When life seems to be going wrong, seemingly overwhelming, too much to bear, that you feel like you are drowning in deep waters hold on tight to your anchor! What do I mean by this, you ask? What really is the purpose of an anchor on a boat? Wikipedia says an anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. So, when life seems scary or out of hand what or who is our anchor? God is our anchor! So, it’s truly a matter of trusting him and going to him in the middle of a storm or just always. He is our steady, he wants more for our lives than we know. Trusting God doesn’t mean we will get everything we wanted the way we want, but it’s knowing however it works out his way is best. God tells us over and over as a matter of fact 365 times in the Bible to do not fear. That’s once every day, that means he really wants us to not fear at all. God is good, merciful, holy, loving and kind. He is faithful to us. We can depend on him to keep his word in our lives. When your ship seems like it’s sinking, and you feel your drowning be encouraged that you my friend are a child of God, he loves you, he wants to have you seek him and know that you trust his plan over your own. I challenge you today when life gets shaky to stop and take a few minutes and read his word his promises to you get them in your heart and know that he loves you and he is there for you and with you always. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Blessings Friends! Carla Skow
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I have some good news! You know when you messed up yesterday, last week, or last month, it is ok! God already knew you were going to mess up! Repent my friend and move forward. You see God see is you as his precious child! He sees is you as unique and unbelievably valuable. We are so blessed to have such a loving God who forgives us and lets us off the hook after we have messed up a million times. It is easy to start thinking thought like “God will never love me after this,” or “God will never forgive me for this.” But, let those thoughts go my friend because they could not be farther from the truth. God loves you so much, he knows and can see your heart. Maybe you said something you should not have to your spouse or your child, I encourage you ask for forgiveness to God and to whomever you need to. Humbling ourselves when we mess up is a great reminder, we are perfectly imperfect, and we will mess up. But we have a loving God who will forgive you and forget it as far as the east is to the west! Start your week forgiving yourself for messing up and being human, and work at being the best you today that you can. Lots of love to you today my friend!
Psalm 118:24 (NIV)"The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad."
What is the one thing we all seek to be in our lives? Think deeply about this truly we all want to be happy right! It is that desire that motivates us in our lives to do the things we do. Is happiness just a feeling that we desire, or does it go deeper than that? I am utterly convinced that happiness is a choice, Abraham Lincoln said “People are as happy as they make up their mind to be.” I agree with this statement. I am convinced God wants nothing more than us to live our lives to the fullest and live them with joy. This does not mean however that we will not face some challenges on the way. If you do not choose to be happy there will always be something to steal you joy in your life and ruin that happiness. In John 16:33 God tells us that there will be hard times but to choose joy in those times of trouble because he has overcome the world. Each morning when you open your eyes you have the power to choose to joy no matter how you feel. Think of this yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not arrived yet we just have this one day right in front of us to make it amazing. Jesus makes it noticeably clear in John 10:10 he wants us to lie our lives to the full. But to also be aware that the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy your peace, and happiness but Jesus came to have you live your life in abundance to the full! This my friend is so refreshing to me, to know that God’s desire for our lives is to live in happiness and peace! So how can we start a healthy habit to do this daily? Well, it starts with where is your focus? Are you thinking negative, anxious, sad thoughts? Or is your focus on good things in life the positives? This gives us a great energy that makes us joyful and happy. Focusing on the good is the first step to happiness. God has given us the ability to choose happiness no matter what our circumstances are in our lives or around us. This does not mean ignore your problems, it simply means you do not need to focus on them we just need to work to solve them. You will not have consistent happiness in your life if you believe that your happiness is determined by your circumstances or what is going on around you. So, in reflection, if you believe that you have a choice to be happy, I challenge you this week whatever comes your way as a challenge, seek to solve or resolve it but do not plant your mind there. Give it to God and choose happiness in your daily life. You will see the quality of your thoughts will improve as well. Sometimes life feels like it is out of control. Have you ever really stopped and asked yourself why you might be feeling this way? My friend taking time to reflect on your daily living and what you are thinking, how your feeling, what your emotions are is especially important. Most likely there usually is something so much deeper than what is on the surface. You see confiding in God in ALL our circumstances is essential for peaceful and joyful living. Why you ask? My friend God is a God of honor. He is our comforter in these times, and he is our strength. We need to draw our strength from him. He wants you to know he is there in everything you are facing, whether it be a loss of a job or a loved one, a relationship that went south, or even when good things happen, or you can’t make a decision. God loves you and wants you to know that he is always there to listen and hear you and take the drivers seat in your life and help guide you in each and everyday of your life. I challenge you in this next week to take a moment every morning. Tell God everything, your thoughts, your feelings, how you really want that job, or you really want to lose weight. No matter what it is happy, sad, frustrated tell him. We know that in the end his Will be done, not our own. By giving God the wheel of your life, you start to realize that his plan for your life is SOOO much better than that of your own. God is your everlasting continuous supporter, comforter, and your strength in good times and bad. Take the time today to give God the wheel of your life. May God bless you this week and show you he loves you in many ways.
