Month: February 2019

Faith

Embracing My Gray

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In December of 2018, I made the conscious decision to allow my hair to turn to its natural gray color. I had done these earlier, but I just did not feel that I was completely ready to embrace it, so I had returned to coloring it.

When I tell my friends that I am “going gray” I get the inevitable “Why, you are too young!”

Allow me to take just a few minutes to explain my thinking…..

Several months ago I began posting on Instagram more frequently. It is a great place to share my Bible journaling and a great place to find inspiration from others. During one of my casual strolls through the recently posted photos I discovered “Advanced Style”. This is the blog and Instagram account of Ari Seth Cohen. In the photos of his account I saw the faces of men and women who embraced their age and tried to show everyone around them that even “senior citizens” can be young at heart. These men and women had personal style and flair in the way they dressed, their hairstyles, and the way they embodied being “old”.

While I would never wear many of the outfits that some of these women wore, I admire their spirit! They truly live that quote that says,

Life in Your YearsThe men and women whom Cohen photograph make the most of every day they are given. The color of their hair is simply a minor detail, not a controlling factor.

Women like these…..

have inspired me to allow nature to take its course.

Phillipians 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.” I am ready for that crown of splendor! I have earned it and I want to wear it proudly!

If you have been toying with the idea of embracing your gray hair or if you just want to be inspired like I am, go to Cohen’s blog post “These Ladies Will Inspire You to Let Your Hair Go Gray”. Notice the smiles on the faces of these ladies, see how truly ALIVE they are! Perhaps it will inspire you too! If nothing else, perhaps you will see how age can be just a number and gray hair can be just a color……

 

Faith

Alone VS. Lonely

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There is a big difference between being ALONE and being LONELY, but it has taken me a few months to realize this.

Being ALONE is a physical state. It has to do with being the only person in a particular area. I have been ALONE in my house for a few months- forgive me sweet Truffles, but you are a dog and you cannot talk to me.

Being LONELY is a mindset. It has to do with how I allow myself to feel. I allow myself to focus on the fact that there is not another human being here and I allow myself to sink into the negative feelings relating to that.

As a Christian, I had to come to grips with the fact that I did not have someone here to greet me each night and ask, “How was your day?” I did not have someone to help dig into the laundry or the dishes when I had experienced a long day and just wanted someone else to help. I did not have someone to curl up next to for warmth during a cold snap.

What I DID have was someone that was ever present, always there to listen and offer support.

I truly think that God has presented me with an OPPORTUNITY– an OPPPORTUNITY to read my Bible more, an OPPORTUNITY to experiment with my creative talents, a OPPORTUNITY to grow as both a person and a Christian!

One of the things that I have been doing with some of my time is Bible journaling. Here is my entry for today:

Alone vs Lonely

I have had this particular Bible for months. It has been sitting here in my craft room, still in the box, untouched. I was feeling a bit intimidated by all of the empty space on a page and wondered if I really had the creativity to fill it. A few weeks ago I finally got up the nerve to open the box, take out the Bible, and put pen to the pages. God has given me that creative strength!

This entry uses a watercolor tutorial from Jenna, over at Scribbling Grace. If you are new to Bible journaling and you are feeling a little intimidated, check her out! She will definitely inspire you.

I do not know when this time of being ALONE will finally end, but I am so thankful that God has provided me with the security of knowing that I do NOT have to be LONELY! He is always with me!

 

Faith

Sometimes God Says, “NO”

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This morning I went upstairs to do my usual Bible reading and devotional. At the present time I am working my way through ByTheWell4God‘s “Liars and Thieves” study. Today’s subject was supposed to be feeling inadequate. I read through the devotional text and was all set to admit my feelings of not being good enough and do an entry about that when I opened my bible and started reading the full text from God’s word. It was then that I came across these particular verses:

2-corinthians-12-8-91

Then I looked at the bottom of the page in my study Bible to read the study notes and it was pointed out that God said, “No” and No really is an answer.

What?

Wait a minute- Look at that again-

Yes…. Three times Paul pleaded with the Lord and God’s response was to say, “No. My grace is good enough for you. My power will help you through this time of your weakness.”

I have been praying for quite a while now about some personal things and I have not received an answer. Or at least I THOUGHT I had not received one. Perhaps God was speaking to me and saying, in his own gentle way, “No” or “Not yet”. Maybe I am just being a bit too impatient or maybe God has a better answer for me- one that I have not considered. Either way, my focus at that very second totally switched.

Instead of thinking about being inadequate I found myself focusing on God as my father, gently taking my hand and saying, “No, my child. I know best.”

Yes, indeed he does!

And with that….. here is today’s entry in my faith journal:

525A79C4-CCBB-4E74-B56E-B93CD1DA46A0

It has nothing to do with inadequacies, but it does serve as a reminder to me that sometimes God really does say, “No” and that too IS AN ANSWER!

Faith

January Check-In

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The first month of my “Thrive at 55” year is now behind me. In keeping with my accountability I wanted to do a check-in to show my progress.

Goal 1: Daily Bible reading, prayer time, and Bible journaling

I have been able to do this every day this year and I have thoroughly enjoyed it! I took part in the Daughters of Promise lettering challenge this month that was hosted by Move the Mountains and it allowed me to stretch myself. I also did my very first devotional from BytheWell4God. This was the “I AM” Bible study and it focused on the book of John. I was in awe of the stamps and products that I received and I still have a bunch of them left for my future pages. I am hooked on these kits! I have received my second one and I am anxious to jump in! I have been doing journaling in 2 separate Bibles. One of them uses primarily colored pencils as the medium, but the second has thicker pages, so I am able to try some watercolor and other mediums. (I have more exciting news coming about my progress with this goal, but you will have to wait until next month for that.)

Goal 2: Eat better

Thanks to my sweet hubby I have been able to do very well with this goal also. He bought me an Instant Pot for Christmas and I have been using it and my crockpot to cook more and eat less “fast food” type items. I have not gone NO carb, but I am eating LOW carb. I am using wraps more and eating less bread. I have also let the fries go aside for now- I actually tried to eat a couple and they just did not taste as good to me anymore.

Goal 3: Walk more

I have been able to do very well with this goal. As a matter of fact, I have done better than I anticipated. I wanted to walk 5.5 miles at least each day and I have been able to do that all but 4 days in January! Thanks to some unseasonably warm days I was able to go above and beyond my goal on several days.

All of this combined to help me really surprise myself! Here is my actual stats report

January Stats

I am so excited! Even with a sinus infection and a Polar Vortex this month I was able to come out smiling!

January selfie

Moving into February I am anxious to see what I can accomplish!