Felt That: A Search for Relational Honesty and Truth Amidst Emotional Clutter and Social Chaos

By Elaiyna Hope

Have you ever looked at your life and thought “I must be the only one”?

It seems like it’s only you experiencing those awkward and embarrassing interactions. It is only you that has unanswered questions about the world. Only you that struggles making friends, finding your calling, or even growing closer to God.

I’m here to tell you something very important. It is not just you. We’ve all felt that. We have all experienced hardships, debated confusing questions, and battled our fear of the future. Here’s the problem, though... if we’ve all felt that, why don’t we ever hear about it? We hide our struggles because we believe that they make us lesser somehow. That because we don’t have it all together, we’re failing.

Our questions, doubts, and concerns about life will never be answered until people are confident enough to say that they have felt that, too.

In these pages, you will find real life stories about girls who struggle just like you. You will see them make mistakes and experience pain, but also find joy, peace, and happiness. You will find them laughing at the little things in the world and smiling just because they can. You will find that their journeys look pretty similar to yours. Why? Because we have all felt that. It’s time we learn to say that confidently.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664284883

Elaiyna Hope

Elaiyna is a woman of many, many passions. To name a few, she thoroughly enjoys writing, speaking, singing, playing instruments, and dancing. She grew up in a small(ish) town in mid-Michigan. Currently, she is pursuing a B.A. in Communication studies and Creativity and Innovation studies, with a minor in Music Performance. She’s not sure where the whole music thing is going to come into play, but we’re not going to talk about that. While writing this book, she found she had a slightly unhealthy love of pretzel goldfish and spearmint gum (not together though, ew). When she is not busy with one of her ten-gazillion hobbies she enjoys spending time with her parents, little brother, and friends. Also, she loves fluffy socks and her favorite color is pink. Ballet pink, to be exact. That’s very important.

Book preview

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FELT

THAT

A Search for Relational Honesty and Truth

Amidst Emotional Clutter

and Social Chaos

ELAIYNA HOPE

Copyright © 2022 Elaiyna Hope.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible,

English Standard Version® (ESV®)

Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry

of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8486-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8487-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8488-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022921846

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/18/2023

Contents

Introduction: A Letter To The Reader

Happy At A Standstill

I Don’t Need A Frog Prince

I Didn’t Touch It

A Screeching Halt

Good Enough?

Q-U-I-T-T-E-R

Infectious Obsession

Redefining Routine

Can’t Make The Shot

Little Too Late

In The Moment

So Much To Do, So Little Time

Can’t Mess This Up

Couldn’t You Hear?

My Playlist

Out Of Nowhere

Called To Love

I Will

Maximize Your Mundane

Puzzling Perspectives

Fearless

Big Kids

Detours

Where The Lost Things Go: -A Story

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way:

—My parents, Terry and Jennifer Schwartzkopf, for guiding me through the stories in these pages, teaching me the importance of pursuing Christ, and for always believing in me.

—Braydon, for joining me in shenanigans when I lose my sanity but always helping me get back on track.

—Ashley, for listening to all my rants, doubts, and worries along the way. Thanks for always encouraging me to keep pushing forward.

—To all my family and friends for their support, encouragement, and love.

—And, of course, to those of you who took the time to invest yourself in this journey.

Thank you for giving this book, and me, a chance. I would love nothing more than to see this book touch your lives with the love of the Lord.

Thank you—all of you. You mean the world to me.

INTRODUCTION

A LETTER TO THE READER

Hello, friend!

Though I may not know you in person, I feel as if I am connected to you already. Why? Because you decided to pick up this book, turn to this page, and read. Maybe you liked the cover. Maybe you picked it up by random chance. Or maybe you saw that this book was about the little daily struggles in life—and you related a little too much. You saw that it was meant to inspire women in their spiritual walk and let them know that they aren’t alone in their battles. You saw that through this book, someone was seeking to change the narrative of a spiritually independent culture by bringing awareness to universal struggles. It gave you hope that someone out there was advocating for emotional honesty. You saw that this book was written for you by someone just like you.

So, yes, I know you—because we are the same. I am thrilled that you are joining me on this voyage of discovering truth through the lens of our Creator. There are many lessons and laughs ahead, but first, let me tell you a little about how this book came to be, who it’s for, and how to read it.

The process of creating this book has been quite long and endured many valleys, deserts, and storms. However, it is finally here, and I could not be more thrilled. Take a look back in time with me for just a moment. Let’s zoom in on a little girl, no more than seven years old, with blue eyes, blonde pigtails, and a big heart for Jesus. She lived in the country in an old farmhouse, the neighbors’ cornfield her backyard.

One day she grabbed her trusty crayons and construction paper and decided to create a devotional for the whole family to read. She spent hours reading her favorite Bible verses and desperately trying to tell a story God would be proud of. Her spelling was off. Her cover design was a little lacking. It was tied together with excessive tape and poorly knotted string. But it was the beginning of a long journey. A journey that you, my friend, are now part of. I have no idea where this path is headed, only that I am supposed to be headed down this path and that He will be walking every step by my side.

I mentioned earlier that this book was written for you. You probably glossed right past that, seeing as that’s a common thing for authors to say. However, I am sharing these stories because I know the feeling of loneliness you have battled. Throughout my life, I have had countless girls express loneliness in their search for truth. They have been convinced, through a deceiving and prideful culture, that no one has ever experienced the trials they face. They truly believe that there is no one to ask questions or to relate to. This, my friends, is an abject lie.

In these pages, I have sought to combine scripture with experience to prove that you are not alone. You never have been. I want you to feel completely comfortable being open with yourself and others as you navigate this study. Don’t worry though, you’re not the only one being vulnerable here. I have shared the good, the bad, and the ugly throughout this book. It is my hope that through my authenticity, you will find the common threads between you and me and our search for a Savior. If even one person can feel His love in the words of this book, then it will have all been worth it.

OK, the last thing before you get to reading is how to read this. Normally, this isn’t something that would need to be explained. I mean, it’s a book … you just read it. Yes. But also no. I designed this devotional for group study, but I also wanted to make it functional for individual studies. If you intend to read through this book as a group, I recommend that everyone has their own copy. That way, those involved can scribble in the margins, doodle their favorite verse, or write down prayer requests. Treat this book as a sort of spiritual diary for the time being. Don’t be scared to write down your questions or to record a funny comment a friend made. Reading through my old scribbles now, I am reminded of