MY GOD-SIZED DREAM....

When you tell God you’ll do something, do it—now.
God takes no pleasure in foolish gabble. Vow it, then do it.
Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up.

Ecclesiastes 5:5The Message

 

When I was a little girl, I dreamed about being a Airline Stewardess.  That was something I thought would be the coolest job on the planet. Yet in one minute that dream vanished because someone told me that I could not be a stewardess because I was fat.  The balloon was popped and never to blow up again and become a reality.  Looking back now that I am in the early 50's I have begun to see how those words as well as other words formed an image of me that I was not.  It was how others perceived me but in reality I was fed lies and I believed them and a new image of ME was formed.  How many of us believe a LIE and we took a different road that was less traveled. 

Each one of us have hopes and dreams and dreams that God has designed us to have. Often our fears get in the way of our God-Sized dreams because we do not think we are capable, have enough resources and often feel we are not worthy to do what God is calling us to do.  I can't explain it but often times what he is asking us will bring such peace, joy and love like we have never loved before.

My dream at the ripe old age of 13 was dashed from me, but that wasn't the first nor will it be the last time that happens.  Nor will it be for my children, my church friends, my family.  Thankfully, I now  have better tools and confidence to combat those feelings of giving up when those feeling try to buckle me down.  Believe me it is not easy at times but I know God has a bigger picture in mind for me that he slowly reveals to be as I am ready to listen. 

Each of us have hopes and dreams and need to LET-GO of the fear and embark on that journey that will become part of our DNA, the passion we have will exceed anything we could ever have hoped or imagined and we will see God in it. 

Write your God-Sized dream down on the Facebook page that I created to help you find YOUR God-Sized Dream and with the prayers of the faithful, God things are bound to happen. 

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyGodSizedDream/

Till next time

Blessings 


 

 

 

The Ocean Calls....

The beach is such an amazing place.  Endless in so many ways.  How is it that the sand is plenty? That the ocean has just enough salt so the fish can live in the water.  And how about the birds, how can they balance themselves in the water when they dive into catch a fish? How is it that God knew how to make this all happen.  Who can doubt that he created this all?  

"the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas".(Psalm 8:8 NIV)

"for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters." (Psalm 24:2 NIV)

And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” (Genesis 1:6 NIV)

The ocean is Gods and the awe and majesty of the water is unending.  It's where I find peace and God in so many ways.  No wave is the same, it does not come to the same resting place as the previous wave did.  They are each unique just like God made each of us unique.

I love walking on the beach singing and worshiping the one who created it all.  The splendor of the dead, roll in majesty, how great is our God!

Until next time

Cathie 

A Journey of Healing

  Our Journey's  are each so unique as the hairs on our head.  We don't know when we take that step how our life could change.  We are so settled in each step that we take that often we don't see what is coming before we actually smack right into it.  Yet, looking back we see the signs so clearly and wonder why we did not see that the first time around. 

 

Your walk even around the block maybe different then the walk I take around my block.  Although I really can't say I have a block to walk around as my place is rather unique I have woods behind my house with an orange grove so it is uniquely different then others. Yet, when we talk those walks we see things that we may not ever see again.  Psalms 23 has been in my thoughts a lot this week.  I have been closely examining it and seeing new things I never really pondered before. Such as verse 4 which says....

 

 

Here God is talking about walking, thru a situation many of us don't like to talk about.  Believe me I get that. Yet, what has had me meditating the last few days is that I have always assumed it is a physical death. Yet, after really looking at this and studying this I am not a scholar by any means yet, I am finding that I believe it is when we walk thru trials, when life gets too hard, when we feel we cannot walk another step.  God is with us, he has promised us that we will comfort us and we don't need to fear God's Got this!!! 

 

The last three years have been a walk that I never anticipated and yet, looking back yes I saw many neon signs that I most likely chose to ignore.  Yet, I can honestly say that God has been with me, through the death of my marriage, to the journey of healing to learning to walk alone and holding myself together.  It has not been easy.  It does take a family of sorts to get your life together. That is something that I have grown to appreciate. 

 

When life tries to get you down, know that in the midst of the haze that life throws your way.  He always makes a way.  Years ago when I learned a song called God will make a way. It is a song I still often find myself singing yet it says, "he makes a way we can not see, He will find a way for me. He will be my guide He will be my guide , Hold me closely to His side,  With love and strength

For each new day, He will make a way ...I can honestly say he does make a way.

 

Blessings my Friend

 

Cathie

 

Simplify....

We have heard the song over and over the last few months to "Let it Go"  Move on and see what happens.  Start over.  The past few months I have been feeling the need to do just that to Let it go.  To cut ties with my past and breathe new life into me and renew, recharge and re-invent who I am.  I can't go back yet I can move forward. 

If you look on Amazon for books on simplifying your life you will be amazed at how many pages their are on just this subject.  It is almost mind boggling how many authors there can before this one subject alone.  In today's sermon we heard about simplifying our lives.  This so hit home to me as I am constantly on the go and often find I don't have enough time for me and maybe my priorities are a bit out of sync. Being a Mom to three adult children two of which don't live with me anymore and the other one is a full time college student and also works part time life is often filled with quick moments and I do treasure those. Yet on a personal level I also feel like in simplifying my life I also need to purge the past clean out the clutter not only in my home and storage unit (which is filled with the past). But also to purge my heart and make God more of a priority in my life.  Believe me he has full control of me now but there is always something that we as Christians hang on to and never fully let God take that.  We need to be more willing to simplify our lives and to let go and let God fill us with his purpose. 

  So first things first, begin with my spiritual purge and then to my physical purge and make room for the new things God wants to show me and to bring newness to my home!!! It is never easy but it is so worth it. I encourage you to do the same. 

 

Life and Lemonade

 

 

 

Growing up in Mid-Canada I must admit you can not grow lemon trees.  The soil and the weather honestly it is not a tropical climate where they could flourish. Yet I often remember my mom often saying "When Life hands you Lemons make Lemonade".  In other words, When life hands you what you are not expecting you need to make the most of it and grow from it and flourish in a new way. 

 

God says something quite similar Matthew 6:25&26 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  (NIV) 

 

This past week was a "earthquake of sorts"  Saying good bye to several different comfort zones both personally and professionally. Decisions will have to be made.  Showing grace in this journey will be a challenge but thru it all I know that this is something I will carry on and adjust to on many different levels  But I was reminded every so gently that tomorrow is taken care of for today, just enjoy the lemonade and rest in his promises that it all will work out. Romans 8:28 states it so well "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  That is the blessing in this journey called life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BECOME....

                                              Become ~ To grow or come to be...

                                                   John 3:30

                              HE must Become greater, I must Become less

2014 seemed to be before us in a blink of an eye. For me his last year of Embracing held so much for me I learned to live moment by moment and to have learned what made me happy and to embrace life to the fullest!  And it i included a year of new relationships, a trip to SC for the Celebrate Recovery Summit and to celebrate my big 50 in NYC with my best friend and chosen sister, 

So when December came and I started to turn to 2014 I started to think of what 2014 would hold for me. What did God want to show.  2012 was Audacious, 2013 Embrace and it just seemed that for me the puzzle piece I was looking for held the word Become....

Become - employed full-time 

Become - a better mother (always room for improvement) one that takes time to listen to her children and not always fix the issue for them. 

Become - completed with my Masters (February 2014)  and work towards my Christian counseling License 

Become - a better friend and spend more time praying for my friends and their families

Become - more fit and healthy with my body 

Become - more fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ

Become - a women whose recovery will be life long but will have the necessary tools not to fall victim into a relapse 

Become  -a better blogger

Become -  more organized in my home

Become -   One that has learned the art of self care 

So many ways I can grow this year this list is just a few snip bits of things God is showing me that I can work on.  It will be a a year be willing to be stretched, having fath to finish this lap that God has me on.  Not sure what the future holds but I do know that I will Become who he wants me to be ,

Let's celebrate 2014 and put our feet forward we have Lots to do for his kingdom

Blessing,

Cathie

What's an Instant

I can't help but thing how this little 7 letter world has changed so much of society as we know it today.  Just the other day I happen to purchase a new pair of pants, and the tag said this "instantly slims you"  Wow, Instantly slimmer?  I need ten pairs not just one pair.  That is magic to be instantly slimmer.  In reality there is no "instant" in being slimmer it takes hard work eating right, exercising and choosing the right foods.  But we want everything instantly. We have become impatient people. 
I started to doodle about how much instant we have become  Here is just a very short list.

 

* Instant Messaging

* Instant Coffee

* Instant Credit

* Instant Replay

* Instant Commissions

* Instant Krazy Klue

* Instant Dry Nails

* E-Books InstantlySynced

*Insant Downloads

* Instant Live Streaming

 

I am sure many of us could had hundreds of "instant" things to our list some necessary and some unnecessary. I remember when Turkey's took hours to cook and yet now you can deep fry them and even thug they are not ready in seconds in less than an hour a turkey is done.  That is just one example of how things have changed. I know for me when I got my implants I had hoped I would instantly hear.  That was not the case and so often those I mentor that are getting CI"s ask how instantly they will hear.  Now seems to be the language every one speaks. 

James 1:9 (niv) says "Understand this my dear brothers and sisters; you must all be quick to listen,slow to speak and slow to get angry.  Jesus didn't say to be instantly listen or instantly speak one even get angry he said to be slow.  Next time you see something flash ahead of you that says instant think twice and see if it's worth having that appear instantly.  

As for the pants well let's just say I can't tell the difference so I was not instantly slimmer...

Until next time

Cathie