Own Your Life Chapter 10

We are in chapter 10 of Own Your Life and are discussing Tending Your Heart and Investing In Your Soul and Owning Your Emotional Health.  She convicted me right away with "You cannot pour out what has not first been placed inside."  Then she goes on to say "Women who grow more lovely with time have practiced pouring into themselves all that is excellent, wise, graceful, good, and true."  I loved her story of her grand adventure and that she said that "creating memories, planning times of grand celebration, and placing myself in the pathways of great people fill and enrich my soul, so that when others draw from me, they find interest, insight, fun, and wisdom."  It makes me want to plan fun adventures and take my family on fun memory making trips all the more.  It even allows me to dream big.  Memories can never be taken away from us and it always gives us something to look back to and share with others.  We were meant to enjoy life and this chapter just spoke to me and got me dreaming of places to visit and things to do and see all of God's creation.

"Owning the boundaries of what fills our hearts and minds must be a commitment that we honor every day.  When we constantly pour out our energy, time, service, and work for the sake of others, we must realize our need to fill back up so we can maintain our spiritual vibrancy, hope, and emotional health."  Here God speaks to me again, I must practice self-care.  It is a must with all that I have going on every day.

"Music actually improves the ability to concentrate, lowers blood pressure, and just brings a whole lot of fun."  I need to listen to music more often than just in the car.  I love it.  As a matter of fact, last week at BSF, I had a ton of fun singing with the girls around me.  We were in such harmony together that it brought a smile to my face.


"Building mental strength comes from developing a habit of reading every day...Reading is the primary way our brains take in ideas, build paths, develop connected thoughts, and expand our vocabularies and nuances of knowledge."  This is why I encourage my children to read 1 chapter a day and I want to get back to reading to them before bed.  One of my goals this year...



Lord, I praise you because You came to restore life to our bodies, souls, and minds.  May we be refreshed by Your Word, Your Creation, and all that we take in through our senses.  Lord, help us to become life givers within our homes, neighborhoods, and churches for Your glory.  Amen.

Own Your Life

Just a quick note to say that we will continue discussing Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson next Tuesday.  I'm going to start doing book club posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  :-)

Own Your Life Chapter 9

Sorry that I am just now getting up to Chapter 9 on Own Your Life but things have been a bit crazy around here.  I was going to do it last night, but I wound up falling asleep at 8:30.  Running after 5 kids makes you a little tired sometimes...just a little.  :-)  Anyway, let's discuss learning to take risks and owning your faith.

I loved the story of Sally's first mom's conference and how they stepped out in faith and God met their needs and more.  I love that they prayed and stepped out in faith and God did so much with the women there.  She said it best with "I believe God wants each of us to have the privilege of living by faith and watching Him work.  It is His desire to respond personally to all of us who are His."  Yes, we are not our own, we are His, and we are called to do His work.  We all have our own stories and dreams, but we must seek His will for us first as we leave our mark upon the world and on the people around us.

"Satan hates it when we hold fast to God and wait on Him to provide for our needs."  Yes, Sally brings it home there too.  She goes on to say "Then there are the naysayers, those voices that tell us we are foolish for choosing to take a risk by living by faith."  She really convicted me too when she said that "If we are going to focus on pleasing God by faith, we must realize that we will not always be able to please others."  Raising my hand...guilty of being a people pleaser here.  Yet, I am trying to work on that one.  Further conviction came as she said "When we choose to navigate our lives using fear, formula, or flesh, we set ourselves up for deep disappointments--and limit what God can do in and through us."  I am guilty of doing that again, although I have been trying to pray over my fears and trust God that He is taking care of us and making the choice to choose peace.

"Living the Christian life by the flesh is utterly exhausing and eventually wears us out."  Guilty again.  I keep telling myself that I need to pray about everything and follow in obedience with what He is guiding me to do.  I don't know how many times I forget to pray first before making quick decisions.  And how many times I set my wheels spinning and wind up totally stressed out or freaked out that I can't move and I just get stuck.  I am in the flesh at those moments...I forget to put prayer and God first and then follow in obedience to His will.

I loved her stories of how they stepped out in faith in certain areas and what God did in those circumstances too.  Faith is truly an act of trusting God to work in each of our circumstances and believing that He will in His time and that He truly knows what is best for us.  "No matter what our lives hold, God wants to work through the details and circumstances so that we will have a story of faith to tell throughout all of eternity."  We just need to pray about it all and trust Him with it.  God wants to bless us and He wants us to go to Him.  He wants that intimate relationship with us.

