WHOLEHEARTED LADY : Katie Hilbert

SHE IS …. Katie Hilbert

Hi, everyone, I’m Katie, a magazine journalist turned greeting card creator. I love lattes, possibilities, and helping others live and tell inspired stories. I’m also the author of the book An Inspired Life: Living Fully & Creatively in Every Season. I wrote An Inspired Life to encourage others — especially women — to live full, creative, inspired lives for the Lord no matter what season they find themselves in.

P.S. I’m 31, and while I guess I never expected to enter my thirties as a single woman, I am so, so thankful for the adventures I’ve had and the lessons I’ve learned in my twenties. I wouldn’t change or trade the path God’s had me on for anything.


SHE IS GRATEFUL:

What are you most grateful for/has been the biggest blessing of singleness?
The biggest blessing of my singleness has been TIME. God’s blessed me with time to discover who He is and who He created me to be. (I’ve taken art classes, joined writing groups, and attended blogging conferences.) He’s blessed me with time to pour into my family and my friendships and to cultivate strong, Christ-centered community. I’ve also had the time to build a creative, rewarding career and time to write, paint, dream, and learn what a full, inspired life looks like for me. I think all of these moments that I’ve spent getting to know God and myself well will help me in big ways whenever I do meet that special guy. I think it will serve as a pretty priceless foundation.


SHE IS INDEPENDENT:

What have you done on your own that you are most proud of?
Writing my book is definitely one of the things I am most proud of doing. I have dreamed of writing books since I was a little girl and to make that a reality was pretty awesome.


 SHE IS CONTENT:

How do you pursue contentment and joy?
I think joy is a daily choice, and it really comes down to what we choose to focus on. Like it says in Philippians 4:8-9 (MSG), “think about the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” When I’m looking for reasons to feel thankful, inspired, and joyful, and when I praise God for those things, I find I feel so much more content. But when I’m comparing my life to others’ or complaining about where God has me, I find that contentment is much more difficult to grasp.


SHE IS ADVENTUROUS:

What has been the most exciting thing you have done throughout your single years?
Two of my favorite adventures include the summer I spent living in New York City working on a national magazine and the trip I took out to California with my sister a few years ago. I’m also big fan of what I like to call “everyday adventures,” and I try to have those often. I love to explore my city, take classes and learn something new, and just do things that feel a little bold and brave to me (like the time I got lavender highlights a few years ago). I really believe that everyday life can be an adventure of sorts, if we live with the mentality that it is.


SHE CLINGS TO TRUTH:

What is your favorite truth/bible verse to combat the lies of the world?
There are so many verses! One of my all-time favorite verses is from Luke 1:45 (NIV): “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!” Currently, I am loving this verse from Ecclesiastes 5:19 (MSG): “God deals out joy in the present, the now. And also Psalm 9:1-2 (MSG): “I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders. I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I’m singing your song, High God.”  I love that this translation mentions thanking God from a full heart and writing the book on His wonders. I like to think I’m doing that in a small way with all I write, create, and even post on Instagram — adding my own small, but mighty moments to the book of His wonders.


SHE MAKES PLANS:

Do you have a bucket list? If so, what’s one thing you’d like to do?
I do! And I am super, super passionate about single women waiting with purpose, rather than waiting passively. I think there is a MAJOR difference! Your single years are not just a waiting season, friends! They are truly a gift to be enjoyed to the very fullest! Make plans now, set goals, go after dreams. (And I’ll be honest, I think we are way more likely to meet super cool, smart, fun guys in the midst of all of that life living, as opposed to if we’re just hanging around waiting without any purpose besides meeting someone.) You can read my bucket list over on my blog, here, but some of the highlights include…writing another book, traveling (Nashville is next up on my list), and buying a home.


SHE IS BEAUTIFUL:

When do you feel the most confidant & beautiful?
I think I feel most confident and beautiful when I am inspired and full of joy. I love wearing clothing and accessories that reflect my creativity, too — like bright, happy colors, bold patterns — especially stripes and polka dots — and fun t-shirts like JessicaNDesigns “I just want to drink coffee and make pretty things.” :)


 SHE BUYS THE FINE CHINA:

What is something you like to splurge on for yourself?
I suppose my number one treat for myself is lattes (and I’ll sometimes take myself out for a breakfast-and-coffee-and-creating date at one of my favorite coffee shops). I also like to splurge on colorful nail polish. :) Oh, and while it doesn’t count as a splurge, because technically it was a gift, I DID finally get some “fine china.” As I neared my 30s, I got tired of just using hand-me-down dishes, so for Christmas, my parents bought be some bright and colorful fiestaware dishes. I used to think I should just wait until marriage, so I could register for dishes with my husband, but then I thought, why wait?! Using those bright dishes reminds me that life is happening NOW. And it’s beautiful. Life doesn’t begin when we get married.


SHE EQUIPS THOSE COMING BEHIND HER:

What encouragement do you have for those girls who are struggling and not yet thriving in their singleness?
Struggling days happen, and it’s okay. I still have them, too. But God is so much bigger than those moments of struggle. And He is doing something GOOD in our singleness, if only we’d have the eyes and the openness to see. I used to think that maybe if I was “too successful” in my singleness God would just decide to keep me there. But that’s such a silly and inaccurate way to view God. We glorify Him when we make the most of what He gives, and when we thank Him for it. I love this part of The Message translation of Romans 12:1 Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. These single years have been designed by a God who LOVES and cares for you more than you can imagine. So don’t be afraid to embrace them with a full and thankful heart. God has a special and specific plan for each one of us. And that’s an amazing and beautiful thing! How boring this world would be if all of our stories were exactly the same.


Be sure to check out the fun series that Katie and Bailey Jean put together called “An Inspired Season” for July! Get more details on their blogs and instagram to join in on the fun and meet some other sweet gals :)

Website : aplacetodwell.wordpress.com
Instagram : @aplacetodwell

 

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  • Haha! Love what Katie shared about becoming “‘too successful’ in singleness”—definitely a fear I’ve had while taking my eyes off His face. He is so good and pours so much love!