God knows all the Answers to Our Questions

Day 1

Immediately after I opened my eyes this morning at a chilly 6:00am, (Texas time) my alarm clock begging me for the third time now to start my day, I reached over for my iPhone and opened the BIBLE app.

I decided in that moment I would go ahead and dive into the whole chapter. Upon completion of reading the whole chapter I decided I would commit my next 40 days with my Blog to speak truth, God’s truth with you, my awesome readers! I am still working out, and will eventually figure out how to share that side of me in future blog posts, but this 40 Days of Scripture will be categorized under A New Life in the Scriptures on my Blog.

I want to start with Proverbs 16. I urge you to read the whole chapter for yourself and encourage you to do a little studying on your own.

It can be used and applied to your every day life no mater where you are on your journey.

“We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.” Proverbs 16 Verse 1

We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer. (Hmmm I don’t remember asking for his answer, it’s my life, my plans.) I have to admit when I read scriptures some days I feel like I am just staring at the words. I know they are suppose to make sense in some form or fashion, but I am blank. I began to mediate on it and let my mind imagine, I use context clues to gather more information from surrounding verses and then I pray that the Holy spirit would give me revelation, and knowledge. We can ask for that you know! 😉

If you switch over to the Message interpretation of this Proverb it’s titled is Everything with a Place and a Purpose.

So when I read we can make our own plans, I am assuming God is including EVERY HUMAN.

In Deuteronomy 30:15-19 God lets us Humans in on a little secret. We are FREE to make our own choice! What!!? That is awesome! We have a loving God who would never want to FORCE himself on us or our lives, but He ultimately knows that through salvation through his son Jesus, He is the ultimate way to a real true honest life of Freedom.

God specifically specifies our choices… LIFE….or DEATH!

Life- Eternity with God.

Death- Eternal Separation from God.

“…but the LORD gives the right answers.” Proverbs 16:1

I love that this verse is the first scripture in this chapter because automatically I can see how it can be valid as a Compass for our whole lives from start to finish, but it can also be used as a compass for a particular present season in our every day life.

He is ultimately advising us to SEEK HIM FIRST. Like a compassionate Father He is inviting us to run to him with our questions so that He can answer them.

We can make our own plans yes.. we can choose LIFE or we can choose DEATH, but he is reminding us to have confidence in Him to trust that ultimately He has the right answers.

To choose LIFE would be to seek salvation through his son Jesus Christ.

To choose DEATH would be to live a prideful life believing there is no God, no Jesus, no faith, no hope, no salvation through Jesus, or maybe even turning your back on God.

Now lets bounce back to the present. Maybe you really despise your job and you really want to quit, you know deep down inside you should stay, you have a feeling that you need to stick it out. You always have the choice to quit, or you could go to the Lord in prayer and ask him which way you should turn. Should you stay, should you go? Maybe he has you there to learn a lesson, or maybe he has you there to be a blessing. Either way when He is involved and you are choosing to follow him He will work it all out for your greater good.

“We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.” Proverbs 16 Verse 1

Where are you at on your journey of faith? Have you decided to make your own plans without first seeking his knowledge, his will for your life right now? Do you know Christ? Do you know your freedoms of being a Child of God?

READ HERE if you are still on the fence about this whole Jesus, God, Faith thing people talk about.

Day 2 HERE

xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Learn more about Leigh Leigh HERE. Please follow my blog and join in on the fun at FACEBOOK HERE, or follow Leigh Leigh Speaks on Twitter HERE!

We are guilty of trying to become someone we are not

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

I have been so thrilled and eager to sit down to write this blog post. The joy and the excitement has been jumping around in my heart like a million Mexican Jumping Beans!

Here recently I keep getting this magnificiant push, this hard drive to write about how SPECIAL YOU ARE!

I love to work out, I love to encourage other women on their weight loss journeys, however I don’t frown upon those who are just not interested in the same things I enjoy. Maybe you love the fashion world, you eat, breath, and sleep the latest fashions. Maybe you are into Make up and Hair, body building, dancing, cycling, swimming, reading, writing, hiking, sewing, crafting, budget shopping? The list goes on as to what really captivates us!

Maybe you truly are happy with who you are inside and out, or maybe you are in a season of your life where you are struggling to find out who you are. You question things, you question your own heart, motives, drives, etc..

I know I went through a season in my early 20s after I had my two children. I had completely lost my identity some where in between all the mom titles I was carrying. I lost my confidence in who I was and I was just clueless on who God had called me to be. That place is a dark and scary place to be. If you my friend are in this season I want you to know that there is a brilliant bright light at the end of the tunnel for you! Embrace the unknown to educate yourself on who God has called you to be and then dig down deep inside to rediscover who you are, who you want to be, and then my friend grow your faith and let yourself be you!

Don’t ever get carried away with trying to “fit in” that you forget that you were made to “Stand Out!”

It is so easy these days with all the Woman/Mom/Wife comparisons in the World. We are judged from our choice of clothes to the brand of water we choose to drink. It’s absolutely ridicules and actually brilliantly calculated by the Devil to cause divisions amongst us women to separate us from each other on stupid things that are not eternal or relevant to who we are on the inside.

