Tag: encouragement

Your Compliments Are Desperately Needed

Sunday December 2, 2018

Listen up!

Your words, they have power!

Your words can break through lies and deception.

Life these days are busy, hectic, anxiety filled, and short.

We are stuck in the rat race trying to mark our check lists off and get things accomplished so we feel like we living up to the worlds standards of success. In the mean time we are forgetting to slow down and love one another with our words.

I experienced the beauty of honesty and the power of lies being broken in a record time of 4 seconds.

My nine year old daughter has a knack for being impulsive and speaking her mind at any given moment. When she was a toddler this could leave me mortified as to what was about to escape those precious tiny lips. However today she teaches me the beauty of simplicity in a word that has become infested with man made complications.

Last week we had to take her in to see a doctor because her body was fighting a virus hence her elevated body temperature. Our regular family physician was booked up and I was desperate to get her seen that day so we went with a doctor she has never seen before.

During the exam the lady doctor was very graciously answering all of her worried nine year old questions about what all was going on on inside of her little body, when aburtly out of no where her impulsive colorful words filled the room as she said as honestly as can be, “You are so beautiful!”

The doctor gasped in these vibrant color words in shock as she covered her mouth as to keep them safe inside, then she paused for a moment almost as if she were about to cry as she said, “It has been close to 30 years since I have been told that.” She collected herself, smiled and resumed the exam.

I was frozen in my chair in amazement of the fact that this beautiful woman who had dedicated her life to helping others has not heard the words every woman loves to hear, needs to hear, should be entitled to hear in 30 years!

Her reaction made me feel the emptiness she must have been feeling up until the words were spoken to her from my big hearted daughter.

In this moment she paused long enough to let some love come in. She felt a little lighter I am sure and I pray she will remember those words when the days beat her up and she is glaring at her reflection in the mirror believing anything less.

I was then convicted in the harsh truth that I could have been one of those daring voices that could have spread beauty and color into others who have needed to hear it, too many God given opportunities in the span of my life, but never did out of fear of sounding silly or fake.

We need to slow down and we need to appreciate the privilege we have to share love with our words and not waste moments being to busy and so self consumed to compliment each other.

I am going to do it, the next time the opportunity presents itself to me. I am going to just blurt it out for all to hear the color words of compliments out of love to others.

My new slogan I’m adopting for 2019 is this: Don’t Hurry, be Happy!

Slow down and appreciate and acknowledge the beautiful people in your life along the way. 💖

Ash’Leigh Harris

A Slap in the Face Lesson on Grace

3:47 pm 11/20/2018 Tuesday

One would describe what I went through this past month as a hard blunt slap to the face. You know the kind of slap you see on the movie screen as the pompous jerk gets a very deserving SMACK across his face as his present girlfriend catches him making out with another chick.

The kind of slap that was warranted because I was flat out being a spoiled brat, arrogant, and puffed up with pride.

Someone whom I love dearly in my life and whom I won’t name for the confidentiality of their sake had a come- back-down-to-earth talk with as we were getting ready to spend some time together.

The come-back-down-to-earth talk stung painfully as if I had literally just been slapped across the face. It smacked some hard core anger and confusion inside my heart.

I felt the anger whelp up inside me as my heart raced and the heavy lump caught in my throat. “Don’t you dare cry, don’t do it!” I yelled at myself inside my mind. It was my pride blurting out this command.

Pride. He is always the ugliest and meanest inside my head. He makes me act my complete worst! He makes me act stupid, selfish, childish, you name it.

I took the come-back-down-to- earth talk as an attack. Of course pride is the one who takes most offense to this, after all pride is very selfish. Selfish had become my new middle name.

I decided I was going to shut it all down then maybe I would be loved and accepted. Maybe then I could get something, anything right with relationships with the opposite sex.

