BE the ONE! 

11/20/2012

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"Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart; one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them." ~ Marvin J. Ashton

I have to admit that lately I have been more of a tearer-downer than a builder-upper.  Today was one of those days! I must confess that the one I tore down was my own beautiful, precious daughter.  Life has been a little stressful around our house lately and I haven’t handled it well.  While there are plenty of things that I should be rejoicing over (such as our house selling within 3 days of being listed) I have allowed the stress (of moving) get the best of me.  I, in turn, have taken it out on the ones whom I hold dear.  I have had to apologize a lot, and I mean A LOT!  Saying I am sorry doesn’t right the wrong, erase the words, or completely heal the hurts but it does humble you.  I believe as a parent, a spouse or a friend, we have to be the one willing to say “I’m sorry”.  

The flip-side of that coin is that I need to be the one willing to forgive when someone apologizes to me.  I need to be willing to say “You’re forgiven."    “I’m Sorry” and “You’re forgiven” are 2,  two-word phrases that could change someone’s life. Those two little words may be the cornerstone it takes to start strengthening or rebuilding a relationship. 

I would like for you to join me and make an end of the year resolution.  Let’s be the person Marvin J. Ashton wrote about.  BE the ONE who nurtures and builds. BE the ONE who has an understanding and a forgiving heart.  LOOK for the best in people and ALWAYS leave people better than you found them.

Stefaney

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Wishes, Dreams, and Longings! (part 2)

04/24/2012

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In part one of this followup, I shared a little bit about wishes and dreams. Today I want to finish up with longings.

Longings. We all have them. Those empty places deep inside us that can't seem to be filled. They won't let us ignore them, no matter how hard we try.

Webster's dictionary defines longings as a strong desire especially for something unattainable. Hmm...If longings are unattainable, then why do we have them? God has packed them inside of us. When we believe that we are created in the image of our heavenly Father, we can fully understand that He has longings, too. He longs to have a relationship with us, to be the center of our lives, and to receive our worship. If he has longings it is only natural that we do, too.

We try so hard to do things on our own. Our success in life depends on how we respond to our longings. We either deny our longings or we try to fulfill them in ungodly or unhealthy ways. In Fresh-Brewed Life, Nicole Johnson writes about different types of longings. I want to mention two of them: the longing to be filled and the longing to be known. The longing to be filled cannot be filled with material things. We try to fill that empty feeling with food, shopping and even people. Whether we are looking to be filled emotionally or physically (with food), that feeling only lasts for a little while and then we are looking to fill it again.

As women, we all want to be known. We want to be treasured and embraced. We want someone to pursue and understand us. While the men in our lives may know us, (our likes, dislikes and crazy little quirks) there is still more to us that is unknown. The same goes for men, too. No one can ever really fill our longing to be known, other than our Father. He is the only one who knows us better than we know ourselves. As fulfilling as earthly relationships can be, our relationship with the Father, will never leave us wanting.

God's desire is that none of us perish, but he has given us the freedom to choose salvation. He is waiting on us to make the choice. When we choose the world or our own desires over him, he is left longing. His purpose for equipping us with longings is to draw us closer to him. He knows longings and he is ready to fulfill our longings with compassion and understanding. Proverbs 13:19a says,"A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul...". We can trust him to be enough, because he is the one who placed the longings within us.
My challenge to you is this: Talk to God about your longings. Yes, he already knows them, but he longs to hear your voice. Confide in Him. His ways are perfect.

Blessings,
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Wishes, Dreams, and Longings! (part 1)

04/18/2012

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Are wishes, dreams, and longings the same thing? They are similar but different. A wish is a want or desire that can be easily attained. A dream is a strong desire for something that is within our reach. A longing is a persistent desire or craving that is out of our reach. Despite the differences in attainability, they all reflect what is in our heart. In Matthew 6:21 Jesus said, "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". What we treasure the most control us, whether we admit it or not.

Let's take a look at wishes for a moment. What do you wish for? Somedays I wish for peace and quiet, adult conversation and an extra hour of sleep. All of those things are attainable, but my calendar doesn't always allow for those wishes to be granted. I have allowed my calendar to dictate my priorities, thinking I can make time for other things later. Has my busy-ness become my treasure? I have to answer yes. If I truly wish to have peace and quiet, then I need to make it happen.

Dreams stem from stronger desires but are still within our reach. Think of dreams as goals. Do you have a goal? Maybe your goal is to run a marathon, to read the Bible in a year, to write a novel, or just to be the best YOU that you can be. No matter what goals or dreams you may have, you need to have a map. You need to chart your course to see that dream become a reality.

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only does it bring new growth and warmer days, it also brings birthdays at our house. In a 2 1/2 month span, each of my daughters turn a year older. I remember bringing each of them home and thinking that we had a long time to be a family. Now, I realize that I have two years until my oldest graduates high school and goes off to college. Two years!!! Where has the time gone? There was so much I wanted to do, to teach her and to prepare her and now I only have two years left! All those years I spent thinking I have time, and now that time is running out. I can beat myself up with all of the shoulda, coulda, woulda's or I can make adjustments and enjoy the next two years. 

