Archive - Inspiration RSS Feed

Is the lesson in the waiting?

April 25, 2010 in Family and Friends, Inspiration, People, Work/Life Balance with 17 Comments

Waiting Pete Wilson, one of our pastors at the Nashville campus of  CrossPoint Church has been doing a series on Shattered Dreams.  Today, the lesson was on “Waiting on God”.  There were so many good nuggets in the message that it was almost hard to keep up with my notetaking.  I kept thinking about things going on in my life-even right now-where I really need the words he spoke today.

In my last post, I talked about some radical things I’m going after both personally and professionally.  And since writing it, I’ve been actively working on each thing.  My body definitely feels the effects of more rigorous exercise.  And the career pursuits are moving along. It’s been an exciting time all around, as I feel the inertia of moving forward.  The hardest part has been in asking God for a radical assignment.  Because the “homework” I’m doing right now…sucks.  My little girl has been struggling for 22 straight days with migraine-like symptoms.  We’ve been to countless doctors; she’s been poked and prodded, she’s had fluids put in and blood taken out.  And she’s been put on medications that have made even our pharmacist nervous.  And Nothing has worked.  At this point, I’m emotionally exhausted.  It has noticeably altered our lives, and has caused me many tears as I watch her struggle with the pain. There are moments here and there of her sweet, happy personality.  But the first and last words I hear each day are about how bad it hurts.

Pete asked a really hard question this morning.  When times get tough, will we trust or control? Though I’ve been saying that I was believing God for a change, and have been asking Him daily for a break in the pain, I’ve mainly been aggressively pursuing treatment and “driving the bus” to try to find an answer for why this is happening.  Don’t get me wrong–I absolutely believe in doctors and medicine…but first and foremost I know I should be looking up for guidance.  In our sermon notes today was this point: Hope does not come only from believing God’s power, but also from accepting and trusting His timing. Nothing about what’s been happening with her is normal.  I think it’s time for me to move from trying to control what’s happening and truly trust Him to protect her and heal her.  Because I know that God heals. And I have to trust that He made her for a purpose that’s not going to be destroyed by this pain.  I asked for a radical assignment, and this ordeal has definitely tested my faith.

Does this hit you in any area your of life?  Where do you need to let go and let God?

P.S. If you are running low on hope, or feeling that life hasn’t turned out the way you thought it would, please check out this website about Pete’s new book, Plan B.  I’m reading it now, and it’s the perfect message for this journey.

Take Action

It’s Time to be Radical

April 13, 2010 in Inspiration, People, Work/Life Balance with 19 Comments

Image credit www.foxyblunt.com

Image credit: www.foxyblunt.com

Some people hate change.  They get nervous about rearranged furniture or unplanned travel.  Not me.   I need new seasons in life–new responsibilities, and challenges.   For about two months, I’ve been feeling the need to “shake things up”, but just couldn’t figure out where the “itch” was.  I realized it wasn’t just one area of life–it’s everywhere.  I’m ready for an Overhaul.  And you know what?  I’m excited!

Here are just a few things I’m doing that will Definitely challenge me in this next season:

I ordered Insanity. Yes, I am insane.  Let’s see if I’m still breathing the week after it arrives.  Clearly, the results will be immediate.

I’m reevaluating my work life. I love where I work and can’t imagine leaving. I know I have to be intentional-it’s not change just to have something new.  It’s change to see how I might positively impact the company in a new way.

I’m taking the next step on a business idea. I have strong entrepreneurial tendencies and know what I’m capable of when it’s my butt on the line.  The big win?  It’s something that will be successful while also allowing me to keep my career.  Can’t beat that.

I’m asking God for a radical assignment.  Call me crazy, but from the time I was a little girl, I’ve asked that God ask me to do something big.  And when I look at my life, all I see is a place where things have become comfortable.   For others, that’s likely the picture of perfection.  For me, it means I’ve really missed it somewhere.  I  don’t need to lose it all to think God has used me, but I do think big faith means change, and I don’t want to look back on a life that was just comfy.  I want to know I really made a difference.

