Bag of Chaos....Mastered

Just a quick update....Praise God, the one bag of Chaos is mastered!!  A filing system is in place and I am quite certain that God has been rearranging some things in me, and has equipped me, and will help me to maintain order in this area.  ~  Victory!

Before

After

Do you like Good News?

Not all news is good news. If you've lived long enough, I'm sure you can verify that my statement is truth.  However, the Good News, is that God is good, even when situations aren't.  The Great News is that somehow, He can work all things together for the good of those who love Him, particularly if you are praying and believing for Him to do this.

Last year, May 26, 2012, my brother and sister-in-law went in to deliver their baby boy.  In the process, something went terribly wrong, and even with an emergency c-section, Dylan did not make it.  We had all so anticipated his arrival.  He was perfect.  So cute,.... he simply looked as if he were sleeping, however, he had already went right back to heaven where he came from.

We wept with Jonathan and Melissa, we wept for ourselves, we wept for Dylan's big brother, my nephew, Tyler.
Something happened though.....We celebrated the beautiful purpose that Dylan's life had accomplished even before his actual birth.  He had already drawn his parents even closer, gave each of us excitement over the new beginnings that were taking place in our family....so much accomplished by his life, before he ever made it out of the womb.  We grieved, we prayed, and I watched as God took two people, and turned them into a Man and Woman of God, as they allowed God to come along side them, to comfort them, to strengthen them, to draw them even closer to each other and closer to Him.  They became examples of God in reality....God with us.

About four months later, after God had already been working healing in the hearts of each of us...Jonathan and Melissa announced that they were expecting again!  What?!  Instantly I was both elated, and gripped by the thought of fear that something might happen again....I pushed that fear away and refused to dwell on it...and that must have been exactly what Jonathan and Melissa did.  Never one time did I hear a doubting, questioning, fearful comment come out of their mouths. They were simply preparing and anticipating the arrival of their new blessing! What a testimony of God's Grace!

We then found out that they were expecting a little girl.  Of course Tyler was thrilled at the idea of being a big brother...although he did have to adjust to the idea of  little sister....but as you will see in the pictures..he is already madly in love with her.  I guess I jumped a little ahead of myself. ......  The Good News.....April 10, 2013 this family and this world welcomed Addison Grace Leonard!!!  A tiny, 6 lbs 3oz, 18.5 inch long miracle baby!!  So precious....every feature so delicate....her little cry, so cute (especially for those of us who won't have to get up at 2am with that cry! :) )  What a blessing!!
Tyler even commented to my mother that he needed to work to get some money!  She asked Why, wondering if he thought he had to help his parents take care of her.  He said, "Cuz I need to get my baby sister a present!"  How precious!!!

So....even before Addison Grace was born...the Good News is that God is there with us through every difficult season of life...The Good News was that the precious life of Dylan had purpose and meaning even though the days of his life were only in his mother's womb....The Good News is that if we let God, He can "work all things together for good for those of us who love Him"....The Good News is that He drew this family closer to Him and each other, by lavishing His Love, Comfort, Peace, Hope, and even Joy on them....and then of course the welcoming to this world of a perfectly healthy beautiful little girl - Addison Grace - who will, along with her brother Tyler, declare how Good God is all the days of their life! They will live and thrive, and love God all their days, and share Good News with everyone they meet.  They will be life changers!  It just makes me all the more thankful for my sweet blessings...my own son, Jacob, and my daughter, Grace!  The same God blessed me mightily with my own World Changers! God is Good....and that's the GOOD NEWS!!

Big Brother, Tyler, looking adoringly down at Addison Grace

Addison Grace Leonard! 

Aunt Theresa holding sweetness

Cousin Grace loving Addison Grace

One of my World Changer's - Grace- Holding her cousin with great Joy!
(My other World Changer, Jacob,  had a cold and couldn't hold her, but was there celebrating with us!)

Addison Grace - Gift from God

Mastering the CHAOS

Part of the CHAOS - (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) - in my home is because of papers....paper everywhere, coupons, bills, newspaper, letters, things to be filed, things to be thrown away, things to be shredded - you name it and it's probably in the pile.  Most of it comes to me via the Postman...
Much of it is unopened, until I "have time to read it" or have time to file it, or until I have the funds to pay some things quite honestly.  I now have this large bag of CHAOS I will tackle this week.  In fact, by midnight Sunday night, the items in this bag will each be ordered into it's proper place!


