He said come....

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.…

Laying in bed last night and wide awake and God's writing a blog. I wanted to sleep, but God was writing....I probably should have gotten up and typed this late last night, but then again it was late. He took a part the verses above as we discussed my day last night. The blog is a peek into that discussion ;-)

These verses were not part of my quiet time Bible Reading or even my devotional, they were His whisper to me last night. It seems like I've been on an up hill run for the past couple of months and I'm tired. I'm exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. I also realized over the break a couple of weeks ago I was exhausted spiritually. That's a blog for another day because I truly didn't realize you could get to that point. God has a way of letting us have our moment to wear ourselves out to realize His way was the better way. Apparently that's a lesson I have yet to master. I learn it, but forget it way too quickly. So back to the verses above... 

Come to Me: God said we have to go to Him when we are tired. In other words, ask Him for help, when you are overwhelmed, when you are stressed, when you are frustrated, and when you are just plain tired. He knows our minds, but He is also waiting on us to realize we are not superwomen. We serve an amazing super God who wants us to rely on Him to get through the day(and the massive to-do list). He doesn't say complain, but come. Don't plop down mad about how things are going and get stuck. Crawl up in His lap and know that He knows your heart. If you find yourself plopped down, look up...He's got an outstretched hand waiting on you. 

all who are weary and heavy-laden: At some point in our journey this describes us all. When we say yes to more than we should, it is us on a daily basis. (Hey I'm learning...). God knows the journey is tough. He knows the enemy is going to do everything He can to wear us down and make us feel defeated and deflated. 

and I will give you rest: Pretty simple....not I might or I'll think about it, but I will give you rest. Now this doesn't mean you are going to sleep the problem away, or watch it float away on a cloud. It's a peace of knowing He's got this. It's Him whispering in your ear....It's Mine, because you are Mine. 

Take my Yoke upon you and learn from Me: When oxen are yoked together they both are carrying the load. Share it with Him and let Him do His part. Learn His way of doing things....Do what He says and He'll take care of the rest. 

for I am gentle and humble in heart and YOU will find rest for your souls: This is the part that stepped ALL over my toes. It's not about what others think. It's not about how others make you feel. It's not about what others do. Do what He asked you to do and rest in that fact. When we truly seek to live our lives for an audience of One, the rest falls into place. We can rest in Him when know that He is all that matters. Too many times we let what others think, what others say, and how others may make us feel dictate what we think, how we speak, and how we feel about ourselves. That is not how He planned for it to be. Live life for Him. Do what you can with all that you can and leave the rest in His hands. Quit seeking the applause of men or the recognition your flesh thinks you may need. Do it because He said to and leave the claps for His hands. 

Planted on the journey,

~Melissa 

Message Mondays

Monday is the day when it seems easiest to be defeated. We start the day with the greatest of intentions only to end the day feeling like a failure. Oh how feelings can really mess with our heads. Let me just get real for a few minutes. My Monday was crazy.....it appears that is the norm lately. If I'm being honest I'm pulled in one too many directions and as hard as I try I know I'm not super woman. I serve a super God, but even He knows I have limitations. I have a difficult time with confrontation and will usually do what I can to avoid it. I know the word no is powerful and productive, but the whole confrontation thing gets in my way. That being said, God is working on it...but for now I'm a work in progress. For every revelation He pours out, obedience must follow. The enemy knows my weak spots, but unfortunately it's because I have told him. The power of life and death really are in the tongue. Oh how some days I just want to pause my mouth and let my heart take over. God knows my heart and even when my mind gets overwhelmed with the shear magnitude of what there is to do, He knows where my heart's focus is. Believe me I'm thankful for that. I some times wish sometimes I could open my heart and display what I know is on the inside.

I spent my time on the way home telling the enemy to shut it. At some point we have to do that and take a minute to remind ourselves what HE says. The more the arrows come the harder it is to stand. The more we want to sit down or run away, the harder it is to stand. He said to stand...when you have done all you can stand. You wouldn't feel the push of resistance if you weren't right where He wants you to be. Muscles are made stronger with resistance and as hard as it is in the moment, God has a plan for all of the mess Mondays seem to bring.

