Crazy Little Steps

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I've started the habit of doing something "crazy" every single week...no I don't mean "crazy" as in "let's go bungee jumping" I mean "crazy" as in doing something outside of my comfort zone. Scary to think about, but actually quite fun once you get over the fear of leaving your protected little cocoon.

On the pursuit of living with no regrets I've adopted the "what if" mindset.

In my life I'm choosing to take little steps each week outside of my comfort zone.  Just.  Little.  Steps.  I encourage you to try the same!

Sometimes our little steps turn into the biggest steps.  

What looks like a LITTLE step to us might actually be a BIG step in God's plan.

Thoughts of failure make us fail to try and thoughts of rejection make us reject our dreams.  Take one moment each week to do something CRAZY. 

Examples of crazy things you could possibly find yourself doing:

• having a tough conversation with someone that you have put off for too long
• applying for that new job
• taking a step towards your dream
• forgiving someone
• pursuing an opportunity
•  ...and the list goes on!

If God has provided the opportunity, be willing to take the step.  Know that the door may open, close, or redirect you but none of those things will happen if you don't take that step.

Be willing to go after the things God has put on your heart and be willing to do so one step at a time, no matter how many small steps or big steps it may take. 

So what's your crazy step this week? 

Living Inspired

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2014 has come and there's no time like the present to get back into this whole blogging thing.  Allowing myself to push writing to the back burner is something that shouldn't have happened because I'm realizing how much I've missed it!  Life get's busy and we lose focus of the things we enjoy doing and sometimes it isn't until we're hit with the inspiration bug that we're pulled back to those things.  Hence my presence here once again!

As I jump back on the blogging train I'm excited to start putting my thoughts into words and turning those "wicked inspired!" moments into relevant life lessons and applications.

I encourage you to jump back on this train with me and tag along for the ride.  I don't know where this train's going but I'm sure it's bound to be an adventure!

I encourage you to start living your life inspired...find inspiration in the little things, the mundane, the extraordinary, the obvious, and the forgotten places.  Search for the inspiration in the little things (and the big!).  When you start to lose sight of why you're doing what you're doing, remember why you started!

Here's to 2014 and living inspired.

Fruity Spirits Day 3: Peace

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Here we are on day three of our nine day journey through the fruits of the spirits series entitled "Fruity Spirits".  If you missed the first two days take a moment to check them out now:  Day 1: Love , Day 2: Joy  Today we move on in Galatians 5:22-23 and discuss peace!

PEACE.  

If you're thinking along the same lines as me you most definitely just pictured a bunch of hippies with their two fingers up in the air declaring the peace sign.  Or maybe you thought of peace on a completely different level and wafted off to a peaceful place in your mind where you were spending an afternoon snoozing in the hammock....seriously though lets chill for a second and for the sake of this post talk about peace on a more literal sense.

Let's talk about peace as a trait of our character.
Let's talk about peace as a way of life.
Let's talk about BEING at peace.
Let's talk about living IN peace.

To be at peace it means we have no worries, no second thoughts, no apprehensions about what may come.  Being at peace is knowing full well that God has it ALL under control.  

Peace is the ability to rise in the morning, lay our heads on the pillow at night, and fill all the moments in between by saying "it is well with my soul".  

Peace is knowing IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY.

Peace is saying "God there's so many things in my life that I should be scared to death about but because of your precious hand on my life I can breathe and know that there is no need to worry because YOU HAVE A PLAN".  

Being at peace is having full confidence in God's plan for your life.
Being at peace is having no doubts that there IS a plan for your life.
Being at peace is having awareness that there IS a BIGGER PICTURE.

Being at peace is saying "God whatever comes my way I'm trusting that you have a plan".  
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.

We begin to live peacefully when we are at peace with the realization that God's hand guides our path, not our own.  God's plan overrules ours.  And whatever comes our way, must be for the glory of God...somewhere, somehow, all in the bigger picture that only God can see.

Laying our burdens, worries, and fears down and saying "God, I trust you." is the first step to living a peace filled life.

" For our God is not a God of disorder but of peace."

- 1 Corinthians 14:33 

I urge you and challenge you to examine your own life and ask yourself, am I living IN peace?  Is it well with MY soul?

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with all of you."

- 2 Thessalonians 3:16

 

And finally, since we've talking about peace so much it just wouldn't feel right to end this post any other way....

Peace out! 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

- Galatians 5:22-23 

Fruity Spirits Day 2: Joy

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Welcome to day number two of the Fruity Spirits series!  If you missed day one make sure you check it out here:  Day 1: Love  Today we venture on in Galatians 5:22-23 by spending some time discussing the second fruit of the spirit...Joy!  

When I hear the word Joy there is definitely some catchy song lyrics that pop into my mind almost immediately:  

"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

WHERE?!

Down in my heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

WHERE?!

Down in my heart to stay!" 

...Now that that's out of my system....

Take a moment to think about joy and what it means to you.

What brings YOU joy?

When I ask myself that question I find my mind suddenly getting flooded with a thousand-million (yes I quite possibly could have just made that number up) different things. So many simple little things bring joy to my heart and I'm sure there are many things that do the same for you!

 But now here's the tough question...how can you have a joyful heart?

I think for the sake of this post its safe to say that having a joyful heart and a joyful attitude all stems from the way you look at things.  Being joyful is not only a feeling or emotion but rather a perspective in which you see the world and the things you do.

Quite possibly the best way to achieve this perspective is through the truth that Colossians 3:23 speaks:  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." 

 

When we begin to do the activities of our lives not for the sake of the world but for the sake of the Lord we begin to see things through a new perspective.  We begin to find a new joy in the activities that once seemed so mundane and unrewarding. 

Joy is more than a feeling, joy is a way of life.  Joy is an active decision to embrace the little things in life and embrace where you're at.  Joy is doing life not for your sake or for the sake of others but for the sake of the Lord.  Joy is being content.  Joy is knowing that each moment plays a role in the bigger picture.  Joy is happiness in knowing the Lord has a plan for your life.  Joy is what we feel, joyful is what we are, when we're doing it all for the Lord.

So the question is....

What brings you joy?  

I want to know what brings you joy (hobbies, activities, babies laughing, green grass growing, you name it!)!  It might be something simple, something funny, something ordinary, something crazy, or maybe even something you didn't even realized brings you joy.  Leave a comment and let me know what brings you joy!  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

- Galatians 5:22-23

 

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HE WANTS YOU!

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"I want THAT one.  The broken one.  I WANT him.  I don't NEED him, I WANT him."

There can be a sea of Christians and children of God and one single lost soul amongst the crowd and God is going to point them out and say "I want THAT one.  I NEED that one."

Jesus searches out the broken, the wrecked, the ones in need of a love so immaculate words can't even begin to describe it and he tells them He wants - NEEDS - them in His family.

This blows my mind!

A God who has all things looks down at me and you in our imperfections, weaknesses and insecurities and say's "I want you in my family!  I need you in my family.  I would do anything to get you into my family!  Come child, come join me.  Be a part of my family for ever and always."

Jesus doesn't need us, He WANTS us.  He looks at us in our weaknesses and failures and STILL WANTS us.  He WANTS us in His family no matter how bad we mess up, He WANTS us!

The question is...how are you going to respond to His desire for you to be in His family?

You Are What You Eat

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Since we were little we've heard it AT LEAST a thousand times..."eat your veggies!"...or at least I have.  Now that I'm older I realize the importance and healthy benefits of vegetables, and I now find myself actually enjoying my veggies...Ironic how that happens, isn't it?   

Parents stress to their children the importance of eating vegetables because they help you to grow and help your body to stay healthy.  Children, from a young age, learn about how sugary treats are not so great for your body and don't provide you with the same healthy benefits as healthier foods like fruits and vegetables.  When it comes to how we fuel our bodies it all comes down to this:  what we're filling our bodies with will essentially determine how we grow.  

Are you completely confused on where I'm heading with this yet?

How we live is a lot like how we fuel our bodies.  Ever heard the phrase "garbage in, garbage out"?  What we choose to fill our lives with is inevitably what we start to be about. Think:  junk food = overweight and unhealthy, fruits and veggies = healthy weight and healthy body. Just as what we eat determines our bodies health.  What you're filling your mind with is essentially what you are pouring out.  

In the same way that a trip to a fast food restaurant "every-now-and-then" turns into "yesterday-today-and-most-likely-tomorrow", little things that we let start slipping in to our lives can soon escalate into bigger things and all of sudden become "who" we are.  

Whether we're filling our bodies with fast food everyday or fruits and veggies we're changing the way our body lives.  

Whether we're filling our minds with the garbage of Hollywood or the words of the Bible we're changing the way we live.

We must understand that we can't start to grow-up until we start to fill-up with the proper stuff!  

So the question is....what are you filling up with?  

Is what you're filling up with helping you turn into the person God intends for you to be or is it making you stray away from that person God intends you to be?  

Now there's some food for thought!

“Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable”  

Philippians 4:8

"So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."  

Colossians 1:10

Unashamedly Blemished

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As I stood in the mirror putting my make-up on I dabbed at a little red blotch on my face with a nice glob of foundation.  Heaven forbid anyone see that little red spot.  As I made my attempts at hiding this ugly little imperfection that had decided to camp-out on my face I made a realization.

