If you have ever had a dog, you know that obedience does not always equal love! We used to have a husky that we loved dearly. He was a hilarious dog and one of the most loyal companions you'd ever meet. However, it didn't matter how many times he got body slammed (figuratively), or how many hours of obedience training he had, if he saw another animal, he was outta there! No matter the level of electricity running through his shock collar, or how loud we were hollering for him to come back.
I don't doubt for a minute that that dog loved us. When I cried, he would literally sit--all 80 pounds of him--in my lap and lick the tears off of my face. When my husband left on what I affectionately refer to as his Man-Venture out to Colorado for a month, that dog didn't leave my side. However, this same dog once chased a goose in icy rapids for over an hour while I ran up and down the riverbank yelling at him to come back. I'm sure he loved me, but in that moment his eyes weren't fixed on me. He was distracted.
How often can we relate to him?
I love my husband so much, but it seems often that I fail to follow his direction at times because of distractions. Women, please don't stop reading to go set your bra on fire in my name. In no way am I a subservient personality who is enslaved to her husband. If anything, I think even my husband would say that I "wear the pants" in our relationship. But oftentimes I let my pride and my natural sense of leadership (some might prefer the word "bossiness") to dictate how I react. However, almost always, when I have overreacted or let my emotions get ahead of me, I regret it later.
I don't think you can regret something if your heart isn't involved.
So, follow me here. My heart is so in love with my husband that I want to be obedient to him. This doesn't mean he bosses me around and I quietly bake him muffins while he watches TV. Oh, I can't believe I could even say that entire sentence! HA! See, out of his love for me, flows a sincere desire to make decisions that benefit me. He would rather see me happy than himself.
We all do that in our relationships with the Lord, I think. Even if you are sitting there thinking, Relationship with the Lord? I haven't been in a church since Easter 20 years ago! That doesn't matter. God meets us where we are. Good thing too, because I screw up every day...and I mean royally! But, that is when I am distracted. It is incredible how when we take our eyes off of something for even a second, our loss of focus can create a disaster. However, as you start to develop a love for God, you will want to obey Him. He wants what is best for us. He doesn't take joy in seeing us hurt. He desperately wants a relationship with us. The devil is a master of distraction, so it is our job to re-focus--no matter where you are in your life--and take baby steps to address our relationships. It is out of that loving relationship (with God, your spouse, your co-workers, your neighbor, the lady you can't stand who runs your child's PTO) you will develop a desire to become obedient. It is amazing how people's perspectives change when they feel that they are genuinely loved!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Hand Delivered Dreams...
Thank you to the UPS man who hand-delivered a box of 20 books yesterday morning. Of all of the people I grew up with who always knew what they wanted to be, I was never so lucky. All that I was sure of was that I was meant for something bigger-something beyond my small, Central Ohio town. Today I was able to see my dream realized. I could touch it and smell it.
In fact, people that know me laugh with me when I remind them that my picture is, as I call it, "pre-baby!" Anyone who has mothered a child fully understands that term. I can't believe I thought I looked bad then. I looked awesome! Now, the world can take notice!
Here is what I do have...the priceless gift of being able to tell people that I love what I have accomplished. I actually achieved something that I have said for years that I knew I wanted to do. More importantly even if this is where it stops and no one calls, no one emails, no one reads my story and asks for my business I was able to get my message out to anyone who picks this book up and reads chapter 3.
This is not the end of the road. The story is only beginning. So, go buy the book! If you want a copy with my picture on the cover, you will have to order it from me, directly. I am so excited about where God will take me with this project. More importantly, I trust that He will use my story to inspire someone. He will take my message to encourage and to educate. I have so much inside of me to share and I pray that I will have the opportunity to deliver that to others to spur them on to claim their dreams, as well!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Flu-ent Persistence...
Not 24 hours after a proud post about reclaiming joy, I was struck down with the flu. Let me clarify, because this was not just any flu. This sickness was one of the most violent periods of illness I've ever had. I'd rank it only under having Ecoli and giving birth via emergency C-section with no numbing. Oh my word!! At one point I think I said out loud, "I had better at least be losing weight from this because this is insane!"
So, whatever was trying to crush my pumped up spirit needs to back off! I just sincerely hope and pray that my son doesn't get it. I obviously don't want my husband sick, but lets be honest, he can hold his own hair back and I haven't the first clue how to explain this to my little boy!
Now that I am back to about 76% normal, I wanted to share that God is still good! In all the chaos we've been going through under our current housing contract, prayers are still being answered even after the most incredible roadblocks come in the way. I mean, this is the kind of stuff you couldn't make up!
I want to encourage everyone with something I was reminded of yesterday that I think of most often when considering my incredible son and providing for his future...finances! While attempting to buy a new home, this is like a dark, looming cloud overhead...but it doesn't have to be!
People who live joyful and blessed lives do not just live within their means...they live below their means. This doesn't mean that you should trade in your 2009 Civic for a 71' Pinto or move from the Country Club to the back alley apartments with barred windows. This is simply the idea that to live paycheck-to-paycheck can happen no matter what your tax bracket.
If you are wealthy, wonderful! I'm so happy for you. Celebrate that! But, if your wealth looks like a $400,000 a year income, don't spend $399,997 a year and call that a victory. Trust me, Murphy's Law (If anything can go wrong, it will.) applies to everyone. No matter your status, Murphy will find you if you are unprepared!
So, for people like my family, in our current living situation, our budget will always look fairly tight because we have chosen to provide for our family by serving others and taking care of family. However, even in circumstances like these, you can take precautions like Dave Ramsey's suggested Emergency Fund, so that you are prepared if something unexpected comes up.
Plan, prepare, and don't procrastinate. Most people unfortunately live lives where we justify spending by convincing ourselves that we are entitled to anything we want instead of being thankful for what we have. There is power in contentment. So, if you have much or little, enjoy it! But remember that your most treasured memories are likely to be made in a place where the stress of finances don't rob you of the joy you thought you'd have there.
So, whatever was trying to crush my pumped up spirit needs to back off! I just sincerely hope and pray that my son doesn't get it. I obviously don't want my husband sick, but lets be honest, he can hold his own hair back and I haven't the first clue how to explain this to my little boy!
Now that I am back to about 76% normal, I wanted to share that God is still good! In all the chaos we've been going through under our current housing contract, prayers are still being answered even after the most incredible roadblocks come in the way. I mean, this is the kind of stuff you couldn't make up!
I want to encourage everyone with something I was reminded of yesterday that I think of most often when considering my incredible son and providing for his future...finances! While attempting to buy a new home, this is like a dark, looming cloud overhead...but it doesn't have to be!
People who live joyful and blessed lives do not just live within their means...they live below their means. This doesn't mean that you should trade in your 2009 Civic for a 71' Pinto or move from the Country Club to the back alley apartments with barred windows. This is simply the idea that to live paycheck-to-paycheck can happen no matter what your tax bracket.
If you are wealthy, wonderful! I'm so happy for you. Celebrate that! But, if your wealth looks like a $400,000 a year income, don't spend $399,997 a year and call that a victory. Trust me, Murphy's Law (If anything can go wrong, it will.) applies to everyone. No matter your status, Murphy will find you if you are unprepared!
So, for people like my family, in our current living situation, our budget will always look fairly tight because we have chosen to provide for our family by serving others and taking care of family. However, even in circumstances like these, you can take precautions like Dave Ramsey's suggested Emergency Fund, so that you are prepared if something unexpected comes up.
Plan, prepare, and don't procrastinate. Most people unfortunately live lives where we justify spending by convincing ourselves that we are entitled to anything we want instead of being thankful for what we have. There is power in contentment. So, if you have much or little, enjoy it! But remember that your most treasured memories are likely to be made in a place where the stress of finances don't rob you of the joy you thought you'd have there.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Reclaiming JOY!
In writing in my Gratitude Journal this morning (all thanks to David G. Brooke), I realized something. In the past five days I have worried over losing my job, found out we may lose the contract on our house, and been run off the road while going to church on the highway with my one-year-old son in the back of the car. All of these fears and worries piled on top of each other have spurred my subconscious into a dreaming frenzy. Each night I have had a worse dream than the night before about losing my husband or son, or coming under monumental debt for no explainable reason.
This morning I said, "STOP!"
You know, we Americans have a keen way of allowing ourselves to throw tremendously popular pity parties. When I used to manage a boy's group home I used to tell the residents, "I won't pretend to know you. You don't pretend to know me. If you were to look at where I came from, maybe you would be surprised at where I am now. The point is that the choice lies with you." You see, it doesn't matter who our parents are, what horrible struggles we've gone through, or what just happened to us in the grocery line earlier today. What matters is our choice of how to deal with those circumstances. We can choose to wallow, feel sorry for ourselves, and end up medicated and lonely...and many of us feel justified in those decisions. In no way am I downplaying some of the heartbreaking things that happen to people each day. The stories these boy had been through by age 13, most of them, was far worse than anything I've endured in my 30 years.
However, what if you chose differently? What is you said, "No!"? How would your life look different if you stopped listening to what everyone else was saying (or what you think they are saying) about you? What would a day in your life look like if you saw yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you--someone who REALLY loves you?
It is all about perspective. When we were run off the road on Sunday, it was really scary. A woman in the left lane didn't see us on her right side, and as we were going nearly 70mph she swerved into our lane, running us into the gravel bank and causing us to fishtail and start to spin. I'm not sure what camouflaged us more, our bright red color, or the neon yellow road bike mounted on our roof rack!
My husband and I were in the middle of a conversation about our current predicament with jobs, money, and a house. After making sure everyone was okay and our household's only car wasn't destroyed, I said, "Well, maybe that is just our glimpse of a new perspective."
My husband's response? "A glimpse into what!? How NOT to drive when we're old!?"
I laughed. "No. At the fact that everything we need is right in this car. We truly love this house, but we don't need it."