The next day instead of going to the gym at my routine 4:30am time I skipped and found myself wide awake in my husband’s big comfy recliner in our living room. I knew there was something waiting in hiding for me to discover, like a ruby in the sand. It was there and I was going to find it. All the answers to my problems. At some point the enemy had convinced me I didn’t even know how to love others. He mocked and ridiculed me and used the smack down to drill it into my soul that I only loved myself.

I started searching scriptures when I stumbled across an article on self righteousness.

For years I had been striving and preforming and obeying God but for all the wrong reasons. My heart was pure at first but then I became sucked into the lie that if I measured up to this list of laws I gave myself then I would become a “really good” disciple of Christ. He would be the proudest of me and he would want to shine his glory and works through me because I was on top of my Holy Spirit “A” Game. Finally, I was special.

What I didn’t realize was during this striving for perfection I was ignoring those around me in my pursuit to be the best godly woman. I was loving feeding my insecurities with what I thought to be things God needed out of me to accept me and do his work in my life. I was in love with how I felt. For you see I was a forever lost and insecure girl who turned into a rejected and insecure woman. In my pursuit to be my best for God, all those insecurities were not lying on the surface of my heart anymore.I was feeling good and I didn’t want to let go of the happiness I found in my performance, in the striving in Christ of course. At least that’s what I truly believed. The danger with this behavior is that it’s detrimental to yourself when you fail because then you feel low and defeated and unloved again; not good enough.

When I read that list of bullets that fell under a self righteous person, heavy wet tears filled my checks as they dripped off my chin and onto my lap. To my unpleasant surprise my actions and thoughts were a perfect illustration of each bullet.

I had turned into a self righteous monster.

“I don’t want to be that person anymore, but how can I not be?” I thought to myself.

It took a lot of time, energy, and effort creating my godly woman character I had designed and slipped on like an expensive glamours party dress. If it comes off I will be naked and exposed.

How could I just do this, it would ruin me and my burn my safety net of feeling good enough. Most importantly what would God think? Would he call me a fraud, insecure, ridiculous? Would he choose not to use me anymore? Would he be angry that I was trying to manipulate him with my striving to answer my prayers and feeling accepted by him?

I didn’t know what to think or how to fix this so Numbness became my best friend.

Numbness made me feel like the loneliest person and most far away from God. I would cry myself to sleep begging him to talk to me, begging him to let me sense his presence, begging him to lift the numbness but numbness was robbing me and controlling my thoughts.

See when numbness becomes your friend, you no longer feel, therefore you don’t even know what or how to feel. You become cold and isolated, and it’s the worst feeling I think I experience as a human. Numbness accompanies anger because when I can’t feel, I get angry.

So there I was as numb, angry, confused and felt like I completely screwed it all up with my creator, on top of that I felt undeserving of God’s love and the come- back -to -earth talk person’s love.

I needed to let go of control.

I needed freedom from the unverbalized agreement exchange that I had made myself with God: perfection and performance in exchange of his acceptance and approval.

I needed to pop all my pride like a bright yellow balloon flying high with a pretty white streamer attached to its base. Inflated by deception from the enemy. Inflated with my own selfish pride to be better then what God calls us to be.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks!

God wasn’t mad at me, he was so in love with me that he didn’t want me to continue my journey with him on the terms it set upon, the standards I created for relationship with him. So he allowed what should have shut me down to reteach me his design for relationship with him.

I needed to learn and experience his grace.

Interestingly enough my blog and Instagram name is Absorbing_Grace. I guess if the Lord has willed me the freedom to blog about absorbing grace, I needed a real life lesson on the subject!

This is what I learned.

The true exchange is my doubts and fears, insecurities, pride, perfection, need to be approved, envy, strife, control all of it for God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

I will never be enough, but that’s okay because Jesus was and is, and Jesus made the ultimate exchange for me and you, when he bore all sins of humanity on the cross and laid down his life for us.

It was in that beautiful moment in time his exchange became enough for us all if we would just believe it, accept it, and confess it.

I told God I’m sorry for my foolish ways, sorry for my rebellion, my pride, and for believing I could control him in my life. I repented of that thinking and I told him I couldn’t live one day with out him in my life.

In this exchange his grace and love flooded my heart and Numbness was driven out of my soul. I could feel again! Love, excitement, peace, hope, it all came back to me!

Grace is an undeserved gift God gives us, his children.

Grace does not expect perfection, Jesus is our perfection.

Grace is not a sentence, grace is a comma.

Grace is continual.

Grace is a symptom of God’s love.

Grace can not be earned. It’s freely given.

Grace enables us to get back up after we fall or fail.

Grace is not a license to sin.

Grace enables forgiveness through Christ.

Grace enables us to be redeemed and saved through Christ.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/2co.12.9.esv

“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.11.6.esv

“and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.3.24.esv

Grace can be extended to others through us.

Grace allows us to forgive and love those who have hurt us.

Maybe it’s time for some self-reflection. Are you living under God’s grace, or are you trying to be a control freak like me and earn brownie points? We can’t earn them, lol!

❤️Ash’Leigh

You are Hand Picked by God

FLOWERS CAN’T PICK THEMSELves!!!!!

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”Colossians 3:12 NIV.

You are special, unique, set apart, chosen-handpicked by God to live a life that serves him and brings him glory and honor!

Monday Motivation 

  
Monday’s bring newness, opportunities to be intentional, opportunities to start over, and start fresh!
Hebrews 13:16 presents each and everyone of us with a challenge to share with those in need! 
Maybe it is something as huge as your pocket, but maybe it’s just your time, your smile, your hug, your extended grace, your forgiveness, your love, an ear, your encouragement, your support, your help; whatever it may be I challenge you to go out and be a blessing on this beautiful MLKJ Monday! 
Xoxo

Leigh 

Follow me on Instagram @Absorbing_grace

Living on not Borrowed Time

    

There are 24 hours in a day.

168 hours in a week.

8,736 hours in a year.

Job 14:5 “You have decided the length of our lives.
You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.”

Your life is no accident! The days you get to live here are not to be waisted away.

Each second is gifted to us by our creator to live a life worthy of our calling. A calling that is given to us to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love our neighbor as we love ourself. A calling that we are tasked and equipped for to share the gospel, the Good news, about Jesus Christ.  

I feel encouraged, convicted, and inspired to make the most out of each day that is given to me. These moments in time are no accident. These days of life are not just for selfish pleasures, or to be taken for granted. We have a broken world filled with broken people who need to hear that there is going to be a day when all this brokenness is washed away. 

People need hope! They need healing! They need a Savior who will forgive them no strings attached. They need grace and forgiveness to be shown to them, and mercy for when they screw it all up big! 

We need to Love with no stings attached.

We need to help with no strings attached. 

How will you live out these next 24 hours of your life? Will you move when you fill lead to move, speak when the Holy Spirit prompts you to speak about Jesus, or will you continue to stay quite by fear or feelings of inadequacy?

I’m praying for you and for me this morning that God’s love may abide in us and overflow into others we come in contact with these next 24 hours. I’m praying for a revelation to hit our hearts that this is not just our life to live, but a life lived to bring Glory to our Heavenly Father.  

❤️ Leigh Leigh

I’m on Instagram now so find me and show me some love by liking my page and say hi!! Absorbing_Grace

Get out of the way fear

PASSION NEVER DIES! FEAR JUST GETS IN THE WAY!

I for one HATE feeling FEARFUL! Fear for me would be failure, or worse wasting my time, my life, my years on something that fails.

I find it amazing that no mater how fearful I get, the fear never kills my passion, my drive, my love for something, it just makes me hesitant, afraid to pursue, and afraid to be brave or courageous enough to see it through.

What if we ignore fear? What if we tell those heavy fear frightening feelings to take a hike? What if everyone actually lived up to their own potential?

I can’t help today but to think about a life lived without fear! How would we live each day differently?

When I am left with a huge obstacle standing in my way I go to the scriptures of the Bible to find the answers. When you search fear over and over you will read…”fear not”, “do not be afraid”, “I am with you”, “I will not leave you, nor forsake you”, “Peace I give you”, “be strong”, “be courageous”, “trust me”. I find it fascinating that God is asking us to not be afraid. It has to be a very conscious effort on our own part to not allow fear to over take us. Sure we can pray and ask God to help us to not be afraid, and of course he will, but we must first take the first step out in faith trusting in him that he will always have our back, and not shrink back and become paralyzed in our own fear.

So let’s go forward and even if we are still feeling afraid, be bold enough and brave enough to do what ever it is that scares the day lights out of us, knowing God is with us every step of the way helping us push through that fear!

strong, brave, bold, fear not

❤

Leigh Leigh

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Strong is the NEW SEXY! What do you think?

Have you heard that Strong is the new Sexy!? So now days you can’t even look like you just need to go eat a cheese burger anymore, you have to be buff and stacked, because strong is the new skinny! TALK ABOUT PRESSURE TO THE EGO!

Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. Unfortunately, only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media.  Information taken from http://www.dosomething.org Check out their 11 facts about body image HERE!

Over 60 percent of U.S. adult women are overweight, according to 2007 estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over one-third of overweight adult women are obese. Information taken from http://www.womenshealth.gov

As a Christian woman I believe in Spiritual Warfare and how the enemy’s number one goal is to make sure we never know the truth about how God sees us. For one we are created in His image, and two He doesn’t judge our outward appearance, but our hearts! We were not created for some one else’s eye candy enjoyment. We should not have to live our lives revolved around harsh words spoken about our selves from our own selves, or others, or to be at war with everything we put in our mouths!

image found on pinterest
image found on pinterest

These bodies we have now will age and wither away like the flowers, but our souls will live for eternity.

It is hard to keep this perspective in mind when we are force feed nothing but images of I am assuming the 5% of our populations women, or some very good air brushing skills! ( Might I add, ever notice how all these beauty magazines are RIGHT by the Impulse JUNK FOOD! GASP!!- A true nightmare for any emotional eaters!)

And what is it with the NEW SEXY!!? Since when did the beautiful healthy design God created  our bodies to be for his glory be used and cheapened in todays society as market tools to make a buck with labels such as HOTT and SEXY?  I do believe God created our bodies to be Beautiful, Strong and Healthy! Sexy? Well I believe that is where the opinion of your spouse comes in!

Let’s take the focus off of being SEXY and focus on being HEALTHY, FREE from self condemnation, and WHOLE, made right by Christ!

Let’s not just be Healthy as in physical health, but also our spiritual and emotional health as well.

It is not SEXY or HEALTHY to have  what society calls the perfect body if you are trapped inside your own hell you have created in your mind of striving for perfection, self love, and self acceptance, and never obtaining it. Never looking or feeling good enough for your own standards. Not to mention over exhausting your physical abilities, or creating unhealthy eating disorders!

Eating disorders, depression, substance abuse, and early sexual activity in adolescents  spawn from poor self body image that is linked to self esteem.

I am not saying it is not okay to find some motivational pictures to help encourage you to lose weight or gain size, however as long as you are totally aware that the picture of them and their body is  a direct result of a long hard road of hard work, and dedication they spent on themselves.  Don’t expect to achieve that with out doing what they did to get that, unless of course they are the 5% of the population. 😉 Your results may not look the same. There is thing called genetics, and so you may just not have the genes to shape your body exactly like theirs, and that is okay!

Why?

Because you are special and unique, fearfully, and wonderfully made! Who wants to have the same exact everything as someone else on this planet? I know I for one do not! It wastes the beauty that was made on me when I was created in His image.  It wastes the beauty that was made on you when you were created as well!

Your body was created in God’s very own image.

Genesis-1-27

Back to the spiritual warfare: So how can we beat Satan at his own game? See I just recently learned that when Satan whispers things to us they are only half true. It is masked with sort of truth, but then there is the ugly lie.

The World wants us to see other women who are strong, athletic,  and lean, as nothing more then hot SEX symbols, and that our self worth, value, and happiness is all rolled into looking and feeling SEXY, but God want’s us to be healthy and strong so that we can have longevity to live out his works he has planned for our lives. He wants us to get our self worth, value, self love, happiness from Him and his love for us!

How can we continue to live out our calling and stay healthy, if we are constantly staying  still and stagnant while consuming fake food, processed junk food, and load of sugary drinks? This makes us feel like junk ourselves! You have to get moving and you have to start making better, cleaner eating choices!

Stop pursuing vanity and start pursuing health and wellness and growing in your faith. What is the bonus? A more alert, energized, revitalized,  strong, healthy, loving, and fit you!

1 Timothy 4:8 For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

You can be the most beautiful woman in the world, but if your inside is full of junk, lies, jealousy, envy, hate, bitterness you are not beautiful at all!

God sees our hearts! He is constantly looking at the hearts of people searching back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them (2 Chronicles 16:9 TLB). Notice I didn’t say he is searching the earth looking for the most attractive, slim, skinny, buff, hunky, beefy, stacked humans to carry out his work.

image found on pinterest
image found on pinterest

Change your perspective and your motives that are the driving force of your desire to change your weight or you body image, and you will see something beautiful happen! Self love, and Self acceptance.

image found at word-picture.org
image found at word-picture.org

You ARE BEAUTIFUL AND…

image found on pinterest
image found on pinterest

 

Drown out the lies of the world and Satan with some LOUD music…..while you are out running or getting your work out on!

They may say Strong is the NEW SEXY….

but……

JESUS IS THE NEW HAPPY!

xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Sharing is caring so please share if you enjoyed this and know someone else who might!

You may also like She doesn’t love herself, and my Fitness Transformation.

Follow me on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE!

 

 

 

 

Don’t Box God

We box God’s abilities to do incredibly impossible things by taking power into our own hands and not trusting in him!

I don’t know about you but I want to see just what all he can do in my life daily!

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26

Whatever you are dreaming about that seems impossible to obtain have a little faith my friend! Ask God to help make a way.

LOVE
LEIGH LEIGH

9 Things Learned from a cRAZy Busy Month #motherhoodstruggles FUNNY

To make light of the Chaotic Month of October here is an insert straight from my *TOP SECRET* Journal!

9 Things I learned from what seemed like the craziest month of my LIFE!

#1 When your memory fails you, there are emails, text messages, and social media posts to retain every moment of our life! (Maybe it’s not so bad for you after all to be an addict!??)

i-love-social-media

#2 When given any opportunity to sit still long enough, or lie horizontal you will fall asleep on accident and maybe even snore or drool because your body is so sleep deprived from going non stop!

atomic_betty_s_mom__sleep_time_by_voyagerhawk87-d6tnnvk

#3 “Mommy Time Outs” are FOR REAL and when used in moderation (10-20 minuets after you come home from work, or just anytime in your day) will SAVE your afternoon and your SANITY!

3677742484_b98361fd00_o

#4 Gym stretchy leggings will become apart of your daily casual wear and you can be okay with this! Why? Well all the hours of cardio and weight lifting are sculpting some nice legs!

(sorry no selfie..will work on this though!) 😉

#5  If you ditch your make up, made up hair style, and decide to skip the contacts and wear your glasses all day including public outings, your kids will question if you are okay! (My son was very puzzled when I picked him up from school after work looking like a scrub! “Mom are you okay?”) LOL

photo 2 (29)

#6 PB&J on a tortilla is a wonderful back up sandwich when you run out of bread on a Thursday morning.

