Things I’ve Learned During a Season of Rest

I’ve recently been on a two month break from my business that my husband and I are starting. We currently have a coffee trailer and are trying to get our brick and mortar building open. We not only took a break from that, but also a break from anything that wasn’t “necessary”. I’ve learned several things during this short period…or maybe some I have learned before but haven’t slowed down enough to let those lessons sink in until now.

1. Life never stops. It’s funny how even as we have been actively trying to rest, things keep coming in trying so hard to fill the gaps of our lives. Fight the urge to fill up your schedule too much. Busyness doesn’t equal fulfilling God’s call for your life. Sometimes we like to fill our schedules so full, just to seem like we are doing something worthy of Lord. I’m NOT saying don’t work hard…but make sure your motives are in the right place.
2. Sometimes people aren’t going to understand your vision and that is okay. God has called each person to their own part of His story. Understand what GOD has called you to do and don’t let anything or anyone deter you from that.
3. Opening a business is HARD but also fun. I really have enjoyed the many people we have met through this journey. Starting a business is not for the faint of heart.
4. Family is the most important thing, right behind your relationship with God. If your relationship with God isn’t right nothing else matters, but also if your relationship with your family isn’t firmly rooted…nothing else matters. We let ourselves get so busy that we miss the most important things. Don’t let yourself get too busy.
5. Simplify your house. Time is SO precious…don’t waste it cleaning up the same junk over and over again. If you don’t need it, get rid of it.
6. Take care of your mental and physical health. If you are not taking care of yourself, everything in your life will become more difficult. Try to find people in your life that you can share your struggles with. We are not meant to struggle through this life alone.
7. Take time for your children. Also, let them be a part of the process. Let them see you solve hard problems and also let them see you SERVE people. Our children learn so much from us, let them see us using our time in an edifying way.
8. Take time to talk to your spouse about things that are not ministry or work related. Your whole identity as a couple CANNOT just be these things. Find a fun thing to do together frequently. Don’t let ministry become your idol or your whole identity.
9. Learn to rest in the Lord. Don’t fill up every second of your life with noise. I’m still trying to figure out how to live this one out. I’m always filling my brain with podcasts, music, books, tv. We need quiet sometimes so they we can hear the next steps from the Lord.
10. Family meetings help SO much. If you’re in ministry or work together, set aside time once or twice a month to make sure that you are on the same page.

These are just a few of the things the Lord has been teaching me lately and I am so thankful that we had a chance to breathe for a minute. I am so excited to see what the Lord has for 2023!

Living Vicariously Through Pinterest

 

God has given each one of us specific gifts, talents, and things to do in this life. These things that He has given us are not meant to be used just to fulfill us and make us happy (although, if it is what He wants you to do it you will have joy). These gifts are to be used to help, encourage, uplift, challenge, and change the world around us. For me personally, I believe that God has called me to use photography to encourage those around me. At first when I felt like God wanted me to do this, I ran away… which I normally do when a challenging thing confronts me. Although I have been running…and running…and um…running… away from this challenge (but also, amazing opportunity), I have realized that God is not going to let me outrun it. He is always one step ahead of me, gently turning me around to head back towards where He is calling me to be. So this time I am not running away. I am facing this head on. I want to do what God calls me to do.

One of the ways that I have been running away from God has set before me is the internet. Oh the awesome, incredible, time consuming internet. See, I have a love/hate relationship with the grand world wide web. I find myself being sucked in like Alice in Wonderland. Down the rabbit hole I go...

I travel so far into “Wonderland” sometimes that I lose track of time and when I finally make it back to reality, it’s time for Daniel to come home from work and I have successfully wasted another day by getting sucked in by the computer. I have always had strong convictions about spending too much time on the internet because I felt like I should be doing something more glorifying to God and more helpful to others, but like I normally do, I run away by letting myself getting trapped scrolling through Pinterest and Facebook. It always starts the same way… I have good intentions… Oh, I’ll just look so I can learn more things to do in photography or whatever I’m trying to figure out.

Recently, I have realized why I let myself do this. It’s because I’m scared. I am so scared about not knowing how to do what I am supposed to that I just let myself get caught up in researching how to do it. For example, when it comes to photography, I will spend HOURS looking up how to get the lighting right, how to pose, how to use my camera, what’s the best lens to have, etc… without ever even touching my camera! (Side note: I do still use my camera, just not nearly as much as I should be). It is crazy that I have let fear rule my life so much. I feel like I have to know EVERYTHING about a subject before I even try to do it. You know what though, I am tired of living vicariously through Pinterest! The best way I can learn how to do something is by actually doing it, and if I failed at least I tried. The good thing about actually trying is that I can actually learn how to get better. I can’t get that by saving another bookmark on my computer. From now on, I am leaving Alice behind and I am staying out of Wonderland…at least most of the day 🙂

So, I encourage you, whatever it is that God is calling you to do that you are running away from. Don’t. (Ehem, there’s a story about that one 😉 ) . He is gracious and will lead you where you need to go but man it’s a lot easier to let Him guide you the right way and not running the opposite way of where He is trying to take you.

