“Hot Girl Summer: Not the Ending I Planned, But the One God Wrote”

Hot Girl Summer wasn’t some polished Instagram highlight reel. It was raw, messy, and real. It was the sound of cicadas at night when my thoughts wouldn’t quit, and the salty air reminding me that even the tide has its rise and fall.

I thought this summer would be about collecting wins, more laughs, more love, more adventures. I pictured joyous trips, carefree weekends, and a calendar filled with sunshine. But the truth? It didn’t go as planned. I didn’t chase every adventure I dreamed up. Instead, I wrestled with loss. I lost pieces of myself. I lost illusions I was clinging to. I lost the idea that love would always look the way I thought it would. And in the middle of it all, I was blindsided, confused that I could be replaced in a matter of weeks, like an employee whose time had come to an end.

a young lady kneeling by a surfboard at the beach

Still, I hustled harder this summer than I usually do, because the opportunities were there. I showed up. I spoke up. I leaned into the work God has given me, and it reminded me that even in a season of loss, purpose can still thrive. And here’s the thing: Once God closes a door, you don’t try to climb through the window. That’s illegal. At least that’s what the local Barney Fife of St. Marys says, right before he chats with you about the grace of God, the Boston butt fundraiser the church just had, and the chili cook-off coming up Sunday. Sometimes you just have to laugh, shake your head, and trust that if God locked it, He’s got a better one waiting down the hall.

And even there, God was steady. When I felt like I was unraveling, He reminded me I was held together by more than my circumstances. I wasn’t abandoned; I was being refined. In the loss, I made room. Room for the strength He had already placed in me. Room for the voice He has called me to use, even when it shakes. I didn’t just glow up this summer; I grew roots that sink deeper into Him.

Hot Girl Summer looked different here on the Georgia coast. It was marsh sunsets whispering that endings can still be beautiful. It was shrimp boats rolling out at dawn, proof that some callings never stop. It was the steady hum of small-town life, where God kept showing me that even in a season of loss, there is still joy and light to be found in the simplest of places.

And through it all, I learned this: we can lose pieces of ourselves and still remain whole, because it is God who holds every piece. We can burn, we can break, and by His grace, we can rebuild.

So yes, the summer is ending. But I’m not. My story doesn’t close with a season. It carries on with the Author of my life writing each line. Hot Girl Summer may be over, but this Hot Girl? She’s just catching fire. 🔥

After all this fall started pretty amazing. can’t wait to see what God has planned next!

"The Lord himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or leave you. So don’t be afraid or worry." — Deuteronomy 31:8 (ERV)