A Well-Watered Interview
Today we have the joy of introducing Taylor Cage to you! Taylor is the newest addition to our team, but you've read her work before here on the blog and in Dear College Girl. We have loved having Taylor join the team as Social Media Specialist, and we know you will love getting to know her more today.
Introduce yourself as if we were on a coffee date! Tell us about yourself. Would you be drinking coffee or tea?
Hello! I’m Taylor and I currently live in Tulsa, Oklahoma with my husband, Baron. He’s a student pastor and I love being his partner in ministry by building relationships with the girls and female leaders in his student ministry. We’ve been married for about a year, so I’m not sure if that makes me a newlywed still—but I definitely feel like one! I spend most of my days switching between coffee and Diet Coke and you can usually catch me writing at my computer or taking long walks down the aisles at Target.
If we were meeting up in person right now, you’d find me sipping a mocha latte and talking or laughing a little too loudly for a quiet coffee shop.
When did you start following Jesus?
When I was seven years old, I prayed to the Lord for salvation in my bedroom with my parents by my side. That moment was just the beginning of my faith journey, but since then I’ve been learning more and more about God and growing in my relationship with Him. While there have certainly been seasons of dryness and struggle in my walk with the Lord, I’m thankful I can look back to that moment and remember the day Jesus saved me. I can also look back at milestones in my life and see times that the Lord worked in my heart and life in momentous ways. Those memories of the Lord’s faithfulness strengthen my faith and deepen my relationship with God.
What is your definition of a well-watered woman?
A well-watered woman is one who is satisfied by the living water found in Christ alone. She isn’t constantly trying to quench a thirst for the world, but rather she hungers and thirsts after the Word of God. She knows that anything other than Jesus will leave her empty and unfulfilled. Because of that, she drinks deeply from the well of Scripture regularly and consistently. She stores the wisdom of the well in her heart, ready to share it with others who are thirsty for the truth. When I read John 4 (the story of the woman at the well) my favorite part of the story is the end, when the woman tells her whole village about the man who gave her living water. She didn’t keep it to herself, but she shared it with everyone, knowing there was enough for all. Well-watered women know there is plenty of living water to go around and they constantly share the news of it with others.
How do you give Jesus the first moments of your day?
I’m thankful to be in a season of few distractions in the morning, and I’m working hard not to take that for granted because I know that it may not last forever. Regardless, it still takes a lot of discipline for me to choose the Word over the World. There are many mornings I’d rather reach for (my phone or the snooze button) before reaching for the Word of God, and it’s regularly my prayer that God would keep me dependent on him. I regularly ask the Lord to instill in me a strong desire for His Word, and thankfully He has been faithful to do it.
Because of that, my quiet time usually looks like me stumbling toward a big armchair in my living room first thing in the morning and trying not to spill my cup of coffee on the way. My eyes are usually a little sleepy and my hair is always a little messy. I try to read at least one chapter every day from whatever book of the Bible I am currently going through, then I journal and pray in my Give Me Jesus journal! Some mornings when I’m running late it’s only five minutes, and some mornings it’s 20 or 30.
It may sound silly, but one of the biggest motivators for me is making it a priority in my morning routine. I don’t make time to curl my hair or try on seven different shirts if I haven’t made time to meet with Jesus! That means there are some mornings when I leave with flat hair and no makeup, but the things that really matter (praying and spending time in God’s Word) happened, and that’s what makes all the difference.
What sort of spiritual season do you find yourself in now? What verses are you clinging to in this season?
In the last year of my life I’ve gotten married, changed my last name, moved to a new city, and gotten a new job. I’ve experienced so much change in such a short amount of time, and honestly, it’s caused a little bit of emotional whiplash. I thought I had placed my identity firmly in Christ, but when everything else fell away I realized I was holding on to my identity in Christ by a pinky finger. I’ve spent the last year tightening my grasp fully around the truth that nothing defines me apart from Jesus—not my relationship status, not my job, not my friends, and not even my name. All of those things are subject to change, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
In this season of life, I’ve had to hold so tightly to Jesus as my stability and identity, and because of that I’ve clung tightly to this truth in James 1:17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” God doesn’t change and He never casts a shadow. He is perfect light and love and He gives only good things. I will always have a home in Him as His daughter, and that’s the truth that makes all change here on earth bearable.
What intentional daily habits help you remain rooted deeply in the Word of God?
One of the most important daily habits in my life that keeps me rooted deeply in the Word of God is surrounding myself with godly friends and mentors who sharpen me and push me toward Christ. I regularly stay in community (local and long-distance) with women who are quick to share something that the Lord is teaching them and are even quicker to ask me how I’m doing spiritually. They are authentic and sincere and expect that from me in return—there’s no faking it with them and (most days) I’m so thankful for that. Their presence in my life reminds me daily that we were made to sharpen one another. However, their presence in my life takes intentionality and consistency. Friendship and mentorship takes work. It’s not always easy to show up and be authentic in relationships with others, but when you do, the reward is totally worth it.
Who is a "well-watered mentor" or example in your life, and how has she helped you become a well-watered woman?
My college mentor has been one of the most influential examples in my life (aside from my mom) to this very day. She was the first person who showed me that discipleship isn’t a program, but a lifestyle. She didn’t just meet me for coffee or go through a devotional book with me; instead she opened her home to me and invited me into her life, letting me watch her live out the gospel day in and day out.
I watched her love her husband and take care of their home and start a small business and become a mom. I watched her trust God when He told her to pursue a crazy dream and I saw how God was faithful to her in the midst of it—all because she let me follow her as she followed Christ. She talked to me about the things that she was learning in her personal time with the Lord and she regularly asked me about my spiritual life. She set the example for me on how to set an example. She lived her life well-watered, and because she let me watch her I know what a well-watered life looks like.
What books are you currently reading, or have recently read, and would recommend to our community?
I absolutely love to read, and once I read a good book I can’t help but recommend it! Here are a few of my most recent favorites:
The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
It’s Not Supposed to be this Way by Lysa Terkeurst
Still Waiting by Ann Swindell
None Like Him by Jen Wilkin
The Sacrament of Happy by Lisa Harper
If you could tell every woman on this blog one piece of wisdom, what would it be?
Chasing anything other than Jesus will leave you utterly disappointed. Either you’ll get what you’ve been running after, only to find that it didn’t satisfy, or you’ll spend your life pursuing something that will never be yours. Both situations are equally disappointing and the only way to avoid that disappointment is take all of your hopes and dreams and secret longings and cast them into the lap of Jesus. He can handle the weight of your unmet desires because He is the only One who can provide satisfaction. His presence is the only thing that will ever be enough. Jesus is better. He’s better than a husband, He’s better than a dream job, He’s better than a Pinterest-worthy house and a bank account with many zeros. He’s better than a closet full of the trendiest clothes and scale that says the magic number. He’s better than finally getting to pick out a paint color for the nursery you’ve been longing to decorate. I know that sometimes it’s incredibly hard to make your heart believe it, but He’s truly better than all of it. In fact, He’s the very best.
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