There are about three blogs in the works, but this is not one of them. The three in the works I assure you have some meat, but they are still being written. For now, I just need to write.
Today was the worst day I've had all month. It's like the enemy saw me get out of bed this morning, knew I hadn't slept much but had been up praying about a few things and said let's just see if she is ready for this. Well, I'm still trying to decide if I was ready for it or not...as of right now the vote is no. This has been a day from start to finish that I would rather forget, but over and over today I've asked God for a chance to put the pieces together. Pretty sure I was even begging at one point for fear that this day would be lost to all of the drama that had engulfed it.
Lesson learned over the last two days, I'm not apologizing for who I am anymore. I've spent way too many days apologizing for things about me that God has more than once told me are a part of who I am. I've aplogoized for haing a heart too big that cares too much, to which God said....that is all a part of my plan, just look how many I gave you to care about. I've apologized for being too passionate about things, to which God said...I'd much rather have you hot than lukewarm....hot I can mold and work with. I've apologized for for standing up for myself, to which God was like umm....serving and love do not mean being a doormat.
I've been the push over one too many times and it hit a point today. I have feelings, opinons, and am pretty good at what I do if I am just given a chance. At one point today, I had decided that I give up on a situation...to which I heard(when I got quiet....don't give up when the adversary says to give in..)Hmm....
One truth:: The more you seek after God, the more the enemy seeks after you. This is so true! The more you set out to live out what God has called you to do, the more others are going to seek to tear you down. The devil(who is a liar by the way), will do what he can to wear you down. Be careful, be careful, be careful, be careful who you surround yourselves with and who you listen to. Hear my heart on this, I've learned the hard way. There are those in your life who love you for you and those that love what you do. Learn the difference before you decide what to do.
Believe in yourself and the power that you have within you. It is greater than what anyone says and can defeat any pity party(TRUST ME ;-)). God loves you for you and He always will. Now take that love and leave that mess with Him. Some days you just need to crawl up in His lap, cry a few tears, and have Him remind you He's got you and all of the pieces. Sweet reader, stay close to Him because you are about to mount with wings like an eagle and FLY!!
I hope some of this made sense and there were a few nuggets hidden within. I still have three blogs to write later, but tonight I just needed to write. Today was a day where I have felt worn to the bone and honestly felt horrible all the way around. We all have days like that...but on those days I challenge you with something He challenged me with. Ask Him to show you the God things in the day? He will show you. It makes those tears of passion, those feelings of being two inches tall because of the lack of respect, appreciation, and voice seem worth it. You defeat yourself more than anyone else does. You can't let someone else's treatment of you dictate how you feel about what you do. This is beginning to sink in. We all want those outward signs of appreciation and those outward signs of making a difference, but some times God calls us to a season between just us and Him. Times when you have to rely soley on seeing things through His eyes to keep doing what you are doing. It's a difficult season and often lonely, but oh so sweet. Believing in yourself is half the battle, be the princess He made you to be and just do what He's called you to do. Know His word and line it up with that, as long as they match keep walking forward.
Until next time,
~Melissa
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
You have the right...........
to choose what you think about and for how long.
Yep I've heard Joyce Meyer and others say this more than once, but it has started sinking in over the last couple of weeks. It really is up to you whether you hit delete or replay on things. Let that sink in for just a minute. You can't change what people say to you, what they say about you, or what they don't say or do. The quicker we realize that the only person we can change is the one in the mirror each day, the faster we are to letting God take over and start the process of us becoming more like Him. Let's face it though the more we try to change others, the less time we have to let God change us because our focus is not on Him, it's on them.