"Faith is a legacy you can pass on to your children as they observe the choices you make to believe God."  Yes, I want to pass my faith on to my children and give them hope of things to come.  I want to raise my kids to be "His warriors" and to own their faith as well.  I need to live by faith and show them how to do that.

Lord, help us to have an increase in faith and to wait patiently for Your personal miracles reserved uniquely for those of us who will take the risk to believe.  Amen.

I will share a little story...the week of Thanksgiving we were off to Goodwill.  I told my son that we needed to look for a winter coat for him while we were out and about.  He said that he wanted a Nike coat.  I told him that the chances of us finding one were pretty slim, but we'd look to see what they had available.  The first store we went to, barely had anything.  He was disappointed.  I told him that we were going to another store.  We went in and I found 2 coats in his size.  I had to smile as I realized that the red one was a Nike coat.  He was happy.  Later, that day, he got upset about something  and I sat down and talked with him.  I told him that I thought it was totally cool that he asked for a Nike coat and that God had provided that for him.  It brought him out of his little fit that he was in and back to being thankful.  I'm still thinking about that incident and it reminds me that God does provide....even in the tiny details.  How awesome is that!  My only mistake is that we should have prayed about it first and I shouldn't have said that the chances of us finding one were pretty slim...when me of all people should know that God can do anything.  Everytime I look at his coat, it will be a reminder of what God truly can provide...He cares about even those tiny details.

Own Your Life Chapter 7

Let's discuss Chapter 7 of Own Your Life on allowing God's Spirit to breathe in you and owning the Holy Spirit's strength through your life.

"Have you ever felt a stirring in your heart as a touching story brought tears to your eyes or as you heard a soaring symphony...something inside of you quickened, and for a moment, some heavenly beauty connected your inner self with the divine.  These are remnants and reminders of the perfect world God designed for us to live in--the shadow of places He longs to take us to, the reality of the other world He's preparing for us."  I've learned to recognize that feeling and it usually makes me very teary-eyed in joy...I love the way the Holy Spirit grips us like that.

"Too many believers experience the Christian life as a work to be done, a duty to perform, a list of things to be checked off.  Yet our works always fall short."  I felt so much conviction when I read that as I'm usually griping about doing the same things over and over again.  I'm learning that even our works can be offered as prayer and that I need to learn to do them joyously onto the Lord.

I loved her birthday example for her children as how she chose to validate their worth and show them her love, which is not dependant on their behavior.  It reminded me of something I was just talking to my husband about with how awesome God is with how easily he forgives and blesses us with so much, even though we don't deserve it...He gives us SO much and SO much is just taken for granted or overlooked.

"Christians cannot flourish apart from making God's Spirit the source of their spiritual lives."  I love that...He works in us and I truly believe that our works that we do is a sign of what is going on inside of us.  We are nothing without Him! "When the Holy Spirit directs our course, the natural consequence is a life outside of normal striving or fleshly effort.  We are able to live beyond our own capacity."  Thank you, Sally, for that lovely description...love how the Holy Spirit grows and extends us.

"When Christ lives in us, there will be a similar manifestation of His supernatural life pulsing through us."  That makes me smile in awe.  How awesome!  "Whenever Jesus lives through someone, the attributes of God's personality are clearly expressed and experienced."  My smile just got bigger.  What an awesome God we serve!

"When we walk in the Spirit, we are moved to think what Jesus would think and to do what Jesus would do.."  That made me think of the bracelets that were popular when I was younger....the What Would Jesus Do? bracelets.

Such a great reminder though...I need to get some for my kids now that I see that they are still around.

"As God's Spirit works in our lives, we will be progressively more reflective of all He is."  I love that as I know I have so many areas that I need to improve and remember to constantly be in prayer about and trusting that He is working on instead of trying to do it in my own strength.  I just need to pray and give everything to Him all day and work on my response to Him.

Lord, we need You so much in our every day life.  Help us to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and with how we respond to things in life.  Help us to respond in obedience to You with the right attitudes and in total obedience.  Help us to leave our worries and our trials in Your Hands and trust that You are at work for us.  Let us be willing to receive the rest that only You can give us and rest in You.  May Your Will be done in our life, and not our own.  Amen.

