Respect Small Beginnings

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

Zechariah 4:10, NLT

The trap is to make you think you need hundreds or thousands of people to validate what God has given you. BEFORE you trust what He told you to do.

Right now, you may be reading this message from the ditch of complacency, feeling sorry for yourself because it seems like everything you do, you end up in the same place. Meanwhile, as you look around at others, it seems like everyone else is outpacing you.

May I offer you this thought,

Could it be you’re expecting completion, where God is giving you the grace to lay the foundation for what He has shown you?

Let’s face it, the vast majority of people, myself included, are not comfortable starting something new. New beginnings come packaged with Continue reading →

Start Strong

“I’M TIRED OF RE-STARTING!!!!”

–Me

Have you ever found yourself back at the START-LINE when you should be getting closer to the FINISH LINE? If you haven’t ever found yourself there,

DON’T.

BUT, for those of you who can relate to the reality of re-starting something that should be finished, this “Hope Note” is tailor-made for YOU, so I’m glad you’re here! Continue reading →

Bloom In Chaos

To bloom in chaos, you must resist the distractions that create it.

To bloom in chaos, you must have the confidence to know every battle is not yours to fight. Continue reading →

Forget To Remember

ro·man·ti·cize

/rōˈman(t)əˌsīz/

verb

deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion; make (something) seem better or more appealing than it really is.

Transition is the uncomfortable space between where / who, you were, and where/who you are hoping to be or become. The pain of transition can make us romanticize about what life was “before.” Continue reading →

Counterfeit Strength

He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.
-Psalm 147:10-11

God is not asking, expecting, nor insisting that you be strong. He celebrates when you boldly choose to root your hope in Him.

We exist in a world where strength is highly celebrated, which can cause us to become stuck in a never ending cycle of striving to prove ourselves. Continue reading →

Keep It Simple

Why do we insist on making things so difficult for ourselves? It’s like we refuse to believe that “slow and steady [truly does] win the race.” We may say we believe that, but our actions often reveal that we really believe DRASTIC and UNREASONABLE is the only way to win. Continue reading →

Allow Courage

Mental or moral strength to persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
Merrian-Webster Dictionary

STRENGTH.

PERSERVERENCE.

BOLDNESS.

If I were asked to define courage using 1 word, I would choose one of the words listed above. I love the idea of courage, and having the privilege to witness it at work in the lives of others. Today, I had the honor of witnessing the manifestation of many seeds of courage on display at a ribbon cutting ceremony and Grand Opening of a business. I left the event excited about the future, and proud of the business owner, who had undoubtedly pressed past, and jumped over many obstacles to realize her dream.

There was something special about seeing the tangible fruit of courage. I was inspired, and I started to think about what courage really is, versus the misconceptions of it. Continue reading →

Waiting

I have yet to meet a person who enjoys waiting. I know I don’t, and we live in a society that insists on everything being instant! Yet, Patience is described as a ”spiritual fruit” in the Bible, a fruit that every follower of Christ should exemplify in our everyday living. There’s no wonder why it’s essential that we learn to wait on God because waiting on answered prayers to manifest is one of the best ways to develop the fruit of patience in our lives.

Continue reading →

Your Presence IS the Gift

The past two weeks have been challenging, not so much for me personally, but for my loved ones. Two who received devastating diagnosis news about a parent, and several who have been in the throes of the fear and anxiety that just being alive can bring. I was in the middle of a blogging challenge, and feeling deep disappointment within myself for simply not being able to create the extra time to BLOG, while being present for my loved ones, investing time into the women’s organization that I lead, and accomplishing the daily responsibilities of my full time career! In the midst of my wallowing in self-pity for “just not being enough” to get it all done, I felt like I was jolted awake by this thought,

While it’s nice, maybe even “noble” to have a desire to inspire people I don’t know through my writing, it is a part of my DIVINE PURPOSE to care about, encourage, uplift, pray for, listen to, and BE PRESENT for those who are right in front of my face!