#lunchtimestruggles

#7 There are still NO EXCUSES for MISSING morning runs! These make you feel better!

photo 1 (33)

#8 If you feed your kids cereal for DINNER (because it’s 30 minuets past their bed time due to a football game) they will announce to the world, shout it off the roof tops that you ARE “THE BEST MOM EVER!!” (I have waited my whole life for that moment-thank you cereal!) 😉

worlds-worst-mom-ggl

#9 If you have to skip out on laundry and cleaning up your chaotic dirty house, the mess will not disappear or disown you, it will be waiting patiently for your attention multiplying by the seconds!

mostmemorableybl

 

WOW I feel so much more knowledged! I’m SO happy and thrilled I had to endure craziness to learn such fascinating things! 🙂

 

GO Busy Mommas ALL OVER THE WORLD!!

WE ROCK!

Leigh Leigh

Follow my blog! Follow me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/leighleighspeaks or Twitter @ash_leighharris.

Fight to be “That Mom”

It’s MENTAL!!

This is a continuation of my blog post The proof isn’t in the pudding…it’s in the picture! Read it HERE!

You have decided that you want to be “that mom”! You know the one with 10 kids and a set of Abs! 🙂 Awesome! Well first things first….

You got to WANT IT and you got to be willing to FIGHT FOR IT!

“Wait what?”

Yes I said it, “YOU got to be ready to fight for it!”

“Why do I need to fight for it?” You are probably asking yourself!

Well because once you want something so bad you can taste it you seem to find resistance, temptation, and a million reasons why this will never work! It’s called SELF DEFEAT…and you have been around that mountain TOO MANY TIMES TO COUNT!  Be prepared to be mentally STRONG! I talk about my transformation story HERE. It’s not only about my body but my mind as well!

36269-o

Be prepared to take CONTROL of your busy life but also be FELXABLE!

Doesn’t that seem kind of like an oxymoron?

Yes, it does but lets be realistic here! IF you are a mother of small children, you know there will be those chaotic out of your control days when your children will get sick, and unexpected events will occur which will have the potential to derail your work out schedule! That’s okay! It happens! The most important thing is that you stick to is this. DON’T LET IT put a complete HALT to your goals! You can’t have a bad three day span or a week and then decide to throw in the towel to the whole thing! (I know, been there, felt like it.) Keep pushing forward. Be forgiving and extend grace to yourself!  READ …SET BACKS!

Be prepared meaning have a schedule for your work outs for the week and stick to them! If something causes you to miss, then already have a plan to make up for the work out or cardio session.

For me I have had to adjust my 5 day a week schedule of working out and cardio because of School Events and Work. I work at a Preschool so summer days our mine to spend how I choose!

found on pinterest
found on pinterest

 

I lift weights Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday but I run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday! Check out what I discovered about Fasted Cardio here….nice results!

I recommend joining a GYM or some type of FITNESS center!

If you are having doubts or fears about joining a gym please read my 8 Awesome ways to Conquer your gym-phobia here.

Maybe you just don’t want to join a gym but are considering purchasing a home gym? I say go for it! Heavy weights will not bulk you up like the Hulk, they will help burn fat and create lean muscle tone.

Need help with a work out routine but you don’t want to hire a personal trainer at your local gym? Google Weight lifting work out for women or go to http://www.bodybuilding.com and search there. I am not a personal trainer so I can’t really give you “expert advice.” I can share with you what my work outs look like. You can ask me by commenting below or you can email me at leighleighspeaks@gmail.com. Please put Work out Routines in your subject box So I don’t spam it!

YOU CAN DO THIS!!

pinterest find
pinterest find

 

Words to pray and speak over yourself during the beginning stages of your new journey:

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

DO NOT BE AFRAID!!

Stay Strong

-Leigh Leigh

 

What is holding you back right now? Let’s talk it out, I would love to be able to share some encouragement with you! Comment below!

