30 Reasons I'm Grateful to Be 30

The full list:

1. I'm so thankful to be entering my 30's as a saved woman! Jesus saved me from a life of bitterness and anger. He gave me peace and joy. If you haven't accepted Jesus in your heart, it is never too late, do it today. You will never regret it.
2. I'm thankful to be starting my 30's with an amazing husband, 2 healthy kids and incredible friends
3. Taken more seriously: is it just me or do people take you more seriously when there's a 3 at the beginning of your age instead of a 2??
4. Seeing my babies grow into who God made them to be: by the time I hit 40, I will have a 15 year old son and an 11 year old daughter; I can't wait to see them grow into the beautiful creations I know they were created to be
5. Removing pride: if there was one wish, it'd be to remove my pride, and I believe God is going to work wonders on that in the next decade
6. Living like the daughter of the one true king!
7. I look forward to celebrations. Birthday parties, dinners with friends, Christmases, weddings and even daily joys of playing with my kids, sharing my hopes and dreams with my husband and texting my bestie.
8. I am thankful that God had me take much of my early 20's to forgive my mom. I can't even begin to tell you what weight I was carrying with constantly rehashing my childhood in my mind. I was angry and bitter. I am eternally grateful that I no longer live in a war zone in my mind.
9. Gaining more wisdom: as every year goes by, I gain just that much more wisdom from God
10. Blooming seeds: my 20's planted so many relationship seeds; I married my husband, had 2 kids, met my best friend and kindled over a dozen beautiful friendships; I'm looking forward to seeing those relationships bloom and flourish 
11. Creating my ministry: writing a novel, blogging more, fighting the battle of addiction, suicide prevention, all on my radar for my 30's
12. Getting time with my dad: him and I, we have had some rough moments in our past, but now, we're in such a beautiful place; I'm so thankful for our relationship and where God has taken us
13. Leaning less on what this world tells me and more on what God tells me: social media lies, no one is perfect, everyone struggles and has horrible days; God is true and just and I want to crave Him wholeheartedly
14.  I spent every single day of my 20's with my husband. We've never been apart (yet). I am honored to be in love with my best friend and a man I fall more in love with all the time. God truly gifted me with him.
15.  More cooking knowledge!!! Goodness my 20's were rough in the cooking department!
16. I crave to daily worship my Papa! I want this to be a HUGE part of my 30's!
17.  I am so thankful for my son, Camden. I got to meet this precious soul when I was 24. He is a gentleman who always opens doors for me, he loves robots and dreams of building them when he grows up, he loves adventure and is deeply loyal to those closest to him. I am honored to be called his mom.
18. I am also thankful for my daughter, Allie, who I met only one year ago. She is brave with a touch of feistiness, she loves her family passionately and has no problem taking risks or doing things on her own.
19. Healing: I know God is going to heal my heart in this next decade; I'm going to mourn my mom, my brother and I'm going to honor and love them by moving on
20. Share Jesus with anyone who will listen; this may have scared me a little in my 20's, but nope, not anymore
21. I'm entering into my 30's knowing more who I am; my 20's were definitely full of challenges and hardships but they were the fire that refined me through God's wisdom
22. I'm thankful for my family: my dad, Sherrie, my in-laws (Kathy & Rich), Dameon, Jason, Stacy, Justin, Michele, Todd, Kenny, Heather, Bobby, Kerri, Kevin, Brandon, Gina, Deb, Michael, Steven, my grandparents, Nick, Naomi, Leslie, Ryan, Sherrie, Larry, Pat, Scott, Suzy, Claire, Larry, and Kaitlyn. Don't know where I'd be or who I'd be without all of you!!
23. Friendships: I can't wait to see how the friendships I currently have flourish and I am so excited for all the brand new people the Lord will be introducing me to.
24. Spiritual growth!!
25. I am so very thankful for my bestie, Corbin. She has walked beside me through 2 children, the passing of my mom and the passing of my brother. I've seen her marry a great man and start the journey of motherhood. I'm honored to get to call her my bestie and to see what God has done to heal her heart.
26. I am way more secure with my body: Yes, I'm entering my 30's with a very different body than when I entered my 20's, but the last 10 years have shown me what my body is capable of, making beautiful little people, creating a home for my family, preparing meals and doing a mud run.  I can't wait to see what God has planned for the next 10 years!
27. God has truly blessed me with a home I love, more possessions than I know what to do with, a fridge full of food and a bank account with just enough to cover our needs. I'm thankful for a God that provides!!
28. God still has plenty of sin to remove from my life. I pridefully worship myself, I lie, I am jealous of others' success, I harbor resentment, I fear over the future, instead of loving my neighbor, I despise them, and the list could go on and on. I want to learn to imitate Jesus and seek God with all my heart, mind, and soul and I want to love my neighbor as myself.
29.  I am thankful for friends who have so graciously invited me to be apart of their lives: Paula, Sara, Libby, Kate, Cindy, Kailey, Stephanie, Adriane, Emily, and Brittany.
30. I am looking forward to whatever God has planned in my 30's, both big and small! Living my life with Him promises adventure and growth!

30 Reasons I'm Grateful to Be 30 (Part 2)

The growing list of thankfulness:

1. I'm so thankful to be entering my 30's as a saved woman! Jesus saved me from a life of bitterness and anger. He gave me peace and joy. If you haven't accepted Jesus in your heart, it is never too late, do it today. You will never regret it.
2. I'm thankful to be starting my 30's with an amazing husband, 2 healthy kids and incredible friends
3. Taken more seriously: is it just me or do people take you more seriously when there's a 3 at the beginning of your age instead of a 2??
4. Seeing my babies grow into who God made them to be: by the time I hit 40, I will have a 15 year old son and an 11 year old daughter; I can't wait to see them grow into the beautiful creations I know they were created to be
5. Removing pride: if there was one wish, it'd be to remove my pride, and I believe God is going to work wonders on that in the next decade
6. Living like the daughter of the one true king!
7. I look forward to celebrations. Birthday parties, dinners with friends, Christmases, weddings and even daily joys of playing with my kids, sharing my hopes and dreams with my husband and texting my bestie.
8. I am thankful that God had me take much of my early 20's to forgive my mom. I can't even begin to tell you what weight I was carrying with constantly rehashing my childhood in my mind. I was angry and bitter. I am eternally grateful that I no longer live in a war zone in my mind.
9. Gaining more wisdom: as every year goes by, I gain just that much more wisdom from God
10. Blooming seeds: my 20's planted so many relationship seeds; I married my husband, had 2 kids, met my best friend and kindled over a dozen beautiful friendships; I'm looking forward to seeing those relationships bloom and flourish 
11. Creating my ministry: writing a novel, blogging more, fighting the battle of addiction, suicide prevention, all on my radar for my 30's
12. Getting time with my dad: him and I, we have had some rough moments in our past, but now, we're in such a beautiful place; I'm so thankful for our relationship and where God has taken us
13. Leaning less on what this world tells me and more on what God tells me: social media lies, no one is perfect, everyone struggles and has horrible days; God is true and just and I want to crave Him wholeheartedly
14.  I spent every single day of my 20's with my husband. We've never been apart (yet). I am honored to be in love with my best friend and a man I fall more in love with all the time. God truly gifted me with him.
15. More cooking knowledge!!! Goodness my 20's were rough in the cooking department!
16. I crave to daily worship my Papa! I want this to be a HUGE part of my 30's!
17.  I am so thankful for my son, Camden. I got to meet this precious soul when I was 24. He is a gentleman who always opens doors for, he loves robots and dreams of building them when he grows up, he loves adventure and he is deeply loyal to those closest to him. I am honored to be called his mom.
18. I am also thankful for my daughter, Allie, who I met only one year ago. She is brave with a touch of feistiness, she loves her family passionately and she has no problem taking risks or doing things on her own.
19. Healing: I know God is going to heal my heart in this next decade; I'm going to mourn my mom, my brother and I'm going to honor and love them by moving on
20. Share Jesus with anyone who will listen; this may have scared me a little in my 20's, but nope, not anymore

30 Reasons I'm Thankful To Be 30 (Part 1)

A few weeks ago I turned 30! A huge milestone for me! I am not a person that is bothered by my age creeping up. For some reason, it's never bothered me. So, during this season of thanks, I thought I'd compile a list (I LOVE lists) of 30 reasons I'm grateful to be 30. I'm going to break it into 3 posts so its not completely overwhelming for you (and me). Come journey with me into my thankfulness and maybe, just maybe, I can inspire some thankfulness for your life.