Us girls, embarrassed to let the world see our imperfections, dab the make-up on.  Covering up all the things we're ashamed or embarrassed to let the world see.

In the same way that we cover up our blemishes with make-up we cover up things in our lives.  Things that we are embarrassed or ashamed for others to know about or see.  Things that *we* think will make us less of a person in the eyes of others.  

We try to mask our imperfections and hide pieces of our lives.

It's like we're playing a game of hide-and-seek with the world.  One minute we're out in the open and the next we're off hiding somewhere.  

We walk around with these masks on trying to make the world believe that we have it all together, that we are without a flaw, and that we're something we're not. Life isn't really a masquerade ball though, is it?!


I'm blemished.  I'm imperfect.  And so are you.


Here we stand in our imperfect lives trying to hide all the little details we don't like or don't think
"look good".  What a slam that must be to a God who oh so thoughtfully and uniquely hand-crafted each and everyone one of us!  A God who created us in His own image.  A God who knit us together in our mothers womb. A God who so fearfully and wonderfully breathed the very breath of life into each of us.  

Here we stand as unique individuals crafted for a unique purpose and instead we're opting to hide from the world the very things that make us unique and perfect in the eyes of God!

The good news?  Though we ourselves are imperfect, we serve a perfect God.

I stand here in my imperfections and I choose to be unashamedly blemished.  

Will you join me in removing the masks that we hide our lives behind and instead embrace our imperfections?

" For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mothers womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

~ Psalm 139:13-14 ~

Stuck in the wrong gear

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A few posts ago I talked about my adventures in learning to drive a stick-shift, which you can read about by clicking HERE.  Reflecting upon that adventure brought me to the memory of another learning step in the process which...you guessed it...paints the picture of another analogy to share.  So here it goes....

As my confidence started to evolve in driving my manual-transmissioned vehicle I figured I would have no problem taking a 45 minute, out of town drive to get to where I needed to be. After all, driving was how I was learning the ways of shifting, right?!  

About 15 minutes down the street I found myself at a stop sign stalled-out....not once, not twice, not three times, maybe four, maybe five...who knows....I lost count.  A man from the car behind me got out and walked up to my window and asked "Is everything all right?" I quickly responded saying "I'm just trying to get this whole standard thing down!"  I thanked him and he was on his way back to his car where he sat until I FINALLY drove away from the stop sign....after a few more stalled attempts of course.  

A few minutes down the road I realized what my problem at the stop sign had been.  I kept putting my car into third gear instead of first gear (which you would have thought I would have been smart enough to realize).  First gear is where you start, not third, silly me!

Moral of the story?  

If we're going after the same thing over and over again and keep "stalling" maybe our problem lies in what "gear" in.  Maybe we're in the wrong gear.  Maybe we're in our gear and not the gear God needs us in.  We need to throw our life back into neutral and realign as we shift into the correct gear and give it another shot.  

It's only once we're in the right gear that we are going to be able to succeed at what we're trying to do - just as it is with driving a manual-transmissioned vehicle.  

As I sat at that stop sign trying to drive in what I thought was the right gear I continuously found only failed attempts.  Though I kept telling myself "You can do this, you'll be fine just....go!" the hopes of leaving that stop sign we're very small.  However, once that car was in the right gear I took off with ease and was on my way down the road!  

If we are continuously experiencing failures and continuously stalling it might be time to say "Clearly my way isn't working.  God I want to try your way."  

It's time to get OUT of our own gear and INTO God's gear!

    

Confessions of a control freak...

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Here you have it:  Confessions of a control freak. 
 
Maybe this doesn't come as news to any of you but I've come to realize that I'm a control freak.  I tend to have this need to take-over and have control over certain things.  I tend to like to be the one in charge.  (Miss Bossy pants when I was 4, why would it be any different now?)

Besides realizing (or maybe it's more like finally admitting) that I'm a control freak I've come to see and realize that with God that doesn't really work.  He doesn't exactly "roll that way".  Know what I'm sayin'?  

I guess you could say God's a control freak Himself...and His control freakness ways overrule any of those tendencies I may possess.   
He's boss.
He rules.
He's in control...not me. 
ALL.  THE.  TIME.

I can have control over what I eat for breakfast, or what I wear for the day, but I CAN'T be a control freak when it comes to my life and my relationship with Christ.  I can try to manipulate and state the way things should be in my life but at the end of the day God has final say. There is simply no room for my control freakness ways in my relationship with Christ.  It's not ever "I" because it's always "Him"!  

