“Sometimes thoughts or feelings begin to creep in, comparison begins to strangle that joy.  As I pray through those thoughts, those feelings, I realize that my “abundance” and other’s “abundance” looks different.  I realize that that it is my choice on how I am going to live, how to respond and it’s my choice how to move forward.  It’s ok not to be ok, but it’s not ok to stay that way!”

Sister, I need you to hear this- there is a real enemy and real war against you, but I don’t want that to intimidate you.  God has designed women for war from the very beginning, so be encouraged- you don’t need anything more than what you have right now.  God has already given you what […]

“There are no coincidences with God. He can use you – just as you are and just where you are. Even if it’s a really crummy place. Perhaps even more so if it’s a really crummy place. God has never worked in me and through me more than He did during the times I was walking through the darkest valleys of my life. As we navigated the illnesses and deaths of our two boys, God gave me the desire to be open, honest and vulnerable in sharing our story. What started as an intent to share medical updates in an efficient way, turned into a platform for sharing our hearts and what God was doing in our lives. And He used it. He used it mightily. Words penned from my sons’ hospital rooms traveled farther and reached more lives than I ever could have imagined. I sat beside their beds, wondering, “Why him? Why us?” while pleading with God to change our circumstance, but what He did was so much more. A place that held the worst moments of our lives was also the place He used us the most.”

Have you ever heard the terms “believe the best” or “assume positive intent?” If you haven’t, I’ll break it down for you. Basically, these phrases mean that whatever a person says or does, you choose to assume or believe they did not mean anything malicious, rude, ugly, or bad about their words or actions. 

This is a very hard concept to accept and posture to adopt. When a person says something that is hurtful, we as humans, automatically jump to the defense or put on a face of anger, hostility, or judgment. Friends, this is not a healthy way to live. 

Earlier this year I was blessed to go to a yoga retreat with Beyond Yoga in Franklin, TN. The entire weekend was focused on rest. The recommended reading was a book called “Sabbath” by Wayne Muller. It’s tagline is “Finding rest, renewal, and delight in our busy lives.” I brought my Real Simple with me and this issue just happened to be called “Relax and Recharge.” I read an article about the martyr complex- WOW. Eye opener. Then I was reading She Reads Truth and the chapter I read was about not worrying… Specifically about Matthew 6:26-30. This is usually referenced when people are worried about physical needs being met- clothes, shelter, etc. But the author put it in a whole new light for me, worrying about just being. The birds and flowers don’t fret, or try, or strain to exist. They just rest in God, knowing He has created them to just be. He’s got them covered, they just need to rest in Him. Wow, what #truth.