Leaving a Legacy

July 1, 2014 by Mary

After spending a month at Mayo Clinic, I came home quiet in spirit. It had changed me. Suddenly, things that were once big—seemed small—inconsequential. During this journey, God helped me along the way and beckoned me to look at the deeper, hidden things.

One morning, I sat in the waiting room with another woman. She was wrapped in the blue hospital robe, wearing striped socks. She looked nervous. I was nervous too. “I had breast cancer 3 years ago. Stage 4. I have been sick ever since” her voice trembled. We made conversation while waiting, both of our bodies weakened by illness. “My husband made me a bedroom downstairs for the days I am too weak to climb the stairs.” She grew quiet and reflective. “I just want my life back. I feel like a burden to my husband.” Her voice trembled, “I have so much I want to do, but I get too tired.”

When the nurse called me to go in for my procedure my new friend stood up, holding her arms out and gestured for me to come toward her for a hug. “You’re going to be fine. I just know it. ” I wept for her for the next two days. In a matter of a few short minutes, I had made a lifelong friend. One that I know I will meet in Heaven someday.

We are all dying, some of us just faster than others. She talked about the love of her husband and children, about her garden, how pretty her bedroom was, about struggling to get through each day and be strong for her family. As I went about my daily schedule of tests and doctors appointments, I noticed the beauty in all of the faces I met along the way—people struggling with real issues, people struggling to hang on, putting on brave faces. People holding on tight to life and any morsel of hope doctors could offer.

I prayed throughout my month long visit. Every morning, while going in for more tests, I cried. Part of it was in the realization that life is very fragile and that no matter how hard we try, our human bodies are not meant to carry us forever. Additionally, I cried that in the event that God wanted me sooner than I had imagined, I felt ill prepared. What had I done for my husband or my children? If God took me tomorrow, what would I have to give them to carry through the years, aside from old photographs?

The Bible talks about the return of Christ,” Take you heed, watch and pray; for you know not when the time is…” Mark 13:33-37. While this is true of the return of Christ, we do not know the day or the hour that He will call us home. Our daily living should be rich in prayer, gratitude and thanksgiving. This is the legacy we leave our loved ones. Money is not a legacy. Working hard is not a legacy. Our wedding rings or the fancy jewelry in our jewelry boxes is not our legacy. Prayer, gratitude and thanksgiving are the legacy. Our children hearing us put our prayers in words, seeing us give thanks in living each day—for small but mighty blessings… expressing gratitude–these are the legacy.

Upon my return home, I bought a beautiful box for each of my children and husband. Day after day, I write a card or a note, giving thanks for time shared with them, a special memory, scripture, life advice, acknowledging a special quality, or things I have learned along my faith journey. Hundreds of index cards, each handwritten…each, love letters to my loved ones.

Because we “know not” when God will call us home or when He will return, we should be prepared.

Being prepared does not mean living in fear, but acknowledging that your body is only temporary.
Being prepared means, we must live each day, taking time to be fully present.
Being prepared means forgiving and making amends.
Being prepared means recognizing and being thankful for God’s mercies in our daily living.
Being prepared means being receptive to change.
Being prepared means opening your hurting, loving arms to help others who are hurting.
Being prepared means allowing yourself to be vulnerable…allowing yourself to receive because you are open.
Being prepared is seeing beauty all around you, even in the darkness.
Being prepared helps us choose hope.
Being prepared changes your heart.
Being prepared means saying, “God. I am yours.”

God says we should be prepared in season and out of season. We may all live to be 100 years old, but preparing ourselves along the way, we are creating our legacy. What a wonderful way to live our lives!

For my many friends who are struggling with health issues:

When you feel afraid, write love notes. Love notes to God, love notes to people you love. The fear will wash away. Things that were once big will seem small. Your love notes will help you look at the deeper, hidden things and God’s Love will change you.

The Power of Words

May 27, 2014 by Mary

“Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

Balancing your body begins with balancing your soul, your relationship with God. It is also about connectedness—a place where you and God are One. When our relationship with our Creator is out of balance we tend to “stuff” ourselves with things that we hope will fill the void. What do you “stuff”?

