move my feet...

move my feet. Don't ask God to guide your path if you're not willing to move your feet.


Put feet to your faith. God is not your maid or your slave. He doesn't just make everything happen for you exactly the way you ask, exactly when you ask it. You can't just sit there, pray, and then do nothing. If you are praying for His will and you trust Him to guide your life, then move your feet in the direction He is taking you. Stop going off the path and trying to force a journey down a path you "thought" was meant for you or just sitting around waiting for a miracle to change your life. It might be time to let go of what you "thought would be" and trust His direction down a new road.

So, for today I will move my feet. Instead of sitting and waiting, instead of forcing a walk down the wrong road - I will move my feet down the path God is shaping for me. I will trust His path and His direction and I will WALK in faith not just pray in faith.

not be in denial...

not be in denial. For today, I will own up to the truth. Instead of saying, "I'm just fine the way I am," I will actually tell the truth.

I will confess that I am broken. As great as I think I am - there are parts of my life that I am not living in the way God intends me to - and I'm not living them that way because I don't want to follow the rules. I'm stubborn. I'm selfish. I'm trying to pick and choose the "important" parts of the bible and I'm disregarding other parts as "not a big deal." Why? Because I don't really want to change. I want what I want, not what He wants for me. But I need to own my short-comings and honestly seek God's help to change them. So, I will rightfully and humbly confess where I'm in the wrong and seek God's clarity and wisdom and strength. I can't deny who I really am today.

So, for today I will not be in denial. I will expose myself to the Lord for who I really am and I will pray and actually try to follow His word better. I know my life will be more fulfilled than I've ever imagined - if only I would follow Him wholly and not in pieces.

be glad that others pray for me...

be glad that others pray for me. Have you thought about what your life would be like if others weren't praying for you?

We usually focus a lot on praying for the people we know. We ask God to help, protect, and comfort them and we delight in how He works in their lives. But do we stop to recognize that many of the blessings we ourselves have received come from the prayers of others. God listens to their prayers and blesses us. So the next time you make it through a difficult struggle or when things are going really well in your life, be thankful that others have been praying for you. They love you enough to go straight to the most powerful source and request blessings on your behalf - what a wonderful gift.

So, for today I will be glad that others pray for me. I will rejoice in the fact that God listens to those prayers and blesses me because others love me enough to speak to Him.

realize that God is the answer...

realize that God is the answer. The answers to your issues, problems or difficulties won't come to you if you're not looking in the right place.

You feel like you have a gap in your life. You might be struggling with being alone, or being confident, or feeling important. We all go through it and we all "try" to fix it. We fill our lives with all kinds of things or people that we think will give us what we're missing. If I'm thinner my life will be better. If I'm richer my life will be better. If I'm in a relationship my life will be better. But the truth is - skinny people and rich people have problems. And don't get me started on all the problems relationships can have - especially ones not founded on the right things. The answer isn't in a bottle or in a person, it is in trusting God and believing that His plans for you are meaningful and significant. He has a unique and specific purpose for your life and just maybe you're not seeing what it is because you're trying to fix what you think He missed.

So, for today I will realize that God is the answer. Instead of thinking He made a mistake or that He forgot a few things that would make my life "better," I will actually trust His judgement and know that His plans for me are important because I'm important. I won't try to "fix" His plans today. I will trust and believe in Him instead.

know that failures come...

know that failures come. As hard as we try to work and make our lives better, to do our best and move onward and upward, failure will come.

Failures don't have to define you and they don't have to mean that you're stuck in that one spot.
It's how you handle the failure that will determine the course of your journey. My husband always tells our daughters, "practice makes perfect." (Then, we, of course, also explain that no one is perfect.) But the point is that we want to teach them to go for it, do your best, and don't be discouraged if you have to keep trying - because you will fail sometimes. Resilience is one of my favorite characteristics. People who pick themselves up no matter what they have been through amaze and encourage me. When you see someone fail, but then immediately get up, move on and actually have hope and determination to move forward - they really understand, accept and acknowledge the value of failures. They don't wallow. They try to learn. And, they don't let failure define who they are. They know failure is an integral part of life and they make the best of it.

So, for today I will know that failures come. I will not try to hide from failing. I will not stay down when I fail. I will accept that failure can teach me, help me grow, and help shape my life for the better.

be grateful I'm here...

be grateful I'm here. Two deaths happened this week that occupy my thoughts.

A 36 year old man lost control of his car in my neighborhood and hit a tree. He died at the scene. A 67-year old woman was hit by a car that ran a red light and she died. Life ceases in the blink of an eye. We don't know when and we don't know how it will come, but it will come. I'm thankful that I opened my eyes this morning.

