Transitional Friday: 7 Lessons from Starting Over

starting over 2

 

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had to start over.   The reasons for this are varied, but include moving, divorce, starting a new job, returning to college, etc.

With the new year here, we are all making new resolutions.   Often this includes losing weight.  Yet, two weeks later we’ve given up.   New resolutions are all part of starting over and learning new ways and techniques to improve ourselves.

Starting over can be exciting when thinking about the new possibilities.  Each change brings new hopes and dreams. starting over

  1. Adjustment takes time
  2. Embrace the experience
  3. Be thankful for the opportunity
  4. Look forward—what hopes and dreams does this experience open up
  5. Remember God has you here for a reason
  6. What lessons can you learn from this experience
  7. This is a new beginning

What have you learned from starting over?

Transitional Friday: Home is where Heart is

home where heart isFor years I was unhappy with where I was living.  I did not want to be there.  I was fighting a spiritual battle, between what I wanted and what God wanted for my life.

There were times when the situation weighted so heavily on my heart that it gnawed away at me and I became angry.

Then a few months ago, God opened amazing doors for a new job in a new city an hour away.

I realized during this time that the place I’d been fighting living, had become more of a home than I ever expected or anticipated.give thanks

Only once I had left, did I realize how much this town and place had become home.

Often we don’t realize how important a place or person is until they are gone.

We are told to be “thankful in all things.”

This isn’t always easy, especially in trying circumstance.  I’ve really struggled with this lesson at times.

However, that is exactly what God wants for us.

What have you been thankful in?

Transitional Friday: Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayer

God hearsFor years I waited, longing and struggling to change and improve my circumstances and situation.  After leaving an abusive relationship, the journey to heal and recover took years.

I wondered if I would ever find the person I’d lost along the path.

I longed to be able to stand on my own two feet and to find a way to do this, but nothing seemed to be working.

I wondered if God heard my cries and prayers!  Had He forsaken me!  Would my circumstances ever improve?

Don’t get me wrong, my circumstances weren’t awful and were a whole lot better than they had been in the abusive relationship.  I just wanted more to my life.  There are still things, such as a family, that only God knows if and when that prayer will be answered.

God reminded me:God answers

  1. His reasons are often beyond are grasp
  2. He hears all of our prayers, cries, and tears
  3. His way is better than my way
  4. He is preparing me for a future that only He knows
  5. His timing is not my timing
  6. Sometimes His answer is no or not right now
  7. It’s not all about me.  There are times we are where we are to help someone else.  One example is being a caregiver.

What have you learned in the wait?

Transitional Friday: 7 Lessons Learned from Discouragement

discouragement

 

 

 

There have been times when I wondered if anything was going my way.

No matter how hard I tried or how much effort I put into the endeavor nothing seemed to work.

This led to great disappointment and discouragement.  There were days when depression hit and I nothing could lift my mood.

When discouraged, I have to remind myself that:discouragement quote

  1. This too shall pass
  2. God is preparing me for something better
  3. God has a better plan
  4. There is a reason for this
  5. I need to spend more time in God’s word and in prayer seeking His will
  6. I need to work off the depression
  7. My circumstances don’t identify me as a person

What has discouragement taught you?

Transitional Friday: Psalms 121:7-8–The Lord Will Protect Us

Last week, we discussed God’s protection as we watches over us.  This week we are again reminded of this promise.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—Lord Keep from Harm

The Lord will watch over and protect His children from harm.  As we discussed last week, both known harm and unknown harm.  I personally can think of several harmful situations God has protected me from.
    he will watch over your life;

God doesn’t just watch over us for an hour or a day and then tire of us.  He watches over us for our entire life.  Even in those empty, sad moments when we feel all alone and that no one cares, God is still watching over us.
the Lord will watch over your coming and goingcoming and going

            God watches over us in both life and the afterlife.  From before our birth into the world, until long after we enter eternity with Him, God is with us watching over us and caring for us with only the protection He can provide.
both now and forevermore.

His promises, love and blessings last forever.   Time is finite.  Tomorrow is gone forever and yesterday is yet to be.  However, right now is the time we are in and we will never have that time back.  God holds all the yesterdays, todays and tomorrows in the palm of His hand.  He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Transitional Friday: Psalms 121:3-4–God Will Watch Over Us

I have often wanted to do things my way, instead of seeking God’s will.  Last week, we looked at where God reminded us to look unto the hills for His help.   I’m a rebel that has been redeemed.  Today’s verse is a reminder of why we need to trust in God.