This CHAOS is draining.  It's like a lead ball chained to my neck.  Seriously.  It's usually all over the house - kitchen table, hall table, desk, countertop.  Just having it in the one bag is my first step towards order.  However, as it was in little piles all over the house, just looking at the pile and knowing their just going to grow is horrible.  I can literally feel the stress from it, and the energy drain from me with CHAOS around me.  This is my year for putting things in ORDER...and keeping them that way.

If you know me well, you know this is a monumental task.  I used to joke and say that somehow when God was handing out organization, I missed out. I'm not saying that anymore.  Quite frankly there are sometimes and some areas...I'm actually really good at organizing.  That's usually when it comes to people or events, and not paperwork though.  It might not come as easily for me as others, but deep in there I do have the ability to be organized and miracle of miracles...the ability to STAY organized.   I actually really do love ORDER...I just have never had an easy time keeping things in order.  It's so natural and easy for so many....they think I am completely ridiculous to struggle with this.  They will often say...if you just go through the mail each day, open everything and then throw away the trash, file what needs to be filed, etc, etc, ....I am actually intelligent enough to understand HOW it's done.  It's really not that difficult.  But somewhere there is still this complete disconnect....I hate it so much I avoid it as long as possible, until it then becomes the chain around my neck.
How could someone be so ridiculous?  I wish I knew...BUT  "The pain of staying the same is much much much greater than the pain of change"...so here I go!  ORDER in the house!  ORDER in my life!!  I will Master the Chaos....it will no longer master me!

Giving myself a deadline and posting it for all to see worked well for cleaning my kitchen, which did I mention was still clean?! -  so I figured I'd try it with this stupid bag of chaos...and I believe this is a beginning of staying on top of it before it piles up again.  I know the bag actually grows each time I check the mail, so this is going to be so freeing once I get it all taken care of.

So there you have it...for the very few of you who are getting to watch this journey unfold, (especially since I post it near midnight when the fewest people are on line) thank you in advance for praying for me, cheering for me....and believing with me that with God's help...truly anything is possible...including recreating a life right in front of your eyes.  Watch Him change me as I continue on this journey.  I hope somehow in all of this craziness, I even encourage you to start your own journey of change.

~Being Rearranged by God and loving it!
Theresa

Extreme Measures!

  

Extreme Results call for Extreme Measures.

I am about to allow you insight into a personal journey. 

 I normally don't like to "share the journey" as it is happening.  

I much prefer to share with you the victory at the end and then tell you

 about the journey that I was on....past tense, indicating that the journey is over 

and there is indeed a victorious end to share with you.  

This is not the case for this particular blog.

I am forced to confront some issues in my life that I need to deal with head on.  

You as the reader, will watch as the revelation happens.  

You will also play a part in holding me accountable.  

How, you might ask?  

Well, frankly, just by you reading this blog, I risk being thoroughly embarrassed if I don't follow through with making some of the necessary changes in my life.  

Therefore, I openly share my first story with you. 

Realization # 1 -   I most definitely need outside accountability for some areas of my life.  

The bigger realization might be in knowing that I simply will not hold myself accountable in some areas.  In recognizing that, I realized the need to have outside accountability.

I shared this "revelation" with a friend, and shared that I have so many areas to work on, and each one requires so much work that I usually just end up "paralyzed" with how overwhelming it all is, and then it just remains the same, or even worsens.  So this friend then basically "forced" me to write the following note, take a picture of it, and promise to post it on Facebook. 

So....My Journey Begins.

Basically, One area out of order in my life.....My House Is A Wreck!

It is no secret to those who know and love me most,

 that I do not have the blessed gift of "Housekeeper Extraordinaire"  

I am seriously laid back.  I also am "Queen of Excuses". 

 Perhaps you recognize some of my SUPER excuses?  

For example....I'm a single mom, so busy, sports, games, work, church, so tired, grocery store, just started Zumba, meetings...thyroid low, vitamin D low, iron low, need some "me" time, need to relax, family is more important....the list could go on and on.  So much truth in these, and yet still all excuses.

It seems extremely sad to me that you can't hold yourself accountable to something like cleaning your house.  Ridiculous...but I know me...I'll find every excuse in the book...seriously.  You have no idea.  **I was going to do it Saturday, but a friend needed me to take her to the Tennesee/VA line...left 8am didn't get home until 10pm.  True?   Yes!  Sunday? - Church and then visiting family....gone from 8:30a-9:00p Clean now?  Are you nuts?!  Monday - Didn't get home until after  7:30.  By the time we made dinner, just too tired...watched TV instead.  Tuesday-Friday...just as many valid reasons/excuses for me to give myself a little "grace", cut myself some slack, take a break, etc.  I've excused myself into a tee-total wreck of a house.  