Why does the enemy pick Mondays to throw it all at us? I asked God that question today. At one point I was seriously like really, one more thing today God.....but regardless of what I felt like I could take...God knew what I could handle. (and some days He has to convince us of what we can handle). God reminded me of a Monday so very long ago. See Friday the world was gray and cloudy, Sunday the Son(sun) came out and brought the promise of Monday. Monday is a day of a promise. A day when the lion is roaming about because the saints are armed and ready. The enemy is most worried about us on Mondays because of Sunday. So why else does the enemy throw it all at us on Monday? Because if he can get us to sit down on Monday, then he can do what he wants the rest of the week. God said stand. Stand when you have done all you can and know that is a victory within itself.

Blogs on Monday have became therapeutic. It's a few minutes of an other wise crazy day where I operate in a sweet spot. A few minutes where I take off the lid, the mask and just be me. Not  the me others expect me to be, but the me that He made me to be. I'm finding out more about that me a little every day. I can sometimes give out more than I take in. I want to be fruitful, but still have my busy moments. Negative talk is infectious and takes the strength that only He can give to resist. The easiest thing to do is to join in when someone starts being a negative Nelly and complaining. It takes strength to not join in and let those thoughts take root. It takes strength to be productive and not just a whirlwind. (Some days are better than others). I'm not perfect, but I'm standing still a whole lot more than sitting down. If you are the one that is always giving, make sure you take time to receive back. You may not always have a person with skin on to be that encourager, that ear to listen, or even the friend who will take some of the load. God knows what you need and He will bring it to you. It may come through a song on the radio, a whisper in your ear, or a word that He knows you need right then. My one regret over the last couple of months or almost a year and half are the God moments I missed because of the Busy ones. God slow my heart down and take care of the list that others have made. I want to do yours first. Your timing matters more than mine.

Thank you for reading, enjoy your evening...
~Melissa

Messy Mondays

Mondays are not my favorite day of the week. Let's face it, when that alarm goes off I'm not a happy camper. This morning was no exception. My bed was warm and I was comfy. How dare Avalon play "It's a New Day" and signal that my sleep had come to an end. Please hear my heart...I absolutely love my job this year. I love what I do, who I work with, and where I work. I just love my sleep as well. If the day could start around 9:30 I'd be good as gold. Mondays are unique. I discover, deal with, and figure out things on Monday that I didn't even realize I had to deal with. Mondays bring out laughter at times, tears at times, and definitely smiles. Mondays are also the days when I typically second guess myself, question myself, and wonder what in the world did I do all day. I can stay focused and be productive most days, but Mondays just seem busy. Today was no different. At the end of the day I was left questioning what was it I actually accomplished today. There was nothing that could be marked off of my "list", no projects that could be filed away, and nothing that had been started seemed to be have been completed. In short Monday was a busy day. The enemy wants nothing more than to take our busy days and tie them to how we feel about ourselves. The to do list shouldn't dictate how you feel about you....God does. Give His gift of today the best you that you can and know that you have done what He asked. Too many times we put too much pressure on ourselves because we have said yes to one too many things and are trying to hold ourselves to unrealistic expectations. God said Be who I made you to be and do what I've called you to do. Pure and simple, short and sweet, He doesn't complicate His gift of today. 

I left out my specific details on purpose so He could bring your own to remembrance for you. We all have days that look like a messy Monday. I have often times referred to them as diamond days before because I have learned there is always a message, a nugget somewhere. I've learned the more the enemy tries to defeat me with thoughts about my day, and what I did or didn't do, the more God wants to speak thoughts about what He has done and is going to do. If the enemy can keep our minds focused on what didn't get done during the day, we won't be focused on what God did do during the day. If you feel like you made a mess out of your Monday or maybe your Monday was busier than you thought it should be, listen to this truth. You made a difference today. You impacted someone in your path. God knew the seeds that needed to be sown and the words that need to be spoken. He promised in His word, that it would always come back. If you were you today, He is smiling and so should you. God knew what the day held before your alarm even sounded. He wasn't surprised by anything that came your way because He knows what you can handle. There is beauty in the mess and a message in the making. You may see a mess, but God sees a message. 

Stay the course and enjoy the journey! 

~Melissa 

I don't do overwhelmed....

Before I get too far, let me explain the title...this was what God so lovingly told me Friday when I told him I'm overwhelmed. He replied with "I don't do overwhelmed...remember I've got this, move on." Oh how He knows me.....In other words He was basically telling me You are Mine and I'm running this show. I don't do overwhelmed so you don't either. God doesn't have a to-do list, so therefore He doesn't have the stress that goes along with the pressure of a to-do list. He knows how to prioritize and what needs to come first. He gets that people before paperwork, but time with Him before people. Jesus didn't let what others demanded ruffle His feathers or make Him feel stressed. He handled everything with grace and a peaceful demeanor. I want to be like Him. I want to react like Him. Days I hit the mark and other days the arrow falls short the target. I somehow can see my sweet Heavenly Daddy picking up that arrow and handing it back for me to try again. He gets it. He knows our flesh sometimes gets the best of us. He knows we get stressed, overwhelmed, and focused on pleasing others at times. He also knows that our hearts seek to please Him, and He knows that one day we will be strong enough to stop the flesh before instead of asking for forgiveness afterwards.

I have a list of what needs to do be completed, but I try not to focus on it. Focusing on the list makes me feel stressed. With feeling stressed comes negative talk, grumpiness, not feeling so great, and being overwhelmed. I've learned over the last couple of years just what stress can physically and mentally do to your body. It is not a pretty picture. God did not design us to perform at our best when we are stressed. So what do we do when those feelings come? We have two choices. One let the thoughts of stress etc. play over and over in our minds therefore feeding the flesh, or two let our mind play He's got this, He's got this, He's got this over and over. We may not feel like He has it, but just as the official whose son Jesus healed, we have to believe Him at His word. If the official had asked for some proof or doubted that God had done what He said He had, the official's son may have not been healed. However the official believed Jesus at His word and so should we. When God says come to me all you that are heavy laden(stressed, overwhelmed, tired) and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you(know that I have this under control) for it is easy. (I've got this child remember).

I don't know what your week holds, but I know who holds your week. Rest in the promise that He has it all under control. Put that promise on repeat and when the enemy tells you otherwise, remind him Whose feet your day has already been laid at.

Enjoy the journey,
~Melissa

What's your Praise cost?

I should be working on paperwork, but I have a blog that needs to come out. God started writing it this morning(well late, late last night). I honestly started to post a what about me, complaining Facebook status because today has just been chaos and that's when God reminded me of this blog. Last night I had the typical Sunday night rest (if you are a teacher or related to a teacher you know what I mean). Sunday nights are usually hard to rest and sleep because of all of the plans for the following week. I sleep very well Monday night, but Sunday seems to be my dreams of paperwork and overwhelming schedules. Most teachers I know have said the same thing, especially after a break ;-). I love what I do, but I have finally learned the stress is not productive. Doing the best I can each day, for the entire day is all that He asks me to do. It may not be all that others ask, but at some point I have to be content with it being what He wants and expects. So many times I think we forget that He didn't say save the world, He said change it. We change it by doing what He has asked us to do and by giving the gift of today our all. Oh how we forget how much He trusts us sometimes.

So the title of the blog was His question to me last night. Kari Jobe made a comment on the Dove Awards of praise till the breakthrough happens. So many times we stop short of our breakthrough because we quit praising. We start complaining or start the woe is me pity parties. How quickly we forget that He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is not surprised by our reactions, He knows our hearts. He also knows that each day we are getting stronger than we were the previous day. Don't quit praising just because the day is not going your way or even how you planned that it would.  God knows how strong you are and He knows your heart. What's your Praise worth? Is it worth complaining because the day is not going your way? Is it worth getting down on yourself because you cannot seem to get it all finished? Is it worth pleasing everyone else in the course of the day instead of pleasing the One who made the day?

What is your praise worth? How much does it cost? You and God are the only two that know what is in your Alabaster box. (Think story in the Bible and the CeCe Winnans song). Jesus understood what the perfume was worth to the woman who broke it anointed His feet with it that day.  Everyone else did not understand, but they didn't know her heart. God knows what your praise is worth. He knows what it means when you push through a day with a smile on your face when you would rather sit somewhere and pout. He knows what it means when you refrain from that pity party post and let Him remind you He's got it. (I'm not talking about the asking for prayer posts, but the pity party ones...you know what I'm talking about). He knows what you fight through that others may never see. He knows what your praise costs, let Him remind you when you need it.

