Prepare - Advent Week 2

As week 2 of Advent closes out, here are some points and thoughts from this weeks Christmas Devotional. 

Preparation is a statement of faith. I can't begin to imagine exactly what Mary was feeling when she told Joseph, to whom she was not wed, that she was pregnant. And I can't imagine what Joseph's initial thoughts were to this news. They each had their own share of trials to endure as more and more people found out. Mary and Joseph didn't let that stop them. They both knew and believed in their hearts that this was real. Mary did what was best and left town and Joseph stayed with her. They both prepared for the greater mission that they were a part of. To give birth to the One that would save the world.

While none of us will be birthing baby Jesus, God still has a plan for each of our lives that line up with His will and story. Christmas is a great time to prepare our hearts and minds for what is to come. I don't just mean for the birth of Christ, but for what is ahead for each of us. This weeks devotion shared four ways to prepare.

• Eliminate distractions. Focus more on family and friends and the things that money can't buy. Don't stress over finding the perfect gift or getting agitated at the crowded stores. Simplify your life. Be still. Focus on the reason for the season....Jesus.
• Notice God's hand. Look back and make a list of all the times God has seen you through a difficult circumstance. Remember how He has provided for you even when you thought there was no way out. Believe that He will continue to work all tings for your good. 
• Discern God's will. Take time to pray and mediate on God's will for your life. It's sometimes easy to do things our own way sometimes but His ways are always greater.
• Unite in a mission. There is power when people come together for a cause. Whether it is with your family or maybe your church group, relationships can be strengthened when you work towards something together.

How will you prepare? For me it means intentionally sitting down each morning with a daily Christmas reading and beginning my day with Jesus on my mind. 

Faith - Advent Week 1

As we enter into the Christmas season I wanted to be more intentional with my time spent in God's Word. I looked around and came upon a 5 week Advent devotional from lifeway.com. It's a weekly devotional that focuses on one word or idea to reflect on for the week. As I finish each week I would like to share some of what I learned and some insight I gained while studying. My hope is that you too can take something away from it.

Week 1: Faith

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14

This week the writer explained how waiting and faith work together.

Nobody likes to wait. We live in a society that has instant access to almost anything. You can download movies and books with the click of a button, you can record shows on your T.V. and watch them whenever you want and not even have to wait through commercials, and at most restaurants you can call ahead to put your name on the waiting list before you even get there to decrease your wait time. Because of all this instant gratification we are all used to, I become impatient quite easily with any type of waiting. Waiting 5 minutes at the draw bridge downtown, waiting for someone to call back, and waiting on hold on the phone are a few that I am guilty of.

The same is usually the case when we are waiting on God's timing. His timing is usually not the same as ours. We become impatient. We try to do things our own way and it usually doesn't work. This is where faith steps in.

"Now without faith it is impossible it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who can seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Advent is a time of faith and waiting. If you have been waiting on something, be encouraged that God is faithful. Having faith means that you trust Him. Trust Him to keep His promises, even when they seem so far away. While we wait is a great time to grow in our faith in Him. The waiting prepares us in just the right way for whatever is to come. While we wait for our Savior let's try to embrace the place we are in and give praise for all He has already done.

"The story of Jesus' birth gives us assurance and joy because even though the waiting lingered for decades, God broke through at just the right time."

I'll close with this prayer from the devotional:

"Lord, I remember the years of waiting for a Messiah. I'm often impatient with my life. Please teach me to enjoy You and not just the blessings I see in Your hands. Fill my days with laughter and joy through the hardship and uncertainty. Remind me that when I think I'm waiting for an eternity, it really isn't. Life on this earth is infinitely smaller than a second in the light of true eternity." Amen

When Friends Become Family

Thanksgiving came to our house a few weeks early this year. Not only did our house smell amazing all day but I'm happy to report that my very first turkey, complete with stuffing, came out great!

Preseason Thanksgiving Spread

It started last November when Josh was going to be deployed shortly before Thanksgiving Day. Myra, aka Mama Bear, had the great idea of putting together an early Thanksgiving dinner so that he wouldn't miss the most delicious holiday of the year. We quickly started planning and inviting some friends to join us. That night was filled with delicious food, many laughs, and good bonding time. Though I didn't realize it that evening, something else was happening. We were forming our own little family of sorts.

