Daily AFFIRMATION via Post-It.....

I just love Post-It sticky notes.....and the many ways they can be utilized! 

I started doing this, off and on, several years ago.  When I found a quote, photo or something that I really want to imprint at a deeper level, I would jot it down and stick it on a mirror where I would see it several times a day.  Since Eddie Dale and I share a bathroom and humidity might create a "sticky" issue, I have posted this little message to myself on the full-length mirror next to the door of my closet. 

Okay, interpret that in any way you like.....it's not that I look in the mirror numerous times out of vanity.  It's just that I know I will see it here when I am getting ready every morning....or before I leave the house. 

Here is an idea, albeit an AFFIRMATION, that I can look at - and say out loud - as I am checking my appearance each day......

It reminds me to TRUST (my One Word for this year) and BELIEVE that God has great blessings in store for me.  It also prompts me to seek GUIDANCE with each step.  And it brings to mind one of my favorite scriptures to start off the day.....

"This is the day the LORD has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it!" - Psalm 118:24

Since this little reminder has gone up, I have repeated it enough times that I am now finding myself automatically incorporating it into my thoughts and prayers throughout the day. 

Does it work?  Well, how would you go about measuring the results?  

I can say, without reservation, that it truly brings a sense of PEACE to mind when I dwell on it.  And having it so close to the surface of my mind keeps these positive words accessible when I find myself thinking negative thoughts.  So, when I get stressed or discouraged and negative thoughts start creeping in, I can switch tracks easily by focusing on this affirmation. 

Since I am a visual person, and really need to see things written down to latch on, this method works for me.  Do you have something similar that helps you?   

If you do, I hope you will share it in the comment section below - it might really be an blessing to someone else who reads it.  If not, give this a try for a few days - your own words of encouragement, or maybe a pertinent scripture - and see if it helps you stayed focused and positive.

Pushing onward and upward.....

 

Finding Peace at the End of the Day.....

Do you ever have one of those days when it feels like you're hopscotching from one rug to the next, only to feel each one pulled from beneath your feet the moment you land?

It's been one of those days.....one of those days when the climb is feeling rather steep and my legs are feeling pretty tired.

I write this post not to complain and whine about the things that, at the moment, seem insurmountable. 

No, I write this in order to put words to my need to trust....and reinforce my belief in the everlasting promise that "all things are possible with Christ, who strengthens me".

Sometimes, we just get to clicking along on autopilot, feeling like we're accomplishing much - mostly due to our own efforts.  (Well, at least I do that....)  When I embarked on a career in real estate a couple of years ago, I know that there would be many things beyond my control along the way.  The nature of the beast is that not all of the cogs in the machinery always work together and there would be disappointments (not only for me, but also for my clients) along the way. As frustrating as it is, I can't always "fix" everything.

Days like this serve to remind me that any success I have is not necessarily attributable to my efforts.  In fact, it's mostly despite my efforts!  Days like this are a reminder that, in myself, I am weak.....and someone up above thinks I need a "little period of readjustment" to put things back in to perspective.  Tough, tough, tough for me - being the control freak that I am! 

And, so I surrender it up tonight.  With the pups sleeping around my feet (having sat here consuming way too much coffee and fretting for the last couple of hours), I give it up and TRUST GOD to give me the wisdom and patience to deal with situations that seem borderline disastrous in the dark of the night. 

How appropriate that this is the "verse for the day" that came up on my Bible app today......

"Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary 

and carry heavy burdens, 

and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

Don't you just love when God sends a little tangible reminder like that just when you need it most?

Application of The Word

Faith.  Trust.  

 Big words that point to God and His power.  

Words I want desperately to live by.... 

Worry. Fear.  

There are days when it just seems so hard to let go of these two words....

Words that point right back at me and my weakness.  

Having begun my own business just over a year ago, the income still isn't steady.  It fluctuates much with the seasons and the housing market.  For the year prior to that, the first year after our relocation, I had zero income coming in.  So, we are still struggling to pull up out of that hole.

At moments, concern over where the money will come from overwhelms me.  Every time I sit down to update the checkbook and pay bills, I break into a clammy sweat.  Each time I spend money on something that isn't a necessity, trepidation and guilt worm their way into my mind.

There are times when I feel compulsively drawn to The Word for reassurance.... and It never fails me.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." ~ Philippians 4:6

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory 

in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:19

The book of Philippians has much to say about worrying over material matters.  To sum it all up - DON'T DO IT!!! 

God has provided for us this far.  Our job is to be good stewards of what we have been given, work hard, and trust in Him.  Additionally, we are told to give thanks and go to Him with needs. I don't see a thing in there about fretting leading to any gain....

Sounds so simple, but it is often very difficult to do.  It is a lesson to be learned over and over.  It requires deliberate action on my part.

Today, my determination to start living those first two words, faith and trust, has found new resolve.  When the fear and worry start creeping in, I need to just recite these scriptures - to myself or even out loud - and remember their significance.  After all, our determination must be fed so it does not wane.  And what better to feed determination than The Word of God? 

Life is chaotic enough without drowning in a sea of worry and fear when it is totally unnecessary and a waste of time and energy.  Choose Trust and Faith with me today!

Let Me Let Go.....

I am sure you have all heard that quote -

"Let go and let God...."

Sounds like such a simple plan.  But, if you are a control freak/Type A kind of person.....well, it's not such an easy thing to do. 

Each time I just about get to the point where I am "letting go" and getting a sample - a small taste - of the blessing that awaits me, "self" steps in and tries to get back in the driver's seat.  What is up with that?!?!? 

When I just surrender and trust, I can feel the peace wash over me.  And yet I struggle to charge back in and grab the wheel.  Why?!?!?

I am frustrated with "self" right now.  "Self" gets to feeling all powerful and strong and forgets to be humble and obedient.  And, as is usually the case, she is getting taught a lesson. 

I quite underestimated the amount of hard work, time and selflessness that it would take to get established in my new career.  While I have made some great strides and had some success, I have also had some eye-opening setbacks and - to put it bluntly - rejection.  "Self" does NOT like rejection.  Honestly, who does??? 

Some days it feels as if I have not made a bit of progress, nearly hopeless; others I feel like I've climbed to the mountain top.  On those days when I get discouraged, I am quick to throw myself a little pity party for one.  On those days when I have achieved the goal, I often forget to whom I should give the credit.  Perhaps this is why I keep getting knocked back down on my booty?  A bit of humble pie?  A lesson being taught as though to a willful child? 

So, for now, I keep taking it one day at a time - because it is a daily matter to surrender.  Knowing what to do and doing it are two very different things.  I haven't completely figured out yet if it's a surrender in my heart, my mind, or both.  I suspect at this point that it is a surrender of my whole being, complete and total.  And it is obviously a process, not a one-time/temporary deal. 

My prayer for tomorrow, and for the day after that, is to allow work to be done through me - not by me.  I know there are blessings out there with my name on them - I just need to push "self" out of the way because she's got this really bad habit of blocking them!

Blessings to you.

Janie