Friday, November 22, 2013

My Top 10!!!!


It’s hard to believe that I have been writing on this blog for FOUR YEARS!!!!  Wow!  It all started following a really bad flare-up from my autoimmune disease.  I determined to not allow any of my down time sick to end up wasted.  I wanted to give it to God.  This blog is my attempt to redeem it all for Him.  Check out my very first post below.  It still rings true in my heart…

Legacy… leaving the gift of yourself, your life in a nutshell with all of it’s wisdom from the past, purpose for the present, and dreams of greatness for the future to the next generation. It’s planting a piece of yourself into others… it’s leaving a trail of a life well-lived behind to lead others to a better future. It’s being purposeful about what you say and what you do in order to make an investment into the hearts of others.

I see it like this… our hearts are gardens and God is the great gardener. He knows what we need to grow. We need to make sure that the soil in our hearts is soft, watered, and ready for the seeds God wants to plant inside of us. The minute the soil of our hearts becomes hard, we will no longer be able to receive fresh seed from God to grow. We must always remain teachable, open, and ready to learn and grow from God and others. My philosophy is that there is always someone ahead to learn from and behind to teach. Take the seeds God has planted inside of you and scatter them around to the gardens of people’s hearts around you. Spread God’s love, spread his patience and understanding. Water their hearts with His word. Listen, Love, and Live out what you believe and others will see the difference and be drawn to you.

Everything you do has an impact on others. This is my attempt to pour the wisdom God has given me into the next generation. May these principles of truth bless you as you endeavour to be all God has called you to be.

“The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time God has given us each day.”  Billy Graham

Choose today with your actions and your words to leave a legacy behind that will last a lifetime!
Living to leave a legacy!
Julie

I surveyed the last four years and found the “Top 10” Blog Posts based on the stats.  You can check them out below.  Be sure to click the link underneath the title to read more.  I hope you are encouraged as you read.  Enjoy!  Which one is your top pick?  

(I am listing them in order of highest number of views to lowest)

#1 God’s Waiting Room (Part One)….. 1/5/2011


#2 God’s Waiting Room (Part Two)…. 1/9/2011


#3 Is God blessing me or punishing me? ...... 12/6/2011


#4 Move! …. 6/22/2013


#5Surviving Life’s Mud Puddles” ….2/2/2012


#6 Can I have a band-aid… Life hurts?”……. 10/11/2010


#7 Life, Lemonade, and Burnt Biscuits …. 7/31/2010


#8 Me… It may not be pretty! …. 11/25/2012

#9 simply me…   11/13/2013


#10 God knows your address …. 8/22/2010


Thank you for joining me on this journey!  This has been a growing process for me.  I am excited to see what God may have in store for the future.  I am taking “faith baby steps” all the way!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

simply me...

Can I just be real with you?  It’s not about the number for me.  Most women find their self-esteem and worth in a number.  That “perfect” body weight and shape.  My hopes and dreams were crushed after having 2 kids sixteen months apart… that original “perfect” figure as a young adult did NOT come back to me!


Finally ....
Then “IT” happened… I got sick (autoimmune disease) and the weight fell off.  The only problem was that I wasn’t well enough to enjoy it.  Yes, I was the “perfect” weight, but I was skin and bones, pale, and sickly looking.  Not the idea of the “picture perfect” dream I had in mind.

When I was sick
My weight went up and down over the years following my initial diagnosis.  With side-effects from medication and flare ups of symptoms (that randomly popped back up on me), I had no special number when it came to weight and size.  My garage has been consistently filled with totes of a variety of sizes for each season.  It was a surprise to see what I would actually be able to wear from year to year.

Okay with ME
I had to settle on the fact that I would rather be healthy and heavy than sick and skinny.  It’s what is on the INSIDE that matters.  I needed to become comfortable in my own skin.  I learned something about myself over the years.  True beauty lies within.  It is not the reflection of my IMAGE in the mirror that I need to be concerned about, but the reflection of my HEART.

1 Samuel 16:7 says…
“…The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NLT)

Whose definition am I living by?
It is SO hard to get past the image before us.  When it doesn’t measure up to the world’s standards of beauty, it feels like we have missed the mark.  But, if we think about it, the world and God have very different definitions of beauty.

The world measures beauty by appearances.  It’s all about the “perfect” size, body, shape, hair texture, skin color, etc… Even when you think they have found the “perfect” specimen for the ideal woman, they still touch up pictures to erase any imperfections.  What the world hasn’t realized yet is that NOBODY is perfect.

I may NEVER be that “ideal” size or weight, but I have to be okay with that.  I have to learn to simply be me….ME with God on the inside… molding me and shaping me to look more like HIS image each day.  I am not suggesting a license to be lazy.  By all means if you CAN, get out there and exercise and eat right.  Healthy is the goal.  My healthy may not be the same as others.  Sometimes exercising can make me worse… drains me of my energy, but I do what I can.

Who cares?
Do you know what else I have learned about myself?  I CARE too much about what people think.  I don’t want any record (pictures) of when I was too big or too small.  I guess I have wanted to avoid any reminder of my “ugly” days… nobody can see them, because why?  I haven’t figured that one out yet.  Maybe they would think LESS of me.  But I guess those who know me love me no matter what size I am.  Now that I think about it, maybe it’s an image problem.  I am too focused on MY image and less on HIS image shining through me. 

What does God see when HE looks at me?  Not what I see when I look in the mirror.  He sees greatness.  He sees potential.  He sees royalty.  God sees deep within underneath all of my insecurities to my heart.  


I’m SO glad God doesn’t judge us by our appearances, but by our hearts otherwise we may never measure up.  Beauty is NOT found in a number unless you are looking at…

Proverbs 31:30 which says…
“Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears, but a woman who honors the Lord should be praised.” (GNT)

True Beauty radiates from the heart…  Take another look in the mirror and try to see what God sees.  YOU are beautiful my friend!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie