"It has to be JUST SO.."

It has to be "just so" or "it" won't be right. So goes my thinking. "If things don't go just as I have imagined it, surly it must be wrong then."
Thus goes the thinking of a self proclaimed control freak such as myself.
Anyone else ever had similar thoughts/thinking???
I assume I am not alone.
But is this thinking good? Is this thinking biblical?
I think not.
Let me tell you why I think so.
Expectation in and of themselves are not bad, but I, like many people have HIGH expectations, and if for some reason things don't go according to MY plan, (and things as they are, usually do not) then I rendered mad and of course, disgruntled....
Neither of which are characteristics that I would like to have attached to my person.
I once had someone tell me as I went into marriage, "Have great expectations.." And at the time I nodded my head and began to plan out my wonderful new life in my head. Only to find, only a fraction of what I had planned really came into fruition. And why is this?
Perhaps I was planning according to my will. My desires. Not perhaps, of course I was! I had my greatest wishes at the forefront of my thinking and I began to build my empire of hopes upon these wishes.
Well friends, wishes never got a person anywhere. Whoever came up with "wishing on a star" may have done so because they refused to believe that God was bigger than their wishes.
I wrote down my dreams, (which dreams and goals are good) and I prayed for them, I did my best to manipulate and squish my circumstances to fit  into the mold which I  hoped were also what God's plans for me would be.  All the while never considering that I should first ask the LORD what He would like to do with His creation's life.
Ever think about your life like this?
Our lives are God's. Really. They are. He is God, and what happens to us in our lives is allowed by God. This was usually a hard concept for me to settle with because I did not trust God.
But as I have fallen more in love with my Creator, and began to recognize His sovereign hand in all of life's comings and goings, I see why I ought to not only give Him control (that is already His) in my actions, but also in my THINKING. The power of the mind is undeniable. People can convince themselves of the craziest things simply by spending even small amounts of time focusing on any given thing.
A woman can convince herself she has reason to fear, simply by letting her imagination run wild with her, and do you know who is usually behind misguided thinking? The enemy.
Yes, He fights the battle in our minds. Where do unrealistic planning and expectations usually begin? Our minds.
I am not suggesting that every bad thought we have is the devil's fault, for we humans are sinful all on our own, but I am saying that the enemy can trap us in our thinking, causing us to become confused, frustrated and eventually discouraged enough that we turn away from God's amazing plans for us.
The Lord may have something so amazing but different from what I have planned for myself, but if I allow bad thinking to poison my mind, then I am rendered useless for any amount of time, until I get my thinking back in line with the word of God.
SO what's so bad about having great expectations? Nothing, and everything.
It completely depends upon and in whom you are basing your foundations of planning.
Do my plans begin with God's desires, and end with His desires? Or are my plans built upon some human thought I've had for myself and then propelled that plan with loaded human ambition.
Human ambition can be deadly, and usually ends us no where good.
Godly ambition on the other hand says this: "God, I trust you. I have confidence in your ways, your plans and what you say is best for me. I will go where you lead."
What a better, peace filled being I have when I do things God's way. He had NEVER steered my wrong, and even when I am in uncharted territory and new things that feel uncomfortable, I close my eyes, I rest myself in His hands and free-fall into the peace of Christ. Nothing is better than that.
Nothing.
Even though I cannot see, I know the one who sees.
Even though I cannot fathom, I know the one who lives on into eternity.
Even though I cannot comprehend, I know the one who brought the world into existence.

You see, our starting point of where the expectations begin, is essential.
If I start with God's word, His truth and His purpose, and I wait upon the Lord to make certain my calling, then what I get excited about, is a sure thing. For what He plans, is a done deal.
So even though I don't know the details, I know God.

"But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations."
Psalm 33:11

"And the most High Himself will establish her.." Psalm 87:5

"They will have no fear of bad news, their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7

"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:7

"For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations." Psalm 22:28

"Lord, I will not take a step without you. I will not plan a thing without you. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard my heart through Christ Jesus."
Amen

Be Real

Being authentic is difficult these days isn't it? We all want to impress each other. Being real is not about digging deep down inside of yourself and striving hard to find the depth of who you really are. That is not what is real. That sort of thinking only glorifies self once we reach the "depths of who we are."

    Every time I notice in myself that I am starting to behave in a way that I know is not really giving glory to God, I do a heart check. If I am recognizing within myself a desire to act differently than who I know God wants me to be, I pray.
I do a stop, check and pray sort of routine.
I line my thinking up with the word of God. I mentally check my speech and my behavior.
Is my thinking glorifying God by authentically playing on who I desire to be for the Lord? Are my thoughts, attitudes and actions lining up with His? (Jesus') and am I looking like Him in what I am doing at that moment? If I cannot answer yes to those questions I posed to myself, than I need to stop, and silently ask the Lord for the ability to rest in Him, and respond in His strength, not my own.
Usually it's not blatant desire to act differently, sometimes it's nerves, sometimes it's fear, and sometimes it's a deep desire to make a good impression. All of which have human origin. Checking my behavior is good. But behavior modification is not what the Lord desires. He does like it when we change from dark to light, but He wants me to do it in His strength, propelled by the desire to bring Him as much glory as I can with my life. My life, my actions and my words, ought to be song of praise to my King of Kings.

This is where authenticity takes root. It's a life that is rooted, and built up on the foundation of Jesus Christ. It's the heart and mind that are constantly set on His desires, His ways and His responses.
It's not getting caught up in human ambition, but rather keeping the interests of Christ in mind at all times.
It's not relying upon myself for the right answer to reach a desired end. Instead, it is asking God for the words, the strength and the desire to behave, and exist in any given situation as He would want me to.
I do this why?
I don't know, what would you say? Which is better? Masks? Are masks warm, comforting and do they give you a feeling of real authentic relationships? Or does just the word "mask" imply that there is something that is being covered up??
I think so.
I don't want my life to be a mask. I don't want to mask up a life that COULD and SHOULD give GOD glory with all it's coming and goings. I do have the day in and day out opportunity to bring my Creator glory with who I AM.
So who am I?
I want to be pleasing to the Father, but not to put myself in better standing with Him, but rather to create real relationships on earth that encourage others. That build's others up, and that
 points with massive applause to the one I worship heavenward.
If my life is masked, so is my ability to bring Him glory.
Authenticity is only authentic when Christ is there.
You can be sincere in who you THINK you are, (or you can be someone different to everyone) but if I am not displaying who Christ is in me, I am not really living real.
I can find common ground with many different people, but I should be who I am regardless of who I am with.
SO here is who I am.
A child of God.
He made me unique, and He made me to be here on earth, right now so I can display His character (hopefully) to whomever I am with. In season and out of season. For His glory. For His kingdom. Until He calls me home.
It's a life long walk of adventure, loving on people as I get the privilege to, and it's about being obedient to Him when He calls, speaks and shows me His will for me.
That is authentic living.
That is real life.
It's not perfect, (but then no one but Christ is)....but it's fulfilling, and joy filled. It's an adventure. That's the real deal.

Heavenly Motivation (Ladies)

