Lonely
Loneliness is an epidemic. More people are lonely today then ever before. Yet, we are more connected then ever before. Maybe it is time we stop being scared of loneliness and learn how to be alone.
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Happy
Are you happy? If so, where do you find your happiness? If not, what is preventing you from being happy? True happiness does not lie in life circumstances. No. Happiness is found in something so much greater.
A Healthy You: Going Against the Norms
"For you formed me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139: 14
The new year brings a desire for a new you. Whether that be a new body, mind, or spiritual thing, we all tend to make goals at this time. We don’t always speak them out loud or even acknowledge our need for change, but it is there. Many of us want more: more structure, more organization, more exercise, more healthy eating, more calm and loving parenting. We strive to do better and be better. While that is not a bad thing (to do better and be better), our strategy may be a little off.
We are constantly told how we can do better and be better. Our inboxes are flooded with the latest craze to a healthy lifestyle or the ten ways to move up in our careers. Our social media feeds seem to read our minds and strategically place ads that are like cryptonite to our floundering souls. It is hard for us to turn off the noise. So very hard.
What if doing better and being better doesn’t look anything like what society and culture are telling us? What if we can actually DO and BE better without all that nonsense? I believe we can.
A healthy you isn’t equal to a smaller pant size.
A healthy you isn’t obtained by climbing the corporate ladder.
A healthy you isn’t maintained by having everything in its place at all times.
A healthy you isn’t found in striving.
A healthy you is found in resting in who you were created to be. A healthy you is obtained when we stop striving and start living. A healthy you is discovered when you realize the season you are in and accept it as good. A healthy you starts not in what the world tells us to do to get healthy, but rests solely on His truths and His promises for our lives.
Your value does not lie in the number on the scale.
Your worth is not secured by what you do or don’t do.
You are worthy because you are His.
A healthy you starts with a healthy mindset. A healthy mindset is found in Him: knowing that you are loved just because you are you. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Let’s start there. Let’s start by accepting we are loved so that we may love ourselves.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You cannot do anything to become healthier until you accept this; until you start loving yourself. You cannot love yourself fully until you realize that you are loved; loved no matter what just because you are YOU.
We can all chase that smaller pant size, cleaner home, or big promotion, but it won’t fill us. We will obtain these goals and then what? If we don’t love ourselves because He first loved us, we will never be filled. And if we are never filled, we will never find true health.
A healthy you is found in love. Knowing that you are loved by a Savior created with purpose, on purpose, and for a purpose. Find a healthy you this year by finding love: love for yourself just because you are YOU.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Raising Thinkers
I like to tell my kids what to do. I’m just being honest. I like feeling like I have some semblance of control over their lives. It makes me feel safe. It helps me feel like nothing bad can happen to them. I know this …
Feeling Good
We all have feelings. We all also run and try to hide from our feelings. We lose living a full life when we run. We lack closeness with Jesus when we try and hide from our emotions. Stop running and start feeling. You will be thankful that you did.
Word
I have a word. A couple of years ago, I jumped on the word-of-the-year bandwagon. Just like the colored jeans and booties trends, it took me awhile to catch on. What can I say? I tend to be a stubborn rebel unwilling to immediately accept the fads of the day. I will say, that once I accepted the word challenge, I was all-in.
My word for 2018 was, “expectant.” I started a new journey chasing after a dream I’d been talking about for a loooooooong time. The word, expectant, came as I said, “yes”. The moment I stepped into the reality of taking my dream to a goal, I became expectant; expectant of what the Lord was going to do. I mean, he called me into this place. Surely, I could expect great things from him.
As 2018 was coming to a close, I revisited my word a few times. If I’m being honest, it stung. I had high expectations and most went unfulfilled. Yes, exciting and wonderful things happened throughout 2018. I learned so much, grew more than I have in a very long time, and was given incredible opportunities. However, my ministry didn’t blow up like I had imagined. It didn’t grow as quickly as I desired. I was expectant, and, if I am being frank, 2018 did not meet my expectations.
I.
I expected.
My expectations.
Ouch. Once I started processing my disappointments, I realized why I was disappointed; why it didn’t seem that God met my word for the year. I created the expectations. I decided what this year would look like and told God, “Here’s what I got. Now make it happen.”
Ever been there? Ever tell God your expectations; given him the script and told him to make it work?
Once I realized what I had done, I prayed. I knew I needed to have a chat with God about my control issues. After admitting my wrong-doing, I asked God to show me where he exceeded my expectations; where he fulfilled the dreams in my heart. Do you know what I found? A year full of gifts.
I believe God gives us words. I believe he speaks to everyone in the way they need to hear. I absolutely believe my word, expectant, was from him. It was my gift from him for the new year. What I did with that word, however, was on me not him. He gave me a year that went above and beyond my expectations. I was just blind to it because I manipulated my word.
Do you have a word for 2019? I do. I actually have a word and a phrase…I think. When you find your word, lay it down. It is time we surrender our words. He gives them to us as a gift. When we lay it down, we get to open that gift with each new day. Don’t underestimate God by trying to control your word. Don’t limit the possibilities of your word by trying to write the rest of the narrative. Find your word. And lay it down.
LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. Jeremiah 10:23
Love & Blessings,
Meg
When God says, “Lay it Down”
We all have a word. Maybe you don’t have a word. Instead, you have a thought, a goal, or a dream. You might not be a New Year’s resolution type, but we all want more for our lives. My word for 2018 is expectant. I …
The Soul Felt its Worth
A few times in history, we unite in emotion and human will. Events occur single-handedly stopping time. We unite in feelings, thoughts, and an unstoppable motivation to do better and be better for humanity. For my generation, that time is 9/11. For others, it’s Kennedy’s assassination or the attack on Pearl Harbor. Those around the world are united fighting for the wane of suffering. It’s there. For all of us.
There is another time in history in which all humanity stopped and gasped. I often wonder what it felt like the night Christ was born. CNN was not there to report on the horrific birth conditions. FOXNews didn’t show up to share the good news. It was a quiet night. But, I still wonder if the earth shook. Did it stop on its axis?
One of my very favorite Christmas songs is, “O Holy Night.” One line in that song clenches my attention like no other.
“And the soul felt its worth”
The Lord appeared and the soul finally felt its worth.
Do I feel my worth? Do you?
I wonder what you and I would feel that beautiful night the sky beautifully lit with stars as far as the eye could see. Would we feel our worth the moment our Savior was born? Do we feel our worth the moment we decide to follow Him? Do we realize that his birth was meant so we may feel our worth?
This season, when I look to the night sky remembering a baby born in a manger to a teen mom, I want my soul to feel its worth. If I don’t allow myself to feel my worth in him, then his birth is meaningless for he came for me; for you.
I pray we all exhale Christmas morning. That our breath reminds us of our fullness. I pray we feel united in the glory of God when we look up at the vast night sky spotting the North Star. I pray we find our worth as we walk through the journey of this advent season. We are worthy because a teenage girl unabashedly said yes to God. We are worthy because a teenage boy decided to walk alongside his pregnant fiance. We are worthy because he was born. Feel your worth this Christmas for through him and by his birth, you are worthy.
” O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name”
Love & Blessings,
Meg
I Found Joy
I was brushing out my wet hair thinking about what a nice day I was having. The weather outside was gorgeous for December 1st. We all took the morning slow staying in our pjs well past the morning. We had nothing on the agenda. I …