Category: the butterfly journey

change, depression, God, prayer, teachable heart, the butterfly journey

The Teachable Heart

livingwholecoaching

As I was reminiscing about my “butterfly” journey one of the things that God reminded me was to have a teachable heart.  It has been years since my journey began and everyday I learn more and more about God and my relationship with Him.

When I was suffering with the depression, the one thing that was so important to me was to find the answers to why I ended up in such a dismal spiritual place.  I wanted healing and I certainly wanted out of the dark place that I found myself in, but more pressing was to find out the “why”.

My heart was so open to understanding, because I knew that it would be the pivotal point in my journey that would free me to becoming the woman who God desired for me to be.  So boldly, I went to God and asked Him the questions.  Deep inside I was afraid of the answers, but I had to know.  I had to understand in order to help others heal from their past.

As the weeks and months went by, God revealed every answer in vivid detail.  He was gracious enough to release little snippets to me and not everything at once.  I would surely have been overwhelmed that I may have experienced a relapse of my depression.  It would have been too much for my soul to bear.  (Please get my book – The Butterfly’s Journey, coming this spring for my full story).

I allowed my heart to be teachable to what God was sharing with me.  I was ready to face the truth, the good, the bad and the ugly.  Having my heart prepared for what I had to face was an important part of my journey and my healing.  Without it I would have remained in a place of despair.

As God leads me to minister to other women that are in a place of disconnect, pain, hurt, abuse, and unworthiness; I pray that they will allow their hearts to be teachable.  God doesn’t want to just help you, but He wants to fully heal you to purpose.  Your purpose!

My question to you today is: Is your heart teachable?  Do you want to be free from the things that have robbed you of your purpose and true worth?  Will you dig deep to face those pains that haunt you and keep you in a place of despair and disconnect from God?  The choice is yours and you have the resolve to change the course of your journey!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

Faith, God, hope, The BAMs of Life, the butterfly journey, tragedy

The BAMS of Life

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Life is so unexpected.  Just when you feel your on the verge of getting started with your purpose and you’re feeling great about all the possibilities and BAM, something comes along to smack you in the face.  There is a trick to being able to stand against the BAMs of life and that is God.

Unfortunately, there is no “real” silver lining in life, but from my experiences with God, I can stand firm that “this too shall pass.”  Nothing lasts forever and tomorrow will come.

Sometimes things come to rattle our whole world.  I just read a Facebook post that a man lost his wife and newborn baby in a tragic situation.  I am assuming it was through child-birth, but the post didn’t really say and they didn’t really have to, after all it was a tragic loss no matter how it happened.  It is in those times that you ask yourself; “how in the world will he get through that?”  We ask ourselves all kinds of questions trying to figure out the reason.  How will he cope with the loss and raise his 2-year-old son in the midst of his grieving?  There is an old hymn that says: “we’ll understand it better by and by” and sometimes this hymn gives me hope that one day we can find out just what happened.  God can explain the full picture of what we can’t see.

Nevertheless, the BAMs of life can leave us numb and full of pain.  What do we do, how will we survive?  For me it is by the faith in God that He has my heart in His hand and  that He will be the one to come along side of me and comfort me.  Sure sometimes  you doubt, sometimes we even question God, that is a part of our human nature.  I find if I don’t have hope in God, then I don’t have any hope at all and that my friends is an awful life to live.

So as I ponder my own BAMs, I can remember that God says that “I will not be utterly cast down.”  I may trip and fall, I may even be laid out prostrate under the weight of the BAMs that come to kill me, but I remember the word of God tells me that “no weapon formed against me shall prosper!”  And to that I hold on to in the midst of the BAMs that come my way.

What gets you through the BAMs of your life?

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

 

 

book, God, love, relationships, the butterfly journey

Relationships: You Still Have Time

livingwholecoaching

I was super bummed when I finished writing a lovely post about relationships this morning and clicked on the publish button and to my surprise or perhaps my demise half of the post was missing.  I had to trash what was left and decided to walk away until this evening.

But in the efforts to post something of wisdom, something positive, something motivating everyday I am re-doing my earlier post in hopes that I capture the essence that I wanted to.

Relationships are a huge part of life that shapes who we are, who we become, and how we handle all the other aspects of our lives.  I was not at all great at relationships.  Not that I didn’t have any but I didn’t have healthy ones, at least not for me. I called myself a chameleon.  I would change myself into whatever type of person that relationship wanted.  I hid my heart, my dreams, my desires and wants deep inside.  It really didn’t matter, no one seemed to want to know the “real” Lisa anyway.  But just like any other woman I wanted a relationship where I could be me; the real me.

It didn’t come until after the healing process started during my depression that I began to understand the why’s of my unhealthy relationships.  God had to show me that I was worthy.  Me, Lisa, was worth something more than what I had experienced in these unhealthy relationships.  But I didn’t know that then and that was my problem.  I equated my worth with how pleased the other person was with me.  And since I wasn’t even sharing the real me I didn’t realize that what they were giving me in return was not equal to my worth.  Whatever they offered I thought that was all that I was worth!  But God said no!  That is not who you are, you are beautiful, lovely, and unique because He made me that way.  I was worthy of great things because God said so.

When God gave me the man of my dreams, I didn’t know if I could pass the test and use my new-found wisdom to cultivate the relationship in a healthy way.  And sure enough the old me came slipping back into play, but God stopped me every time I tried to revert back to my old ways.  Craig, (my fiance) is a wonderful man of God and he was very patient with me in my learning stage.  He has taught me a lot about love, patience and friendship and today he is my best friend!

I explain more about my experience with relationships in my upcoming book: The Butterfly’s Journey coming soon!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

 

facebook, God, peace, satisfied, the butterfly journey

Are You Satisfied?

livingwholecoaching

This was the burning question that I posed to our Facebook fans this morning.  Are you satisfied with you life where you are?  If I had asked myself this question a few years ago, I would have answered a resounding NO!

I have been a Christian since I was 15 years old and though I believed in God, it wasn’t until I was well into my life that I really understood how much knowing Him and having a relationship with Him could make me feel so satisfied.  Being satisfied with my life doesn’t mean that I have everything in control or all the answers to life.  It simply means that with God in my life I can depend on Him.  He is there for me when I need Him.  I am not worried about  people, things, or situations that I may have to face, because God gives me the feeling of peace.

The experience of God is so amazing and although I can write about it and share, it’s something that you have to experience for yourself.  I can’t really put the words together eloquently enough to give Him the due credit that He deserves.

Let me tell you, like most people I have tried to feel satisfied with my life without God, but there was nothing that could fill that void.  I was like most people searching for that something to make my life seem worth living.  I searched for it in the clubs, looking for a husband.  I looked for it in drinks, drugs, and sex.  I looked for it in work, in friends, in things.  I couldn’t find it anywhere, all that stuff was temporal and didn’t last but for a specific time period.   But with God, He is steady, faithful, He encompasses the very essence of “real” love.  I didn’t have to perform for Him, I didn’t need to make a certain amount of money, I didn’t need to be perfect. . . He loves me regardless of my past.

I understand why people end up in way that they do, because they have not come to the realization that God is the one and only solution to a satisfied life.  Until we get tired of being on the wheel of life, just getting by and the feeling of the void growing stronger within us, then we will turn to God.  I feel  sad to think that over the years I put Him last, but I am glad that I did finally come to Him and He was still there waiting for me!

I am so satisfied with my Savior and nothing can take His place in my life!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

2012, expecting greatness, Faith, New Year, the butterfly journey

2012: Expecting Greatness

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Bishop T.D. Jakes said; “don’t just go into the New Year waiting to see what’s going happen, but go expecting great things to happen!”  I am going to do just that!

I decided to take off the first week of the New Year to focus, communicate with God, organize my life, and plan what I expect to see happen in 2012!

In the midst of working, going to meetings, running errands, and a host of other everyday tasks; we lose the time to be quiet and still in the presence of God.  This year for me is all about my faith walk.  Everything that I expect to see happen in 2012 can only come through the power of God.  And in order for me to have clarity and direction, I need to depend solely on the Lord.

You may think well if she is a Christian that is a given, but not true.  Life itself is designed to keep you busier than busy and fall away from the foundation of depending on God.   Walking a faith walk isn’t easy.  Quite the contrary, it is the hardest thing to do in my opinion.  But from experience I know it is the only way for me to live.

I can’t begin to understand all the things that I will face in 2012 and nor do I know how to figure most things out that require divine intervention, so in order to keep myself sane, I have to rely solely on God’s direction.

So that’s why I am taking the opportunity to be still, focus, and seek the face of God for 2012.  I am going into the New Year expecting great and mighty things that I can’t do in my own intelligence or strength.

To God be the glory for the great and mighty things that He will do in 2012!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

book, distractions, life, mother, procrastination, purpose, success, the butterfly journey

Stop That Procrastination!

livingwholecoaching

I am trying to get the word procrastination out of my life!  It creeps up at the most untimely times.  I don’t want it to be my friend but I can’t seem to get away from it.  I have so much to do and really am very excited about all the projects that I want to complete, but still the little friend and his cohort distraction come to visit almost every day.

I know my problem and I know how to fix it so why is it so hard to get past it?  I don’t know I guess if everything were easy life would be that bowl of cherries without the pits.  Unfortunately, you must have the pits in order to have the cherries.  I’ll get to the place of progress soon.  If I have to fight procrastination and distractions for the rest of my life, I will!

When you finally find your place of purpose; that’s all you want to focus on.  However, in life you have many more responsibilities to take care of  and sometimes you can’t just do want you want.  I am learning the hard way that I have to prioritize, organize, plan and oh yeah execute to be successful.

Do you remember how “Bewitched” used to just wiggle her nose and things would happen.  Well I definitely don’t want to be a witch, but the trick with the nose is pretty impressive and I could use some things happening in that type of quickness.  It doesn’t work that way, I know.

My mother is a super planner and executor.  She always tells me just do one thing at a time and you will eventually get the task done.  But I am a visionary and I always look at things in “big picture” form.  So it is hard for me to look at the little steps in between that make it a reality.  I just want to jump from concept to vision!

I have to stop this crazy thinking if I am ever to get to my full place of purpose!  I have to get started somewhere.  Well today looks like a good of a day as any to start moving forward.  Book editing; ready or not here I go!

The Butterfly’s Journey book is due out in April 2012!  Pray for me!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

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

 

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

Try One More Thing

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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

change, destiny, Down the Path of Worthy, God, God has ordained, hurting women, journey, life, purpose, the butterfly journey, worthy

God Is Not Through With Us Yet

livingwholecoaching

Several women joined me for a virtual journey this month called – Down the Path of Worthy.  This week marks our final trek.

We have only begun to scale back the pieces of our worthiness during this journey.  There is so much more work that we need to do.  We have found out that it is not an easy task walking back to places in our lives that have caused us pain.  But we had to go there in order to re-write the scripts of our lives back to the original content that God had written for us before we were even a thought in our mother’s womb.

We have realized that this process of finding our true worth in God was more exhausting than we thought it would be.  But we are dedicated to reaching the place that we most desire and that is figuring out our purpose and destiny.

Sometimes the emotional journey is too much and we have to rest along the way.  It’s okay, we understand that we have to press to reach the top of the place that we want to be.   We have to dig deep!  We trek on!  We won’t stop here we will push ourselves with the strength that God gives us to make a difference in our lives and the lives that we touch.

We are not convinced that everyone will understand the process but we hope that all will trust it.  We share this experience because it is the very thing that has helped us; it is our testimony for others to know that it can be done.  God can and will turn our ashes into beauty!

We encourage all women to join us in this journey of a lifetime.  It is not about changing our habits, but it is about transforming our lives for a better life that God has ordained for us to live.

Be encouraged, God is not through with us yet!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

change, Day 5, Down the Path of Worthy, God, journey, purpose, the butterfly journey, worthy

The Journey Day 5

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On Day 5 we had to trek up a steep hill.  So we grabbed some protein bars and plenty of water, took a deep breath and made our way.

Today we had to really dig deep and we were not sure what we would find, but we needed to go deep inside ourselves.  We had to communicate how we were evaluating our worth.  We had to share what were some of the temporal things that we were connecting our worth to.

Many of us had a hard time with this one and it took us awhile to get to the top of that hill.  It was a daunting task.  Again, we had to go over that hill in order to reach our next destination on the path to worthy.

The butterfly’s journey is not an easy one.  When we see the beauty of the butterfly and amaze at its ability to be free to fly and dance among the flowers of the field, we fail to realize the journey that it had to take to get to that scene.  It has to change.  In its process it actually liquefies while in the cocoon so that it can become what it is intended to be!

That is where our journey took us on this day.  We had to look deep inside for all the flawed ways that we have equated our worth.  We are so used to connecting our worth with temporal things of the world which may be counter productive to the way that God values our worth.  Because of years of evaluating ourselves that way it is hard to then change.

This exercise was super important to this pivot part of our journey.  This is the part where the scales on our eyes can start being removed and in turn we can begin our transformation to our “true” worth and purpose!

Keep moving we will meet you there!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa