Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better. ~Walt Disney
We recently took a trip to Walt Disney World and we were blown away by the level of excellence put into every element of the parks. From the rides to the cast members (their name for employees) everything was done with great planning from beginning to end. My husband and I were inspired to bring this mindset back to our life and business.
Everyone who exists on this earth has a dream (or several) in their heart. I know this to be true because we were created by a God who is a dreamer. He is the one who thought up the plan for this earth and us. Then he took 6 days to execute it and he rested and enjoyed his work on the 7th day. God could have created everything in one second but he chose to make it a long project (for him) and did it step by step over a period of 7 days.
My heart is to see women walk confidently in the direction of their God given dreams. But so often I see the same few things hold us back from doing so. One road block for us women tends to be our body. We either spend way too many hours obsessing over it, thus making it an idol. Or we neglect it and feel sick and sluggish. Neither is a place we can stay if we want to fulfill our destiny. While I speak and write often on this topic, it is not the one we are going to discuss today.
Today, I want to talk about how stress, or lack of peace, in our daily life can keep us from continuing to pursue our dreams. It is August and many of us are gearing up for back to school with our kids. Even the homeschoolers are trying to buckle down and get back to a more regular routine. With this routine doesn’t just come school but all the other commitments like sports, extracurricular activities, Bible studies, birthday parties, football games, and more.
As I sat down to write our schedule for this Fall I had a mini panic attack. As I looked at all the things we are committed to I immediately thought “There go my dreams of….”. There go my dreams of family nights, releasing my new fitness devotional, speaking at that event, working on my book, attending Master’s school, etc.
As my heart sank at the realization that life commitments are leading me rather than my dreams and desires leading it, I felt God speak directly to my heart (at 1 am like he tends to do). He spoke some steps he wants me to take in order to have peace while our entire family pursues dreams that HE put in our heart:
Follow the Peace. Any time our lives start to feel overwhelming and chaotic my husband and I stop and re-evaluate all the things to which we are committed. There have been many times that I have no peace about a project, party or person (yes, some relationships) but I’ve kept it in my life out of comfort. God may have given us peace to do something for a season but when he releases us we must be willing to obey and let it go. The amount of peace that floods our hearts and homes in that moment is something that money cannot buy.
Just say NO. This goes hand in hand with following the peace. God gave me permission to say “no” as he leads. It is ok to say “no” to birthday parties, baby showers, speaking engagements, and extracurricular activities. Always count the cost (both time and money) of the impact of saying “yes” to something will have on your time and family. If it’s a “yes” from God then whatever the commitment he will give us the grace, space and provision to fulfill it with excellence.
SURRENDER. I wrote this word in all caps for a reason: because it is the most important. Often times, God gives us a “yes” but then we turn around and carry the weight of the yes. It is physically and spiritually impossible to do all that God has called us to if we plan on carrying the burden ourselves. He never intended for us to carry burdens. As my Pastor, Robert Morris says, “We are sheep and sheep were not created to be load bearing animals“. If we want to truly walk confidently in the direction of our God given dreams, then we must learn the art of surrendering.
The topic of surrender is one that God has been speaking to me a lot about lately. I recently bought a Surrender Cross from RAD JOY that is on display in our living room. I have written my dreams, fears and other prayer requests on the adorable cross to serve as a daily reminder that when I start to worry I have picked up a burden that is not mine to carry. Our kids love to add requests to the cross and watch as God answers them. We even gave each of their teachers a cross for their room!
Our Surrender Cross located between our living & sitting rooms.
RAD JOY also has these adorable RAD boxes that you can use to keep all of your Bible reading supplies organized and ready to go for your daily quiet time. Many people also use them for their table, storing a family devotional as well as table talk topics in a mason jar. So many fun ideas for these boxes!
Currently using my RAD Box to hold my Bible, journaling Bible, journaling pens & highlighters plus a few books I am currently reading (The Turquoise Table & The Wellness Revelation).
Would you like to WIN a Surrender Cross from RAD JOY? Enter the rafflecopter below!
PLUS, shop NOW on the RAD JOY site and use code firstfruit15 for 15% off your entire order! This coupon code expires August 30, 2017!
So good! You have such a gift for writing!
Thank you, Jodee! 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this post. I subscribed to your emails / posts about a week or two ago. So far, I love it. Thanks for the inspiration and also, for a chance to win this beautiful cross. If I win, I already have a spot all ready for it, which is, on the wall as soon as you walk through our front door. Praise God~Jesus. Yay! 🙂
I love that Cindy! So glad God connected our paths. 🙂
This cross is so beautiful. I find peace in my life by taking care of all these cats. When they are well, so am I. I shelter elderly rescue cats, and feed several feral colonies.
That is so neat, Audrey!
I find peace by staying rooted in His Word. I had a Sunday school teacher tell me once to, in my mind, pack my burdens in a box, seal it up, and ship it one way to Jesus Christ.
I love that, Deborah!
Perfect timing for this blog post. The cross is beautiful.
oh my goodness I love this!! i have such a hard time with this concept. I feel so strongly like I need to handle everything by myself. I think its why I always have so many road blocks. i have so many lessons to learn about surrender and releasing. Bless you!
I think the struggle is real for all of us!
I have had peace until yesterday. First Monday of school. This post was brought to me by God at the perfect time. The cross is a beautiful way to remember peace is a choice and perfect to give worry to God. Thank you Rachel!
I heard you speak this summer and am so inspired by your message. But to answer your question: prayer. When I really take the time to pray, peace and clarity just seem to follow.
This is so pretty!
The only way I know to get any peace is in prayer.