1. I'm so thankful to be entering my 30's as a saved woman! Jesus saved me from a life of bitterness and anger. He gave me peace and joy. If you haven't accepted Jesus in your heart, it is never too late, do it today. You will never regret it.
2. I'm thankful to be starting my 30's with an amazing husband, 2 healthy kids and incredible friends
3. Taken more seriously: is it just me or do people take you more seriously when there's a 3 at the beginning of your age instead of a 2??
4. Seeing my babies grow into who God made them to be: by the time I hit 40, I will have a 15 year old son and an 11 year old daughter; I can't wait to see them grow into the beautiful creations I know they were created to be.
5. Removing pride: if there was one wish, it'd be to remove my pride, and I believe God is going to work wonders on that in the next decade.
6. Living like the daughter of the one true king!
7. I look forward to celebrations. Birthday parties, dinners with friends, Christmases, weddings and even daily joys of playing with my kids, sharing my hopes and dreams with my husband and texting my bestie.
8. I am thankful that God had me take much of my early 20's to forgive my mom. I can't even begin to tell you what weight I was carrying with constantly rehashing my childhood in my mind. I was angry and bitter. I am eternally grateful that I no longer live in a war zone in my mind.
9. Gaining more wisdom: as every year goes by, I gain just that much more wisdom from God.
10. Blooming seeds: my 20's planted so many relationship seeds; I married my husband, had 2 kids, met my best friend and kindled over a dozen beautiful friendships; I'm looking forward to seeing those relationships bloom and flourish.

My Ministry

Hi friends! 

Last time we talked, I eluded to the fact that God has been laying my ministry on my heart. I left it that way because I love how mystical and amazing it sounds. I could just imagine so many avenues the Lord is leading me. He has shown me that He wants me to pursue writing, that I do have a voice in the war on addiction and I can help others who have faced the tragedies that I have, and trust me, He is preparing my heart for all of those things. But today, in this moment in time, those are not my ministries. Just as David was anointed King by God and then was sent back to be a shepherd, I need to be faithful where I am.

So where am I? I am a wife to an amazing husband who works incredibly hard for me to be home with my babies. He often works between 9 and 11 hours most days to provide for us. His love language is acts of service. He feels loved and cared for if I take an extra half hour and make sure the house is picked up before he comes home. He absolutely loves me cooking for him. The Lord wants me to serve my husband and do it with a happy heart. He also wants me serving my children and not just by doing their laundry or by feeding them, he wants me to get down on the floor and play or read a book to them or even have them help me make dinner. He doesn't want them starved for my attention, he wants them filled with love from an imperfect mommy so someday they will seek a perfect God.

The thing is, I have been serving in my home as a mom for over 5 years, as a wife for over 9 years, but I have never seen these as an act of service to the Lord. Recently, I was at church and they did a sermon on serving. I felt like a complete failure. I have never served in the church on the greeting staff or serving coffee or watching people's children and I felt ashamed of this. What am I teaching my children if I'm not serving? But I heard a small whisper to seek my Papa. I literally tormented myself with condemnation for weeks. Then, at a beautiful little boy's birthday party, God had a wonderful woman intervene. She told me that I serve God daily by being home with my children, I serve my husband by taking care of our home and I am serving my church by raising children who will hopefully be the future church. My little ones are 5 and 1 and they will only be this young for so long. God is calling me to just be with them and to teach them of His unending love.

So, friend, where are you now? Are you like me and at home with your babies? Are you a working mom or dad? Are you single? Are your babies grown adults now? Whatever your circumstances, can I encourage you to pray before signing up to serve in any capacity? God will lead you in where He wants you to serve. He may want you to serve the nonbelievers in your workplace. He may want you to reach out to a friend whom you haven't talked to for awhile. I think the biggest lesson I have learned is that serving may not look how your church presents it or how your Christian friend is doing it, it simply is following the simplest command from God and obeying it wholeheartedly.

Here are some recent pictures of my little ones and our adventures.

Love,

Chrissy

Defining Moment

I don't have to know you

To know that you will go through hard times

It's just part of life

Don't let that moment blind you

And don't let it define you

Take heart, that's not who you are

I'm in the shower the other day and singing along to MercyMe's latest album when these lyrics hit me. God has once again orchestrated a wonderful intervention in the middle of this beautiful mess we call life.

Do you have a moment in your life where the enemy reigned? Have you suffered a devastating loss that is constantly on your mind? What was it friend? A job, a dream, a loved one, a baby?

My devastating loss came on March 4th 2014. God prepared me for this in every way He could, but how do you prepare for the worst news you've ever received? My brother, Mikee, my one and only sibling, my friend and my confidant had committed suicide. To say this loss was a defining moment would be the understatement of the year. You see, I knew my brother had a drug addiction, but you hear about God healing that all the time. I knew that ever since our mom passed, he was struggling, but we all go through hard things and then God uses them for good. I knew God's promises and I prayed them over my brother consistently. I wrote my brother a text mid February with Romans 8:38-39 in it. He thanked me for sending it because he said it was exactly what he needed to hear that day. I believed that God would save my brother and then him and I could fight the war on addiction together. He knew what it was like to be an addict and we both knew what it was like to be raised by one. 

When I received the call that my brother who'd been missing for over a week had done the most unthinkable act, I was at first heartbroken. I didn't do anything for the first week. I literally just sat and cried heart wrenching tears. Slowly, I grew angry. I was angry with my brother because he took a really important person out of my life. But more than anything, I was mad at God. How could He let this happen? Why didn't He stop him? Didn't I pray all the right things? Why was this part of my story?

Fast forward a year and a half later and I'm still mourning. I still miss Mikee every single day. God has answered a lot of my questions. My brother (along with you and I) have free will. He can choose to make horrible decisions or good ones. I'll never know the ways God tried to stop my brother from taking his life. But, the truth is, whether it was God's original plan or not, my brother, of his own free will, decided to remove himself from not only my life, but from others who loved him dearly, his son, my dad, his best friend, his son's mom and so many others.

I finally made it out last week to see a bench my nephew's mom made for Mikee. The second I saw it, I sobbed. This bench is my brother. Between the font of his name, to the carving of his drawing, to the "I love you dad" from my nephew with tiny handprints. It was beautiful and amazing to see. 

But this song and it's lyrics of not letting my hard time define me were running through my mind. See, the thing is, I've been stuck for a year and a half. I'm not growing, if anything I'm shrinking. I struggle with friendships, with being open. I have even shut down to God. I've been completely consumed with this life-altering moment and God in all His Grace and all His mercy is calling me to step away. He's calling me to the next chapter of my life, my ministry.

No matter what you've done

Grace comes like a flood

There's hope to carry on

He'll finish what He started

No matter what you face

His mercy will not change

He's with you all the way

He'll finish what He started

Revival 2015

Hello Again!!

Every year since 2011, I have prayerfully chosen a word for the year. The word friendships was my first chosen and that year I connected with my best friend Corbin and started our most beautiful journey getting to know one another. Since then, I've had the words rise, second, surrender and finally this year's word revival. Each word has been multi-faceted and has caused me to look internally at what sin patterns and worldly desires that need to be removed from this life.

Revival was mostly chosen because I felt that after some hard things I'd been going through over the past few years that I would need a year of rebirth and of renewing my faith. I actually debated between choosing revival and humility. You see, God laid on my heart a few years ago that my deepest sin pattern, the one bad root that can completely ruin all of the good seeds He's planting, is my pride. So, what better way to overcome it than to focus on being humble for a year. As honorable as this sounds though, my heart was not in it. I felt like humility was a lot of work and I didn't even know where to start with it, but I would dutifully choose that word. Then, on December 31st, I was listening to Pandora and what came on, "Revive Me" by Jeremy Camp. I literally sat crying listening to this beautiful song and feeling overwhelmed that the creator of the universe knew my soul needed a revival.

So, I didn't choose humility, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to work on humbling myself. Oh no, God had plans of humility for me. One aspect of my pride is having a god complex. I feel that I can do everything by myself, no prayer needed. I can raise my kids without consulting God, I can be a great wife without prayer and I can even be an amazing friend without prayer, right??? Actually, I can't. Sometimes my kids completely overwhelm me with how much they need me or how much trouble they get into without supervision. If I don't approach my husband or my friend's with grace, I become one judgmental woman. It's funny though cause if I do something all on my own and it works, I worship myself. I think how much better I am than that mother over there who obviously doesn't have it all together.

Can I just tell you how embarrassed I am by all this? But, without sharing my sin and repenting of it, I can never be free from it. The more I keep it locked in the closet of my soul, the more it grows. I am telling you, I am desperate for a revival. I want what Pastor Chad called a revival of holiness. I want to grow in my faith and start learning and growing in God's grace.

What about you? Do you feel a revival happening right now in your faith? In your church? In the body of Christ? Can I just tell you where it all starts? On your knees faithfully seeking God's face. Talk to him about that deep-seeded sin pattern that is destroying you. Openly tell a safe friend about this sin. Declare war on the enemy! He does not win my friends. I know that it can feel like it, but God's Word, our beacon of hope and truth, says that is a lie.

Now picture this, the body of Christ as a whole, on our knees seeking our Lord in ways we never have before daily, asking Him to make us individually holy, asking Him to remove sin from our life. Please join me in this calling. God has so much promise and hope for us. Let's cling to it!

Will you join me in prayer?

Lord,
I am so incredibly grateful for you and your saving grace. Where would I be without you? I pray for a revival in my soul. Please remove this pride from every ounce of my body. I pray that every person reading this would feel the power of your revival. Please convict their hearts Lord. Help them to recklessly seek you in all they do. I pray that you would send people into our lives to help us to see our sin and completely remove it. I pray for a revival of holiness in your church. Help us to face the mirror and our own sinful ways before ever looking at the world's sins. Cleanse us Papa! We need you so desperately.

In Jesus name,
Amen

My Heart For This Blog

Hello all my wonderful friends!

Can I just say that God has really been laying all of you on my heart lately. I think the biggest thing I'm feeling is that everyone (myself included) is looking for a little more authenticity. I love reading blogs and hearing from other Christians, but so often I crave more honesty and openness from the author. I feel like the majority of posts give me a small snapshot into who they are but nothing too revealing. Then, I realized that was precisely what I wanted my blog to be. I wanted to offer advice on things God had revealed to my heart but in a way that appealed to everyone. Now this sounds good in theory, but God didn't create me to blend in (trust me I've tried). He created me to be so fully unique that anyone looking at my life will see His fingerprints. 

For this reason, I changed the name of my blog from Isaiah 26:3 Perfect Peace to Anchor My Soul. Of course, I still want to live in perfect peace, but the thought of perfection actually kinda overwhelms me. I believe my original blogposts were me trying to attain that perfection. Anchor My Soul on the other hand is me just being me. I'm broken and have doubts about my faith. I say mean things when I'm angry and I cry at the most embarrassing moments (like when I made my maid of honor speech at my best friend's wedding). My life is often times so overwhelming because of all the choices I have to make and the realities I have to face. The only thing that keeps me anchored is God. He is my hope, my first love and my best friend who has been by my side since the moment I was created. 

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure

Hebrews 6:19a

Here are my promises to you: 

1. I will be open and honest with how I am struggling in my life
2. I will not pretend to have all the answers
3. This is a safe place to talk with you and for you to talk with me
4. I will not judge you
5. Grace will be given on a frequent basis

As I stated in the beginning, God has been laying you on my heart recently. I want you to know that its okay to just be the person He created. Use the gifts He's given you and if you don't know where to start, I'm right there with you. Let's all get on our knees this week and ask God for guidance and the freedom to just be who we are. I love you so much, but God loves you more. Yes, I know I'm cheesy.

Yours sincerely,
Chrissy

My Story of Faith

I remember attending a little church that sent a school bus to our apartment complex when I was in early elementary. I honestly can't remember the teachings or why I stopped going. My mom told me she tried to keep sending my brother and I, but we begged her not to. Maybe it felt strange to go without her. I remember going to this very small church with my stepmom and dad when I was about 10. I remember liking the pastor and praying but what I loved most was all the free stuff like toys and food we got after church was over. I had a few friends in my teens invite me to youth group and to church but all of it seemed so foreign to me and my friends seemed very hypocritical to me. They were going out partying with me on Saturday night and then, acting like perfect angels on Sunday morning.

The first time I remember having to really think about God was in an Alateen meeting. You see my mom was a broken woman who had a deep addiction to alcohol. I found such solice in these meetings because other teens knew what it was like to live with an alcoholic. The mentors taught us how to love these broken people and how to see past their fatal flaw. Anyway, one mentor was talking about praying to a higher power. She said if we didn't feel comfortable praying to God, we could replace the word with goddess or something like that. I tried that night to pray to a goddess and I flat out couldn't. I felt that praying to a stuffed animal would have more meaning than praying to a goddess. So I prayed to God. I don't know what I prayed for and I know I did not continue praying after that, but I definitely see it now as moving just a step closer to an unknown God.

When, I met my husband, who had grown up in the faith, he asked if I believed in God and I distinctly remember telling him that I believed in God but not in the Bible. We debated for a few hours over the sanctity of the Bible. I told him that it had been translated too many times by man and how could we possibly know if what we were reading was the truth or even what the author originally wrote. The more we fought, the more I realized I knew very little on the topic but I still stubbornly made my case. 

After we were married, I finally caved in to my husband and decided we should find a church. We tried a few but I always felt like I didn't belong. The preachers were talking to the people who had always attended church and for me, that seemed incredibly intimidating and I felt so naive. Then, we heard of an up and coming church in Belmar called Red Rocks Church. There were about 200 people there which I thought was a pretty large crowd. We had come on the last day of a series called Red. The people who greeted us were warm and welcoming. The people who sat near us were our age and very friendly. The music was just amazing. We decided this was our church. 

The following week, they started a new series called "Go" and they placed a recliner on the stage and talked about getting out of your Christian chair and going to do what God has called you to do. But, for me, it was a calling to Jesus. I realized I wanted what Jesus was offering, peace and joy and an everlasting love. I wanted to know God deeply and to follow Him to the ends of the earth. 

You know what moved me to accept Jesus and to understand the love He had for me when He died on the cross? A song. It's called Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle. The chorus spoke volumes to my soul:

At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

Lyrics

The next month, I was baptized in a small hot tub at the front of Red Rocks Church in front of my mom, my brother and my husband. 

If you have never received Jesus as your savior, I want you to know that He's waiting for you and loves you. He wants a relationship with you. I know you think this is written to a whole world of people, but this is for you. It can be the start of something so beyond what you could possibly fathom. If you'd like to accept Jesus in your heart, tell Him that you are a sinner and repent of your ways and that today you would like to accept Him as your savior. 

You are so loved and so prayed for,

Chrissy 

Psalm 40:8

I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 

I realized something this morning. My future self is perfect. She prays every single morning before anyone awakes, she sends thoughtful emails, she always remembers a friend's birthday, she's always kind and caring towards her husband and children. The present me, not so much. I do not have everything together, I forget birthdays, miss milestones and most mornings I would rather sleep a few extra minutes than wake up in prayer. I often get caught up on Facebook or in playing Sudoku on my phone that I miss what's happening right next to me. Hours pass me by that I can never have back. The power of God's grace is something I desperately need daily. I repent of my shortcomings of the day and He is merciful in forgiving me. However, he placed something critical on my heart this week, I need to be intentional with my relationship with Him and with others. It got me thinking, what does being intentional look like?

Speaking to God My time with God is often spent by me rushing through a few devotionals and some scripture so one of my daily tasks will be checked off. Our God is relational though. He longs to hear my needs and speak life over all the areas that are slowly withering away. When I shut God out, I am missing out on not only His love and His amazing peace, but also His wisdom. So, what does this realistically look like? It is me pouring my worries and my struggles out to my Papa. I prefer a journal at times and at others, I find quiet prayer time to be better. I've also used the notes section in my bible app. The most important part is the intentional connection with our wonderful God. 

Hearing from God When you have spent intentional time talking to God, it is equally important to keep your spirit open to hearing from God. He will answer you, but typically I have found His answers to come in gentle whispers that I can miss if I'm not proactive in listening. The majority of the answers I've personally received have come from reading the Bible. Pouring over the book that God wrote Himself can never be a bad thing. His riches and His love and His promises are all encompassed in that one book! I personally am doing a plan that has me read through the bible in a year where I read 2 chapters of the Old Testament, half a chapter of the New Testament and then, one chapter of Psalms a day. But, I've also done ones where I just read a Psalm or Proverb a day or a chapter a day from the New Testament. However you decide to go through the bible, I promise you will not be disappointed in the results. Anyway, I could go on about the Bible all day. Back to hearing from God. I've also heard Him answer a question on my heart through a song, through a friend, even through a post on Facebook. Open your heart to our Mighty Counselor and He will pour wisdom into your soul.

Loving Others This is an area I really struggle with. Have you ever gone to lunch with someone and they keep checking their phone? I've been that person. God is laying on my heart that I need to be intentional with being present around others. The smart phone is an amazing device but it is a major time stealer. So, what can we do? First off, if you are in another human being's presence, whether it be a child or an elder, put the phone down and only check it if it's a priority. Make sure to make eye contact with the person you're speaking with and truly engage with what they're saying. Be intentional with not only your words but also with your listening ears. If your child wants to play Chutes and Ladders for the hundredth time today, do it because those are the memories he is going to take with him for life. If your husband is complaining about the guy at work again, stop and ask questions about why it bothers him. Lastly, if a friend has taken the time out of their day to have lunch with you, put the phone away. Listen and engage.

So, the future me doesn't exist. Only the broken me that continuously fails at all of this intentional stuff. So, what do you say we all lay all of our brokenness at His feet and start asking for wisdom and for guidance?

I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 

Lord,

I thank you for every person who reads this post. Today, I ask that each of us can lean on Your grace and ask that You give us the strength to be intentional every day. I ask You to show us how to be a mighty warrior in this world. I pray that You will remove the lie from the enemy saying that we need more "me" time. We need more God time, more time focusing on Your love for us, and more time pouring Your love into others. Lord, give us the tools we need to be intentional in the circumstances You've given us. Help us to remember how relational You are. Most of all, I pray that each person reading this will feel completely compelled to seek You in a new and powerful way.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Mark 8:23-25

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭23-25‬ NIV)

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, I smiled at my son. I wasn't sure if he would see me through the tooth paste covered mirror or if he could see through the blurriness I felt in the room. In fact, I barely caught his big smile back to me. Then, I realized I had taken my contacts out and had yet to put my glasses on. My son could see my smile with ease, everything was still crystal clear to him. It was me who changed. A few minutes before, I probably never would have thought twice about him seeing my smile. 

It got me thinking about how I perceive the world around me when I start my day with Jesus and the drastic difference when I don't. When I spend my morning seeped in the Word and in prayer, I can see hurting and lost people around me instead of seeing them as inconvenient or rude. I hear the Holy Spirit speaking life into a situation that would have passed me by. I also can serve my husband and my children with a humble and willing spirit.

However, when I fail to take that time in the morning, I feel lost. I feel like I'm drowning in the world around me. How will I be the wife my husband needs me to be? How will I ever influence my kids more than their peers? How can I get everything done around the house that needs to be done? 

All the while, I'm sure that God is quietly whispering to my heart, "Child, bring this to me. Talk to me about it. Your problems are not quite as big as you are making them to be. I have created you for a purpose. Have faith and dwell in my peace."

This verse reminds me that Jesus can heal my blindness to a broken and hurting world, He can give me peace when everything around me seems to be falling apart, and He won't let me have only a partial healing. When I continue seeking and praying, Jesus will continue to improve my vision. 

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭23-25‬ NIV)

Lord,

Thank You for every single person reading this right now. I pray that You can open our eyes to the power of Your Word and to prayer. Help us to seek Jesus every morning. I pray the enemy's lies about the busyness of our lives can be diminished. Give us a heart and a passion for you Lord above all else.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)

I love this scripture!! It illustrates a craving I have deep within my soul. I want to embody my Savior's perfect peace. I want to trust Him with everything I have and consistently keep my thoughts fixed on Him. How beautifully and wonderfully poetic!

However, if you are anything like me, you fail at this daily, sometimes even hourly. The amazing thing is we are not alone in this. In Romans, Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." He understands how real our battle truly is.

My personal battle is with pride. It makes my skin crawl to even type that, but it's the truth. I often cannot place my trust in God because in my BC (before Christ) days, I found extreme pleasure in my own accomplishments and by weaving the best picture of myself. I've traveled a little ways in the 7 years since I was chosen to follow Christ, but not nearly as far as I would like. I am a broken woman and I know that today more than ever before. I desperately need the arms of my Savior cradling me. 

My journey definitely needs to primarily be about humility. But what about you? What's your journey about? Do you struggle with the image in the mirror, with serving the people you were called to lead, finding God's calling, an addiction, mourning, fear? Do you know the best thing you can possibly do? Surrender your struggle to the Mighty Counselor. I simply say, "Lord, I surrender my pride to You. Please heal me. Remove the deepest roots of this sin from my heart." Then, I dig deep into His Word, find a verse that correlates with my sin and meditate on it. 

God will heal you. I believe in this with all my heart for you and for me. Most of all, I believe this scripture holds a beautiful promise for us:

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)

Lord, 

Thank you for Your everlasting Word. Without it, we would be forever lost. I pray that each person reading this would rediscover Your promises. I pray we can grow into the unique, beautiful person You made us to be. Give us Your perfect peace. Help us to trust in You and to keep our thoughts fixed on You.

In Jesus name,

Amen