Let God be the Goal

Some people say "name it and claim it"and "write it down; make it happen".  While there's nothing wrong with having goals and dreams, God says He knows the thoughts and plans He has for me (Jeremiah 29).  I have to decide what I will pursue - my dreams or His will for my Life.  I have a Divine Purpose, and no achievement is greater to me than walking in that Purpose.  I can be a "success" and completely miss the mark spiritually. So what does it profit me to gain the whole world and lose my soul?

We're supposed to be getting money, and houses, cars and land.  We're supposed to be making progress, right?  But at what cost? To me, true success is being the best "me" that God ceated me to be.  If I do that, I make the right choices. I meet the right people.  I'm in the right places at the right times. So I don't have to worry if He's leading me.  I don't miss out on anything because my fulfillment isn't in the things I get but in The One who provides them.

Let God be your highest goal.

Feed Your Spirit

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart".  "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added unto you."  A lot of us have heard these Bible verses. But let's be honest - what do we do?  We delight ourselves in the desires of our hearts and when we are not fulfilled we ask why God doesn't bless us.  We seek other things and when we can't find them we ask where God is.

Life is not about physical things.  We are spiritual beings in a physical body, so if our spirits aren't properly fed our bodies never feel satisfied.  That's why you can be rich in money and poor in spirit, unhappy, broken and sad.  That's why you can work, work, work and feel like it isn't enough.  If you're working at something to feed your desire for recognition, respect, love, money, etc., you won't ever have enough.

Feed your spirit instead.  That's where satisfaction lies.  When your spirit is fed, at peace and content, the rest falls into place.  You're more productive, you make better decisions, you relate better to others, you're just happier! This doesn't mean that you let everything else fall to the side.  Instead, it shifts your focus from yourself.  Your actions are more intentional towards pleasing your Creator and not yourself. The awesome thing is that when we get it right, no matter what the circumstance is, a calm spirit trumps chaos, and we can experience joy on good and bad days.

Feed your spirit. 

Facing Pain

I had a toothache this past Saturday night.  The kind of toothache that kept me up most of the night trying everything I could to make the pain stop - peroxide rinse, orajel, distraction, pounding the walls (like that could help) until it got so bad I had to take some strong medicine. So strong it knocked me out and I missed Church Sunday morning. 

Although the medicine made the pain go away temporarily, my filling is still broken, and until I fix it (which I will, as much as I hate the dentist) I will have to deal with pain.

When we are hurting we have to get to the root of the problem.  Distraction won't work.  Pacifying yourself won't work.  Lashing out won't work.  Sooner or later you will have to face it and fix it.  It takes courage to admit that we are in pain.  We often try hard to bear it.  We say we're strong and we show it on the outside, but on the inside it's tearing us apart.  That's no way to live. 

Pain is okay.  Pain is how we know there is something wrong.  Whether it's physical, mental, spiritual or emotional, make sure you take the necessary steps to take care of yourself and get help to fix what is hurting you.  Life isn't supposed to hurt. 

Face it and fix it.

Grow Up

These days, when I tell my 5-year old no, I get a lot of pouting and resistance.  Today, I was told I was "unfair" because I wouldn't let her have her way. 

We aren't much different when it comes to our obedience to God.  We know what we *should* do, but we try to get our own way anyway.  And we cry that Life isn't fair when we are challenged to be obedient or patient with God's way and timing (or when things don't turn out the way we thought they would).  We want what we want and we want it now.    
    
The fact is, we can't have our way all the time.  If we believe that God knows what is best for us, we have to trust that His way and His timing are best, regardless of what we think we want and when we think we want it.  A lot of the time, what we want is the last thing we need.

The Bible says that as children, we thought as children, but as adults, we put away childish things.  It's time to act like grown-ups, and that means dealing with not getting our way with grace and maturity. We need boundaries as much as we need freedom. Sometimes we need to be told "no" now, so we can get the best "yes" later.

Blogmas - December 4, 2014

I gave myself a pedicure today.  In the grand scheme of things, this wasn't a big thing, but it made my day that much more awesome.  I had friends come by to take care of some yard work, and one took my car and brought it back ten times better than it was before.  I'm so grateful!  It's the little things that please me most.  Grand gestures are great and most often expected, but it's the little kindnesses and unexpected displays of friendship and Favor that blow me away.

I had so much on my list of things to do, but in the midst of it I looked down at my feet and decided that I needed a pedicure, so I dropped everything and did a self-spa day.  I had been in a rut.  Not feeling quite myself - that kind of "here-but-not-here" feeling.  I came out of it a few days ago when I did some sewing.  It never fails.  When I get in a funk the best thing for me to do is clean or create.  I chose to create the other day, and clean today (well, my feet anyway).

There is a lot to be said for pampering, even if it's self-pampering.  When I take the time to sit and give myself a pedi, I can't cook or clean or fold laundry at the same time.  It forces me to take a break.  I have to sit there and go through the process.  It had been over a month since my last pedi, so what a process it was! LOL!  But I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed the "me time".  It's something I've had to force myself to add to my routine.  With all the things on my "to-do" list, it's funny how doing me was not a priority. That's not good.

As a "Stay-At-Home-Mom", I love being there for my family, but I've learned that taking care of me first isn't being selfish, it's being responsible.  I can't be my best for my family if I'm not treating myself the best way I can.  I like to feel good in my skin.  Taking time to take care of my body puts me in a good mood.  And I think that spills over to my family.

Lesson learned.  

Blogmas - December 3, 2014

I used to work so hard at pleasing others and being "successful" but now I work hard at being me.  Being true to myself is what will reveal my purpose.  There's a reason I am the way I am.  There's a reason I get excited about art and dance and music and spirituality.  There's a reason I can cry my eyes out over some atrocity thousands of miles away, that will never really affect me.  There's a reason I want you to be happy and at peace, even if I don't know you personally.  That's how I'm shaped and it directly influences how I will impact the lives of others.  And I want to impact the lives of others. Directly or indirectly.  

I can't be true to me while following someone else's path.  God has a plan for me and I miss out if I am trying to grab at what's set aside for someone else.  The truth is, I don't want your blessing.  But I do want you to be blessed. I want my blessing, but not at your demise.

True success never comes from stepping on the backs of others and leaving them at the side of the road. I've never been ambitious.  I've never wanted to climb the corporate ladder. And I used to think something was wrong with me. I used to think I wasn't reaching my full potential.  Sure, I could have gone along that road, but it's not me.  I'm the woman who walks on the beach and is moved to tears at the majesty of the ocean.  I can sit and watch a tree and see its branches dance to the rhythm of God's breath.  I am a thinker, a worshipper, a lover of Life. 

I have the chance to explore a part of myself that I was too busy to acknowledge.  I'm digging deeper and finding that the discovery of who I am is a wonderful journey. Knowing myself is such a blessing.  There's no greater way to honor my Creator than to be the person He made me to be.

It's like peeling back petals of a flower and seeing color after color emerge.  I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and the more I learn, love and appreciate the One who made me, the more I learn, love and appreciate myself. 

The journey to self is never easy.  We wear so many masks and cloaks we often believe what we see reflected.  But to be willing to strip yourself away, layer by layer, is to be willing to be vulnerable to yourself. Not to anyone else.  We must love ourselves enough to tell ourselves the truth.

That's all for now.

Blessings...

Hard Times are Good Times

We've all experienced little moments when Life seems as if it has all come together and all the pieces fit just right.  It's great!

But that's not where we grow.

We grow in the times when everything goes wrong and we choose to act right, regardless of how we feel. We grow in the times when anger rises up but we choose not to act on it. We grow in the times when we don't want to do "it" but do "it" because we know we should.

Here's to the hard times.  They shape us into better people when we use our difficulty to our advantage.

You were never meant to be overcome by this Life. You are more than a conquerer through Him who loves you. You are more than your circumstances, because God is bigger than your situation.

Believe.

Trust.