Updated Blessings! :)

I wanted to take a minute and list out all my blessings, as this always helps me to love my life and God more, and remember to thank Him!

Newly realized blessings!  

• This day - It is beautiful and the sun is shining!!!  I love the warmth of summer heat!  :)  
• Answered prayers:
• My dad and brother have both recently received new jobs!  These are long awaited, wonderful answers to many prayers!  The wait was worth it, as they both love their new jobs :) 
• One of my close friends (from my small group) underwent surgery for endometrial cancer.  They had suspected she would have a long recovery and need chemo and/or radiation, but they were able to do the surgery with minimal recovery time, and she will not need follow-up treatments!  
• Online Bible Study - "Stressed-Less Living" is such a blessing to me!  I learned a lot through the book, Melissa's blog, and the blogs of others.  I felt so encouraged and inspired by reading posts and interacting with amazing women, and having people comment on my blog - this helped me get through some difficult moments in the past few weeks!  Proverbs 31 Ministries is amazing (their daily devotionals are wonderful too)!!!  
• Recent vacation - I got to spend a week with one of my best friends, relaxing and having an adventure in Cabo!  

I am so thankful to the Lord that I got to take a week away from the office, relax, get to the beach, explore a new place, and try out some new and exciting things!  The best part was waking up in the morning and reading my Bible and praying while listening to the waves crash on the beach.  

        Seeing His wonders in nature help me feel very close and connected to            

        Him!  

• Office - we have a policy manual and have been starting reviews - things are shaping up, and I have great hope for the practice!  
• Gideon Bible Study - I have started a new Bible study with two ladies from work.  In one week I have already learned more new and incredible things.  I am always amazed at how we can always be growing with the Lord, and how much closer we can get to Him.  Priscilla Shirer is an amazing woman and author!  
• Eating well - This is something I struggle with!  Whenever I am focused on God, I find I can resist eating the whole bag of Oreos, and reaching for something healthier instead.  When I am not focused on God, my eating (and everything in my world) goes awry!  
• The wait - I have felt as though the majority of my adult life I have been waiting.  Waiting for what exactly, I am not sure.  Just waiting for something more in my life, something bigger, something that made me feel more important in the world.  I have finally realized recently that we can always be waiting for something, or for more of something, but this is our life RIGHT NOW!  I've seen it before and it never really clicked, but life is not a destination, it is a journey.  This journey is my daily life - waking up and spending time with God and His Word, going to work and interacting with coworkers and patients (and attempting to be a blessing to them), spending time with friends and family, etc - this IS life!  And as I go through this journey with God, I have become who I am today.  If God had given me a big career that I had to spend many hours a week on, or a husband and a family of my own, I doubt I would be as close to Him as I am today, because I would not have had the time for building my relationship with Him; and would not be nearly as happy and peaceful as I am today!  I am so thankful that I have found contentment in Him :)   

Previously mentioned, and still wonderful blessings I like to reflect on:  

• A wonderful, loving, amazing, powerful God!  
• My awesome family 
• Great friends 
• Q-bert - my cat! Also my little yoga buddy (see below) :)  
• All my needs are met! 
• My two jobs 
• My co-workers 
• My health
• My church
• My small group 

Thank you for reading!  Peace to all, and God bless!!!  :)

Prayer

The verse of the week for our Online Bible Study this week, Romans 8:26, is another reassuring one!  I love that the Spirit helps us through wordless groans, when we cannot find the words ourselves.  

I also realized as I was reflecting on this verse and praying throughout the week that this applies to those who we are praying FOR as well!  Often times I find that I want to pray for someone, but have no clue how to pray for them.  I feel silly admitting this, but sometimes all I can think to say is "Please help them Lord!"  I pray that over and over until I feel at peace about it.  Not knowing how to pray for some people always felt like a big weakness of mine.  I did not realize until this week that it is the Spirit, interceding through wordless groans, that helps me to pray for them!  I am so thankful for this verse, and that the Spirit truly does help us in every aspect of our lives - even in our prayers!  

Thanks for taking the time to read, and God bless!!!  :)  

I Will Be With You

"I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."  

~Isaiah 43:1b-3a 

This verse is so incredibly reassuring!  It literally warms my soul, and makes me feel loved.  To think that God is there to protect me in the waves and fires of our lives is incredible!  He is there when I am at work when I am fighting fires with patients or other people.  He is there in my relationships when things get heated so I don't get burned.  He is there in my family when I feel like the waves of major change, economic stress, and life in general will wash us away.  He is there when I feel I will be drowned in a deep river of stress, yet my soul feels dry.  He is there in all of this, taking care of us, keeping us safe.  He is in control!  

In the midst of all our hardships, grievances, suffering, trials, and tribulations, God is there.  He never leaves us - we just have to seek Him always.  If we do not actively seek Him every moment of every day, then we may miss His presence in our lives.  We cannot know the incredible power of God unless we seek Him.  He has already met us more than halfway; we must just go our half to meet Him! 

Thank you for reading, God bless!!!  :)  

Trusting His Timing

Trust - firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something 

I have a firm belief that God is reliable, and will always provide and take care of me.  

I have a firm belief in the truth of God's Word.  

I have a firm belief in the ability of God to do amazing things with and in my life.

I have a firm belief in God's strength to provide me with strength, and to do incredible and seemingly impossible things.  

But why do I struggle with having a firm belief that God's timing is perfect?  

Sometimes (ok, often times!) I struggle with trusting God's timing.  Most days, I truly love my life and where I am at in life.  Other days, I feel frustrated with the wait for some of my heart's desires.  Why do I not have a higher-paying job already?  Why can I not find a good job in the field that I have a degree in?  Why do I not have a husband yet?  I could ask "why" questions all day, but I must remember to focus on the blessings I DO have, instead of my lack of what I THINK I need!  

In her book Stressed-Less Living, Tracie Miles says "I had temporarily and inadvertently allowed the frustrations to become my focus, instead of the life-saving promises of the Bible."  Sometimes, I allow my frustrations to become my focus, instead of focusing on Jesus Christ. When I realize this, I immediately pray for forgiveness and help on re-focusing myself.  The following scriptures are some of the ones I reflect on and guard my heart with when I feel the enemy is attacking:  

• Proverbs 3:5 (MSG) - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding."  Whenever I read this scripture, it reminds me that I do not need to have all the answers!  Even though I may not understand why God is making me wait for certain things, I have to trust (have a firm belief) that He has a reason for my wait.  
• Romans 4:16 (MSG) - "This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing Him and what He does.  God's promise arrives as a pure gift..."  If I want to receive His amazing promises and blessings, then I must trust God with everything - including His timing!    
• Romans 14:17-18 (MSG) - "...Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ..."  This is the only thing that God asks of us!  Serving Christ is the only thing I should be focused on in my life - not acquiring wealth, not worrying about when I will have a husband, or anything else that the enemy tries to distract me with.  
• Psalm 37:4-5 (ESV) - "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act."  I trust God with my life, and I know he will give me the desires of my heart - I cannot question his timing, because He has reasons for the wait!  
• Romans 5:3-5 (MSG) - "There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.  In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged.  Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"  God teaches us patience in our times of waiting, and uses this to help us draw close to Him.  He will fill our lives with abundant blessings!  

I know He uses my waiting times to help me grow in my faith and to teach me patience.  He will give me the desires of my heart when He knows I am ready for them.  I trust that His ways are the best, and that He will provide exactly what I need when I need it - He has not failed me yet! :)  

Progress Report and Favorite Quotes!

One of this week's online bible study topics asks, "How are you doing so far in your study of Stressed-Less Living by Tracie Miles?  Is there a lesson you have learned so far that has had a big impact on your life?"  Short answer - yes!  Long answer - multiple lessons; this book is truly amazing and life changing!  

For me, the biggest lesson I have learned came from first two chapters.  The realization that my stress level is controlled by me, and not by anything going on around me, has really changed my life.  Some amazing passages include the following:  

• Chapter 1 - Discovering the Real Problem: 

• "It takes a lot of effort to stay negative, and, when it's all said and done, absolutely nothing is achieved." 
• "As my journey progressed from the stress zone to the faith zone, I allowed God's promises to seep into every ounce of my being.  I slowly began to understand that I was the only person who had control over my mind.  I was the only person who had authority over the joy in my heart.  I was the only person who could determine my attitude on any given day.  I had to choose to be an optimist, despite negative circumstances.  I had to make a decision to live life on purpose, as God intended, or to just simply be alive.  I  was the only person who can control how stressed I felt.  Even when other people or circumstances were the external cause of stress, only I could allow those problems to suffocate my internal peace.  Only I could grant permission for the flame in my heart to be snuffed out like a candle."
• "I realized that most of my stress was rooted in trying to control circumstances that I had no control over.  I was freed from trying to change people that I couldn't change, from attempting to fix things that I had no resources to fix, from focusing on the unfairness of life instead of the blessings that I had been given because of God's undeserved grace, and from worrying over problems that I had no power to remedy.  I was wasting infinite amounts of time, energy, and emotion on things that were completely, 101 percent, out of my control!"  
• "As you continue to read through this book, my prayer is that you will learn to understand and believe without a shadow of a doubt that, despite your valid emotions, raw feelings, open wounds, and heavy heart, you are the only one who has authority over your attitude, your joy, and, yes, even your level of stress."  
• "Stress typically does not come from the situations in our lives but rather from the ways we handle those situations." 
• "You have complete control over whether you spend life stressed and depressed or happy and fulfilled, despite the circumstances you face."  
• "So, since stress in every form is here to stay, what we must realize is that it is not the stressful situations in and of themselves that cause our stress but the way we process and handle those stressful situations."  
• Chapter 2 - Does It Really Matter? 

• "Ask God to grant you the courage and strength to let those problems go, and let him take over."
• "A much better definition of peace is one that rests on the ability to rise above our circumstances, overcome our innate tendency to stress out over problems, and learn to remain calm and confident despite what is going on around us.  That is real peace - a peace based on Christ, not on people or circumstances.  A peace based on faith, not on personal desires being met.  A peace based on a quieted heart, not on a quiet house.  A peace based on the love of Jesus, not on an easy day at work.  A peace based on trusting God in all things, not just the easy things we can handle with no problem.  A peace that is present in our hearts, even when our entire life is overflowing with chaos.  That is the kind of peace only Jesus can give, and, once we get a taste of that kind of peace, we are never the same again."  

I love how Tracie does not sugar coat any of this!  It was like a slap in the face at first, but one I definitely needed.  I have been blessed to know people who have been incredibly happy and joyful despite cancer, despite loss of loved ones and jobs, despite bankruptcy, despite abuse, despite divorce, despite all kinds of life situations no one wants to be going through.  This made me look up the following definition:  

Despite - without being affected by; in spite of 

I wrote out some of my "stressors" using that definition:  

• I can be happy and peaceful without being affected by broken or struggling relationships 
• I can be happy and peaceful without being affected by financial difficulties 
• I can be happy and peaceful without being affected by patients, clients, coworkers, or people in general who are unkind 
• I can be happy and peaceful without being affected by my own mistakes 
• I can be happy and peaceful without being affected by my initial reactions of frustration or anger 

I can be happy and peaceful without being affected by anything negative or bad in my life, and by being affected in a positive way by the joy of the Holy Spirit!  

I also thought of others in my life who are strong: 

• My amazing and incredible mother, who is such a joy to be around (I could write an entire blog post just on how amazing she is!) - joyful without being affected by any of the multiple stressors in her life!
• My wonderful and fun father (I could also write a blog post on how amazing he is, too!) - fun without being affected by any of the multiple stressors in his life!  
• My amazing, incredible, strong single friends who are so much fun to be around, fill me with joy,and are encouraging to me and others - strong without being affected by divorce.  
• One of my coworkers who is so much fun to work with, always ready to help, always smiling and laughing - delightful without being affected by financial difficulties and a son who has made some not-so-great choices.  
• My office manager who is always calm, always willing to stop and help and answer questions, always forgiving, a great listener, is fair, and is just wonderful - wonderful without being affected by office drama, her mother-in-law living with her, and the stress of four children.  

I am sure they all have internal struggles, but I can only hope and pray that I can return the blessing to them!  As I was writing this list, I realized how truly blessed I am to be surrounded by so many amazing people.  

Being happy and peaceful really is as simple as making a choice to BE happy and peaceful!  As I learned last week in Philippians 4:8, if I keep my thoughts positive, this will make my life more joyful and pleasing to the Lord!  

Working for the Lord!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if you were working for the Lord, not for man." 

~Colossians 3:23 (NIV)  

"Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters.  And don't just do the minimum that will get you by.  Do your best.  Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance.  Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ."  

