Dear Little Girl…He Trusts You With His Sheep
You were never chosen because you would do it perfectly.
You were chosen because you would keep showing up with love.
Dear Little Girl,
You’re going to make mistakes.
You’ll say yes when you should’ve said no.
You’ll lose patience.
You’ll look back and wish you slowed down.
You’ll second guess yourself and wonder if you’re really equipped for all of this.
Motherhood.
Marriage.
Leadership.
People trusting you with tender things.
But listen closely…
He knew all of that before He ever chose you.
And He still trusted you.
To raise those boys.
To love people well.
To teach.
To nurture.
To lead.
To shepherd hearts.
You were never chosen because you would do it perfectly.
You were chosen because you would keep showing up with love.
Yes, there will be hard conversations.
There will be seasons where your heart aches watching your babies grow faster than you’re ready for.
There will be tension, hormones, fear, unknowns, and late-night Google searches trying to make sense of it all.
But you are not doing this alone.
You sit with the Shepherd.
And He is guiding you as you guide them.
You do not need to have all the answers.
You do not need to carry every outcome.
You do not need to parent from fear.
You simply need to stay close enough to hear His voice.
Because women were never created to be small.
Women were trusted to carry life.
To nurture faith.
To show up first at the empty tomb.
To carry hope back into the world.
And you, Little Girl, are still being trusted too.
Even when your voice shakes.
Even when you’re uncertain.
Even when you wish you were doing better.
You are still the one He chose for this season.
For these people.
For this life.
So breathe.
Sit in the chair again.
Open your heart again.
Ask again.
Trust again.
He will speak.
He always does.
🩷
Transformation Is A Choice!
So we are mid January and by now the majority of people who have set their resolutions are giving up. This is just based on statistics. Not necessarily what I think, but I will say if I had a resolution I would PROBABLY be a statistic. I know me. I would come up with some kind of excuse as to why it was ok to not get to the gym, have that glass of wine or cocktail, spend that extra $50, whatever it was I would certainly have cheated by now! IF not given up completely! So I said goodbye to resolutions and now I go with themes.
This years theme if you have been following me is “GUTS”. I like it! I like it a lot and for many reasons. Mainly because last year showed me I have guts! So I decided to carry it over to 2019. We started with G-gratitude and we moved to U-understanding….now we get to the stuff that is only for you as an individual! T-transformation.
TRANSFORMATION-a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance; a metamorphosis during the life cycle of an animal (I guess we are animals)!
Transformation is a choice! A choice you must make with yourself and only yourself. No one else has a say in this. It is up to you! You have to decide what it is you want to be or do and you have to put your mind to it! Transformation is hard, but the reward is GREAT if you decide to do something positive.
Me and my sweet Mom……
About 2 years ago in June, I was coming out of my fog from my mothers death. I remember thinking I wanted more. I wanted to do something big and something positive in my life. For me it meant I had to look at a lot of things and make hard choices because I knew it would be a big change. I had to decide what was important and how to prioritize that. It meant I might lose some friends. It meant life would be different for me. It meant I would be uncomfortable at times. It was downright scary.
I personally was caught up in the whirlwind of trying to be like everyone else and the truth is I was lonely. Sure I had a ton of friends, but I was so lonely because I was trying to keep up and be like them. Let me make something very clear here….THIS WAS NOT ON THEM! They had nothing to do with me trying to keep up with “the Jones’s”! That was all on me! My insecurities! My fears! My choices! This boiled down to me not being true to myself for fear of others not liking me!
I decided that June in 2017 I LOVED me and I was going to get ME back! In order to do that I had to have a game plan. Why you might be asking? Because I had a lot of years of practice trying to keep up and be what I thought my friends, family, acquaintances, you name it wanted me to be. So I had to undo all that work and start anew. I had to form healthy habits to win me back. I am still forming healthy habits to win me back and guys I am more fulfilled now than I have ever been. Sure I have bad days….sometimes really bad days! Sure I fall prey to going back to the “old Amy”. Sure I get lazy and retreat back….want to know what happens then? Well, since I have had almost 1.5 years of hard work, I am able to spot it and say “STOP! Amy STOP! Let’s take a look at why this fear, insecurity, need, or want has crept up.” Do I always stop? NO! I am human, but, I do pull it together somehow and get back on track.
HOW and WHY
I think it is because my transformation journey started with God. It started with me forming the daily habit of getting up at 5:45 most mornings and doing my first 15. From there I added more exercise, eating healthy, journaling, positive self help books, positive podcast, and surrounding myself with positive and like minded people. My latest addition to my transformation journey is continuing education.
All of this seems overwhelming I know. Just reading back makes me a little stressed! But, I promise you it is easy and this week I will take you through how to do it IF you too want more. IF you too want to make some changes. IF you too feel lonely. IF you too have fears. AND IF you too want to be more.
I am here to tell you, YOU can be more if you want to be more! Some people are very happy with where they are and that is GREAT! But if you have a little voice in you saying, '“You can do and be more, you are more!”, maybe try one of these how to’s and see where you go.
If you want my opinion I think you should start with your first 15. My honest opinion is you have to form one habit at a time. And honest to God, I did my research and the myth is that it takes an individual 21 days. That is not true. Each of us is unique and different in our own ways. A habit takes anywhere from 18 days to 8.5 months! The norm is 66 days!!!!! So go easy on on yourself. I fall into the range of 50-55 days I am noticing. So take your time. Start where YOU want to start. I started with getting up before anyone else in my home and spending a minimum of 15 minutes with God. That has grown now and I have added praying on my knees. That has been POWERFUL for me. (I see another blog post right there)! But, just the simple act of getting up and being alone with our Creator, Our Father in Heaven, has been the BIGGEST and the BEST change I have made. It helps me to get grounded and to remember He has me. No matter what He has me and I am His child which makes me Worthy and loved! Guess what my friend, you are too!
So as this week progresses I will talk to you more about ways to transform IF you want to and IF you are ready. But it has to be what YOU want! If you are ready…..join me on this journey….I promise it is AMAZING, SCARY, BEAUTIFUL, and LIFE CHANGING! And side note….your friends will still love you! Mine do! How can they not when you are changing for the better?
Until next time!
XO,
Amy
This is where it all began for me! This book! My habit of the first 15 was so easy because of this book! I swear! Get it and maybe it can help you start to form your first 15 habit! If you do, tell me about it! I want to hear how God is working in you!!!!!