Been through a lot?

Is this not the cutest picture you've seen?!!

Now, look beyond the cute doggy- and look at the words-- they say "I've been through a lot, but I'm still smiling." 

Have you been through a lot lately? Feeling tired- worn down- just plan D O N E?? Yeah, I totally know the feeling here. You say "Oh I'm fine"- but what you really mean "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" ~ Calgon take me away.... lol ~

This is my advice-- Let it all out sista!! (or bro) lol 

A couple of questions: 

• How do I smile through the tough stuff? How do I remain positive in the negative moments? 

A couple of answers: 

• How do you smile & how do you remain positive... think on good, praiseworthy, positive, happy, joyful things in your life. What are things that make you happy? What are you things you are thankful for? You don't have to be happy all day every day-- but I know there is SOME point in your day where you find happiness. Things are mucky now, whether it be finances, your relationships- family or marriage, your job... etc. but I have great news-- these times-- THEY WILL NOT LAST!!! God didn't say that these times would be easy-- but He did promise to carry us through them & give us His supernatural strength- 

Isaiah 40:28-30 niv says:

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.  

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall; 

but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

BUT... what happens when the answers above don't seem to "work"? 

Trust- believe & know that God is moving on your behalf... like I said before in another post... a day is like a thousand years to God and a thousand years is like a day. He moves at just the right moment- never early, never late... right on time-- HIS TIME-- not ours (which is hard to understand for a girl like me trying to break the "control" I have toward life) Just because you don't see something happening right in front of you doesn't mean God isn't moving. 

I hope this helped you today-- It helped me :)

Take care of you :) 

Tangled in chains or "Tangled" in grace?

From the Disney movie "Tangled"

I watched Tangled a while back & loved it! I don't know what reminded me of it today, but I thought that sometimes we get all tangled up in the messiness of everyday life-- I mean it's SO easy to do, am I right?!! lol 

It's so easy to freak out and get upset at things we just simply cannot control- & get tangled up all in it. All up in the rope and chains!! 

Are you a control person? Do you like to be in control? I guess in some weird way we all do at some point- I am one of those people that like it done the way I like it to be done. It's been a really long road for me to just give up the control aspect of my personality. I'm still a work in progress though... :) Jesus helps me & sometimes... I don't know how He puts up with me. LOL - Oh wait... It's His never-ending love, mercy & grace!!

It's a weird thing talking about "control" really because- whenever "I think" I have it all in order; all the way that I think it should be-- all under the way I planed it out to work-- something happens. Ever happen to you? It's like we plan to pay certain things or lets say go on a vacation-- and we're saving and oops there goes a medical bill or a tire... it never ceases to amaze me how "I plan" things and OTHER things pop up and crush them like a bug.

Notice the common ground here-- "I think" "I plan" "I control" hmmm, there sure are a lot of "I's" in here... getting kinda stuffy...

I'm learning to back down off of me, and let God have it. It's been a journey so far-- not an easy one, but I'm hanging in there-- me and God. Hey, He didn't say it would be an easy road- but He did say He would always be there and never leave me or abandon me. "I will never leave you; I will never abandon you." — Deuteronomy 31:6

So, kinda brings me to a question: Am I tangled in the chains or am I tangled in grace?

Like I was saying earlier- it's so easy to be tangled in the chains... but I wonder, is it actually easier to be tangled in grace? Everyday that goes by and something funky happens- like today for instance- I won't go into detail but just personal things that happened- I really did get started to get wrapped in the chains... and then something happened... I asked God for help... suddenly I felt un-tangled. Now, sometimes I can just feel God tugging at my heart speaking softly-- LET GO-- but do I? Nope. Why not you ask? Well, as a human being-- we want to hold on to EVERYTHING-- my determination-- LET GO AND LET GOD HELP ME - so that I can be "tangled" in His grace!!!! Now that's THE PLACE to be!!! 

Jesus is awesome in many ways, but I wanted to share some extra special little goodies with you-- 

Did you know that Jesus said to hand everything over to Him and He will take care of it for us- Matthew 11:28-30 ncv: ²⁸ "Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. ³⁰ The burden that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light."

BUT we must cast our cares upon Him and give Him our burdens- 1 Peter 5:7 ncv: ⁷ Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you.

Like I've said before, Jesus is a total gentleman... He does not grab your wrist and drag you around like a doll--

He upholds you, strengthens you, supports you, gives you His grace-1 Peter 5:8-10 ncv: ⁸ Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.⁹ Refuse to give in to him, by standing strong in your faith. You know that your Christian family all over the world is having the same kinds of suffering.¹⁰ And after you suffer for a short time, God, who gives all grace, will make everything right. He will make you strong and support you and keep you from falling. He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever

He gives you His peace, love, grace, gentleness, kindness, patience- Galatians 5:22-23 ncv: ²² But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control. 

He CHOSE ME-- HE CHOSE YOU!!! Ephesians 1:4-8 ncv: ⁴ That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him.⁵Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him,⁶ and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves.⁷ In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace,⁸ which he has given to us so fully and freely.

I hope this uplifted you today and I hope that you become "tangled" in His grace and love.

Take care of you :)