Whatever we “stuff” will eventually come to the surface…be it in sickness in our bodies, weight gain, emotional distress, financial problems, etc. The bible says, “God will both bring to light the secret things that are (now hidden) in darkness and disclose and expose the (secret) aims of hearts.” 1 Corinthians 4:5

Put your effort into pursuing God’s peace. Practice stillness. When you keep company with God throughout the day– He will give you guidance and steer you in the right direction. Get into God’s word. Memorize it. Think on it. Meditate on it, as it is Truth and Life.

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Who Calls You Beautiful?

In the book of Romans, Paul says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

If we look at this passage from the perspective of our self-image, it tells us that one of the keys to recognizing our own unique beauty is not in the transformation of our body, but in the “renewal” or transformation of our mind; our thought life. What thoughts do you think about yourself? What messages about your body do you play over and over again like a broken record?

Thankfully, God is willing to collaborate with us in this transformation through prayer. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and transformation is a process, which requires daily renewal by bringing “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

As women, we must make a daily decision to choose to see ourselves in the light of Christ –setting aside what the world says about how we look or should look, instead…focusing on those things that will keep our body and mind strong, choosing first and foremost to concentrate on the work of our heart and the light of Christ that shines through us as we grow deeper in knowledge and understanding of the One who calls us beautiful. Transformation of the mind is an integral part of this process as what we think and believe about God, others and ourselves will determine how we act.

When you are plagued with insecurity and ugly thoughts about yourself, remember that there is a God who calls you beautiful and his love will shine through you, creating an inward beauty which manifests itself outwardly, drawing people to yourself… if only you will let him, by seeking him daily and casting all your cares and burdens upon him. Inner beauty gives us a healthy glow, unlike anything we can buy in a bottle.

“Dear Lord, I release my thought life to you today. Please transform me into your likeness, allowing me to see in myself the beauty, which you see in me. Help me to recognize that the more I work on my Spirit, the closer I grow in relationship with you, the more I will shine outwardly. Lord, help me to meditate today on things of the heart rather than the externally focused ideals that the world hastens me to. Thank you, Lord for calling me beautiful. Thank you for calling me by name. Thank you that I can and will see myself through your eyes today and because of this will be more open to giving and receiving love.”

What are some of the ugly WORDS (ugly thoughts) you have used in the past to describe yourself? Write them here:

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 Good words produce spiritual strength. Healing words purify the mind and spirit of negative thoughts. Healing words affect our mood and our outlook. Our words can be used to inspire, encourage and to bring joy to a broken spirit. Words have power. Take some time today to think of some healing words and phrases…write some awesome, healing, powerful words, here:

Give God thanks that He is healing you from the inside out and helping you to begin to see yourself as He sees you…beautiful.

Closed Doors Build Our Faith

May 21, 2014 by Mary

God will close many doors in your lifetime, but he will also open many windows.

Sometimes we feel like we are rolling along in the right direction and everything seems fine, when suddenly…God shuts a door and an opportunity is lost. These situations leave us feeling confused, a little bit off track and questioning our purpose and direction.

This can be true in our careers, our dating lives, our health, our ministries, waiting for a loan for the “perfect” house, signing a book contract, getting in to see the right doctor, acceptance to our dream college…you name it. Doors get closed.

The key to coping with closed doors is understanding they were closed for a reason. You may never know the reason until you meet with God one day, or when the window of opportunity opens and you fly through it, suddenly, it may be very clear to you why the door was closed! You will have an “aha” moment.

Are you resilient enough to withstand closed doors?

How do you react when things don’t turn out the way you planned?

Sometimes God will close a door for our own protection. Sometimes he will close a door because he has something entirely better and more suited for you and sometimes he closes doors because he has a unique purpose for you in another area, another opportunity. Perhaps there is someone who you are supposed to meet or make a heavenly connection with as you seize a different opportunity.

Closed doors grow our faith.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

God may have said “no” to your “something” because he plans to say “yes” to something better!

