Do You Believe?

I dedicate today’s blog to all of those who doubt themselves, who beat themselves up over past mistakes, who think they are inferior, or who think they will never succeed.  

January has been an interesting month for me…. trying to find my passion again, setting goals than changing them, doubting myself, waiting for answers to prayers, and working on my 4th & 5th steps….Living life on life’s terms can be rough.

I want you to know you are not alone, we are in this journey together.  I’m back to sharing my strengths, hopes and experiences a few times per month.  I want you to remember together we can heal and become the AMAZING women God wants us to be.  It won’t always be easy.  It probably won’t be in our time – God works on his schedule not ours.  But the important thing is – we do heal!

I am grateful for the struggles because from them I grow.  I am grateful for my faith which keeps me grounded even on the toughest days.  I am learning so much about myself lately and I have to admit – it can be pretty scary!  It has mw wondering (and sometimes doubting) all kinds of things.  I know the road may be bumpy but the end result is to be a better person tomorrow than I am today.  You don’t have to have lofty goals or dreams.  You don’t have to make changes immediately.  Remember slow and steady wins the race.  The key is to listen to those God nudges (or smacks on the head for me sometimes).  Trust and believe.  

This is a repost from gobigcoach:

I believe in you,

Even when you don’t.

I know you are a miracle,

Even when you forget.

I am thankful for YOUR extraordinary,

Even when you feel like you’re not enough.

Whatever you struggle with,

I know you can survive…

And prevail!

Whatever you resist,

I know you can allow…

Harmoniously.

Whatever you dream,

I know you can experience…

And expand into even more.

Whenever you fall and wonder if you

can get up again…

Remember, I believe in you – even when you don’t.

Don’t let fear and doubt steal the joys of each day.  You are an amazing individual with gifts and talents to share with the world! You ARE extraordinary!

Have an Epic day!

 

WAIT…

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I plead and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said,
Child, you must wait.
“Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your hand shortened? Or have You not heart?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming Your Word.”
My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a “yes,” a go-ahead sign,
Or even a “no” to which I can resign.
And Lord, You promised that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry;
“I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!”
Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taught
And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting… for what?”
He seemed, then, to kneel
And His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.”
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun,
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be,
You would have what you want-
But, you wouldn’t know Me.
You’d not know the depth of my love for each saint;
You’d not know the power I give to the faint;
You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust I’m there;
You’d not know the joy of resting in Me;
When darkness and silence were all you could see.
You’d never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save, for a start,
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.
The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have last.
You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
Yes, your dreams for your loved one,
Overnight would come true,
But, oh the loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you!
So, be silent, My child, and in time You will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know ME.
And though oft’ may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still, “WAIT.”

~author unknown

Whatever your struggles, know God has a plan.  All things are in his time and not ours.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Peace Be With You

As a man thinks in heart, so is he. – Proverbs 23:7

Some days I struggle with what to write.  Some days the words just don’t come.  Today was one of those days.  I always thought that Sundays would be easy – my day to reflect and share God’s grace and love.  Today, that wasn’t the case.  I hunted as I did morning devotions.  I hunted as I worked through my Leadership Bible.  I hunted but I didn’t LISTEN.

The word “Peace” kept coming up.  I kept thinking “what should I write about?” Peace be with you.  Why am I struggling?  Peace be with you.  I have struggled the last few days with Negative Nellie.    She has been sitting on my doorstep waiting for a crack in the door.  Peace be with you.  You would think that I would get it but then it hit me – SMACK!  Share the need for PEACE in our lives.

I have been doing a lot of personal development work as a Leader and it has raised ALOT of questions about my style, my abilities and even my desire to be a Leader.  As I work through the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, the same questions have come up.  I pray for guidance.  I pray for wisdom.  I pray for answers.  I pray for help.  But the one thing I didn’t pray for was peace.  The peace that comes with knowing that I am just where God wants me to be.  The peace that comes with trusting in him.  The peace that comes with believing in him whether I can see the plan on not.  PEACE.

PEACE is defined as freedom from disturbance; tranquility and quiet.   Why does that peace allude me?  Today’s verse says it all “As a man thinks in heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).  The questions that I have are deep in my heart and so I struggle unwilling to turn them over and find peace.  Why?  Will peace give me answers that I don’t want to hear?  Will peace give me a path I don’t want to take?  Will peace be against MY WILL for my life and my business?  OUCH!

What if I shifted my mindset?  Yes, there are some of us that need to do that on a daily basis.  What if I put EVERYTHING in God’s hands?  What if I spoke my desires into the Universe?  What if I kept the door locked and refused to let Negative Nellie in?  What if I let PEACE invade my heart, my mind and my soul believing in God’s plan?  I know that God has a plan for each of us.  I trust that he has brought me through the trials to help others.  It is just some days that I don’t actually believe in my heart because fear has claimed a corner of it.

What about you?  Do you have peace in you life?  I don’t mean in the physical aspects of the day because let’s admit it – life can be crazy with work, kids and home.  I mean that deep inner peace that when all is said and done, you know that everything will be okay.

Let’s focus today on the beauty around us.  Let’s focus on the blessings in our lives.  Let’s focus on gaining an inner peace that transcends all understanding.

Peace be with you, today!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Money

 

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income” Ecclesiastes 5:10

How many times have you said “When I have enough money, I will retire, living comfortably and doing just about anything I want.”?

How many times have you focused on your own ability to make money and just when you thought you had everything (or at least reaching your dream); the wind was knocked out of your sail and you lost everything?

How many times have you changed jobs for more money only to loose it or end up leaving it?

These are the times that our focus is on money and not trusting in God.

That has been me in so many ways.  I can look back on events in my life and realize that it was God at work – teaching me a lesson.  Okay, so I didn’t think that at the moment.  I cried.  I became angry.  I sat in my pity pot for days, weeks and in some cases years, thinking “poor me”.  The truth was that God was just waiting for me to turn to him and ask for help.

As I work through my Leadership Bible, I realize how many times I stopped trusting in God and thought I could do it on my own.  I was never good at money management.  For years, I allowed credit cards to rule my life.  I robbed Peter to pay Paul.  Debt was/is an addiction for me.  Crazy, right?  But it is Satan’s way of trying to keep control in my life.  Then SMACK – a wake up call from God.  Why? Because God loves us too much to allow us to continue down that destructive path.

When I talk to new potential recruits on their “WHY”, the focus is often on money – more money to pay bills, for a vacation, and the list goes on.  Isn’t that why so many of us start their own business or change jobs – for more money?

The truth is that when we live a life according to God’s plan for us – we will have everything that we need.  Notice I said “need” and not “want”.  I am learning that I have enough money for what I need but maybe not everything that I want.

Have often have you asked for “God’s will in your life” when secretly you didn’t want it in all areas.  But the truth is, many times I  wanted to pick and choose which ones?  Truth be told – money and finances were on the top of the list.  I was afraid that if I let God’s will be done, I would not get what I wanted!  OUCH!

God’s plan for us is that we become good stewards of the resources we are given.  Making money should not become the idol in our lives.  Check your motives today and see if your financial life can stand Jesus’ scrutiny.

Are you operating as a steward of the financial resources He has entrusted to you?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!