 

No use crying over spilled coffee

My eyes exponentially grew wider as I watched my coffee cup drop to the ground in what seemed like slow motion.

A girl from my history class, who I had never taken the time to even speak to, looked away sheepishly as she apologized for bumping into my desk, causing my coffee to spill.

Not going to lie, my first internal reaction was to get upset. But God quickly reminded me to be slow to speak and quick to forgive. Once I was able to move past my first reaction, God was able to work. 

The girl and I ran quickly to the restroom to get paper towels to clean up the mess. As we were walking back, God used this “bad situation” for His glory. He allowed me to talk to her!! We opened up about the test grades we had both just received and we also talked about the nice guy who was willing to help us clean up the spill, even though he did not do it.

In such a small moment, God taught me so much.

Don’t get so upset and worked up, that you miss the opportunities that He has for you to speak. Thanks to His power alone, was I able to move past my own anger. (Yes, I know it is just coffee, but anger has always been something I have struggled with).

If my coffee had not been poured all over the ground, I may have never had a chance to speak to my class mate. God really does use all things for the good of those who love Him.

So the next time you have an opportunity to get upset at a situation, pray and ask God if He is trying to use that moment to teach you something.

 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. -James 1:19-20

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28

Secondary Issues

Sometimes as Christians I feel like we focus so much on the “small things” instead of focusing the big thing, which is Jesus.

What if we stopped focusing so much on the style of music/worship, denominations, legalistic views, and even ministry.

What if we focused on Him instead? Isn’t what being a Christian is all about??

When we get so caught up in arguing over the small things, it distracts us from Jesus. We are supposed to be going out and making disciples, not going out and making arguments.

What if we asked the Lord to take our eyes off of the small things and asked Him to help us focus our eyes on Him? Can you imagine how much will change when you actually put things in God’s hands instead of your own.

We are meant to love, encourage, and be there for one another. Not tear each other down.

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. -Romans 14:19

Fear

fear

fi(ə)r/

noun

 

1. 1.

   an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

verb

 

1. 1.

   be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.

   “he said he didn’t care about life so why should he fear death?”

    

   Fear can paralyze you. Fear has been paralyzing me for so long. I focus so much on what people think about me, the future, people’s reactions to the words that come out of my mouth. So instead of not caring what they think, I just bite my tongue and don’t say a word. It’s heartbreaking though, because I have missed out on so many opportunities to speak God’s Truth to people. He has been telling me to speak, but to be honest, I have been telling Him no. I am so tired of disobeying my Father. I thank Him for His grace and mercy, but I do not want that to be an excuse for me not speaking. 

   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1

   The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? – Psalm 118:6

    

   For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “”Abba,” Father.” – Romans 8:15

    

   There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:18

    

   So today, I encourage you, if you are letting fear paralyze you and are not speaking the words that God has given you, pray for Him to remove whatever fear is holding you back. Satan does not want you to speak, but God is the One you should listen to. Imagine if we all said the words that God wants us to. Things would dramatically around us. Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid, God has you in His hands. Lean on Him and let nothing hold you back from His will!!

    

Human Trafficking

God has put human trafficking on my heart lately, so I thought I would share some information and websites so you can learn about this horrible issue for yourself.

First things first, I just want to thank God for changing the desires of my heart and opening my eyes to this. On my own I would never even have taken the time to help, let alone, learn about what’s going on with this. Thank you Father 😀

Right now, there are about 27 million slaves all over the world, including right here in America. That’s more than any other time in history. Ever.

Crazy, right?

The sad thing we get so wrapped up in our lives that we don’t slow down and think about other people’s problems. We think that if it doesn’t affect us then it doesn’t matter. This isn’t necessarily our faults, it’s just the culture we live in unfortunately. So, just take some time, pray to God about these precious people and see if maybe He wants you to help these people out.

With people’s help getting the word out and taking time to help out, eventually this could be a much smaller problem. We are all people, none of us should have a price tag. Let’s free these people from slavery!