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Own Your Life Chapter 6

Let's go to Chapter 6 of Own Your Life and discuss Resting in the transcendence of God and owning the mystery of His supremacy.

I loved her description of looking through the telescope at the star.  "Captivated by the beauty and elegance of its splendor, I wondered at the One who had created such beauty, knowing this bit of handiwork would be unobserved by the vast majority of people throughout the ages.  Still, the luminous star sparkled vibrantly as though it couldn't repress offering a refrain of worship to the Artist who had crafted it."  I absolutely loved that and it really made me spot and think.  He is so glorious that even the stars worship Him by sparkling and twinkling just so.  It also made me stop and think that I may not be noticed at all times, but even when I'm alone or out of someone's view, how do I still sparkle and shine just for Him?  That truly made me stop and reflect for a few minutes...

"mama, how can anyone see this (the shooting star) and not believe in God? that Sally's little girl asked...I wonder that so many times while looking at all that God has created...flowers, rainbows, cloud, animals...that precious little baby...God is so above what we can even imagine and Sally says "owning a sense of wonder at God's transcendence...it will inevitably increase the magnitude of our faith."  It reminds me to stop and look at His wonder in creation all the more and truly appreciate all that He is...and acknowledge that He is more than I ever can understand and just appreciate that perspective that He above all else knows what is better for us and that He will work all things out for our good and that we are created for His purpose.

"What might God do through my life, in the power of the Holy Spirit, if I were willing to dream big and believe in miracles?  What might He accomplish through me if I would only throw off my cloak of worry and just enjoy the beauty, dance with the invisible music, and celebrate life?  I absolutely love that and want to make it a part of prayer and be open to His answer and be obedient to whatever He says.  Wow!

"It's only when we see with the eyes of humble faith and bow before Him that we can hear his instructions."  We need to be totally dependent on Him and oh how easy it is to forget that and I know myself that I am always trying to fix my own problems.  I need to remember to stop, be still, and pray...it's not about me...it's all about Him and His will for my life and I need to be obedient to what He tells me.

I like her pointing out too of how she starts every morning with time for God.  I do that sometimes, but I need to be better about doing it all of the time. I also liked her explaining how she cultivated an attitude of gratefulness as I am still working on that one among all of us here in our family.  We kept gratitude journals for awhile, but we need to get back to doing that and truly being thankful over complaining as it does change your attitude.  Need to work on making that a habit that truly sticks to choose joy and thankfulness.

"Plan a time when you can get away from the concrete, noise, and demands of your world.  Look for a place in creation where you can rest your whole self."  I know just the place and am going to see about scheduling a weekend get away for me and my husband and seeing if the Grandparents will watch the kids.  Going to put that on the calendar for next year as a gift to our marriage.

Lord, I pray that You will take us away from daily pressures and demands of life to a place where we can see Your eternal beauty and the wonders of Your creation and truly see how Wonderful You are.  Give us Your peace.  Amen.

Own Your Life Chapter 5

Just waking up from a 3-hour nap after my physical therapy appointment.  Feeling a bit groggy and hubby is making me coffee.  Coffee and a book go hand in hand for me...so let's just jump in to Chapter 5 of Own Your Life and discuss looking to God as your life coach.  Owning God's training.

"I knew that emotions often dictate our decisions when life becomes challenging.  When that happens, we often quit.  In fact, we live in an era of compromise, and we're often encouraged to take the easier route and give ourselves a break...We also lose many prime opportunities for character training....as his parent, I saw my role as helping him through his challenges, not removing them."  I loved hearing that Joel won the music composition.  Made my heart smile all through that example!  It makes me think of something very hard that I have been called to endure in this parenting journey. Parenting children of trauma is very difficult and I need my cheerleaders of other trauma parents sometimes to speak encouragement to me or let me know that I am not alone.  I keep telling myself that I am also my childrens' cheerleader and I will see them through this journey and we will not give up together.

"God had great plans in mind when He created Adam and Eve.  He renews those plans for us as He redeems us.  that is why He wants us to accept His training, even when it seems difficult....His discipline will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives."  "God allows difficulty in our lives to strengthen our spiritual muscles."  I am so glad that God is with us through all of this, but I know it is necessary to receive that correction from God so that we can repent and turn from sin and get back on the straight and narrow road to Him.  I am so glad that He walks with us through this process as it isn't always easy.  Yet, I know that He truly knows what is best for me...all better than I certainly do.  We must seek peace in the midst of chaos to hear His voice and He will help us to flourish and reflect Him.

