beauty from ashes

thankful

God,

You are so good to me.  You have walked with me through a season of humbling brokenness.  You have lovingly allowed me to fall apart, simply because you have something better for me.  You walked me through this because you love me, and you don't want me to stay in a place that is not Your best for me.

I sense the season has changed, and for that I am thankful.

Restoration has begun.

A few years ago you placed Joel 2:25 on my heart.  Your promise to me was to restore the years the locusts had taken away.  I admit that I expected that to look different than what you had planned for me.  You gently showed me that you were creating a new life for me:

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."  Isaiah 43: 19

The life you have walked me into is sparkling and bubbling up all around me.  All I have to do is look around to see all of the goodness you have given me.  A lovely home to share with my daughter...we call it our "bachlorette pad".  A business that allows me to do what I love.  Friends...the best ever!  You have placed me in the middle of a wonderful group of people that I adore.  And you have truly given me a future that is full of hope and promise.

And laughter.  You have given me so much laughter.

Thank you, Daddy.  You have given me more than I could have asked for or imagined.

With much love,

Your daughter.

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little successes

"Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established."  Proverbs 16:3

Lately I find myself frustrated---with ME!  And it's not in a bad way where I feel like a loser or a disaster, but rather where I feel ready to be done with some bad habits---those areas where my patterns of thought and action are destructive to my relationships.

I am ready to change.

As the saying goes: This is where the rubber meets the road.

And things get challenging.

Right now I am stuck on that stretch of road between "head-knowledge" and "heart-knowledge".  I have a head full of great communication skills, life-living skills, and problem-solving skills.  Putting these into action has everything to do with what I "know" and nothing to do with what comes naturally to me.

It's simply applying steps A, B and C to  situation because I KNOW it's what is best, and then backing up to see what happens.

So far what has happened has been good.  And I am journaling those little successes so that I remember that I am making progress.

I have a friend who likes to remind me not to despise small beginnings.  Change takes time.  And often it's in the looking back that we see how far we have come

What about you?  Are there areas where you feel like you are driving blind?  Walking by faith rather than sight?

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professional me

The amatuer believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work.  The professional knows that fear can never be overcome.  He knows that there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.  ---Steven Pressfield

I have lived my life as an amatuer.

Up to this point, anyway.

Waiting for my feelings to change before I take that chance, mincing words that need to be said because I don't have the guts to say them, standing outside of intimacy because I feel to vulnerable and what if...WHAT IF...I get hurt?

...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  ---2 Timothy 1:7

The fear is not from God...and sometimes it's not even from me.  It's that voice inside my head that loves to convey doom, lack and loss.

DOOM, LACK, LOSS

Stepping back, staring at those words, it's obvious that God has more for me.  And you.  He offers hope, abundance, and blessing.

HOPE, ABUNDANCE, BLESSING

Those 3 words.

If I really knew, at the core of who I am, that those 3 words defined my life, I would live differently, my choices would change, my risks would be bigger, and my trust would be HUGE!

It's not a matter of IF those words are a reality, it's a matter of me knowing it and walking into it.

It's a matter of living my life as an amatuer or as a professional.

An amatuer accepts doom, lack and loss.  An amatuer expects those things.

A professional expects  hope, abundance and blessing.

Hmmm...which one should I choose to be today?

things they are a changin' (by randi)

Do not fear change, for I am making you a new creation, with old things passing away and new things continually on the horizon.  When you cling to old ways and sameness, you resist My work within you. ---JESUS CALLING

...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.  ---2 Corinthians 5:17

Is it possible that I have slowed down God's work in my life over the years simple because it was NEW?

It is CHANGE.

And guess what? I don't like change.  Most people don't.  Most of us cling to old ways in spite of the fact that they keep bringing the same stale results.

If the old is gone and new has come, shouldn't I expect change---shouldn't I welcome it?

The days, months and years following a divorce are an eye-opening time, to say the least.  You are presented with your side of the equation in a pretty stark way.  It's a necessary revelation, but not an easy one to swallow.

