Be Encouraged

*40 minutes walking/running in gorgeous sunshine & 1 hour of salsa!

ENCOURAGE = to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encourager)

When was the last time you spoke a kind word to someone? When was the last time that someone spoke a kind word to you and it warmed your spirit? 

Word power is awesome and underestimated by many.  We grow up hearing that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  That is nonsense.  Words can hurt, they can sting to the core and they can cause little boys and girls to never reach their dreams, if they don’t overcome them.  All of us can remember at point in our lives when someone said something profoundly positive or negative because it had an impact in our lives.

As we mature, we should grow to understand that we will always either be in either one of two roles: the giver and the receiver of words.  As ‘givers’, we are in control of what we will do with the words we speak to other people.  We can choose to uplift, inspire and encourage.  Or we can choose to criticize, insult and put down others around us.  There is a place for criticism; however, it should be reserved for constructive comments with purpose – not just because you have something negative to say. 

As ‘receivers’ we can choose to accept or reject the words that are spoken to us and into our lives.  We have to have enough confidence within ourselves to know who we are and what applies to our lives.  If someone speaks garbage to us, then we need to throw those words out with the trash and speak life in the place of the death they attempted to give to us.  If they speak life to use, then we should treasure them as affirmations of who we are, and we should use the power behind those words to fulfill our purpose.

The next time you have an opportunity to speak into someone’s life, be an encourager.  Be the one that the person thinks of fondly when they have taken the next step in their life because you believed in them.  Be an inspiration to someone else.  Speak LIFE!

What Energizes you?

*45 minutes walking/running in gorgeous sunshine

Day 4 and I have stayed true to my commitment.  My body is sore, and my writer’s block is kicking in a bit, but I am here!

My cousin asked me years ago, “What energizes you?”  It is a very simple question, but ties into commitment very well.  If you have a purpose or reason for being, then you are energized each day to fulfill that destiny.  What energizes YOU?  Is there something that gets you out of bed regardless of your circumstances?

When you know why you are here and what you are called to do, then your life has purpose.  You are committed to that purpose.  Your energy comes from a sense of living totally and completing as the being that God created you to be.  To live as anything less is to live below the potential, talent and gifting that you have inside of you. 

If you don’t know what energizes you, reflect, pray and seek what your purpose is.  Commit to it, and live each day enveloped in it.  WHAT ENERGIZES YOU?

Diamonds in the Rough

*live band + dancing = salsa!

Each day is a gift and should be lived to the fullest.  Freely live your life as God created you to live it.  Don’t look back wishing you had done or not done a thing because you were scared to do it.  Take a prayerful step, and God will take care of the rest. 

You’ll never know what was behind some doors because you never bothered to open them.  AND don’t peer through a door that is ajar and think that you already know all of the treasures that it holds inside.  There are hidden treasures that you can only discover if you open the door, walk through and fully experience what is behind the door. 

Sometimes treasures are well-hidden from us so that we have to put in a little work – time, effort, energy and faith to discover their secrets.  What value would anything have if just anybody could get to them without any effort?  And what good would it be if anyone could guess what was hidden? 

Diamonds aren’t easily attained and more importantly they aren’t easily created.  Years of pressure create the beautiful, precious stones that we value so much.  God has many diamonds waiting for you, and you can only get them if you trust God, release your fears, walk through the door and believe that the seemingly worthless mound of dirt behind it is where you’ll find your diamonds in the rough...

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Today we honor those who lost their lives in the 9.0 earthquake that caused the tsunami that devastated the lives of the people of Japan.  Nature is one force that humankind – despite our efforts – cannot control or avoid.  We pray for the resilience of the survivors and that help and relief come soon to those who are in need…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365318/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-The-moment-mother-nature-engulfed-nation.html

Our Sacrifice & Our Temples

*today – 10 minutes core, 20 minutes Cardio (Core Rhythms)

Sacrifice is something that not too many people do or even know a lot about.  It is achieved by placing something in higher regard than oneself.

My choices for Lent this year may not seem like much to the active person, but I am definitely sacrificing – even though the gain is very personal.  I am denying myself and my body what feels good – doing nothing.  In doing nothing, I am wasting the vessel that God has given me.  I am also not preparing it to persevere successfully in this life.

Our bodies are temples, and as such we should treat them as living sacrifices.  We should maintain the life that God has given us by doing our best to ensure our temples reflect the best of us and Him on the inside and out.  Our temples should “glow” with God’s spirit that lives inside of us.

What is in your temple?  What are you feed your temple physically, mentally & spiritually? How are you treating the only vessel that you have while you are here on earth?  If you are treating it as any less than you would if you were caring for the most precious person in your life, then consider a sacrifice where your quality of life and longevity of mind and spirit are the rewards.

¡Vamos Adelante!

Today is Ash Wednesday, and it is the start of the 40 days and nights Jesus fasted before beginning his ministry – God’s purpose for him living on this earth. 

Every year since I can remember, my mom and I have decided what we will “give up” for Lent – the period from Ash Wednesday to Easter.  This sacrifice is in remembrance of and honoring the sacrifice that Jesus made for us before his death and resurrection. 

This year I am “giving up” being sedentary and decided to give my body the gift of movement for a minimum of 30 minutes a day (walking, running, dancing, weight-lifting, etc.).  Additionally, I am rededicating myself to writing.  My fear of not knowing what to write has kept me silent for too long.  I will write what God has placed in my heart, and the picture on the canvas will begin to take shape. 

Thank you for taking this journey of confidence, discipline, and stepping into purpose with me.  I hope you, too, will embark on your own journey of stepping into the next phase of your purpose.  ¡Vamos Adelante! (Let’s go forward!)