I am pretty sure God doesn’t care if you want to use a cloth diaper on your baby or a disposable one. However, I know he cares about your heart and your intentions. If this choice brings God glory by recycling and keeping the earth clean, and this is why you chose to do it because in your heart you are convicted too and not because you don’t want others to judge you, or your afraid of their opinions, their acceptance to fit into their particular group, I say cloth on my dear!

Confession alert!! I will just tattle on myself now so you know I am not pointing fingers or picking on cloth diaper moms! The cloth diaper is just an easy example that popped into my mind first. I used to be a preschool teacher and I would look and check out what type of lunches other moms were packing for their child. I had come to the conclusion that I didn’t measure up to other moms because my child’s lunch didn’t look like their child’s. I would go out of my way to make sure that my kids lunch reflected their child’s lunch. Was it because I wanted my child to be “super healthy” like theirs? No, it was because somewhere deep inside I had a mom insecurity and I had made other moms my standard to compare myself to be like.

(Read why I gave up trying to be the PERFECT MOM here.)

We do this all the time with EVERYTHING…don’t we? Okay maybe you have never done this, I am probably just throwing my own self under the bus right now by sharing some of the dumb embarrassing things I have done in my life! 😉

It is just Satan getting into our heads tying to make us insecure on who we are as WOMEN, as Mother’s, as Wifes, as Friends, and especially Daughters of Christ!

Insecure so that we do stupid things, like try to become someone we are not to feel accepted.

The good news is WE ARE ALREADY ACCEPTED! Even in our Sin we have a God who loves us and is waiting for us to acknowledge him and to believe in him. He loved us before we loved him. He created us unique for His Glory and His own Purpose. Ephesian’s 2:10 says that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. GOOD WORKS, ETERNAL Works, that we should walk in them. I am not reading the part where we should compare and then become someone we are not, or that we should walk in someone else’s footsteps that He created for them. Oh, because it is not there!!

These silly standards that we measure ourselves up to turn into nothing eternal but only temporary. Your child is going to grow up into an adult, God willing! When he is an adult, no one will care what kind of diaper you put on his bum. Your body, your face, your hair, it will all age. We are all left with the same destiny and that is getting old and passing on.

I don’t want to waste one more second trying to become someone I am not created to be. What a waste that would be for my life God created just for me to live out!

Look at your finger prints. If God, the creator, went out of his way to give each one of us our very own set of finger prints, doesn’t this mean some thing to you about your value, your worth, your acceptance, your importance to HIM?

We are all special and unique, but as Sisters in Christ we are all connected.

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 Peter 3:8

Notice how there is no pressure to be the same on the outside, or the way we prepare lunches/dinners for our children, or to become a stereo type soccer mom, or an organics only mom, or the 6 pack abs mom, or the Trophy Wife, and become everybody’s BEST friend!

I posted this photo on my Facebook page. (Check out my Facebook page HERE!) It convicted me as to where my perspective has been lately. Let us live to be women who leave eternal gifts to our children, our husbands, our friends, and everyone else we meet along the way.

Love last forever! Acts of kindness remain within the recipient’s heart!

If you are currently chasing after something that you know in your heart just isn’t you, but because of fear of rejection you are allowing yourself to be involved or apart of it, I urge you to stop it today! Be brave enough to just be you. Be brave enough to love and accept yourself just the way you are. Also be brave enough to change the parts of you that you know you need to change for the better. You are worth becoming the best that God created you for!

Where is your heart today? Are you guilty of trying to be someone you are not? Do you know who you are?

Struggling with Identity? Check out my Confessions of a Tattoo Sleeved Mom HERE!

XOXO

Leigh Leigh

Please follow my blog! I am on Twitter and Facebook as well!

It’s Valentine’s Day and I am dumping You

It’s February the month of LOVE. Typically you see new romance blossom and bloom. Love is in the air.

This is no romantic love note my dear. I guess there is no sweet way to say this, so please forgive me for being so blunt, but I don’t have it in me to continue this fling we have going on.

First of all you suffocate me with your presence! Your EVERY WHERE! I can’t go anywhere alone with out you following my every move. I mean your at the store, the doctors office, the dry cleaners, the bank, the grocery mart, my work place, and even hiding out at my friends houses! You only thought you were sneaky, think again!

You make me act like a needy little school girl with a puppy dog love crush. My behavior has turned into one of those obnoxious “I can’t live with out you or I will die” kind of senseless ones. When I am stressed out, I need you. When I am feeling depressed, I need you. When I am happy, I want you. When I am bored, I want you and need you. I could go on with all different sorts of scenarios but well you don’t need to know all my weaknesses! I have become extremely co-dependent!

I can’t concentrate on any one thing because you consistently nag me like a retail shoe sells men working only on commission all the time with your sweet promises to satisfy me which you don’t. Okay I am LYING!! You satisfy me but for like maybe 10 to 30 seconds at a time. I am excited for a whole second until I can no longer taste your sweet delicious goodness on my tongue any more. Our encounters usually end up leaving me with a hangover or a severe stomachache, trying to consume enough of you to fulfill my desires at one time.

You whisper sweet nothings into my ear as I walk by you. YOU Tease!

Don’t you want me baby, don’t you want me OOOHH!? (In my mind I have created this serenade from you to me.)