These days, I am learning new ways to operate within my relationships.  And guess what?  Some of them are great and I love them!

Others?

Not so great.  Not so easy.

Simply because they are new---CHANGE---they are hard.  And somewhat aggravating.  But they are my ticket to healthy relationships in my future.

See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  ---Isaiah 43:19

HE is going a new thing.

And I perceive it!

Today's topic: What new things are taking place in your life.  Are you resisting or allowing for those changes?

***We would love for you to leave a comment or follow the discussion on our Facebook page!

he is doing a new thing (by randi)

So, our school year is starting quite soon, and this time I am down to one. Aubry is in 6th grade and she is my only student.

Sounds easy enough, right?

Well, not so much.

I have been very hesitant about preparing for homeschooling this year, and I finally figured out why:

1. It's just me this year.  And single-mom homeschooling isn't typical.

2. I have no "vision".  Why am I doing this?

3. It's one more "first" to tackle.

I have lots of homeschooling friends.  And they are all married.  And, until recently, I was too.  Now I feel like kind of an oddball in a very family-oriented setting.

Now, don't even get me wrong. I know that my kids and I constitute a family.  A very strong one, in fact.  But this still feels odd.  Like I am not quite sure how I fit here.

And the vision thing.

...without vision the people perish.  *Proverbs 29:18

Why am I homeschooling?

Because I always have?

No, that's not cutting it anymore.

On Monday some friends and I got together to encourage each other in our homeschooling efforts.  And I had a major breakthrough.

After sharing my dilemma, a friend encouraged me to allow God to do a "new thing".  To quit digging through the ashes of the past, and allow Him to create something brand new in my family.  She also suggested that I name my homeschool.

I have great friends, eh?

The next morning I came across this verse:

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  *Isaiah 43:19

And I knew right away what my vision is and what my homeschool is called:

PERCEIVING SPRINGS HOMESCHOOL

God wants me to create a home where we perceive (are very aware of) the things God is doing in our lives.  A place where what He is springing up, is completely obvious.  Not hidden.

And, in fact, I am shortening the name.  

PERCEIVING SPRINGS HOME

That's who we are.

 

Hellerrrr!

Madea's "hello".

Have you ever seen any of the Tyler Perry "Madea" movies??  If you have then you know what the title of this post refers to.  If not, you need to.  Madea is my new hero.  I watched "Madea's Witness Protection Program" last night and just loved it.  At one point she's telling the "mom" in the story, in reference to her super snotty teenage stepdaughter, that the mom needs to speak her mind.  She does use a cuss word to emphasize it, which I'll leave out here.

I was thinking about that line today.  Ya'll remember the son who had his fingertip amputated at work and the unexpected grandbaby on the way.  Well, 2 weeks ago my mom got very sick and last week I moved her in with us for a week to help her recuperate.  I had my brother's dog and our two dogs and my mom and I felt like Matt Damon in "I Bought a Zoo".  It was crazy.  Mom is well now, thank you Lord!  She went back home today.

I have not stopped for months. This morning my youngest, when I asked how he was doing, responded with his usual, "I'm tired".  Every stinking day that's the response.  So this morning I decided it was time to start speaking my mind.  I'm tired! Good grief!  Yet each day I get up and Jesus gives me just what I need for that day.  So I let the youngest know that was no longer an acceptable response. And I let the oldest know that I was no longer his verbal punching bag.

It is okay to speak our mind.  As long as we do it in love.  It's okay to set boundaries for ourselves, even if it makes others uncomfortable.  It's okay to be emotionally healthy.  After the news of the election last week I noticed how many people seem to be fearful and angry. Helllerrrr!! God is still God. He still sits on the throne and he sets up and tears down kingdoms and rulers.  We're all going to be okay as long as our trust is in Him.

Fear not and when necessary, speak your mind!

In the NOW

Anxiety is a result of envisioning a future without God.---Sarah Young

Isn't this so true?

I have a mental habit of living in the past and the future, and the only way to combat this is to focus on living in the NOW.  But I will admit that it takes effort for me sometimes.

