Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Reflections....aka I'm learning

Have you ever felt like you lived part of the lyrics of a song? Of course I know most of us have at some point(and some of you are singing a particular song in your head right now). I have learned so much this summer, it is mind blowing but I am so thankful. I'm still chewing on what He confirmed last night listening to Siran Stacey, but that is a blog for another day.

The lyrics of the song I've walked out this summer is from some precious friends and it is called I'm learning. There is a part of the chorus that says...."and I'm finding as the road keeps winding, I don't know which bridges to be crossing or which ones I should be burning, but I'm learning."


So where has this taken me this summer? Most of us have been on that road. The road that keeps winding around and around. We keep walking and staying the course, but we can't exactly tell where we are headed.  Then get to a bridge and the question comes to mind, is it one to cross or one to burn? If you are like me, you spend time starring at the bridge analyzing every little bit trying decide whether you walk across it or burn it and keep moving. Chances are you reason out the burning even though it is the best thing, because you see something good on the other side of the bridge. Good is not always what is best and good is not always a God thing. Some bridges are meant to be burned so you can keep moving on your journey. The choice is knowing which one He wants you to cross and which one holds your freedom when you set it loose. The hard part is listening and following your heart and not your feelings.

So I've spent the summer learning. I've learned some of the bridges that need to be crossed and the ones that need to be burned. I've had it so lovingly put into perspective(Thanks God ;-)) which things matter and which ones really don't. Not everything that seems like a big deal, really is. The same is true for people. Be cautious with who is in your inner circle and who is influencing your heart. Let those be the people whose words you press replay on and for the others, hit delete. God will let you know which words need to be taken to heart, trust Him.

So whether you are on the winding path or find yourself starring at a bridge trying to decide, trust Him. If you will listen, He will show you what to do. For those that need a neon sign, He's even good with those too.

Until next time,
Keep learning!
~Melissa


Sunday, August 4, 2013

Protect Your Flame

I am so thankful that I have one more week left of summer break. After the last few days, God's given me a couple of things I need to work on before the extreme routine starts again. I have walked out the "Be careful if you think you are standing, so you don't fall" verses. I thought I had a good grasp, but apparently the enemy knew EXACTLY where to hit me and how many times to do it. So, lessons learned, weak spots exposed, and now time to suit up. Time to get ready for the year and to protect this flame He has lit from going out with every blow the enemy sends my way. So that's what this blog is about, just a few words and revelations I've had so lovingly given to me in the last week or so.


In this world we are living in with the way everything seems to go down, it is important now more than ever to protect your flame. By that I mean, when God lights your fire, protect it! Don't hide it, but don't let the enemy blow it out at each turn either. That flame is what will keep you going through the valley, mountain, or just plain on the journey. There is a difference between a God lit flame and a flame you lit on your on, but that is a blog for another day. A God flame cannot be easily extinguished and doesn't go out just because feelings get in the way. A God flame is one that will keep you going when it seems like nothing else is going the way you think it should. So how do you protect that flame?

  • Be careful whose words you take to heart. Not everyone who speaks to you has a word that needs to take root.
  • Stay focused on who He has called you to be. Well-meaning people can try to extinguish your flame simply because they want to light one of their own for you so you can fulfill a need they have. (Caution: There is a Difference!).
  • Frustrations are two fold. There are frustrations that are meant for God and God alone. Then there are frustrations that are meant to push you to change(aka getting healthy).
  • Not everyone in your life will understand you, and that's OKAY! God sees your heart and knows what He has placed inside of you. You are special and He has extraordinary plans for you!
  • Actions do speak louder than words. You can't control how others treat you, but you can control how you react to what they do to you. Sometimes a word is needed and sometimes it is better to just walk away for awhile.
This may not make sense to some, but if you are in this season you know what I'm saying. God has a unique purpose and calling for each of us. Be patient and know that He is working even when you can't see it. When He gives you an audience, a flame and shows you what is on the inside of you what makes you, you...Don't ever forget it!! The enemy will try to discourage you through every means possible. Remember what He has shown to you and that God flame will get you through it all! That God flame will shine to others even when you don't realize it.