Know what He's called you to do and do it!! Then once you start to do it, be at peace with it. Sometimes we know what our calling is, but we fight it because we want to do more in the flesh. Newsflash...in the flesh things will only lead to stress and frustration. Regardless of your feelings and what things look like, you are here for a reason, for a purpose, and there are things He has planned that only YOU can do. So quit comparing your life and you to someone else, and quit letting others compare you to other people. Remember He said when you have done all you can do to stand. Stand and let Him do what only He can do. Let Him remind you He's got your back(and your front for that matter ;-))
So where is this all coming from...revelation time and listening. Time to patch up the crack in the window, that the enemy has been using to get in and cause stress. Things are not going to always go as planned, but when you follow His plan through the twists and turns it may seem, it will always end up on the other side of the mountain. You are unique and you are one of a kind. He didn't make you to be like anyone else, so quit claiming and believing the lies that you are fed that you should be anyone other than who He made you to be. Last thing...be careful whose words you push replay. Not everyone in your life is meant to speak into your life. Jesus had 12 disciples, but He only had three in the inner circle. Trust your heart, line it up with scripture(1 John 4:1), and look at what fruit it leads to you in your life(doubt/discouragement or encouragement/hope). That will tell you whose words to hit delete on and whose you can replay. This is not an easy truth to get, but it's one I've had taught more than once and am slowly starting to see through His eyes. He'll teach you when to say yes and when to say no, who to listen to and who not, and when to speak up for yourself(or something else) and when to just stay quiet. I believe God called us to love and serve, but He did not call for us to be a doormat. We get ourselves in those "doormat" situations by trying to be people pleasers. Want to be truly happy? Let Him fill your schedule and trust me, you'll do more from the overflow then you could ever put on a to-do list. It's time to quit playing games and get busy about what He's busy about.
Give Him your five loaves and two fish and be ready to collect what is left! It really will be more than you could imagine ;-) (Yes He knows I love a picture to visualize).
Until next time,
~Melissa
Just FYI....when you start giving Him your thoughts and hitting delete more, be prepared for the enemy to slide in any chance he gets. Once it happens(and it will), repent, and patch the crack in the window again. It takes time to replace the world's words with His words, but in time He will be what you hear more than anyone else ;-)
Yep I've heard Joyce Meyer and others say this more than once, but it has started sinking in over the last couple of weeks. It really is up to you whether you hit delete or replay on things. Let that sink in for just a minute. You can't change what people say to you, what they say about you, or what they don't say or do. The quicker we realize that the only person we can change is the one in the mirror each day, the faster we are to letting God take over and start the process of us becoming more like Him. Let's face it though the more we try to change others, the less time we have to let God change us because our focus is not on Him, it's on them.
Know what He's called you to do and do it!! Then once you start to do it, be at peace with it. Sometimes we know what our calling is, but we fight it because we want to do more in the flesh. Newsflash...in the flesh things will only lead to stress and frustration. Regardless of your feelings and what things look like, you are here for a reason, for a purpose, and there are things He has planned that only YOU can do. So quit comparing your life and you to someone else, and quit letting others compare you to other people. Remember He said when you have done all you can do to stand. Stand and let Him do what only He can do. Let Him remind you He's got your back(and your front for that matter ;-))
So where is this all coming from...revelation time and listening. Time to patch up the crack in the window, that the enemy has been using to get in and cause stress. Things are not going to always go as planned, but when you follow His plan through the twists and turns it may seem, it will always end up on the other side of the mountain. You are unique and you are one of a kind. He didn't make you to be like anyone else, so quit claiming and believing the lies that you are fed that you should be anyone other than who He made you to be. Last thing...be careful whose words you push replay. Not everyone in your life is meant to speak into your life. Jesus had 12 disciples, but He only had three in the inner circle. Trust your heart, line it up with scripture(1 John 4:1), and look at what fruit it leads to you in your life(doubt/discouragement or encouragement/hope). That will tell you whose words to hit delete on and whose you can replay. This is not an easy truth to get, but it's one I've had taught more than once and am slowly starting to see through His eyes. He'll teach you when to say yes and when to say no, who to listen to and who not, and when to speak up for yourself(or something else) and when to just stay quiet. I believe God called us to love and serve, but He did not call for us to be a doormat. We get ourselves in those "doormat" situations by trying to be people pleasers. Want to be truly happy? Let Him fill your schedule and trust me, you'll do more from the overflow then you could ever put on a to-do list. It's time to quit playing games and get busy about what He's busy about.
Give Him your five loaves and two fish and be ready to collect what is left! It really will be more than you could imagine ;-) (Yes He knows I love a picture to visualize).
Until next time,
~Melissa
Just FYI....when you start giving Him your thoughts and hitting delete more, be prepared for the enemy to slide in any chance he gets. Once it happens(and it will), repent, and patch the crack in the window again. It takes time to replace the world's words with His words, but in time He will be what you hear more than anyone else ;-)
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thankfulness and more.......
I've tried really hard on Facebook this month to participate in the month of Thankfulness ;-) so far so good...some days have been a little trivial and some deeper than others. I think God understands though...those little things that we call trivial are part of who we are. Those shows that make us laugh(aka Duck Dynasty) or those things that make us smile(aka white chocolate milk shakes at Steak and Shake). I think, no I know God enjoys making us laugh and smile. He also enjoys when we say Thank You, because after all every good gift is from Him. I've also thought about where I'm at and where I'm headed this month, because face it if you are paying attention to the news, it is time more than ever for Christians to not be found lukewarm.
