Are You Living the Best Version of You?

I love sleep.  I mean I REALLY love sleep.  It is almost one of my favorite things to do!  My bed is extra comfy.  My pillows are stacked just right.  My snuggly soft yellow blanket travels with me wherever I go in my suitcase and  I have a cute little bear that I have slept with for over 15 years. (long story)

 {Don't be shy, say hello to our guests, Mr. Brambles!}

When I was a teenager I often slept until noon.  Can anyone relate?  So by now you're thinking, "yeah, so what, you love sleep".

Recently God has revealed to me a major weakness in my life.  SLEEP!  I know I've confessed to y'all before about liking my sleep.  I think I've even explored the idea that my addiction to sleep is a sin for me.  Did you know that addiction is just a fancy, easier to swallow name for idol?

IDOL:  any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.

 

My devotion and adoration of sleep has kept me from devotion to other more important things.  It has kept me from being the best version of me.  For example, if I head back to bed each day this week after my kids go to school (don't laugh--it happens), I've lost over 7-8 hours of productive work time for my home and family.  Even worse, if my house is in order, I've stolen time away from God as well....time I could have been in communion with him in study or service.

 

"We must identify and understand that which threatens our ability to flourish, and only sin can keep us from becoming the person God wants us to become." 

John Ortberg, The Me I Want To Be 

 

I've battled this beast for a long time now.  I've always known that sleep wasn't the best use of my time, but never did I see it as a roadblock for God making me into the best person I can be. 

To make matters worse, Satan can't keep his stinkin' nose out of it.  He'll whisper in my ear every morning how nice and comfy warm my bed is, how it's only an hour, how I have the rest of the day to be productive, how I didn't sleep well during the night and I deserve it.  THEN...when I get up from my comfy nap...He makes fun of me!  He accuses me of being lazy, points out all that I have to get done, and laughs at my weakness.

Have you been in this battle?  It might not be against sleep.  It may be against something far more serious; alcohol, p0rn0graphy, shopping, eating, gambling, gossip.....the list could go on forever.  Is there something in your life that needs to be tackled head on so that you can be the BEST version of YOU that God intended?

He doesn't love you any less for where you are right now.  His love for you never changes.  But He has great things in store for you.

Will you join me in this SEARCH AND DESTROY mission?  Find what keeps you from thriving.  If it isn't obvious to you, pray about it.  God will show you.  Once you know what is keeping you from flourishing, team up with God to knock down that stronghold!!

Would you be transparent with us today?  What keeps you from being the BEST version of YOU?

 

31 Days to Clean - Desperation for a Lousy Housekeeper

When you become wife and then mother, the title housekeeper just seems to come along with the other titles.  Mind you, no one asked me if I'd like this position in the home, it was just expected of me.  I'm sure that no one checked my references, because if they had, my title would have been revoked!

You know how men are born with their s*x drive on high gear?  Why couldn't women have been born with their housekeeping drive on high gear as well?  Shouldn't it be a natural talent, seeing as we all have to do it?

Natural for me, it is not.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

 Exhibit C.

 Exhibit D.

Do I proudly display my failure here?  No.  But if joining some other great ladies through the study 31 Days to Clean helps me be held accountable, I'm all for it. So today I proudly join many others going through this devotion and look forward to having a tidy and clean home in 31 days.

I've got my ebook and I'm ready to go.  Now where did I put that dust rag?

Trading Good for Great

Have you ever heard a message a thousand times and not think it applies to you, and then one day you realize they were talking directly TO YOU!  Guilty!

I have heard over and over the message that sometimes you have to give up GOOD in exchange for GREAT.  For some reason this has never sunk in with me, or I thought it applied to other people, not me!  But the Holy  Spirit has been very talkative to me this week and I need to make some changes.

My sweet friend Teri Lynne over at Pleasing To You ran several posts this week about Anti-Balance(you'll have to go read it to find out what that is!).  One of her exercises was to write down EVERYTHING you do and then prioritize that list.  I didn't get my list down on  paper yet, but it has been simmering in my head all week.  I have decided that some good things need to go in exchange for concentrating on great things.

This blog has featured some of those "good" things of which I am choosing to let go.  I love crafty things.  If I see something on the internet that is total cuteness, I know I can figure it out and make it.  And I usually do.  But do I need to?  Take a look at what my office looks like right now:

Stop the madness!

Yes, you are seeing that right, there is hardly floor space to walk through the room.  (And those Pringles cans aren't mine, my 8 year old is addicted!)  I love crafting and creating, as you've seen in my Etsy shop.  But the amount of time spent on random projects is stealing time away from other things that I love even more.  

It will be hard to let go of some things:

• I've loved beading for years, but I love stamping more
• I've had fun making fabric flower barrettes for my girls, but I love scrapbooking more
• I've had fun experimenting with polymer clay, but I love gardening more
• I've had fun making washer necklaces, but I love blogging more

Trying to do it all just because I can has caused a lot of stress in my life recently.  When we spread ourselves too thin, many things suffer.  I am ready to concentrate on the top of my priority list:

• Spending more time reading/studying my Bible and related materials
• Surrendering everything to God in prayer
• Pouring intentional Godly training into my 3 girls
• Keeping my home running smoothly-groceries, cleaning, laundry, etc.
• Husband knows he is always at the top of my list, but I'll concentrate on keeping him there!
• Expanding my freelance Graphic Design business over at Heart & Soul Design Studio
• Continue blogging here

I am really excited about this conscious change to reorganize my priority list  I can already feel some of the stress melting away.  Anyone want to come clean my office?  No?  I guess that is next on the list!

Confessions and Convictions are Brutal!

I am a people pleaser.  There.  I said it.

To some it may not seem like such a big deal.  After all, it's not like confessing a mortal sin, but it can be debilitating just the same.  People pleasers get caught up in making everyone around them happy, sometimes in direct contradiction to their own feelings or desires.  It is one reason that I hate and avoid conflict.  I just want everyone to be happy.  It also prevents us from being ourselves.  We try to be like chameleons that can blend into any situation.  In meeting new people, I tend to be quiet and reserved while I figure out where I fit into that particular group of people.

I was deeply convicted this morning by Paul in the book of Galatians.  He writes, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." (1:10)

Ok...anyone else challenged by that?  Re-read that last sentence very slowly.  I cannot please men and serve Christ at the same time.  Paul has never been one to pull any punches has he?  He says it like it is.  He preaches over and over again that we have been set apart and chosen by God into a special calling.  God doesn't expect us to carry out His calling all on our own.  He sent the Holy Spirit has our helper (John 14:16-17).  Too many times we try to attain our God-given calling by our own human efforts.  And when we fall into this trap, we begin trying to please men all over again.

Today my prayer is to walk in the Spirit of his calling where there is life and peace.  And when I meet you someday in real life, I'll try my best to just be myself!!

Battlefield of my Mind

I feel bruised and broken. It has been going on for weeks…..a raging war within my head, a spiritual battle for my mind. A literal battle of choices between what is right and what I should be doing versus what I want to do.It sounds very familiar: “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”Galatians 5:17

I’ve been here before, so why did it take me so long to identify this battle? Why did I not feel the breath of Satan down my neck in an obvious assault? Why was I not seeing his subtle maneuvers? His movements are slow and deliberate. He blindsides quietly and precisely. He builds strongholds one brick at a time over many years, and we don’t notice.

This battle has been about motivation, about serving my family, about laziness, about sleep. Every morning Satan assaults my mind with reasons that I should go back to bed. They always sound legitimate and I can justify every single one of them. Then when I awake, and half the day is gone, the assault continues about my worthlessness and my laziness. I become paralyzed in inadequacy and self-doubt.I get very little done before my children are home from school. Then Satan insults again…house unkept, no laundry done, dirty dishes still on the counter.

And he wins………..I feel discouraged, worthless.

I have forgotten who I am:

A child of God    John 1:12
Friend of Jesus   John 15:15
Chosen   Ephesians 1:3-8
Free from condemnation    Romans 8:31-39
Born of God   1 John 5:18

I must take back what Satan has stolen from me. I must proclaim and live who I am in Christ. My light must shine. I must claim my victory through Christ’s victory.

I must remember who I am in Christ.

Transperancy is Vulnerability

2009 wasn't the best year for me.  Anyone looking in from the outside wouldn't see it, but I did.  It was deep within my soul....unrest, frustration, wanting.

1.  My priorities were completely out of sync.  I had become selfish with my time.  My husband and my 3 girls took the back seat to many projects, work, and hobbies.

2.  Despite the deepest desire to spend time with my King, I had a pitiful and shameful attendance record spending time with him.

3.  I have a part-time work-at-home job that has seasons of craziness, and during those seasons I mismanaged my time (with selfish desires-see #4) and my family felt the brunt of the consequences.

4.  I have slept far too much in place of keeping my house running smoothly.

5.  I have allowed myself to become as disorganized as I have ever been in my life, and my entire family has suffered.

6. As a result of  all of the above, our finances are a mess.  

Why do I care to share all these dirty little secrets with you?  Confession is soul cleansing.  Accountability is necessary.

After reading many New Year's blogs that have everyone focusing on a word for 2010, a scripture verse bounced into my head.  I don't do well with resolutions, and even some of the chosen words I read made me cringe.  Not because I didn't like them, but because they cut too close to the heart.

I have determined that if I meditate on and follow this verse, all of the above shortcomings can be resolved!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving."  

Colossians 3:23

So in the last few days I have done the following:

1.  Bought a 5 subject notebook to begin using as a prayer journal, one section for each member of my family.

2.  I have chosen Stormie Omartian's The Power of Praying Through the Bible as my devotional.

3.  I stayed off my computer for 2 days while I cleaned K and A's rooms from top to bottom.  I took out all the half folded clothes from their dressers, reorganized, and put them back.  K still had summer clothes in her dresser :(.  Rearranged K's room to give her more floor space and desk space.  Washed sheets in both rooms and cleaned their closets.

4.  Began making a Control Journal from The Fly Lady to create a cleaning routine.(this is long past due as cleaning is my least favorite thing to do!)  Also started Control Journals for my kids to handle their chore responsibilities on a rotating basis.

5.  I have created "office" hours for when I will be working at home, and it will not include any hours when my family is home from school. (Hubby is a teacher)

There is still much to do, but I know a year's worth of backsliding cannot be corrected in one week.  However I am feeling a great anticipation of things already beginning to change, and my heart is feeling better.