The Sweet nothings and taunts go a little like this:

“Look at me, I’m so DELICOUS! Just one bite that’s all you need.” “Look at me I am “fun size.” It’s not even like you are getting all of me. Just a little bit of my love wont hurt you girl!” “You have been good all day, you Deserve me!” “No one has to know!”

The hardest part about you to swallow is the cold hard fact that you are a LYING NO GOOD CHEATER!! I heard Courtney talking about how delicious you were to her as well. It’s not even just her, apparently like ALL WOMEN have had some of you! You dog! Here I was thinking I was your one and only, like we had something special.

Your mind controlling powers lead to a serious distraction of my own needs.

I often tend to put your first. Ugh I hate myself!

You leave me with guilt and resentment for days. This guilt and resentment is what drives me to depression which leads me finding you and its a vicious cycle that never ends!

You wreck my self control! I keep telling myself I am going to quit you, but I keep going back for more and more!

You are no good for my self esteem. That’s right, you make me feel FAT! The more of you I consume, the larger my med section becomes. The uglier I feel!

You spike my insulin and can actually cause me to become a diabetic with too much consumption of you. You murderer. It’s like a FATAL ATTRACTION!

After much thought and consideration to the long term harmful effects this relationship has on me, I have decided it is time for me to take you out like yesterday’s trash!

That is right, I am breaking up with you CHOCOLATE!!

Oh, and I don’t need you trying to come crawling back into my life either. You’re not sneaky popping up on fruit, or bacon, or popcorn, so don’t even try to attempt that!

WE ARE OVER!

You are no good, your no good, your no good, baby your no good! (signing out loud)

xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Please follow my BLOG Leigh Leigh Speaks and follow me HERE on Facebook or HERE on Twitter!

chocolate bar photo credit: fanpop.com and picmonkey for edits

Please Burst my bubble…

……….of moodiness!

I woke up this morning with this verse heavy on my heart.

Mark 12:30-31

Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all you soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no greater commandment than these.”

It was like a big spiritual spanking for me as I have been very grumpy and probably hard to live with lately.

I started this blog to encourage woman and speak truth into their lives. This doesn’t mean that I am above both. I know I am not. So then I thought well maybe someone out there needs to hear this too!

I have been very negative lately about me in general. The more I try to encourage you how beautiful you are and how awesome it feels to set goals and reach them. I have been walking around with self doubt, and a critical spirit about myself.

I just read Crash the Chatter Box by Steven Fortick and it was a great read. It made a lot of sense but obviously I need to go read it again. The truths that I learned about mindless chatter didn’t seem to take root in my heart.

I will be turning 30 in a few short months and the pressure to be 30 and fabulous is really kicking in. (Why I think you should be 30 and Fabulous sure beats me!)

Why must I live with so many pressures I (me, Ash’Leigh) put only on myself? I hate pressure. It is thick, and heavy, and smuggling. It chokes the happiness out of my spirit. It creates false expectations that I (me, Ash’Leigh) only place on myself. It is like I (Me, Ash’Leigh) am my greatest enemy, my greatest competitor. I sure do get tired of me!

There are a lot of things that I am just not happy with right now with myself but I will not bore you with the details. They are silly anyways but because I have sat and highlighted them in my mind, blowing them up like a Ginormous sized Advertisement Billboard, they have became HUGE and daunting to me. We have a tendency to do this!

Mark 12:31 brought some clarity to my bad attitude lately. I am not really upset with everyone around me. I am lashing out in grumpiness because I am not happy with myself. I am not truly loving myself.

Are you lashing out and taking anger out on random strangers or the ones you love?

Here are some signs to look for.

Unexplained Moodiness.

Unexplained grumpiness towards your children or your husband, friends, family.

Extreme irritability with the WORLD and everyone in it.

Feelings of doubt and insecurities on several areas in your life.

Speaking negative remarks about yourself to others. Example: “I could never do that, I am not smart enough.”

Letting how your body fits in your clothes that day dictate your attitude and your mood.

Majority thoughts on negativity.

Picking out every single flaw on you and every single human around you.

I think there is some insight in this scripture. We are told to love our neighbor as we love our self, but in reality we actually TREAT OTHERS how we TREAT OUR SELF.

Maybe you don’t. Maybe you have learned to fake loving everyone else while inside you are being choked with insecurities and self doubt and hate. I think this can only last for so long. Click here to learn why I am not faking things anymore!

The truth sets you free.

I Love God with all my heart. I have been asking him to change my attitude repeatedly lately. I know when something is off inside my mind. I am thankful for this reminder this morning.

I have to get back into grips with What God thinks of me.

I am his Child. John 1:12-13

I am created in His image. Gen 1:27

I am deeply Loved by Him. Jer 31:3

I am Forgiven. 1 John 1:9

He never gives up on me. Philippians 1:6

I am always on His Mind. Psalm 8

His works are Wonderful so I am Wonderful. Ps 139:13-14

I am not rejected! Isa 41:9

I am the apple of HIS eye. Zec 2:8

We can’t be who God has created us to be with a CRITICAL NEGATIVE SPIRIT. Satan knows this and I believe that this is his favorite way to drive us insane and kick us of our course.

But THANK GOD Greater is He who is in me, then he who is of this world!

We need to recognize the attack from the Enemy and then rebuke the negative, critical spirit attacking our mind. Then pray by asking God to restore the damage it may have caused in our hearts, help us see ourselves through His eyes, and help us to love ourselves like he loves us. We need faith to believe what his Word says about us allowing it to become our foundation of our own identity; our true identity in Christ.

We need to build ourselves up instead of tear ourselves down. This is important because I believe we will leak what we are filling ourselves up with. If I am feeling nasty and critical inside I will leak this onto my husband, my children, my friends and quickly critize them, but if I am full of the love of God and building myself up in his words, his truth, I will leak this onto others. (Encouragement, love, support. etc..)

Be True to yourself always!

What helps you come out of a self loathing funk?

Xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Please follow my blog! 🙂 Follow Leigh Leigh Speaks on Facebook here or Twitter here!

Photo credits:pinterest and Socialnetworkvoice.com

2 Faced

After a three day cloudy, gloomy, rainy, wet and cold weather spell in the middle of Winter, the sun came out during my drive to pick up my children from school. I could feel the golden warmth transcending through my wind shield. A brilliant idea popped into my head on this very chill cool January day. I would try to fake Summer! I blasted my heater as if to let myself become over heated, pretty much how one feels on any hot Summer day here in Texas! As the heat blasted through my air vents I couldn’t help notice the chill I couldn’t seem to shake. You know the feeling when you have been outside for a while and you can’t seem to warm up? My hands turned the freezing hard steering wheel, and I couldn’t help but notice the chilly air reflecting off my driver seat window touching my exposed skin. Even though I tried. I could not fake Summer!

It lead me to thinking….

You can’t fake Summer on a cold windy Winter’s day like you can’t fake feelings!

2 faces I am not!

Being two faced means you are not coming to terms that it is okay to be hurt by someone’s actions and words. You are not being true to yourself or the person you are faking out. You walk around with a big smile on your face and pretend to like someone who has caused nothing but trouble and heartache in your life, and the lives of others you love. You are fake and a phony. You think that by pretending to play nice it is going to make things all better. You think it is going to make the anger from being hurt, violated, or rejected go away. It doesn’t. It festers up, the monster grows elephantine inside your heart.

I have prayed for my enemies. I have forgiven over and over and over again. But still I am left with the same feelings I thought I took care of years ago.

What I realize today are these truths.

When I am weak, HE is Strong and HIS grace is sufficient for me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (Even if my weakness comes back time and time again.)

HE hears my cry for help, and delivers me out of my trouble. Psalm 34:17

HE understands how I feel. Hebrews 4:15

He will vindicate me, fight for me. Romans 12:19

I am loved, accepted, and forgiven. John 3:16

I am taking my “feelings” to God today. I am being honest with HIM expressing my hurts, my disappointments, my feelings, my hopes, my desires.. as I ask for forgiveness of my sins and ask him to be my rock, my strength, and to love like he does.

No more faking my feelings by forgiving others because I feel it is my “Christian duty,” and feeling resentful to God for it later when I don’t feel better, but surrendering it all to HIM!

Until the peace HE promises comes, and I believe it will come, I will continue to not fake my emotions and I will continue to not be a Woman of 2 faces.

I will let Go and Let God transform my heart for me by His power, by His Grace, by His Love.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me Strength and so can you!

Do you ever struggle with 2 faces?

Be you, Be true!

Leigh Leigh

Be sure to follow Leigh Leigh Speaks Blog!

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photo credit:http://blogs.sd41.bc.ca/buckingham-library/2011/12/02/holiday-borrowing/

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!

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.

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.

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.

You ARE BEAUTIFUL AND…

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.

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Do you struggle with not feeling good enough for God?

“Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change, is the experience of love. It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change.”

-Richard Rohr

Quote from the book Crash the Chatterbox by Steven Furtick

Before I elaborate I must say that I am really enjoying this book! I highly suggest picking up a copy.

Something deeply rooted in my mind since my childhood is that I am never going to be holy enough for God. I could do more for him, I could be better. I am never on the right track, never paying enough attention to him, never reading enough of my bible, never worshiping him enough to get to that place of true certainty that I am loved by him, and he is pleased with me. I am just down right not good enough to be called a child of God because I just can’t seem to get this whole Child of God, Jesus follower down! I actually feel guilt and condemnation when I go days without picking up my bible. Then I think, well now I have to start all the way over to get back in his good graces.

How stupid is this!

Progress with your walk with Christ comes little by little. We have an enemy who is pushing back against us the whole way. He wants us to have none of the victories Christ already died for us to have. We are overcomers, we are saved, we are healed, we are made righteous in his sight through the blood of his one and only begotten Son, Jesus. We are forgiven, we are loved unconditionally, and his mercy and grace is new every day.

Joyce Meyer says it best: “I may not be where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I use to be!” Progress

Jesus already paid the price for my sins, past, present, and future. So why I am always fighting, waging war within myself, within my mind to try to get to him. To believe this is really true! Why do I waiver in my faith. In my heart I believe with every ounce of my being. I believe I am free, I believe I am saved. My mind however is just always being attacked with negativity, doubt.

Maybe you struggle with this mindless chatter as well? These lies that keep playing over and over and over in your mind. You did this and this today, God is so not pleased. Whelp, maybe tomorrow after you pray and read your bible for an hour you will be okay again. I am not saying that we don’t have to repent and ask for forgiveness of our sins, of course we do. These feelings of guilt and condemnation linger way after confession and asking for forgiveness.

Satan loves to make us believe that getting to God is a LOT OF WORK, BUT HE IS A LIAR.

Well actually it was a lot of Work for Jesus, He took our place and atoned for our sins. He did the hard part for us all, so that we could be free and live in his Victory over Death!

Steven Furtick knocked it out of the park when he elaborated on the first chatter told to Eve. It was actually an ah ha moment in my mind, and I want to share it with you because maybe you struggle like me, maybe this truth will give you some hope and a fresh start to your faith, and your stupid thoughts bouncing around up there!

I am going to take this straight out of Chapter 4 of Crash the Chatterbox.

This is after the fruit has been eaten and now Adam and Eve are hiding from God in the Garden.

“Yes, the serpent is a master of asking questions to insinuate things about God’s intentions: “Did God really say….” Thankfully, God counters those questions with a question of His own: “Where are you?”

God doesn’t ask because He needs the information. He knows His way around this garden. He asks so that Adam can locate himself in relation to his God. So the hiding can stop.

Adam’s answer is straightforward enough: “I head you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked: so I hid.”

And God’s next question is my favorite of all. It is the ultimate counter-question, and it’s the source of our separation from God: “Who told you that you were naked?”

Implicit in God’s question “Who told you that?” is at least part of the answer: Because it sure wasn’t Me.”

Steven Furtick Crash the Chatterbox

Those words across my iPad pierced my soul. It knotted my stomach and then released tears down my eyes. Really it was a release of bondage rooted with my doubts. “Because it sure wasn’t Me.”

In a few days we start a new year. I might have made the mistake of not keeping my eyes on God for the past few weeks, but He didn’t go anywhere.

Our Father is a patient and steadfast Father. HE LOVES us, and that LOVE for us is what continues to change me. As his child, I must do what Paul tells us, keep on pressing on towards the prize!

I am not hiding from my guilt of not being a perfect human being. No, instead I am walking by faith and not by sight, and I am clinging on to the Hope and the Promise of the Word’s spoken in Romans 5:

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The TRUTH ALWAYS REVIELS the LIES!

Because of His blood, I am good enough, not by my acts, not by my deeds, not by my success or by lack of any shortcomings, or because I did or didn’t read my bible this morning. Because of my belief and my faith, and because I have been saved by Christ, God’s Holy Spirit is always with me, always helping me, convicting me to change, because I AM LOVED and so are you my friend!

Now go back and read the title quote again. 🙂

SMASH THE LIES AND SMASH THE STUPID LYING CHATTERBOX!

Love and Hugs,

Leigh Leigh

Follow me on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE!

A Mom Who Wants To Be More

If I could bottle up the wisdom that comes with being a little innocent child I would! To be an adult and look at life through the lenses of my daughter at her ripe age of 4, I could learn so much!

She sees the world in ways my jaded heart just can’t perceive. It’s her blank canvas. She is the paint brush as she grabs a hold of everything vibrant, bold, and colorful to leave her mark in this world!

She inspires me each day to just be the creature God created me to be. Unique and one of a kind!

I think I read a quote some where a long time ago that said, “Be an original, not a copy.” I think that’s what God intended us to be. Our own unique one of a kind being that he created that way on purpose. It is so the world can see his glory and his imagination, his creativity.

I love the way she dresses herself! She hardly ever matches.

I love the way she has no care in the world that half her pony tail has been unraveled and hanging from one side of her head for the whole entire day.

I love how she can wear a jacket, shorts, and rain boots when it’s 86 degrees outside with no clouds in sight!

I love how she can tell me what’s on her mind uncensored but sincere.

She is always smiling and always being silly. Nothing she does ever surprises me!

Just today she came running over to the neighbors to show us her face which was completely covered in burgundy lipstick! “Oh Kenna,” I said, “we have got to wash that off before it breaks your face out into a rash!!”

I giggle with fascination that she has both me and her Daddy’s best characteristics (looks and personalities) but she is also just her own self, Kenna!

God please let me live with a heart and a mind like hers. Help me to accept and love myself and be the person you created me to be. Let me truly know and believe that my worth and security comes from no where, no place, and no one person’s opinions of me, but just you!

The world is a cruel, harsh, non-accepting place, but only we can imprison ourselves to be held captive in that brash reality.

Here is to holding onto that freedom we receive in Christ to just be who we are and want to be!

I think being a Mother is a beautiful gift. We have so much responsibility and freedom to raise our children how we see fit. The more I mature and grow in wisdom the more I start to see the purpose of Motherhood. Yes we absolutely have to nurture and provided the needs of our children. They need to be healthy and loved, but I want to be more then just a mom who provides a yummy home cooked meal on the table each night, a mom who washes their clothes, cleans up after their messes, taxies them to and from, cheers them on, bandages and doctors their boo boos, helps mend broken hearts from unforgiving statements made by so called friends.

I want most of all to leave the impression on them that they are loved, not only by their Mommy and Daddy but by Christ. I want them to love themselves and be confident in who God created them to be. I want them to believe in themselves, their abilities and God given talents and gifts. I want to do this by believing in these truths for myself, loving myself and growing in my relationship with Christ so that his love and truths would flow through me and onto them, living and leading by example.

Your children will learn about your insecurities by the way you talk about yourself In front of them. They will start to believe that because they are your child they automatically will inherit these flaws as well.

I want to tell my daughter that she is perfect in my eyes. She has the best style and the sweetest words on the hardest mommy moment days.

Stay innocent and precious and strong headed. Don’t let the lies of this world tell you aren’t good enough, smart enough, fashionable enough, skinny enough, tall enough, creative enough, strong enough, etc..

You are the perfection of His Creation.

XoXoXoXo

Leigh Leigh

Follow my blog here or on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE!

My Kids are Driving ME CRAZY

Ever have one of these days where you are asking yourself this very question?

Well I have some GOOD NEWS for YOU!

🙂

You can spot children out quickly because like everything you tell them to do, they will completely ignore! (This goes especially for my 4 year olds!)

And we don’t want to leave out the TEENAGERS and all their 5,487….(mood swing’s)

OR the Whining..

and the Tattle tailing every 5 minuets!!!

Dinner time will never be the same…

I mean seriously, I have yet to understand how a four year old can live off of lunch meat every meal….LUNCH MEAT!???????

Mommy TIME OUTS are regular part of your day and you better bet your bottom dollar you will enforce this rule..

But no matter how stressful and tired and run down they may have you feeling today, you can always guarantee some good ol’ love and hugs are in order!

Why?

Because they ABSOLUTELY ADORE YOU!

And this is why we wouldn’t change a thing about motherhood!! 🙂

Motherhood is AWESOME!!! 🙂

I hope this brought a smile to your face!

xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Follow my blog here, and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/leighleighspeaks , Twitter @ash_leighharris!

I would love to hear some funny Motherhood stories!! Comment bellow!

When it Rains it Pours

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.

* 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

Let’s just call you what you are.. A PRETTY LITTLE LIAR

Yes………well you and me both!

I wish I knew statistically how much one actually lies to themselves a day. I did come across an article via the world wide web that explained that the average person will tell 4 fibs a day, with the most common fib to be “I’m fine.” But I have a suspicion that this calculation is based on the lies we actually speak out loud. But what about the ones that we don’t say?

Confused yet? Don’t be.

We defeat our own selves before we even begin.

Example:
“I can’t wear that, I look too fat.”
“I can’t run fast, I have been slow my whole life.”
“I have NO self control, and never will.”
“I can’t find the time.”
“It’s just too hard!”
“No body cares or even understand the struggles I am facing today.”
“No one appreciates anything I do.”
“There is no use in even trying, when I know I am going to fail.”
“There is someone out there better qualified then me, no use in putting in my resume today.”
“I am too old to be trying something new.”
“Other people are going to judge me if I …….”
“My past defines my future.”
“I am not worthy to be loved.”
“My kids probably wished they had a more fun Mom.”
“I can do it tomorrow.”

Get the point I am driving home now? We need to stop being pretty little liars and become pretty little truth tellers. Speak TRUTH into your soul. Speak Truth into your life. Be a blessing to someone else and Speak Truth to others.

I know I am so quick to realize when someone is criticizing their own self and speaking negativity about themselves. Why is it so hard to recognize my own negativity towards myself? I do struggle with this, but I am praying for sensitivity to my own lies I tell myself, so that I can quickly realize it is not the truth, it’s only deception to keep me where I am, not allowing myself to become better.

When you hear someone lying to themselves about themselves to you, STOP THEM IMMEDIATELY!

Speak TRUTH into their lives. Help them realize they are only deceiving themselves.

Ephesians 4:25 states this:
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. (NIV)

*image found on pic2fly.com

You have ears to listen to what you say, so don’t act like you excused from speaking or thinking lies to yourself, because you are not!

What a man believes in his heart, so he is. ( Proverbs 23:7)

Don’t go turning your heart ugly with your own deception!! 😉

Love yourself!

xoxo

Leigh Leigh

“Working Out” My Transformation Story (pics)

Good Morning on this Fabulous “Fit” Friday!!

You may have already checked out my Body after Baby post, if not you should check it out now!

Today I wanted to share with you how working out has changed my perspective on the way Faith operates in my life! But Before I share this with you take a look at some physical evidence for yourself!

In the photo to the left I am 20 years old Mother of zero kids and I was probably if I could guess around 136 pounds. I am also five foot 6 inches in case you were wondering. The photo to your right was actually taken about a month ago. I am 29, 128 pounds a Mother of two Children that came from my belly. I am actually a mom of 5 but I can’t take credit because only two came from this tummy! As you can see from the two photos there is quiet a bit of difference going on with my body.

I actually made this photo collage for a Friend’s Facebook Page “God’s Fit Girl.” I was hoping to link her page her to my blog, unfortunately at this time she has taken a break from Facebook and deactivated her accounts, therefore I can’t link. I would like to come back in the future and try to link her up here.

She was giving away a God’s Fit Girl Tank to the first 5 transformation stories posted to her page. I was her first one! I have to admit, besides putting up before and after pictures on my blog for the world to see a few months ago, I have never been brave enough to do this and was freaking out a little to go through with it. Free Cute Tank Tops have that power over me! 🙂

The reason I wanted to share this Transformation with you today is not just to inspire you to work out or take better care of your body, of course those are a given, but today, rather I would like to share with you how working out has helped me understand how faith works and proof that I can trust God.

First of all let’s define Faith, shall we!?

¹faith

noun \ˈfāth\

: strong belief or trust in someone or something

: belief in the existence of God : strong religious feelings or beliefs

: a system of religious beliefs

Merriam-Webster.com

There are so many beautiful scriptures on Faith in the Bible. I do suggest a Web search on Faith scriptures.

In my human mind I tend to be wired to be skeptical and analytical by nature. I also have a flesh that wants instant gratification! This desire for instant gratification has grown with my ability to access the Internet and all of it’s information in the palm of my hand, 24/7.

When I began working out I didn’t seem to acquire the results I wanted because I had no faith in what I was doing and didn’t trust the process. We all think if we go on a diet for a week we are going to lose the weight we put on over a long period of time. It DOES NOT WORK that way!

As I have been praying for a way to get this across to you so that you can understand it I have been dealing with a challenge. But I am going to try my best so here we go! Faith is a belief; something that we commit to fully, and we trust. But we can’t see it. This confuses us because we want to see tangible evidence that faith actually works and can be trusted.

I ran over 2 Peter 1:5-7 a few years ago in my bible. Something about this scripture just ingrained in me that there is a natural process that occurs when we step out in faith and keep digging in. Our Faith, Our Hope, Our Knowledge, Our Desires, Our Character, etc.. they all GROW!

2 Peter 1:5-7 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control;and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

I actually remember writing this out on card stock and posting it on my dresser mirror so that I would continue to read over these words so that they would start to stick.

While this scripture was helping me grow in my Faith in Jesus and encouraging me to stay in his word and pray for knowledge, self control, kindness, it was also inspiring me to test this theory so that I would be able to see transformation take place physically!

We know that when we give our hearts to Jesus he fills us with his Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit produces fruit in us. Here is a reminder of the fruits of the spirit: LOVE, PEACE, GENTLENESS, PATIENCE, FAITH-FULNESS, SELF-CONTROL, GOODNESS, KINDNESS. I know that I have access to all of these “fruit” and were I lack, I can pray and ask God to develop these fruits in me!

In my mind I took the scriptures from Peter and I connected them to my life style change.

Since Faith was going to represent my Body this is what I ingested from this scripture.

“make every effort to add to your faith goodness”

(Make every effort to add GOOD things to my body; water, protein, fruit, veggies, complex carbs)

“and to goodness, knowledge”

(Make every effort to add knowledge about Working out and making my Body healthy) I would ask questions about weight training, portion control, cardio, realistic goals, how to burn fat, calorie intake, etc.. Knowledge goes A LONG WAY!

“and to knowledge, self-control”

This was and probably still is my biggest obstacle! SELF CONTROL! I was going to have to put in the effort to practice self control on what I put in my mouth, and how committed I would be to a work out routine! Self control will always be a work in progress!

“and to self-control, perseverance”

Good old perseverance! Just when you think you have the self control down, you actually have to continue to keep the self control, continue, to practice the self control, continue to live out that self control! Whew!! Persevere through those hunger attacks, those negative comments from others, preserve through those days when you feel like it’s not working, you don’t have what it takes, you will never accomplish your goals. Persevere through insecurities you have established along the way own your own or by others. Persevere through the pain of getting through your first cardio class and you think your body if fixing to fail you.

“godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

Godliness! I just took from this that God did design my body, it was made for his glory not mine, and I should take really good care of it so I can be around in good health to complete the mission he has set before me here on Earth! Brotherly kindness, eh well motivating my friends and my family to fight the good fight of self doubt and no hope of achieving success with their Weight struggles! I need to be kind to my body as well! I should intake healthy foods, drink plenty of water, and get a good amount of sleep each night. Showering is also good too for my hygiene! 😉

Finally LOVE! I should absolutely LOVE my body! This ties in again with taking care of what God gave me to begin with! I should not only love my body, but My soul as well! Working out increases endorphins which make you happy! It reduces stress, and helps you tire out so you can sleep if you struggle with not being able to sleep at night! Working out has a magnitude of perks, just look them up for yourself!

Now back to the Fruits of the Spirit. I know first off, I can do and accomplish all things in Christ who gives me strength, Philippians 4:13. Did you notice that when I am building my faith I actually use some fruits of the spirit? Love, Kindness, Patience (to persevere), Goodness, and of course Faithfulness.

When I started to focus on my Body and use all these tools found in 2 Peter 1:5-7 guess what? My BODY STARTED TO CHANGE! It started out with small changes, but after time, dedication, commitment, and faith in myself, trust in the process, my body started to change! My chunky tummy started to shrink, My legs began to get firmer, for once in my life I could actually see that I did in fact have some muscle under my skin after all! I could lift more weight over time, run farther, and I had so much more energy! My clothes dropped sizes, and the pounds of weight dropped as well.

IF I COULD TRUST THIS PROCESS in 2 Peter 1:5-7 TO WORK FOR MY BODY AND ACTUALLY SEE PHYSCIAL EVIDENCE THAT IT DID INFACT WORK, I COULD BELIEVE THAT IF I COMMITED MY LIFE TO CHRIST IN MY FAITH I COULD TRUST THAT ALL THE PROMISES THAT GO ALONG WITH LIVING MY LIFE WITH CHRIST WOULD BE EVIDENT IN MY LIFE!