Over the past 7 months, my family has moved out of state, my husband and I have started new jobs, we have lived in the basements of two very gracious family members while we sold our house, we have moved again into a townhouse, and now we are going through some things that may make our situation take yet another turn for the worse. Could I be sad? Yep. Could I wallow and think the worst? Of course! The people who think not have obviously never moved four times in a year or lived in a family member's home with a one-year-old!
However, I am choosing a new perspective. I CAN have a job that I truly love and make good money to provide for my family. If my current employment does not continue, then I choose to understand that it is because there is a better and more fulfilling opportunity awaiting. I am currently aggressively seeking something to fulfill my family's financial needs if that does happen, but I believe that there is something in me to give the world and I will hold up to that responsibility.
I CAN live in our dream home. It may not be a dream to many, but land for a beautiful garden, a few cows, a gorgeous view of the mountains where our family can play, and room enough for a few more kids is a dream to me. If this housing contract falls through I will be heartbroken, but I will choose to shake it off and get back in the house hunt so I can find the home that was truly meant for us.
I CAN get fit and healthy again. Having a child and going through several big life changes can take its toll on a person. Struggling for many years with self-esteem, maintaining a healthy weight, and trying to cope with negative self-thoughts has been my day-to-day. But it doesn't have to be. Are the people saying mean things about me right? NO! My weight does not define me. Do they know that I am a hard-working wife and mother? That I have lived in another country? That I have been to several places to serve those less fortunate? That I have saved people's lives before? That I have never chosen a job for the money, yet have lived paycheck-to-paycheck in order to do things that help people at-risk? That I have accomplished a lifelong dream and become a best-selling author? Maybe not--but I know. They are not right about me.
So, this morning is about perspective. All you have to lose is everything you stand to gain. I'm reclaiming my JOY!
This morning I said, "STOP!"
You know, we Americans have a keen way of allowing ourselves to throw tremendously popular pity parties. When I used to manage a boy's group home I used to tell the residents, "I won't pretend to know you. You don't pretend to know me. If you were to look at where I came from, maybe you would be surprised at where I am now. The point is that the choice lies with you." You see, it doesn't matter who our parents are, what horrible struggles we've gone through, or what just happened to us in the grocery line earlier today. What matters is our choice of how to deal with those circumstances. We can choose to wallow, feel sorry for ourselves, and end up medicated and lonely...and many of us feel justified in those decisions. In no way am I downplaying some of the heartbreaking things that happen to people each day. The stories these boy had been through by age 13, most of them, was far worse than anything I've endured in my 30 years.
However, what if you chose differently? What is you said, "No!"? How would your life look different if you stopped listening to what everyone else was saying (or what you think they are saying) about you? What would a day in your life look like if you saw yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you--someone who REALLY loves you?
It is all about perspective. When we were run off the road on Sunday, it was really scary. A woman in the left lane didn't see us on her right side, and as we were going nearly 70mph she swerved into our lane, running us into the gravel bank and causing us to fishtail and start to spin. I'm not sure what camouflaged us more, our bright red color, or the neon yellow road bike mounted on our roof rack!
My husband and I were in the middle of a conversation about our current predicament with jobs, money, and a house. After making sure everyone was okay and our household's only car wasn't destroyed, I said, "Well, maybe that is just our glimpse of a new perspective."
My husband's response? "A glimpse into what!? How NOT to drive when we're old!?"
I laughed. "No. At the fact that everything we need is right in this car. We truly love this house, but we don't need it."
Over the past 7 months, my family has moved out of state, my husband and I have started new jobs, we have lived in the basements of two very gracious family members while we sold our house, we have moved again into a townhouse, and now we are going through some things that may make our situation take yet another turn for the worse. Could I be sad? Yep. Could I wallow and think the worst? Of course! The people who think not have obviously never moved four times in a year or lived in a family member's home with a one-year-old!
However, I am choosing a new perspective. I CAN have a job that I truly love and make good money to provide for my family. If my current employment does not continue, then I choose to understand that it is because there is a better and more fulfilling opportunity awaiting. I am currently aggressively seeking something to fulfill my family's financial needs if that does happen, but I believe that there is something in me to give the world and I will hold up to that responsibility.
I CAN live in our dream home. It may not be a dream to many, but land for a beautiful garden, a few cows, a gorgeous view of the mountains where our family can play, and room enough for a few more kids is a dream to me. If this housing contract falls through I will be heartbroken, but I will choose to shake it off and get back in the house hunt so I can find the home that was truly meant for us.
I CAN get fit and healthy again. Having a child and going through several big life changes can take its toll on a person. Struggling for many years with self-esteem, maintaining a healthy weight, and trying to cope with negative self-thoughts has been my day-to-day. But it doesn't have to be. Are the people saying mean things about me right? NO! My weight does not define me. Do they know that I am a hard-working wife and mother? That I have lived in another country? That I have been to several places to serve those less fortunate? That I have saved people's lives before? That I have never chosen a job for the money, yet have lived paycheck-to-paycheck in order to do things that help people at-risk? That I have accomplished a lifelong dream and become a best-selling author? Maybe not--but I know. They are not right about me.
So, this morning is about perspective. All you have to lose is everything you stand to gain. I'm reclaiming my JOY!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)