When someone told me one day that being happy was a choice, I did not really understand them at first. I thought choose to be “happy”? That seemed out there at first. Until I really realized happiness was our responsibility. It is not your spouses, your friends, or anyone for that matter responsibility to keep me happy. It is my responsibility. It even sounded crazier to say that you can still be happy in hard and trying times! I thought that was a crazy thought. But, again learning that I was living out my feelings day by day instead of doing one key thing to help aid the idea of being happy in the storms of life. That was trusting God to take care of my circumstances and guide me. In the meantime, he gave me this life to enjoy. Now, to say I do this perfectly would be a total fib! I like everyone have times I forget this and have a stinky day and stinky attitude towards life. Those days have gotten fewer and farther away. But still have them. What I can say is I do my best not to live by how I feel anymore. This can be certainly challenging, especially in trying times. Journaling my gratitude has helped me during these tougher days.
I encourage you this week, when you start to feel unhappy about life or something going on in your life to stop a minute and do a moment of gratitude. This is what I have found to help me, I hope it can be of a benefit to you too. Naturally, we will all have our days for sure. I just challenge you to choose happy in the middle of your storm. Give the rest to God girlfriend! Do you ever feel you are making a huge mistake or just not living your life the way you feel God would be proud of? If so my friend, you’re not alone. We all have this feeling from time to time. Especially when we try to do our life with our thoughts not including God in the equation. One thing I learned about myself a few years back was I surely love a little bit of a feeling of I am in control. I like schedules, and systems to function at my highest self. However, the ironic thing is, every time I would get on this kick and way of thinking thought that I was in control, somehow life seemed tougher. Things would pop into my schedule unexpectedly and my natural response, was not a good one. I put on quite a pity party for myself. Let us just say looking back it was quite hysterical. It was learning that God really was in control, and letting that control go, and just asking him each day to help me in my daily life in everything I do. So, when I just felt like maybe I didn’t make good choices or decisions that I felt was God pleasing, or I tried to live for myself without inviting him into my daily living I felt awful. I started a new routine and even if I am in this mode for 3 days without catching myself in it, I stop and pray and say “God please forgive me for trying to take control, I know you have this! Please help me to rely strictly on you and continue to remind me that I need to ALWAYS come to you first before making any choice or decision.” You see we all have our moments where we really want to take over and be in control. But if we truly understand the wonderful grace and mercy our heavenly Father gives us. We would understand He’s got us covered! This my friend is the best feeling ever. Especially when we know life has many challenges, but we are never doing it alone, even when we like to think we are. Embrace in this thought this week, and when life throws you a curve ball, remember go to God talk to him, he’s your confidant and best friend! He will give you the right answers in his timing. While waiting to hear from him, live your life knowing you let go and let God and he in his timing will reveal to you what your next step is.
This week I challenge you to face your challenges by stopping for even a minute and asking God to take it, guide you, and then my friend take a deep breath and let it out and say to yourself “God’s Got Me!" Have you ever struggled in the week to get your mind and your mood to be positive or to simply slow down your thoughts? Well, I can certainly understand you 100% so I did some research of my own a few years ago. You see I never used to think I was a highly organized and systematic person. However, I discovered that I thrive and do well when I have a few things I do daily to start my days out right. If this is you, I hope this helps you too.
