FTOTD: Believe in Yourself

Believing in Yourself

 

If you think about it, you would become aware that credentialization, certification, authorization and validation share a common definition.  Each is a process in which someone else tells you how good you are or are not.  There are areas in which people must be well trained and equipped to handle the demands of their craft. However, there are also judgments attached to the words "credential," "certificate," "authority," and "validity."  These judgments have a subtle impact on the human psyche.  The implication is that something outside of you can make you okay.

You may think that because you don't have the credential or the certificate, you do not have the authority to be.  Perhaps because you are afraid of not making the grade, not being okay in the eyes of someone else, you have convinced yourself that you are not okay.  What no one apart from yourself is going to tell you or convince you is that, with the power of a made-up mind, you are authorized to do anything you choose.

There is nothing more validating than belief in yourself and your abilities.  If you believe you have the power, the power is yours.  There is no credential, certificate or authority beyond the power of a made-up mind. There comes a moment when you must decide that you are going to believe in yourself.  When that moment comes, you become aware that outside authority is the icing. Your mind is the cake!  

Starting today, accept that there is a place in you where you are just fine. Make it your business today to tap in to that place.

Keep On Keepin On…

 

Have a Wonderful Week!!!

Day 7: I am THANKFUL for ENCOURAGEMENT...

I am THANKFUL that for ENCOURAGEMENT.   I have found that I always want to be there for someone else.  It seems easier to be there for someone else in spite of my situational circumstances.  I am a natural ENCOURAGER.  I feel better knowing that I have uplifted another’s spirit.  I am thankful for that.

There seems to always be a moment of confirmation through ENCOURAGEMENT.  A few months ago, a minister from my church died after being in a coma for over a year.  She was very special to me.  She was my person.  She had a way of always saying the right something or sending the perfect email and always having the perfect yet simple word of ENCOURAGEMENT.   There were times when I felt defeated and she shared her ENCOURAGEMENT without even knowing the situation.  She was a powerful example of a wonderful woman with a kind thing to say and an ear to lend.  We sent emails, had phone calls and every now a then she would send me a card.  There were times when she would just say I I am proud of you and you are becoming a wonderful woman.  Simple and sweet and full of ENCOURGAEMENT.  It was in her hugs, her tones and her actions.  When she died, I felt a little broken but then I referred back to some of our past emails and was immediately ENCOURAGED.  It’s a blessing to know that the same way that I have done for others is done for me.  Confirmation that I have been doing the right thing because it comes back to me.

She along a few others that have been there for me during my father’s death, my character building experiences and my growing pains often gave me ENCOURAGEMENT.  I am so THANKFUL that God has put people in my life to share their uplifting words and generous acts of kindness.  This is so important to me and makes me feel stronger. I often write about doubt and it’s very real.  I am not the only person in the world going through things.  We all have things in our lives going on and it is our choice how we deal or cope with it.  My logical/intelligent self knows better that to wallow but my emotions sometimes get the best of me.  When it gets hard to ENCOURAGE myself, I am thankful that there are people in my life that set their selves aside to lend me some ENCOURAGEMENT.

I love the song ENCOURAGE YOURSELF and hope that you will all be ENCOURAGED today.

Peace and Comfort

All I want for Christmas is my heart to be healed.  I want my daddy to walk through the door, smile, to hear him laugh, have him hug me tight, provide me with some direction, have a conversation, tell me a story from his past, tell me how much he loves my sister and I even my mother.  I would give anything to be able to hear his voice right now.  My mother has shared that she has some home videos.  I havent felt like I was ready but I think that I am.

Not a day goes by that I do not think of him.  Not a day goes by that I do not miss him.  Not a day goes by that I don't wish that I would have done this or that differently.  Every time I look at me I see him and that is tough but it does make it a little better for those moments.  I constantly feel like I repeat myself when I reference my daddy but it is how I feel often.  I write it out in lieu of having one of those ugly moments that are hard to come from.

In the last few months, I have had a couple of friends lose the men in their lives.  Their fathers, grandfathers and father figures.  My heart instantly goes to those friends as I know how it feels.  I do my best to be there for them.  In that I go through my own emotions.  It hurts as it does not seem to go away.  I mourn for them and for myself all over again.  I always hope that they know that I am always there no matter the time.  I emphathize with them from a place of love and comfort.

A season of comfort and joy can also be a time of sadness and grief.  This holiday will be the first for several that I know without love ones.  It is very difficult to reflect on the greatness of their lives when you miss them so much.  I know this feeling first hand.  I know how it feels to have your heart broken in a million little pieces and not be able to put them together like your favorite puzzle.  I also understand that I was blessed to have the love and a relationship with my daddy.  He was not a perfect man but he was beyond great to me.  I think about all the conversations, all the things that he taught me and constantly wish to have just one more hug, one more conversation, one more I love you. Simple one more lesson to make me better, feel my strength and kno w moe more through his heart and his eyes.

I pray peace and comfort to all those that go through a season of thanksgiving feeling lost, alone and not a completely full.  I pray peace and comfort to all those that I loved and losty peace and comfort for all those that have been able to fight through the grief to see all that there is to be thankful for in life.  Peace and Comfort to all that have taken a moment to reflect and remember all those that have lost a parent(s), grandparents and  parent figure.  Know that you are not alone and that there was love.

Peace and Comfort,

Freckles

I'm back

So, I have been gone for a while.  It was not initially intentional but it was deeply needed. I feel like I am on repeat but the last 2 years things have been incredibly challenging for me.  I know that I am not the only person going through but sometimes going through becomes an utterly lonely place.  There have been times that I have felt alone in a world full of people. I have not completely been present in my hope.  I have several moments where I thought that I wanted to give up in this place.  This was a place that made me take a deep look within myself to find my strength, trust in my faith and recognize my desire for hope.

There is always hope and I have it.  After all that I have been through and after all that I have battled and conquered, there’s renewed hope, desire and faith.  I hope that I will continue to grow into this new normal.  I hope to continually grow into a better woman that will be a better person, a better daughter and granddaughter, a better sister, a better friend and better lover.  I hope that God will continually share His renewed grace and mercy on me each day.  I hope that my words will encourage someone else to go on and not give up on their hope for life, strength and faith.  I hope that my writing will be more dedicated and focused for my love of pen to paper.

So, I am back and better.  I am feeling more dedicated and completely present.  There are so many wonderful things going on in my life right now.  I feel God truly moving and I am so hopeful.

Please ride with me as I continue to Freckles’ Thought For this Day, Wednesday’s Words and Lyrics and my NEW I to WE editions – COMING SOON.

Freckles Thought For This Day...

I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are;

because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star,

I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far;

for a might have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.

-Milton Berle

Freckles Thought For This Day...

There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is surely yours is the present, hence this is the time to speak the word of appreciation and sympathy, to do the generous deed, to forgive the fault of a thoughtful friend, to sacrifice self a little more for others. Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed, and to use your God-given abilities for the enrichment of some less fortunate fellow traveler.

Grenville Kleiser, 1868-1953

Freckles' Thought for this day...

Always seek less turbulent skies.

Hurt. Fly above it.
Betrayal. Fly above it.
Anger. Fly above it.
You are the one who is flying the plane.

Marianne Williamson

Borrowed Inspiration

I was going through some blogs and ran across these to quotes and thought that I would share.

Thank You Vaguely Thoughtful One

and one for extra...

Be Encouraged Today,

Freckles

My PRIDE has been keeping me from PEACE

PRIDE: Definitions of pride on the Web:A feeling of self-respect and personal worth satisfaction with your (or another's) achievements; "he takes pride in his son's success"

the trait of being spurred on by a dislike of falling below your standards a group of lionsbe proud of; "He prides himself on making it into law school"

unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem (personified as one of the deadly sins) Pride is the cultivation, preservation or exalting of self. It is a protecting of self. Pride is commitment to self. It is building up ourselves in our own eyes or in the eyes of others. Pride is an excessive belief in one's superiority, worth, merit. Pride is a root cause of many sins.

I never truly considered myself a prideful person until recently. I am not the kind of person that likes to ask. I have a helping spirit. I do whatever I can for someone I care about and I do it without expectation. This attribute has been both a blessing and a curse. I do not know how to accept or ask for help. I do but it's an uncomfortable place for me especially right now. I am truly my father's daughter (mistaking my pride for weakness). I don't want to need help and surely don't want to ask for it but I am learning something new about myself at this time. You see, my current situation is a truly humbling place. I do not have a clear plan, I do not know where my next is coming from but I know that it is coming and my emotions are haywire. I can sincerely say that this character building experience is truly testing my faith and to be honest, for a moment I thought that I was in danger of failing (one of my absolute fears has been failure but faith...)

I got caught up in the woe is me, Lord don’t you see, God do you hear me and oh Jesus did you blink (thanks EC). I almost let the devil see me slipping but there is a place... I almost let him steal my joy. I almost gave up. But God saw otherwise.... Thank you. Through it all - I am blessed and yes I am going through but you cannot come out until you are through. I know that but I truly understand it right now at this moment. God has chosen me to go through this so that I can share this with someone or help someone that is going through worse or even less and I am going to have an awesome testimony.

God works in awesome ways. He sends angels to encourage you when you are having a hard time encouraging yourself. He sends you angels to show you when you cannot step outside of yourself. An angel was sent to me yesterday sharing a few thoughts, concerns and confirmations. She said some things to me that I had only shared with God - thank you Lord and I hear you. She reminded me that pride and peace conflict and that I need to let go of my pride. She shared that she had been praying for me through her own struggles in life. How wonderful is that and how blessed am I that someone had me on their mind and took the time to pray for me - I use to love to sing that song in church but I never truly knew what it meant until this very second. I am so thankful that she has been praying. You never know how is truly praying for you or in your corner when you are all caught up in your own issues. Sometimes your issues are not about you and sometimes you are suppose to truly endure the storm so you can know what your faith is (thanks mom). I hear you now and I am listening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu1MNU08Au0 Lord let your will be done and please keep me sane in the meantime. Lord, give me the peace to surpass all understanding and truly praise you through the storm. I am feeling so many different things right now and I do not want to miss anything from you. Sometimes I feel like I don't hear you Lord but then you sent me an angel that eased my pain with confirmation from you. Thank you Father for the ability to hear what you provided. Thank you for the simple things (breathing, walking, thinking, seeing... all things taken for granted) and Lord, I thank you for giving daddy a new home with a new body. Father it's been hard for me but you have blessed me through month #2 and I am so thankful for your grace and mercy. I am thankful for his life and I am thankful that there is no more suffering. Father God, keep me close as I meditate on Philipians 4:6-9 - this is my scripture. It worked before and I believe it to be true. Now Father, I pray for each person that reads this transparent moment. Lord I pray that you will touch each life. Provide each with the peace, comfort, guidance and/or desire of their hearts. Let them be encouraged that we are all faced with challenges but that you are a God of hope and gratefulness. There is light at the end of the tunnel and you've got it. Lord I thank as I know it's already taken care of. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Just For Today!

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess abouttomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try toovercome all of my problems at once.I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime. JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine. JUST FOR TODAY: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct and accept those I cannot. JUST FOR TODAY: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought andconcentration. I will not be a mental loafer. JUST FOR TODAY: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. Iwill improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I will refrain from improving anybodybut myself. JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully -- if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block. JUST FOR TODAY: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

Prayer of Saint Francis:"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

"Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

"Where there is injury, pardon;

"Where there is doubt, faith;"Where there is despair, hope;

"Where there is darkness, light;

"Where there is sadness, joy;

"O Divine Master, grant that I may not as much seek tobe consoled as to console;"To be loved as to love."For it is in giving that we are pardoned;"It is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Amen.

Today's Devotional Encouragement

Joy in Living

Suggested Bible Reading The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is now before the LORD." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. -1 Samuel 16:1-13 (NRSV)

Today's Scripture: The Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance ... for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7 (NRSV)

A peal of laughter rang from the hallway where my 16-year-old brother Josh was playing with his toy cat. Dad said, "Kitty must have told a good joke." Josh's sudden bursts of laughter no longer surprise us.

After my brother was born four-and-a-half-months prematurely, our family adapted to many things. Some adjustments tired our bodies and spirits: long hospital stays, machines beeping late in the night, the daily responsibility of caring for a dependent person whether we felt able or not. But over time we have also become accustomed to uninhibited laughter, wholehearted smiles, and living with someone who claps to every song on the radio and relishes bumpy car rides.

Many people quickly judge the abilities of others based on their appearance. The prophet Samuel saw a young, inexperienced shepherd when he first saw David. But God saw a king. When some people look at my brother, they may see someone with few abilities and little to offer. I think God sees Josh as someone with the gift of sharing the joy of living. Ashley Barrett (Indiana, USA)

Prayer: O Lord, may we see all people and their potential through your eyes. Amen.

Thought for the Day: Look for God in the unexpected.

Prayer Focus: Those limited by the judgment of others

Be Blessed Today and Enjoy Life's Blessings. Take the time to share a smile with someone else.

Freckles.