Realizing that there's no room for me to be in control can be a daunting thought, but when I look at who's in control I realize that I'm okay with handing over my control freakness for once....

....I realize that maybe sometimes it's better to let someone else have a turn.  And who better to let have a turn than God with your very life!  I say it's worth the forfeit of being in control because He knows what He's doing.  HIS ways are higher.  HIS ways are better.

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are you ways my ways.' 

declares the Lord . 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"

~Isaiah 55:8-9

 

The predicament of shifting.

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A year ago I found myself in quite the predicament.  I found myself one day as the proud owner of a brand new car.  A vehicle with a manual transmission to be exact.  The problem?  I couldn't drive a stick-shift.  (See the predicament?)

So there I was with a vehicle that was all mine and that I was so excited and blessed to have....except I couldn't drive it.  

As I sat in the drivers seat and sputtered through many failed attempts at moving my vehicle forward even a few feet I often began reconsidering my decision to buy such a vehicle.  I mean, how many times can you really stall before you want to give up?! Once I got rolling I had no problem...it was simply the starting to move part that was hard! But with much determination I finally succeeded in getting my car out of the driveway.  Realizing the only way to really get a grip on this whole shifting-while-driving thing was to ACTUALLY drive on the road. So I made the crazy decision to perfect the art of clutching, shifting, and actually getting somewhere by taking this vehicle and hitting the road.  For some reason I thought the humiliation and embarrassment of stalling at stop signs and in public places would motivate me to learn faster!

The journey on the road began...and much to my surprise...it wasn't a complete fail!  I actually began grasping this whole stick-shift thing!

I realized quickly that sitting around listening to people tell you how to drive a stick-shift and thinking about how to drive a stick-shift wouldn't get you anywhere. (Big shout out to those that offered up their time...and safety...to attempt teaching me!) The learning happened through each stall, each successful gear-shift, and each drive on the road. 

Reflecting upon this today I realized that life is a lot like a manual-transmissioned vehicle.

We sit there with all these hopes of getting out of first gear and actually going somewhere.  However, we get so frustrated about the struggles that come our way when we try to leave "first gear" that we end up just sitting in the driveway thinking about life "out on the road".  

We let these little set-backs HOLD US BACK instead of HELPING US to move forward.  The frustration from being stuck in one gear keeps us from getting to the next gear.  

What we don't realize is that these moments of "stalling" in life are moments that are teaching us how to move forward!  

If we're just sitting in the driveway complaining that we can't "drive" we are definitely NOT going to be getting ANYWHERE.  Jump back behind that wheel and give it another shot!  When you stall, turn the key in the ignition and give it another go!  Don't stop moving forward just because of one little set-back.  Before you know it shifting gears will be as easy as buttering toast (weird analogy?  Yes.)

Oh, and for those of you that were wondering...I kept my manual-transmissioned vehicle and I have learned to embrace the adventures of driving it ;-)

T.G.I.F

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T.G.I.F...Yes we're all thankful that it's Friday as we look forward to the weekend ahead of us.
But I don't want to waste my time here talking about how wonderful Friday is and how wonderful the weekend will be (though I too am thankful for it).  

Let's talk about T.G.I.F in another way.... Today God Is First.

Since the accronym T.G.I.F is so versatile why not enjoy two of its meanings on this very Friday afternoon?! 

Let's take a moment today to consciously make the decision to put God first.  In every aspect of our day and the week ahead of us allow us to make this choice.  Let us not lose sight of our decision as we face the hustle and bustle of weekend plans.  Allow us to remember that God goes first.  

Above everything else that goes on throughout the rest of your Friday remember that God is first.  Remember that He goes before a struggle you may be having today as well as a joyous praise worthy moment that you may encounter.  

Let's take a moment to set aside our day and say "God, this has to be about you.  You take priority.  You're first."

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness..."

~Matthew 6:33 

God's ideal > Your ideal

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"Don't try to change your DNA to fit some kind of 'ideal'." -Clayton King

I'm guilty.  Maybe I don't know you, but I'm pretty sure you're probably guilty too.  You may ask "so what exactly are we guilty of?"...well let me tell you!

I think the quote that I posted at the beginning of this post sums up this topic perfectly:  "Don't try to change your DNA to fit some kind of 'ideal'."  

 

We, as humans, have this crazy ability to create in our minds this "person" that we believe we should become.  We build up in our minds this ideal lifestyle and ideal "person" that we strive to become.  

We try to change who we are to become someone we *think* is better.

We start flooding our minds with the thoughts of "If only...."

"If only I was more like this...."

"If only I was better at that...."

"If only I could do this...."

"If only...."