Go To Bed & Get Up At The Same Time Everyday This might seem silly, but our bodies need a better sleep to be productive and alert during the day. This was studied and learned that the circadian rhythm in our bodies works at it is best when we go to bed around the same time and wake up at the same time each day including weekend. Only times it might mess you up is daylight savings time. But the other benefits are if you have sleeping issues of insomnia, or sleep deprivation, you may see this disappear or lessen. Other benefits are less sleepy during the daytime hours, less irritability, less caffeine intake, sharper focus and short-term memory, better immune function, and way more alert. Spend At Least 15 Min in Quiet Time This was the one thing I started doing after a great friend suggested it starts her days off well. Just to just give yourself some time in peace and quiet, slowness and peacefulness so you can spend time with God and read a devotional, Bible, Book or to just journal. I found when I take this time, I have a more productive and uplifting day. Find a little spot in your house and make it your space to have this time in the morning. Start a Daily Gratitude Journal This idea is really a great way to end your quiet time or right before you go to bed. In starting one of these of my own I realized that I was taking the time to reflect on the good in my life. Sometimes when life seems to be going in a downward spiral or just sitting still it is so great to stop and think about all the wonderful things the Lord has brought to your day. The silver lining that sometimes we do not stop to see because we are too busy with all our “own thing” that we don’t stop to say Thank You God for all you have given me. I think this time with God is especially calming and just also brings a light to life and to seeing that each day there is a need to give gratitude so we can see that our lives are truly filled full of blessings. I challenge you if you’re not doing any of these 3 ideas to at least try one, I started out the journal idea on a 14-day challenge, then I just decided it gave me such joy that I wanted to continue. James 5:12 (ESV) "But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”
Sometimes we say “YES” way too soon without considering the cost of what this could mean in our already super busy and full plated life. We may “feel” one way one day and say “YES” and then “feel” another when we sit and think about it and then panic because we do not think we can do it. Now, we are in a position and feel we are failing those we have committed with. If you are a people-pleaser like my old self know this, it is way better to take some time to saying a bold “yes” or a bold “no”. Take some time to yourself and weigh out your options. Will this serve my life or my family’s life well? Will this complicate anything at home or in my marriage? Am I putting too much on my plate I will not do great at any of this? Is this a positive in my life, or a negative? Would God be happy with this decision? Seeking God in your decisions in life is especially important, if you feel uneasy when you’re saying yes to avoid someone from not accepting you or getting upset with you; you need to ask yourself if this person is right for you and your life? My friend to live a life full of abundance being true to oneself and following God’s lead is especially important. In these situations, I encourage you to take time to think it through. Do not be quick to say “YES” and be “OK” if that other person is disappointed. Hear them but honor your boundaries in your life. I like to call it do it in Love. And sometimes with those who will not accept your answer you may have to love them from a distance. In other words, are not a part of their daily lives, but still honor, love, and pray for them. If that person is for you, they will not try to manipulate you or make you feel worse about your decision. Those that genuinely love you, appreciate you and respect you might be disappointed, but they will get over it and continue to love you. If you feel the desire is there to do it after thinking and praying it through, then do so. Keeping life simple you need to be true to yourself and be okay setting healthy boundaries. Remember God wants you to live your life to the fullest! That means having time for God, family, and yourself. When your busy doing everything for everyone else you do not have energy for your own life. Romans 12: (NIV) "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." ... Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
Do you ever sit down at night after a terrible day? Did you stop and reevaluate just what it is that you are thinking about? We all have our days maybe someone got under our skin at work, or we just had a terrible argument with your spouse, child, or friend. Sometimes if we are upset out thoughts aren’t good ones, they make us feel awful, and when we continue to ponder on them, we actually start to believe them, and then take a negative action just because our thoughts were in a bad place. Our peace goes, our happiness and joy goes and we feel awful because we have stinking thinking. God truly is here for you to have a life filled with joy girlfriend! He wants you to have a life that is so amazing, so the next time a thought comes into your mind that feels awful and negative. Ask yourself how I can change this thought around to be positive? Is it a fact or am I just assuming what I am thinking? I know some things in life there won’t be a positive thought about, but truly most things in life we can take that negative thought and change it to a positive one. I encourage you to get into God’s word this week and see for yourself what God has to say about keeping a positive mind. Change your thoughts your whole outlook on life will change. |