In the midst of our crazy busy lives it can be easy to get wrapped up in our hectic schedules and many demands. We allow ourselves to get stressed out, run down, push ourselves to the breaking point. Have you ever stepped back and evaluated why you're feeling like this, why you're allowing yourself to feel like this, and if it's even necessary? It's not. We especially tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays..running around trying to find a million perfect gifts, getting the perfect table setting, making a thousand Christmas goodies at a million miles a minute, and before we know it it's all over. Did we slow down and enjoy time with family & friends? Did we stop and think about the real reason for the season? Did we have time to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ?
Slow down, my friends. Take a deep breath. Re-evaluate your priorities. Take a second right now to make a list of your priorities starting with the most important. Here might be some of the things on your list: God Family & Friends Survival & Health Love & Happiness Freedom Service Career Success Money Material items All of our orders might look different, all of our lists might have different priorities, our priority list in our head might not even match the one we're truly living out. What do you need to change or adjust to make these list's match up? What area of your life deserves more attention? Maybe it requires setting more time out of your day for The Lord, maybe it requires a much needed conversation between you and a loved one or simply just making time for one another, maybe it's asking a friend to pray for you and vise versa, maybe it's dedicating more time to your spouse and children and less time to work or other addictions, or maybe it's taking time for yourself to relieve stress and focus on your health. Whatever it is, make time for that certain something that can make a world of difference in your life right now. God knows our every need, take it to The Lord in prayer. Ask God for refreshment in this new season. The new year is coming, we ask for a fresh beginning, a rejuvenating season, a renewing of the soul, an uplifting breath of fresh air. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"- 2 Corinthians 5:17 A passage from Jesus Calling: "Be still, so that you can hear My voice. I speak in the language of love; My words fill you with Life and Peace, Joy and Hope. I desire to talk with all of My children, but many are too busy to listen. The "work ethic" has them tied up in knots. They submit wholeheartedly to this taskmaster, wondering why they feel so distant from Me. Living close to Me requires making Me your first Love- your highest priority. As you seek My Presence above all else, you experience Peace and Joy in full measure. I also am blessed when you make Me first in your life. While you journey through life in My Presence, My glory brightens the world around you." Balance is key. When we walk to the beat of our own drum and rely on our own strength and energy..we feel lost, tired, overwhelmed, and stressed. When we find Christian balance and take on what God has in store for us and what He's has put directly in front of us we feel full, whole, happy, and accomplished. What a difference this makes in our well-being and our overall attitude. The Lord says, "It is crucial to make your relationship with Me the top priority." Seek first the Kingdom of God and our priorities will fall into place. Prayer for balance: "Dear Lord, heal the areas of me that need healing, bring wholeness and health to my mind, body, and spirit. Fill me into the depths of my soul with your peace. Strengthen me and fill me with faith so that I can take on the adventures you've set before me with a heart full of faith and a mind focused on You. Help me to find peace and happiness in every area of my life, Lord. Let me feel your presence surrounding me at all time so that I know the fearless strength and guidance you give me always. Help me to put You first at all times, to focus every thought, word, and action on you, to do everything with you, for you, and through you, Lord. Give me a life full of healthy balance to meet your needs and wants for my life. Amen." "Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit."- 3 John 1:2 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you"- Matthew 6:33 "You shall have no other gods before Me."-Exodus 20:3 "For where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also."-Luke 12:34 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."- Matthew 6:24 "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight."-Proverbs 11:1 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing."-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Wishing everyone a very Merry CHRISTmas!! Enjoy this wonderful time with loved ones! Remember He is the reason for the season! Thanks for reading!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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God places certain people in our life for a reason, and you can feel it. That moment when you're having a not so fabulous day and you get a surprise text from a friend saying, "Hey, just thinking about you and miss you! Hope your day is as beautiful as you are...I pray for you every day!" Aren't those the best? They always come at the perfect time. God puts these beautiful people in our lives for a reason, He speaks through them, and he shines through them into our lives...such a beautiful gift! If you don't have people like this in your life.. ask God for one! He will answer. It's amazing what can happen in your life when you surround yourself with positive people who will lift you up and truly care for you. I find myself often just stopping and thinking, wow how did I get so lucky to be blessed with so many amazing close friends.. I thank God for each one of them every single day!
Friends are that extra happiness to get us through, someone to lean on, someone who is always there for you, someone you can talk to about anything, someone to laugh with, someone to help you through the hard times and celebrate during the good times, nothing to take for granted that's for sure! I have to ask myself sometimes..what would I do without my friends?? God just knows I need lots of love!!! When I'm having a bad day, and I go to girls night or Bible Study...I leave in a better mood, I feel lifted, relieved, cared for..it's amazing!! There is something so amazing about women coming together and humbling themselves before each other..the need not to be perfect and not to compete just to hear each other out, help one another, lift each other up, give words of encouragement, and pray for one another. Here's another favorite...friends that you love so near & dear but we all have different callings and life takes us different places and though you don't get to see each other as much as you'd like each time you do see each other it's like you never left! It just picks up right where you left off and you smile & giggle the whole time you're together and you leave with your heart full! LOVE friendship!! Friends are therapy for the soul and a true gift from the One who loves to give good gifts! Short & sweet today..I just felt all friends deserve to know how appreciated they are! Thank you to all my sisters in Christ...for supporting me, encouraging me, being there for me, listening, caring, loving, drawing me closer to Christ, for being so uplifting, and for taking the time to be so thoughtful and genuine! Love & appreciate every single one of you..and you deserve to hear it!! I enjoy watching God work through each of you and seeing all the amazing gifts He has blessed all of us with. A passage form Lysa TerKeurst: "That friend who speaks truth? Listen to her. Stay connected to her. Let her speak truth into your life even when you’re tired of hearing it. Stand in the shadow of her faith when you feel your own faith is weak, and let her lead you back to God time and time again." “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20 "A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." -Proverbs 27:9 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.- John 15:12-13 "And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."- Luke 6:31 "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence." -Sirach 6:15 "A friend will be a friend in times of all kinds." -Proverbs 17 "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."- Proverbs 13:20 "A friend loves at all times."- Proverbs 17:17 "Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”- 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor."- Romans 12:10 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.- Ephesians 4 "Some people make your laugh a little louder, your smile a little brighter, and your life a little better." "Invest in people who invest in you." "Treat others the way you want to be treated." "Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul." "Friends become our chosen family." "Surround yourself with people who are going to life you higher." "It's not what we have in life, but who we have in life that matters." "Good friends make the good times better and the hard times easier" "A good friend knows your weaknesses, but shows you your strengths." Have a beautiful day, friends!!! Much love! Thanks for reading! |