Last year, God laid on my heart the phrase "intentional living". He has convicted me of my busy-ness, and challenged me to only participate in things that matter to Him. I have always been a people pleaser, trying to be and do everything everyone else wanted. I want to serve Him and not myself or others. I am in the process of completing a four year commitment that has left me burned out and frustrated at many times. I am learning to think and pray first before committing to other responsibilities. In doing so, I am beginning to live out the plans and purpose that God has for me. The plan and purpose that He packed me with so many years ago.

May you experience "intentional living" as you journey through your wishes and dreams!

Blessings,
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Strengthening Her Endurance - Post #6 - EQUIP & ENGAGE!

05/24/2011

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Many of you may remember that I used Wilma Rudolph as an example in the Equip and Engage swapshop.  For those of you reading the blog that were unable to attend Strengthening Her Endurance, Wilma faced many challenges growing up, one of which was polio.  Through her parents’ faithful care and  her sheer determination, Wilma was able to walk and then, of course, run.  She became known as “The Fastest Woman in the World."  She is a role model to all that if you let challenges strengthen you, you can do unbelievable things. 

A friend of mine knew that I was going to talk about Wilma and she wanted to know if Wilma was a Christian.  She searched online and found this devotion by Wilma in a book called “The Goal and Glory."  It has many devotions by famous athletes but I wanted to share the one from Wilma with you.  Enjoy!

Wilma Rudolph — Guidance


Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
   our God is merciful.
The Lord preserves the simple;
   when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest;
   for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
   my eyes from tears,
   my feet from stumbling . . . .

Psalm 116:5-8

I found out comparatively early in life that it takes a lot of trying to get anything worthwhile accomplished.

   When I was only fifteen, I went to Melbourne, Australia, to participate in the Olympics. It wasn't publicized at the time and it was just as well. I had been lazy in practice and in running too. I simply had not done my best. After the Melbourne meet, I had plenty of time to think about my attitude. I came to realize that you have to give your best if you want to win.

   So when I went to Rome for the 1960 Olympics, I had already made that truth a part of my life. I had worked hard in preparation. I was in top condition and in the right frame of mind for the events to come.

   During our time in Rome my coach and the members of our team got together for prayer from time to time. We felt that with God's help and with each of us doing his best, we could win. In a situation like this, it is a real temptation to pray to win. But we all asked God only to help us do our best. I personally felt that I had let my coach and teammates down in Melbourne. Now I wanted to win and do my best for them.

   I asked God for special guidance in the opening event, the 100 meters. I ran hard and won. Later I paused and thanked Him for His being with me. My teammates and I came away with a record number of gold medals. But without God's help and His will in my life, I might have repeated my failure at Melbourne.

   I feel I owe God a great deal for what He has done in all of my life. When I was about a year old, I contracted polio. The doctors told my mother that I would never walk. For over three years I made trips to the hospital for treatment and mother would get the same discouraging prediction. But my mother had great faith. Her faith told her to work with me and that with God's help, something could be done.

   She worked with me daily, never giving up hope that I could be as normal as any other child. She took me and my brothers and sisters to church every Sunday. Every night we had family devotions. She instilled in all of us the love of God and the importance of giving Him our lives. If it hadn't been for my mother's efforts, I would never have walked, much less competed in the Olympics.

   I don't know right now just what my plans are for future events. But I am running and keeping in condition every day. I don't want to do anything less than my best when I try. That day in Melbourne taught me that.

I've learned something else too. A Christian athlete is not a person who practices Christianity only on the track or playing field. God goes with me wherever I go, whether to the Olympics or to class or a party. He guides all of my life, day by day. He is in charge of my future.

   There is nothing as important as having God close to you to guide and direct. Win or lose, I want to do His will always.

Prayer

   Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your mercy and loving kindness. I thank You for hearing and answering prayer, for giving direction to our lives and for standing by patiently as we learn to know Your love. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Wilma Rudolph was an All-American track star at Tennessee A & I College and an Olympic and World track champion.  She went on to become a teacher in Tennessee. 

~Stefaney

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Strengthening Her Endurance - Post 5 - EQUIP & ENGAGE!

05/16/2011

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I don’t know about you, but it seems I’ve been hearing the words "journey" and "path" a lot lately.  There are all sorts of paths that we can take.  I guess it is even safe to say we are all on a journey of some type.  I think the biggest obstacle we can face on our journey is the choice to take that first step.  Sometimes it is easy to take the first step.  Journeys like college, marriage and parenthood are pleasure trips compared to the journey of weight loss, divorce, and the empty nest.  No matter what path we are one we have someone that cheers us on.  God calls us off the sidelines, gives us the much needed pep talk and pushes us to the starting line.  He does everything possible to equip us, but we must choose to take that first step. 

All it takes is one step.  God’s path for you is filled with good things.  Jeremiah 42:3 says “show me the way in which I should walk and the thing I should do.”  He will show you and if you are careful to follow where he guides you, He will not let you off the path.  Trust God to provide the strong shoes.  Once you take that first step God promises he will lead you and guide you. 

Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way.”

Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left." 

In the Equip and Engage swap-shop , we learned that we are always equipped for the path we are on.  You will be equipped with exactly what you need, not what someone else will need.  Your path is YOUR path; it is as unique as you are.   

Step on your path with purpose!

~ Stefaney


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