Tag: Worthy

IMprove

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IMprove

When I pry my eyes open to see what time it is, my head begins to pound. I’m not sure if it’s just rebelling against the thought of getting out of bed or an actual headache. Well, let’s see…

I throw the covers off and swing my legs over the edge of the bed, eyes still closed. Once my feet hit the floor, I forcibly pry my lids open. So. Very. Bright. This sends an immediate signal to my head—thump, thump. I hesitate briefly, seriously considering crawling back into bed.

Not gonna do it (said in my best Dana Carvey as George Bush voice), and I open the doors to our bathroom. So. Very. Very. Bright. The brilliant morning sunlight fills the entire room. *Sigh* Ok, lemme see how I feel after I get dressed. Maybe it’s not a headache…

The chilly air necessitates long sleeves and pants. “Alexa, what is the current tempurature” I mumble—part of my daily ritual. “Currently, it’s 41 degrees,” she replies. Burr! Bright AND cold! Ugh, why did I say I’d go for a walk this morning?

Dressed, I walk into the living room and open the blinds. My eyes acquiesce to the additional blazing assault, calibrating as they continue to focus. My head decides it’s just unhappy I’ve ignored the multiple protests and falls in line as well.

Coffee. Must have coffee.

I sink into the couch with my favorite mug and let the warmth radiate into my hands. My mouth welcomes the smooth blend of beans with perfectly frothed milk. Can I simply sit here all morning? What if my waking partner cancels? Surely that would be my green light to stay comfortably situated and take the morning off.

As if on cue, my phone dings. Message reads: not feeling great and not ready to get up. *Sigh* Well, there’s my sign. Question is how should I read it?

As I consider, I continue sipping my coffee and start strolling. Lots of #10yearsChallenge and #21DaysOfFasting posts. Seriously? Ugh! FINE! I’ll get up and go on the stupid walk. “I’m taking you with me, let’s go” I say to our pup and grab the necessities for us both. She seems much happier about this than me, tail excitedly wagging.

I step outside. Did I mention it was 41 degrees? Burr! This Texas girl does not like the cold! Neither do my lungs, as they instantly protest the intrusion of blustery winter air. It’ll be fine, just a quick twenty minute walk I tell myself. I tuck the end of leash inside my pockets along with my freezing hands.

Once I got about halfway through my trek, my mind revisited those previous posts. What did I want to see in myself ten years down the road? For my husband and family? While I full well realize I cannot control their actions, I certainly have the power to influence them! Which got me thinking, instead of fasting, maybe I should consider incorporating.

January is the token month for resolutions started and usually dismissed, present company included in this faulty process. How many times have I said “this year will be different” and talked myself right out of any resolution or motivation? Usually in less than 21 days. Yes, pitifully, I’ll own it. *OUCH*

Improve, the voice inside me speaks with conviction. Improve! I think about the word, and because my mind works in acronyms, this revelation sobers me: I Must Prove to IMprove.

I must prove to myself I’m worth the work.

I must prove to my family that it’s possible.

I must hold tighter to my vision than vices.

Truly, what is twenty minutes (or more) of scrolling every day going to net me in 10 years? Will I look back and wish I’d wasted more of my time watching others live their lives? Does that actually benefit me in any positive way? I think not!

I want to write. I want to be healthier. I want to grow as a person. I want to do aerial yoga, like I saw some one post. I want to connect in real life with my friends. I want to pick an activity and have someone join me once a month. I want to travel.

I want more—for myself and my family—without the addition of useless stuff that I probably won’t remember, much less care about, come next January. Wow, this walk is proving to be of far greater value than I realized! As they say, “The proof is in the pudding.”

My steps become lighter, breathing easier, and body warmer. Despite my initial reticence to doing something so simple for myself, the Lord blessed me with this significant revelation.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm 34:8 NIV

Lord, thank you for helping me resist the temptation to give up on myself and you today. You desire so much more for my life. I know in my heart you immeasurably bless me when I seek and listen to you. Hold me accountable, Lord, to improving and turning from my slothful ways—not just this month but well beyond. It scares me to offer myself up to your correction for any missteps ; however, I know you are a loving God and will make all things good.

That was difficult to put into writing and share. Now, as I conclude this attempt to capture my morning, I leave you with this REA/L thought: whatever time it is, however busy you may think you are, consider what your actions are proving and to whom.

Wealth Worth

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Wealth Worth

Sometimes I wake up thinking, what am I doing with my life? I’m X years old, what do I have to show for it? As if I didn’t already have my own purpose anxieties, I’ve even heard “your children have long past primary schooling, when are going back to work?” That one still stings.