So, for today I will be grateful I'm here. I can still give and receive love for a few more precious moments. The day doesn't have to be perfect or even particularly eventful; I'm here and I'm grateful.

leave work at work...

leave work at work. Can you do that?

You have a life beyond your work. You have people who love you, care about you, want to spend time with you and laugh with you. But they don't want to deliver the punch line while you're texting to your company. They want to share a meal with you without your cell phone ringing with a question from a co-worker. Life is going to move on whether you're "present" or not. Just for today, don't let it pass you by while you're on your blackberry/iphone. It will be a hard day for some of you, but I promise - those emails, texts, and voice messages will all still be there tomorrow. And guess what, the world will not explode because you chose life over work for a few precious hours.

So, for today I will leave work at work. I will take advantage of the gift of time in the evening to cherish my family and friends, to share stories and laugh, to reconnect with someone special, or to just take the quiet time and be at peace. I will not obsess tonight. I will enjoy "life" and live!

make a list...

make a list. I will focus on making a list of the top 10 blessings I have received in my life. Instead of dwelling on negative pressures, I will delight in thinking back over my life on moments that impacted my development, made me smile, or made me feel loved.

For today I will make a list and not be surprised to find that it's impossible to only list 10 items. Over a lifetime it's amazing how many treasured moments we experience that most don't count as important blessings - a friend coming over to hang out when you needed it, a walk at the beach, a giggle from a small child when you make a silly face, a hug from your parents that made you feel safe and loved, watching your child hit the ball during the game (even though it was a foul ball and they ended up striking out). The list for each of us is varied and deep. Reflecting on these moments has real value in determining how you will feel today.

So, for today I will make a list and thank God for every single item on it. And, if I run out of paper, I will thank God again for his abundance of grace and that I have a memory that can record more than my paper will allow.

imagine...

imagine. Today I will imagine my eternal salvation. I will delight in the awe and wonder of my Lord's saving grace and eternal dwelling place.

We only receive glimpses and a few highlights from the Bible regarding Heaven. It is so indescribable and overwhelming beautiful that it is hard for us as humans to comprehend all its splendor, but we can imagine. Think about it what your first reaction will be when you are face to face with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ... will you dance before the Lord, be in awe and be still, will you stand in His presence or fall to your knees, will you sing Hallelujah or be unable to speak, will you smile or will you weep tears of joy.... I don't know what I will do, but I like to imagine what it will be like to feel that much love, understanding, comfort, peace and joy!!

So, for today I will imagine. I will play out different scenarios in my head and heart and think about the awesome power and presence of Jesus that I will one day experience face to face. And while I imagine my face to face encounter and I will thank God that He blesses me and is there for me even when I'm not face to face with Him.

pray for those in pain...

pray for those in pain. We all know someone in pain. Today take a minute to think about someone else, especially if it's someone who you have always assumed is stronger than you.

Many people tend to prayer for themselves, their family and their friends on a regular basis. If you know people who are definitely in pain, keep praying for them. Your prayers are being heard! But what about the people around us who seem to be doing alright? On the surface they smile, they are uplifting, and most of the time they are the ones to pray for or encourage us. They are the "rock" we lean on and we depend on their strength to make us stronger. Do we ever pray for their comfort and peace? Maybe, maybe not. Strong, faithful, devoted people also experience pain, confusion and doubts. For today, find the few people in your life who seem to have it all together and prayer for the relief of their pain even if you don't know what it is. Thank God for their friendship and guidance in your life. Ask Him to continue to use that person to share His love and to ensure that their hearts are filled with the love and joy you feel for them.

So, for today I will pray for those in pain. I will extend my scope of prayer to go beyond what I know or assume. I will pray for the hidden pain in the lives of the people around me. I will pray that God eases their minds and spirits and keeps them encouraged in His love and in His message. And I will remember again tomorrow that strong people need prayer too.

look how far I've come...

look how far I've come. Today I will not focus on my short-comings or on all that I want to accomplish in the New Year. I will not sit with regret or longing wishing I were better, smarter, thinner, kinder, in a different job, in a different relationship, etc... I WILL focus on how far I've come!!

I will look at all the things I have survived. I will look at all the progress I have made since way back then. I will look at how I have grown in my walk of faith and that I am still growing. I will be proud of all the baby steps and big steps along the way. I will feel strengthened and renewed when I realize I HAVE CHANGED, I HAVE GROWN. And I will say to myself, "Look how far I've come!"

So, for today I will look how far I've come and feel good. I will remember that with God's grace I have made it this far. I will thank Him for being by my side when I needed Him and for carrying me when I wasn't strong enough on my own. I will acknowledge His power and be grateful for how far I've come. And I will excite in the fact that He's not done with me yet!!