Most of all I'm thankful for what He has done for me. For those days when I feel like I've made a mess or things or like I'm a big old failure, a message or a text from a friend reminds me who I am. After all there is a difference in who I am and what I can do....He loves to remind me of that truth especially when I've seemed to forgotten it. Who I am, His princess...what I do, countless things! Balance comes when what you do comes out of the overflow of who you are. Some people love you for you, others love you for what you do. Know the difference between the two when deciding what to do. Too many times we change who we are for people who only want us to do something for them. Hear my heart....yes God said to love everyone and to go the extra mile, but I think we do ourselves a disservice when we take on trying to save the world without following His lead. We can get caught up in doing for God that we forget to spend time with God. When we reverse the two, things fall into place. Don't overwhelm yourself with so many "good" things that you miss out on "God" things. If He calls you to walk the extra mile, trust that He will walk it with you(which brings strength, wisdom, discernment etc.). When we open doors on our own, we walk through them on our own. When we walk through the doors God opens, He covers every word, action, and takes care of us as only He can. Now if you walked through a door on your own, confess and ask for forgiveness. He will meet you right where you are and help you to grow in the process.
Patience sweet reader, God's got more planned for you than you could ever imagine. He loves you right where you are and just wants you to follow His lead on this journey. He's such a patient guide though, because He waits until you are ready to follow His way alone. He's a patient Father in that He realizes sometimes a child needs to try things for themselves. He's gentle to pick us back up, clean the wounds, and say let's try this again. He loves you more than you love yourself and truly only wants what is best for you. He knows what makes you stresses you out, what frustrates you, and what makes you hurt. He also knows that sometimes these things will make you grow and make you more like Him. He holds you in the palm of His hand, trust Him to work it all out for your good. He promised in His word that He would.
Until next time,
~Melissa
One last thought: When your job starts to be too much(stress, frustration, paperwork overload etc.), slow down enough to hear His whispers and listen to His heart on the matter. He will remind you of a few things, I promise ;-) .....That's a blog to walk out before I write out
Most of all I'm thankful for what He has done for me. For those days when I feel like I've made a mess or things or like I'm a big old failure, a message or a text from a friend reminds me who I am. After all there is a difference in who I am and what I can do....He loves to remind me of that truth especially when I've seemed to forgotten it. Who I am, His princess...what I do, countless things! Balance comes when what you do comes out of the overflow of who you are. Some people love you for you, others love you for what you do. Know the difference between the two when deciding what to do. Too many times we change who we are for people who only want us to do something for them. Hear my heart....yes God said to love everyone and to go the extra mile, but I think we do ourselves a disservice when we take on trying to save the world without following His lead. We can get caught up in doing for God that we forget to spend time with God. When we reverse the two, things fall into place. Don't overwhelm yourself with so many "good" things that you miss out on "God" things. If He calls you to walk the extra mile, trust that He will walk it with you(which brings strength, wisdom, discernment etc.). When we open doors on our own, we walk through them on our own. When we walk through the doors God opens, He covers every word, action, and takes care of us as only He can. Now if you walked through a door on your own, confess and ask for forgiveness. He will meet you right where you are and help you to grow in the process.
Patience sweet reader, God's got more planned for you than you could ever imagine. He loves you right where you are and just wants you to follow His lead on this journey. He's such a patient guide though, because He waits until you are ready to follow His way alone. He's a patient Father in that He realizes sometimes a child needs to try things for themselves. He's gentle to pick us back up, clean the wounds, and say let's try this again. He loves you more than you love yourself and truly only wants what is best for you. He knows what makes you stresses you out, what frustrates you, and what makes you hurt. He also knows that sometimes these things will make you grow and make you more like Him. He holds you in the palm of His hand, trust Him to work it all out for your good. He promised in His word that He would.
