Where Is Just Jo Things?
Don't worry!! It's still here!!!
WOW hello there!! It's me, JO!!! I am BEYOND excited to share with you my brand new blog!!!! Although this blog goes by a different name now, the content will still be (mostly) the same, so don't fret!!
First of all, I want to apologize for being MIA (again). I have been busy redesigning the name, the look, and the direction of this blog yay! I think this is something I've wanted to do for awhile, but never had the courage to actually go through with it.
It's safe to say that this blog has evolved in a pleasantly unexpected way. When I first started this back in August, it was mostly for myself and my own gain. Because I was embarking on a new stage of my life, I hopped on the bandwagon of starting something new. One of the most prominent weaknesses in my faith at the time was that I failed to recognize God in every aspect of my life. I think that was one of the biggest obstacles that stood between me and trusting God. Sure, I recognized His power in very major and obvious situations, but I also really wanted to recognize His hand in the not-so-major moments, as a way of admitting that He has FULL control of my life. By creating a blog dedicated to "God sightings," my goal was to find God in the ups and downs, in the smiles and the tears. It kinda reminds me of "Where's Waldo?" Similar to "Where's Waldo?", you KNOW that God is there, it's just a matter of being able to recognize WHERE He is in the craziness of life.
Anywaaaaaysss, it's safe to say that I did achieve my goal, and much, much, MUCH more. Before, I didn't realize how I could use writing to glorify God as well as love others. For me, writing was always only something I (kinda) enjoyed and it was the best way I could express myself. Not to mention, it was the only subject that really made sense to me at school. I guess I didn't really expect that other people would read this blog, so when others started reaching out to me about it, I was beyond surprised. Not only did I receive so many words of encouragement, many people also expressed how the posts really resonated with what they were dealing with at the time. Please don't misinterpret my words. I say these things not to brag, but to show how amazing God and His timing is! It wasn't until after I received all these comments that I realized for the first time in my life how God can work through my writing. As humans, we all go through similar struggles meant to grow us in our faith, and I've come to realize that by sharing the lessons I've learned, it also encourages others to keep their head up in the midst of their struggles.
So after thinking about it for a while, I decided to change the name of this blog to reflect that it's a faith-centered blog. "Just Jo Things" has a nice ring to it but it makes it seem like this blog is all about ME. Which it isn't. It is and should be focused on God and all the wonderful ways He loves us. After all, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Him. You can read more about the meaning behind the new blog name in a post coming very soon!
That being said, I just wanted to take some time to thank anyone who has ever sent me words of encouragement/reached out to me or even just read my blog! I don't think you quite comprehend how much each and every one of your words has impacted me. It means the WORLD and MORE to me and you guys are honestly the reason this blog has made it this far.
Also, thank you to my parents who support me not only by being one of the first ones to read my posts and indulging my possibly future professional blogger dreams (wut), but also supporting me financially! Little known fact: blogging can be a pretty expensive hobby y i k e s!
Finally! A BIG thank you to my very wonderful, very special, very talented friend Jenna who helped me in every step of this redesign process. She spent so much of her time taking photos for me and designing all the graphics on the site! Without her, this site would not exist... like actually though.
I am so excited to see where this blog will go and I am so glad you guys are coming with me on this journey!! Here's to all our future endeavors!!
~jo