Friends that are Family <3

Throughout the last year we've shared in our life experiences together, new homes, new jobs, birthdays, weddings, new cars, races, holidays, sickness, loss, and everything in between. With our faith in Christ being our foundation, we have been cultivating our relationships with one another. I'm thankful to have this family away from family. These are my people. People who I would trust with anything. People who I know their door is open to me at all times. People to pray with and pray for, to celebrate with and mourn with. People to encourage and support. That being said, why not have another preseason Thanksgiving this year to show my love and gratitude for them all? Full bellies and full hearts filled the evening.

Lord, thank you for the gift of friends that become our family. I pray that you would be with us as we go into another year. I pray for your strength, wisdom, and guidance to help us be there for one another. As we grow closer to one another I pray that is draws us even closer You. Amen.

Is this real life?!?!

Today, I get to marry my best friend! I still can't believe that this is really happening!

10/17/15

This morning, Lilo and I went down to our favorite spot on the river to watch the sun come up. We just sat on the stairs instead of walking the beach (we couldn't ruin Lilo's freshly groomed paws) and watched the magnificent sunrise unfold before my eyes. Overwhelmed by God's love for me, I was moved to tears as I thought about His love for me. So many mornings I've sat there praying to the Lord and at times crying my heart out to Him. Today, I went to give thanks and to praise the One who has been faithful to His child. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. " ~ Psalm 37:4

I've always had a strong desire in my heart to be a wife. Far too many times I've read this verse and wondered "why hasn't he given me that yet?" But then I realized that I wasn't holding up my end of it. Was I honestly and truly delighting myself in the Lord? One definition of delight is: to give great pleasure or to please someone greatly. When I made the choice in my heart to finally fully submit to Him and His ways, my life changed. I was no longer worried about who, when, where, or why. I wasn't worried about "my" plan. My focus was on the Lord, trusting that He was preparing me for when the time, His time, was right.

Today is an answered prayer, proof that God is faithful and is of His word. Oh how He loves us! Thank you, Father for blessing me so richly! My prayer is that as Mark and I enter into the covenant of marriage that we can "be an earthly picture of God's heavenly covenant with His church, to reveal to the world the glory and beauty of God's unconditional love for us." (The Love Dare)

"He has remembered His covenant forever." ~ Psalm 105:8

I get to!

Do you have any words of wisdom you've heard at some point in your life that have really stuck with you? You know, the words you hear only once but have had a strong impact on you, maybe not until years later. One that I remember from my early teenage years came from my grandmother. I had spent the night at her house and in true teenager fashion, I slept until noon the next day. As I strolled into the kitchen looking for a bowl of cereal I remember her asking me how I could just sleep half of my day away. I guess I had never thought about that but that has been my mindset now as an adult. Maybe this also explains why I choose to wake up at 5am to workout before work.

Another one that sticks out in my mind comes from a friend that I follow on Facebook. She had written a post a few years back meant to encourage other moms. In it she explained that in the midst of driving kids to school, appointments, soccer practices, etc. it's easy to get caught up complaining that you have to do this and you have to do that and life is crazy. The take away from it was to change one little word. Changing I "have" to to I "get" to will allow you to have an attitude of gratitude instead of complaining.

While I don't have children, this still hit home for me because it can really be applied to every part of my life. Raise your hand if you've ever complained about having to go to work on Monday morning. (My hand is definitely raised ✋🏻) What if you changed that little word?  Now, I get to go to work on Monday morning. What a blessing it is to have a stable job that will pay my bills. Maybe you hate that you have to mow your lawn every single week during the hot summer months. Let's try changing that word again. I get to mow my lawn. It's a great reminder to myself that not everyone has a home with a yard that they can mow. I try to remember that the thing I may be complaining about just may be the very thing someone else it praying and hoping for.

What I love about my job as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor is that I have the opportunity to encourage people on a daily basis. This week I had a client that shared that lately she hasn't felt like coming to workout. She doesn't know why but she is in a rut with no motivation. I used this moment to remind her that instead of looking at her day ahead and saying "I have to go to the gym" to try saying out loud " I am healthy and able and I GET to go to the gym!" She stopped what she was doing and looked at me and said, "You know what? I never thought about it like that. Not everyone is able to get up each day and come here." It gave her that little extra push she needed to get through her session and hopefully will help her in the days and weeks to come.
Since it was fresh on my mind, I used this thought to close out my active older adults class that same morning. The final 5 minutes of class is reserved for quiet relaxation and if something encouraging is on my heart I share it with the class. I suggested to them that they take a moment to be thankful that we all got to wake up and come to the Y that morning and be together.  I love that I get to be in a position that can inspire and motivate.

So the next time you catch yourself complaining about having to do something, take a quick moment to switch that one word. Don't look at your tasks as chores, but as blessings, and see if it doesn't change your perspective. 😉

My Sister's Day to Shine!

As I was driving the other day a thought came into my mind. Being the oldest of two, I always got to experience life's milestones first; getting my ears pierced, going to my first sleepover, prom, driving, buying my first scratch ticket, graduation, college, buying a house, I could go on forever.

Coolest kids on the block

That is, until a few weeks ago when my little sister said "I Do" to the love of her life.

It was a little weird being on the inexperienced side of things, not to be able to tell her what to expect and how to stay relaxed when things get stressful. How could I possibly give good big sister advice if I have no idea what it feels like to be in the bride's shoes? (Speaking of shoes,  I am dreading wearing heels at my wedding.) How do I say "So what if the forecast shows rain? It will be ok." when I know that I would be stressing out about the same thing? I realized that the best thing I could do was remain positive for her and to pray for her.

Anaya Love 8/23/15

As most weddings probably go, everything didn't go perfectly as planned; it rained, the photographer was running late, the best man left the rings in the car and had to run out to get them during the ceremony (thankfully he made it back just in time,) the photo booth that she had reserved never showed up, and that morning at breakfast she wasn't even confident that the JP was going to show up! I'm not going to lie, if this had been my wedding day I probably would have been more stressed out than she was. Kelli handled everything in stride and in doing so taught me a very valuable lesson. Just because everything doesn't go perfectly as planned doesn't mean that it can't still be perfect. I admire her for not letting anything ruin the happiest day of her life. We have little control over most of the things that go on around us but we always have the power to control our attitude. I'm happy that my little sister got to be the first bride (and a beautiful one at that!)  I'm thankful that I will have my experienced sister by my side on my wedding day and the days leading up to it when I may need those reminders. Love ya, sis!

Sisters by chance, friends by choice <3

Djs and Dresses and Cakes, Oh My!

Wedding planning is in full force over here. Mark and I have decided on a short engagement, 7/3 to 10/17! When you know you know and we both certain do! 

Now I am not one of those girls who has built up a dream wedding in my mind since I was a little girl. I've never desired to have anything big and extravagant. I  simply knew that I wanted to get married. In fact, for the past few years I've told my closest family and friends that I didn't even know if I wanted a traditional wedding and reception. Exchanging vows and having a nice dinner with the family sounded nice and easy. However, we have both had so many people love and support us over the years that it would seem wrong not to share and celebrate this awesome occasion with others.

We have decided on a small private ceremony followed by a casual, low key gathering. Think: BBQ, sweet tea, and corn hole. But with any wedding or party comes planning. I'm not going to lie, I wouldn't be upset if someone coordinated the entire day for me and just told me where to show up and when haha. We have made pretty good progress with the details by having the dj, rental company, venue, pastor, flowers and cake all lined up. This week I found myself stressed and anxious though. We still haven't figured out the specifics with food (and you know how much this girl loves to eat) and I still haven't found my dress. After sending a Snapchat of a pan that used to be full of brownies (healthy ones at least) with a caption that read, "this is what happens when you are stressed and home alone" a good friend of mine asked me what was going on. When I shared with her my anxious thoughts she was quick to remind me that those are small, unimportant details (true,  and we will at least have cake.) She told me that God wouldn't care of I showed up in jeans and the guests wouldn't care if it was a potluck meal. What is important is that we are showing up that day to affirm our love for one another and make that commitment to stand together for the rest of our lives. What's important are the loved ones that will be present to share that special day with us. This couldn't be more true.

It is so easy to get caught up in worldly things. Most of us do it and don't even realize it. I'm thankful to have a sister in Christ who can help me redirect my thoughts and keep the right perspective. I'm thankful for those moment of grace and clarity.

Here's to stress free wedding planning from here on out!