Month: November 2011

change, forgiving, God, Healing, Position Yourself for Greatness, the butterfly journey

Position Yourself for Greatness!

livingwholecoaching

My mother and I were talking the other day about how people don’t want to do their part in transforming their lives for greatness.  It is definitely a process.  One that requires some things of you.  God is the one who can and will do the transforming but YOU are the one who has to receive it.  You are the one who needs to open your heart to what it is that God is trying to do for you and in you.

God wants us to be vulnerable to Him and the process.  Your heart has to be open in order to receive.  You have to be willing to let some things go in order to receive some “new” things in.

A closed hand will never receive any gifts.  A closed heart will never receive love.  You have to position yourself for greatness.  I believe it is truly a season of receiving all the good that God has for you.  But you must be ready.  Just like running a marathon you have to condition yourself to endure the challenge, you can’t just go out there and run.  You will hurt yourself.

As it is with receiving from God you must position yourself to receive what it is that He has for you.  You may have to deal with some past hurts, you may have to forgive a few people that you don’t want to forgive, you may have to deny yourself of some selfish motives but it is so worth it my friend.  Those bandages are going to have to come off and some healing will need to take place.

Ask yourself this question are you ready to receive the greatness that God has for you?  Is your heart open to change and transformation?  The caterpillar doesn’t have a choice but to be ready to transform because it is a part of his nature to receive the gift of becoming a butterfly.  But we have a choice and we can choose to remain in the same old place or we can choose to open ourselves up to the greatness that God wants to give us.

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

 

depression, God, journey, Joy, life worth living, purpose

My Life is Worth Living!

livingwholecoaching

My life is worth living!

Even though my life has been filled with disappointments and trials.  It has had many turns and dips that have left me weary and exhausted.  I have suffered from unworthiness, low self-esteem, depression and a whole host of other negative things.  I have been lied on, cheated on, giving broken promises, but still my life is worth living.

Through every storm there has been a rainbow at the end to show me that God still exists and better still He has been with me through all of the pain.  He has kept on giving me reasons to push on!   Rays of hope and direction for my future!

Sickness has knocked on my door and lingered in my room sometimes too.  But God has healed me each time and strengthen me for the next leg of my journey.  I have had strangers and friends bless me with gifts of love right at the perfect time.

When I consider all that God has in store for me and how much He loves me and wants to give me a life of purpose, joy, and peace, I get excited!  My life is worth living!

Can you count the blessings that the Lord has given you over the year even in the midst of your mess?  Just think about what He wants to do for you and get in position to receive it!  Jeremiah 29:11 says; “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” NIV  Come on get that in your spirit right now!

Your life is worth living, so stop trying to figure it all out yourself and let God show you just what He has for you.

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

Christ, family, friends, God, love, mother, thanksgiving

Unconditional Love – Priceless

livingwholecoaching

After spending almost an entire 24 hours in the hospital with my mother yesterday, who was having chest pains early Wednesday, we were blessed to find out that her heart is in great condition!  It was a blessing to spend the day with her even under those circumstances.  It bought to my attention how blessed we really and truly are.  My family and extended friends were there for us and for that I am truly thankful!  It reminds me that it’s not the big triumphs in life that make it all worth while; but it is the little things that we often take for granted.

My siblings and I are not used to seeing our mother in such a vulnerable physical state and it brings to our minds that she is getting older and her body is showing those signs.  We have always seen her as this strong woman of God not letting anything stop her from doing what she needed to do.  Often times putting her on needs aside to tend to ours.  Now she needs us to come along side of her to help her through these physical issues that have decided to change her body.

As I watched over her resting in the hospital bed, the thoughts of her doing the same for me when I was a child touched my heart.  I thanked God for allowing me to have such a wonderful person as a mother and father in my life.  Not only has she touched my life in a positive way but she has deposited lots of love and inspiration into my daughter and my grandchildren.  They are blessed to have her in their lives.  She is our best friend, our advocate, our mom!

Take the time today to reach out to your loved ones wherever they may be what ever the circumstance of your relationship and try to make it right.  Life is too short to harbour feelings of anything but love.  I challenge you to choose to move past any hurt or pain and begin a new life today with God with you.  You won’t regret it.

Today I am thankful for the unconditional love of my mother, my family and friends and most of all the love of Christ who died so that I could be free!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

God, purpose, seeking God, the butterfly journey, try one more thing

Try One More Thing

livingwholecoaching

I was having lunch with a few close friends the other day and they were going through some “stuff” in their lives.  Trying desperately to find their purpose and move into their destiny.  I know it is frustrating for them to feel like they are just “being” and not making progress towards their true life purposes.

As I listened to them explain about all the things they had tried to help them figure out the “why” of their lives; I began to go directly into my spiritual self.  I know what they need to help them; this is what I do in my ministry, but how do I say it to them?  So without biting my tongue I asked them if they tried praying to God?  Their responses came all at once back to me laden with excuses of why they never tried God.  Sad but true for a lot of people that I know.  I see them struggling in life for answers that I know for sure they will never find in the places that they are searching.

I understand all too well that you can’t take your friends by the hand and lead them to God,  but I can show them how much He has done for me through my life.  After years of trying my own way and failing I finally was in a position to only seek Him.  I suffered with depression for over 2 years!  No one could help me in the place that I was in not even if I wanted them to.  God planned it that way for me, because He knew any other way would not have been the personal connection that I needed so much.  And that is what my friends need, they have to get to a place where nothing else works and finally realize that and turn to God.

He is right there waiting for us all to come to the realization that there is no earthly thing that can fill a void that only He can fill.  He designed us to seek Him for our lives.  When you understand that you need to go directly back to the Creator to find out your purpose; your life will be so much more exciting and pleasurable.  Unfortunately, I have to watch my friends wiggle and wrangle  with their lives until they turn and seek God.  And I continue to pray for them to get tired of trying all the other “stuff” soon so that they can live a life of purpose!

It doesn’t cost anything to try God, He is free.  Unlike all the “stuff” that is out on the market today that promises it will get you to a place of purpose only to fail and have you spending more money than you can afford and going back to the same place that you began.  Just like the hamster on the little wheel; and around and around you go!  Making no progress at all.

If you have tried to self medicate yourself with the “things” of this world and have tried every coaching system, read every book, met with every counselor, every guru, and everything else and have had no success; try one more thing for me . . .

Try God and let me know what happens!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

God, God has ordained, Jesus, journey, love, purpose

More Clear Every Day

livingwholecoaching

Writing is my passion and even though I never thought about it when I was growing up, I have come to love the way words shape our lives.  I find comfort in expressing myself though words written on paper or typed out in this blog.  I pray that every word that I use will be of some pleasure or part of some type of healing for someone else.

I realized today that my purpose involves having a servant’s heart to those that God loves.  It is a tremendous sacrifice to those that I come in contact with.  It  has nothing to do with me personally, but what God purposed in His heart for those that He loves.  This ministry may have me praying for and with others.  It may have me cleaning a sick woman’s home.  I may need to give someone some money for bills.  It is all about service.  Jesus was a servant to those around Him and He met them in their time of need.  That was the way that He showed His love unconditionally.  He showed it not just talked about it.

So my view is now clearer in my heart for what my full purpose is and it is to help hurting women wherever they are in life.  I may need to hold them as they cry or coach them in their journey.  I may need to pray for them and keep them encouraged as life sometimes gets tough.  I understand all too well how a need keeps you from experiencing the greatness of God and what He has in stored for you.  Sometimes when life is beating you up,  you can’t see how wonderful God really is.

But I am here to be that servant partner with you in your needs.  I pray for the strength that I will need physically, emotionally, and spiritually to deal with all that may need it.  But I won’t stray from the purpose that God has ordained for me to do.  He loves you and me much more than we can ever imagine.

