My Bling Purse

I like bling.  Sparkly.  Shiny.  Girly.  Sequins.  Pink.  ......all that fun stuff....

However, despite my love for bling, I don't usually find myself wearing much of it.  Bling is loud...attention-drawing...bold.  Me?  I'm not so loud...not so bold...and I really don't like the attention on me.  I love bling...but my personal jewelry collection has always been very conservative.  I would often see others wearing the jewelry I loved, but then would always assume it would never look good on me.  I guess you could say that I often admire bling from afar.

Until recently.

The last few years I have broadened my horizons.  Those who may remember, years back, I NEVER wore dangly earrings.  I never wore bracelets.  I only owed small and dainty rings and necklaces.  I guess it's been since I started making a lot of my own jewerly that I have found a love for more "blingy" items. 

...and then a few weeks ago I saw the purse.  Yes....the purse.  And I know what you're thinking....yes, I AM about to draw a spiritual application out of a purse.....

The purse...

Pink.  Sparkly.  Sequins. 

I instantly gravitated towards the purse.  My daughter was shopping with me and did not hold back as she exlaimed her extreme disgust for the purse I was considering. 

I held it up to the mirror next to the purse rack and tried to envision myself carrying the purse.  ...and though I loved it....it just seemed too bold for me.  I mean, could I actually see myself shopping at Walmart in sweatpants and carrying a pink sequin purse?  I might feel a little crazy doing that...

So I put the purse back.  Instead, I settled on a less flashy purple purse....which, I might add, my daughter ALSO hated....(tough!  I bought it anyway!)

But you know, as much as I like the purple purse.....I have found myself wishing I had the boldness and confidence to carry the pink sequin purse.  I regretted not buying that one.

Well, lo and behold....this weekend while shopping with my husband....guess what I just happened to find on clearance???????????????????????????????????

YEP!  You guessed it!  The pink sequin purse.  I found one left.  AND to top it off, I had a 30% off coupon.  I could spend just a few dollars and get the sequin purse that I had wished I bought. 

But you know, as I once again held it up in the mirror, I still had a hard time envisioning myself carrying the purse.

Is this really me? 

I mean...I knew it was me....deep down inside, I love this purse!  But could I really show that side of my personality to everyone around me?????? 

As I started to put it back on the shelf, I realized something.  I realized that everytime I look at the purse, I smile. 

Now that may seem silly.  But it's true.  The pink shiny sequins make me smile.  You know why?  Because that's the real me. 

And I started to think.....why is it that we often hide who we really are? 

Why do we wear masks?  Why are we afraid to let others see us for who we really are?

We are each so very special because God made us that way.  He made us unique....each with our own talents, abilities, personalities.....and when we hide who we are, we are hiding the masterpiece that God has made in us! 

I often find myself shying away from situations where I need to be bold...loud....as I know that I am quiet.  I often use that as an excuse and hold myself back.  But you know, God has made me to be more than just a quiet person who hides her true self.

Whatever God has made you to be......let it shine!  Be the wonderful person that God hand-crafted you to be.  Don't let your feelings of what others think of you dictate how you live your life.

It's time.  Pick up your "blingy" pink sequin purse and move ahead confidently knowing that God made you special!

No Excuses

New Year's resolutions. 

What thoughts do those words put into your mind?  Do they make you think of things you wanted to do, but then failed?  Do they make you think of things you started but didn't finish? 

It's easy to make a new year's resolution.  In fact, last year I had a whole list of things I wanted to do in the new year.  They were all great things that would change my life in a postive way. 

But did I do them all?  Did I follow-through?

Some, yes.  Some, partially.  And some......not at all....

I started thinking about this.  Why is it that it is so easy to make a new year's resolution, but so very hard to keep it?  Why do we do great with the new "promise" for a few months...but then slowly forget about it in time?  Why do we lose the passion to change?

Change is hard.  Change takes time.  But change is affected by things like laziness....old habits....and excuses.

Excuses. 

Wow that one hit me like a tons of bricks.

I look back at my life and I can see how the excuses I have made have put limitations on what I've done. 

