Leaning into the Wait

Last week I posted about change. My goodness, we love it and hate it all at the same time, but what happens when we are ready for things to change, but they're not. What do we do in the wait?

As I am trying my hardest not to rush this season of my life - it's fun and exciting, has its challenges, but comes with just-about-all a girl could wish for - yet there's still a part of me that is ready to move onto the next thing.

Have you been there? If I could only make it through this day. Or if only that sweet baby could talk or walk already. If only I could move into that new home or get married or have children, or get a new job, new car, new pay raise, or get to Friday, if only I could get a new ______ or to the next _____. If only.  

If only we didn't wish our life away.  

Waiting is part of life! Just as much as change is, so is waiting. 

When we start wishing ourselves to the next season (or even to the end of the week!), we begin missing things. We miss the joy. We miss moments and laughter or memories and lessons. We miss the opportunity that's only found in the "right now" in these circumstances or this situation.  

If we aren't careful our beautiful, bright world will quickly become dull because of all that wishin' and wonderin'. By all means, dream. Dream of the days, the sweet life and the goals, but let's not miss what is right in front of us right now. 

Lord, remind us that this season of life has purpose. It's special and put here for a reason. May we not get in too big of a hurry that miss the opportunity to stop and enjoy today.

Let's pledge to stand strong, be present and take it all in during this season of life because the next one will be here before we know it!

xoxo

Jes

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ‭(NLT)‬‬ 

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah‬ ‭40:28-31‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

Dear Change, We Don't Always Love You.

Why is change so hard?

May I let that question sit with you for a minute? Tomorrow I’ll have the opportunity to speak to a group of women at the Leadership Education Seminar. My topic is “Turnover & Transition” an eloquent title defined by change as we ask, “How do we lead through the change?”.  

Change is all around us. It’s in our personal life, a new season of life, at home or in the workplace, it’s in our relationships and community; it’s happening. Kids are taking their first steps, friends moving into new homes, graduates are starting college, parents are aging and friends are getting married and/or having babies. As I’ve heard them say in the South, “we’re all in the thick of it together.”

Whether it’s anticipated or unexpected, it’s the new. And we make the choice to either embrace it or resist it. What will you do? What’s changing in your life? What do you wish you could or could not change?

Most of the time my head screams embrace it, but my heart whispers wait, don’t. Other times, I can’t wait for things to change. (I’ll talk more about living in the “wait” in my next post.) Regardless of how the change comes, I’m praying that we’ll have the courage to welcome it. We want to be compassionate about the new, lean into the growth and opportunity with a smile and continue to remember that each season has a reason and a purpose.

Welcome, my friend. Change and new adventure awaits. What will you chose to do with it?

xoxo
Jes

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

If we're in a season of change, may we simply readjust our sails.  

Be Present: Right here, Right now.

"Did you see that?” I asked the girl sitting next to me. We were in the stands of one of Major League Baseball’s biggest games of the year and she was missing it!

This game featured the best of the best - players who had set records, beat records and made modern-day history. They hit homers out of the park and threw fastballs over ninety-eight miles an hour, yet all around me, sat fans who were missing the moment. They there for the game, but weren't present for the moment.

Modern-day technology and social media has revolutionized the way we communicate and now share information, but it's also caused a slow, lingering second effect where we are sometimes more caught up in capturing the moment instead of being in the moment and it’s causing us to miss what’s happening right in front of us. 

God never intended for us to miss out on this life. He created us with five senses, emotional intelligence and the ability to experience life firsthand through the lens of our eyes and our hearts. The Bible reminds us in Psalm 90:1 "Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts." We gain wisdom by remembering our life on this earth has purpose, but is short and temporary. Jesus came so that we may have life and experience it to the fullest through his free gift of grace and salvation.

I’m not asking to you to stop snapping pictures or taking videos from now on. Our technology tools are valuable in helping us tell our story and mark moments of history. However, I am asking for you to give a second thought to pulling out your technology device to capture everything - because when the lens of our camera captures everything, the lens of heart sometimes miss things.

We only get to live life once. We. get. this. moment. once. We don't get to rewind or redo the stories of our lives, so I encourage you to take time to set down your phone to watch your little one take those next couple of steps or turn off the TV and sit around the dinner table with your people, watch the ball game without the camera live or enjoy a good cup of coffee with a friend without first “checking in” and simply be in the moment.

May we be people who are wise in our hearts and live life in the present.

xoxo

Jes

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are short." Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-16

My guy and I excited for the MLB All-Star Game

Are We the Change?

Reading headline after headline in today's newspaper, my heart begins to ache. Do we ever report good news? There's so much going on in the world today. Chaos, destruction, fear, prejudice, and division is splattered all over the media - from reading about the slain officers in Dallas, to the tragic destruction in France and Orlando, my heart easily becomes overwhelmed. If the world is like this now - what is it going to be like when my kids grow up? (We still have some time, but you see what I mean?!) 

