Sticking to the Plan?

What drives you? Does a conscious decision you made for your life and your family drive you, or do your feelings and emotions blow you around like a leaf on a tree leaving you to remake the same decisions over and over again?

It’s too mentally exhausting and energy taxing to live in groundhog decision mode. Sure you’re tired and don’t want to cook, but is the greasy hamburger really the best fast food choice? I get the Netflix series really sucked you in, but don’t you feel better if you go to bed at 10p instead of 2a? It is recorded after all.

No, you don’t want to go to church because it’s soooo much easier to let the kids sleep, but doesn’t it start your week out right? Yea, the dryer buzzer went off and you don’t feel like folding laundry, but they’re so wrinkly when they get cold and then you have to iron them.

All these are examples of little decisions YOU MADE already to improve your life. So when we’re tired or hangry or maybe just lazy, it should take a little more than a .5 second thought process to undo them.

What’s Karen Got to Do With It?

Ever notice how people who aren’t trying to grow spiritually or people who have a really high horse they’re on like to point out everyone else’s sin? It’s super annoying. Guess what!? Churches are full of sinners. Yep. It’s true! 100% sinners.

I’d rather be called a hypocrite by a busy body than never feel any conviction from God’s word. Whose opinion really matters? The Karen, nosey Nancy, judgy Jack, Chatty Cathy, superchristian Sal? Or God’s?

Remember you do NOT have to pass inspection by anyone else before you can draw close to God. The only thing standing between you & God is you. Believing that will remove a lot of the unnecessary trash from your path.

Not Everyone is a Pink Starburst

Not everyone is a pink Starburst. Sometimes people let us down and disappoint us. So, is it fair to actually BE let down? Because maybe the people we WANT to be the pink Starburst are nice yellow Starbursts – good but different. Still good!

I’ve discovered at the ripe age of 29+? that it’s more reasonable and less frustrating to re-sort people in my life than it is to sit and wait for them to act/react like I’ve played it out in my mind.

My prayer for you all, and myself, is that we love people for WHERE they are meant to be stationed in our lives. My supporting prayer is that is that WE RISE to our stations in the lives of others.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV

When Someone You Love Struggles

Seeing someone you love struggle with spiritual warfare is a helpless feeling. My natural instinct is to dig in and fix it. Lean in and love them harder.

Until I realize the enemy would love to be the reason I sacrifice even the tiniest bit of faith, rerouting my effort and time away from my purpose and end up getting myself off track in the process.

Maybe the cure to spiritual warfare in that helpless moment is us shoring up on His Word and hanging out while the storm around us passes. Praying first and not last.

MAYBE when this happens, we’re in the way, standing right between the person meant to connect with the person we love and help them through their battle. Or worse, maybe we’re just distracting them from their time with God to do the same.

Once we’ve made a good life decision for our house there is NO reason to revisit it when the devil tries to manipulate us through someone we love. Pray for God to reveal to you your part in their healing, it should never interfere with your faith or get you off track.

Nobody Likes Being Rejected

The thought of rejection can sneak into a good idea or answered prayer & strip the joy & motivation right out of it. Don’t confuse “not meant to be” with “afraid to be” because you can’t get past the fear (or even the possibility) of being rejected.

Jesus was born with the fact of facing rejection being a part of His life & He looked beyond it to the much greater purpose God had for Him. All good works are achieved by overcoming the fear of being scoffed & knowing the trade off will be worth it.

So when you pray, ask God to help you keep that spirit of rejection away when He puts an opportunity in your path. Let your Do be stronger than your Doubt!

“This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the L ord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” Isaiah 48:17 NLT

Rearrange Your Furniture

I’ve decided life is too short to hold grudges. Tomorrow I might change my mind about this…but today I realize you can’t expect people to be something they’re just not capable of being. So why be mad about it?

Never try to teach a pig to sing. You will just frustrate yourself and piss off the pig.

My Dad

At the end of the day, if you can’t forgive someone, you definitely can’t expect to be forgiven & that’s a pretty cocky position to take. Not saying take abuse, just think twice before you make your grandstands.

We all have those people we could do without – maybe just do without them in the capacity that doesn’t work, and find a place better suitable for them in your life.

Like rearranging the furniture in your living room because the corner of the table manages to always catch you right in the hip when you walk by…just MOVE IT.

“Don’t have anything to do with foolish or stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” 2 Timiothy 2:23

Failure = Opportunity

Epic fail or divine purpose? There are not a lot of things more discouraging than feeling like you’ve failed at something. You start to convince yourself you’re incapable of change, better off without trying again, and basically put your own ball and chain around your ankle.

Consider the idea that God will re-purpose your garbage dump of a past into a moving testimony for others at the beginning of the wrong path you just finished. It’s true. He will never let us walk through something without AFTERWARDS giving us an opportunity to use it in a mighty way. Keep your head up – that “epic fail” will start to look like an “epic win”! Because our God is the God of 2nd, 3rd, 4th… chances.

“I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8

Should You Apologize to Your Kids?

By far, one of the greatest lessons you could ever teach your kids is how to humbly apologize. I’m not always good at it, but I feel like I’ve not been terrible at it, either.

It starts with apologizing to them. It doesn’t make you a bad parent to admit you messed up, it doesn’t show weakness to say “I shouldn’t have done that”, and it doesn’t discount the fact that you are still their parent when you have to say you’re sorry for not seeing something before you affected them with your actions.

I think kids often times think we expect perfection and that fear is something hard to live in. Showing your child you’re not perfect by admitting it is a strong and bold move.

Own the offense, admit your shortcomings, let your kids see you try, let them see you grow… and watch them do the same. They learn by watching you.

Got Grit?

Who are you when things aren’t perfect?

Our lives are filled daily with imperfect situations and relationships where God has given us this beautiful, unique ability to reevaluate and modify the way we manage.

While we can’t control what’s happening TO us, we can certainly control our actions in response to imperfect circumstances surrounding us.

This morning my prayer for myself and my friends is one my grandmother told me she prayed often:

“Lord, if I can’t make it better, please help me to not make it worse.”

Betty White, my grandmother

Actions & Reactions Matter

Ignoring guilt that leads to correction is turning a slip into a fall. We must realize our actions have a ripple effect because we don’t sin in a vacuum & a “whatever” attitude will cause us to fall short in our relationships.

It’s healthy to imagine how our actions will impact others & react accordingly, but walking around shameless & cold hearted is an immediate sign of something very wrong. Listen to the people who love you, consider the possibility that they see something in your blind spot.

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT