{2013 goals}

goals i wanted to share for 2013- they are actual goals in my life right now, but hoping that 2013 i 

act more on things, 

defend what i love, 

hope for the best & love greatly...

• not question what God will ask me to do 
• be more open to the Holy Spirit
• encourage kids to be spiritual leaders
• pray over as many kids as i can 
• be more aware to those who need prayer
• opening my home more to those who need company
• serve my husband on my own initiative
• represent myself in a worthy manor
• encourage and be hopeful for those in uncertain situations
• talk less, listen more
• improve my thank you notes
• be a patient preschool teacher
• treat every day at my job like its the last day to make an impression 

 just remember, that even though its refreshing that we start a new year, that with God every single day is a new start...what a great thing!!!

Happy New Year!

{sara}

{thankful}

one of my favorite verses comes from Habakkuk chapter 3, which states:

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

i came across this passage at a time in my life where all seemed so hopeless. i was a whiner, and like stated in my previous post, i was playing the victim. then a friend gave this verse to me with a note saying "if Habakkuk had it this bad- you can have hope". if you truly think about it...that was everything that had so much meaning to Habakkuk. gone.

when i think of how thankful i am, these are the verses that come to my mind. how many times i can simply wallow in my sadness of what i "cant" have or what i "dont" have...what i "want" or what others wont "give me". 

i am thankful. thankful because i have family that loves me. not all of them...but most :) i have a supporting and loving husband and 2 incredibly awesome jobs. my God has never failed me. and for that, i am so blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{sara}

{victim}

its always easy to decide to be the "victim" in circumstances. its easy to submit to the feelings that we have the "right" to be in this position and to stay in this position.

do we have that right? maybe. but i encourage you to move on.

we all know its easier to be there. but then we have to ask ourselves, "how is that in any way beneficial for maturing and becoming a better person?" its hard because, while you are miserable, at the same time you arent proving the point of it all to anyone when you claim the victim card.

i played the victim. for 7 years. to get attention, to feel safe. i felt secure in this role because it didnt push me to grow up and face my problems. it didnt make me question things or realize lies that were thrown at me. you get to be the baby and people eventually lose respect for you. but at the time i had the "right" to be moody. and then i learned that no one cared anymore. i was so repetitive with my plea for sympathy while i sat on my butt and did nothing. so many people took the "high road" and it began to tick me off! but then i started to DO something. i realized, "hey! if i take the "high road" then i wont always be ticked that others are doing it".

your healing begins in your time. your healthy perspective starts to change when you decide to change it. if we work through crap and it seems to never end, to me that just says that it will. if we see no end in sight and we feel like we are drowning, then there is a possibility that it means we are dealing with the crap that needs dealt with.  

maybe when we are in pain, we are on the right path?

being in a state of confusion and sadness isnt always bad. a lot of times, thats what we are most sensitive to what God wants to tell us and show us. when we are so open, raw, and acknowledge help, that is when the Holy Spirit takes over.

God does NOT quit on people. if you think He has quit on you, then i encourage you to seek out being properly introduced to Jesus and all of who He is.

{Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid}
John 14:26-28

{sara}

{respect}

as women, boy do we struggle with respect…mostly towards ourselves. it can be SO hard at times to not respect ourselves. such as putting ourselves down, convincing ourselves that we can’t achieve the best, telling ourselves that we have no self-worth, and most of all, we can disrespect ourselves by letting others hurt us. how does this work?

we are in charge of ourselves. does stuff happen that are out of our control? YES. but then what? we decided how to react, what course of action to take, and whether or not to move on or not. 90% of the time we choose who is close to us. we choose who we are intimate with…emotionally, relationally, physically…and we let those people speak into our lives. many times, this is a healthy thing and sometimes not always.

if we, as humans, are being abused in any form by others who are close to us, we need to make sure that we do not let it determine who we are and what we think of ourselves. therefore letting others treat us terribly is us treating ourselves terribly. if we want to start respecting ourselves, then we need to be around others who respect us.

we are all loved and important. no person has higher worth than the other. we are all worthy of respect just like anyone else in this world.

{So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…} Matthew 7:12

{sara}

{answered prayers}

i love when God answers prayers! but sometimes, in the midst of praying- it seems like NOTHING is happening and it can be sooo frustrating-

after a year of praying and reminding God that i need another part-time job :) i finally got one! it was totally out of the blue and not expected at all {but that's what God does, right?} i now have 2 jobs where i can work with kids.

i. love. it.

so many times when God is silent in my life, i later realize that He was doing something. i realize that He was preparing the next step for me. i am so grateful and so thankful that i do not have to fully depend on myself, but only on Him.

does God feel silent to you right now?
is there something that is preventing you to feel close?

{sara}

{questioning life}

things have just been rough lately. and yesterday, God said to me, "then get on your knees and ASK me"

really? is it that simple? YES.

why do people make God so much more complicated? why do we get so caught up in "questioning" everything? questioning our existance...others motives...science...politics.

if you claim you are a Christian and that you know God, then why are we not asking God? there is no need to question your whole life every single day. especially when you can get your answers straight from the source. (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Bible)

i feel bad for those who stress every day about knowing what they know (or don't yet know..hmm).
or who to believe. or what to defend.

if you are always questioning...are you living? truly living? are you enjoying life? are you helping others enjoy life? or are you always adding to complication & messes.

you cannot say that you "know" God. especially if you don't talk to HIM.

we talk to those we know, don't we?

{Sara}

{all you need is love?}

 a phrase that has been haunting me lately is the phrase, "as long as we love each other, we can make it"

here is my problem. do we not remember what LOVE is? what LOVE represents?

LOVE is JESUS. LOVE = JESUS. 

{1 Corinthians 13:4-8...}

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

if the person hits you: that is "easily angered" & not "always protects"
if the person cheats on you: that is "dishonoring others" & "self-seeking"
if the person mocks you/makes fun of you: that is "proud" & not "kind"
if the person lies to you: that is not "always trusts"
if the person is always negative about life: that is not "always hopes"
if the person always leaves angry and threatens your relationship: that is not "always perseveres"
if the person keeps breaking things off with you, then begging the next day: that is not "always trusts"

if your kind of LOVE is JESUS, then you must be:
patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not dishonoring of others, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keep no record of wrongs, do not delight in evil, rejoice in truth, always protective, always trusting, always hopeful, always persevering, and having your love NEVER fail.

all these things are LOVE. "all" you need is love? "love is all you need"?

if your relationship does not show any of these things, your relationship will not survive on "just LOVE"

{Sara}