Lets talk about the process of enjoying the journey and letting go of anxiety along the way!
How do you manage your stress and anxiety when life is busy, stressful and complicated? The answer is a little more simple than I want to admit…Accept the process. Don’t allow the details of the day to day steal your joy and the little victories along the way. No matter what you are facing, you have a CHOICE in how you are going to respond. No one else can make that choice for you. That’s up to YOU.
As someone who has struggled with anxiety most my life, I understand when everything seems to spiral out of control. BUT GOD. Am I leaning into Him and listening to the peace of His voice? Am I bringing my requests to Him and letting Him fight the battles? Sadly, not enough. But my desire is to take each day and find those victories and celebrations. I want to live from a place where JOY. Not happiness. Happiness is just a feeling that is fleeting. BUT JOY is my portion and He has the ability to reach others in and through me.
So my challenge to MYSELF and anyone else who needs a little pep talk is to REST IN HIS TIMING AND PROCESS. Rest in His perfect leadership and enjoy the journey. Tomorrow is not promised, so how will we live TODAY!? In peace and rest. And it is a DAILY CHOICE! Hard? Yes. But doable? YES YES YES!
I am rooting you on and cheering for you from the sidelines! YOU have the ability to CHOOSE to live a life fully pleasing.
Take a deep breath and let the process perfect you in love! It is worth it dear friends and I am on the journey with you!
So many of us are setting New Years Resolutions but I wanted to share a bit on why GOAL SETTING and ACTION STEPS are so important and valuable for you to reach your destination. I posted a live video I did talking through some of these ideas and knew that I couldn’t be the only one who struggles with this!
How many times have we started a new exercise program January 1st or FINALLY decided to go on a much needed diet to shed some holiday cookies? SO MANY TIMES!
But what happens? We start with excitement and vigor… but life settles in, the pounds don’t melt off as fast as we want and keeping to a new program or schedule is plain HARD.
Ugh. I hate it when things are hard. YUCK.
But it doesn’t have to be really REALLY hard if you do it right!
What if you took your goal… say loose 10 lbs… and broke that down into bite sized pieces!?
Make it realistic and reachable.
If you want to lose 10 lbs in 3 months then you would need to lose on average 3.33 lbs a month! WOAH! That seems pretty manageable! What if you THEN broke that down into weeks? All you would have to so is loose .83lbs a week! TOTALLY DOABLE!
Now break that down AGAIN into ACTION STEPS!
If you are trying to lose weight, what will help you get there? If 80% of weight loss is the type of FOOD you eat and 20% is building lean muscle (ditch the treadmill babe and pick up those weights!!) then you might need to focus on eating foods that will shed body fat. You also might want to cut the soda and increase your water. These are all the beginnings of action steps!
Now for the big kahuna. Lets take it one step further.
PUT. IT. IN. YOUR. SCHEDULE.
That’s right. Whether paper or digital, schedule it out.
Meal prep? Put it in the schedule. Lifting weights? Put it in the SCHEDULE. Need some better groceries so you can kick fast food? PUT IT IN THE SCHEDULE!
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail” -Benjamin Franklin
If you don’t actually PUT IT IN your schedule, it is most likely NOT going to happen. Don’t let perfection keep you from the progression. These things DO NOT change over night and you will NOT be perfect. That right all my recovering perfectionists… YOU CAN’T DO IT PERFECT. But there is hope in your growth! Even if you reach your goal 40… yay 60% of the time, that is a HUGE victory!!!
CELEBRATE THAT!
Don’t let another year slip right on past you.
SO friends, join me in the journey of the JOYS of goal setting and don’t let them fade in February. Lets stay focused and make this year full of abundance and discovery!
p.s. Click HERE: POWER OF A FOCUSED LIFE and check out the worksheet and schedule! Comment below with some of the areas you are looking to grow in this year!
Oh HI there!!
I know I know, I might seem a little bruised and beat up but I have a secret!
2016 might have tried to crush me to pieces but something amazing happened.
I finally let go. The surrender of finally breaking.
I finally found a peace I never knew available.
Been a hard year beloved? Yea… Me too.
I feel like we have gone from one traumatic tragedy to the next…
2 miscarriages. ER & ICU visits for me and different family members. Financial struggles, relational challenges, depression, hopelessness… You name it! OH and this week a LOVELY car accident to put a little icing on the top… My natural tendency is to panic and FREAK OUT!
But I feel the Lord whisper that there is another and a better way.
What is it you ask?
GRATITUDE.
Yup. That’s right.
Gratitude.
Oh man… there she goes… giving us the “lets all just ignore whats going on and walk in the opposite direction talk”… But Rachael my life has been HARD!
Yes friend.
It HAS been hard.
But did you know that He has been with you the whole time?
I know… I didn’t realize it either till I finally let myself BREAK.
Its inside out and upside down, but gratitude is a beautiful weapon of our warfare against the schemes, trials and assaults of the enemy.
To overcome obstacles, walk in gratitude.
Tired of fighting depression and anxiety, declare gratitude.
Want to wake up in the morning and not stay in bed ALL DAY, SHOUT OUT GRATITUDE.
GRATITUDE:
The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Seems easy enough. Right?
Well, that is till your world come crashing down!
Yet in the midst of all the trials and heartache we have gone through this year, something has shifted inside of me. I find myself telling God what I am thankful for in the midst of the pain. His mercy really is new every morning. The fact that I have 2 beautiful babies waiting for me… PRAYING for me in heaven. The miracle that I didn’t slip into a coma or die in that ICU room. The depth of love and trust that has been built through trial by fire in my husband and I’s relationship. All things that could have been brushed aside.
BUT GOD.
What does it even look like have a heart alive in love, trusting completely and knowing that His Word says…
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him,who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (emphasis mine)
ALL THINGS.
Not some things.
Or just the GOOD things.
Nor the I perfectly pinterest packaged together things.
ALL THINGS.
Do you believe it friend?
That even when you feel broken, He can see the end from the beginning?
He knows the end of the story and is creating something beautiful in you?
When things were easy and effortless it never stuck as deep.
Oh I looooooove Jesus… but didn’t really NEED Him.
OUCH.
The beauty of brokenness causes us to see that through the good & bad, broke & beautiful, bruised and battered, He is forging gratitude in me.
Gratitude in ALL THINGS. Not just the promotions, but the trials.
So to you dear heart, HOLD ON.
Hold onto your faith.
Let your heart fall into His and know that He has you.
Don’t force a thankful heart but look at what He HAS DONE.
For you are BEAUTIFUL.
Breathtaking.
Loved.
Cherished.
Fought for.
Let gratitude rest in your heart and carry you through the storm.
He’s not about your breaking in this season but MAKING you into something beautiful.
It all comes at us like a hurricane. Winds of testing and winds of refreshing… yet some seasons seem to hurt more than others.
A little over 3 months ago we lost our second baby to the ache of miscarriage.
No one warns you about how its going to affect you.
I mean, honestly, how could they?
Yet as I share my story, I’ve come to learn that so many other women have gone through the same thing. SO many have not had a capacity to process or feel known, grieving in silence and sometimes even shame. And that breaks my heart.
No pain has touched us deeper yet no trial has drawn us deeper.
The very thing that the enemy meant for evil… for tearing… for offending our hearts was the VERY thing that drew us closer to the Father. He who formed us, held us. He who called us and our child by name wept deep tears with us and drew us close.
You want to know what actually anchored my heart these past few months? Hope in the promised restoration of ALL things.
He WILL make all things new in that day.
He WILL wipe away every tear.
He WILL vindicate all that the enemy has stolen.
My hope, my anchor and my rest is in the reality that I will be forever united with the Father and restored to my 2 beautiful children. They are IN HEAVEN now with perfect understanding. They are WITH GOD now, praying for my husband and I to stand firm and hold fast to faith.
I don’t always understand why things happen the way that they do but I know that He is working ALL things together for our good.
I trust that He is perfecting me in love and my life doesn’t end in this age.
I get to live FOREVER with God.
That my dear friends has been the very thing that has given me my voice back.
He will make ALL things new, just in time.
My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come… Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
-Song of Solomon 2:11-14
If you have walked through grief and feel the weight on your shoulders, know that this is not going to last forever. The Father will declare the time of singing has come.
If you are weighed down with every pressure and burden of life, know that this season will end. The Father will declare the time of singing has come.
If you are lost and without hope, take heart! He has promised that there will be a day where the winter is over and past! The time of singing will come.
Arise, beautiful one, and run to the arms of Love.
Run into the arms of the Father and weep on His shoulder.
He is big enough to carry you through the darkest storms.
Trust Him today and know that He sees you, hears you and sings a song of love over you.
I posted a LIVE Facebook video today and didn’t even mean to have it go 11 MINUTES! Nourishing your soul and walking in gratitude? YES PLEASE!
Sometimes you hit a pocket of truth and you ROLL WITH IT!
I love those moments and know that when the Father speaks words of life, we ALL need to hear them.
Check out this video on nourishing your soul and walking in gratitude daily.
We are all on a journey, fighting various battles and need to connect hearts one to another to truly walk in the freedom that Christ has given us.
Lift your head up today, take a deep breath and be encouraged that you are seen, valued and loved.
Why am I soooooo black and white when it comes to this?
Healthy living is NOT my strong suit but something I truly long for. Why is it SO hard to find the balance in it all???
I will start a workout program or clean eating but place too high of expectations on myself and CRUMBLE after a few days or weeks. So my quest (and question) is what are some ways that we can actually walk in a healthy lifestyle and not beat ourselves up when it’s not PERFECT.
Do you do that?
Dang… I sure do!
I know so many of us struggle with finding the balance in the good, bad and UGLY days and fall off the wagon a little too easy. Pressure from culture tells us to look one way and then our body might want to look another.
So lets talk about it!!!
Check out the short video below and make sure to comment with some of your best tips and tricks, healthy eating and workout routines! When we are in the battle TOGETHER I know that we can go so much further!
Remember that the scale does not define you. Your pant size does not define you. The idolized image in your head does NOT define you.
God does.
He made you perfect and gave you YOUR body.
Love what He made. Come into agreement with His thoughts towards you and honor the frame He has given you. I am with you in the journey and have not yet found my “sweet spot” so to say… THAT’S OK!
Love where you are at and love yourself along the journey.
It’s all about balance, not perfection.
You are worth it!
Let me know what you love to do to keep it all in balance!
Make sure to comment below with your TOP TIPS!