Sacrificing myself for the better good of my sisters is a humbling task, but with God I am able to do just what He needs me to do.  I pray that you will open your spirit and heart to receive all that He has for you!  God is real!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

connection, God, Healing, hearing, journey, listening

Please Hear Me

livingwholecoaching

I have experienced too many times conversations were I walked away with a strong feeling that I was not heard.  It is a frustrating feeling, but more than that it is a feeling of not mattering.  It is truly disheartening to feel like someone doesn’t get what you are trying to say.

As verbal beings we all have the need to be heard, to be understood, and to be valued for who we are.  I have not been a good listener to my friends sometimes and for that I am sorry.  I didn’t realize the impact of not effectively listening to a person can be.  It really takes a committed mind and person to want to effectively listen to someone else’s story.  Whether it good or bad everyone wants an opportunity to voice what is on their minds and in their hearts.

It is not easy to share your deepest feelings or problems, but when you get the nerve to do so you at least want the recipient to be listening.  Really listening.

Have you ever poured out your heart about something that you were going through to someone and then have them just jump over to another subject?  You are left with a questionable look on your face like really did they just not hear what I just said or do they even care about what I said.  Sometimes it is the latter but I find most of the time it is a lack of listening skills.

Since I am on my journey to helping hurting women, I realize now more than ever that I need to really be listening to their words, their actions, non-verbal cues and I will need to dig deeper into the words that they don’t say to really understand where they truly are and what they have endured.  I have asked God to give me a deeper level of discernment to be able to see their spirits as He sees them.  I can’t go with my limited human ability to understand some of the pain that they may have experienced.  It may be that I have never experienced that sort of trauma myself so I need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit in order to understand where they are and how I can help and pray for them.  It is not going to be an easy task, but for the sake of someone’s healing I am committed to being that “true” listening partner.

I suffer from severe insomnia in which my doctor prescribed me sleeping pills.  Well of course I would rather just drink a warm glass of milk or do something more on the natural level to get some sleep.  But sometimes when my body can go no more on the limited hours of sleep that it gets, it desperately needs to rest and so I breakdown and rely on the medicine to get what my body needs.  It is no joke not being able to rest your body.   When someone who cares about you says; “wow I wish I could sleep in”,  knowing that you suffer from a lack of sleep it really hurts your feelings.  It seems as if they don’t care.  But I have decided perhaps they don’t really understand the severity of my condition and are just speaking out of ignorance.

I challenge you all to try to make a commitment to those around you to really listen to what they are trying to say.  Sometimes they may not be able to articulate it eloquently through words, sometimes you will need to go behind the words or the actions to really be able to understand.  Just try to look at things from their perspective and be understanding and never judging.  We all should have the opportunity to be heard.  Please hear me.

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

change, Faith, God, hurting women, journey, life, motivated, New, purpose

Don’t Just Stand There

livingwholecoaching

If you are anything like me I get motivated by the visions that I have.  I see the end result and am stirred to high motivation.  It is the steps in between that kill my motivation sometimes.  It looks too daunting to complete!  I fall back and retreat from taking the next step; I feel paralyzed.

God is teaching me in my journey that I need to take one step at a time.  He will reveal the parts as I go.  This life is a test of faith and without it you won’t have a chance.  Sometimes you don’t know which way to go, but you have to stand firm and listen to the still small voice of God to direct you.

God told me this week that I need to push passed my fear of the unknown and He will make every provision that I need.  I trust Him because He has never failed me yet.  I have been commissioned to minister to hurting women at all levels even situations that I have never experienced.  He will give me the words and prayers to pray.  God will be in the midst and it is up to Him to do the transformation not me.  I just need to keep my motivation to move!

Sometimes we lose our motivation to fear, to tiredness, to life itself.  But God is telling us now is the time to change our lives for a better (new) life.  If you can only find the motivation for each day.  Don’t worry about motivation for the entire journey, just search and get motivation for one day at a time.

My mother asked me “how do you eat an elephant”?  The answer; one bite at a time.  Allow the Lord to get you from here to there.

So find your motivation for today and listen to God for what you need to do today that will move you toward your purpose, heal you from your past, and change you from the inside out.

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa