I AM…

I AM… Two of the most powerful words in existence, when placed together. These two words have the power to mould a life. These words have the power to change a life.

It is early in life when we start using these two words together, when we played with our friends and toys; I am Superman. I am a nurse. I am a firefighter. I am the mom. I am a dinosaur, Roar! I am a hummingbird! As we identified with these two words our actions, our words, our whole being (at that moment in time) changed, and we truly believed we were what we said we were. Growing up does not negate the power of these words. The difference is that now we are able to understand the power of them and that we can learn how to harness them, to our advantage.

In Exodus 3:14 these words are proven to be the most powerful words in all of language, and throughout time. Moses was asked, by God, to challenge Pharaoh to let his people go. Moses did not know what to tell Pharaoh. This is what the Bible says happened, “¹⁴ And God said unto Moses, “I Am That I Am: “and he said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.” (KJV) Here God states that he is “I AM”. The only way to explain to Moses of who God is, is that he just Is. God identifies himself with the words I AM. He is the only one who encompasses all that these two words can represent; He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is the only being who does not have a creation date; he just Is.

We are not God, but we can learn to use the power of these two words to identify who we are and who we want to be. I recently went through this activity and it has helped me reframe my life, and in-turn my future. You too can use these two words to your advantage, and work your way towards the life you choose, the life you deserve!

The Challenge: Here is what you need to do right now, to start the transformation of your life into what it is meant to be… Go get a piece of paper, or a poster board. Go do it. Walk away from this blog for two minutes and go get paper or poster board. On your way back to the computer grab a writing utensil (pencil, pen, black marker, crayons, felts, what ever allows you to really get into this activity). Now, start writing “I am” sentences that define the best of who you are now, and all that you want to be. Make sure each statement is true, statements that define who you know you can be, deep down inside. When you are finished writing it our post this list of statements in a place where you will read them every day. Then, read them, out loud, every day, once in the morning and once before going to bed. These powerful statements will become a piece of your subconscious mind, and in time will become reality for you.

Get creative. Get deep. Get down to the core of who you know you are inside, then claim these statements into your life as truth. As you start to believe these statements they will become reality! Do not take this exercise lightly. It can change your life, for the positive or the negative (if you take it too lightly).

Here are a few examples: I am strong. I am confident. I am a dad who is present. I am an expert in my field. I am awesome!

Go show the world who [YOU ARE]!

Just thinking…

I am just thinking here… Have you ever got to a point in your life where you realize who you are is totally fighting who you want to become and what you want to achieve? I have been enlightened on this topic this evening.

Are you someone who can keep a promise to everyone but your self? Are you able to keep plans with all our friends, and even be early for those plans, but cannot even get out of bed when you make plans that involve just you? It is like you are saying (with your actions) that the plans you make with yourself are not important. This is one struggle I face every day; how much am I going to let myself down today? What am I going to avoid?

I find that I am willing to run myself down to nothing to meet the demands of others, then by the time I have time for me and what I want to do there is nothing left. Am I the only one? Hello…?

I have heard that the number one obstacle in one’s life is themself. I believe it. I am proof of it. There are so many things I want to do, so many things I want to see, so many people I want to help, but because these are things I want to do they get pushed to the side. Why? It is the things that are important to my life that should take priority, need to take priority, but don’t, time and time again… Each day I want to get out of bed with out pushing the snooze button (more than once) and charge at the day with passion and purpose! I want to not find activities that take me off task. I want to live up to the expectations I know I can achieve. I know I have it in me… somewhere…

Last night was Valentine’s Day, and as I sat on my couch watching chick-flicks after dinner I realized that I tend to live my goals and dreams through the influences around me: friends, movies, TV, music. This makes me the one thing I most dislike about other people; I am a hypocrite. On one hand, I challenge people to be the “Leading (Wo)Man” in their life, but yet on the other, I struggle with the very same concept, daily.

I do not know how to actually change this habit, and actually prioritize my life according to me, in such a way that I get to the place where I get as good at meeting my expectations as I am at meeting the expectations of those around me…

I would love to hear any ideas you may have on this subject. What helps you treat yourself with the respect you give to others, when you are alone?

There… that is me “Just Thinking”….

