’t want to do it. Or days I feel like I’ve put my whole heart into it and the outcome isn’t what I want. She wrote, “Work we love is still hard work.” Yes. And hard work is worthy, kingdom work. It’s worth the fight.
  1. On Thursday night at small group we studied Hebrews 11. (I’m teaching on Hebrews 12 this Thursday, so if you think about it, say some prayers for me.) It’s the Hall of Faith and full of stories of how God is faithful to His children when they obey and walk in faith. I’ve cherished the time I’ve spent reflecting back on all that God has done in my life. When we step out in faith, God responds; He does not leave or forsake His children.

Have a great week!

Fighting for Freedom

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For as along as I can remember, food and I have had an unhealthy relationship. Like middle school dating when the couple lovingly bickers about who should hang up first, food and I couldn’t quite figure out how to quit each other. Unlike the middle school relationship where they breakup when one realizes that the fit isn’t quite right, my emotionally dependent relationship with food followed me into adulthood. Some seasons have been worse than others, but until recently it felt like the boyfriend I could not quite stay away from even though the relationship wasn’t good for me.

My unhealthy relationship with food looked something like this: purposely leaving my sorority house during the dinner hour because I was stressed and “didn’t feel like eating”; binging on sweets after a hard day of classes only to feel guilty and workout during dinner instead of eating real food; writing my weight on my calendar daily. As a girl who tends to live a jam-packed, one may say, overpacked, schedule, when I started to feel overwhelmed, I longed for something to control. Manipulating food was a coping mechanism. While some turn to alcohol or sex, at my absolute lowest, being hungry gave me a high that made me thrive. Weight loss was not the primary goal, control was, but somewhere along the way, they became interconnected. I was so lost in this unhealthy relationship that I did not know my way out.

Unlike an unhealthy relationship with a person, I need food to survive. It’s necessary to function. It not as simple as cutting off communication with someone who may be toxic; its something I have needed to wrestle with every day.

In the spring of 2014, I trained for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon and during my training I started to lose weight. Instead of my brain recognizing that I needed to eat more food to compensate for the 1,000 calories I would burn on my long runs, my mind traveled down the well-worn path of unhealthiness. “I wonder if I could eat less and lose more weight?” Thankfully, I heard a voice louder than the unhealthy whisper. This louder voice said, “Caitlin, we’re not doing this again, you’ve fought too hard against this, we can’t go there again.” Praise be to God.

I had several “come to Jesus” moments when I knew I needed to get well. This is not an issue I wanted to watch my daughters deal with. I longed to be healthy, to love my body and to develop productive coping mechanisms. I longed to be free. I wish I could remember exactly what worked, but over two years later, I’m still learning and growing. It helps to remember just how much freedom I’ve experienced from something that held me captive for so long. It is healing to tell my story.

In the past year, I have made several commitments to my body and mind.

  • I will feed it good food. Food that nourishes and fuels. I will feed it enough food for what I expect it to do. Key in this food issue is a nutritional rebalancing system that I’ve been on since August. It has solidified healthy habits that I was trying to establish, and has prevented me from using busyness as an excuse to skip a meal, thus triggering more unhealthiness.
  • I will workout. Ironically, running has become a safe guard for me. I love to run, I love to get faster. In order to get faster and train at a high level, I have to make sure that I eat the right things. Working out on a regular basis encourages me to fuel my body with the right food.
  • I will make sure it gets adequate rest – not just hours of sleep, but recovery time. I will listen to it when it is hurting. Pain as gain is not always the case. Especially when I’ve seen how pain and discomfort can mess with my mind.
  • I will recognize my triggers. As I said above, control and food/weight loss are interconnected in my mind. Even though my unhealthy relationship with food is not always related to a desire to be skinnier, hearing about fad diets or listening to someone say, “I haven’t eaten all day,” can tempt me into controling food in an unhealthy way.
  • I will view it as strong. Instead of getting frustrated that I can’t run faster or that instead of running 7 miles, I had to stop and walk a couple times, I will remember how thankful I am for a body that lets me run. My legs work the way they are supposed to. My athletic muscles allowed me to enjoy a decade of soccer and how they’re enabling to me healthily cope with stress and giving me a great hobby through running.

Today after my weekly Wednesday workout, I stepped off the treadmill (2.5 miles in 20:10 thank you very much), I silently thanked my body and I silently said a prayer of thanks to God. I ate a good dinner and packed my lunch for tomorrow. I’m learning not to take my body for granted. I want to be healthy, mind, body and soul. I want to look at myself as one who is made in the image of God, giving Him the glory for everything. Just like we have to set good boundaries in relationships with others, I have to set good boundaries in my relationship with my body. I’m learning and growing and being patient along the way.

 

Note: This is my story regarding food and control issues. It is just that – my story. The ways that I’ve processed through unhealthy behavior are not what I would recommend for anyone and everyone. I know that this is a controversial topic. I also know sharing my story is part of my own healing.

 

 

Monday Lovin’

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Movie night, game night, Bazbeaux’s, and football all make for a full weekend! If January is any indication, this year is going to be a great one! I’m excited for the first Monday of February!

  1. I remember the Mia Hamm and Michael Jordan Gatorade commercials. They taunted each other, playing different sports and singing, “Anything you can do, I can do better, anything I can do, I’m better than you.” Mia Hamm became such a significant role model for me; she challenged me to be better and to dream bigger. Her ability to compete at a high level for a decade sets an example for women and men. My favorite commercial during the Super Bowl last night was the #likeagirl campaign. I love strong women, in all careers, in all spheres of influence. I hope the #likeagirl commercials can influence another generation of girls to dream and to become the best people they can be.
  2. This song.
  1. On Saturday, I spent time with some sorority sisters who were two years younger than me. I discipled a couple of them, and led the Bible Study that they were in my senior year. I loved having the opportunity to hear about our chapter, how things have changed, what is still the same, and to catch up about what God is doing in their lives. Hearing about how their faith has grown points me to God’s faithfulness.
  2. New spring clothes at J.Crew. Yes. This is one of my new favorite things!
  3. IMG_2951Hebrews 10. We studied it on Thursday at small group and I was reminded why I love the book of Hebrews and how special this specific chapter is. “Let us spur each other on to love and good deeds!”