The past contains good memories I wish could relive and also mistakes I wish I could change. Dwelling there too much can lead to either longing or regret.

The future?  Well, there are definitely things to look forward to and plans to be made, but it also contains things, people and events that make me anxious, mostly because I tend not to take God there in my thoughts.  

Will He be there with me in the future?

Yes, for sure!  As sure is He is with me right now.

But my thoughts like to rush ahead and try to solve problems that don't even exist yet---and in reality, may never exist at all.

NOW is the only real time that I have.  It's OK to look to the past and smile at things past and to learn from mistakes.  Looking forward is good too.  There is much to look forward to and set goals for.

However, when my thoughts get anxious, it's time to stop and head back to the NOW.

Where God is with me.

And when I know that God is with me, there is no room for anxious thoughts.

What about you?  Does looking to the future tend to lead you into anxiety?

The God Who Sees Me

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"  --Genesis 16:13

I can find it difficult to forgive and forget.

Actually, it's not the forgiveness that I struggle with, as much as the forgetting--especially when the person I have forgiven doesn't seem to understand the depth of my hurt.  They don't comprehend how their actions affected me.

Sometimes I camp out and warm my hands at the fire of wishing the person would "get it".  That they would see and know how their actions affected my life.  My concern is that if they don't see, they just might do it again.

One of my favorite names of God in the Bible is "The God Who Sees Me".  It was a name given by Hagar when she was cast out into the desert by Sarai.  She was all alone, in the desert, pregnant, and in need of help.

God saw her.

And He sees me.

He sees my pain.  He understands my hurt.  He dries my tears.  He draws me to Himself.

Just like He did with Hagar.

He "gets it".

He totally and completely "gets it".

When I take the time to meditate on this,  it is enough for me. I can accept the loving concern that God gives me, and I can release the pain and fear of not being seen by someone.

I think this also helps lead me toward complete forgiveness.  It leads me to a place of release and, therefore, restoration.

All because of my God who sees me.

All (by Randi)

God is able to do exceedingly, abundandtly, above and beyond all that we could ever dare to hope, ask or think.   Ephesians 3:20

My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.  Phillipians 4:19

Giving can be hard.

I am not talking about giving money only, but also, time, resources, strength and heart.  That last one can be the hardest.  Giving of the heart, especially when it might not be reciprocated, respected or even noticed, can be difficult when we don't remember that God is the supplier of our needs.

Often when I feel that God is asking me to give in a particular relationship, I get scared and fear that either my giving will go unoticed or that in my giving, my own needs won't be met.  God is teaching me lately that He is the supplier of ALL of my needs.  And that I don't need to concern myself with outcome or another person's behaviour.  He has all of that in His hands and He is aware and He is fully committed to taking care of me.

Not only is He taking care of me in a basic way, but also in a way that goes above all that I could dare hope, ask or think.

Taking these words to heart is often the missing ingredient for me when I feel that fear creeping up on me.

Standing on these words as promises reminds me of who God is in my life, and that He is the one responsible to care for me in all ways.  The knowledge that my giving is often just a seed planted and that the harvest may not come for some time, is freeing and a perfect reason to put my trust in the right place:  God's hands.

restoring relationship

Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath.  

--James 1:19

What is the point of confrontation?

Being right?

Getting someone to change?

Showing someone that they are wrong?

Technically, I think that the point of confronting someone is restoration.

Restoration of relationship, to be exact.

Things happen.  People do things that hurt us--things that cause disunity.  We need to talk about those things.

But what is my motive?

Am I seeking to understand?  Am I entering a conversation to hear what someone has to say?  Am I seeking to restore the relationship--to make it stronger?

I wish I could say that I have answered "yes" to these questions for a long time, but I haven't. I have confronted to show error.  To point out harm done.  To insist that the person change.

Those motives will always feel like an attack to the person I am approaching.

Confronting is to bring about restoration.  A harm done needs to be talked about and swept out of the way so that a relationship can function properly.

So that we can more fully understand each other.

So that we can know each other better

So that we can stand by each other's side.

What are your thoughts and struggles when it comes to confronting people?