Guest Post: Co-Create Your Life
Share the load and lighten up
It’s the feeling you get when you gaze in wonder at a star-filled sky.
It’s the subtext of every sermon.
We’re not alone out here!
When we remember to lean on faith in a higher power, we receive the benefit of supernatural strength.
Please enjoy this week’s read on the topic of co-creating your life, written by my friend Marie Smith, life coach at Golden Hour Coaching. I know you’ll find this hope-filled piece to be the perfect reflection as you embark on your busy fall.
Ann
Sacred Collaboration: Co-Creating Life with Your Higher Power
Showing up with intention while trusting Divine timing
A guest post by Marie Smith
In this piece, I am going to use the word God for simplicity’s sake, because that is the word I use. Please substitute Universe, Source, Spirit, or whatever word you are most comfortable with in this context.
We don’t have to choose between taking action and trusting God. The richest life comes when we learn to do both - walking in faith while showing up fully.
The Moment I Tried to Muscle Through
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pushed forward on something just because I decided it was the right time. I’ve sent the email before I was ready, launched the idea without the clarity, or had the hard conversation before my heart was in the right place.
Sometimes it “worked,” but more often I ended up exhausted, frustrated, or wondering if I’d made the wrong move. It didn’t fall into place easily as I’d hoped.
Then there are the times I’ve felt led - when I’ve taken the same kind of step, but it came after prayer, peace, and a little nudge from God. Those moments felt completely different. The outcome wasn’t always instant, but the way I moved forward had trust woven into it. It felt serendipitous or meant to be.
It made me wonder: how do we know when to act and when to wait?
What Co-Creation Really Means
Co-creating with God isn’t about sitting back and hoping He drops everything into our laps. And it’s not about trying to make everything happen by sheer willpower, either.
It’s an active relationship - like a dance, where sometimes you take the lead in a step, and sometimes you follow. You listen, discern, and act in alignment with His leading.
On one extreme, there’s over-control: forcing every detail, hustling at a frantic pace, and white-knuckling outcomes. On the other, there’s over-passivity: waiting so long for a sign that we never actually take a step.
The sweet spot is where we bring our whole selves - our effort, creativity, and faith - while leaving the results in His hands.
I saw a beautiful interview with Kerry Washington where she said, “You pray to catch the bus, then you run as fast as you can.”
She went on to explain that if you pray for it, and run for it, and don’t catch it, that wasn’t your bus.
“God’s rejection is your protection.”
I love this!
Surrender and Intention Can Coexist
Surrender doesn’t mean giving up - it means showing up differently. It’s saying, I’m responsible for the intention and effort; God’s responsible for the outcome.
I think of times I’ve released something to God but still acted in faith. Sending the proposal. Making the phone call. Applying for the opportunity even if the timing felt uncertain.
It’s a different posture than hustling. It’s doing the next faithful step without grasping for control over what happens next. In the Clarity Catalyst, we talk about non attachment to outcome. We hold on to the intention, but release our expectations.
It’s in trusting the process that God delivers something we couldn’t even fathom with our human minds.
Where in your life right now might you be forcing something that needs a little more trust?
God’s Timing vs. My Timeline
If you’ve ever had God say “not yet,” you know it’s not an easy pill to swallow.
Years ago, I had an opportunity that I was sure was meant for me. I prayed, worked hard, positioned myself - and then… it didn’t happen. I was devastated.
Looking back, I can see so clearly how that “delay” was actually preparation. I wasn’t ready yet. My circumstances weren’t ready yet. It wasn’t my bus. God was setting the table for something bigger, and if I’d gotten my way, it would have been half-baked.
Sometimes His “not yet” is protection. Sometimes it’s alignment. Always, it’s for our good.
If you knew the delay was actually a gift, how would that change your posture in the waiting?
Daily Discernment in the Small Things
Co-creation doesn’t just happen in the big, life altering moments. It’s in the everyday decisions too.
For me, that looks like starting my day with a simple prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to be the person you need me to be today, in everything I do, think, and say.
A few things I’ve learned to watch for:
Nudges that keep resurfacing in prayer, meditation, or conversation
Repeated themes in scripture or in what others say to me
Open or closed doors - and my level of peace about each one
The more I practice checking in, the easier it is to sense when something is mine to move forward on and when it’s time to wait.
When things don’t work out how I thought or hoped, it’s much easier now to release that disappointment and move on knowing what’s mine won’t miss me.
The Joy of Partnership
Life feels lighter when I remember I’m not doing it all alone.
There’s a peace that comes when I’m in step with God - when I’m not grasping or forcing, but also not hiding or shrinking back. There’s space for creativity. There’s trust that even if it doesn’t go how I planned, it will still be good - probably much better!
Co-creating isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s about remembering we have a divine partner who cares about every detail.
Grab Your Journal
Where do you feel God inviting you to take a step?
Where do you sense Him asking you to rest?
What might change if you approached your life as a sacred collaboration?
You’re not carrying this alone. You never have been.
Marie’s Free Upcoming Workshops
Energize Your Life
Virtual Event, FREE
Sept. 7 & 8, 4-6pm CST, or October 18, 9am-2pm CST
Topic: How To Nourish Your Body, Recharge Your Energy, and Thrive Daily!
After this mastermind training you'll know how to how to fuel your body properly, incorporate quick & effective movement strategies, how to shift your body into a healing state, AND we’ll create a personalized nourishment plan you can implement immediately!
From Drained to Driven: A Practical Energy Reboot for High-Achieving Women
Low on energy? Burning the candle at both ends? No time for self health and wellness? This free workshop is for you!
In-Person in Nashville, FREE
Sept. 11, 11am-2pm, CST
Thank you, Ann! ❤️