Lord, help us to trust Your ways.  Help us when difficulties become overwhelming to know that You are there with us.  Give us grace while we take baby steps and respond to your correction.  Help us to rest as You carry us through.  Amen.

Own Your Life Chapter 4

I meant to post about Chapter 4 the other day, but between nursing my knee and making sure all 5 of my kids were kept happy my little book study kind of took a back seat.  I apologize for that.  Hubby just took the kids to church, so I'll use part of my quiet time to post about my thoughts on chapter 4 of Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson.  Chapter 4 is about Living with the end in mind.  Owning Your Life Vision.

"As we diligently go through each day, plodding as faithfully as we can, holding together the cares of the world that seem to rest on our shoulders, we don't even know we need to hear "Well done!"  Oh how that spoke to me as she tearfully received the words of affirmation that she received from her friend.  Words that she didn't even realize that she needed to hear.  This spoke to me as I'm not one to receive compliments a whole lot...I shyfully receive them and hurriedly say thank you or make up an excuse when I do receive them.  Sometimes, I too get teary eyed.  I choose to have a different mindset of my compliments that I do receive and I have contemplated writing them down in a journal as they truthfully are far and few between, but I try to receive them as if God Himself says them to me and they are even more valued when I do hear them.

"..I was reminded anew that someday all of us will be in the presence of Jesus--the One who knows us better than any human ever could.  Our lives, our choices, and our actions will testify to the legacy we left in this life.  We will strain to hear Christ tell us, "Well done,...enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21), because His affirmation and validation are what each of us was created to enjoy."  Yes, Lord, how I long to hear that at the end of my earthly journey!

"Once we belong to Jesus, we are the stewards of His good gifts.  I want to use my gifts for Him, but sometimes I wonder what my true gifts are.  I remember though once praying a couple of years ago and I asked Jesus, what His gift that He had given me was and no sooner had I prayed it that I heard His whisper back..."Compassion."  I am a very compassionate person and I SO want to give to others.  I get so much joy out of giving.

"He has given each of us, according to our gifts and circumstances, a "talent" to use well.  If we do not invest ourselves spiritually, we will incur His anger when we stand before Him someday.  I want to do His will and not be passive about it.  He also told me awhile back that He would not give me more of something, until I learned to appreciate what He had given me.  I'll use this as another post one day, so I won't say more about it here.  But, I just felt the need to touch on it a little bit.  We must be grateful for all that He has given, even when those things are hard.  We must respond to even those opportunities with obedience to His will for our life.

"If you dedicate yourself to taking in spiritual wisdom from Scripture, giving yourself wholly to the purposes of God, disciplining the attitudes of your heart, and stepping out in faith to show Jesus to the world, God will use you to shape history for His glory."  Use me Lord...I want to give all the glory to You.  So hard, but so beautiful, and I do see Your Hand in my life...in the trials and in the good...all glory and honor to You.

"Jesus has chosen you to be a picture of Him to your world too...."  Oh how that little story of the little boy spoke to me.  We used to be foster parents and I try so hard to teach my children of Jesus.  I want my family to see Jesus when they see all that I do for them.  Oh how I fall short somedays, but my little Emma said something the other day that truly spoke to my heart.  She said "Mom really tries hard to teach us about Jesus and that we need to love Him."  It told me that I must be doing something right as it was sticking with her.  I want to be a picture of Jesus to all that I meet.  Lord, I want to reflect You so badly in all that I do.

a prayer request that I have...one of my children says that they love Jesus, but do not choose to make good choices and live in obedience and it is a daily battle.  When we try to teach them about Jesus, eyes are rolled and they have a very defiant spirit.  It is my biggest prayer request that this child will fully come to know Jesus and live in obedience for God's will upon their life.  Please be in prayer with me for my child.

Lord, please bless those of us who are reading this book and give us Your love, courage, and faith. Convict us where we need it and  give us Your wisdom to figure out how to live our present lives in harmony with You and give us Your spirit each and every step of the way.  Amen.