Even as I write this, I feel compelled to tell you that I ran a successful business for twelve years, then proceed to walk you through the rest of my resume in attempts to validate my worth. Sad really. But as I exhale this venomous thought process, I am reminded of this verse:

“Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents],even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 AMP

The Bible doesn’t have a cutoff timeframe for this. Why should I allow any devaluation of my work? The Bible also does not delineate one type of work as better than another. The only “job matrix” of any value is laid out here:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Matthew 22:36-40

Need a simplified pretty pin worthy version?

Find one right thing and do it. Then repeat. Serve with an altruistic purpose. Then search for the next opportunity to do so. A job title doesn’t define your purpose. Worth isn’t confined to the walls of an office, held hostage by digits in an account, or sourced within social media clicks. Please, let’s stop perpetually feeding that lie.

Whether you are changing the world or changing a diaper. Changing your community’s landscape or changing the laundry. Changing lives inside a classroom or changing the emotional climate within the framework of your own home. Serve with the pure purpose of God’s Greatest Commandment. THAT, my friend, is why we’re here and holds tremendous value. Plain and simple.

I may not always get it right. But as long as I find one right thing and do it, I can rest with assurance that I’m on the right path. Truly worthy wealth worth.

Transparent Part 3

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Transparent Part 3

Where do you place your worth?

Here is what the world tells you about worth: He who dies with the most toys, wins. Go big or go home. Buy this and it will make you happy, healthy, better, irresistible. You must look, sound, act this way so you will be liked. Followers equals friends. The list endlessly continues…

If you believe these “worldly wisdoms,” you will never reach the tranquility that is transparency because you will never be or have “enough.” Period. There will always be someone with more. There will always be a count or measure of worth in which the numbers never end and you will never reach.

Now, here is what the Bible says about your worth:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NIV).

Need it in modern-day language? Here you go…

“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds” (Matthew 6:25-26 MSG).

Careless in the care of God. Can you imagine? Being loved and cared for completely, transparently, gracefully, and generously…my sweet friend, that’s EXACTLY where you are right now! The problem is, even for Christians, while we may know this, we do not live like this. We do not allow it to permeate our thoughts, words, actions. We do not place our worth in the care of God. Instead, we let the world wield it’s way within the confines of our hearts and minds, causing us shame. We think we don’t have “enough” and therefore will never be enough. We cover our shame and insecurity masquerading around, looking for the Jones’, attempting to keep up with an ever moving target. How utterly ridiculous is that? What kind of life is that?

When you consider that all the hairs on your head are know and created by God (Luke 12:7), when you realize you were purposefully placed in this exact time and space (Romans 9:717), when you accept the fact that you are very good (Genesis 1:31), then transparency becomes much easier because your worth is in His hands. If we were to measure ourselves using God’s grace, we would realize we are more precious than gold. We could stop the pretenses since there would be no need for them. We could actually be transparent. Clear, without obstruction, permeable, frank.

“Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him.” (Hebrews 4:13 ICB).

Do not be afraid of transparency, my friend. It’s healthy, cathartic, and grace-filled. When you place your trust in Him, you can rely on whom He sends. This earth will never be perfect but know our God always is just that…the perfecter of all. Transparency is shame-free when your worth is viewed through His lens.

So I ask you, where do you place your worth? Is it yielding the return you are investing? Does it provide you peace? Make you feel adequately loved? Are you able to live carelessly in the care of God? This is what transparency brings…living beyond what the world dictates. I invite you to join me on this journey towards tranquility and all the joy it brings, because you are worth it!

Permission

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Permission

October 25, 2019

If you have children, you’ve probably filled out one or twenty of these during their school-aged years: permission slips. And if you have children like mine, they usually come home, bouncing off the walls, waving the slip in front of you pleading, “Mom, can I go please? It’s gonna be so much fun! I need you to sign this RIGHT NOW, so I can turn it in tomorrow P-L-E-A-S-E!” We’ll give the waving sheet a quick glance, figure it’s “all good” because it’s with the school, and hurriedly sign the bottom of the form with one hand while stirring dinner with the other. It’s a no-brain’er, right?

As parents, we should instill within our children the sense to ask “please” before making permission requests. We should have clearly defined expectations of what is “permissible” and what is not. We should nurture them to a point where they are capable of making their own good decisions, so when they are legally an adult, and not longer need our permission, they have a solid foundation to guide them.

However, somewhere along the way, between the “adulting” period and into the “parenting” period, our foundation no longer seems solid. We seek out permission again. “Is it okay for me to stay home?” “Am I a bad person for pursuing my dreams?” “Should I say speak up? ” And these permission requests are usually presented to the wrong people, if even asked at all. Somehow, we no longer feel we are capable let alone confident in our decision making. We look to society and hand over the gavel, allowing our permissions, decisions, and dreams be dictated by “them.”

Let me raise my hand first and admit to you, I have been there! I have allowed what “they” say to absolutely influence my decisions in what I do or don’t do. I have given permission to someone else to play a major role in my decision making process. I have handed over the reigns of my life to steer me as they see fit. I have willfully given misguided permission to DOUBT and FEAR, and they, on more than one occasion, have taken me so far off course, that I found myself in the desert. Left feeling inadequate. Bewildered by my surroundings. Uncertain of the very ground I stood upon. Have you been there too, my friend?

Why do we so readily grasp hold of lies instead of clinging to truth?

Why do we turn over, exposing our bellies, awaiting the sucker punch?

Why do we freely give permission to those who do not have our best interests at heart, who do not know us well, who do not deserve to be within our circle of influence the power to treat us with malice?

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14 NIV).

Our provision comes from whom we’ve given permission to. My dear friend, I urge you to be still, then decide today, here and now, who is best to allow permission in influencing your decisions, permission in directing your steps, and permission in the ultimate provision for your life. Would you rather someone who fights for you or someone you frequent fight against?

Organized Chaos

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Organized Chaos

October 16, 2019

Does this picture remind you of your life? It certainly does mine of late! Organized chaos. I even have a t-shirt that touts the phrase “Chaos Coordinator.”

Macmillan Dictionary defines chaos as “a situation in which everything is confused and a mess.”

I think, most of us, operate in this state of being, the majority of our adult lives. We try to cram more than is humanly possible into our over-scheduled days. We constantly fill our spaces with noise, whether it be the TV in the background, the radio blaring in our cars, or audio books spoken directly into our ears through AirPods. 

When we attempt to multitask the multitude of things we’ve piled onto our plates, in addition to all the noise we are inundated with, we cannot possibly, rationally believe we can master any single one of them. We simply exist in a constant state of chaos: a messy and confused situation of being. A life remiss of peace.

Jesus told His disciples, “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid” (John 14:27 CEV).

The world, and all its things, does not offer peace. It may come “packaged” in a wrapper that would make you believe peace is within; however, true peace is one without worry or fear. Worry of disappointment. Fear of failure. Worry of worth. Fear of disapproval. Worry of capability. Fear of the unknown. 

Worry and fear are never present within peace.

Instead of hiding our cluttered mess by closing our doors, instead of celebrating chaos as a celebrity status, instead of attempting feigned organization of our current situation…my dear friend, willingly hand over that with which we desperately clutch, in order to “save face,” because all we are doing in actuality is building more layers for peace to permeate. 

The more layers, the more time it takes to feel its presence. Peace is a fruit of the spirit He wishes us to feast upon. Peace brings about lasting change. Peace disperses like the warmth of a fuzzy blanket sitting near the fire. Only His peace breaks through the cancer called chaos in our lives, freeing us from its cyclical chains of bondage. 

Chaos is the complete opposite of peace. Why do we keep holding onto the very thing that causes us such strife? Why not dump our drawer full of deception and start anew? Refreshed in His preciously peaceful presence each and every morning until THIS becomes our new state of being! Peace can exist within: ourselves, our family, our home, our community…a place free of stress, worry, fear and chaos. 

This is my desire. Will you join me in daily pursuit of His peace? I don’t want the world’s chaos. Just give me Jesus! Through the power of His Holy Spirit, may we invite Him into any places in our lives where we have tried organizing our chaos instead of handing it over.

Know Me

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Know Me

September 30, 2019

Do you know me? I mean, really know me? No, of course you don’t. How could you possibly know me, if I don’t share my story? But who wants to hear my story? While we may want to be known, and loved where we are, so few of us are willing to share our story. We are afraid of peeling back the mask we apply daily, revealing our true selves, and all the layers that have brought us up to this point today. However, it is only through this process, allowing ourselves to been seen in all our glory, that makes us “known.” Makes us “seen.” Makes us part of a community.

That’s what this is all about: community. We are wired for it. We crave it. We are predestined to cultivate it. And yet, it is the very thing we fight. We believe we must have it “all together” in order to be accepted. We think we have nothing to share unless “all our ducks are in a row.” We buy into the lie that we are worthless. Therefore, in our unworthiness, how could we ever be “known” and accepted into a place of community?

My friend, if any of this rings true for you, then you are in the right place!

Let’s Get REAL Together is about our collective stories.

Let’s Get REAL Together is a place for sharing.

Let’s Get REAL Together is a community.

It starts with a simple truth: we were created in God’s image. This fact more than qualifies you as worthy! It counts you as royalty! We each have a unique portion of Him within us. When we gather together , share with each other, comfort one another, and ground ourselves in His truths, then we are brought to a beautiful place of REAL community…a collective family, who sees His goodness residing within each of our human skin. A purposefully created piece, unlike any other. Someone whose value is immeasurable. A treasured gift, waiting to be revealed.

My prayer is you will allow yourself to be known because of His greatness within you. You will accept His calling for you because you are on purpose. You will join us as we seek to align our lives with His truths. #LetsGetREALTogether #Faith #KnowMe #Inspiration #MondayMotivation