Time well wasted? Nope...

I was watching a podcast from Joyce Meyer today-- and she was preaching some GOOD stuff man!!! I needed to fill ya'll in on some of her preachin' action!!

It's kinda a humbling- scary- yet liberating feeling when you make this HUGE GINORMOUS realization that you have "wasted" your days. What you say? "NO NO NO Michelle-- your days haven't been wasted!! Don't say that" - you say. Well, let me tell you- I HAVE WASTED so many good ones!! 

How and why would I say this? Well... let's start with "HOW"~ How have I wasted my time- my days- my life... being stressed over completely nothing! How in the world did I let things get this BAD?!! I mean seriously? "Oh but Michelle- your life never appeared bad to me!!" AH HA-- but I KNEW. Like how did I let very little tiny thing get to me?! And which leads me to "WHY"- well, why did I let everything get to me? It's easy-- I let the nasty things in and never let it out. Never took DEEP breaths... NEVER took the time to just be-- I was always wrapped up in work, doing over my absolute best, and wanting to be PERFECT all the time. (Being strong for Andy as he took on the pastor life, new job, loosing insurance temporarily, changing positions with my work, taking care of Daisy, dealing with money & living stuff)-- OH and what happened next... MADE MYSELF SICK!!! Really sick & drained and tired and weak... and well... honestly-- left God behind. Need an excuse? I had it... I was busy and overwhelmed--- not only trying my BEYOND best in every area of my "peachy life" --- yeah... everywhere EXCEPT with my relationship with God. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks with your life stuff...

I'm done wasting my days...all of them!! I don't want to live upset, angry, disgusted, stressed, worried and anxious!! I wasted soooo many days being this way... and I am NOT giving in anymore!!! I want God to be proud of me!! I want Him cheering me on "THAT'S MY DAUGHTER!! THAT'S MY GIRL!!!" 

The more I'm in a hurry-- the more I run over people! Think about it... you're in a hurry right... huffing and puffing while waiting in line somewhere. You get to the counter FINALLY- only to find the sales person is new, doesn't know which buttons to push, and needs to call for help. You have 2 choices... 

1. Stay flustered and give her a hard time "OMG, huffing and puffing... in which making their day worse      OR....
2. Be calm- collect yourself- and SMILE!! Even though you might be in a hurry and you are set back... STILL SMILE and YOU say hello!! It might just help... they will take a deep breath, and relax. You never know-- you might have made their day.

When we are in a hurry... we really don't think about the impact of our actions. SLOW DOWN- BREATHE...

My dad was sooooooo right!!! He used to say "Just calm down Michelle, Just callllllllm down". Funny thing... it used to make me soooooo mad to hear him say that. And still after he passed away my mom and Andy used to tell me this too--- in the same way oddly enough... and it stirred up SO much anger in me to hear it. Well... dad was so right!! I really do need to CALLLLLLLLLM DOWN!! lol

You know in Exodus 20:8-11 it says to keep the Sabbath holy... take Sunday OFF-- no hard labor--Spend time with your family, have a movie marathon- instead of hard core cooking-- order a pizza, do something for yourself- yes... something YOU enjoy!!! If God needs to rest- what does that tell you? Doesn't have to be "Sunday"- just make it one special day a week to take a rest and take care of you.

So... I'm not gonna be cliché here- by saying "oh God changed everything" (but He really did) "read your bible" "go to church... blah blah blah..." I'm not going to sit here and preach to you about what you NEED... HELLO? Who am I to tell you? I can only preach to myself and try to share my personal experiences with you to help you.

Keep your life in balance- on purpose! Make an effort to walk a life with patience, kindness & love.

It's up to you ultimately to establish your own personal walk with God. It's not hard to ask Him into your life- Do you know God? Do you understand that He sent His Son Jesus to die for you? Do you know that Jesus died on the cross FOR YOU and for your sins? Do you know that He loves you more than you know and that He's coming back for you? Ummmm... answer yes? Guess what? You have Jesus in your heart and we will totally see each other in Heaven!!! YAY! 

Take care of you :)

A Restoration testimony...

Jeremiah 33:3 says 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ 

For the past month or so, I've had that song "Restoration" by David Brymer in my head. Here's the link to the YouTube video~ http://youtu.be/7LcyQOLVS_U 


I've really been through a lot this past month... physically, mentally, spiritually... just A LOT. For those of you that don't know-- let me share a little bit of how incredible God is. 


I was overworked, tired, grumpy, not happy with life-- however, I truly believe that I was living a "stained glass masquerade" -- making believe that everything was okay and that "I had it" myself. Well, while working and planning and juggling family issues... (Andy and I are stuck together like glue/velcro and he is now working as a truck driver that's gone all week and only home on weekends) so that is stressful right there alone-- apart from EVERYTHING else like money and life in general... AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Here's a timeline of my restoration testimony...

SUNDAY:I got sick. I was diagnosed on Sunday, June 3, 2012 with Bells Palsy on the left side of my face. Bells Palsy is a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face. Damage to the facial nerve that controls muscles on one side of the face causes that side of your face to droop . The nerve damage may also affect your sense of taste and how you make tears and saliva. This condition comes on suddenly, often overnight, and usually gets better on its own within a few weeks. Symptoms are Sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of your face that causes it to droop. This is the main symptom. It may make it hard for you to close your eye on that side of your face, Drooling, Eye problems, such as excessive tearing or a dry eye, Loss of ability to taste, Pain in or behind your ear, Numbness in the affected side of your face, Increased sensitivity to sound... etc. (This is something I have experienced about 10 years ago- right after Andy and I got married. I had a really bad inner ear infection- that was the determined cause. It was a MUCH worse case than this one was) Not to mention emotionally draining!!!! I have had to quit EVERYTHING in it's tracks!! I had to leave my summer leadership position (less money) and give up what " I " wanted to do... haha "what I wanted to do..." So... instead of pooping out on God and giving up... I PRESSED in... I pressed in harder... I was determined to be near to God even though life was horrible (in my eyes). On a more personal note... Andy and I had just used all the money we had in the checking account to pay the rent- we had nothing... I called up a place in Gainesville (@ 5:00pm on a Sunday no less) and they agreed to see me WITHOUT PAYMENT... ummm can we say GOD?! So, my brother in law met up with me at the doctor so I wouldn't have to go alone. :) Not only did was he there with me- but paid for my medicine that I needed too. (What a blessing) That was the evening before I was suppose to start my summer leadership position (that I had to leave- all that planning- all that long hours-- and I couldn't execute-- that was frustrating) Thinking that the long day was finally over... I mean dealing with all THIS... and going to the dr, and driving home... ALONE... andy out on the road... you would think that the day was done right? NO WAY. I got home, took meds, laid down finally fell asleep only to be woken up around 2am with bright & loud lightening hail storm! (For any of you who know me AT ALL... this is a HUGE deal. I HATE BAD WEATHER-- and I was alone with Daisy) Hail POUNDING on the window-- the window sounding like it was going to crash into the bedroom... I RAN into the bathroom holding daisy crying out to God to save us!! Right there I cried out to Jesus and was praying. I yelled at the devil and told him to flee in Jesus name and I was so scared! We actually sat in the bathtub and I called Andy and told him what was going on. I told him that I though there was a tornado happening... he was able to look at the weather bc my phone wasn't loading due to the weather. He said we were safe- "that the worse was over". A sweet comfort to my soul. Holy Cow right?! WHATELSE I thought?! I was D O N E with the STUPID DEVIL ATTACKS!!


MONDAY: My sister reminded me that going to see an acupuncturist helped the nerves and my body a while back-- so looking online I found a place called Flourish Acupuncture in Gainesville. I called and the lady agreed to see me without payment up front!! She started my treatment next day!! I immediately experienced a difference!! Started taking better care of myself and started taking herbs and vitamins.


LATER ON THAT WEEK: I attended a church retreat weekend about three years ago called Georgia Mountains Tres Dias. It's a 3 day spiritual walk with God held on a beautiful mountain top in Dahlonega, GA. (www.gmtd.org) So, once you attend a weekend... you can go back and serve and be a blessing to others! (& God called me to go back and serve!!! and this was something I was called to do from way back in like February-- & I had been preparing for it) So, if the stupid devil thought for one minute that THIS bells palsy and weakness was gonna keep me from serving... he had another thing coming to him!! We were all believing for God's miraculous healing power on this special weekend!! It was really difficult to attend the weekend with my face looking the way it did-- it's funny... no matter what people tell you "oh you are beautiful Michelle" it hits you emotionally different when it happens to you. When it happens you just want to hide away-- be alone-- secluded from the world. But instead of closing myself out... I opened up and out for God and His glory!!! (It was hard...) Man did God show off!!! I felt change all weekend!! By Saturday night... my face looked TOTALLY different!! And Sunday... HOLY COW!!!


THEN TO PRESENT DATE: Still getting better day after day and I can fully wink!!! I go for weekly acupuncture treatments and totally notice a difference. God is so good and He is RESTORING every moment of each day. I've been watching what I'm eating-- mainly I'm staying away from anything smoked, bbq, chicken, caffeine, fried foods, dairy-- so i'm eating lots of salad & veggies--

IT'S STILL BUMPY...

A few days ago- I had a real scare. I decided to give Daisy a bath. I didn't bring my cell phone in the bathroom (which is weird) for some reason-- anyways... I was done with her bath and decided that I was now soaked-- so I might as well take a shower too. As I was about done, I noticed my nose was bleeding. I pinched it thinking "oh it will stop in a minute no big deal" WELL... um 5 minutes later it hadn't stopped yet. I got out of the shower, grabbed a washcloth and held it to my nose. Still not stopping... I kinda started to freak out. With the water running still I sat down in the shower with Daisy still sitting pretty on the side of the tub- she could tell i was in trouble- I just kept talking to her calmly and told her "Daisy don't worry God is helping mommy" and I prayed for help. Within MOMENTS... my nose stopped bleeding. Now... there is SOMETHING THERE!!!! 


Again on this past Friday... I was waiting for Andy to come home from being at work all week and I was so excited!! I went out and got stuff to make dinner for him! I made Meatball Sammy Casserole-- it was good- I tasted it as I was cooking :) Anyhow, he called and said he was gonna be really later than he thought, so I went ahead and fixed me a plate to sit down and eat. I had everything ready, sat down to a movie with Daisy-- and on my right side of my face-- my jaw locked!! I was in tears! ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK-- I rubbed it and massaged it and nothing was working. I read online that jaws can be locked for days!! (Whenever mine locks it doesn't usually last that long- but is extremely painful when it pops) So, I thought I'd hop in the shower- maybe the heat would loosen it up-- I continued to pray and ask God to save me from this!! I got out of the shower and it seemed looser-- I put on some Britt Nicole and jumped on the gazelle for a few minutes and as I was walking i felt something loosen up- i rubbed my mouth and BAM!! UNLOCKED in JESUS NAME!!! NO PAIN!!!!!!!!! (I still have a nasty bruise on my cheek from it though but NO PAIN when it popped) Now... there is SOMETHING THERE!!!! 

YOU TELL ME THERE IS NO GOD-- NO JESUS??!!! HE IS AWESOME AND THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD!!! OH THE BLOOD OF JESUS WASHES OVER ME! 

I keep believing in Him and His glorious healing power. It's not all over YET-- but He is constantly holding me and uplifting me and healing me. I'm still on Prednizone (which definitely has it's side effects... HoT flashes, sleepless nights, increase water weight and appetite... etc) but it is worth it... Prednizone is causing the inflammation to go down and help. ~Even though the hOt FlAsHeS are HOLY COW H O T !!  ~~It's like cooking from the inside out!!! LOL 


GOD BRINGS RESTORATION-- HE BRINGS RESTORATION TO MY SOUL!! 


I've learned to relax, take it easy, take REAL deep breaths, don't stress over the little things in life. When I start freaking out or getting bound up... I confront it... & if I don't see it happening Andy does, he kinda "grabs ahold" of me :)  I give God things I can't ultimately control-- (& I am a control person...lol) I try to think positive... be calm. When something seems like a junky situation... I BREATHE and ask God for help.  


God is so amazing and awesome and He provides each and every day!! Be sure to thank Him-- It also says in Jeremiah 33:10: “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good, his love endures forever.” "...For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before, ’ says the Lord."   


You know something though... I've learned SO much. God has really showed me so many things. 


Thanks for reading and letting me share some of my testimony with ya'll. I hope you are blessed by this and if you know someone suffering from Bells Palsy... please share this with them-- trust me they need encouragement.

My Picture Timeline:

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Take care of you :)

How to climb out 101...

In a bad mood? Having a not so great of a day? Feel like you're in a HUGE dirt pit? No worries... here's somethings you can actually do to BEAT it-- Don't believe me? Humor me... TRY IT!!

Picture this... You wake up and swing your feet out of bed. Your feet reach the carpet and... MUSH goes your foot! WHAT HAPPENED?!!! Your most precious doggie decided to use the bathroom! WONDERFUL!! So, you clean it up and move on. THEN...You jump in the shower-- no hot water, You're running late now... toaster isn't working... clothes are wrinkled... out of gas... WHAT ELSE?!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! INSTANT BAD MOOD!!!

OR...

You get a visit from someone/or a phone call that makes you upset.

Okay, so now whatever your "bad day" is... here's some ways to conquer it!!

1. Take a deep breath. -This is one of the first things you learn in any CPR/ First Aid class-- Something bad happens... they tell you not to panic, but BEFORE you do ANYTHING... take a breath. Taking a deep breath not only allows you to assess what's going on, but clears the path a bit.
2. Confront the Mood. - Now that you've taken your deep breath-- I mean a deep breath-- (don't just breathe now) Confront the mood. Okay, you're like ummm okay and how should I do that? Okay... Ask yourself "Is this mood i'm in really worth it?" "How can anything i'm upset about add anything positive to this situation?" Or if it's the anger directed at someone... do yourself a favor and forgive them. If you hunker it down, it's gonna eat away at you! The longer you harbor it- the longer it stays around-- and is it REALLY worth it? I mean seriously?
3. Make a decision to STOP the bad mood in it's tracks. -Everything is a choice!! Try to make good choices!!! Every choice can be a good one or a bad one- God gives you the grace to choose.-You can say to yourself "I am determined to make this a good day"- even though "bad" things happen... you can still make it a good day... try not to say things like "OMG can this day get any worse?!!" Say things like "It's okay, it's gonna be a good day" "God I know you are with me... I will rejoice and be glad" 
4. Create a "Time Out".- When you are in the middle of "it all" it's hard to get that deep breath I was talking about in #1. Go find a quiet spot- walk away for a minute to collect yourself. If you're a mommy-- it might be hard to walk away-- but it's so important. You really don't want to take any aggression out on anyone! Goto a closet, pantry, laundry room, bathroom-- anywhere that you can distance yourself for 5 minutes to breathe and confront the mood so that it can GO AWAY! lol
5. Trust in God to make things right. -God never leaves us or forsakes us in ANY situation! His Word is the truth and He never lies!! He holds us in the palm of His hand!! Trusting in God is the key factor here. We need to not sit and "rock" in the bad mood rocking chair- we need to move forward WITH God- get up out of the chair and move. God wants us to rely on him fully. The bad mood will go away & the next time it comes around... know that you have a choice... are you going to throw a hissy fit? Or ask God to take over and help you change your mood?

This is a really cool youtube "A Man fell in a Hole"- It's about 3 minutes long (so not that long) totally worth watching. You won't ever forget it. (There is a man that ASKS if the man in the hole wanted to be free... Jesus is a gentleman... He asks you, He doesn't just grab ahold of you and drag you places) http://youtu.be/zx1FqGuADR4

As always, I hope that this blog helped you today. I know it helped me to write it.

Take care of you :)