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/civilrights/human_trafficking

http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

http://www.thea21campaign.org/

Message me if you have any questions about how you can help out or if you want to know more about what human trafficking is.

 

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Hebrews 13:2-3

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open you mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31: 8-9

Cruise Control

“You lead, I’ll follow, Your hands hold my tomorrow. Your grip, Your grace, You know the way, You guide me tenderly, when You lead, I’ll follow, just light the way and I’ll go, ’cause I know what You got for me is more than I can see.” -YOU LEAD BY JAMIE GRACE

Tonight as I was driving home from Bible study, God revealed why I have been using my cruise control more frequently. He wants to be the cruise control in my life!

I have got to let go of this idea that I need to control every aspect of my life. How can God help guide me if I won’t stop pressing the gas and just let Him lead me? I am so guilty, like many people, of just speeding through life without letting God work like He wants to.

God cannot work through me if I don’t let Him!! I have to let HIM decide my speed instead of thinking I can handle it. I have realized that when I try to control my “speed” in life, I burn up my brakes, run out of gas, or just plain crash.

God and I cannot share control. He wants control, and I need to give it to HIM so He can transform my life. He knows where I should go and how fast or slow I need to go.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of being the driver, it’s time for God to be my cruise control. My life control.

If I try to lean on my own understanding and guide myself in the way I think I should go, I will get lost, but God is the best GPS, and He will lead me down the narrow path that He has made. If I let off of the gas and let Him take over, He will get me to the perfect destination.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. –Isaiah 55:8

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. –Psalm 25:5

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. –Psalm 25:8-10

Starting TODAY

Starting today I will stop saying I will wait for tomorrow to start something!!

Starting today I will let go of bitterness that is rotting me.

Starting today I will stop letting the devil hold me down.

Starting today I will let my God lift me up.

Starting today I will stop the “what ifs” that make me regret my life.

Starting today I will stop sitting still.

Starting today I will stop holding on to the past He has forgiven me from.

Starting today I will remember the Lamb has overcome, so i can overcome because of HIM.

Starting today I will praise HIM, the ONE who LOVES ME MORE THAN ANYONE EVER COULD.

Starting today I will stop making promises I cannot keep.

Starting today I will stop letting fear control my life.

Starting today I will SPEAK LIFE instead of death and discouragement.

Starting today I will LIVE for HIM.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcm5vdiHCHE

^^watch this 😀

What will you do starting today?? I want to know 🙂

Broken

The other day I was riding to school when I passed a car with three children in the back with a middle aged man driving. I was just driving along, jamming to Jamie Grace, when one of the girls in the back seat locked eyes with me. She just stared at me while we were both stopped at a red light. She looked at me with the most curious eyes, as if she was wondering why I was dancing. The driver in the front seat had his hand on his head and he just looked beat. He looked so tired, and broken. As, the light turned green, the girl turned around to continue to watch me behind her. It really broke my heart. She and the driver both had the same sad look on their faces.

Although this situation happened over a week ago, it just will not leave my mind. It reminded me how broken we are without Jesus. Before Him, I was that broken girl wondering why others were so happy. I was shown how much I need Him.

Just pray for that girl and her family, that one day God reveals Himself to them to show them how great He is and how He can mend their brokenness just like He did with me.

God bless.

Time

Sometimes I focus so hard on what people think that I should do with my life wants me to do with my life that I miss what He is doing and what He wants me to do right now in my life. I get so caught up on what I think I should do that I don’t focus on what HE wants me to do.

So many times I catch myself focused on worldly things, which has been a huge conviction of mine lately. I get distracted by people posting random information on facebook (that won’t matter tomorrow), television (which He is breaking me of), and worst of all friends.

I know that sounds bad but friends can really be a distraction when getting to know God and His will for my life better. I focus so much of my time on pleasing them and being entertained by them, that it takes my attention off of who He is. I feel like I need to spend less time with people so I can listen to His voice instead of theirs. Disclaimer: Sorry, not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings because I love ya’ll! 🙂 

I just feel like I focus so much of my time on hanging out with my friends that I am missing something that God wants to show me. By the time I go to school, work, Bible studies, and church..there’s not too much time for individual time with my Lord…who should get the most time of all. 

I just don’t want to waste the precious time the Lord has given me on things that just aren’t important. Yes, my friends are veryyy important to me, but sometimes some of things we spend our time doing is just, well, not important. 

This week my goal is to change my use of time to use it more for His glory. By the way, just some food for thought, are there things in YOUR life that are taking place of God’s time with you?

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. –James 4:14

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, thing about these things.What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. –Philippians 4:8-9