Some midweek thoughts

A longer blog to come this weekend from what I'm walking out this week(Tentativelly called status-less. )

Anyway:
Here are some midweek thoughts:

• God is the glue that allows us to bend all the way without breaking
• Sometimes the turtle has to go inside it's shell in order to win the race.
• To quote Minnie from The Help: You is strong, You is kind, and You is important..........Believe you are making a difference, becuase chances are that you are(even if no one says that you are).
• Somtimes God has to stretch you in order to put you back together.
• In a what about me world, fight to be the odd one out.
• God will take care of things when you be quiet and let Him(as long as you are still talking about it, you still have control) (preview of the blog to come later this weekend......)

Have an amazing rest of the week;-)
(and thanks for reading my blog....it's therapy for me in so many ways, my prayer is it also makes a difference to those that read it).
Until next time.........

Trust Yourself

You may be looking at the title going wonder where she's headed on this one, bear with me. I've had trouble sorting through some "stuff" this week. To be quite honest, I'm so exhausted during the week from what needs to be done, that I haven't slowed down long enough to listen. Thank the Lord for the weekends ;-)

I don't know about you, but change is not my friend. I know it means growth, but I would rather be comfortable. Changing is painful(anyone that has ever done lunges in the gym can attest to that fact), you know you are doing what's best, but it hurts while getting stronger. Life goes in cycles, and often times change brings change. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let it get to me this year. There are moments that I know I have failed at that task, but I'm better than before. If you look at a task sometimes it can overwhelm you, it can cause you to panic, but if you just chisel away at it a little at a time, you'll find it doesn't seem as big as before. It's like climbing a mountain, from the bottom it seems so huge and massive, but once you reach the top, there is a sense of accomplishment and when you look down what looked so big looks so small.

So back to the title, one thing I'm learning is to trust yourself. If you don't believe you can do it, others are going to have a hard time believing in you as well. I'm not talking about a prideful confidence, but a confidence that shows yes the task is huge, but I can get this done(because you know you can do all things through Him). Trust Him at His promises, if He brought you to it, He'll take you through it. Sometimes you may be shaking inside and have no idea how you are going to get it done, but if you trust Him, He'll show you. Sometimes a smile means you know He can do it, not because you believe you can ;-) People will cause you to doubt yourself(by words or actions), some intentionally and some unintentionally, believe what He says about you, not what they do. So you didn't meet their expectations, but if you did your best then smile ;-) . So you fell down, show them how you can get back up and keep walking forward. Remember He doesn't give you what you think you can handle, but what He knows you can do. (**Honesty note: I've questioned this more than once in the last few weeks and asked Him was He really sure....I had trouble believing in myself that I could do it, much less trusting Him. We all get to that point, but when you sort it all out, you see He's always had your hand. )After all imagine where we would be if He wasn't walking beside us? I love the quote, I'm not where I should be, but praise God I'm not where I used to be.

One last thought:
²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25

Sometimes we give ourselves to something so much that we lose who we are. Have you ever done that? Poured yourself into something so much that it consumed you? It was what you thought about it, what you worried about, it consumed your time(could be a job, relationship etc.) You finally come to a point where you realize you've lost yourself during that. This one thing dictates your whole life, you let the to-do list be your planner for life. How many times do we find ourselves in one of these periods? If we'll stop and look inside, we can see what really matters, what makes us smile :-) That thing that may be consuming us may be something we love, but nothing but God should dictate every minute of our life. The to-do list will be there tomorrow, and God will send someone in your life to understand if it's not done(or He'll help you get it done). I'm learning this step by step, because the last two weeks I've struggled not to be overwhelmed. I've struggled with keeping who I am and not losing that and I'll admit some days have not been easy. I've stayed busy enough that I tried not to let my heart think too much.

We do not live in a cookie cutter world(praise God). He didn't ask us to be like someone else(no matter how much someone says, well so and so did this), you are someone special. He didn't rush through the process but He took time when He created you. He knew what you could do, what made you smile, what made you cry, and what pieces of this puzzle we call life that only you could fill. He knew how special would be, because He loved you from the beginning. He knew when you would fall down and how long it would take you to get back up. He knew there would be days when you would try to make everyone happy instead of making yourself happy. He knew how long it would take before you would feel the pressure and how you would react. He knew you before you were you. After all He made you who you are ;-) and the best thing is, He has loved us from the start. So despite how you may feel, love yourself like He does, believe what He says about you, listen to what He says about you,  and trust yourself. He has from the beginning ;-)

Reality Check #2

Don't be surprised if after God gives you a revelation, that the enemy throws a stumbling block/test in your path. In other words, are you going to answer with a but.....and try to explain yourself  or are you going to just be patient, do the best you can, and pray that in the end God will allow your heart to shine through?

So far choosing the latter, but can I just say it's NOT easy ;-)

Have a great week everyone! Remember He's got the puzzle lid, but if you look close(and listen) He'll tell you where the pieces fit best.

Reality Check

I am not a fan of reality checks, but I can safely say that since the bus wreck, I've learned to listen to them quicker and pay attention more ;-) I got a reality check last night and it stepped all over my toes. Last week was the first week of school. This year I'm in a new position, with a new schedule, and to top it all off I'm at a new school for part of the time. That in itself has stressed written all over it. So take a stressful situation and what does our flesh want to do, look around and whine and complain because others have it easier or they don't have to do as much as we do. If we look around and stay focused on what others are doing or are not doing, then we are not concentrating on what He's called us to do. It's not our job to see what's not fair in the situation, our responsibility is to do what He's called us to do and to do it to the best of our ability.

How many times would we rather stay focused on what others are doing(or not doing) instead of just doing the best we can with the task(s) we have been given? How many times do we concentrate on things we can't change instead of doing what we can towards things we can?

So back to my reality check last night....this week has worn me out mentally and physically. I'm overwhelmed with trying to get organized and get everything in place, that being said I also let a lot of what others were doing or not doing last week get to me. (How many know when we let things get to us, it will wear us out? After all that is the devil's plan to wear out the saint).  That being said, I had a choice to make last week, do the best I can with what I've been given this year, or let it get to me and become frustrated because of how I felt. Safe to say I tried to do the first, but the latter won out more. Then He gently reminded me(okay so it hurt) that I was too focused on what others were doing or not doing, that I forgot what He had called me to do. It's my job to take what I've been given(the hand I've been dealt so to speak) and make the best of it I can. Will it always be easy(NO)? Will I always get it right(Probably NOT)? Will He love me the same regardless(YEP)? See God knows our heart and as long as we are putting our best foot forward, doing the best we can, He's happy. When we do what He's called us to do, the things He helps to fall into place our amazing. After all He's got the puzzle lid, and if we will look really close there is a hint of color that will tell us where the piece fits(chances are its not where you keep thinking it will and have been trying to force it too).

Will the unfair things that found themselves in my day last week still be there this week? Probably so, because the situation hasn't changed. God just told me the way I approach it has to change. He didn't necessarily deal me the hand, but He knew the cards I held to begin with and together we always make a winning team!!

Until next time...........

Sometimes you just have to stop..........

  breathe...and remember where He has brought you from!

 God knows my heart and He knows I let things get to me more than I should, but some days I wish others believed in some of the same things I do. So the current dialogue at this point is something like, but God it's not fair...(Yep I'm sure it made Him laugh)...I love how He gently reminds me that He never said life would be fair, He never said that things would always go our way, He never said there wouldn't be days where others would get away with things and we would be left to fix it, He never said we wouldn't feel frustrated. The choice is yours on how you react when you get frustrated. Are you going to seek revenge or realize there really isn't anything you can do about it and just deal with the best you can? Trust me the latter is not easy, and by the looks of the way this year has started it must be on my list of things to learn.

God knows how strong you are and He trusts you more than you trust yourself. We want life to be easy because then we don't have to feel the pain it takes to get stronger. If He could somehow implant everything into our heads and we could automatically "get it" then maybe things would be easier, but that's not how He made us. We are individuals and not robots, so a choice is involved. With that choice comes taking a step in one way or the other. One direction, He'll go with you, the other you are on your own(until you run back to find Him). I do believe He wishes the journey could be easier for us, but we are the ones that make it hard.

