I’ve been where you are; unsatisfied with so many areas of my life that the whole thing just feels hopeless. After a while, it just becomes easier and easier to believe the lie; I’m simply not going to have the life I’ve always dreamed of. The life that I see so many other women having the privilege to live. It’s time to face reality, it’s time for me to stop wishing and hoping, it’s time to settle in. After all, we can’t all live fairytale lives.
But how do you quiet a soul that yearns for more?
How do you stop being the girl you’ve always been; the girl who believes in the impossible?
Truth be told, life can be a hard slap in the face. Just when you think you’re on the right track, boom, it knocks you around here; boom, it knocks you around there; and before you know it, you’re so far off course that you have no idea how you got there; or which way is the right way to go. You meant to do many of those things tucked away in your heart, but life kept coming at you; super hard and super-fast.
The temptation to give up, to force yourself to stop wanting, is there. I remember it very well. But what if I told you, you weren’t made to quit. Despite your circumstances, you aren’t supposed to give up. There is a way forward. I know, because I found it, and I’d like to help lead you in that direction; into the life you’ve been dreaming of.
The fact is, you can’t embrace a new path, if you’re still clinging to the old path. Sometimes we want change, without realizing that change often requires stepping out of our comfort zone. Are you ready to do that? Because without that small, yet significant shift of willingness in your mind, you’ll always be grasping at what could be, but you’ll never quite obtain it.
A change in the course of your life, often first begins with a change in your thinking.
For starters, you need to believe this is possible for you, just as it has proven to be possible for me, and countless other women. And you’re going to need to fight to believe this, even if all the signs in your life currently point to no.
Once you’ve got your mind right, and you’ve made the firm decision to move forward, it’s time to step out onto the path that, believe it or not, is intended just for you.
It’s Time to Get a Bigger Perspective. You’ve probably heard some variation of the saying, “stare at it long enough, and it becomes all you can see.” And goodness isn’t that the truth! Stare at a person’s flaws long enough, and those flaws become their identity. Stare at any part of your body that your discontented with long enough and guess what, every time you look in the mirror that’ll be all you can see. This old saying, for better or for worse, offers us some wise insight in regard to our focus.
If you’re feeling stuck, hopeless, or depressed about any area of your life, chances are strong you’ve thought about that particular area of your life so much, that you have now magnified it in your mind. In your mind, it feels like a problem that is immovable; a circumstance that will never change; a hopeless pursuit.
But what you need to understand is, when you are struggling with those kinds of thoughts and feelings, while you have magnified the problem in your mind, you have actually shrunken your perspective. You are no longer able to see past what didn’t happen…what hasn’t worked out.
So how do you get a bigger perspective? You take your eyes off of yourself, off of your problems, off of your limited resources, off of what hasn’t worked out, and you choose to stare at something bigger than yourself; or in this case, someone.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End"
(Rev 22:13).
Jesus is omniscient (knows everything), omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time), and omnipotent (has unlimited power). When your perspective has shrunken, and your path is no longer clear, you need the wisdom and guidance of the One who can see the beginning and the end.
Getting your focus off of yourself, and onto God, the Alpha and Omega, opens the door to greater possibilities, because with Him, a fuller picture comes into view.
Now you may be wondering, how is this accomplished? How do I turn the focus off of myself and onto Jesus? That’s a great question, with a simple answer; you spend time with Him; you make Him a priority.
Allow me to share with you a few of the simple practices I put into place in my life, to get my focus back on Jesus:
· I Started Reading My Bible: Nothing drastic, I just started reading in Genesis, the first book in the bible, and aimed to make spending time in God’s Word a daily habit. Don’t over complicate it. It doesn’t matter if you start in the Old Testament or the New Testament; it doesn’t matter if you read in the morning or the evening. What does matter is your consistency. We grow in our relationship with God, and reap the many benefits from that relationship, when we make him a
part of our everyday lives.
· I Started Journaling: Again, nothing mind-blowing. If a verse really connected with me, I wrote it down. If a passage provoked prayers within me, I jotted those prayers down. If I felt like God was speaking something directly into my heart, I put it down on paper so I wouldn’t forget it. Journaling allows me the opportunity to look back and ponder on the words of God that were very meaningful and impactful to me that day.
· I Started Meditating: In Joshua chapter one, the bible actually instructs us to keep the Book of the Law always on our lips; to meditate on it day and night, so that we may be careful to do everything written in it. It even goes on to say, “Then you will be prosperous and successful.” I have found that the best way for me to do this is by memorizing scripture. I take one verse at a time; usually a verse that has stood out to me for one reason or another; and I think about it throughout the day, speak it out loud throughout the day, pray it throughout the day, until I have committed it to memory.
Incorporating these practices into my daily life, shifted my focus off of me, and on to Jesus, where it belongs. And in return I gained a bigger perspective, purpose, creativity, new ideas, joy, peace, contentment, and so much more.
If you are longing for more in any area of your life, the place to start is with Jesus.
Make Room for What You Love. There’s no doubt that life keeps us busy. If we aren’t working, we’re running errands. If we aren’t caring for our kids, we’re caring for our home. The responsibilities and demands we face each day, can feel endless. Honestly, it can sometimes feel like we have time for everything and everyone, except ourselves.
But that isn’t the truth.
The truth is, we all have twenty-four hours in a day, and we all get to decide how to use them.
So how can you make your time work for you?
The First Step is to Evaluate Your Use of Time. When I started evaluating the use of my time, I quickly realized that much of it was wasted scrolling on Instagram, watching television, and surfing the Internet. And please don’t misunderstand, like most women, my life is busy. I own a business, I’m married with four kids (one of whom has special needs), I help run and maintain our home, I take required courses to maintain my business…and on and on the list goes. But the point is, there was extra time, and I was wasting it.
I spent years complaining about not having enough time to do all of the things I wanted to do, when in reality, the time I needed was there all along. I was just squandering it away.
If you want to make good use of your time, you must be willing to manage it, prioritize it, and cut off from it anything that is not adding value to your life.
In taking time to evaluate your use of time, you will find that there is time to write, to paint, to take courses, to start a business, to spend time with Jesus, or to do any of the many possibilities your heart desires.
The Second Step is to Start. You’ve had a dream, a purpose, a passion living dormant in your heart for far too long now. Yes, maybe it just wasn’t the right time. Yes, maybe you weren’t ready. Yes, maybe life was just a little too hectic to focus on anything that wasn’t right in front of you.
I get it. I’ve been there. I understand.
But what I would like to propose to you is, if you’ve come this far, if you’ve turned your focus off of yourself and back on to Jesus, the One who sees the beginning and the end, are growing in your relationship with Him, and simultaneously gaining a bigger perspective; and if you’ve taken back control of your time, cutting out all of the things that are time wasters and time stealers, you are at a new place; you are at the starting ground.
The starting ground is where you lay down your fears, your doubts, your uncertainties. It’s the place where you step out in faith, believing this path is intended for you. Believing your time is now.
So, whatever it is you want to do, make a move. Take action. There is no more time to waste. All of the signs in your life, are currently pointing to yes.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to
kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes”
(Mark 9:21 - 23).
Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was born into this world through a virgin birth, for the sole purpose of dying for your sins and saving your life for all eternity? Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, and arose on the third day, ascending to His rightful place in Heaven with The Father; thus, defeating both sin and death?
If you do, continue to trust and believe Jesus in every area of your life. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
If you’re not sure that you do, now is a good time to get to know the One who sacrificed everything for you. The One who sees the beginning and the end and knew that He wanted a relationship with you. You may not be ready at this moment, but when you are, have a conversation with the God who loves you. Invite Him into your life; invite Him into your heart; ask Him to be your God and share with Him all that you believe about Him. He will not turn you away or reject you; He is waiting for you.
Now, let's go and pursue peace.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s blog! I enjoy sharing content that help women live a life they truly love, because I know what it’s like to be living your life, but not loving your life. I know what’s it’s like to pour all of yourself into others, while your passions and your purpose remains unfulfilled.
I wrote my new book, Building Your Life from the Ground Up and Creating a Life You Love, to come alongside the woman who feels like something is missing in her life, who feels like she wants more out of life, but doesn’t even know where to begin to bring about those changes.
If that sounds like you, I invite you to sample my new book, Building Your Life from the Ground Up and Creating a Life You Love. You can find it here:
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