What if, for today…

18

What if…what if today instead of seeing the flab on my arm I wish wasn’t there I saw the muscle that didn’t used to be there either? What if instead of seeing the stretch marks I’ve tried to rid my body of I saw the amazing ways God made my body to bring life into this world? What if instead of seeing the flab around the middle I saw the inches now gone?

What if I saw this same progress in other areas of my life instead of all the ways I’m still lacking? What if I saw the abundance of emotions as more healing than burying them deep within?

What if I saw this same good in others and cheered them on for how FAR THEY HAVE COME?! What if we saw each other as overcomers??!!

What if I stopped focusing on the shame and started focusing on the grace? What if I had eyes to see God in the hard and in the struggle? What if I more quickly noticed the growth instead of the thorns? .

What if…

 

Honest, Imperfect and Beautiful

This quote has me in a puddle of tears this morning. I have tried to share authentically about my struggles online for a few years now. But have I really been honest with you? Better yet, am I being honest with myself? What if I sought to live my own beautiful & honest life instead of what I think you want to read or see here on social media? What if I lived my life that way? And what if my beautiful isn’t beautiful to you? (These are painful questions for me, friends.)

I have lived under the lie that I am insecure and not confident and not ok with who I am for so long that I’m finding it hard to break free. You see, I *thought* I was being honest by sharing those struggles…and in those moments I was being as honest as I knew to be.

But God. Those things actually are not true. I am not insecure. I am whole and free and strong and SECURE IN CHRIST. I am COMPLETE in Christ. I am FREE and FORGIVEN. I am a NEW CREATION. I am a child of God. I’m no longer a slave to fear. I have VICTORY in Jesus. I am flawed yet being perfected & renewed day by day. I am STRONG because of HIS POWER that lives IN ME. I serve a RESURRECTED Savior who is ALIVE and lives in me. I.am.loved.

If I believe He is alive and that He conquered the grave, then I can choose to believe He is resurrecting me, too.

Y’all. I feel it in my bones. He is doing something new. He is changing me. The resurrected King is RESURRECTING ME.  Aren’t you so beyond thankful that God doesn’t STOP doing new things or give up on us? Just because I have seen myself in light of my weakness for {FAR TOO LONG} doesn’t mean that is who I am. Just because it seemed impossible yesterday doesn’t mean that it can’t happen TODAY. Just because I see something through the lens of defeat doesn’t mean that God can’t create BEAUTY from those ASHES. Y’all. He is doing a new thing. And the choice is mine: am I going to believe Him for it or not?!

New mercies. Every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.

Resurrecting by Elevation Worship

Go listen to this song Resurrecting by Elevation Worship today and let’s make the choice to BELIEVE GOD.  (click on the link if you’re reading this post in an email.)

 

Summer in the Psalms

“If you need a guide for your ongoing relationship with God, read Psalms.”
― Jim George

“The more deeply we grow into the psalms and the more often we pray them as our own, the more simple and rich will our prayers become.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Psalms have been my prayer book, my hymn book, my conversation with God book for so long. Any time I feel the nudge to slip away and spend time with the Lord, the Psalms is my go-to. If I feel a need to re-focus and get back to my first love, I head to the Psalms. We see the humanity of David. We see the battles fought, the confession and repentance, the worship, the HOPE. We see David crying out to God in the depths of his despair and we see him preaching the gospel to his heart as he reminds himself of where his true hope lies.

Spend a few moments each morning this summer reading one or two Psalms. You can take this deeper and WRITE the Psalms. Pray them. Journal them. Speak them. Choose one verse to meditate on for the day. Make this reading plan your own.

I will not be posting daily on social media, but if you want to follow my STORIES on Instagram or Facebook, that is where I will share the most often. I will periodically share a post in both of those places, too. Join me on Instagram or Facebook. If you decide to share posts as we go along, I would love for you to use the hashtag #summerinthepsalms

I would love for you to join me!

Extra: If you’d like a devotional to use as we read through the Psalms (totally optional!) I love this one by Timothy Keller! The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. (I will follow the number of the Psalm and not the date as I’m reading.)

Print the Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan

Click the graphic or this PDF link to print your own copy!

Summer in the Psalms PDF

Sign up for 5-Day Essential Oils Email Series

Lately I have gotten into the habit of sharing a short portion of Isaiah 61:3 every time I tell my story.

“He gives beauty for ashes…”

Why that verse? Because if God’s Word wasn’t true, I wouldn’t be here today sharing my story with you. Because I believe with every fiber of my being that He does and WILL bring beauty from the ashes of our lives. You may be sitting in the ashes today. Hold on. Hang on. Cling to Jesus. Because the beauty is coming…

Essential oils played a huge role in my wellness journey. They were a BRIDGE to better health…a catalyst…a stepping stone  in the right direction to get me moving forward once again.

If you’ve been wanting to learn more about essential oils but are not able to attend a class locally or just want to learn more, I have a fun 5-day EMAIL SERIES I will begin sending out to anyone who signs up for it!

In this series I will be sharing: 

  • My wellness journey (losing 50 pounds)
  • My journey off of anti-depressants
  • My favorite oils for emotional wellness
  • The other most common oils we use in our home
  • More info from our team leader who is a medical doctor

Click here to sign up for the 5-Day Email series! 

**If you’ve EVER unsubscribed from my blog email list, you will not be able to sign up for this email series unless you go back and subscribe to my main email list. This is because my email service thinks I am trying to add someone who does not wish to receive my emails so they won’t add you here. 🙂

You can also read more of my journey about essential oils here on this page! 

Isaiah 55 and the Thorns of This Life

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
 so are my ways higher than your ways
 and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,                                          so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”

Isaiah 55:8-13

I was looking back at the passage I chose for my verse this year: Isaiah 55:11-13. Right before verse 11, it says “My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways…” and then by the end of this chapter it says “This will be for the Lord’s renown…” it talks about beautiful trees growing in the place of where thorns once were. Doesn’t that fill you with hope today?

What thorns do you see in your own life?

5 Take Aways from this Passage

1. God’s ways are not our ways.

2. God’s Word will not return void. (Are you clinging to His promises?)

3. You WILL go OUT in joy.

4. You will be led by peace. (Do you need the reminder of Who our true peace is?)

5. This will be for the Lord’s renown.

Those beautiful trees growing where thorns once were…can you BELIEVE GOD for it? And when it all comes to fruition…He gets the glory. He is made famous. He shows off His work and hand in your life and others will see His faithfulness.

3 Years Off of Anti-Depressants

I would love for you to read an update now that I have been off all of my anti-depressants for 3 years and am thriving. God has been so good to me. My mindset has changed. My health has changed. We are never truly hopeless if we have Christ. We have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us giving us the power to make the steps necessary to BE TRANSFORMED.

My Journey Off of Anti-Depressants

My wellness journey & 51 pound weight loss!