 ....and so starts the vicious cycle of "if only".

(so was I right yet in my prediction that you're guilty too?) 

We try so hard to change who we are that we end up trying to change our DNA just like the quote I mentioned earlier said.   

But here is where we draw the line.....

Have we forgotten that God created us the way we are for a purpose?  Have we forgotten that our DNA is OUR DNA because no one else on the planet is made to do what we were made to do?   Have we forgotten that God's "ideal" for us far exceeds our "ideal" for ourselves?

You were made with the very abilities, talents, and desires that God chose JUST FOR YOU.  To think that there is NO ONE else on the ENTIRE planet that has the EXACT same DNA as yourself is a crazy-mind-blowing thought!  Why do we so often find ourselves wanting to "cash in" our DNA for someone else then?!  

It all comes down to being content with who we are in the very skin we're in.  It takes us reminding ourselves that our very own DNA has a purpose.  We were built a certain way because of the plan God has on our life that is so unique only we can do it.  

It all comes in knowing that God has a plan for you and who He made you to be.

So let us stop trying to change our DNA in order to fit into these "ideals" that we come up with in our minds.  Let us rid those thoughts from our minds.  Let us instead fill our minds with reassurance that we are who we are FOR A PURPOSE! 

Do you believe that God created you with a "you-specific" DNA for a purpose intended solely for you?   

 
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

- Ephesians 2:10 -

"'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

- Jeremiah 29:11 - 

A Lesson in Mountain Climbing

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 "Walkin's easy when the road is flat, them danged 'ole hills will get you everytime,

Yeah, the Good Lord gave us mountains so we could learn how to climb."

- Lonestar "Mountains"

 

We've all done it.  We've all hiked a mountain.  Whether it be small or big, we've all conquered SOME sort of mountain.  

We've all felt our lungs burn and the struggle get stronger as the mountain gets steeper, as we climb and aim for the top that's so close but yet seems so far away.  

What we don't all do is take a moment to learn a lesson while we're climbing...

Hiking a mountain is a lot like walking through life.  You may struggle along the way but you have to keep your focus on what awaits you at the top.  Just when you get to the hard part and don't think you can go any further, you remember what's at the top and you press on. 

Just as a friend reaches down to take your hand and help you up the steep part of the mountain, so does Jesus.  Right when we get to the steepest part of the mountain...right when we think we can't hold on anymore...Jesus reaches down, grabs us by the hand and pulls us up.  What a cool image!  

Reaching the top of the mountain is a happy, joyous moment.  You stand there amazed at God's beauty that is in front of your eyes.  It's in that moment that you realize that no matter how hard the climb, the view at the top was worth it all.  Climbing that mountain builds stamina.  The next mountain you climb will be easier...as will as the next.  ALL because of that first mountain you climbed.  All because of your perseverance to overcome the obstacle of the mountain because you knew what awaited you at the top.

Turning around and walking away is easy but the learning comes from the climbing.

When you look at life like a mountain you need to see God as the "top of the mountain".  The goal.  Make God the ultimate goal.  The goal that never goes away.  The goal that is not a goal but rather a passion.  Give all you have to reach the "top of the mountain".  Want it with EVERYTHING you have - because it is your everything!

Push yourself.

Do not delay.

Do not give up.

Push forward.

Work hard.

CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN.

God's waiting.  

Turning around on the mountain and walking away before reaching the top is NOT an option.

"I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while climbing it."  

-Andy Rooney 

Who do they see?

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When people look at you who do they see?

Let's pretend we're not ourselves for a moment....if you were someone else but were looking at the "you" that you are today what type of person would you see?  How would feel about the type of person that you were seeing?  Would it make you happy, proud, sad, or maybe even disgusted?

When other people look at us it is easy for them to tell what type of person we are just by looking at the activities we participate in, the friends we choose, and the conversations that we hold.  What we do in our lives is a direct reflection of the type of person we are or are becoming.  

So when people look at you what are they seeing?  (We're not talking stereotypical-stereotyping here...we're talking what your life shows.)

Honestly take a moment to think about this....exactly what type of person can you be justified as by the life you are living?

Are you proud of the person others are seeing when they look at your life?

Not grasping the concept?...Here's an example.  Do people see Jesus in you?  In order for someone to see Jesus in you it would have to be apparent that you were actively living in such a way that would be a resemblance to Jesus himself.  You would be living your life not for your sake but for the sake of others.  You would be loving the lost, guiding the needed, and in all things acknowledging Him. It would be SO apparent in your life.  

So what is apparent in your life RIGHT NOW that others see?

Go further than "who do they see?", ask yourself "who do I want them to see?" and then challenge yourself to make that change.