Take running, for example...  In the past, I have always had a rule....."I will not run outside if it is below 40 degrees."  In saying that, it has severly limited how often I can run in the winter.  And me on a treadmill.....well, let's just say that doesn't always end well.....I need help with that one.

That rule has been something I lived by and never made an exception to.  That is.....until this year.  This year I decided to throw away the excuses.  WHY can't I run outside when it is 20 degrees?  Why can't I run in the snow?  And to take it out further..........Why can't I run in the pouring rain?  Why can't I run while on vacation? 

It has become a challenge to me now....if I have no excuses for running, what can I accomplish?  I have run in unfamiliar places.  I have run in the wind...the rain...the snow...the sleet....I have run when my snot froze to my face.  Basically the only things that keep me inside now are blizzards and dangerous low temperatures. 

But here comes the real reason for this blog...................................................................

What if we never gave God any excuses???

What if?  What could we do for God if we threw away all our excuses?  What could we accomplish...through Him...if we never held ourselves back? 

What if we had no excuses?

I know in my own life I have given God many, many excuses.....

I can't talk to that person...I don't know her well! 
I can't witness to them!
I'm scared to do that!
I can't lead worship...I don't play the piano well enough...
I can't speak in front of a large crowd....I'm shy!
I can't lead as well as so-and-so...
I can't drive the church van....I'm not good with big vehicles.  (THAT one is VERY TRUE!)
I can't be the type of leader you called me to be...
I can't be the type of parent you called me to be....I fail.

I can't.  I can't.  I can't.

Truth is, I can't do it.  I can't do it on my own.  I especially can't do it when I live in the excuses.

But...with God's power and help, I CAN! 

First step.  Take out the excuses.  That is my goal for this year.  NO EXCUSES!

Is it going to be easy?  No way!  Excuses are natural for me.  Excuses are what I'm use to.  Excuses keep me in my safe little comfort zone. 

But I wonder what God can do with a life of no excuses?

I challenge you to find out. 

What can God do through you if you don't give Him any excuses or limitations?????????

Let's find out!!!!!!!

Popped Out of Place

Have you ever felt the pain of a pulled muscle or an injury that affected your daily life?

Sadly, I injured myself while running about two weeks ago.  ...I know!  You're shocked!  I've told no one but my husband about this...

I'm not really sure what happened, but I strained something...pulled something...or popped something out of place in my hip.  It wasn't horribly bad, but it did cause a dull pain that I felt every time I walked.

Did that stop me from running?  NO WAY!!!  :) 

Running is such a stress release for me--it makes me feel so much better about myself!  There was NO way I was going to stop running, even with a slight injury. 

So despite the pain, I kept running.  About a week went by and the pain was unfortunately getting worse...to the point where I was finding myself limping because of the severe pain.  I was becoming concerned that it might be noticeable to others.  See, up to this point, I had told no one about this.  Last Wednesday night at church, I did my best to hide any clue that my hip was hurting me.  I didn't want anyone to notice.  I mean, it was just a dull pain, right?

And I think I did a great job of hiding it....that is, until later that night.  As I tucked in my son for bed, he looked at me and said, "Are you limping?"

"Um........maybe......," I responded hesitantly.  I then explained how my hip felt weird...almost as if something needed to be popped back into place.  From there I then demostrated all the stretches I had been using as an attempt to fix this pain in my hip.

As I did this, suddenly I heard a loud POP and I literally felt something move in my hip.  And not just me...my son heard it too!

Instant relief. 

Since this realization thrilled me, I started to jump up and down and run in place in his room, demonstrating how I could suddenly do this without pain.  I do believe my son was happy to see his crazy mom leave his room that night.....

But I had reason to be happy!  I could walk with only minimal pain!  No more sharp pains throbbing through my body!  God had taken what was out of line and placed it back in place!

It has been almost a week since then.  I can still feel a dull pain in my hip.....BUT....the pain is less and less every day.  It's as if my body is healing from having something out of place for so long.

And have I stopped running at all during this?  You guessed it....NOPE I've continued to run!  In fact, my hip feels BETTER when I run!  Each and every day it feels better and better.

So as I was running the other day, I started thinking about this whole situation.....and God showed me a very awesome spiritual application!

