Pointing Finger

All right, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

Catch yourself chasing that little rhyme? As we close this important National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, let’s each one of us always remember that we’re ALL beautiful, wonderful, creative, talented, funny and an endless list of tremendous, individual, unique characteristics to boot!

By someone else being beautiful- or, for that matter, any other attribute/adjective DOES NOT take away from your beauty or array of incredible traits. So, how about if we stop the “sizing each other up/tearing each other down” behavior? God has a commandment against coveting, doesn’t He? Part of why He has this is because He wants us to appreciate, enjoy and participate in what He has for each of us as unique individuals. We can’t fully do that if we’re obsessed, distracted and striving over someone else’s “stuff.” We miss out on our unique blessings and selves doing so.

This week, have we truly been celebrating our own God-given life, with blessings, traits and everything else that entails? Or, are we pointing and picking out flaws in others, as well as in ourselves?

“Mirror, Mirror…”

Are you pointing the finger at anyone, yourself included, as unworthy, ugly, stupid?

We can turn the pointing finger around, choosing to point it at others- and at ourselves- as a gesture of affirmation and celebration, not criticism.

God’s given each of us free will and the choice of how we will view ourselves and others. We’re all in this together, sharing incredible value and significance.

But we also share vulnerability as well. Be kind, therefore, to yourself and your fellow human beings. We can use our pointing decisions in life to build up or to tear down. Never forget: WE choose!!!

God bless all of us, wherever we may in our recovery processes: beginning stages, challenging stages, even failure/relapse stages. God has all of the recovery process, regardless, in His loving Hands. And so, none of us are ever without hope!

I wish all of us the most vibrant shade of periwinkle hope and blessings in our lives!

 God bless and Amen!! Yes, it shall be so!!!

All Grace!

Yep, Gracie here on this last day of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

Any revelation of God’s Grace for your recovery and life yet? It’s specifically for you, all the time. You never run out of God’s Grace or God’s Love. All grace is yours. So, feeling any different about it yet? God bless you all with this wonderful Grace. I gotta go; being cute keeps me busy! Love y’all!!!

 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

2 Corinthians 9:8

Accepted God's Grace?

Gracie here again.

How’s your week, this National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, going for ya? Accepted God’s grace for yet?

If not, why not?

God loves you and wants to give you grace. Please accept it!

“…Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 1:1

Please believe my cute face...

Me, Gracie, again. C’mon, you can believe this cute lil face, right?

Gracie knows best! Love y’all out there!

“…Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Colossians 1:2

Even if you're tired, Grace is there for ya!

Me again, Gracie, telling you, again, that God’s grace is still there- FOR YOU!!!

“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Galatians 1:3

Tuckered out, tired?

Rest in God’s Grace, right now, wherever you are.

I’m gonna take a nap for now-later!

Grace Via Comfy shoes and Rest

Yep, me again. Are ya getting the grace thing yet? It’s for you- yes you!

“Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 1:2

It’s one step at a time. If you need to rest, take a tip from me: sleep only on your comfy shoes!

Play Grace!!!

Hi, Gracie again. Just a friendly feline reminder…

“Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 1:3

Gotta go play now!

Gracie starts spouting about National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

Hi, I’m Gracie. I'm here to remind you about National Eating Disorder Awareness Week; Sheryle has let me act as a furry cheerleader to you all out there.

I’m also here to remind you of God’s Grace; I take my job very seriously. During this special week, NEDAW, I want everyone to know that recovery includes grace. Be kind to yourself; God is. He’s helping you right now, please believe me. He sent me here to tell you!

“…Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 1:7

Staring down Valentine’s Day

Ah, yes, Valentine’s Day!

Are you seething about it, hiding from it or dreading it yet?

Valentine’s Day is yet another “candy holiday,” with added pressure to be in a ridiculous perfect romantic relationship, blessed by some weird cupid.

                                        

Great, no pressure.

So, the majority of us out there have mixed/negative feelings about the notorious heart day. We’re possibly staring down and/or devouring some heart shaped candy,

 going crazy trying to capture the “perfect” depiction of the infamous day-

or we’re crying about not being with that perfect someone who will perfect our perfect Valentine’s Day and perfect our lives, in general, while secretly hating happy couples.

Ah, yes… perfect.

Makes me wanna jump up and down already in a perfect heart shaped circle.

The fact is, this day is a holiday, emphasizing the love theme, yet largely created to sell cards, flowers and candy. I know that’s the wrong, cynical answer to give, especially since I, myself, confess to being a hopeless romantic. But it’s to be a reality check for all of us.

The Truth is, however, we’re already loved by God, as is, right now- and EVERY single day of the year, not just “V Day.” We don’t need to feel like February 14^th is our one and only chance, as well as an excuse to engage our sweet tooth in “forbidden” treats. No. Wherever we are now, in life, there are examples of love and good things to celebrate already: family, spouses, friends and pets.

Someone on earth loves you right now; God always loves you.

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

Jeremiah 31:3

Yes, whenever we feel disappointed, frustrated or depressed, by the commercial pressure to sell us something “heart-y”on this holiday, we need to remember that already God loves us; God “hearts”us.

Whenever we are overwhelmed, tempted and assaulted by perfectionism, in all of its many forms, by unrealistic romantic promises, again, usually by a marketing department somewhere, trying to move product, we need to remember that God loves us.

Whenever we’ve devoured all of the forbidden candy we swore we’d never touch again, making us feel defeated, like failures, lacking some desired trait, that “everyone else” has, we need to remember that God loves us.

Relax… This Valentine’s Day is one day out of the year. It’s one of the countless days you are certainly loved by God. There are plenty more to come for you.

If you have a “Valentine,” if you don’t, you are still beloved, nevertheless! You’re not hopeless; you’re enduring a strategically marketable holiday, pushing merchandise.And most importantly, you’re loved by God- ALL OF THE TIME!!!

“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”

Isaiah 43:4

 God loves you because, to Him, you’re worth loving! Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

               

It’s the Journey, Often Involving Trudging, Step By Step

If a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, then what does that say about each step?

Some steps in the recovery journey are steps of progress. And then there are the other steps, aren’t there? Sometimes, in recovery, the step we’re taking feels like a failure step, a relapse step.

We may even feel like the best we can hope for is to trudge and sink our footsteps into barren cold snow, never seeing, let alone see ourselves stepping into the spring of a new beginning.

So, how are we to regard those kinds of steps? As hopeless? As final? As paralysis? No. they are just as much a part of progress as any victory, “good day,” or “good step.”

John Maxwell, a wonderful motivational speaker, wrote a book on a wonderful concept to consider, especially in moments of failure and relapse: “Failing Forward.”

Think about that.

In life, unfortunately, we will fail sometimes. Recovery is not immune from failure. But there is hope and promise to the failure; with each failure; whether you feel it or not, you and I are moving forward, making progress. One of my scriptures, encouraging me through many dark, trying steps, has been that of 2 Corinthians 3:18:

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Recovery means going from step to step, glory to glory, failure to failure, even, sometimes. But please know that God’s in control of our every step, regardless of our feelings about where we’re going. We are moving forward; God is too wonderful to allow us to be left.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

We’re in the winter right now; but spring is coming. What kind of step are you taking today? Whatever step it may be, please realize that it is one lovingly guided by God. Having a great step today? Wonderful! Thank God for it! Having a struggling step or a “failure” step today? Please recognize that God’s allowing it to move you to another place of victory, recovery, success and help. You will get there; you ARE getting there. Remember your journey, not just today’s step. There’s more to your life, more to God in your life than you realize!

Have a wonderful, love and grace-filled journey, step by step!

Speak the Speech

Shakespeare was onto something with his player’s speech, wasn’t he? Try to lety the main point be the main point, don’t bore your audience, don’t muck it all up with flailing (I must admit, I love a good flail) diva arms all over the place. And so, I’m trying to speak the speech, such as it is. Whew! Trying to get a life packed into a 30 minute speech- challenging. Hopefully, I won’t drone on, inspiring snores from the crowd.

Another brick on the yellow brick road?

Hmmm... Interesting... More wait and see, but it looks like there may be a little progress in the yellow brick road. Wait and see, wait and see...

Biting the elephant

I have been thinking about elephants today. I’m just starting to write another book. The early stages seem to creep by as itty bitty word by itty bitty word, I gain a smidge more momentum. But it’s crawling by. It’s at times like this I remember the riddle: “How do you eat an entire elephant? One bite at a time.”

Ain’t it the truth!!!! Sigh, in life it seems like there are so many things, which upon appearance, seem hopeless and intimidating. But, by taking the next step, doing “the next thing,” as the comedian, the late George Carlin used to say, it does become possible and achieved. So, look at the pink elephant in your room; what’s the obvious, so called impossible obstacle for you? Can you take that next bite, that first bite of it? It is possible; it is!

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Matthew 19:26

You’re in this by yourself, God’s there, right there, with you. So, take that bite! You will get there!

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Romans 8:31

Never limit from where inspiration comes

Tee hee... God has a great sense of humor, inspiring me via our critter, Gracie. Sometimes, an explanation can be this simple and furry.

Ch-h-h-anges...

Want proof that life changes us through process, as we move along in life? Read what you wrote as a kid: diaries, essays, book reports. It's hilarious and affirming!!! Thank God we are all beyond where we once were, huh? The insight of a nine year old version of myself, in particular, challenges me not to laugh and point at myself.

Kids say the "darndest" things, right?

We may not be where we should or could be, according to our own minds, but thank God, we're not where we used to be!

Plus, our handwriting is also better.

Someday, we'll look back on our nows with nostalgia and wisdom as well.

So, I guess, keep David Bowie's "Changes" in mind...

Keep taking the next step!