If you had asked me in May what I thought about my candle I would have told you I was burning it at both ends and the wax was gone! He has rebuilt the candle this summer and lit a flame like only He can. That flame scares the enemy and that has become quite evident over the last couple of days. Guess what devil...you lose.

Until next time
~Melissa

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Connections

I have had more revelation in the last 48 hours than I think I can process right now. Believe me, when you ask God for a word, be listening and be ready.....He will show up and tell it to you(whether you want to hear it or not). His truth will change you, trust His neon sign the first time....if you don't you will see it again and next time it may hurt. An amazing friend posted something about this on Sunday and God has used it to open doors and show me more than I could ever imagine.

This summer He has peeled off layers, exposed to me some of those this is where that thought process comes from etc., and gotten real. It hasn't been pretty, easy, or even fun, but it has been necessary. Change will not happen until you make the decision to change. As long as you want to stay comfortable and doing what you have always done, the way you have always done it, and making sure those people who you have always made happy or happy....nothing is going to change. God will put the opportunity to change in front of you, but He will not make you walk down the road. There comes a point where you have to make the decision, you have to listen when He says let's go. He is not going drag you kicking and screaming down the path He wants you to take. His truth is sometimes not easily digested in one setting....sometimes you have to chew on it awhile. So I guess this blog is me chewing ;-)

Who are you connected to? Take a minute to really seriously think about the answers to that question. I'm not talking about your connection with God, we'll talk about that One in a minute. I'm talking about who is in your everyday world. Who do you communicate with on a daily or even weekly basis? Who communicates with you? Who are you around in meetings or other group settings? Whose social media do you pay attention to? Who do you check with before you do something? Who are you allowing to speak into your life be it verbal or nonverbal communication? Who is impacting your walk(good or bad)?

Sometimes those we find ourselves connected with are not necessarily those that have a good impact on our lives. Another thought to think about is, who is adding to your life and not just subtracting from it? Now before someone says, God says to be a servant, do for others etc. Think about this for a minute: If you are truly involved in service and doing what God told you to do, they are adding to your life by building fruit. Subtracting service moments just keep you busy. Know the difference and make your time mean something. That was my word at the beginning of the summer. Be fruitful, not just busy. Balance is the key and no one area should dominate all of your life(job, family, health etc.) There is time for it all when you order your priorities right and remember what truly matters.

Just because someone speaks something doesn't mean you have to accept it. It has taken me a LONG time to get that truth. You can really choose what you think about(Joyce Meyer has always said it, but it has taken me a long time to "get" it). God will give you the strength to do what He has called you to do. He called you to be you, no one else. He is happy when we look in the mirror and smile. He gets excited when His children realize the gift that is on the inside of them. After all, He is the One that gave it to you in the first place.

There may be more on this to come in the next couple of weeks, but for now just think about it. God has given you an incredible journey and race to run. Stay connected to those that are going to believe in you, support you along the race, and run with you. He has given you an amazing gift...YOU! Show the world that gift and just be YOU!! Part of that is letting go what may so easily entangle us and setting our eyes on what really matters.

Until next time,
~Melissa

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sweet Spot

Summer is slowly winding down, and I must say this has been a good one. Don't get me wrong it's had its "stressful" moments, but notice I said moments. The moments quickly faded and what came after was peace. Not peace that it was over, but peace that it was all going to fall into place. This is what the other side of people pleasing looks like. See for so long, I've worried more about other people thought than if I was being me. In other words what others thought and asked of me was placed as a higher priority than what He thought and asked. End of last year brought me to a point where I knew things had to change, I had to adjust and start listening or there were going to be serious consequences(stress is not good physical). The goal this summer was simple, be fruitful not just busy. I think it is safe to say I've listened and have really enjoyed the time. I've learned to let the stress roll, this too shall pass, and why worry if you can't change it. Things that would have kept me in unnerved for days, last minutes. The process isn't completed, but I am a lot closer than I used to be.

So why is the blog titled sweet spot? Think abut what you love doing, what you are good at, passionate about, those things that make you smile. Now how much of your day do you spend doing these things? Probably not as much as you would like, and if you are honest with yourself....there may even be some days where no time is spent at all. Sweet spots are from God. He has given us all things we are good at. Not necessarily things we went to school for, read in a book, or ever thought we would be doing....but things that just come naturally. We smile when we are doing them, they bring happiness and peace. Those are moments when you know you are operating in the place where He wants you and doing what He asked you to do. So many times He tells us what to do, we listen, but never put it into practice. Then when things start taking a turn we don't like we ask Him to intervene, when He's already told us how to jump over the turn, and walk across to the other side. We listen when He talks, but it is more than just words, we have to put action to what He says. Sweet spots come when you put it into practice. Sweet spots bring a smile and even when those stress moments come, they are only moments and not hours.

Balance and perspective are key to walking in peace. Remembering that it isn't about what others want, but what He wants that matters. We spend too much time running around being busy when we need to be fruitful. Fruitful moments will last after we have moved on, busy moments will only last for the moment. Live in your sweet spot and when He speaks, you need to do. Stress moments will come and they will go. Don't let them wreck who you are or even where you are at. God called you to be you and no one can play the part He wrote just for you in this show called Life. Don't let others steal that from you. Take a moment and ask about your sweet spots. Listen when He tells you(again) about your gifts,  your passions, those things He gave only to you. Now when He gives you the next steps...the what to do with what He has told you.....DO IT! Are you sitting on a word today?

Until next time
~Melissa

Saturday, June 29, 2013

I called you to be YOU.....

Okay today was the day I had been on my calendar to do one of those "dreaded" things on my to-do list. I mean literally since I added this thing to my to-do list, it has been a dread/worry whatever you want to call it. Why do we do that to ourselves? It wasn't anything major, just a pure inconvenience but I let it annoy me for numerous reasons. Add doing it in a no air conditioner setting and it's hard to stay positive. Now that I am on the other side of that dreaded to do and it is a done item, the weight is lifted. Now if only I had completely trusted Him with taking care of it in the first place? He loves us that much.

Sometimes those bumps in our schedules, those inconveniences we call, are nothing more than God moments. Sometimes God uses those moments to whisper something because He knows we are listening.

So this morning, He was whispering and I was listening. It was such a sweet moment. So many times we get caught up in making sure we are doing what God called us to do. We look to others who may have the same calling/ministry etc. We try to make sure our schedules look like theirs and make sure we are doing all we can to run that race. It happens at work too. We see others getting pats on the backs, recognition, and moving on up the ladder and we "feel" we need to match everything they are doing(especially if we don't "feel" we are where we should be...). We get so caught up in making sure we are doing our calling, that we forget to be who He called us to be.

His whisper was plain and simple this morning, but straight to the core. "I called you to be Melissa".

Those few words sunk in and wow. We can get so caught up in our doing that we forget to be ourselves. We forget that our doing comes from who He has called us to be. Our doing will come naturally if we will just be who has called us to be. After all, He knew us before He made us and each part of us is there for a reason. We make Him smile when are just ourselves ;-)

Until next time
~Melissa

Friday, June 28, 2013

Just thinking....

No title really on this one, lots of "thoughts"/themes running through my head and heart. I can't believe a month of summer has almost passed. I wish I could say I had accomplished all of my goals already, but that would be no, not finished yet. I am making progress though and that is a very good thing. Where is some of this coming from? Let's just say the refining process. When it is all said and done, I just want to hear Him say well done. I want my life to count for Him and when I look back on the day I want to know I did all I could for Him and made a difference.

Knowledge without application is just words. I've been hit with this a lot lately, personally and professionally. So many times people "know" about something, but if they can't take it to the next level and apply it, where does that knowledge get them? Scripture calls it being a hearer of the word and instead of a doer. Learning is a great thing, but if you spend all of our time learning and never putting it into practice, where does that learning get you?

Freedom....ask Him for it, but once you ask, be prepared for what He tells you to do next. He tends to get specific. At least with me, He does. He and I have that relationship where He can just tell me what to do, then it's my turn to do what He says or take a 40 year journey that should have only lasted 11 days. The problem comes when we don't do what He says, think we can get away with just doing it half way and try to keep the reigns. A pilot doesn't land a plane with half the wheels still up. This journey we are on is all or nothing, He wants all of us. All of our thoughts, all of our emotions, all of our dreams, all of us. He knows what makes us tick, what makes us smile, what makes us cry, and what makes us keep moving forward. The funny part comes in when we think we know ourselves better. Trust Him with your heart, mind, and soul. Trust Him with all of you.

Defeat...there is a line an old Dottie Rambo song that says "...defeat is just one word I won't use"... Defeat and can't go hand in hand. We let people defeat us, food defeat us, and even our thoughts toward ourselves. Tell yourself you can't do something enough times and you eventually start believing that you can't. Be who you are and you will walk through those defeated times with your head held high. Not because you are something, but because He is everything. He's got your back and just needs you to keep moving on this journey called life. Once again I have been reminded to be careful who you let into your life. Some are meant to speak into it, some are meant for God to use to speak into your life(aka sandpaper). Talk to God about your relationships, He will show you the difference. When He tells you someone is sandpaper, let Him use them to make you more like Him. Don't let them defeat you, remember their purpose and keep things in perspective. This season soon passes and you will be stronger when it does.

 Watch your words, don't say you can't do something if God says you can. He is given you much more power than you may even realize. Let Him exhibit it through you!! God has a plan and He thinks the world of you. Some seasons are for planting, some are for watching things grow, be patient and know that regardless of what season you are in God is at work.

Until next time,
~Melissa

Sunday, June 23, 2013

24 hours.........

Well it has been a LONG time since I posted on here. Sorry about that......
The end of school is always hectic, but that is no excuse.  I have to eventually get in a better habit with this, but I digress.

So I've had a couple of trips lately and what does that mean, car ride and think time. Think time and God time have been deep lately. God is peeling back layers and doing that thing He does. If you are asking what is that thing He does, think about playing with play dough. He uses a cookie cutter that looks like Him placed into the dough that I call me(yep, mine is pink too ;-) Little by little the excess dough is pulled away, so one day the shape called me will look just like Him. My issue is that I try to put some of the dough back, and all that results in is yet another time of Him taking it away. I'm learning though.

So why is this blog called 24 hours? We all have the same amount of time in each day to make a difference. Yet sometimes we stay so busy that at the end of the day, can we look back and see one thing we did to make a difference? I set out with one goal this summer, to be fruitful not just busy. I'm tired of wasting time on things just to try and make it up the ladder. I've learned some of those ladders I thought I wanted to climb were leaning against buildings I didn't recognize. Sometimes we need to do what we do because of what HE  did and forget about the rest. Do a heart check and see why you do what you do. Is it to see that smile on someone's face or to try and get that pat on the back?

Let the wall come down that you have built up trying to protect yourself from getting hurt again and trust Him to guard your heart. Be careful about giving the enemy a foothold and do what God says to do. Footholds come in all shapes and sizes and most of the time make you feel comfortable and feed the flesh. Feed that deeper part of you even when it's not comfortable. Don't look at what you are doing as little, just because what you see someone else doing may be big. Patience means letting God do things in His time while you keep moving forward. He knows what He has planned, He will finish what He started, don't rush ahead. Sprinting ahead leaves you out of breath and you end up having to stop and catch your breath anyway. Keep up with His pace. His pace for you is meant just for you, and only you.

24 hours.....do what you do because of what He did and trust Him. The rest will fall into place. Don't fill your schedule with things, just to stay on the go. Listen to what His plan is for you and fill your schedule with that. Being fruitful means sowing seeds that one day will reap a harvest in His time. Being fruitful means sowing into lives and giving of yourself. It's not always easy, not always comfortable, but always a God thing.  Little doesn't always mean less. Look at what you do through His eyes, because it's big to Him.

Until next time
~Melissa