All posts in Alice in Wonderland inspired

Since 1935 Alcoholics Anonymous has been helping people recover from the bondage of alcoholism with a 12 steps program that they work through together. The principles they follow are ones that anyone would benefit from but I particularly like Step #2:

2.  (We) Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Have you ever felt like you have gone around the same mountain in your life over and over and just can’t seem to get over it?  Maybe it’s an unhealthy behavior that you keep returning to.  Maybe fear has a grip on you that prevents you from moving forward with your life, or you just can’t seem to shake self-doubt and insecurity that has plagued you. Your adversary may be flesh and blood, a difficult relationship that you have a hard time navigating. You may be at a point where you just feel like you cannot seem to overcome that monster you face no matter how hard you try.

The bad news is you are probably right.  On your own you probably cannot.

The good news is that inside of you dwells a great treasure.  A power that can overcome anything! We need to stop trying so hard to fight our battles with the little strength that we have on our own.  We have access to the most powerful force in the universe, let Him fight on your behalf!

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

Pick up your sword this morning, stand with your shoulders squared and believe that you can overcome anything by the power of the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within you!

Romans 8:37 …in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Go get ’em!!

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord  Psalm 27:13-14

My mom was in a coma and I was scrambling to learn everything I could about traumatic brain injury and coming to terms with the fact that, barring a miracle, my mom would never recover completely from her car accident.

Well not never.

In between reading medical journals and all the information provided to families of head injured patients I picked up my Bible begging God for something to hold onto.  I randomly read Psalm 27. That’s when I read that verse.

That was the distinct moment when I began to intentionally live my life with an eternal perspective holding onto the hope that there will come a day when my mom will be whole and healed. I WILL see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Of course I will see his goodness here as well but sometimes when times are tough it’s eternal perspective that I need.

Eternal perspective gives us something to hold onto when despair is threatening to overtake us.  It also helps us to prioritize the things we allow to take up our time and our emotions.  We can eliminate stressing out over things that have no eternal value.  We can determine to live everyday purposeful to invest our energy and time in showing love and furthering the kingdom of heaven.

So, everyday before breakfast, I try to make it a practice to believe that there is a place called heaven and it sets the tone for my day.

After my mom’s car accident I felt extremely vulnerable.  Up until that point in my 26 year old life I had never experienced personal tragedy. Once tragedy struck, it seemed as if a huge dam that had been protectively holding back a reservoir of potential danger had broken, flooding my heart with fear.

Fear began to haunt me.  If this could happen to my mom…what else could happen?

Suddenly I felt like a moving target. Potential danger surrounded me. It was as if I was a huge nerve ending sensing it everywhere I went. Frightening scenarios involving other members of my family, or myself, would make their way into my head and prevent me from falling asleep.  When I allowed fear to grip me, I would feel it physically, identifying with the phrase “paralyzing fear.”

One snowy night I was getting my young boys in the car to drive to a church service. I was strapping my little guy into his car seat and without warning fear struck.  In my mind’s eye I could see the article in the paper of the tragic accident involving a young family.  The temptation to take my boys back in the house and tell my husband that we needed to stay home was nagging at me.  But I knew that if I did, I would be surrendering to the fear.

Once we arrived and got settled into our seats the visiting speaker began to share and his topic was “Overcoming Fear” of all things! He called for those people who were  struggling with paralyzing fear to come forward to the front of the room so he could pray for them. In retrospect it is easy to see the attempt to keep me from being in a service that would bring me one step closer to the peace that would replace my fear.

I still have moments of fear, however, I have never become a slave to it again because of this revelation that I had that night.

Fear is the absence of trust.

I have clung to this truth ever since. If I trust God with my life, I have nothing to fear.  Not because bad things will never happen to me again but because I know that He will be with me and sustain me through whatever life brings.

I made the mistake of believing that if I held onto fear I would somehow be protecting myself against it.  What I needed to believe and still need to believe everyday (preferably before breakfast!) is that when trouble comes my way He will hide me in the shelter of His love and He will sustain me.

Most of the times the things we fear are things we can’t control. What we can control is where we put our trust and what we allow our minds to dwell on. When we put our trust in the one who is our light and our salvation fear can and will disappear.

Praying for you today, friends, that you will take the step to replace fear with trust and walk in peace!

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?

When we began For the Girls International it was all very intimidating.  I knew that God had prompted the idea but I had no idea where to begin!

I remember one afternoon being so frustrated with trying to figure it out on my own. My head was swimming with ideas that weren’t really coming together.  In my frustration I decided to do what I usually do when I am overwhelmed or stressed out…

I went shopping!

As I was wandering around Pier 1 Imports I was praying in my head. Sort of thinking/praying. My thoughts were, “God if you want me to do this, I am going to need you to show me what I need to do.”

And then, in a split second, I had one of those moments where the rest of the world stands still and you can hear the angels singing the Halleluiah Chorus. There, in front of me was a display with four individual mugs with writing on them.  When I saw them they read like marching orders to me: DIG DEEP, GET REAL, THINK BIG, and DON’T PANIC!

