Can you believe it? Half the year is gone and we are stepping into the final half of 2019. For some it's just another day. Me personally? It is a time of reflection on what has or has not been accomplished in the areas I hoped to see change. A time to regroup, realign, reassess and row, row, row your boat LOL
There is much I hoped to accomplish, much I still want to do but my sights right now are on seeking God and asking him what the three most important things/areas are for me to shift my focus to. You see, ultimately I want to finish the year well. And while I could fill a sheet of paper with 15-20 things I'd like to do, it's inevitable that I will barely touch on each one and only do them half-way. I firmly believe that God would rather we do a few things well that will benefit ourselves and His kingdom, rather than throw our hands into too many things and have nothing substantial to show for it when the year ends.
My prayer to God did not return void but laid out exactly where I need to direct my attention. And while they are all separate things, in reality one builds upon the other and in the end will add three strong bricks to my foundation.
Focus #1: My personal walk with God and the calling He has placed on my life. At first I thought this might be two separate tasks but in the bigger scheme of things, they actually go hand in hand. Bottom line, I cannot lead well and minister to women effectively if I myself am not connected to and walking in relationship with God in the way He desires. This will require making some significant changes, but when you measure what I am laying down alongside what I have to gain? There is no comparison. Titus 1:8-9
Focus #2: Living a healthy lifestyle. If you know me, you know this is something I have struggled with for some time. I'm not just talking about my physical being, but also my emotional and spiritual well being. I'm blessed to have stumbled upon an amazing accountability group that uses the Made to Crave 60 Day Devotional written by Lysa TerKeurst as its basis. Great news is, it's a recurring group that goes through this study several times per year. What I have realized is that this journey is not just about me getting right in the physical. Complete health is achieved when all three areas align, which means... Focus #1 helps develop Focus #2 and gets it moving in the right direction which leads into the final directive.
Focus #3: Be intentional. What exactly does that mean? Author and coach Chrysta Bairre wrote:
"It means you are purposeful in word and action. It means you live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling to you. It means you make thoughtful choices in your life. Being intentional means you actively interact and engage with your life. You wake up every day and ask yourself, “how am I going to make this day great?” You respond instead of react. You love instead of fear. You embrace instead of expect. You accept instead of resist."
A great definition but, as a Jesus Girl, I believe it is bigger than that. So for me it would include to live a life that is meaningful to God and to actively interact and engage with others. And my big daily question, "Lord, what would You have me do today that will make a lasting impact?"
Now that I have actually typed these thoughts out, I clearly see that intentionality is the key to it all.
--->> Want a deeper relationship with God? Be intentional about getting in the Word, praying, joining a bible study group.
--->> Want to effectively lead others? Be intentional about building relationships and encouraging others.
--->> Want to get healthy? Be intentional about moving your body and filling it with nutrients not junk.
The list goes on, but I think you get where I'm going with this. So as we begin our journey into the next six months, take some time to refocus, refresh and restart. Ask God "what is the most important thing/area I need to work on in this season of my life?" I promise you that if you truly seek Him with a heart that is willing to follow where He leads, you will not be disappointed. Best of all, it will set you on course to finish the year well.
Love and Blessings,
Brandy
There is much I hoped to accomplish, much I still want to do but my sights right now are on seeking God and asking him what the three most important things/areas are for me to shift my focus to. You see, ultimately I want to finish the year well. And while I could fill a sheet of paper with 15-20 things I'd like to do, it's inevitable that I will barely touch on each one and only do them half-way. I firmly believe that God would rather we do a few things well that will benefit ourselves and His kingdom, rather than throw our hands into too many things and have nothing substantial to show for it when the year ends.
My prayer to God did not return void but laid out exactly where I need to direct my attention. And while they are all separate things, in reality one builds upon the other and in the end will add three strong bricks to my foundation.
Focus #1: My personal walk with God and the calling He has placed on my life. At first I thought this might be two separate tasks but in the bigger scheme of things, they actually go hand in hand. Bottom line, I cannot lead well and minister to women effectively if I myself am not connected to and walking in relationship with God in the way He desires. This will require making some significant changes, but when you measure what I am laying down alongside what I have to gain? There is no comparison. Titus 1:8-9
Focus #2: Living a healthy lifestyle. If you know me, you know this is something I have struggled with for some time. I'm not just talking about my physical being, but also my emotional and spiritual well being. I'm blessed to have stumbled upon an amazing accountability group that uses the Made to Crave 60 Day Devotional written by Lysa TerKeurst as its basis. Great news is, it's a recurring group that goes through this study several times per year. What I have realized is that this journey is not just about me getting right in the physical. Complete health is achieved when all three areas align, which means... Focus #1 helps develop Focus #2 and gets it moving in the right direction which leads into the final directive.
Focus #3: Be intentional. What exactly does that mean? Author and coach Chrysta Bairre wrote:
"It means you are purposeful in word and action. It means you live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling to you. It means you make thoughtful choices in your life. Being intentional means you actively interact and engage with your life. You wake up every day and ask yourself, “how am I going to make this day great?” You respond instead of react. You love instead of fear. You embrace instead of expect. You accept instead of resist."
A great definition but, as a Jesus Girl, I believe it is bigger than that. So for me it would include to live a life that is meaningful to God and to actively interact and engage with others. And my big daily question, "Lord, what would You have me do today that will make a lasting impact?"
Now that I have actually typed these thoughts out, I clearly see that intentionality is the key to it all.
--->> Want a deeper relationship with God? Be intentional about getting in the Word, praying, joining a bible study group.
--->> Want to effectively lead others? Be intentional about building relationships and encouraging others.
--->> Want to get healthy? Be intentional about moving your body and filling it with nutrients not junk.
The list goes on, but I think you get where I'm going with this. So as we begin our journey into the next six months, take some time to refocus, refresh and restart. Ask God "what is the most important thing/area I need to work on in this season of my life?" I promise you that if you truly seek Him with a heart that is willing to follow where He leads, you will not be disappointed. Best of all, it will set you on course to finish the year well.
Love and Blessings,
Brandy
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