He will not let your foot slip—foot slip

If we put our trust in Him and allow God to guide, He will not allow us to fall.
he who watches over you will not slumber;

I need sleep.  There are times when I go on a shortage of sleep, but eventually it catches up with me.  However, we’re reminded that God never sleeps.  He’s always awake and aware of what is occurring, even when we are sleeping.
indeed, he who watches over Israel

He watches over us while we sleep. God never sleeps.
He watches over us while we sleep. God never sleeps.

Israel was God’s promised people.  Even when they were disobedient and God had to reprimand them, he continued to watch over them.  He did not want to see His people become slaves to their enemies or wander in the desert for 40 years, but He knew this was the only way to get their attention.
will neither slumber nor sleep.

Once again, we are reminded that God never slumbers or sleep.  Even when we wonder why He’s not answered our prayers, if He is listening and if He cares, God is still there listening to our cries and prayers.

Join the Conversation:  How has God protected you?

Transitional Friday: Psalms 121:1-2–I Will Lift My Eyes to the Hills

My life has felt like one long transition at times.   This has been particularly true for the last few years, as I deal with changes and seek God’s will in various situations.

This month I would like to take an in-depth look at one of my favorite Psalm.  I often turn to this verse for both guidance and comfort.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—I will Lift

The Bible takes place in the modern day Middle East.  During the Bible times mountains dotted the region and landscape.

Mountains often are a reference to authority or a rule. The author is most likely referring to God’s throne.

where does my help come from?

I know I often wonder where help will come from.  When my prayers will be answered or how I will get through a situation.
My help comes from the Lord,

The speaker speaks of the greatness, power and glory of the Lord.  Lifting up of the eyes is a gesture of prayer.
the Maker of heaven and earth.

God is the maker of both heaven and earth.  He is the ruler over both the heavens and the earth.

Leave an answer:  Where do you look for help?

Transitional Friday: 9 Ways to Bounce Back from Failure

Failure success

 

 

There are times when no matter how much we try, we continuously face failure.  There have been several areas of my life, where nothing I’ve tried has succeeded.  I continue to face one failure after another.  Over time, this is enough to make anyone grow weary, frustrated, overwhelmed and even defeated.

So how do you continue to move forward when nothing is working?

  1. Don’t Give Up—if you are pursuing a dream, never give up, no matter how much defeat and frustration you receive.  I’ve heard some writers say that they received thousands of rejections before receiving a break through.  I’ve heard artists say that they worked for twenty years before making it big.  However, they never gave up.
  2. Keep Bouncing Back—this is much like never giving up, work through the emotions and bounce back.Churchill quote
  3. Evaluate—often I’ve had to go back and evaluate what worked, what didn’t work, and the why for each one.  Then I figure out what I can do differently and how to move forward from there.
  4. Be Realistic—often it’s easy to reach for our dreams without being realistic.  You will not become a concert pianists, if you refuse to practice the piano.
  5. Set Goals—often I feel like a fish at sea, but when I set goals and see where I’m going and what needs to be done to get there, I make much better progress.
  6. Be Open to Change—sometimes we need to be open to change, whether this is going in a different direction, taking a different approach, learning a different technique, etc.
  7. Never Stop Learning—continue to read, study and follow the experts in your field of interest.  There is so much that we can learn from these experts, including not on the subject matter but also what to do and not do.
  8. Be Open to Feedback—be open to accepting constructive criticism from others.  Yes, there is the occasional person{s} that wants to pull you down, however most people want to help you.  One critique method is the oreo method.  This starts with a positive, then adds what needs to be changed and ends again with a positive.
  9. Prayer—pray, seek God’s will and be willing to go in the direction in which He is leading.

Remember, you are not alone.  There are numerous examples of people that have failed before success.

Walt Disney faced numerous hardships before reaching success
Walt Disney faced numerous hardships before reaching success
  • Henry Ford had 5 businesses go broke before Ford Motor Company became successful.
  • Walt Disney faced multiple occurrences of being fired, bankrupt and failed businesses before succeeding.
  • Thomas Edison had over 1,000 unsuccessful inventions before inventing the light bulb.
  • Winston Churchill lost almost every election before being voted Prime Minister at age 62.
  • Before making it big in I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball was considered a failed actress and B movie star.
  • Vincent Van Gogh is considered the greatest artists of his time, but only sold one painting in his life time.

 

How do you bounce back from failure?  Who else has inspired you?

 

 

Transitional Friday: When Change isn’t your Idea

Life throws us a curve ball at times and change is forced upon us.  This can be through the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, abusive relationship, natural occurrence, decision of another person, tragic accident and number other causes.

So, how do you deal with change when it isn’t your idea?

  1. Cry—sometimes we just need to cry and express our pain.  There are times when there just aren’t words. mourn
  2. Mourn your loss—a loss is a loss, regardless of how large or small.  Even if the change is one that we want, our life is changed and we need to mourn and say goodbye to that part of our lives.  Sometimes this is a few hours or a day and other times it is months or years.
  3. Pray and ask God for guidance and to help you move on—in all things we need to pray and ask God what He would have to do now.
  4. Accept your new normal—we have a new normal, even if it is for an interim time.  We have to accept this and learn how to live in this new reality.
  5. Determine your ultimate destination—we need to decide what our goals are.  What do we ultimately want in life?  Sometimes it takes weeks or months to determine what we may truly want and what God’s will might be for our lives.  We mustn’t forget to seek God’s will.
  6. Make a list of steps to reach that goal—now that we know where we are going, we need to access where we are and the steps to get from one place to the next.  Again, sometimes our goals are short term and other time they are long term.reach
  7. Work hard towards those goals—we work hard to meet these goals, whether it is returning to school, searching for a job, selling a house, etc.
  8. Continue to put one foot in front of another—there are days when life gets difficult and we don’t feel that we can keep going.  We take a deep breath and continue to put one foot in front of the other.
  9. Reach for your dreams—never give up—if this is truly what God has laid on your heart, never give up.  Ask for His help and keep pushing through no matter how difficult life gets at times.

Sometimes life altering events, lead to positive change.

What other ways do you deal with change?

 

Tweetables:

When Change isn’t your Idea

Techniques to deal with change 

Transitional Friday: Ecclesiastes 3: 18-22, The Purpose of Life

We are wrapping up our look at Ecclesiastes 3 and a season for all times.

I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals—God tests us to show us that we have the beastly quality of animals and will prey upon others.

 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals—man is frail     ashes and dust

the same fate awaits them both—their existence is temporary

As one dies, so dies the other—all living, breathing animals {whether human or not} will died one day

All have the same breath—we all breath the same air

humans have no advantage over animals—we do not have long to live in righteousness and honor before God

Everything is meaningless—if we’re not living for God then it is all meaningless
 All go to the same place—life is fleeting and we all go to the same place

all come from dust—we came from dust ; Abraham asked in Genesis 18:27, “who am I but ashes and dust”  return to earth

and to dust all return—one day we will all return to dust; think about the burial ceremony, we say “ashes to ashes and dust to dust”
 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?—only God knows if the human spirit goes up and the animal spirit goes down.  Some may say if the saved goes to heaven and the unsaved goes into the earth.

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work—God wants us to enjoy our work and to work hard

because that is their lot—because that is why He made us.  He has a purpose for ALL of our lives.
For who can bring them to see what will happen after them—only God knows the purpose for our lives, how we will touch others and what will happen in the afterlife.  He also knows the rewards this life will bring into the afterlife.

What is your purpose in life?

 

Tweetables:

The Purpose of Life

Transitional Friday: Ecclesiastes 3: 11-14, The Fear of the Lord

For the past two weeks we have been discussing God’s time and that there is a season for everything.

He has made everything beautiful in its time—think about how flowers are planted and in their own time become beautiful.  The same can be said for circumstances in our lives.    fear of Lord

He has also set eternity in the human heart—God wired us to long for eternity and to want the blessings only eternity can bring.  God made us for himself and we are emotionally wired to long for him.

yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end—we cannot begin to imagine the greatness of God and all that He has done and All that He will do.  He tells us that “my ways are not your ways.” We will never understand this until we are with Him and He reveals it to us.
 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy—God wants us to be happy.  when life is difficult this can be hard, but even in the most difficult times He wants us to be happy.

and to do good while they live—God wants us to do good while we are on this earth, this includes helping others.
 That each of them may eat and drink—we should eat and drink, but not in excess.  This is often a challenge.

and find satisfaction in all their toil—God wants us to find satisfaction in our hearts and our journey, even when we’re not at a place where we want to be.  Personally, this is something I’ve struggled with and have to continually pray about.gift from God

this is the gift of God—everything, even our hardships, are a gift from God
 I know that everything God does will endure forever—what God gives us and the lessons He teaches us through the good times, as well as through the hardships {more often through the hardships} will last forever.

nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it—God set the plan of life and no matter how hard we try, we cannot change or alter that plan.

God does it so that people will fear him—God wants us to fear Him.  We are told that  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” {Psalm 111:10}.  Once we begin to trust God’s wisdom, then we can begin to fear Him.

Do you fear the Lord?

 

Tweetables:

The Fear of the Lord 

Transitional Friday: Ecclesiastes 3: 6-10, God has a time and purpose for everything

Last week we began talking about the various seasons of life mentioned in the book of Ecclesiastes.   This week let’s take a look at the deep commitments and inner decisions that relate to the spirit and soul.  The two examples for each are opposites of one another. search

a time to search—there is a time when we need to search for what’s next in our life, whether it is a spouse, job, house, friendships, etc.

a time to give up—and there is also a time when these have served a purpose in our lives and we need to give these up.

a time to keep—there are some things we never need to give up, such as our morals and values

a time to throw away—sometimes there are things in our lives we need to throw away.  This can be our habits, resentments and attitudes, or physical items such as old clothing, out of date electronics or clearing out a room, attic or garage.

a time to tear—there is a time to cry or tear up, also to pull apartlove

a time to mend—there is a time to heal and bring back to gather

a time to be silent—we’ve all heard the adage that “silence is golden”; there are times when it is better to say nothing and to be silent

a time to speak—there are other times when we need to speak up and share, especially if there is something bringing harm to another person

a time to love—God is all about love and wants us to love others the way He would love them

a time to hate—we can often hate the actions of an individual or group, such as when John Newton {author of Amazing Grace} realized his lifestyle of selling slaves was wrong.  He changes his heart, hated the actions and fought to change the laws.

a time for war—there is a time when war is necessaryGods perfect timing

a time for peace—there is a time when war is not needed and we should embrace peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?—what do we gain from our efforts and hard work?  Is it worth it?
 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race—the choice God gives us in choosing the actions to take is a heavy one.  Often the lines may seem blurred and the best guidance is to seek God.

God has a time and purpose for everything.  We need to remember to seek Him through prayer and Bible study through these life altering decisions.

Which of these decisions has been a struggle for you?

 

Tweetables:

God has a time and purpose for everything

Transitional Friday: For Everything There Is A Season

In Ecclesiastes 3, we are told that for everything there is a season.  There are seasons of life that we love and seasons that we can’t wait to get finished with.  While we wait for the next transition, the waiting is often the most difficult aspect of our situation.  In our humanness we wonder what God is doing, why it’s taking so long and when He’ll be finished and life will be better.  At least, that’s what I wonder.

So what does God say about this.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven {v.1}: everything has a purpose under heaven.  God has ordained a season for each part of our life.  time to be born

A time to be born: at some point we were all born from our mother’s womb.

A time to die: one day we will all die.  You’ve heard the old saying the only two certainties in life are death and taxes.

A time to plant: in all of the waiting, we may be planting and sewing seeds.

A time to pluck up that which is planted {v.2}—eventually we will reap what we have planted.

A time to kill—we could take this literally, but it also can mean to end the things that aren’t good for us.  This could be a relationship, friendship, job situation or even selling a house.  Are there things in your life that are bringing you down or need to be left behind?

A time to heal—sometimes we just need to heal and work through the process of what we’ve dealt with.  This can be anything from a divorce, to losing a job, to damaged friendship or a sickness.

A time to break down—I’ve discovered the hard way that sometimes God needs to break us or situations in our lives to get us to the point we need to be so that he can build us back up.

A time to build up {v.3}—once we’ve been broken, God wants to build us back up. He wants to set us on the path He has in stores for us.

A time to weep—weeping is good for the soul, it releases the pent up emotions we keep buried.  I often cry easily, while I have family members that seldom cry.  I’m not saying one is right or wrong, I just know that I feel cleansed after a good cry.laughter

A time to laugh—laughter is good for the body.  After her heart attack, a friend had her doctor prescribe for her to laugh each day.  We all need to laugh more {at least I know I do}.

A time to mourn—we will all mourn at some point, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a friendship, a job, a relationship, our dream house, our independence or the pain over decisions our children are making there will be a point at which we mourn.

A time to dance {v.4}—God wants us to be joyful and to express our joy.  King David danced before God in the Old Testament.  Would you be willing to dance before God?

A time to cast stones—no one wants to have stones cast at them.  Sometimes we watch the media and are so thankful that we are not the one that has made a major mistake broadcast around the nation or world.  Also, this could go back to the passage that says, “we reap what we sew.” We could be casting out stones for a new job, to build a house, buy a car, etc.

A time to gather stones—often we want to call people out on something they’ve done wrong.  Just as we do not want to have stones cast on us, we need to tread carefully when we are gathering stones.  We need to check our facts, search our hearts and pray before accusing or confronting another individual.  Gathering stones also relates to showing passion or affection for people and events in our lives.

A time to embrace—there are moments when life gets difficult and we just need a hug and the reassurance that everything will be alright.  As stated above, at times we need to just accept that we are going through and that it cannot be changed at the moment.

A time to refrain from embracing {v. 5}—there are other situations when it is best to refrain from embracing someone, no matter how much comfort you long to provide.

What season of life are you in right now?  What seasons have you struggled with?

Next week: Ecclesiastes 3: 6-10

 

 

Tweetables:

For Everything There Is a Season

Probing the Seasons of Life mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3

 

12 Ways Not to Lose Hope

Are you going through a transition?  Does life seem uncertain?  Are you unsure of what the future holds?

Whether you are battling a disease, working through a divorce, searching for a new job or dealing with other life struggles in this chapter of your life, don’t give up hope.

Here are 12 ways to keep hope alive:

  1. Read your Bible—this is the best place to start.  There are plenty examples of individuals that have struggled and been blessed by God.    read Bible
  2. Keep a hope journal—write in your journal every day, sharing your heart and feelings.  This is a journal just between you and God.
  3. List of gratitude’s—make a list of things to be thankful for each morning.  I like to list at least three things, but you can list any number you want.
  4. Art journaling—this is simply drawing your feelings and heart.
  5. Uplifting Music—listen to music that lifts your spirit.  While you listen you can sing along or even dance to it.
  6. Inspirational Movies—find an inspirational movie that relates to your circumstances or just lifts your spirit and makes you feel good.
  7. Place your name in the Bible Verse—when you read a verse put your name in that verse.  For example: “cast not your movie realburdens upon the Lord.”  I would say, “Leagh, cast not your burdens upon the Lord.”
  8. Cast Your Cares Away—write your burden out and then burn it.  As the ashes burn, lift that burden and prayer up to God and allow Him to lift it from your shoulders.
  9. Say Goodbye to the past—if your house burned down go back to that site and say goodbye.  If you hurt someone, meet with them and apologize.  If it is impossible to meet in person then write that person a letter.  Even if you never send it, you’ve released those feelings and said goodbye.
  10. Speak with someone else that has overcome that situation—find someone else that has overcome the same situation and share your stories with one another.  Just knowing that someone else has been there and understand helps.   help homeless
  11. Help the less fortunate—often doing something for someone else is the best medicine.  You get your mind off of yourself and onto others.  Doing this provides you with a new perspective of how much worse your own situation could be.
  12. Life Coaching—this is a great tool that will allow you to set goals and keep you accountable as you move forward.

How do you keep hope alive?  What struggles have you overcome?

 

hope quote

In the Wait

Have you ever wondered what’s next?  When am I going to reach this goal?

I have!  For years, I’ve asked God about various aspects of my life.  Some I have waited for patiently and others, well I’ve shown God my attitude.  Needless to say I’ve been impatient and even angry at times. God wants us to be truthful with Him and tell Him how we feel.               waiting on God

We are told in Ecclesiastes “For everything there is a season.”  Still I wonder when that season will come.  Why have I been in the desert so long?  When will God show me the direction and answers I’ve been waiting for?

Waiting is not easy.  I understand why the Israelites grew frustrated after 40 years in the desert.  I often wonder how Joseph endured while he was in prison those seven years.

waiting       Still I know that the answer comes down to one answer, with God’s help I will wait.  That’s the same way that I’ve made it through.  It’s not been easy, but I have to trust that He knows best.  As my pastor says, He sees the upper story when I only see the lower story.

That doesn’t make it any easier, but I’ll trust that He knows what’s best.  So while I wait, I’ll continue to lean on Him.