Motivation for Mondays

When quarantine is over….

May we never take for granted the unity we feel singing a worship songs with our church families.

May we never take for granted the simple act of having a date night out with our spouses.

May we never take for granted the ability to sit on the sidelines and watch our children participate in their favorite sport.

May we enjoy every time we are to be able to purchase a movie ticket and popcorn with extra butter.

We will go back to making plans without even a second thought, but may we realize just how much of a privilege that is.

We will be going to shop at our favorite little shops that carry our favorite things, and feel good knowing we are supporting small, local business.

We will line up for a table at the restaurants we love, eating the food we enjoy, and being served by skilled staff that we probably know by name. We will tip more than normal because we have realized how much we don’t like cooking for ourselves.

We will make sure to show love, respect, and shower with gifts, every teacher our children  may have. They deserve triple whatever it is that they make and are true saints that help mold our children for the future.

Let us never take for granted the times we get to gather together, the times we celebrate together, and the times we come together in support.

We will continue to pray  for the health care workers that not only put their patients first during the pandemic, they put their patients first every single day.

We will be so happy to be able to get dressed up and have a night out with friends, and laugh until our faces hurt and know that times like this is good for our souls.

May we never take for granted the grocery store workers that do their jobs so well, it honestly catches us off guard if they are out of an item. We will appreciate every shelf  being completely full.

May we remember how sweet it is to live life at a little slower pace.

May we continue to stop for snuggles from our kiddos, stop for real quality time with those we love most, and stop just to rest.

Let us remember the world won’t stop turning just because we are not going at full speed ahead.

Let us not take for granted the customers that patron our businesses,  and be happy to step up to serve them over and above.

May we cherish the times we spend alone with God.  Knowing that afterwards, we come out refreshed, our strength renewed, and ready to face another day.

We will be happy to be able to meet and greet with handshakes and hugs, and remember a time that it was not possible to do so.

May we all continue to look after our neighbors, the elderly, and those around us that we can reach out to and make life a little better for them.

I pray we still look for ways daily to do acts of kindness, show grace, show love, and make this world truly a better place.

May we realize just how great of a country we are in and let patriotism rise in us again.

We will get back to work with full steam ahead, we will rebuild, and get to feel the rush of knowing that we come out fighting when we are backed against the wall. We will win again.

We will keep some of the creative changes we have made to be able to carry out our jobs, and that will make our jobs easier/better/faster for our clients.

We will be honored for the right and the ability to work for our families and provide for all their needs.

We will swell with pride know that we as a country pull together for the common good and we are great at thinking outside the box to solve problems.

When quarantine is over, we will come out stronger, more united, more thoughtful, back grounded to what is really necessary for a happy life, and with a whole new perspective on just about everything.

Romans 8:28 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Good can come out of everything!

-Rachel

I want you to imagine your favorite food. Is is savory? Creamy? Crunchy? Sweet? Don’t you just love how it taste? Do you find yourself craving it from time to time? Are you like me and no matter what other options are served, I always pick the same thing because it is so good, I want it over and over.

Now, let’s assume your favorite food is a healthy choice ( I know that is a stretch, just bare with me..). How do you feel after consuming it? Strong? Content? Satisfied? Energetic? Think on that for a minute..

Are you ever surprised that hours later, or even the next day you are hungry again? Does it catch you off guard that your belly begins to growl once it’s empty? Of course you are not. We know how the body works and food does not stay in our systems for days on end. We continually have to feed our bodies. I can give it the best of the best in nutrition, and it will still ask for food over and over again. This is just simply how our bodies work.

Take this concept into our spiritual lives.  We spend time in prayer, in the Scriptures, and in meditation. Afterwards, we feel content, satisfied, strong, even energetic – hopeful and optimistic. However, after some time passes, we tend to fall back into fear or worry or wondering what is come. We begin imagining the future and what it may or may not hold for us. We are uncertain, and our thoughts can run like wild fire.

Why is it that in times like this, we question if our faith is strong, or if we really are a believer? Why to we automatically think that if we have thoughts of fear, our faith is not working? We feel tossed between feeling strong and feeling helpless. Maybe, just maybe it is not a question of if our faith is strong, maybe our faith is just hungry again. Maybe we just need to be fed again.  Maybe it is not a question of if we believe, maybe it is that we need to be refueled with Scripture, prayer, and meditation once again.

So in uncertain times like we are currently in, don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap where you are tossed between strength and weakness, between feeling full of faith and feeling full of fear. Don’t spend energy on wondering if your faith is enough.  It has nothing to do with how spiritual you are or how great your faith is. It has everything to do with simply being hungry again.

#fuelyourfaith   #dailymeditation

-Rachel Ray

There are lots of things that contribute to our successes. Most of these things we can get from others, but there is one that HAS to come from us. Let’s discuss.

So, when I talk about success I mean it for every area of our lives. I mean it for marriage, relationships, career, raising our children, our fitness level, our finances, our happiness, our character, our accomplishments, and our fulfillment. I could go on and on with the list, but you get the point. Success in every single area of our lives.

There are so many things that effect how successful we are in any given area. Education plays a big role, right? Education can effect our careers, it can help in our marriages, it can help manage our finances, it can assist in raising our children and just about every other area. Education is something we can search for. We can read books, seek out counsel, and learn from the triumphs and mistakes of others. Education is something others can assist us with.

Opportunity plays a role in our successes. Maybe it is the opportunity for a promotion, or opportunity to grow stronger in an relationship, or opportunity to invest our finances, or opportunity to create a stronger character. Opportunity, again, can be given by others or the circumstances around us, and we can use them to grow.

But there is one thing that no one can give us and no circumstance can offer us. There is something that in my opinion,  is the greatest thing that will determine our success. It is nothing we can get on the outside, it must come from within us, and that one thing is drive. Maybe you call it ambition, or the ability to “go get ’em”, or the “want to”, or passion, but the fact remains true that drive cannot come from an outside source. Drive must come from within. Drive is what separates the mediocre from the excellent. Drive is what makes the less educated rise above those that are leaning only on their education. Drive is what pushes, and pushes, and gets tired, but pushes yet again. Drive is what keeps you moving toward a goal even when it is hard, even when it is unlikely to be met, and even when everyone else has long gone home.  Drive is what makes you get back up each time you fall down.  Drive is where the practice turns into perfection. Drive is where giving up is not an option. Drive is what makes you get up before the sun to be in pursuit of greatness. Drive is very thing that creates our dreams that in turn, creates our reality. Drive is where it all starts and they only thing that can carry you to the finish line. Drive is the one thing that everyone who has ever made history has had in common.  Drive is the fire that fuels our desires.

Drive must be in you for you to see all the success you dream of. It will keep you through hard days and set backs. It will make you continually put one foot in front of the other, even when that is the absolute hardest thing to do. It will make you stick with something  even when everyone else has given up. It will force you to reach toward the goal at hand. And…..it must come from within you. No outside person can give you drive. No situation you can be in can create drive. Drive is something no coach can teach, and no therapist can uncover. No one can lend you their drive. You must possess it. You must be loyal to it. You must decide you have the drive it takes. Is it in you?

-Rachel Ray

Preaching that doesn’t come from the pulpit….

Romans 10:14 New King James Version (NKJV)
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Are we so small minded to believe that the scripture above only refers to the well dressed that stand behind pulpits on Sunday mornings? Don’t get me wrong, I admire men and women who have given their life to the ministry and have chose the vocation of spreading the gospel as their full time jobs. ADMIRE THEM! However, this can’t be the extent of what we consider “preachers”.

Let’s face it, there are going to be people that never attend our churches, that never become a Sunday school teacher, that never joins our women’s circles or participate in men’s breakfast fellowships. But those that are passionate about ministry and spreading the gospel will “preach” by all means necessary. They minister everywhere they go and cease any opportunity or open door to do so.

I know nurses that have shown God’s grace and love to a family that was having to make very difficult decisions.

I know realtors that have taken their client’s hand and said a word of prayer.

I know contractors that have shared their testimony while hanging sheet-rock.

I know coaches that share a piece of God’s word with their players before each game.

I know mechanics that carefully study the problems of their customer’s cars so that the safety of the passengers is never a concern.

I know retail workers that go to work with a smile on their face, light up the room they are in, and bring joy to those around them.

I know musicians that can sing and play so well, it seems to touch your very soul.

I know people in administrative roles that work diligently to provide the best procedures for those under them so that they are protected, cared for, and safe.

I know people who install security systems in houses so that the owners can sleep peacefully at night.

I know people who go so far above and beyond what they have to do, that if they were ever gone, the company wouldn’t function at the same level.

I know people that on a regular basis send “happies”, say “thank you”, and appreciate those around them.

I know people that make it their mission to include everyone in the conversion and never let anyone eat lunch alone.

I know people that can make you laugh so hard you think you face might break.

I know people that can say a word of encouragement that can strengthen and motivate their audience.

I know hairdressers that stand on their feet all day, yet will let you talk on and on and on, and treat you like you are their only client.

I know people that cook for those that have been sick.

I know people that help their elderly neighbors on a regular basis.

I know teachers that not only teach the curriculum of the schools they attend, but they take time to teach caring, sharing, and show unconditional love to a few students that have never experienced that type of love before.

I know various organizations that as a whole volunteer their time to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, help the orphans, and assist the widows.

I know people that work as a mentor to the youth, in hopes they will chose a different and less destructive path for their lives.

Not a single one of these people stand in a suite and tie behind the pulpit on Sunday mornings, but they “preach” everyday. They make a difference in the lives around them. They show some facet of God as they go about their day. They are all “preachers” in their own right.

How to you preach?

-Rachel Ray

“Success is not for the chosen few, it is for the few that choose.” A statement from the book “Chop Wood and Carry Water”.

We have so often times seen people that have accomplished great goals, achieved the impossible, and lead in their field of choice and chock their success up to a God-given talent, or being in the right place at the right time, or even just for the brave that were willing to take a risk. Yes, all those things can help produce success, but it cannot guarantee it alone.

I watched an interview with an athlete. The one conducting the interview was singing the praises of the athlete. He has broken this record, and that record and was for certain a leader in his sport. Then I watch something amazing happen. The interviewer commented that the athlete must have a God-given talent to be able to accomplish such great things. The athlete’s response shocked me. Instead of going along with that theory and being able to set himself apart from others, and maybe even have others look up to him, he was almost offended by being called “talented”. He went on to say, sure, I was born with some gifts that make sports possible for me, but if you give all my credit to “talent” then it negates the years I have dedicated to crafting my skills. Wow!

“Talented” makes it seem effortless, and anyone who is successful, I  can assure you, has put some effort into being so. “Talented” makes it sound like it can only happen for the ones that possess this “talent”, and that is simply not the truth.

Success come after failure after failure and lesson taught after lesson taught. Success comes from practicing and learning, and practicing more and learning more. Success comes with busted knuckles and skinned knees. Success come from grit and grind, and not taking no for an answer. Success comes from continually fine tuning your skills to become better at your craft. Success comes from burning the midnight oil, and waking up before sunrise. Success comes from continuing to study long after you are required to do so. Success comes from taking the limits off the way you see yourself, the way you think about yourself, and the way you present yourself. Success comes from not shying away from opportunity, but walking into it even if your hands are shaking.

Talent may help you along the journey, but success is only afforded to those willing to chase after it. May we all always be in pursuit.

“Success is not for the chosen few, but for the few that choose.”

-Rachel Ray

Three Stages of asking, “Who Am I”? In studying the life of Moses, we see many times where Moses ask “who am I” and all were for different reasons.

As you already know, Moses was born as a Hebrew in a time that all Hebrew male children were being murdered. His mother, in a desperate act to at least give her son a chance at life, placed him in a basket and in the river. The Pharaoh’s (the king’s) daughter sees him, rescues him, and eventually hires his own mother to nurse him. What an amazing story! He was born  Hebrew and raised, at least partially, by his own Hebrew mother. You cannot tell me she didn’t whisper to him, while rocking him to sleep, sharing with him his real heritage. However, he was raised in Pharaoh’s palace. He may have looked Hebrew, but he walked, talked, and carried himself like an Egyptian. Insert “Walk like an Egyptian” song here! 🙂

“Who Am I”? A question of identity.  Where do I belong? You know he had to have these thoughts. He has to think, I don’t fit in with the Egyptians because I was born to a Hebrew family, and I don’t fit in with the Hebrew because I was raised to think and act like an Egyptian.

Ever been in a place where you didn’t belong to any one group, always an outsider, never quite fitting in? I certainly have and it doesn’t give you the warm and fuzzies. It does, however, show that you are called to be set apart for a purpose.

Years pass and Moses is going about his daily routine. He happens up on an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. Moses intervenes and  steps in to rescue the Hebrew slave and in the process he kills they Egyptian man, which was in sorts one of his own. He is scared and ashamed, flees the country and plans to never return. We find him out in the wilderness where he has an encounter with the famous burning bush. God speaks to him and tells him to go back and deliver the Hebrews.

“Who Am I” again comes into play. This time it is not a question of identity, but of capability. Who am I to go against the Egyptians? Who am I to set the Hebrew free? Who am I to carry out this task? Pretty sure you have the wrong guy here. We see many times in scriptures when Moses is asking “Who am I” to do this. He makes excuses such as they won’t listen to me, I don’t have eloquent words, who will I even say has sent me?

Moses did not feel worthy or capable to fill this role. This is another point I could relate to. There have been more times than not that I haven’t felt up to the task, capable to complete something well or at all for that matter. I have felt small, ineffective, and even unworthy. I am sure as a fellow human, you have felt these same emotions at some point along the way. God never asked  Moses for a resume, never asked for work references, never had to facebook stalk him to see what his personality and character was like. God had been laying the ground work literally Moses’s entire life to bring him to the place to deliver His people. What better person was there for the job? Moses knew both the Hebrew and the Egyptians history, characteristics, and ways of thinking. You and I are no different. God really doesn’t care about our reasons why we can’t, when He had a plan in mind before we even graced this Earth with our presence.

When we question our worthiness, it may sound like we are being humble, but the truth is we are simply being stubborn and even selfish.

“Who Am I..not” There comes a point when we choose to set out into what we are called to do, not out of arrogance or for desire to be in the spotlight, but for the right reasons. To help. To Grow. To become more. Who am I not to do what I’m called to do? Who am I not to help others along the way? I have been given so much, who am I not to give back.

Who was Moses NOT to lead the people out of slavery? His feelings of being unworthy could have kept an entire nation captive. I understand fighting our own insecurities is difficult, but it is not just for our own benefit. Who are we to keep our callings, giftings, talents for our own use only. We are a body, we need one another. I need what you have to offer and you need what I have to offer. We all work together in this.

Who are you not to lend a helping hand to someone in need?

Who are you not to open that company and afford others a platform to start their career?

Who are you not to write that book that will help guide, encourage, or simply make some one laugh?

Who are you not so share that song that you’ve had scratched on a piece of paper for years now that can minister to someone’s heart?

Who are you not to share that idea that could increase productivity, or in general boost morale?

Who are you not to teach, lead, or share for the benefit of someone else?

Who are you not to use your talents, giftings, and callings for the betterment of others?

As we move through the process of questioning our identity to finding our cause and wrestling with feeling unworthy to attempt it, I pray we come to understanding it’s not all about us. It’s not about the spotlight. It’s not about leading for leading’s sake. It’s not about holding a title to feed our ego. It’s about getting into position to be effective to those around you. It’s about having more resources at our disposal to implement helpful tactics to empower others. It’s about creating a platform for you to serve others with what you have been given. It is not a humble to shrink back and not serve others with your gifts, it’s actually down right selfish. It is honorable to serve.

Who are we not to…

-Rachel Ray

I remember playing dress up as a child. I would wonder into my mother’s closet and find the highest high heels and slip them on my little feet.  The heels would be 5 sizes too big, but that didn’t keep me from “practicing my walk”. With a purse in hand, that I only used for carrying my toys from one place to another, I would prance like little girls do. I remember feeling so “big”, so grown. I knew those shoes would fit one day, and well, I couldn’t wait for that day to come.

A few years later, I actually got my first pair of heels and remember feeling so excited to finally be “big” enough for this milestone. The heels had to have a strap around my ankle because, well, that was the only way I could keep them on my feet. No doubt I looked like a newborn baby giraffe learning to walk, but that didn’t matter to me, I was growing into a “big girl”.

Skip ahead 25 years, and I witnessed my baby girl doing just what I had done at her age. Oh, but she does things bigger than me. She had to have the make up, the pearl necklace, the fancy barrettes,  and of course, the heels. There was a time that the only criteria for dresses she chose was how well they “twirled”. She liked to twirl and see the skirt of her dress fan out as big as possible.

As my kids have grown older and they hit crazy growing spurts where you cannot seem to keep them clothed with things that fit, I found myself buying things just a little big in an effort to make them last longer. Shoes being the hardest to keep them in. How does a foot literally grow over night?

In my prayer time with God this morning, I was reminded of all the times He has given me things that were “just a little too big”.

Dreams that seemed too big.

Plans that seemed too big.

Opportunities that seemed too big.

There have been times I have been faced with opportunities, and I think, I am not capable of this. God, not to be disrespectful, but you have chosen the wrong person for this job. There are others that are so much better suited for this. There are others so much more qualified for this. There are others that would down right be better than me at this.

My arguments have never changed His mind, not even once. Even with witty words, and valid arguing points, I have never convinced Him other wise. God has never said, you know what….you’re right….I think I’ll talk to someone else about this….thanks anyway! NEVER EVER has that happened.

It’s as if God provides us with opportunity that is a “little too big” to allow us room to grow into what He knows we already are. So meanwhile, if you seem to be tripping and falling, maybe even walking into these new opportunities like a newborn baby giraffe, just know that you are  “practicing your walk” and one day that shoe will fit. One day, we will find ourselves going from dress up, to growing over night, to confidently fulfilling our place.

I want to encourage you to take the risk, step out in faith, and never let fears of not being “big” enough hold you back. It’s a process. We are all on a journey. We should all  promise to hold one another’s hand while we are trying to get our footing. May we all always walk in shoes that are too big, and all always have the room and opportunity to grow.

Here’s to becoming all that He has made us to be!!

Rachel Ray

It’s that time of year again, time to strategically set out the goals before us that we intend on crushing. I am a goal setting, striving, kind of girl. When I do not have goals in place….I just kind of coast along and I hate that feeling. I hate not having something to work toward. It feels good to me to set something out in front of me, have to work hard to get to it, and through persistence and discipline, get to cross it off as something completed. DONE. FINITO.

Thus far in my life, my goals have mainly been about family, achieving a certain weight, and my career. Setting that sales goal to what I thought was so out of reach, yet getting there. Setting the goal of the weight I wanted to see on the scale and picking some fad diet that promised to get me there. Setting the goal of spending “X” amount of QUALITY time with my kids, which usually means something more than all of us sitting in the same room not staring at our phones. All good goals, and they are ones I will continue. However, I have something more in mind.

Now, these may not seem like ground shaking goals, but bare with me.

It is my goal to not rush ALL DAY LONG. I find myself more times that not rushing like a mad woman. Maybe I will start with a couple hours and build from there, but my goal is to not get overwhelmed with a schedule, or the schedules of all the people in my household, that I am not enjoying any of the activities I am attending because I am working in panic mode to get us everywhere we have to be. Maybe this will require more planning ahead, maybe this will require my attitude toward it all to change, maybe this will require my children to be a little more prepared for their day….all goals to work toward. So my goal will be not just getting all of the schedule done, but to actually enjoy the journey of getting there.

It will be my goal to not self-shame, or have negative self-talk in any form. This one will be a feat for me. It is like we (especially women) are programmed to have negative self-talk. We are expected to not like our bodies, or our hair, or our look in general. It is so programmed that if someone actually does breaks this mold and likes themselves, their look, their body, their hair….well, it seems weird and definitely out of the norm. Instead of reciting all the things I don’t like, it’s my goal to think about what I do like, and what I do have. I have two legs that can carry me anywhere I want to go, not everyone has that. I have two hands that can accomplish tasks and can hold my babies, not everyone has that. I have eyes that see and ears that hear, not everyone has that. So maybe my thighs carry some cellulite and my belly is pudgier that I would like, I still have so much positive things about myself to dwell on.  So instead of setting a goal to change the number on the scale, I will set the goal to monitor the words in my head.

It will be my goal to give more than I receive. I have always had my hand in some volunteering along the way, but it’s time to bump up that commitment. I have had the pleasure of being connected to some opportunities to volunteer in my community and I feel they are very worthy causes. Instead of just pitching in when I’m needed, I want to set a goal to do something on a regular basis. My heart feels it’s fullest when I am able to give in someway, somehow and make a difference to someone, even if it is the smallest of gestures. Why would I not want to feel like that more often? The only way to be a light in this world is to do what it takes to shine. So instead of setting goals to get things for myself, it will be a goal to do more for others. I have a sneaking suspicion I will feel more fulfilled doing for others than I ever will doing for myself.

In my career, I have set and met many sales goals. I have worked hard and accomplished what I set out to do, and let me tell you that is an amazing feeling. However, I have come to the point in my career that I am able to teach and train others. I know what my career has done for me. It has provided for me financially, built my self esteem, and changed the way I see myself. I actually feel I have something to bring to the table now. It’s time to pay that forward. For the first time ever, I am in a position to begin training and teaching other professionals the ropes. I can’t describe to you the feeling of holding this position and hopefully having an impact on the career of others. It is my goal to lead this amazing team to exponential success.

I have many dreams and desires I would like to see happen in my life, so my goal will be to put plans to those dreams. As you know, a dream/goal without action is just a wish. It’s time to make things happen! If not now, when?

What are your goals for 2020?