So what can we do? It's a big world and sometimes it doesn't feel as if I can really make a difference. This is large scale stuff. And I'm only one person. Only one person without a tv show, big platform or powerful campaign. One person with a blog at best - maybe -reaches a hundred people on a really good week.

With that small sphere of influence, what can I do, what can you do to make a difference in a big world?
Be the change that we want to see.  

We can be kind. We can be generous. We can treat others with respect. We can choose kindness over harsh, critical words. We can chose to see the best in someone. We can have compassion. We can forgive. We can serve. We can volunteer. We can love. We can pray. We can choose hope and faith over despair and discouragement. 

"Let us not become weary in doing what is good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people. Galatians 6:9

We get to choose and help write the headlines of our lives. Maybe we can't create world peace overnight, but we can choose to serve and love our neighbors. We can make a choice to do the next right thing. And little by little, we create change. 

Officer Hopps from Walt Disney's new movie Zootopia said it best in her final graduation speech, "When I was a kid I thought Zooptopia was this perfect place. Where everyone got along and anyone could be anything. Turns out real life is a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations. We all make mistakes. Which means, hey, glass half full, we all have a lot in common. And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try. So no matter what type of animal you are. From the biggest elephant to our first fox - I implore you, try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside of yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us."

Yes, it starts with us. In Ghandi's famous pinned words, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." There's no accident that you and I are here in this time in history.  Let's do our part. 

xoxo
Jes

P.S. So your neighbor is a jerk? Be kind today. Yes, it may hurt, but try. Cookies, flowers, something to begin a change of kindness. Look around your world. What can you do today to make a difference?

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22: 36-39

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. All over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." Colossians 3:12-15a

I JUST Wanted To...

I just wanted to say, good morning! 

I just think this would be a good idea. 

Dear Lord, I just want to ask you for...

JUST.  A polite sentiment that I've been using over and over again. One not to intrude or interfere, but just to ask or just to say something. 

I read an article yesterday from Propel Women,  an organization dedicated to helping women internalize a leadership identity and find their purpose, passion and potential, titled "Three Words that Undermine Your Message" and the word "JUST" was top on the list! The author writes,

"This word is usually used as an explanation, but it comes across as weak, apologetic, and whiny. Sometimes we use “just” to make our idea seem small. That way, if someone doesn’t like it or doesn’t agree with us, we can brush it off without being hurt. The truth is that you have to believe what you’re saying more than anyone else does. You have to own it, not minimize it! Simply remove this word and the sentence becomes stronger, more direct, and confident." 

It hit me like a ton of bricks. The word "just" isn't bad nor wrong, but the way that I've been using it has been undermining the way I approach things, especially in my prayer life. Dear Lord, I just want to ask you to show me your way in this. It almost sounds as if I'm bothering God with my request.

Dear God, the Mighty Creator of the Universe, the Redeemer, the Giver of Life, the One Who Is and Can do all things, can you pretty please just help me? It's as if I'm saying, "I'm coming to ask for your help, but I'm unsure if you will or if you care or if this is even worthy of asking." 

Anyone? Or is it just me? 

I don't think this a matter of faith, but a preconditioning, politeness of the heart. We never want to inconvenience those around us, but sometimes when we approach God, we feel the same way. I'm afraid there might be an underlying, unnoticed tone in our hearts in which we feel this time our request may just inconvenience Him.

I believe God is who He says He is in the Bible. I believe that He is the same God who parted the Red Sea, shut the mouths of lions, saved guys from a fiery furnace, healed the sick and made a way for us to have eternal life with Him in heaven through Jesus Christ. I believe the stories of the Bible and I believe that He can do the same things today in 2016 as He did back then. 

And I've witnessed modern day miracles: babies being born healthy without a medical explanation, broken relationships and hearts being restored, sick being healed, addictions broken, people doing a complete one-eighty in their lives and seeing strength and courage given when something's hard to face. Yet, I still sometimes go to God as if I'm bothering Him. 

The truth of it, God cares about it all. He says in the Bible that He does (Psalm 139). Even the littlest as I've seen it in my own life. I've asked for the smallest of things - from needing to be on time for a meeting and hitting all green lights, to finding a new place to live as time is running out, to finding lost car keys and finishing a race when I didn't think I'd have enough strength to go the distance.  To be the biggest of things - healing of a broken heartache, finding strength to get up each morning and do life after the loss of my Momma, loving again without hinderance, bitterness, or fear after a divorce, and having the freedom to laugh, find joy and enjoy life after all the hardship in life. Those are big, y'all! 

I'm sure you have stories of the same. 

So let's be BOLD. Not just bold sometimes or occasionally, but always. Let's remember Who we are asking. Let's be the ones who are filled with gratitude and ask unapologetically and who love fiercely. Let's be confident in God's promises, His great love and His truth in the Bible. 

No more #justsaying. Instead #truth #boldness #confidence #compassion #love 

I don't just love y'all. I really do. 
xoxo
Jes

P.S. Are you in the wait of life right now or afraid to ask? This article is a great reminder as we pray and ask God. 

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:12

"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

"Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deed, they would be too many to declare. Psalm 40:5