Own Your Life Chapter 3

Sorry for the small delay in getting back into Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson, but I have been SO groggy from anesthesia that my thoughts haven't been all that clear and I was falling asleep at the drop of a hat.  So, let's jump back in together and read Chapter 3.  I may try to do another chapter later on today...we'll see how I feel.  Anyway, go grab some coffee and let's get into Chapter 3 together on Listening to New Voices and owning your true identity

I love that she met a friend that truly seemed to understand her.  I love it when God gives me people in my life like that.  I am an introvert myself so I struggle with making friends sometimes, but I love those people that I feel immediately comfortable with and there's trust there and I just seem to open up and bubble out.  I'm not that way with many people, so I liked Sally's description of how God gave her that lady to sit and talk with and that they were alike in certain ways.  My heart broke for her friend though when she said that her Mom had such a negative view of her and how she still carries that around and sees herself that way.

"I never tried to be a dreamer-idealist, that's just how I came out of the womb.  I loved embarking on adventures, meeting people, taking risks, and challenging the "accepted paths of life.  Yet my dancing, singing, laughing soul seemed to irritate my family.  I was left feeling as if I was "too much" or somehow wrong, for most people."  That quote by Sally really spoke to my heart.  I will admit that I get that way sometimes with members of my own family at times as things get really LOUD in here at times and my soul just can't handle it at times.  But, it makes me see that I need to handle it with love and grace so that I'm not leaving anyone hurt or feeling this way.

She also really spoke to me when she said that "internal critics may point fingers of accusation at our hearts and paralyze us from moving through life with freedom and emotional health."  Oh yes, how that has held true in my own life.  I won't discuss it right now, but I will say that it may have taken me 30 years to process some things that have happened in my life and I gave more than one chance and I finally had to allow myself the grace of telling myself if it happened one more time, it was okay to put a "boundary" there.  Needless to say, it happened again, and I had to give myself permission to close the door for awhile.  I pray for them, but I had to decide that I am worth it to try to move forward in this life and that I knew my heart where the other people didn't and they were trying to keep throwing me backwards in their own grief and they were too busy trying to tell me how I should be living.  So thankful to God and His guidance in those moments and He really spoke to my heart there.  If I think about it too much, I tend to still get emotional about it, but for the most part, I'm just trying to move forward the best way that I can and pray that one day they will see that I had no ill intentions and that I was just trying to make the best of things that I have been dealt.  I truly have just put it in God's hands...but that quote by Sally just really jumped out at me and spoke to my heart.

"Only God offers deep-down inner acceptance and approval.  Only His unconditional love and acceptance will satisfy our longings.  On His ways bring vibrant health."  I need to write that on all the bathroom mirrors in thsi house.  We all need to see this quote on a daily basis!

"Trying to live up to all the voices around you in this world will always leave you feeling inadequate."  I am trying to do better with this one as a people-pleaser.  I've had to really listen to my husband who is always telling me that it does not matter what others think as long as "we" are happy with how and what we are doing and that we are obeying with God calls us to do.  I am so fortunate that he truly understands and sees things and that he can speak that truth to me.  I am slowly improving, although sometimes I really do let others get the best of me.  I am enough in Christ and I need to give myself grace where I fall short.  I need Jesus every day and am so thankful that He died for me.  I am enough.  I don't need to feel guilty for not pleasing everyone at all times in every situation.

I absolutely loved this quote too "From God's point of view, you, too, are a princess.  After all, He is a king, and if you've chosen to follow Him, He has adoopted you as His daughter.  Your past is wiped away, and your future is defined by His adoption of you."  That's pretty awesome, isn't it?  Another quote I need to put on bathroom mirrors or bedroom doors.  How beautiful and a powerful reminder!

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  2 Corinthians 5:17

Dear God, please help us tune out the negative voices in our heads and that come from others and help us really learn to look to Your Word to speak truth into our lives and to show us how You truly see us.  We are redeemed by Jesus, forgiven, and cherished.

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Own Your Life Chapter 2

Let's hop into Chapter 2 of Own Your Life  and talk about Controlling the Chaos.  Owning Your Priorities and Commitments.  I chuckled at her description of the lady coming in late and saying "I'm so sorry I am late.  Today, all of the chaos consumed me and left me empty."  That is a vision of how I have been feeling lately.  Lots of chaos around this house.  Sally says "...she needed to move, step-by-step, toward a more reasonable and centered life.  Umm...yes please.  Another thing that I need to learn to pray about and ask God to help me move towards "living more simply, to move towards order, and to live with intentionality."  Sally says that "in order to move from chaos to order, we must make a plan that will move us away from a never-ending flurry of activities toward God's design for our lives and that we must identify what is draining us so that we can reset the pattern in our lives.  I know for me personally, I know some of those things, but I am unsure that I can change them.  That will make more sense to you maybe after some more posts from today.  But there are some things that I just need to know that all I can do there is to trust God and that I can't do anything in the situation but pray and I have to trust God that THAT is enough.

""Our culture encourages us to take on more and more, and busyness and distraction can be addicting."  I long for slow....busy makes me crazy and I notice that I get more snappy.   I need slow and quiet to recharge myself, when I have a hard time finding that it does cause chaos in my life.  I can see that it is draining to me.  I needed this today after feeling like I've been on empty for the last few days and still trying to pour into others with things that I don't have in me to pour into anyone else right now.

"What are the idols that steal your heart and pursuing God?"  I've been thinking about this one for awhile now so reading this in this book helps me to see that God really wants me to think about it.  Truthfully, I'm a procrastinator and I need to be better about time management and "intention."  My kids keep me hopping and busy, I watch too much Netflix or reading fiction.  Or too much time on Facebook.  I need to be more God focused.

"Unless we return to God's original design for us and listen to His wisdom, the confusing voices of culture, even Christian culture, will lead us astray."  That is an important reminder to me that I need to get back to starting my day in His Word so that I can hear his Words for me.  I'm convicted Lord and I will do better.  It is a choice, and I will do better at putting You first.

"Coming into contact with us should be like coming into contact with Jesus.  And in fulfilling these purposes, we find satisfaction and peace in our souls."  I want people to SEE my light shining for JESUS.   I want to pursue order in my life and it all starts with God's Word.  Thank you Lord for using this book to speak to my heart.  I will go and spend some time in Your Word now and pray about managing my time better.

"We are made to accomplish great feats of faith and courage and to live a life worth telling."  I needed those words right now...I have been enduring a pretty big storm lately, but God keeps reminding me that He is ever present with me.  Thank you Lord for speaking to my heart through Sally.


Lord, I pray that you will help each of us manage our time better to spend more time with You in Your Word and that You help us to discern what is truly important and what is not.  Help us to choose peace as we look to You.  Amen.

Own Your Life Chapter 1

Let's continue on with our study of Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson and dive in to Chapter 1.  SEEING BEAUTY AND PURPOSE IN YOUR ORDINARY DAYS.  Owning the Hero Who Lives inside of You.

"I believe there is also a heroine in each of our hearts waiting to come out.  Yet somewhere along the pathway of our lives, we lose our innocence, forget our dreams, and succumb to a life filled with monotony and responsibility."  Oh yes, I know that over the last few years of motherhood I have honestly felt very zapped.  I've been wondering who I am anymore...I've had so much on my plate that I forget that I am my own person and I need to pull myself off the backburner and invest in myself and let myself dream again and take care of me.  I've felt very overwhelmed with responsibility lately...so much so that I haven't been taking care of me.  I want to find my inner heroine again and dream big again.


Boy can I relate to her feeling like she had no friends or much of a support system either.  We moved here to Texas in 2006 and while I am happy here and we've had so many answered prayers, I do wish that we had more friends, but I am very grateful for our family that we do have here.  I also like what she said too about how we live in a culture of runaways--rushing to another marriage, job, house, internet thrill, vacation, drug, whatever.  Yet, when we run away all the time our "demons" seem to follow us.  The very difficulties we want to escape can be overcome only when we face them head-on."  My tendency sometimes isn't to run away, but in order to not make anyone else feel bad, I tend to internalize things and distance myself.  I see that I need to find my "inner hero" and learn to face that and pray about these things and trust God and obey what He tells me to do when I face those "demons."  I love how God spoke to her in the midst of her children's devotions and told her that he wanted her to remain faithful  and that she was exactly where He wanted her.  I love this quote "This time of testing will be the making of your faith, the humbling of your heart, the shaping of your character, the writing of your story."  It is our choice on how we respond...with a good attitude or with a bad attitude.  I want to earn favor and honor from God and be obedient to where He wants me too and I know that even though I do feel "stuck" at times with the kids, that He has told me many times that I am also right where He wants me.  

I love Sally's response to God too and I want it to be my own prayer as well  "I will choose to find light in this darkness...I am planting a flag of faith.  No matter what happens, I will be as obedient as I can to bring joy into this place, to create beauty in this wilderness, to exercise generous love, and to persevere with patience.  I will choose to believe that wherever You are my faithful companion is the place where Your blessing will be upon me."  What a beautiful response....

In Owning Your Part, Sally asks a question "Are there any areas that seem impossible at this moment that you need to put into God's hands?"  I have a child with a LOT of behavioral issues and it causes lots of heart ache for this Momma...I'll talk more about that later, but all I can do somedays is continue to put that child back into God's hands and trust that God is working and will touch their heart in some way.  I know that one day I will be able to look back and see all of the ways that God was working even when I can't see it right at this moment.  I know He hears and that He sees.  It definitely tests my patience at times, but I do see that I am also able to help other Momma's going through tough times whereas before I wouldn't have been able to do that.

I pray that we are each able to be faithful right where we are and that God willl work our situations out for His glory and for our good.

Own Your Life THE BEGINNING

If you still need a copy of Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson you can click on the link and it will take you to my affiliate link through Amazon to buy the book.

Today, we will be discussing THE BEGINNING.  What Will Be the Legacy of Your Life?

When she asks straight away what legacy you will leave and what your story tells and how you invest your time, I felt convicted.  I'm not always the best at managing my time although I'm trying to work on that and I have ways that I am implementing those things that I will discuss at another time.  Now back to the book...(note, I get sidetracked easily...lol).

"We must pay attention to the decisions that we are making..."  Yes, I truly do get that.  The Lord gave me the word "intentional" when I was praying about my New Years Resolution this year...I have gotten a little better, but it wasn't until the kids went back to school this year that I really began to work on that a little more.  I'm havng knee surgery Monday so once I heal from that I really plan to get even more intentional.  That's another post though...(see, I got sidetracked again).

I loved her prayer of wanting to make a difference in the world on wanting to serve in Poland.  I would love to serve in missions all over the country and the world someday.  However, my own little mission field is right here as I serve my 5 kids in Mommyhood right now.  I think it's about babysteps and I will take it one step at a time until I eventually get out there.  I really loved that she got picked to go and I loved the quote of "I learned that God often does not work with the most qualified, but with the most available."

"I was merely a small brick in the foundation of a ministry that eventually reached countless thousands for Christ, but that one choice to follow Him transformed my life into a spiritual adventure."  I like to think that my own little household is a small little brick in the foundation of bigger things and it reminded me that I need to continue on teaching them all about the Lord and being kind and generous and in serving others so that each of our hearts on fire for the Lord so that we have our own spiritual adventures that we can give God the glory in.  I love that!  We really do need to put God first in everything that we do and make our lives intentional for His Kingdom!  I want to live my life completely for Him.    Let's all join together and be intentional together in this life we live.

I'll leave you with one last quote that I really loved "When we own our lives, we choose to make love the priority in our homes, our marriages, and our parenting.  From it flows the very legacy that God created us to fulfill."  I want to leave a lasting legacy of love for God and for all of our family.  Yes, Lord...I am all yours!

Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson

I wanted to read this book with you.  Let's read it along together.  I've read a little bit of Sally Clarkson's blog and books over the years and I really like what she has to say.  Come along and read it with me. I'll go a chapter at a time.  Post your feedback in the comment section as we go along.  :-)

Here's my affiliate link if you want to buy a copy.
Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson

In the Foreward of the book, 3 of Sally's heartfelt friends share the concept of what "own your life" has meant to them.  Sally answers the questions of "What has God called me to do?  How do I raise kids to love God and others well?  What difference can I make in this world?"  She wants us to have the satisfaction of owning our own life.

Love the quotes from her friends in the foreward:
"Our lives matter because God has a story for us to live for His Kingdom.  And to live it, we must be willing to own our lives."  -Sarah Mae

Don't just sit back and let life happen to you:  Engage it, embrace it, and live it out with intention, purpose, and trust in our Lord.  Live a life of faith; don't be afraid to take risks and love those God has places in your life."  -Angela Perritt

With wisdom, encouragement, and vision, she helped me see what I needed to change, what I needed to let go of, and what I needed to grab hold of in God's calling on my life."  -Ruth Schwenk

I'm diving in to Chapter 1 tomorrow.  Won't you join me?