Love ~ Is it worth it?

Have you ever been just going along about your day, humming a tune, and then out of no where something is said or done which just completely knocks you off balance?

Something so unexpected that although you are hearing it - experiencing it, you just can't get your mind to comprehend what is happening?  Amidst your mind struggling to comprehend the why and how of the situation your heart is working over time to stop the bleeding from the wound that was inflicted; there is no real way to think, to process it, or to react due to the numbness that creeps over you as you are reeling.

Recently this was me.  Experiencing and hearing a hurt that my mind just couldn't seem to wrap itself around.  Something so outside of my thinking - expectations that I couldn't get my mind to comprehend what was happening.  In an attempt to gain some perspective and begin to make sense of it all, I reached out to an individual who is filled with wisdom and grounded in the Word of God.  The response I received was so not what I expected or could have imagined.  

"I know I have said this many times to you (now anyone with a lick of common sense knows that isn't the prelude to a warm and fuzzy so much as a 'you aren't listening to me when I speak' moment) 'protect your heart'.  You love big and it opens you to big hurts."

True to the strong willed character that I am, I immediately fired back with "may those words be on my tombstone 'she loved big' no matter the hurt it brings, may it always ring true in my life."  

It has been several sunrises since that conversation and it is something that I am seeking God earnestly on.  One question that keeps popping up is this; did I really mean that?  Did I really, from the depths of my being mean that?  Because if so, then that means that I am choosing to allow hurt from unexpected sources into my life.  That means, that when that hurt comes, I MUST, become an expert at crawling up in the lap of the Father and allowing Him to heal me rather than allowing that hurt to have it's way with my heart, my soul, and my character.  That rather than the return fire option, I MUST choose to let go of all that rages through me.

So then the question becomes; is it worth it?  That is not something that could be answered with a snap response but instead requires deep introspection, deep guidance from the Father, and an even deeper commitment to daily roll my hurts onto Him.

So this morning (yes it has taken a while), I go back to my original response with a new conviction and a firm faith and trust in my God and Savior and I say with all the strength that I have.......

MAY LOVE ALWAYS RING TRUE IN MY LIFE.

Now before there is any commenting, applauding, or any edification of me at all.... know that my nature is at war with those words and this stand that I am taking.  There is no halo above my head.  In fact, quite the opposite 😈.  But my heart is true and my God is faithful and will sustain me.

So I ask that you hold me accountable to what you have read here (please be kind when you do so 😊) and that you join me in this commitment to love.  Doing so in the full knowledge that it is not easy, it is not always appreciated, it is not always well received, but also knowing that God is faithful to provide the strength to do that which He leads us to do.

In light of what is coming up this weekend in our beautiful city, this becomes even more heavy on my heart.  Let us each seek God's will rather than our own reactions and choose to love through the hate.

Much love my friends.....  Pull on those boots and let's get busy walking.

Journey of Healing

Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, has long instructed believers not to refer to the Bible as what "it says" but what "He says" - what God says.


I so need to keep that at the very forefront of my thinking; that I am reading the very words of God. Not just that, but that as I read, His Holy Spirit is right there in the room with me.


More and more as each day passes I see women, men, children being beaten down with harsh words, ugly attitudes, and a complete lack of knowledge of who they are created to be.


I firmly believe that with the onslaught of social media presence invading every moment of one's life, it is nearly impossible to escape the taunts or inferences that we aren't enough..... won't ever be enough.


Once upon a time, we left our school, our office, our environment and returned home for the day to a time of refreshing. A home where there was peace, where support waited, and where the taunts could not be heard. Sadly, now, those taunts are carried around with us constantly in our phones, iPads, laptops and more.


So where is the answer? How do you build that confidence in who you are?


For one thing, dive deep into God's Word and see what a beautiful creation you are. Experience the depth of love He has for you. Go to His Word daily and read how intricately He created you, how lovingly He pursues a relationship with you, and how much He longs to share this thing called "life" with you.


Secondly, set your phone up with the "do not disturb" feature. Place all family - caretakers in your favorites so that they can reach you then set the do not disturb to activate at dinner time. Sit at the TABLE, novel concept I know 😇, and have all other electronics off. Talk with your family, share laughter, share your day, and share your struggles. No judgement, no trying to "fix" each other, just listening and allowing each other to be heard.


These are the things that build who we are, that establish our confidence in ourselves so that when the taunts come, they fly right past without damage.


I love you guys..... and I am learning to love ME. Won't you join me on a journey of healing? Not just of self but of those around you as well?

I am a MESS

Not only am I a mess, I am a hot mess!  For those of you not from the South, you may not be familiar with such a saying....  Basically it means that when I mess up I do so in a rather spectacular fashion.