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8

Develop a close enough TRUST relationship with God that you recognize his voice and are receptive and aware of his guidance.

“Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘”this is the way; walk in it.”‘ Isaiah 30:21

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for closed doors. Closed doors cause my faith to stretch. Closed doors stretch my spiritual muscles and my trust in you. Closed doors take the focus off my plan and leave me looking to you for your plan. Thank you for making each day new and for new beginnings, new hope. Thank you for supplying me with the wisdom to understand the things I cannot change and the ability to understand that you close doors for a reason. Please continue to guide my path. I am eternally grateful that I have a loving Father who is willing to close doors for my own protection, growth and opportunity. Amen.

Is there a time when you have had a door closed on a dream?

If so, take some time today to recount your thoughts and reactions.

How have closed doors grown your faith?

When Your Dreams Feel Hopeless

May 19, 2014 by Mary

When your dreams feel hopeless.

There is hope in the darkness.

Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

Envisioning Your Dream

Plant a Seed

See it happening.

Lay out plans as you see your dream. Write them down. Journal about them.

Be specific.

Dreams cannot come to fruition if we are indecisive. We must be intentional.

Put plans in place.

What steps need to be completed to accomplish this dream? List the steps in order of priority.

Work on your steps.

Set a timeframe.

Create a vision board or begin a new journal or a three ring binder with ideas and goals that pertain specifically to your vision/dream.

See everything as part of the creative process of discovery and refining. We are refined by fire—meaning difficulties and setbacks.

Do what you can with what you have and pray. Ask God to complete His will in you and to help your dream happen.

Sometimes we focus so much on a singular way of doing things that we overlook the many other avenues of achieving the same thing!

Persevere.

Do not be a victim of limited thinking.

· The plans that God has for us are much greater than those we have or can envision for ourselves. Be open to new ideas and a new way of accomplishing your goals.

· Dedicate your desires to God and ask him to use you in this capacity.

· When your world seems dark and you feel weary, look for hope in the darkness….be it a small glimmer of light, ignited by the words of others, a bible passage, or the beauty of a sunset. God is in it and He will see you through.

· Everything you have been through in your lifetime will finally make sense the moment you realize that you are in the center of God’s will for your life. He has created you for a purpose and allowed circumstances in your life to perfect you for the task—the plans that He has for you. No experience is ever wasted…our experiences shape us.

Renew Your Strength.

May 16, 2014 by Mary

Renew Your Strength Daily, With God’s Help.

Sometimes we fall on rocky places. Sometimes the pressures in life are just too great and we feel like we can no longer bear them. It’s more comforting to stay in bed and pull the covers up over our heads. Somewhere, someone is losing hope. Life is hard…we get bumped and bruised. It rarely ever turns out the way we had planned. The loss of a loved one, the loss of financial security, the loss of life as you knew it, the loss of your health, death, betrayal, and isolation. These things can wash over us like tidal waves, sometimes one upon another until we feel crushed by the weight of them.

When life is full of difficult experiences, we begin to think that things will never change. We travel down this dusty road, letting our dreams roll away. We cannot picture what tomorrow will look like or imagine for ourselves a bright future because we have experienced too many losses to ever see things the same. Life changes us.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40: 28-31

If you are struggling today and need someone to help you get back up, here are some things you can do (I know, because I often need help getting back up):

Accept the problem for what it is. Don’t make more of it. It is what it is.
If you can do something to change it, get busy. Don’t procrastinate.
If it is a situation you cannot change and it continues to make you feel anxious, like everything in your life…give it to God.
Give it to God anyway.
Get your sustenance from a moment-by-moment dependence on God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow weary.

Get a pack of index cards. Write down your prayers throughout the day. Write down the things for which you are grateful. As you write, lay your burdens at the foot of the cross.
Ask God to carry you.

Moment by moment, He will renew your strength. Think on good things. Confess that His peace is washing over you.As you embark on the journey back to your true self, the self that is immeasurably loved by God, the self that BELIEVES…do something…one foot in front of the other…that you didn’t think you could. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

In all things…give praise.

Praise your way through your difficulties.