Open for my Father's business

My friend wrote on Facebook about her sweet little daughter who started a business.  I wondered if that was a secret dream of hers.  We all have them you know and I am amazed when I consider that God holds our dreams too.  

Sometimes God uses our dreams to teach us.  And we get more than what we signed up for.

I didn't sign up for hard days of wrestling with my thoughts and those restless nights of wonder.  

I didn't sign up for true confessions and lonely days where I find myself laid bare.

What I wanted was the easy road where my best words flowed.

God understands that I want to do the work that matters.

I didn't sign up for God to shake my world in showing me how He is unshakable.

I didn't sign up for God to direct my dreams in showing me His determined steps.

I didn't sign up for His will to override mine but I've torn up my agenda to match His.  

I didn't know I was signing up for this full surrender.

I didn't sign up for the lonely walk with God as I submitted my dream to Him.

I didn't sign up for the raw moments of confession as He speaks truth in my healing.

I didn't sign up for the admission of the negatives which have brought so much positive.

I didn't sign up for this but I did.

I prayed to be God's voice.  I signed up for Him to change my language.

I trusted God with my dream and prayed a Spirit-filled prayer.

I signed up for walking with God in my dreams.  I prayed for God to show me what it means.

I signed up for submitting to my Author and Perfecter of my faith.  He has given me the permission to write with Authority and Honor.

I signed up for making a difference in the lives of others.  He's marked my life with truth and holy fear.  

I signed up to be used to build God's kingdom, God gave me a mission field at the end of my nose.

I signed up for what I thought was my dreamy dreams.  He gave me His greater plan.

I signed up to trust and obey, but I didn't sign up for the freedom those words would bring.

When you resign yourself to the will of God, then you signed up for full surrender to His greater plans for you.  You signed up for letting Him define what greater plans are ahead, not the finite plans that your heart wonders about.  

Isaiah 61:1  The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed."

What we don't know is how from our small seed of faith, we have signed up for resignation to His power, control, agenda and plans over your dreams.

My prayer:  Dear God, In the raw places of faith, bring your new beginnings, truth and honor.  Show me what it means to follow You.  Show me what your truth is in the tenderness of new beginnings.  Show your heart, and thank you for letting my heart collide with yours.  I will follow you, seek your Kingdom, your righteousness, and your freedom in learning truth.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Freedom comes...even in your dreams...

Treat yourself with a little kindness today

Confession:  "I'm not taking off weight fast enough!"  After all it seemed like I gained it overnight. One day I woke up and was 30 lbs heavier than I was the last time I weighed.  Talk about a bombshell...that I saw between my toes.

Have you ever thought...you have been doing the work, watching the calories, sweating, and now it seems you can't even lose weight right?

How about you treat yourself with a little kindness today.

It's not just about making the right and healthy food choices or putting in time at the gym.  It's also not about eliminating certain problem foods.  Your mental state has a huge influence on whether you hit your weight-loss goals. Old thought patterns might seem unbreakable, but moving forward may be easier than you think. These negative thoughts could be what's holding you back from success.

Here's how I know.  I have been right where you are right now.  I wanted to give up and almost did.

Then God kick started my motivation with a pair of tight pants.  I was so ashamed being out of breath when wearing those tight jeans.  

For one who has been overweight most of her life, yes, I know the tight jean feeling.  This is where you run and grab your hanky.  My story is not pretty, but it is pretty much a story of God's rescue.  I felt that I had to get to the end of myself before I realized I couldn't do this losing weight gig on my own.  Plus I felt like a loser most of the time at every meal, on every day.

The kicker was I had already lost 104 lbs. and now gained 30 of them back.  Ouch!  That day of reckoning hit hard and I was ashamed.  How could I let this happen?

So as I squeezed myself into those tight jeans, the rejection that I felt was enough to push me over the line of commitment and say...."this is it!"  Sept. 24, 2012 was a brand new day for me as I gathered up my resolve and gave myself another chance.  I put my love of food aside one more time before God and didn't look back.  I decided in my heart to honor Him with every bite.

I decided to start.

I started towards change, a new beginning.  Again.  My remorse was a catalyst in change.  

In this case, my negative feelings spurred my positive move.  If you are needing a little kindness today, just look at what you have been running to for comfort for your rejected heart.  Make a list the food choices you make.  Are they what you are supposed to be eating?  And are you measuring your foods, what about the portion size?  Are you assuming you know what a 1/2 cup of orange juice looks like?   Do you know how much fat is in the fat free salad dressing?

These are hard questions I had to ask myself too and it helped to start writing everything down.

Everything.

This was my kindness effort to myself.  After seeing what I really eating and how much, it was obvious of why I had gained 30 lbs.

Kindness...give yourself a little today why don't you?  Prepare for healthy meals, snack times, get some fresh air, and give yourself a chance to succeed.

Health psychologist and Stanford lecturer Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., explains, "If you focus on self-criticism, you'll be like a laser on it." Instead of focusing on putting yourself down, draw attention toward what you want to fix and accomplish. Above all else, treat yourself with kindness.

Picture the new you...I know you don't even want to imagine it but you can do it....come on...dream a little.  I know it's hard to fathom the new you right now.  Feeling confident about your ability to succeed is a start, but an action plan can be a huge help too. You might not be able to find the words right now, but creating a tangible reminder, like a healthy Pinterest board covered in inspirational images, will help you start to recognize what your dreams look like.  Maybe you just need to write a few kind words to yourself.

Treat yourself with a little kindness today and celebrate your success, each and everyone.  Just start...your successes will feed your confidence.  Did you know that second chances are God's specialty?

God hasn't given up on you when you give up on you.  

Once the positive changes start happening...it's like the domino effect.  It motivates you to keep going.  The hard work, the sweat, the tears, the struggles, are worth the end result.  Kindness works.

This weekend I was overwhelmed with gladness as I purged my closet of clothes that were too big. I treated myself with a little kindness and got rid of the reminders of the clothes that use to reject me.  No more safety nets, no going back to focusing on the the rejection.  Moving forward with kindness and knowing God's goodness, I have a positive outlook on each and every choice.

If I can do it, so can you.

"Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim."  Proverbs 15:4 (MSG)

Are there negative thoughts about your weight that have held you back in the past? How did you move past these mental roadblocks and welcome the new you? 

Celebrate Your Freedom

One Monster Cracker

Every year at my house there is tension on this day.  I don't like spending money on fireworks but the rest of my family does.  It's because I was taught by my founding father that it was a waste of money.  So now...almost every year there are some "fireworks" at our house, and I always lose.  


But I do have a confession...I enjoy seeing the fireworks explode.  I love to watch them soar into the air with their fabulous, magical streams of colors, whistles and trails of smoke.  I don't like the process but I like the result.    


I also like celebrating freedoms and am so thankful that God has allowed me to live in a free country.  Spiritually, this past year has been quite a journey from my personal past.  Although this faith journey is long from over, that's another reason to celebrate, in that God is not done with me yet.  He celebrates each shift I make towards His holiness.  

Spending time studying His Word allows His Spirit to

explode truth into my heart and it's always time well spent. 


"Then you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  John 8:32 

One truth that I have found as I walk with God is that the more freedom I discover in Christ, the more dependent I must to be on God.  Independence has no place here when you are walking along in faith.  Dependence on God is essential and an added bonus is we get trust in God for each step.  

Our Founding Father delights in this process as we declare independence from our sinful ways.  And as the faith fuse burns, it brings us new level of trust and dependence on Him.  The declaration of my dependence is sometimes a difficult process but I like the results.  Dependence births freedom.  That is something worth celebrating each and every time.

How do you celebrate freedom?