Let's just say that yesterday I was rather SPECTACULAR in all aspects of my day.  I allowed one over sight to alter my focus and attention for the remainder of the day.  When this happens, as you might suspect, the whole day becomes one that is out of kilter with rushed or wrong decisions being made.  As a result of not keeping my focus where it belonged, my day became a big wad of ugly.

And for a brief, shining moment, I allowed myself to wallow.  You know, like any good pig, just get down in the depths of pity and roll around in it until I am well and truly filthy.  

You might wonder why I would choose (yes, it is most definitely a choice although I would truly love to convince myself that it is merely a by product of life being rough.... pshhhttt ) to roll around in filth when there is beauty all around for me to enjoy and be part of.

You see, life is kind of funny that way.  God designed us to walk with Him, in relationship, a daily community of give and take, all the while keeping our focus firmly on Him and NOT on our circumstances.  Three guesses who utterly failed to do that?? Hmmmm.... I wonder.

So when I took my eyes off of Him and put them on the circumstances as they began to produce the results of where my vision was, I began to hurt in my heart.  All too often when I get caught up in "me", the very worse place I could possibly get caught up in, the mistakes I make can lead to hurt for those around me.  Though un-intentional, the by product of a self centered view point still causes very real worry / pain for those around us.

When the day was coming to a close and I was seated by a fire in the dark of night with God's handiwork all around me, my heart began to ache.  Not for me.  Not for my day.  But for the people around me that had to deal with the by product of my focus.  Those un-intentional hurts.  I can't take it back, I can't make it right, I can't fix it no matter how much I might long to.

What I can do, is go to each person, look them in the eyes and apologize with no "reason" or "explanation" but to simply pour out my heart and let them know how very sorry I am.  That is tough.  That is humbling.  And it hurts, because I know that it doesn't change anything about the situation.  

HOPE!  There is hope amongst the most messy moments of life.  Because I can guarantee they are going to happen.  The hope is this.  God.  God brings healing out of a mess.  God creates humility out of a mess.  God knits hearts together through the process of a mess. God ushers in forgiveness from a mess. Most of all, God brings in wisdom and maturity so that such a mess does not occur again.

So as I ran to Him this morning, I let the tears fall, I allowed my heart to pour out to Him, and when the time for tears had stopped, I allowed Him to hold me as only He can and began to soothe the tattered pieces and start sewing together the beautiful tapestry that He has ordained for my life.

Can you see how all is not lost?  That although so many would say there is no reparation, nothing to be done, God steps in and says "watch me work!".  He comes in with his mercy and grace and begins to orchestrate a symphony so beautiful that it can only be felt and not heard.

So I encourage you my friends, as I sit among my mess, to take your eyes off your mess and place them fully on the Savior.  Look at yourself through His eyes and see how truly loved and precious you are and know that there is the living hope waiting for you.

Whether business or personal the result is the same.  Where our focus is our heart and life will follow.  Be sure of where you place your focus today!!

Success not size...

1 Samuel 14:6 ........For nothing restrains the Lord from saving, by many or by few.

Among the business world, size is often equated with success.  Often times wrongfully so!!  

It does not take an entire company to create change; rather it takes one person committed to a cause and a solution.  One person who will stand for right, who will take more action than the words they speak, who will not stop until change is reality.

So this morning I encourage you... in your deepest secret heart, in your life, in your family, in your business.... do NOT overvalue size.  

Remember, the Lord accomplishes great things through small numbers.

So go out today, be you, and be awesome... because you truly are!

Secrets....

I read the following statement in my studies this morning.....
  "The secret to your success will come from your secret place.  And the secret to your failure will come from your failure in the secret place."

Now this particular study is referencing our real relationship with Christ who sees all things which are in our heart, who knows if we are spending time in prayer, and if we are growing in our walk with Him.

But as I was evaluating my most important relationship, it came to me that this very same axiom applies in all areas and most especially our business'.

You see, our business doesn't succeed or fail based on what is witnessed by others but rather by what we do when no one is around.  

The persons who are putting in the hours to educate themselves, stay on top of current trends, seek out mentors, and allow the hard questions to be asked/answered; those are the ones you see continually growing and succeeding!

The persons who are going home to watch the game, off exploring with friends, late to come in, early to leave, those are the ones that are often times left wondering what went wrong and why their business isn't producing the results they want.

The successful person is also the one who knows the following to be truth and lives it out daily; "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts!"

Our success in any area of our lives, whether it be our relationship with Jesus Christ, our spouses, our family, our friends, our hobbies, or our business' is always measured by what we do when no one is looking.  It is the person with the never say die attitude that you will see consistently performing at the top.  For success is not a destination but rather a determined daily activity.

I would say "Bon chance cher" but I know luck to be no more than the wishful thoughts of those who don't take action so instead, I will say to you.......

Great determination.... today and every day!!