Until next time,
~Melissa
One last thought: When your job starts to be too much(stress, frustration, paperwork overload etc.), slow down enough to hear His whispers and listen to His heart on the matter. He will remind you of a few things, I promise ;-) .....That's a blog to walk out before I write out
Friday, November 16, 2012
Puzzle Pieces
For as long as I can remember, God has used a puzzle box lid to teach me more than I could ever write in this blog. I remember putting puzzles together when I was younger and I always started by turning over all of the pieces on the front side. Then I would start by putting the corners in places. Next I would start trying to match pieces up by looking at the box lid. Slowly using the lid, the pieces would start to come together. It took focus though to stay on task and not get half way through the puzzle and want to quit and moving on to something else. Ever found one of those pieces that you were just sure fit into a certain spot? The odd shaped pieces were always tricky. I'd find a piece that I was sure fit somewhere and I would lovingly make it fit where I wanted to. Sometimes it didn't even matter if the color matched or not, when I was ready to be done the piece was going where I wanted it to.
Life can be like a puzzle sometimes. We have all had pieces that we wanted to fit into a certain spot, regardless of whether they worked there or not. We've had pieces that were odd shaped and only fit in one place(because after all that's how the puzzle maker planned it), but we get in a hurry and rush to guess what corner it matches. Those odd shaped days usually leave us going, umm...God help please or can you just tell me where this fits in your plan? Personally I've asked Him that last question more than once. Some how I think I can move on and keep going as long as I know how it fits. Honestly ask yourself a question, if you could see the box lid, would you really want to know? The truth that God is the only one that has our box lid keeps us leaning on Him. If we knew where we were headed, we would think we could do it on our own. I mean after all, when we think we know what's next we keep walking until we find the hole called distraction.
I can think of two vivid moments where I felt like the pieces were all jumbled up in my puzzle. I couldn't see how the pieces before me were ever going to come together to look like the masterpiece that God said was on the box. All of those odd-shaped pieces didn't fit where they looked like they belonged and the more I tried to act like I knew where the pieces went the more I realized I was clueless. When we get to the point where we finally give up, and realize this isn't how it is supposed to go, that's when God can work. As long as we have control of the pieces, He can't do anything. When we take those pieces and give back to Him(after all they are His anyways), and wait on His timing. That's another part where we mess up...because His timing and our timing is SO not the same. My average seems to be about two years, before I can start to look back and see how He put these pieces together. The only way to see how some of those odd shaped ones are going to fall into place, is to let Him do it.
I've realized only recently that I'm in another one of those odd shaped puzzle piece moments. I can look and see parts of me(aka puzzle pieces), but I can't see how they are all going to connect and fit together. Thankfully I have gotten the message finally, it's not my job to figure it out. The more we analyze the pieces and attempt to make them fit, the more frustrated and stressed we become. The more I step away from the puzzle, I realize His fitting the pieces to fit His plan not mine.
So what pieces are you holding on to and trying to make them fit? You can squeeze them in and push them in place, but it won't be a good fit unless you let Him show you where that piece belongs. He has a plan for each piece and together it makes a masterpiece that only He could design.
One word of caution(lesson learned the hard way)...When you start letting Him put the pieces in place and control is totally His, you will have an amazing sense of peace, perspective, and purpose. However, look out...because well meaning people will try to tell you where your pieces fit. Most of the time they have in mind what your box lid looks like and they think they can "help" you by showing you where everything goes. God has a plan just for you that only you can do. He has you where He wants you or He would move you, trust me(even if you are still trying to figure out how this piece fits into that puzzle ;-))
Until next time
~Melissa
Life can be like a puzzle sometimes. We have all had pieces that we wanted to fit into a certain spot, regardless of whether they worked there or not. We've had pieces that were odd shaped and only fit in one place(because after all that's how the puzzle maker planned it), but we get in a hurry and rush to guess what corner it matches. Those odd shaped days usually leave us going, umm...God help please or can you just tell me where this fits in your plan? Personally I've asked Him that last question more than once. Some how I think I can move on and keep going as long as I know how it fits. Honestly ask yourself a question, if you could see the box lid, would you really want to know? The truth that God is the only one that has our box lid keeps us leaning on Him. If we knew where we were headed, we would think we could do it on our own. I mean after all, when we think we know what's next we keep walking until we find the hole called distraction.
I can think of two vivid moments where I felt like the pieces were all jumbled up in my puzzle. I couldn't see how the pieces before me were ever going to come together to look like the masterpiece that God said was on the box. All of those odd-shaped pieces didn't fit where they looked like they belonged and the more I tried to act like I knew where the pieces went the more I realized I was clueless. When we get to the point where we finally give up, and realize this isn't how it is supposed to go, that's when God can work. As long as we have control of the pieces, He can't do anything. When we take those pieces and give back to Him(after all they are His anyways), and wait on His timing. That's another part where we mess up...because His timing and our timing is SO not the same. My average seems to be about two years, before I can start to look back and see how He put these pieces together. The only way to see how some of those odd shaped ones are going to fall into place, is to let Him do it.