Your turn.  Are you doing anything radical these days?  If so, do you love it or does it stress you out?

Take Action

Feed the Body, Feed the Soul

March 7, 2010 in Inspiration, People with 1 Comment

The journey

I’ve been thinking about the correlation between the food we eat and the food our spirit needs. And when I learned that March 8th is International Women’s Day with World Food Programme, I thought this would be a good time to talk about being hungry.

I’m hungry most days.  Not because I don’t eat enough…more often because I don’t eat.  I’ll realize at 3:00 in the afternoon that I’ve had nothing, or perhaps half a banana, all day.  It’s not good for me.  It’s certainly not helped me slim down–in fact, it’s had the opposite effect.  I used to have good habits with food.  I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day and built in the right snacks.  It kept the hunger pangs away and fueled my body effectively so that I was productive from morning til night.  But, not maintaining some structure has made me aware that I’ve lost the desire for breakfast, feel drained by early afternoon, and often make poor food choices in the evening because I’m hungry.

Ironically, my spirit has faced the same kind of neglect.  I used to have steady devotion habits.  Morning prayer time, steady appetite for  reading inspirational books, being plugged in with small group and Bible study, and praying at the drop of a hat during the day.  Like food, my lack of structure has left me feeling drained, untethered, and short on faith.

I think about my lax attitude towards food and remember that there are people starving the world over…even in my own city.   And there are people in other countries being tortured for their secret devotion to Christ.  I have no right to dismiss these gifts that others would cherish and make the most of.

I’m making some good strides in changing these things and with God’s help, I know I’ll get there.  I want to be hungry again…for all the right reasons.

I know I’m not alone in this.  What are you hungry for?

Take Action

Knowing When to Hit “Pause”

January 5, 2010 in Inspiration, People, Work/Life Balance with 12 Comments

Hitting Pause

Hitting Pause

The two-week break over Christmas gave me some wonderful time to think about my life-plan, bond with my family and friends, and look ahead to what I want to do better in 2010.   And even as I walked back into the office on Monday, I noticed how much more laid back, happy, and inspired people were.  Why don’t we do a better job of making rest time a priority? 

Here are a few of my biggest takeaways from that time off: 

  1. Making good memories is easy-We didn’t have to take a lavish vacation to make some great memories this year.  Almost totally unplugging (there’s always room for improvement) and really focusing on family activities made the time pass too quickly, but offered some great events we’ll cherish for years to come.
  2. Saying “No” must happen sometimes-It’s easy to get overextended and allow that rat-race pattern to become routine.  Breaking away from some of the commitments really frees us up to be creative and at peace.
  3. We have to stop trying to be like others-This blog is a perfect example.  I wasn’t born to keep a blog updated-it’s not my life’s work or passion.  I got into it because I saw people I respect doing it and thought I needed to follow their path. But what comes easy for some becomes a burden to others.  I’m not going to post every day, or likely every three days.  Making peace with that fact has made blogging enjoyable again.  There are  areas in each of our lives where we must manage our own expectations and do what feeds our own souls.
  4. If we don’t like our lives, it’s our job to change it-Being passionate about our work, crazy about the people we are around, and happy with how we spend our downtime is our responsibility.  The Lord gave us a chance at eternal life, and the Bible gives us a great tool for navigation.  But no person, job, friend, or gadget will make the grass greener.  If life’s not going according to plan, we have to change it.
  5. Things don’t have to be perfect-Sounds simple, but some of us struggle with perfectionism.  Keeping a perfect house has become less important to me than making sure there’s quality family time.   And by reminding myself of these five points even now, I can truly appreciate the life I have.  It’s messy sometimes, but I’d have it no other way.

What revelations have come to you when you step out of the fast lane?

Take Action
Page 4 of 7« First...«23456»...Last »