~ Colossians 3:23 (MSG)  

This scripture is one I am trying to focus on at work.  How I am doing this:

• Instead of feeling overwhelmed and frustrated whenever I get more word piled on to my plate, I want to think of it as more work I can do for God, and more that I can do to glorify Him!   
• Each person I interact with I can be a blessing to.  Hopefully they will see God's light in me!  
• I can help make the lives of others easier:
• Patients - make the information about procedures or insurance benefits clear and easy to understand; make scheduling and paying (checking out) easy; smile and make them feel welcome and at ease.  
• Coworkers - help make their jobs easier by going above and beyond; leaving rooms and things better than I found them; helping make their time at work more enjoyable and rewarding.
• Other scriptures:
• Proverbs 22:9 (MSG) - "Generous hands are blessed hands, because they give bread to the poor."  
• Hebrews 6:10 (NIV) - "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."  
• Philippians 2:4 (MSG) - "Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.  Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage.  Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." 
• Luke 6:38 (MSG) - "Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing.  Giving, not getting, is the way.  Generosity begets generosity."  
• John 15:12 (NIV) - "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." 
• Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV) - "You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  
• Galatians 6:2 (NIV) - "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."  
• Galatians 6:9 (NIV) - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  

Pruning

This morning, just like every other morning, I stepped out on my patio to water my geranium.  Yes, I only have one plant right now, as I am typically known in the gardening world as The Girl with the Giant Black Thumb.  I want to get several more plants to make my patio more of a beautiful space, but I decided to start small with a reliable, hardy plant just to make sure I can keep that one alive!  

As I was watering it, I noticed that the flowers seemed more beautiful than usual today.  I decided I wanted to capture a picture of this one bloom that seemed especially exquisite.  After grabbing my camera, I quickly tried several times to take a picture of this bloom.  This was the result:  

Ugh!  This simply does not capture the beauty of this flower!  I tried a few more times, but grew increasingly frustrated as there was a whispering breeze that kept blowing it around, and the camera just would not seem to focus.  Finally I realized I would have to wait until the breeze settled down before the flower would be still enough for my point-and-shoot camera to be able to focus correctly, and that I needed a better angle in regards to the lighting.  Soon enough, the breeze slowed and I captured this picture:  

Now, while this photo may not be award-winning photography, I feel that it captures more of the intricate beauties of this flower than the one above it.  Finally satisfied with my picture, I went about pruning the plant, trimming off all the old leaves and blooms.  

Then God whispered in to my heart several thoughts about how the past few minutes I spent with this plant are how He tries to spend all His time in our lives!  It is amazing how He can speak so many thoughts into my heart so quickly.  I realized that how I was pruning this plant is so much like how when we stay close to Him, He prunes our lives.  John 15:1-2 says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful" (NIV).  

According to Wikipedia, pruning is "A horticultural and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of parts of a plant, such as, branches, buds, or roots.  Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.  The practice entails targeted removal of deceased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from crop and landscape plants."  Wow!  Just as I am removing dying plant growth from my geranium so that it can continue to grow, bloom, and be beautiful, God selectively removes anything in our lives that is harmful or non-productive so that we can continue to grow, bloom, and be beautiful too!  

I began to think of all the things that God has "pruned" back in my life, that at the time I resisted.  People that I no longer have a relationship with.  Jobs that I no longer work.  Activities I am no longer involved with.  The list could go on and on!  When things happened that I did not understand or enjoy, God was using this to prune back my life so I could move forward and grow - and I am so glad He did, as I absolutely love my life!  

I also realized while I was trying to capture the picture of this flower how much we ourselves can get blown around by the wind that is life.  A slight breeze can feel refreshing and relaxing, but a strong wind can make you feel unstable, disoriented, and unfocused.  These winds can come in the form of relationship struggles, financial struggles, working many hours, or anything else that you can get caught up in the whirlwind of.  You may never know when it will stop and you can just be still, rest, and breathe.  Once we are still we can finally see God's beauty that exists all around us and in ourselves.  Psalm 46:10 says it best: "Be still and know that I am God."  

When the winds of life are blowing us around, we must remember to cling to the rock:

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

~Psalm 18:2 (ESV)  

He will help anchor us to the ground, and will never be uprooted no matter the size of the storm.  Trust in the truth that God has everything under His control, and will use everything to His glory!