When we sin...when we get out of God's will...it's like our lives become "popped out of place".  We don't function as we should because we aren't in complete obedience.  And this sin will cause "pain" in our lives.

But.......................................once we repent, God takes that sin and washes us clean.  He then "pops" the displaced joint back into place.  He puts us back together so we can function appropriately!

However--and this is VERY IMPORTANT--

...............even though God "pops" us back into place, that does not mean that we are free from the consequences of our sin.

Just as I still feel pain from the joint that was out of place, we also will feel the results of our sin....even after we repent.  For example, if we are addicted to alcohol, we will have to endure the recovery process after we stop drinking.  If we lied to someone, we will have to deal with the results of this dishonesty.  If we acted out in anger, we will have to clean up the mess we made.  If we hurt someone, we will have to deal with the consequences.

And this is where it is VITAL to keep moving forward.  Running every day, despite the pain, has actually helped my body to heal. 

The affects of our sin will try to hold us back.  The enemy will try to make us feel unworthy....
incapable...
inadequate...

The enemy would want us to wallow in our guilt.

But God is calling us to MOVE FORWARD! 

Move forward out of the sin.  Move forward past the guilt.  Move forward and work through the consequences of our sin.  Move foward to get rid of that sin.

It may be painful for a short time, but God WILL heal us as we step out in faith!

Keep running the race.  Keep moving forward!

Me.....a Leader????

Have you ever wondered what God was thinking?

He took me--a shy girl--and turned her into a pastor's wife.

I was the one who could go through a whole school day without talking.  I was the one who had a panic attack if the teacher called on me.  I was the one nicknamed "Mama Mouse" by my 4th grade teacher because of my quiet voice.  I was the one who dreaded any type of social situation.  To say I was painfully shy would be a giant understatement.

As a child, I anticipated being a mom and a teacher.  Yes...I did know a teacher would have to speak in front of others.  But somehow a class of children didn't seem as threatening as my peers...or adults.  I knew I could NEVER teach adults.  The thought made me sick to my stomach....

What I didn't realize was the plan God had for me.  His plan was not for me to go through life living in my "bubble" of shyness.  His plan was to take this shy girl and turn her into a leader.

........................seriously????????

Over the years, God has drawn me out of my shell.  He has put me in situations where I have to speak...teach...sing....lead.

And do you know what?  That is SOOOO out of my comfort zone!  I feel incapable.  I feel unable.  I am weak.  I feel out of my element.  I don't always feel confident in myself.  I am scared....vulnerable...

But it's at THAT very moment I have to decide.....am I going to stay in my bubble of comfort?  Or am I going to take a step of faith and walk forward into the plan God has for me?

I may have fears.  But in God, all fears are wiped away.  He is my strength.

I may feel incapable.  In fact, in and of myself, I AM incapable.  But with God, He is my strength.

I may feel no confidence in myself.  But I have to look instead at the "God-confidence" I have.

We all have the potential to be used mightily by God.......IF we venture out of our comfort zone.  IF we trust God.  IF we step out in faith.  IF we leave our comfort zone....

Our comfort zones are just that...they are comfortable.  They are easy.  They aren't a challenge.  But God is calling us to be MORE than that.  He is calling us to S-T-R-E-T-C-H....let's move out of our comfort zone and into the area God wants us to move in.  Life lived inside your comfort zone is life lived outside of God's will.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Fear.

It's something we all have experienced.  That intense feeling of dread..apprehension...anxiety.  Your palms get sweaty...your heart races...you try to find a way out of the situation...you have a panic attack. 

Sound familiar???

It is DEFINITELY familiar to me.  Although, I do have to admit that I am scared of some unusual things.  Well, actually, they do send me into a panic.  Bees for one thing.....I absolutely hate bees and wasps.  They will cause me to start running wildly in the opposite direction.  Second is dentists.  Yes.  I hate the dentist.  And not just hate.  I go into an absolute panic attack.  And not because of the drill...no that part isn't bad.  It's the x-rays I hate.  (Yes, I am unusual.)