"I'm not a very motivated person." I've said this. "I'd rather do anything in the world but vacuum or fold laundry." I've said that too.
Why are my daily tasks in my home so challenging?
My home is my workplace! But, my home is also my rest place. So I think sometimes I mix the two up in how they are proportioned, and if the balance gets thrown off, it begins to show quite literally.
I used to wrestle every day on "how I would get my daily tasks done..." And there are days I still do, but the battle begins in my heart you know.
I want to have a life filled with rest, and feeling of being on vacation all the time. I want to have fun all the time. I want to be completely rested, and enjoying everything I'm doing. (while drinking a Starbucks.)
Some of expectations are unreasonable, and some of them are attainable, they are attainable however not in my own power, but rather through Jesus.
"Pray about how I can get my laundry done?!" Weird.
No, it's not weird. It's amazing how it works.
Since I have realized that HOME is where the Lord wants me full time, I have learned to excel THROUGH HIM in my home. To accomplish the tasks He wants me to. To do them with excellence, and with even a bit of joy in my heart. (amazing huh?!)
I truly do not know when the change happened exactly, except that it was inspired by Him alone. I do not gravitate towards holiness, and excellence all on my own. He must propel me or little to no real change will ever actually take place.
For a long time I hovered in the realm of "survival" and this is completely understandable if you say, just had a baby, or your experiencing physical sickness, or your in the process of big family change, (home building, moving ect...) but, if you are simply living in normal every day grind, asking the Lord to expand your desire, ability and attitudes is totally attainable through JESUS.
I will never be better all on my own. I cannot grow myself. I cannot make myself be more. Only Jesus can turn me into the best version of myself.
Why is it that we as women aspire to have excellence? Because it brings life to our bones to know that we are living a way that glorifies our Creator! We truly do want to do our best I think, but our best is just a drop in the bucket compared to what Christ can do with our meager offerings.
Look at how He expanded five small fish and loaves of bread...do you not also believe that He can do this with our time as mothers and home care takers?
Our homes may not be spotless, and I don't think that this is what He wants either, He is also reasonable. But I do think He knows when we are attaining excellence for Him. Order, and peace in our home. Peace and patience in our hearts, joy and thankfulness rest here too.
These are things that bring Him glory.
He sees our hearts you know, and He knows what we need. He knows how to fill us and what to fill us with.
For a long time I wrestled with my natural calling and desires. I thought I would find more satisfaction in more rest time. And, resting can be nice. "I work so hard!" I would exclaim. I usually would say this when someone would comment on how the laundry had piled up, or how messy my dwelling space was. I was consumed with clutter, and disorganization defined me.
Slowly, God has taken me from this place, and put my feet on my solid ground. He has grace with me so that on days I cannot physically accomplish the tasks for whatever reason I know my Father is not pointing and shaking His finger at me. I do know though that on any normal day, through the power of the Holy Spirit I can accomplish all my home hands me and more if I call upon His name.
Some days this requires just digging in when I'd rather not, but again, I don't dig in or even lift a finger without first praying.
Any one is welcome to steal my heavenly motivation prayer.
Here it is.
"Lord, will you motivate me and propel me to do when you want me to do? You know Father what you want me to accomplish today. Hi-light for me what YOU Father think is important for me to do today, and give me the strength to get it done. " Amen

Isn't that a nice, simple, inspiring prayer? He laid that on my heart one day to utter those words and I accomplished more with His help that I would of had I consumed forty five cups of coffee. :)
(I also slept better that night knowing I had done things His way, and had not drank that much coffee) :)

He only wants our best you know. He knows our limits. He knows our ability. And then He expands both. Human limitations are overshadowed by His divine inspiration. And every day has the possibility of being divinely inspired if only we tap into His unlimited resources. I'm not suggesting He will turn you into superwoman (although this would be nice he hee...) but I am saying that through Christ you and I can accomplish much more than we ever thought possible.

We desire to live this way for a few reasons. One is because it's gratifying to live this way, to live for excellence, but also because it blesses those we live with. Our husbands  and children can arise and call us blessed,  (as Proverbs 31) states and we will see peace arise in our home.
Pray and ask God to help you check your balance, are in you in the home enough to keep the balance? Are you ministering to your family before you minister to others? Keep the order right, commit your ways to Him and watch as your little "olive shoots" around your table blossom and your home is a place of peace.

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table." Psalm 128:3

If home is where the heart is, then woman, lets guard our homes with our lives! (And He will direct us!!!)
Women, enjoy your homes today, arise in the blessing and the strength of the Lord, and watch as God takes what you could never do, and turns it into a feast before your eyes.
He is your provision!
Amen!!