Those four phrases became the building blocks of the journey that God was taking me on.  I had to DIG DEEP to really get to the core of who I am in Him.  He has called me to be more transparent about my life than ever before because real ministry happens when people GET REAL and share their life experiences with their real God.  He has challenged me to THINK BIG and I have to remind myself, “DON’T PANIC!” when I feel like I am in over my head (which is quite often!)

My point is that God will speak to you in your language and in your style right where you live.  He doesn’t speak to everyone in the same way. God knows me and he knows where to find me ~ even if it is in the mall! And He knows where to find you!

Sometimes His voice is still and small ~ sometimes His message is loud and clear but He promises to direct our path.

Ask him today to speak to you ~ you may be pleasantly surprised where and when He chooses to get your attention.

Isaiah 30:31
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Jesus answered, It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. ~ Matthew 4:4

Upon arriving home from work, my husband will often walk through the door and head straight to the pantry or the fridge claiming that he’s “starving.”  It always makes me laugh because he owns a restaurant!  He has total access to the most yummy chicken made in America (not to mention the waffle fries and milkshakes) yet he will go through an entire day surrounded by food and forget to eat! When I ask him why he didn’t grab something while he was working his reasons are usually that he was too busy or he got distracted.  Thankfully, he is not nearly as grumpy as I am when I don’t eat.

When I skip a meal I get very irritated. My blood sugar drops, I feel lightheaded and I can’t think straight.  I feel weak, I have very little tolerance and I am not a lot of fun to be around.   My husband has come to recognize the symptoms and will say, “Feed it!” indicating that I am acting like a monster. Once I get something nutritious to eat I become a much nicer person.

Sometimes we go through periods of life when we feel like we are dry and shriveling up spiritually and can’t think straight.  We have access to life giving sustaining spiritual nutrition at our fingertips but because we are busy or distracted we don’t eat!

These days there are so many ways that we can feed ourselves the word of God.  There are devotionals and bible reading emails you can have sent right to your inbox.  There are podcasts to listen to on our drive to work in addition to the good old fashioned paper copy of the Bible that we could and should pick up each morning (preferably before we start our day.)  We really have no excuse.

This is not intended to be a guilt trip, I promise, but we if we want to grow (and not become grumpy and irritated) we need to eat!

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight ~ Jeremiah 15:16

Every one of us is called by God to be a champion to someone.  It may be a small circle of people in your home or city that you have influence over or you may be called to a larger platform or foreign country, but all of us are called to shine the light of Jesus and serve each other in love.  As we move forward to accomplish what God has called us to do it is inevitable that we will encounter opposition.

1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

One of the greatest weapons the devil uses in order to discourage us is the temptation to compare ourselves to others.  As we look at the accomplishments, abilities and gifts of others compared to our own, we can often begin to feel small and worthless if we feel that we don’t measure up.

When God called Gideon to lead a major battle and defeat a huge army he immediately felt inadequate. There were many other men that were much stronger than he was, but God chose him and called him “a mighty warrior.”

Satan will try to throw as much doubt as he can at us to discourage us from becoming all that we were created to be but the word of God tells us in James 4:7 that if we resist the devil then he will flee from us.

Every morning as we begin each new day we must believe that there is a devil who wants to make us shrink so that we are ready to resist the lies, the accusations and the temptations he sends our way.

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Eph 6:16

“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4

Last night For the Girls International had our Summer Girls Night Out and it was FABULOUS!!

We played upon a theme that has been rolling around in my brain (a scary place) for several months now.  It all started after I watched Tim Burton’s 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland.  The movie itself was entertaining and so creative (which I love) but it was the parallels to my spiritual journey that came bursting from the screen that really captured my attention. You can read all about it here…and here…and here !

Alice was the champion that the residents of Wonderland had been waiting for. She was very hesitant to accept the responsibility because she didn’t feel qualified or equipped.  When Alice decided to embrace her destiny she knew it would require going into battle to defeat the Jabberwocky.  This was no small task and the odds were not in her favor.  As she stood there with the hideous monster towering over her she said, “This is impossible” and the Mad Hatter replied “Only if you believe it is.”

Alice then remembered something her father had taught her and she said, “Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Then she lifted her sword and began to count them out loud.

This journey of life takes on so many twists and turns that at times it is hard to navigate.  At times God requires us to step out and overcome fear and obstacles in order to fulfill a calling or begin a new venture.  Sometimes we just need strength for the day to live victoriously and free!

There are things I need to believe every morning before my feet hit the ground if I am going to be able to handle all that life throws at me.  And so…

The Six Impossible Things I Believe Before Breakfast

1. There is a devil who can make me shrink.

1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

2. The word of God can make me grow.

Jeremiah 15:16
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight

3. God can talk.

Isaiah 30:31
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.

4. Fear can disappear

2 Tim 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

5. There is a place called heaven

Psalm 27:13
I would have despaired had I not known that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

6. I can overcome!

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

In the next few weeks I will be expounding on each of these points.  So stay tuned.  You can subscribe to receive these posts directly to your inbox by putting your email address in the box that is in the top right corner of this page under Follow my Blog by email.

I love to interact through the comment section so comment away! I hope you are celebrating your MUCHNESS today!