But beyond that, there's many other things that cause me to fear.  The enemy is always attacking me with thoughts that cause the fear to start creeping in.  Sometimes I don't dwell on the thought and take it right to God.  Sometimes, I admit, I do dwell on it....and that very quickly spirals into a deep fear that hinders me from doing what God wants me to do.

Fear is paralying.  Fear hinders you.  Fear will keep you from the path God wants you on. 

God has been really challenging me lately about fear.  Fear is keeping me from what God wants me to do.  Fear is hindering me from moving forward. 

So today I spent a few hours at the church...alone....just me and God.  I wrote down all the ways the enemy is attacking me with fear.  It filled a whole notebook page......with one fear per line.  Then I felt God telling me to pray about each and every one.  It's amazing as I went down the list how I could see exactly how the enemy is attacking me.  It's amazing how a lot of the fears are related to each other.  It's amazing how deep the fears went after so long of not giving them over to God.  It's amazing how MANY fears I found inside of me.

After I reached the bottom of the list, I knew exactly what I needed to do.  I tore the paper into about a hundred pieces.  I tore my fears up and I laid the pieces on the altar.  And I did NOT take them back! 

PEACE.  Peace.  Peace.  Overwhelming peace is what came next. 

No longer do I have to keep these fears.  In fact, I never was suppose to carry them at all!  I am determined to never take these fears back.  I am tired of being afraid.

Yes, I'm sure the enemy will tempt me with those thoughts again.  I am sure it will be hard.  But I am also completely sure that God will help me through it.

If you are dealing with fears, I encourage you to do the same thing I did.  Write them down, pray over them, and then give them over to God.  COMPLETLY over to God!  Don't pick them back up again!

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." -2 Timothy 1:7

Oh, I'm Running to Your Arms

My goal all day long was go to running after work.  3:30 came and left and I just didn't get to run like I had wanted.  By 4:30 p.m. I found myself snuggled in my warm bed....fully intended to sleep instead of run.  I mean, it did kinda look like it would start raining or storming at any point.  Sleep was a better option, right?

But something stirred inside of me.  Something that kept me awake.  Something that urged me to run despite my desire to sleep. 

So I got up.  I put my contacts back in.  I put on my running clothes.  I put on my running shoes.  I was motivated to run.  I craved it.  You see, my running time is a time of sweet commune with my Savior.  I needed it.

After I got two steps out the front door, my desire quickly changed as I realized it had JUST begun to rain!  And not just sprinkle.  It was raining pretty good.  I turned around and walked back to the front door, with the thought that I would just take a nap instead.

But wait.  Why can't I run?  What is stopping me?  Is a little rain going to stop me from getting my exercise and having a wonderful prayer time with Jesus?  My mind immediately went back to the race this past Saturday.  We ran in 42 degrees with pouring rain.  ...and it was fun!!!!!  Today it was 62 degrees.  What's wrong with running today?  Why am I trying to get out of it?

Why do I think I can't run in the rain?  Why do I limit myself? 

So I turned back and decided to run anyway.  Despite the rain. 

I truly felt like I had a breakthrough today.  I felt empowered.  I felt a sense of accomplishment at running in the face of something that would normally stop me.

And while running....and wiping the rain off my face....I sensed God speaking to me about the "race" that we are all running. 

"...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." -Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

We are all called to "run the race" set out before us.  Sometimes things get in our way and distract us from the race.  I can't tell you how many times I've been attacked by ducks, birds and dogs while running!  Those things often make me want to stop running.  In the same way, things can get in the way of our spiritual race.  We can easily put things before God and get distracted from what we really are suppose to do.

Sometimes we get tired....sometimes we are injured.  I often feel sore.  I don't want to finish.  My body aches and I just want to give up.  In the same way, sometimes we are wore out and spiritually don't feel like fighting.  But God is calling us to keep pressing on!!!  ....no matter what!

Sometimes the weather prevents us from running.  It's easy to run when it's sunny and warm!  But what about wind?  Rain?  Snow?

We all have "sunny" days when everything seems to go our way.  Those days are easy to serve the Lord, aren't they?

But what about a "stormy" or "windy" day?  A day when everything seems to be going wrong?  Did you ever have one of those "when it rains it pours" days? 