I've realized only recently that I'm in another one of those odd shaped puzzle piece moments. I can look and see parts of me(aka puzzle pieces), but I can't see how they are all going to connect and fit together. Thankfully I have gotten the message finally, it's not my job to figure it out. The more we analyze the pieces and attempt to make them fit, the more frustrated and stressed we become. The more I step away from the puzzle, I realize His fitting the pieces to fit His plan not mine.
So what pieces are you holding on to and trying to make them fit? You can squeeze them in and push them in place, but it won't be a good fit unless you let Him show you where that piece belongs. He has a plan for each piece and together it makes a masterpiece that only He could design.
One word of caution(lesson learned the hard way)...When you start letting Him put the pieces in place and control is totally His, you will have an amazing sense of peace, perspective, and purpose. However, look out...because well meaning people will try to tell you where your pieces fit. Most of the time they have in mind what your box lid looks like and they think they can "help" you by showing you where everything goes. God has a plan just for you that only you can do. He has you where He wants you or He would move you, trust me(even if you are still trying to figure out how this piece fits into that puzzle ;-))
Until next time
~Melissa
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Making a difference........
Pretty sure God just smiles or may even laugh when we so sweetly pray, God I just want to make a difference. I know I've said it more than once ;-)
Whether you realize it or not, you make a difference each and every day. Sometimes it may be a positive difference and sometimes it may be a negative difference. Let that sink in, it took some time for it sink in for me. So in a way God is answering that prayer to make a difference, you my friend are deciding what kind of difference that will be. Sometimes to that positive difference, you have to ignore what others are saying. You have to move forward when everyone else seems to be standing still. You may even have to go a different route than EVERYONE else to stand up for what(or who) you believe in. Your head will tell you to go the route everyone else does, to live at the norm, or to just do whatever you feel like doing. Your heart on the other hand hears truth. Your heart knows which road to take, how to live above the norm, and to go against your feelings.
As Dr. Seuss would say, Today is your day you are on your way.
What difference are you going to make today? Are you going to be the one who sows that seed in someones life or are you going to to be the one who causes that seed to not take root? God has a plan for you that is beyond your wildest imagination. The devil also has a plan for your life as well, and it is to WEAR you DOWN and OUT. If the enemy can keep you defeated, frustrated, and not productive, he's won. So on those days when life throws it all at you, remember God stands ready to catch it all. Breaking points will come, but God will always be there for each and every cry along the way home. He knows why you do what you do and despite what ANYONE else may say or do, He is smiling. Let yourself off the hook, you can never do it all, and it will never all be perfect, but God sees why you do what you do. His smile is the only one that matters. Keep focused and push past the pain. Endurance will develop eventually(at least that's why He keeps telling me ;-)).
Just wanted to end with this song that has ROCKED my world lately. What are you waiting for today?
Whether you realize it or not, you make a difference each and every day. Sometimes it may be a positive difference and sometimes it may be a negative difference. Let that sink in, it took some time for it sink in for me. So in a way God is answering that prayer to make a difference, you my friend are deciding what kind of difference that will be. Sometimes to that positive difference, you have to ignore what others are saying. You have to move forward when everyone else seems to be standing still. You may even have to go a different route than EVERYONE else to stand up for what(or who) you believe in. Your head will tell you to go the route everyone else does, to live at the norm, or to just do whatever you feel like doing. Your heart on the other hand hears truth. Your heart knows which road to take, how to live above the norm, and to go against your feelings.
As Dr. Seuss would say, Today is your day you are on your way.
What difference are you going to make today? Are you going to be the one who sows that seed in someones life or are you going to to be the one who causes that seed to not take root? God has a plan for you that is beyond your wildest imagination. The devil also has a plan for your life as well, and it is to WEAR you DOWN and OUT. If the enemy can keep you defeated, frustrated, and not productive, he's won. So on those days when life throws it all at you, remember God stands ready to catch it all. Breaking points will come, but God will always be there for each and every cry along the way home. He knows why you do what you do and despite what ANYONE else may say or do, He is smiling. Let yourself off the hook, you can never do it all, and it will never all be perfect, but God sees why you do what you do. His smile is the only one that matters. Keep focused and push past the pain. Endurance will develop eventually(at least that's why He keeps telling me ;-)).
Just wanted to end with this song that has ROCKED my world lately. What are you waiting for today?
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