The events of the day are not worth sacrificing your praise. The day may end in tears, but let it be tears of God I don't get it but I know You've got it. What's your praise worth? Stay focused on what He's called you to do and who He made you to be. Do not believe the lies of the world/enemy that it is worth sacrificing for a few minutes of a pity party or complaining. Your praise is worth so much more.

God thank you for knowing my heart and for knowing what my praise is worth. Strengthen me throughout the day and may Your praise be always in my mind/heart and on my lips. Thank you for sweet reminders of praise when You know the pity party is about to start. Oh how you know me so well ;-)

Have a great week readers!
~Melissa

Overwhelmed Schedule, underwhelmed soul.......

Vacation time(a true vacation) equals revelation time....I asked Him a lot and He answered. I can't say it's exactly what I had hoped for, but oh how He knows what I need. I truly think I had forgotten what it meant to relax until this week. I could not have been happier for a Fall Break where the scenery was beautiful, the friendship amazing, but most of all the schedule was non existent. In a world where we like to schedule every minute of our lives, it is peace just to let life stop for a few minutes. Caution if you have not taken the time to let life stop for a few minutes lately, I encourage it. My word of caution comes when He starts speaking during this stopped time....oh how the layers are peeled back and revelation takes place. I asked Him to see things with His eyes, but I now realize I should have asked for the grace to go with that revelation. He showed me truth, He showed me freedom, and He showed me myself. So many things I thought I knew, but this week He added the truth behind some of those "feelings". I came home ready for a new season, but the enemy was as well. I am determined more than ever to stay focused. The last year and half have been chaotic, disorganized, and just plain busy. The enemy likes when we are busy because that means we do not have time to listen. Sometimes we just have to take a step back from something and let the pressure die down. If we will take a minute a lot of times, that pressure we say we "feel" is something we put on ourselves. I know that I'm guilty of that on many levels. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to lack of self control, not being disciplined, and people pleasing. I am pretty sure I've asked God to break the people pleasing chain more than once over the last couple of months. Why do we do it to ourselves, I'm sure He's asking the same question. He has this amazing day planned for us when we wake up and we mess it up by letting the mess into our thoughts. You are what you think about and you are who you think you are. Let that sink in for a minute.....You are who you think you are. You will only be as great as you think and feel you can be. When you look in the mirror do you analyze and criticize every flaw you think you have, or do you smile and say thank you God I'm your child. God knew what He was doing when He formed you and He didn't make a mistake. We have made some bad choices over our lives that may have lead to the way we see ourselves, but God looks deeper. Ask God for a glimpse of how He sees you. Then remember that picture, because that's how He wants you to see yourself. Don't look at the day as a chance to finish that list. Look at the day as a chance to make a difference. The enemy will throw stones in your path. You decide whether they make you stumble or make you stronger. Trust God as much as He trusts you and believe in yourself the way He does. He didn't create life to be stressful, frustrating, or chaotic. When that finally sunk in, I cried. I know I've said yes to things that while they may have been good things have not been God things. I've been overwhelmed and until this week I didn't realize how much that had taken from me. When you feel overwhelmed, you lose focus. You go from walking on the water, trusting Him for each step, to doing everything you can to keep from sinking.

I'm still working my way through The Best Yes book by Lysa TerKeust, but God and I have had some serious conversations this week. He gave me some steps and now it is up to me to put them into practice. God cares about how we feel, and whether we realize it or not...He gets the overwhelmed feeling too.  I took Him my overwhelmed schedule this week and gave it to Him. He gave me some peace and now together we are going to start tackling it piece by piece. That conversation though is a blog for another day. I ended my time with Him and asked for an overwhelmed soul and an underwhelmed schedule. I want my time to be what He wants it to be. God give us the strength and the grace to see each day as you do and to stay focused on You alone. God called you to be You. Ask Him to show you who that is and then be!