Things will happen to upset us.  That's just normal.  People will do things that we don't like.  That's just normal.  We can't control that.  What happens when people say unkind or untrue words about us?  How do we react?  Do we become "unglued" and retailiate?  Or do we let God be our defense? 

We may not be able to control other people, but we can control our reaction.  Are we going to stop running when these storms happen?  .....if so....why?  That's like me turning around and going back inside because of a little rain.

God has called us to run the race with perseverance.  That means we are to keep going!  Keep pressing on!  Keep MOVING FORWARD! 

Stormy days will come.  Windy days will come.  The rain will fall.  But no matter what we are to keep steady on the race marked before us. 

God will never leave our side.  In fact, it is HIS arms we are running towards. 

(...and to top it off, we sang one of my favorite worship songs tonight!!!)

Oh I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms,
The riches of Your love will always be enough,
Nothing compares to Your embrace,
Light of the world forever reign.

Running the Race

Though I have been a runner for several years now, I have found a passion for racing.....a passion that I didn't realize I had.  There's just something so refreshing and inspiring about running a race, with hundreds of other runners.  It motivates you to run faster than normal.  It challenges you to push the limits of how strong you are.  And there's a great sense of accomplishment that comes when you cross the finish line and hear friends, family, and strangers cheering for you.

I have made it my personal goal to run more races....and decrease my time with each one!  Additionally, I have decided to push myself to run some LONGER races too!  Recently when I ran my first 10K race, I spent most of the race quoting Philippians 4:13 over and over to myself....

"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me."

I made it to the end.  I finished the race.  I struggled greatly during the race, but I finished....WITHOUT walking during any of it!

A few weeks ago, I ran a 5K race with my mom close to where she lives.  This race was particularly special to me because my dad came along to watch the race.  During my childhood he worked nights, so never was able to attend any of my special events.  As you can imagine, it was pretty exciting to have him come watch me.  I felt like a little kid.  Overjoyed that my dad would be there.

As the race began, the thought that permeated my mind was "I have to run fast so that I make my dad proud."  Now, I know he would be proud no matter what.  But I had a deep motivation to run like I never had before.  I knew my all time personal record on a 5K race was 37:00.  Yes....I know....I'm slow.  Slow and steady....

My first few steps of the race were noticeably faster than normal.  I cringed as I wondered if I could keep up the pace or if it would tire me out too fast.  But I kept the pace....the whole time knowing that my dad was waiting for me at the end. 

Run fast.  Take faster steps.  I'm strong.  I can do this.  I can beat my personal record.  My dad's waiting for me.  1 mile down...just over 2 miles left....I can do this.  Faster.  I'm not tired...I'm strong.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  I can pass that lady in front of me.  Keep going.  It's almost the end.  1 more mile.  My dad is waiting for me.  I have to do my best today.

These were the thoughts going through my head.  I stayed focused on my pace...and keeping my speed.  I ignored the signs of fatigue and just wanting to stop and take a break.  I had a reason to keep going....my dad was at the finish line.

As I neared the end and rounded the corner in the park, I glanced at my watch and saw that it said 32 minutes.  SERIOUSLY?????????  I only have a short while to go.  This was the fastest I had EVER run!

Soon I saw the finish line and glanced around and saw my dad waiting there.  My speed picked up again and I ran through the finish line at 33:27.  My personal record.  I did it.  I beat my time by over 3 minutes.

My desire to make my dad proud motivated me and pushed me to a level that I had not gone to before. 

That makes me think.................

What about our Heavenly Father?

We are all running a race, arent we?  We are all pressing on to win the prize.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:14

We all have a Heavenly Father who is waiting at the finish line.  He is cheering us on.  He wants us to finish our race strong...and to press on. 

Just as I was motivated to run my best race for my earthly father, I should be motivated to "run my race" and make my Heavenly Father proud.  Each and every day of our lives we are moving forward in this race.

Are we making Him proud?  Are we doing the best that we can?  Are we moving forward...or are we taking a break on the sidelines?  Do we find strength in Him to press on?

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." -Hebrews 12:1