Follow my blog! Follow me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/leighleighspeaks or twitter @ash_leighharris God Bless!

 

 

 

When it Rains it Pours

photo (31)

Rain…. it’s so unpredictable, uncontrollable,  and unavoidable to miss if in it’s path where you are planted.

Rain…..it’s light, it’s heavy, it comes in spurts, or buckets, falls hardily fast or softly slow.

Rain….it’s life giving, renewing, quenching, refreshing, full, and running over, satisfying, yielding to an abundance of growth.

*found on pintrest
* photo found on pintrest

Leviticus 26:4 ESV

Then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

As I am swimming in my very own sea of business, the rain brought relief. RELEIF! Relief of trying to be in three different places at once, the Relief of feeding my family before 8:00pm, a goal that seems so outlandishly accomplishable these days! The Relief of being a busy mother of 5 eating, sleeping, and breathing the balancing act of my children’s sports schedules, work, time with family, time with friends, alone time with my husband, time for myself, and of course exercise (my stress relief outlet).

This past month has been with out much deliverance. I have battled sickness, laid to rest a cousin of the ripe age of 18, experienced heart ache and disappointment, unwarranted DRAMA, set backs, negativity, and plenty of ADJUSTMENTS! Moments of failure and most definitely moments of being insecure in my ability to feel like I have it all under control! It has been a season of difficult times and hard lessons learned. I don’t remember feeling this down and negative in a very long time!

BUT SUDDENLY……….RAIN and lots of it!

In a mater of seconds a night that was to be completely consumed with a volleyball game, pop warner football practice and pictures, and a JV out of town football game……………..abruptly halted to rain cancelations! Completely out of my control. If losing control feels this peaceful then tonight I look up giving thanks and gratitude. Thank you for bringing rain.. peace, rest, relaxation, more time at home with my family, renewal of my energy, my mind.

Thank you Lord for reminding me that in an instant it can all change. Did the world come to an end because everything on Thursday’s agenda did not get completed? No

I am thankful for these Flash Flood Warnings and Watches. I am thankful for every inch that has fallen from the sky and every inch that is expected to fall way into the early morning hours. I am thankful for the sleepless night (last night) due to Loud out burst of Thunder and beautiful flashes of light. Waking up from a dead sleep to sit side by side with my husband in the garage as we marvel over how amazing and magnificent the lightening really is as it brighten the dark purple nights sky. It is now a memory I will hold on to forever.

This Rain has brought me back to what’s most important. Being dependent on something bigger then me, trusting that with my life, and letting go of the control.

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* photo found at http://manofdepravity.com/2013/06/jeremiah-29-11/jeremiah-29-11/

As I struggle to keep my head above such active waters I surrender to you as I lay my burdens at your feet. I do trust you Lord and I know that even though the load seems to heavy to carry some days, or in my case not enough time in the day for it all, this is a season that I am in for a reason. A GOOD REASON and a prosperous reason!

We can plan out our whole lives down to the very last detail, but we are only wasting our precious time, efforts, and energy if we are not mindful to keep our relationship with Christ growing. I will admit, my mind has been distracted by life, and often times I felt my spiritual well drying up, like a withered flower on a scorching hot summer day, parched from lack of moisture.

Hosea 6:13 ESV

Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Here is to acknowledging my dry soil, taking time to nourish it with God’s love, and expecting  lots of colorful, beautiful blooms! This rain is a reminder of God’s love for me, and his desire for me to grow in his love.

I am thankful for all the blessing’s in my life which are disguised as my children who keep me running on my toes like a crazy woman. I just don’t want to loose focus on the one who gave me those blessings! ;0) He deserves my attention, my time, my devotion, my energy, my praise, my worship!

Are you in a dry season or is this a season of overflowing rain and blessings? I would love to know! Comment below if you would like to share! 🙂

XoXo

Leigh Leigh