Hebrews touched my heart when I learned with out faith it is impossible to please God, because he wants us to have faith;trust in him and his word and what he commands us to do!

If you have been struggling with your weight or your faith in Christ, can I just challenge you today to test the theory!? Maybe you have little faith or are weak in your faith and you need physical proof? Use your body as a test. Start focusing on the challenge to change it through the process of working out and eating healthy. Maybe you don’t need or want to test it that way. Then use 2 Peter to build your faith in the Lord. Seek him through bible study, prayer, but friend you must, must, have a little faith, dig in, be strong, be kind, love, have patience, endure, preserve, and fight the good fight of Faith in Christ Jesus!

Maybe you have little doubt or feel like your faith is too small! Let me leave you with another life changing, faith building scripture.

Luke 17: (NIV)

⁶He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

I didn’t just transform by body, but my mind, my faith in Christ, my hope for a good future, and my love for others. I can’t give God enough thanks, praise, and credit for all the good things he has done within my heart and my life! I pray the same for you reading this!

Transforming YOU is a BEAUTIFUL thing!

Be you, Be Beautiful!

–Leigh Leigh

follow me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/leighleighspeaks or Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ash_leighharris

“We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.” Proverbs 16 Verse 1

Life- Eternity with God.

Death- Eternal Separation from God.

“…but the LORD gives the right answers.” Proverbs 16:1

“We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.” Proverbs 16 Verse 1

Sharing is Caring!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

I have been so thrilled and eager to sit down to write this blog post. The joy and the excitement has been jumping around in my heart like a million Mexican Jumping Beans!

Insecure so that we do stupid things, like try to become someone we are not to feel accepted.

I don’t want to waste one more second trying to become someone I am not created to be. What a waste that would be for my life God created just for me to live out!

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 Peter 3:8

Sharing is Caring!

It’s February the month of LOVE. Typically you see new romance blossom and bloom. Love is in the air.

Don’t you want me baby, don’t you want me OOOHH!? (In my mind I have created this serenade from you to me.)

That is right, I am breaking up with you CHOCOLATE!!

WE ARE OVER!

You are no good, your no good, your no good, baby your no good! (signing out loud)

chocolate bar photo credit: fanpop.com and picmonkey for edits

Sharing is Caring!

Mark 12:30-31

Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all you soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no greater commandment than these.”

Here are some signs to look for.

The truth sets you free.

I am his Child. John 1:12-13

I am created in His image. Gen 1:27

I am deeply Loved by Him. Jer 31:3

I am Forgiven. 1 John 1:9

He never gives up on me. Philippians 1:6

I am always on His Mind. Psalm 8

His works are Wonderful so I am Wonderful. Ps 139:13-14

I am not rejected! Isa 41:9

I am the apple of HIS eye. Zec 2:8

Sharing is Caring!

You can’t fake Summer on a cold windy Winter’s day like you can’t fake feelings!

What I realize today are these truths.

When I am weak, HE is Strong and HIS grace is sufficient for me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (Even if my weakness comes back time and time again.)

HE hears my cry for help, and delivers me out of my trouble. Psalm 34:17

HE understands how I feel. Hebrews 4:15

He will vindicate me, fight for me. Romans 12:19

I am loved, accepted, and forgiven. John 3:16

Sharing is Caring!

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!

They may say Strong is the NEW SEXY….

JESUS IS THE NEW HAPPY!

Sharing is Caring!

“Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change, is the experience of love. It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change.”

-Richard Rohr

Before I elaborate I must say that I am really enjoying this book! I highly suggest picking up a copy.

Sharing is Caring!

If I could bottle up the wisdom that comes with being a little innocent child I would! To be an adult and look at life through the lenses of my daughter at her ripe age of 4, I could learn so much!

She inspires me each day to just be the creature God created me to be. Unique and one of a kind!

God please let me live with a heart and a mind like hers. Help me to accept and love myself and be the person you created me to be. Let me truly know and believe that my worth and security comes from no where, no place, and no one person’s opinions of me, but just you!

Stay innocent and precious and strong headed. Don’t let the lies of this world tell you aren’t good enough, smart enough, fashionable enough, skinny enough, tall enough, creative enough, strong enough, etc..

You are the perfection of His Creation.

Sharing is Caring!

Ever have one of these days where you are asking yourself this very question?

Well I have some GOOD NEWS for YOU!

You can spot children out quickly because like everything you tell them to do, they will completely ignore! (This goes especially for my 4 year olds!)

And we don’t want to leave out the TEENAGERS and all their 5,487….(mood swing’s)

OR the Whining..

and the Tattle tailing every 5 minuets!!!

Dinner time will never be the same…

I mean seriously, I have yet to understand how a four year old can live off of lunch meat every meal….LUNCH MEAT!???????

Mommy TIME OUTS are regular part of your day and you better bet your bottom dollar you will enforce this rule..

But no matter how stressful and tired and run down they may have you feeling today, you can always guarantee some good ol’ love and hugs are in order!

Why?

Because they ABSOLUTELY ADORE YOU!

And this is why we wouldn’t change a thing about motherhood!! 🙂

Motherhood is AWESOME!!! 🙂

I hope this brought a smile to your face!

xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Sharing is Caring!

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.

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.

BUT SUDDENLY……….RAIN and lots of it!

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

¹faith

⁶He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.