God knows my heart and He knows I am thankful for the opportunities He has given me. I'm blessed to be starting my 6th year of teaching tomorrow, but with that comes some other feelings and emotions as well. God will take care of it step by step, but I think the turtle may hide for awhile at first. He knows when you need surprises along the way and I promise you He'll take care of the encouragement you need when you need it, if you'll just trust Him. Each day last week I had a "surprise" that made me smile and I ended the week remembering where He has brought me from(that's a blog in itself). So as I enter this new year frustrations and all, some things have just got to roll off on to Him after all He's stronger than I am ;-)

Until next time...........

Get in the boat

I've heard forever it seems about getting out of your comfort zone aka stepping out of the boat. Well this weekend during one of our lovely chats(God and I), He said do you trust me enough to get in the boat and go to sleep? Remember the story where the disciples saw that it was storming out and went to wake Jesus up since they were afraid. They reacted in fear instead of rest. Jesus calmed the storms that day and questioned the disciples' faith, but I've wondered before what did they miss learning through those storms? I wonder what happened next time a storm came up...(Lesson I've learned once you go through one of those shake your faith and rock your world storms, it is a lot easier to take a breathe and trust Him to handle the next one as it comes up...(wish I could have learned it without that intense storm, but thankful for that lesson now)

It takes just as much faith to get in the boat when you can see the storm coming, as it does to get out of the boat. He didn't say the ride in the boat would be easy(how many have ever been on a boat during a storm? It's up and down and can down right make you sick), but there is a lesson to be learned in resting with Him through the storm. The storm always ends and one day you'll wake up and you are on the other side;-) It's a lesson I'm hoping to learn this round, because I definitely would rather not repeat. (Side note about storms: Storms can be something literal on the outside or it may be inside(learning to keep feelings under control, keeping the flesh in check when wronged etc.). There is a certain comfort in knowing He can stop it in an instant, but there is also a peace in knowing that's He's resting too. (In other words, if He is not worried, why should you be?)

He doesn't ask us to get in the boat because He thinks we can do it or even because we think we can do it, but He knows we can! Remember He knows more about you than you know about yourself and He trusts you with what He gives you! I've often asked Him why do you trust me so much? I sometimes think that makes Him smile.  I love that He knows me better than I know myself!

Once you learn how to get out of the boat and walk to Him, don't be surprised if He doesn't ask you to get in the boat and rest for awhile. It doesn't mean it will be easy, but He knows your heart and He knows you can handle it! Don't miss what He has planned to put in you while you rest ;-)

Until next time.......

Goodbye Summer 2011:(

Thank you Lord for answering my requests for Summer 2011 as small as they may have seemed. I asked Him for a drama free summer(Thank you double for that one!!) and to fit into the next size jeans ;-) I know those both sound like two ends of the spectrum, but that's how my God works. It's been a great summer mixed with work and play and memories to last a lifetime. I saw my childhood crush when I went to Nashville for NKOTBSB and have experienced a new found passion for teaching teachers. I have been blessed to present at 3 locations this summer and I am praying that is just the beginning.

Saying goodbye to Summer 2011 makes me sad though because it means change is just around the corner. I am not a fan of change, but I have found that to grow change is a must. We can't grow stuck in one spot, but that doesn't mean change doesn't hurt. God knows what He has in store for this year and only He knows. You see He has the lid to this school year's puzzle and there are pieces I have still yet to turn over. **Honest side note...I'm scared...I like the pieces I have in my hand and knowing the ones I can see, but those that I still haven't turned over yet, well...just gotta trust Him.**( Being confident in Him doesn't mean you ignore what you are feeling, but you recognize that those feelings don't have to dictate who you are and what you do!). Feelings are a part of your day, but they don't have to dictate your day.

That being said, the turtle will stay out of its shell as much as possible, but there are days when it may hide. I'm still learning to be me regardless of what others think. It will come with time and patience. Just like building up stamina in the gym, it takes time before you can run a mile without stopping. It takes time to run a mile in this race without needing a break. So as I say goodbye to summer 2011 and walk into the new school year, change is in the air and change means getting out of my zone(but at the same time finding my way into His zone). Change will be good, but forgive me when I have my moments...I'll keep the turtle out as long as possible.
Until next time...