living on purpose

Choosing Faith over Fear

On the other side of fear is FREEDOM. I have been telling myself this saying a lot lately. If you’ve followed along with me for awhile, you may have noticed I talk often about anxiety and fear. The reason I do is to bring it to light so that someone else that may be struggling with these things knows that they are not alone. I know that when I am knee deep in fear, it is easy to feel like you are drowning and there is no lifeguard on duty. BUT that is exactly where the enemy wants you to be. So don’t let that happen. Take control of your thoughts and surrender them all to Christ. He is our lifeguard when the waves come crashing in on us.         Continue reading →

Comfort in the Storm

“Sometimes God calms the storms and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child….” Life has thrown me a curveball the last few years regarding my health. Up until about five years ago I was living with very minimal pain. I got the occasional migraine which would knock me down shortly, but I was able to go the majority of the month pain free. Most days lately however, I find it hard to keep my head above water. To say I get overwhelmed with the constant pain would be quite the understatement. There are days where I am completely taken over with anxiety and depression from my daily pain. The past several months have been a whirlwind of different physical health issues ranging from migraines that last days at a time, to my back going out and not being able to walk. Even though I spend most days in very heart felt prayer, I have not been really working on strengthening my relationship with the Lord. Most days if I am being honest, my prayers are very specific to my pain and sometimes, all I ask for a healing from it.    Continue reading →

Simplify Sundays {Meal Planning}

Simplifying is not always my strong suit. I am not by nature someone who is a “minimalist.” If we’re being honest, I have found myself to be someone who says,” If I like it; I should buy it in every color.” I am learning that simplifying certain things in your life truly is rewarding and brings you so much peace of mind. When you get into your new intentional habits you will quickly find joy in the simple things. Continue reading →

His Plans are Perfect

Happily Ever After….The best ending to a book or movie in my opinion but is Happily Ever After really how they portray it?….Imagine for a minute that everything in your life was “perfect.” What are you imagining? Money? New car? More toned body? Baby that sleeps through the night? Were you thinking about any of these? Maybe all of them? Now let me ask you this; when I asked you to imagine a “perfect life” did you imagine having a stronger, more meaningful relationship with God? Truth be told, most of us probably don’t think of that at first when we stomp our feet and whine about our daily struggles and how life isn’t “fair.” We sit and think about how our life isn’t the way we had always dreamed of and imagined but perhaps, this is the moment for which you were created. {Esther 4:14} Perhaps this very life you are living is exactly what God wants for you.       Continue reading →

Live Your BEST Year

Another year has come and gone. I am so thankful for each day that God blessed me with as Alexander’s mom and Adam’s wife. But if we are being honest I cant say that I am sad to see 2016 go. It was a hard year to say the least. Starting out the year with emergency gallbladder surgery was rough, but God walked me through it and brought me to the other side of a long struggle with worry and anxiety. Though every day was not always sunshine and rainbows, life is a beautiful gift that we get to unwrap each and every day!       Continue reading →

Advent Season 2016

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I mentioned in an Instagram post recently that I would be doing an Advent series and then started praying about it and waiting for the Lord to lead me on what to do next. I knew I wanted to talk about keeping CHRIST in Christmas but it wasn’t until the words hit me this morning that I really realized what Advent season is all about. Preparing our hearts. I think it is so much easier to prepare our hearts during the month(s) leading up to Easter, as it is when we celebrate Jesus dying on the cross and the resurrection. But do you stop and prepare your heart during the month(s) leading up until Christmas? Because without Christmas and Christ’s birth there would be no Easter. No Joy…No Hope…No Grace.   Continue reading →

Intentional Acts of Kindness

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This time of year always stirs up a special feeling in people that some call Christmas magic or Holiday cheer. Whatever you call it I just love it because people just seem a little…well, nicer. I truly wish that every day was Christmas, not because I want to listen to Christmas music and sip hot chocolate by the tree but because people are just genuinely more kind and compassionate during November and December. I’m sure you’ve hear the term Random acts of Kindness before, especially around this time of year. This year, it got me thinking that what if your acts of kindness weren’t random? What if they were intentional and lasted through out the year? What if your acts of kindness were done because of love and not obligation?      Continue reading →

Forgive as He Forgave You

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If you are like most people you probably hold some sort of resentment towards someone. We have all at one time been hurt by someone either physically or emotionally or gotten angry and said things that caused us and the people involved to be hurt. Maybe everyone walked away in a civilized manner after apologizing, but more than likely you all walked away hurt and angry carrying a grudge. Sometimes saying sorry and forgiving each other just does not happen. The Lord tells us to forgive them even if they are not sorry. The reason being is because forgiveness is about your own healing. We forgive because the Lord forgives us. Continue reading →

Come As You Are

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I have had people ask me about my “testimony” and  each time I think the same thing. That they are expecting me to give them all the dark details of a broken home and shattered dreams. Maybe blaming a God that I didn’t even believe in….Then one day I saw the light and found God. But that isn’t my testimony. I came from a strong Christ centered home with two parents who loved the Lord  and my sister and I more than anything else. So unlike the answer I assume they expect, I give them the truth. My testimony is that I’ve been a Christian for as long as I can remember. I was making up songs and singing them at 3 years old that said things like, “Here comes Jesus walking down the street.” I have always known Jesus as my personal savior and friend and honestly I can not imagine what life would look like, not to know Him! I did not live a perfect, sinless life and I make sure people know that. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do know the most important answer of all. That my sins are forgiven and washed clean through my savior, Jesus Christ.         Continue reading →

Bloom Where You are Planted

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“Sometimes you think you are being buried, when really you’re being planted. God is using this season to grow you.” I woke up this morning with this quote on my heart because it was another day that I woke up in pain. I fell asleep in pain, tossed and turned through out the night in pain and woke up in pain. I am not telling you this for sympathy, I am telling you this because I feel that if I don’t I am not being honest with you. Life is not always sunshine and rainbows. Some days, or in my case months are filled with pain and all you can do is cry out in frustration. I wake up every day praying the Lord will go before me and heal my pain. I don’t always feel 100% better but I do feel God’s peace and the pain decreasing. He is my hope when all else feels hopeless.   Continue reading →