Take my World Apart

After some time off from regular every-day life I have come to the conclusion that for me to grow God needs to take me apart to rebuild me up from the beginning… this song is powerful, and thought provoking…

It has been hard to realize I am not perfect. (no, it is true!) It is in His weakness that we are made strong. The hardest thing for most people to do is give up the control of their weakness to someone else, especially to a God who is not tangible. Our pride can, and will, get in the way. In my experiences it has been in the moments I feel the weakest that I become the strongest, when I give it to God to take care of. It is hard to describe, unless you have experienced this for yourself.

I am quite independent, almost to a fault. I have a very hard time asking for help. It may be one of the reasons I am still single; I do not make myself vulnerable enough. Which is why I also find it hard to give my life, the pieces I believe I am in control of, to someone who has my best interests at heart: God.

Some people see asking for help as a weakness, or even to be a shameful act. Growing up I was made to feel this way when I would ask people for rides, when I didn’t have one. To this day I try to find my own way of getting to where I am going, before asking someone to come pick me up. I have been taught, from an early age, to be independent. In most cases it can be a great skill set to have, but when I truly need help it is very hard to ask for help. This, translated to my relationship with God, makes it difficult for me, a lot of the time, to ask God for his help, even though I know it IS the best resource I have.

Have you ever started an activity where you were very close to presenting the final product and realised there was a flaw at the beginning of the project and you had to take the almost completed project and strip it to the very beginning to correct the problem? Once you did this two things happened, firstly you were going to be very aware of the construction of the project at every stage so you didn’t have to start again. Secondly,  by going back to the very first cog in the process you are able to establish a very solid foundation for the, soon to be, finished project. This is what happens when we allow God to take our whole world apart, and let Him rebuild it for us.

I know that I have mentioned that we cannot let other people control our lives; it is ours, not theirs. Allowing Christ to control one’s life is not the same; our lives are His. Our life was created for him to be a part of every decision we make. It is our (selfish) human nature that separates us from Him. The trick is, as humans, to figure out (for ourselves, as each of us have a different relationship with Christ) how to master this skill; having God place his two-cents into everything we do. I do not know the answer for this. I am still trying to figure this one out myself. I do know it is the secret to a completely whole, and fulfilling life, and it is a daily struggle, but one I believe you cannot give up on.

I challenge you to trust God enough to take your world apart and then the two of you can start rebuilding it together. You will not be sorry you made the decision to do so!

Listen to the song linked to this post. The lyrics are below, and on the music page for you to follow along and contemplate.

THE CHALLENGE: To be as vulnerable as you can be with God. Have a conversation with Him. Give him all you worries, cares, and concerns. You can even get mad at him directly; He can take it. Allow your soul to feel helpless. Then ask for His strength and wisdom to fill the void that was just created. Finally, thank him for being exactly who he says he is. Then take a deep breath and move forward with your life with God as the Editor-in-Chief of your autobiography.

LYRICS:

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and dieTo turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To love you – take my world apart
To need you – I am on my knees
To love you – take my world apart
To need you – broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

[Additional lyrics:]

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can’t deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart

Still Here

I have taken some time off from updating this blog for a few reasons: health, time, life. I have come to so many new ways of thinking since my last post, I wouldn’t know where to start in filling you in. In all the time I was not on here I was still focusing on my Proverbs 31 growth path, hopefully you were too.

I have come to realize that there are many limiting thoughts that have become a part of who I am and I need to address each of them if I want to move forward, significantly, towards my goals and dreams in life.

Due to the health reasons I was not contributing to this blog and it is also the reason I have had a lot of time to really think about who I am, who I want to be, and what is holding me back from that transition. I could blame my parents. Jokingly I do regularly, but really, I need to take responsibility for my life, no matter what my past may be. We all do. At some point we each need to step-up and take responsibility for who we are. This is YOUR life and YOU are the only one who has complete control of your actions and thoughts. The second our thoughts become words they have power in our lives. What do you think about? What do you say?

There is no way I am saying this process is easy. Not at all. I am saying it is necessary in the process to become someone who lives life on purpose, versus someone who let’s life happen to them. The person who lets life happen to them is letting other people and influences write their life story for them. I don’t know about you, but I am not willing to have anyone write MY life story for me. We each need to be the “Leading Lady” (or “Leading Man” if you are not a woman) in our own lives. I believe that is the way the woman of Proverbs 31 lives her life: with God, in control of her actions, and on purpose.

I have learnt some things during my hiatus I will be sharing these findings with you in the coming weeks. I will be sharing what I am going through as I tackle this process head-on. I look forward to hearing about your stories too…

Getting Active!

There are many causes to raise money for, some of which have been mentioned in other blog posts on this site. Why not raise money for a good cause and do something fun and challenging to solidify your committment to the cause!

The Run for a Cure, the Underwear Affair, Cops for Cancer, are some of the big events the Cancer Foundation runs each year. These are just a few fund-raising events you can participate in, or volunteer to help with. Another great cause is The Lung Association. They too host multiple events each year. In British Columbia they hold Climb the Wall, RUSH, Bicycle Treck, and the RBC GranFondo Whistler events.

Not only do these events raise money for a great cause some of them, in the past, have offered prizes for the winners of the events. Extra incentive is always good, right?!

Find a cause that gets you excited to support, and an event that challenges you, and commit to participating in one, or more, of their big fund-raising events. Before committing to any event look to find out if they have a minimum fund-raising donation required to participate in the event. You will want to know what this number is, because if you cannot raise that amount you may be responsible to cover it… no matter which event you participate in you will not regret your decision to do so….

Serving Soup!

The holidays are here, and all the community support agencies are in full gear. They are making sure people are warm enough, getting enough food, and get something special to ease the stress that the Christmas season can bring. One way to help a community is to help at your local soup kitchen. They may not need much help, except with the christmas meal(s) they are serving. Contact the agency nearest you and find out how you can help this Christmas season, by bringing some joy to someone’s world, through their stomach.

I am not sure of all the agencies that offer a Christmas dinner for people in need, but on the west coast of Canada there is the Union Gospel Mission. This is an agency that provides meals. and other support, all through the year, but at the holidays (like Thanksgiving and Christmas) they raise money specifically to be able to offer a special Christmas meal. Due to the volume of people they will feed this season it only costs $3.29 to feed one person a warm Christmas meal. That is less than one latte. If the soup kitchen near you is not looking for volunteers they will probably accept donations to support their outreach programs.

I guess what my point is this month is that those of us who are able to give should give, even if it is not a large amount… it is something and will be a blessing to someone.

Luke 21:1-3

1 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³ “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.

Disaster Relief Programs

Another great way to give back to the global community is to give money to disaster relief organizations such as ADRA, Red Cross, FEMA, Food for the Hungry, Oxfam, and UNICEF. These are Non-Government Orginisations (NGO) that are ready to support aid in crisis situations. All of these mentioned here also have non-crisis support programs to which you can support as well. I have found a web site to which you can find a complete list of Disaster Relief Agencies and NGO’s. It gives a short summary to each agency, as well as in the right-hand column you can click on the agency that you would like to know more about and it will take you to the agency’s web-site.

*Note* after going to the Food for the Hungry link above click on the country flag in the top right corner that is relevant to you as each country has its own set-up. Other sites may be the same.

What I love about this kind of giving at this time of year is that you can give to a great cause, which ever one has your heart, and you get to shop from your home (I prefer to shop on-line in my pajama’s!) and you get to buy fun things, like goats and chickens! In real life I have never bought a chicken for myself, but I have bought a few for people who needed a chicken for survival reasons (income, food, etc.).

Last Christmas was the first year my family donated to NGO’s instead of exchanging gifts, and it was actually a lot of fun! I shopped for a few items and my parents shopped together and chose a few items. They were so excited to tell me that they wanted to buy two chickens for people in  Africa somewhere! They were almost giddy about it! This year we have done the same, because honestly the majority of adults in North America don’t need a bigger TV, a new(er) iPhone, or six shades of nail polish… but a family does need a source of income, a source of food, and to know how to read. It is a great feeling to know that you are part of solving problem’s of this world!

Keep your eyes open as you look at each of these “shopping guides”, last year the Canadian government was matching donations, sometimes up to 9x! Now that is some great math! You buy two chickens for $25, and the government could donate up to another $225 to the same agency… That is a lot of chickens folks!

A great mentor of mine says, “If you are part of the solution you are part of the problem.”

Matthew 25:39-45

³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

It’s in you to give…

One way to truly make a difference in someone’s life is to save it. Wouldn’t you agree? people tend to be very grateful when you literally save their life, when you can show them that their financial future is not as bleak as they thought, when you bring someone in the cold a warm pair of socks or mittens, these people understand what you did for them. You “saved” them.

At this time of year there tend to be more car accidents and hospital visits, for all kinds of reasons. Today’s suggestion on how we can give back to our community is to donate blood to your local blood services. It doesn’t cost you anything but time and some blood. As long as they qualify to be able to donate blood, anyone can help out in this fashion.

For more information, in Canada, contact Canadian Blood Services, and (literally) save a life!

1 John 5:11 “…God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

Giving Back

The Christmas holiday season is in full force! Gifts are being bought, plans are being made, cookies are being baked. It is also a time of year a lot of people look at giving back to their community or projects that are important to them. The Woman of Proverbs 31 also took care of those around her.

Proverbs 31:20 says, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”

This is why this month we are going to look at ways we can help those who have less than us. There is more than one way  to give back: monetarily, time-wise, and more. We will look at some ways we can bless others, both through the holidays and through the year.

If you have any ideas on how we can help others please comment on this post and we will do what we can to get it posted out! These ideas could be ones you have done before, ones you would like to do, or even ones you have just thought up right now. I know we would all be blessed to hear of more ways to make a difference in someone’s world!

Use less!

Last night I had tea at a friend’s place and at one point the conversation turned to money. My friend made a statement that I thought was brilliant and wanted to share with you.

A few hours before our tea date I was at the grocery store where I was approached by a woman promoting the store’s credit card. By having one of these cards I would earn store points which can be used as cash when there are enough of them. I would get $0.35 off each liter of gas I bought at their gas station, with the card. I also would have gotten a free bag of cookies (which I didn’t even want)! All this at a low rate of 19.9%! What a deal!

I am in the place in my life where I am looking to eliminate debt not take on more. I declined the card, and the girl seemed confused as to why I didn’t want to apply for it. We are so numb to the effect of debt on our lives that some of us don’t want to eliminate what debts we have, because we are able to “maintain” it and we get what we want when we want it. Everyone else is doing it so it must be okay, right?

Wrong! Accumulating most debts is not good, as most debts are consumer purchases or items that depreciate in value once we buy them. The majority of the items bought are not “needs” in our lives but rather something that we “want”. I am guilty of this too. It takes conscious effort, with every purchase, to change our money spending habits. Debt is the rope around our “financial necks” just waiting to be pulled tight, let’s find ways to loosen that rope!

This being said, how do we save money, when there may be nothing we can cut out of our day to day spending (deep down we all know that we can probably cut back on something: making coffee vs buying it by the cup, drive a more fuel efficient vehicle, wait to buy things on sale vs buy it now at full price, etc…)? There is a simple answer… USE LESS of everything! If we use less water and electricity we save money on our utility bills as well as we help the planet out (this is a win-win situation!). If we use a little less hand soap each time we wash our hands the soap will last longer and we won’t have to buy as many of them through the year. If we ride our bike to work twice a week we use less gas in our car. If we respect our property, and are not as hard on it as we can be, it lasts longer and we save money by not replacing it as soon or as often as it may be being replaced now. The list of possible ways to use less is endless… You get the point.

Now, let’s put the last post and this one together and inspire a nation to be more mindful of how, and what, we spend our money on…
Step 1: ask ourself two questions every time we are  about to buy an item. First: “do I NEED this, or is it something I WANT?” Second: “do I need to buy this TODAY or can I WAIT to save-up for the item and pay in cash?” Most of the time I find I can “wait and save-up” for the item as it is something I “want and don’t need it now”…
Step 2: stop buying as much as we “can”(the quotations are to relate back to us buying items in a fashion that places us father in debt). The government wants our money! If we don’t buy things we pay less taxes, and everyone wants to do that, right? I believe we pay our fair-share of taxes, so when we can save on them we should take advantage of it! Shop wisely!
Step 3: use less of the items you do buy. This will save you money as you will not need to buy as many of that item, and in turn we will pay less taxes too! We save money two-fold with this strategy! Love it!

Learning to spend money wisely is a learned skill. It will take practice and time to perfect. You will make purchases that fall into the “want now” category. Don’t fret. Learn from it, how did  it make you feel, and how can you make a better decision the next time a similar situation comes your way? It will get easier, and become a natural part of your shopping experience, as you practice it. Promise.

Good luck! I know you can do it!

CHALLENGE: Use less of everything, and take notice of how it effects your spending, and your savings!