I am ready for change.  No more C.H.A.O.S. - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome

So as a baby step, I make at least one goal for this week....

I commit to cleaning my Kitchen by Sunday, and even posting a picture. 

 (This does mean by 11:59pm Sunday night.) 

 I will also contact my friend Barb, who I have a feeling will be "inspiring" me in some other areas.

There you have it.  It's up.  Posted.  

I pray that one day, my life will so be in order, that I will actually need no outside accountability. 

 Until then?  I write, and hopefully you read.

Full of Thanks!!

Thankful!  So thankful.  Did you know it's impossible to be Thankful and Miserable at the very same time?  Seriously.  Think about it.  If you are Thankful..at least for that 2 or 3 seconds you choose to be Thankful for something, miserable has to take a back seat.  Did you know that you are the only one that gets to decide if you are Thankful or not?  It's totally your choice.  Quite frankly, if I knew I had a choice between miserable and Thankful...I'd choose thankful any day of the week!!


I'm just so thankful to God, that He nudges us, reminds us, and gives us the ability to be thankful!
My daughter and I went for a walk the other night...and something happened.  I found myself being overwhelmed with thankfulness.  As we were walking, and mind you this is before dinner, and we were hungry! We began to smell some of the most beautiful aromas!   As we passed one house, we could tell that they were grilling out.   Oh, the wonderful smell of something cooking on the grill.   How pleasant that was as we passed by.  For a moment I did consider knocking on the door and inviting ourselves to dinner! :)  We continued walking, and before long  I smelled another wonderful aroma!  It was definitely someone who had just ordered from the local Italian Restaurant.  The smell of the spices, and the marinara, and even imagining the cheese....Beautiful!  We continued walking and then another wonderful smell...we both looked at each other and at the same time said..."Someone's doing laundry!"  The smell of fresh laundry, of the fabric softener was so clear in the air and so nice....it almost inspired us to do laundry when we got back to the house......almost. :)  As I inhaled the wonderful smells, I looked up at the sky, and we saw the most beautiful clouds in the sky, with the most beautiful colors of the setting sun reflecting off of the clouds.  I could feel the crisp fall evening air, and the slight breeze blowing around us.
I'm telling you something happened.  I suddenly was so thankful that I could smell.  What a privilege to smell such wonderful aromas!  I was so thankful that I could see!  I could see the leaves turning, and the beautiful clouds and sunsets!  Then I was just so thankful for Fall, and the cool evenings.  Then I was reminded what an incredible blessing it is to be able to walk!  I thought of how many times I couldn't walk as far, and I thought of people too old to walk, or those in the hospital who would love to get up and walk around.  I was thankful we had a home to walk back to, and food to make for dinner.  I was just simply overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for things I rarely take the time to thank Him for.

It was a wonderful night!  I must tell you too, that during that time of thankfulness, I could feel God so near!  I wasn't thinking of stresses in my life.  For those beautiful moments, I was simply thankful enjoying the precious gifts I've been given and enjoying time with God and my daughter.


Thankful!  Have you tried it lately?  It's wonderful!

Time to Rearrange some things!

Everything Fits!

The Power of Rearranging!

Today I cried out to God to rearrange me.  It has become so apparent that many things in my life are just out of order.   I am continually reminded that I have in me all that I need, however sometimes it just doesn't seem to work. Sometimes even though there are a lot of good things going on, I just have not seemed to be able to manage everything.  

I love tangible examples, so here goes.... I have this little make-up case that someone along the way handed down to me.  I keep the same basics in that case every day.

Don't judge me by my make-up variety! :)

Above you will see how nicely my makeup bag closes.  Nice and neat, compact, everything inside.  That's how it's supposed to be!  However, I cannot tell you how many times I have been so frustrated, because I can't get the dumb bag to snap shut! I'm in a hurry, and end up just having to drop it into my purse without snapping it, and then later all of the contents end up dumping out in my purse!  Fun.  So why is it that this happens when I know good and well that everything will easily fit into this bag and this bag will easily snap shut with everything in it?  Answer:  It's all in the arrangement of things!  There's a basic arrangement of these items, that truly does make it easy to close this bag.  However, even though each time I have the exact same items, how I arrange them changes everything.  Truth be told, I'm not arranging them at all.  I'm simply tossing them in haphazardly.  When I take the time to simply create order, and actually arrange them properly, everything goes smoothly, no stress, no pressure, just everything nice and tidy and secure in the bag.

I'm finding that this is the way it is in life.  I have asked God to rearrange me.  I've got a good variety of things that I know fit within His purpose and plan for my life, and yet sometimes, I just feel like I'm falling out all over the place.  The house is a wreck, I hate for anyone to look inside the car, I'm behind on some bills, I have ridiculous hair because I've had to do it myself, and I'm not moving forward on some goals because I'm constantly trying to play "catch up" with everything that's been "falling" all over the place.  This is not an orderly life, arranged properly so that everything fits.  Now I know life is messy and not always will everything fit.  Don't go too deep on me. :)   I just know that now is the time for me to put some things in order, and because that is not a "natural" gift of mine, I have elicited some "supernatural" help. :) 

 I have two different organizations calling for prayer and fasting.  How wonderful to be challenged to do this at the exact same time by both of these organizations that are completely separate from one another.   I'm going to be asking God for some wisdom and receiving His help in the accurate arranging of my life.  I know that He is already answering my prayer and rearranging things in my life, so that I will be more effective while experiencing more peace and rest.  That sounds good to me.  I don't have a final outcome to share with you, just a challenge to you. If you've just been haphazardly tossing some things into your bag of life, and if you constantly have to keep cleaning up the mess....join me in the challenge of purposefully choosing with wisdom the accurate arrangement of things.   His Supernatural help is just as available to you as it is to me. ....to be continued.....   

Road Trip - Part 1

Road Trip.........If you only knew all of the "faith" that went into leaving Virginia on this road trip.  At this point (since the journey is almost over) I don't mind telling you, the last time I left Virginia, I was dealing with some issues that had me in an ER in Ohio, and that when we left Virginia, the only money we had for this trip was $150 given to us by two different women of God. 

Let me start from the very beginning...You see in January my friend invited me to her company party.  I was so needing a miracle that I began to look at this party as an opportunity to see who I might meet....who would either be able to bless me, or connect me to someone who could bless me...while I was getting ready for this party, God literally showed me how I was all about me and how I needed to be blessed and who could bless me.
Rather shocked to find out that I was all about me :), I sincerely repented..., but then I became righteously angry and  I immediately said, "God I hate Poverty!"  I became very aware that it was my "lack" that made me look for who could bless me...surely if God says "Give and it will be given unto you good measure, pressed down and shaken together, will God cause men to give to you."  Well I knew God's promise was true, so I was looking for who God would use to give to me what I just couldn't do for myself as a single mom.
Can I just tell you now, that you will never ever succeed at life, if all you think about is you.  The sad thing is sometimes you don't even realize that you've stopped thinking of others and only think about you.  It's a major revelation to yourself, when you realize it.  Anyway, when I said "God I hate Poverty!!!"  He said, well  what if money was no problem?  What would you be doing differently tonight?"  and I answered, "Well instead of going to see who might be a blessing to me, if all of my needs were met and I had excess, then I would be going tonight to see who I might be able to bless."  I literally felt God say, "If you truly believe that Poverty is broken off of your life, even before you see it, then you need to start behaving as if it has already happened."  Well from that moment on, I became very excited about this party and went to see who I could be a blessing to in some way.
Would you believe that when we arrived at the party, we were looking for a table and found one that had one lady seated there.  As we approached she lifted her head and we saw that she had been crying....we also noticed that she was from our church.  She shared that she had been praying, her father had been admitted to ICU and death was certain.  She prayed no one would sit with her until she could get herself together, and as she lifted her head from prayer, there we were.  I was able to share comfort with her regarding loss I had experienced, and revelation I had from going through that, that encouraged her.  We were laughing by the end of the night, but before the night ended, God sent 4 other people to our table, who all were there by His appointment. God used my friend and I to encourage, challenge, comfort, and befriend those around us.
I had learned that I could go and be a blessing, even without money, and that Poverty was broken off of my life.  It starts in the mind....then it will manifest in the natural.  We are half way there now! :)
I say all of that, to explain why I decided to take this trip....I knew I needed to spend some time with my daughter.  We needed to get away, and we both had a desire to bless people all along the way on this trip. I felt so strongly to take this trip that I did this completely in faith...natural wisdom would say don't go if you don't have the money to go....but I knew what I was hearing....Go.  You'll never know the challenge that this was to my faith and my "common sense", but I also can tell you now, that with all we have experienced...I know I heard Him correctly.   Tomorrow I will post a few of the AMAZING things that God has allowed us to be a part of on this trip....I cannot wait to share them with you...
If you've read this, and will also read tomorrow's post, please comment below or send me a message by facebook.