Who Am I
We don’t have to pick up all our broken pieces in order to put ourselves back together. We can leave some on the floor.
Tag: life
Freedom to Believe
How I broke free from the American Church and found my faith. themessymingling.com I never realized how much the Church had a hold on my faith. Not a particular church. Just the church in general. The ways, the rules, the traditions all seemed to lead …
The New Normal
Everyone is talking about a new normal. People are saying that they don’t want to go back to our old normal. I get it. There is plenty I want to leave in the past. But, that doesn’t mean we have to wipe everything out. Not all of our “normal” was bad. We are in an all-or-nothing culture right now and honestly, I am exhausted. Not all of our old normal was bad. A lot of it is worth saving. Let’s take a deep breath before we throw it all away.
Not all of our old normal was bad. There is some worth saving. A lot worth saving.
themessymingling.com
I was an emotional teenager. I know all teens are emotional. But, I was something else. I was the teenager that stormed off and could throw a tantrum like no other. “Let’s just destroy it all!” I’d proclaim. None of it mattered anyway. This is us, right now. Let’s just burn everything down and start over. That is a huge mistake.
Let’s chat about Jesus and salvation, shall we. When it comes to our past, we are forgiven. The moment you believe and accept Jesus came to die for you and was raised on the third day, your past is forgiven. Jesus paid the price. That doesn’t mean you won’t have consequences and you get a hall pass. It means you have access to God and eternity.
A lot of people think that this means our past is gone. But, if you think about it, your past can never be erased. Forgiven? Absolutely? Torn down and gone forever? Not in the slightest. Do you ever wonder why that is?
Our lives are a journey; a beautiful messy journey. I think most of us can say that we are not the same person today as we were a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago. We are, hopefully, better then we were before. As we grow and what was once normal shifts and changes, we forge ahead bringing the good stuff with us and dropping the bad.
"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:4
2020 has asked us to persevere. Am I right? We’ve all changed in some way; many of us proclaiming that we will not go back to our old normal. Can I challenge you? Keep the good stuff. Shed the things that need to go, but don’t wipe it all away. Becoming mature and complete means some things stay. Your old normal wasn’t all bad.
There’s always room for growth. Change is a good thing. However, growth isn’t built on an empty foundation. Your life is beautiful; even the messy pieces. Don’t cancel everything. Let your life grow in the soil where He plants you. Just make sure you turn it over every now and again.
Growth isn’t built on an empty foundation.
Themessymingling.com
God’s Presence Our Comfort
We keep telling our story even when our story is ugly. We keep showing up because God’s goodness, His holy presence is not equivalent to our comfort.
themessymingling.com
Small Moments. Big Impact.
Stop believing the lie that you need to have a platform to add value to this world. Stop believing the lie that you have to have the big traumatic story that led you to Jesus for your faith to matter. It all matters. All of it comes together in one chaotic mess to make the most beautiful story. A story of redemption and grace that is far too valuable to waste.
Feeling Good
One of my boys is more emotional than the others. He feels big and loud. I’m not sure where he gets it from. (Actually, I am sure. I know exactly where he get it from). The other day, his emotions got the best of him. We sat together to chat about what he was feeling and how he could better handle his emotions in a healthy way. I don’t want him to grow up thinking he couldn’t feel or express his emotions. I want him to feel.
God created us to have emotions. Even Jesus cried. (John 11:35) He designed us to feel. Yet, we live in a day where feeling all the life feelings is seen as a bad thing.
“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; ” Ecclesiastes 3:4-6
We are on a constant hunt to subdue our feelings. We put out pillows and soft landings on the road before our children so they won’t get hurt. No one wants to feel pain. We post all the happy moments instead of the real ones. We are afraid to feel. Because of this, we have become a society of zombies; a people walking thru life numb to it all.
God designed us to feel. Part of living an abundant life (John 10:10) is allowing our emotions to play out. We can all agree that a good cry, while difficult, is cleansing to the soul. We’d do anything these days, however, to avoid the tears.
Our children, everyone, can’t cope with life because we aren’t allowing ourselves to feel. We avoid any negative emotion out of fear. What we don’t realize is that our souls, our innermost parts, were designed to feel. Those hard feelings, the negative emotions we run from, are the very ones that lead us straight to Him. We don’t realize we need a Savior until we allow ourselves to feel.
Allow yourself to feel today. Don’t be afraid of your emotions. Know that they come from the Creator. There is purpose in your feelings; value in your emotions. Let them play out. Feel all the feels. And watch Jesus meet you there.
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 …
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 …
Life is Too Lifey: Top 10
This has been a rough week. Every day seems to have it’s own overwhelming struggles. Have you ever had a week like that. It all seems a little too “lifey.” It’s one of those weeks where you wish you could be a toddler again and go take a nap only to wake up to juice and a snack provided by someone else. When life gets to be a little too much, what do you do to get through it? I jotted down my Top 10 ways I try to get through those “lifey” days with health and success. Don’t hesitate to share your copings ways in the comments.
Enjoy.
- Get Moving
- Moving my body clears my head. There is something about taking a walk or breaking a sweat that is like therapy to me. It is proven that moving our bodies releases endorphins which makes us all feel better. So, get off that couch and go on a walk!
- Music
- In my “lifey” week, I needed music. Not just any kind of music. I needed soft calming music. I started with instrumental worship music and then lost my brain and turned on instrumental Christmas music. I know I broke all my rules against Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I had to. Life was too lifey.
- Pray
- I know. Sounds cliche but it works. Talking to God chills me out and calms my soul. If I am being honest, my prayers sounded more like off-key singing because I kept repeating worship lyrics in my head, but they did the job.
- Get out of the house
- New scenery helps lighten the load. Sometimes staying stuck inside makes everything feel a bit more heavy. Getting out and about changes my view and my perspective. It can be as easy as sitting on my porch in my rocking chair.
- Your People
- Text that girlfriend. Go to lunch. Talk to your people. They see things in you that you can’t. They will be real with you. They will love you. Let them in.
- Find Something for YOU
- One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me when I quit teaching to stay home was to find something for you. What makes your soul come alive? Do more of that.
- Scripture
- Like an inspirational quote, Scripture breaths life back into you. Read one verse or a whole chapter. Just read. It will center you. Refocus you. Shift your perspective.
- Rest
- Take a bath. Light a candle. Take a nap. When we are stressed, our body needs rest not more to-dos. Allow yourself space, quiet, stillness.
- Get off Social Media
- Do yourself a favor, and STOP scrolling. Just stop. When life is stressful, Instagram won’t help. Give yourself (force yourself) a break from the scroll. Your physical, mental, and emotional health will thank you!
- Give Yourself a TON of Grace. Now, give yourself MORE.
- Grace. Let yourself have it. Give yourself more than you think you deserve. Because, there is never enough. Grace upon grace upon grace.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Rooted in Faith so Self-Care Becomes the Norm
Self-Care. A 2018 buzz word. We all know taking care of ourselves is important; a necessity. No one can work from a depleted spirit. We are all searching. Searching for rest. A break from the busy. A break from the news. A moment to relax …