Over the weekend I came across 2 different social media posts that immediately got my attention when I read these words,
These words pierced my heart immediately, and tears sprang up in the corners of my eyes. It was not until I read them that I realized, I’ve been waiting for “Ready” for a very long time! I have desperately wanted the feeling of READINESS to come and rescue me from all of my insecurities associated with showing up in spaces of discomfort. Continue reading
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
ro·man·ti·cize/rōˈman(t)əˌsīz/verb
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
Violent. Loving. Abusive. Encouraging. Accusatory. Forgiving. Cunning. Kind. Persuasive. Sincere.
Few know the power of them.
Words of Lovers flowing like honey, sweet, deliberate, and slow.
I said I would not quit, and then I looked away.
I said I would stay focused, and I dropped my head, gazing upon the ground.
I said I would be self-compassionate and gracious when I made mistakes, and I shut my eyes.
With shame and defeat hovering over me, I stared into the mirror intently, depressed, Continue reading
I have only recently gained an appreciation for “Wilderness-like” seasons of isolation. Before I saw them as punishment, a “time out” of sorts for not meeting expectations, or for falling short.
However, I am learning that seasons of isolation are really seasons of “PROMOTION PREPARATION.” These are times Continue reading
How many times have you desperately turned some thing or someone over to God, only to go back and try to handle it/ them yourself once the emotions that led you to surrender fade?
Victory comes through surrender. Surrender doesn’t weaken you; it strengthens you. Surrendered to God, you don’t have to fear or surrender to anything else
~Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life
As much as I’ve understood that “Surrender” is necessary in my personal relationship with God , I had never thought of surrender as being a position of continual VICTORY. Yet, when I read those words, they immediately resonated with me, and awakened me to a greater desire to be fully surrendered to God. Continue reading
I am entering 2018 joyfully sober.
Today, as I thought about the coming year, the word SOBER kept ringing in my ears, so much so that I looked up the definition. Of the many differing definitions, this is what stood out to me,
Quiet in demeanor, Free from exaggeration, showing self control
Going into a new year, we tend to be SO LOUD. There’s so much to prove because no matter how great, or how horrible the current year has been, the next year must be better, bigger, and greater. So we eagerly pop off to our friends, loved ones, and followers, proclaiming all of the many things we are going to accomplish in the coming year. Yet, today as I pondered my own desires for 2018, I challenged myself not to be intoxicated by the possibilities of a new year, without being disciplined enough to count up the cost of my goals. Jesus said, Continue reading
Regret is looking for you. It wants to suck the life out of your hopes, g
oals, and dreams for 2018. It wants to remind you of all of the things you set out to do this time last year, but you did not accomplish in 2017. It wants to prove to you that you are not enough, and it wants to convince you that there is no use in even trying because you will end up with the same results.
What I want you to know is that regret is a LIAR. You are enough, you don’t have to stay chained to the should-haves, could-haves, and would-haves of your life. Your freedom has already been divinely purchased, and it is God’s will that you walk in your freedom, be released from guilt, shame, and defeat and begin to move forward. Continue reading
Hope Notes 