I won't be making any New Year's resolutions this year. I've decided that any positive thing I resolve to do from now on, I'll be doing for the rest of my life, not just for 2012.
Tonight, as I sit here and write this post, I resolve to continue to seek God's will for my life so that I can continue to walk out my destiny, in Him. The challenges that the new year brings may be familiar or completely new. Either way, it doesn't really matter. I am confident in God's ability to take care of me. You see, I've learned that the curve balls that life throws at me don't necessarily have to cause me to strike out. Unprepared though I may be, nothing takes God by surprise!
There are a few things that I will commit to doing from now on, as well. I will commit to riding in the passenger seat and letting God take the wheel. I will try not to get ahead of Him, even when I think things are moving along too slowly. I will not allow doubt or fear to immobilize me and cause me to fall out of step with my destiny. I will continue to trust Him even when the unthinkable happens. I will continue to place my hope in God and expect His beauty in place of any ashes that I find along my journey.
This moment holds the beginning of the rest of your life too. What are you committed to doing (or not doing) in the interest of discovering and walking out your destiny?
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Go There, But Don't Stay!
In the words of Kirk Frankin some days do feel like givin' up days, but even those days will pass. This past week has been difficult for me. Monday night was an especially difficult night for my daughter. I'm not sure why, but getting through homework was so hard! She had several meltdowns and just couldn't seem to stay in control of her emotions. After 3 and a half hours, I had to insist that she stop trying to do the work and go to bed, knowing that a fresh start in the morning would do her some good.
She hasn't had an episode like that in a long time. It was hard to see her like that; angry with herself and with me because she couldn't get her answers right one moment, and reduced to tears and sobbing in the next. Back and forth she went... I stopped her and asked her to be still and quiet. I prayed aloud for the peace of God to cover us both. I hugged her and told her that although the evening had been tough, she would feel better in the morning. Before we went upstairs to bed, she was calmer, even a little talkative. Maybe she was just tired... I don't know what the trigger was, but I'm glad that homework for the remainder of the week was much better!
There are going to be days like this for all of us. I guess the key to moving beyond them is to keep trusting and believing that God wants to give us His best. On a brighter note, things have been better for me for the past few days, but some who are close to me still hurt at this hour. One doesn't even know he's hurting and wounded and in need of God's deliverance and the other can't seem to catch a break on any level! I can't figure any of it out though, so I guess the best thing to do is to pray for them both, turn their situations over to God, and trust Him. I don't have any answers or explanations, but I will be here to love and support them both, and God will too.
If today feels like one of your givin' up days, I encourage you to hold on to your faith and don't let go! God really is in your corner!
She hasn't had an episode like that in a long time. It was hard to see her like that; angry with herself and with me because she couldn't get her answers right one moment, and reduced to tears and sobbing in the next. Back and forth she went... I stopped her and asked her to be still and quiet. I prayed aloud for the peace of God to cover us both. I hugged her and told her that although the evening had been tough, she would feel better in the morning. Before we went upstairs to bed, she was calmer, even a little talkative. Maybe she was just tired... I don't know what the trigger was, but I'm glad that homework for the remainder of the week was much better!
There are going to be days like this for all of us. I guess the key to moving beyond them is to keep trusting and believing that God wants to give us His best. On a brighter note, things have been better for me for the past few days, but some who are close to me still hurt at this hour. One doesn't even know he's hurting and wounded and in need of God's deliverance and the other can't seem to catch a break on any level! I can't figure any of it out though, so I guess the best thing to do is to pray for them both, turn their situations over to God, and trust Him. I don't have any answers or explanations, but I will be here to love and support them both, and God will too.
If today feels like one of your givin' up days, I encourage you to hold on to your faith and don't let go! God really is in your corner!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
How dare you?
If you're like me, you probably have memories of being dared by someone to do something really outrageous when you were a kid. "I dare you to walk down the street backwards, with your eyes closed" or "I dare you to sneak out of school with me" are the kinds of dares that my friends and I exchanged. Sure, they seem silly now, but back then, backing down from even the silliest of dares somehow (at least in our young minds) made us less worthy of the friendship and respect of our peers.
Still, as silly as they were, those dares helped to build my courage and my confidence in my own ability. As I confidently rose to each challenge, I gained the respect of my peers. I didn't realize it then, but I was also learning to recognize and respect my own inner strengths. I learned to respect the voice in my head that cheered me on and assured me that I could do anything that I set my mind to.
So, how dare you? Do you dare look within to find your inner strengths and unique abilities? Do you dare set reasonable expectations for your child or loved one with a disability, in spite of what you've been told he or she cannot do? Do you dare trust God to guide your steps, no matter how difficult your journey?
Daring ourselves to venture out on our faith every now and then is a good thing. Faith will either remove the "mountains" of life from our paths, or give us the strength to climb them. If you have to climb a "mountain" in order to get past it, try to learn some things along the way. God will be there with you. Allow Him to keep molding you into the vessel that you were intended to be. Go ahead....I dare you!
Still, as silly as they were, those dares helped to build my courage and my confidence in my own ability. As I confidently rose to each challenge, I gained the respect of my peers. I didn't realize it then, but I was also learning to recognize and respect my own inner strengths. I learned to respect the voice in my head that cheered me on and assured me that I could do anything that I set my mind to.
So, how dare you? Do you dare look within to find your inner strengths and unique abilities? Do you dare set reasonable expectations for your child or loved one with a disability, in spite of what you've been told he or she cannot do? Do you dare trust God to guide your steps, no matter how difficult your journey?
Daring ourselves to venture out on our faith every now and then is a good thing. Faith will either remove the "mountains" of life from our paths, or give us the strength to climb them. If you have to climb a "mountain" in order to get past it, try to learn some things along the way. God will be there with you. Allow Him to keep molding you into the vessel that you were intended to be. Go ahead....I dare you!
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