Wisdom from nine-year-old Johnny

The hustle and bustle of this season may look different for most of us; however, the pressures of the holidays may still exist.

Several years ago, I came upon this list of how to get through the holiday season thriving, not just surviving, the activities and extra duties that are part of Christmastime. Nine-year-old Johnny made some compelling (and truthful) observations and offered several tips to consider:

1. Adults get cranky when they get too busy. Ask for help. People like to help.
2. Don’t get uptight. Try to stay calm as much as you can.
3. If you get cold, just bundle up. Then you’ll like snow.
4. Be grateful.
5. If there’s too much cooking to do, get rid of the olives and the salad. But, not the turkey.
6. Think about God.
7. Help people.
8. Give people presents from their favorite store and get a gift receipt. It’s so exciting to see if people like the presents you bought for them! So, in case, they don’t like your gift, they can just return it and find something they DO like.
9. If you’re really too busy, don’t get a tree. That will make a huge difference!

Johnny was right about adults getting “cranky” when faced with all those holiday tasks. Sometimes I forget until I’m deep into the grouch persona. Johnny offers the remedy in Tip #2—Ask for help.

Am I the only one who has a difficult time asking for help? For most of my life, I desperately struggled with reaching out for assistance. I kept trying to prove I could do it all and all by myself. Pride keeps us from seeking and accepting help. It also keeps us stuck in misery—and this goes beyond setting up the Christmas tree! It leaks out into the way we handle all of the demands of life.

And, yes, people will answer your requests for help. Try it!

There isn’t much I can offer in the suggestion to bundle up—I think it might just be me—but winter weather is definitely for the birds, but not this California chick! We have been blessed with the late summer-like fall weather until today! We woke up to a dusting of tiny snowflakes. I’ll not complain. Instead, I will strive to be grateful.

And, not just grateful for the weather—but as the Word tells us—give thanks to God in all things! (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Why? Because gratitude brings about a heart and mindset change where we can rise above the world’s clatter. Gratitude brings peace to your soul.

The best part of Johnny’s list? Think about Jesus whose birth we celebrate at this time of year. Our #takebackyourlifegroup is reading through the Gospel of Luke. Join us! It will make your heart full!

It’s the giving season; a time to help others. Reach out to those who are alone, who struggle with sadness and depression; those who have had a loss this year, and those who may be in financial hardship. This year has been tough on all of us; some have suffered so much loss in so many ways.

This season take little Johnny’s sweet advice—get out of overwhelm, think about God, and help others.

And, if you need help, don’t forget to reach out. Don’t be alone in the stress, loneliness, or uncertainty of this unusual holiday season.

If you haven’t yet downloaded your complimentary copy of “Overcoming the Impossible: How to Live Your Faith in Troubling Times” it’s a helpful guide to navigating through to the other side. Click Right Here.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16

It’s been a different kind of year. Okay, that’s an understatement. We have never been this way before as we head into our Thanksgiving and the Christmas season.

Our world as we have known it has ceased to be, and we are in a season of uncertainty as we navigate daily life during the strife, the sickness, and fear of the future.

Yet, the Word says, be grateful “in all things.” It isn’t easy, not in our humanness. Our restless hearts seek comfort, happiness, and well-being—the blessings. We want to know that everything is going to turn out okay (my way). Sometimes it doesn’t.

This past September, while visiting my mom in California, she suffered a stroke from which she never recovered. We prayed that she would be with us longer, but it didn’t happen. It was challenging to thank God at that moment.

But, when I asked God to bring peace into the situation for my sisters and me, I suddenly realized how grateful I was that I listened to the still, small voice that one month earlier said, “Don’t wait, go see your mom, now.”

I became grateful that I could be there with my sisters. Mostly, I thanked God that He was with us in all of it.

I have found that what the heart really yearns for is the higher life, the Jesus-centered way of living that focuses on Him as its source of fulfillment. No matter what is going on “out there.”

A grateful heart begins with a conscious decision to accept life as it is right now. Gratitude is a choice we make every day. When we choose it, God gives us the strength to accept the unacceptable. We pray with a thankful heart for the “peace that passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)

Guided by Holy Spirit energy, our responses to life become powerfully effective. Fear and confusion leave us. We become energized and equipped, wrapped in Grace and Love.

Gently guided on the path to freedom from wanting our way, our world opens wide before us. We step into the days ahead filled with promise, hope, and security in Him.

Spiritual growth happens when we see that we have all we need and that God, our Source, loves us and will never forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

I pray that you will be in the joy and peace of Jesus during the Thanksgiving season. I pray, also, that you live in the supernatural gift of a grateful heart.

Life has been a blurred whirl since mid-August. Significant events made the days gone by memorable in ways I could not have imagined. And, the season has only just begun. 

What happens when life speeds up, and you’re already going as fast as you can, working to stay ahead, not just keep up? Maybe you’ve been there. Or it’s happening right now.

Someone mentioned that there are only nine Mondays until Christmas! And we are all seeking ways to celebrate the holidays in a new and different way.

I have been discovering the true essence of surrender–delivering (giving) up to God all that I have no control over, which is just about everything in life and this world. It comes with the territory of belonging to Jesus–my life is now His.

It has brought me to a deeper meaning of what we call in recovery circles, living “life on life’s terms.” Acceptance of the uncontrollable situations and circumstances—the ones we didn’t ask for as well as our heart’s desires.

We learn in early sobriety to get rid of the disillusionment that we can make things happen, change people, and stop the fearful worry that keeps us paralyzed and leads to anxiety and, ultimately, illness and depression. (Proverbs 12:25)

Jesus said, “the devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy.”  (John 10:10) The devil works—sometimes not very hard—to disturb our daily peace, distract us from focusing on what’s in front of us right now—staying present in the moment —and deter us from our ultimate Kingdom mission on earth.  

My mom suffered a major stroke (from which she never recovered) while I was visiting her in August. My husband retired on October 1, and we are in the middle of purging, packing, and planning our move to another state. Some of you may be going through a patch of rough road.

Life is in session, and I am not in control. Acceptance and surrender are the keys to victory over the circumstances.

This morning I was reminded of the rest of John 10:10—God is in control. His Grace is sufficient for this day. His promise is for life above anything we could ever imagine—true abundance in Him.

What is true abundance?   Be looking out for an e-mail on what it means to live the abundant life. You can also head on over to Facebook and join my group #takebackyourlife! where we share as a community experiencing life in Jesus daily. 

Fall is usually the best of seasons for me. The change in the air brings about a shift; higher anticipation of things to come. Change happens in the most remarkable ways and brings hope for the new year.

What I hadn’t expected was my mother’s sudden stroke, hospitalization, and ultimate passing on September 3.

Sometimes during quiet time with God, I receive a prompting to take action that if I don’t question, always bring His Grace, Strength, and Love for the task. When I received a Holy Ghost “nudge” visit my mom as soon as possible, I hesitated. I usually visit in November around her birthday.

I felt that God was leading me into this new season in a different way and booked my flight out to the west coast.

We had a wonderful day and a half together before tragedy struck. Suddenly, she was down and unable to overcome the massive stroke that brought devastation to her mind and body.

As I prepare to head out again next week to be with my sisters for the service, I am reminded that “there is a season…for everything under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-22)

It’s God’s time frame for the uncontrollable events that happen in our lives—life and death, illness, and tragedy.

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

My mom lived a long life; we knew she would be gone someday sooner than later. In an earlier conversation, I asked her if she was afraid of dying; if she knew where she was going after death. She said she had no fear and knew she was going to be with Jesus. There was a peace in my spirit for whatever came next.

It’s Fall, a season of change.

A lot is happening in our world right now; it’s all around us and distracts us from hearing Jesus calling us to Him, showing us the Way. This season change comes. A fresh season of hope, love, and joy. Don’t miss it.

Stay mindful. Be patient. Stay close to Jesus. He has so much for you this season!

Are you ready?

In His Love and Service,

Who do you think you are?

Ha! Indeed! Have you ever asked yourself that question?

I have many times. Usually, it was when I was about to do something that was way out of my comfort zone, something big I wanted to accomplish in life. It started before I became a life coach.

For most of my life, I wanted a college education so that I could teach. However, through a series of unfortunate events, most of my own making. I played safe by taking jobs that didn’t match my values, God-given gifts, and talents. Teaching required college education. 

Besides, I asked myself, “Who do you think you are?” 

That question came up out of old messages, the lies I believed about myself, and those pesky limiting beliefs that said,
 

I wasn’t going there. Instead, I forged ahead, seeking ways to make myself happy because I was so miserable. 

Of course, this didn’t work. It wasn’t going ever to work. Because I had to be someone I wasn’t to be okay; to survive. The image I conjured and worked so hard to promote—the false self—kept me in survivor mode, stuck in my thoughts, ambitious in the wrong direction, and always pretending that everything was okay. 

Until it wasn’t, my story of the spiral down is one for another day.

The good news is that I encountered a real, living Jesus. Over the days that followed, working with counselors, I began to discover how limited life had become. Preserving a false image takes a lot of hard work; it wears you out! You can read more in this blog post on abundant, authentic living. 

Getting real is hard work too! But it is so worth it. Your world changes when you are uniquely you, nobody else. That’s what authenticity is—real, not an imitation!
 

It took years to get there, but I finally earned two degrees at 50 and 54. There were times the voice would whisper, “Who do you think you are?”

And I had the answer!

I’ll be sharing the way to true life-transformation and the gift of being you. Find out how to get into the flow, loved and guided by an all-powerful, loving God over a summer of 75-minute virtual gatherings. Here are all the details.

 In His Love and Service,
 

 

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