Bicycles, Headlights, and Having Faith

I went running the other night (No, nobody hacked my computer and the blog bandits aren't out to get me. I really did run, okay? MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY DAY, PEOPLE!) and passed two kids riding their bikes home as their parents followed behind them in a suburban, headlights beaming. 

I made like Bob Seger and reminisced about the days of old.

Oh, the memories. 

It seems like just yesterday my parents were trailing behind me as I biked home because I had, once again, stayed too late at a friend's house (ordering surprise pizzas for the neighbors across the street, of course). 

Looking back, I can't help but wonder...
COULDN'T MY PARENTS HAVE PUT MY BIKE IN THE BACK OF THEIR VEHICLE SO I DIDN'T HAVE TO RIDE IT HOME IN THE DARK????????????? 

I would say I'm stronger because of it, but I still have to walk my bike up hills...

Anyway, I watched as their bikes flirted with the shadows and then swiveled back into the soft glow of light that stretched before them. 

The suburban's headlights guided the two kids around the corner and out of sight.

As I continued running (dying) I imagined God driving the suburban. I envisioned Him behind the wheel, shining the headlights on His children as they pedaled quickly in front of Him, unsure of what lies ahead but moving forward nonetheless.

That, my friends, is what it means to have faith.

Walking through life with God is a lot like a bike ride home through the dark with your parents following closely behind. We can't see what lies ahead. We don't know which path to take or what will be around the corner.

We're simply riding by His headlights, trusting that He will lead us down the path He sees best fit.

We may swing a left here, jump a curb there, stop and walk our bike uphill (or for the next block or two...BIKE-WALKERS UNITE!) or worse...get our shoelaces stuck in the pedals (the mother of all bike accidents)...but because God has been faithful in the past, we can be confident He will be faithful in the future!

I REPEAT: BECAUSE GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL IN THE PAST, WE CAN BE CONFIDENT HE WILL BE FAITHFUL IN THE FUTURE!

For example, right now I'm watching webinars, taking notes from Michael Hyatt, and trying to plan speaking engagements. I don't know what will happen next or what the end result will be...but what I DO know is that God has always come through. He has always made my paths straight. I've always ended up right where He intended me to be. 

I may not be able to see what lies ahead, but I have faith God will get me wherever it is I'm going, just as He always has. 

We need to trust God the same way we trusted our parents when we were just little kids biking home after dark...because it's through the darkness we learn to trust His guidance, His vision!

I realize now why my parents didn't let me ride shotgun and take the easy way out. It wasn't because they saw potential in my cycling skills and thought I'd race the Tour de France one day. It was because they wanted to prove their faithfulness to me. Every time they led me home through the dark, they gained more of my trust. 

As darkness falls and the fog rises, may we ride by God's "headlights" today the same way we rode by our parents' headlights back then. 

God, transform our hearts. Show us what it looks like to have a childlike faith. May we stop hesitating and start moving. There are times we forget Your faithfulness. Remind us. Remind us every single day...and let us never stop trusting You and the plan You have for our lives. Amen.

Two Things I'd Forgotten

One of the speakers for The Influence and Impact Summit I participated in last week was Glennon Doyle Melton. During her interview, she mentioned something that really caught my attention: "Whatever you need in that moment of the day is what everyone needs...the most personal stuff is the most universal."

Since reading that, I've been asking myself, "What do I need to hear right now? What is something we ALL need to hear?" Two things came to mind. I tried to put it off but I know I won't be able to go to sleep until I write this...so if it's not my best work, forgive me because it's 2:30AM while I'm writing this and my eyes burn. 

The things I need to hear are often the same things I've heard a thousand times. I just forget and need to be reminded. 

I figured you did, too, so here are two things I needed to hear this weekend, two things we all need to be reminded of every once in a while:

1) You are not your past. 

The person you were 8 months ago, 8 weeks ago, or 8 days ago is not the person you are today. Your mistakes don't define you because you have redemption through Jesus Christ and that redemption frees you from guilt. It frees you from your past. It frees you from your sin. 

You are forgiven.

You are loved.

You are saved.

He is faithful and just, and when we confess our "mess-ups" and sins to Him, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness. HE BLOTS OUT OUR TRANSGRESSIONS! 

We may not always be forgiven by others here on earth, but we are ALREADY forgiven by our Father in Heaven because of the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross. 

2) "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches." 

You will not be liked by everyone. In fact, you will be hated by some. Did you "recovering people-pleasers" cringe when I said that? 

It's true, though. 

Peach-haters are just a big ol' fact of life...and how do we handle those big ol' facts of life? By making peach pie, drinking peach tea, and eating peach cobbler. 

Hopefully you've caught on by now and know I'm not actually talking about peaches. 

I'm talking about cranberries. 

I'm kidding again. Don't sign me up for a comedy tour just yet.

Basically what I'm trying to say is...don't ever stop being the person you are. Even if you're called fake, even if people try to make you feel you're not good enough, even if people seem to go out of their way to hurt you. Don't change for anybody. Unless we're talking about clothes and you "got the hummus" like Phoebe did on Friends. 

In that case, by all means, change your clothes.

Never stop smiling. 
Keep being kind. 
Stay true to yourself. 
Be confident in the person you are. 

If you know who you are, whose you are, and where you stand, nothing and nobody can you knock you down. 

God will provide the people you need if He hasn't already...people who will love you, support you, guide you, listen to you, encourage you, etc. no matter what comes your way. Together, you will weather life's toughest storms. These are the only people you need in your close-knit circle. They are your "tribe" (as Jen Hatmaker calls it) or your "squad" (as Taylor Swift calls it). 

You may lose a few and add a few throughout the years, and that's okay. That, too, is a big ol' fact of life. People will try to make you feel guilty about it. Don't let them. You may find yourself questioning the decision down the road. Trust yourself and know that you did it for a reason, even if it's hard to remember that reason at times...even if nobody else understands that reasoning.  

I don't have a cool name for my team/tribe/squad/gang/crew, but I love them and I am so very thankful for them. You know who you are! 

The weekend was good to me. I had a lot of time to think and reflect. 

Life is hard and it's easy to forget what's important to remember. I had forgotten. I honestly had...and I know I'm not alone. I don't know who else besides me needed to hear this today but I pray you find yourself encouraged. 

Enjoy your Monday, friends! 

Finding Your "Sweet Spot" in Life

As you know, I'm participating in The Influence and Impact Summit. 

During his interview, Michael Hyatt bluntly states, "I have a stewardship obligation to use [my talents] for the benefit of other people." 

We all do. 

As a result of his increased influence, Hyatt has received emails and letters telling him that he has changed their life and made it better in some way. To him, that is what he finds most rewarding. It makes him feel as if he's fulfilling his purpose, that he's in his "sweet spot" and doing the thing he was created to do.

If you haven't noticed already, I absolutely love using basketball as a metaphor to describe life, so when he used "sweet spot" to describe his purpose, I couldn't help but want to add to that. 

In basketball, your "sweet spot" is the spot on the court you love to shoot from because you know you'll make it. It's often your go-to during a game of Horse because you know the odds of you missing are very slim. You can shoot from that spot all day long. The biggest mistake your opponent can make while playing defense is sagging off of you when you're standing in your spot on the floor. 

My "sweet spot" is the 15-footer. I can vividly remember standing in my "sweet spot" during a playoff game against Harleton when my opponent suddenly sagged off me. 

"OOPS!" is right.

I looked her in the eye, took a step back, and let it rip.

Nothing is more satisfying!

Everyone's "sweet spot" is different. Some may be at the top of the key, some may be a baseline shot. It varies according to each player but the sense of satisfaction one feels after shooting from their "sweet spot" is one in the same.

As mentioned earlier, I would like to take what Michael said about having found his "sweet spot" in life and discuss it further because my faith was heavily influenced by basketball and I will jump at the opportunity to compare the two.

Just as we each have a "sweet spot" on the basketball court, we each have a "sweet spot" in life. 

It's different for every individual, but the purpose is the same: to point others towards Him. 

Your "sweet spot" in life is the gifts and talents God has given you to help advance His Kingdom here on earth. When you are a good steward of your gifts and talents, when you use them for the benefit of other people, nothing is more satisfying. Your "sweet spot" gives your life meaning. It's part of your calling. It's why God created you and it's how He will fulfill His purposes through you. 

For example, one of my spiritual gifts is exhortation, or encouragement. I feel the most alive when I am encouraging others to have faith, trust God's plan and timing, follow their biggest dreams, reach their highest potential, etc. - this is my "sweet spot" in life.

Finding your "sweet spot" takes time. Yours may be leadership, teaching, administration, discernment, wisdom, evangelism - the list goes on! No gift or talent is better than another. You may have one, you may have many. Regardless, they are all important, they are all needed. 

If you're not sure what your "sweet spot" is, here is a Spiritual Gifts Test you can take that names your top three. Be honest and be confident. God wants to use you just as you are. 

You will know your "sweet spot" by the satisfaction it brings when used for the benefit of others. It's how God is going to use you to glorify Him and make disciples of Jesus Christ!

Find your "sweet spot" and then let it rip!

Webcasts, Summits, and God's Provision

I just wanted to update you on what God has been doing in my life. I wish I could find the words to fully express His faithfulness, but all I know to say is...

GOD PROVIDES! 

The best decision I ever made was when I officially let go of the life I had planned for myself and said, "God, it's all Yours. Take it! I trust You. Your plans for me are far better than the plans I have for myself. Here are my dreams. Take them and do with them what You will." 

If you read Releasing the Reins, you know surrendering my plans to God meant saying no to Los Angeles, CA and saying yes to White Oak, TX. I'm living at home and am pursuing public speaking, working to develop a platform via website where anyone can access my blog, links to my social media pages, and eventually podcasts, my YouTube channel, and clips of my speeches. 

As excited as I was to slowly build a platform, create a YouTube channel, and have my blog accessible through a website, I was even more scared. I didn't know the first thing about creating a YouTube channel, gaining influence, or generating more blog traffic. 

I knew God was calling me down this path, but I was walking down it blind. 

"Uh, God? I'll do it but um...don't forget, I was still using AOL until about a year ago, so I'm gonna need some help with this. Please teach me what I need to know."

Well, a few days after I publicized my new and improved plans, one of my precious Phi Lamb sisters messaged me. She sent me a link to a "Blog Camp" that Jefferson Bethke (Christian author, professional blogger and YouTuber) and Dale Partridge were putting on. It's a live webcast for people who are wanting to create an income blogging and start a YouTube channel...TWO THINGS I'M WANTING TO DO BUT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT! 

ARE YOU SERIOUS? 

I took one look at the website and KNEW WITHOUT A DOUBT this was an answer to my prayers and something I needed to do! I'm not one to buy ANYTHING on a whim (just call me Frugal Freda) but I registered for "Blog Camp" without a moment's hesitation. 

God had provided. 

Last Thursday, I was scrolling down my Facebook news feed and came across a post by Michael Hyatt about The Influence and Impact Summit. I clicked on the link and discovered it's a FREE conference where individuals who have great influence share what they did to develop a platform. 

I was registered for the event within SECONDS! 

God had provided....AGAIN!

There are 20+ speakers and among those speakers are three Christian authors whom I LOVE - Bob Goff, Lysa TerKeurst, and Jen Hatmaker!

The summit is Oct. 6-13th and then "Blog Camp" is Oct. 7th! What are the odds!? Not only will I be learning how to start a YouTube channel and create an income blogging, but I'll also be learning how to develop a platform! WHAT!?

SIDE NOTE: I don't know if I've told you this yet, but I dream of writing a book one day and I am SO EXCITED for the opportunity to learn from Christian authors who have been where I am! 

If I could do a cartwheel, I would. 

Okay, I know I just threw a lot of information at you but I just HAD to share because I am so excited about what God has been doing in my life! As my readers, you are such an important part of this journey and I want to keep you in the loop as much as possible. I cannot thank you enough for your loyalty. Your support means the world to me. It is my prayer that by sharing what God is doing in my life, you find yourself encouraged to look for His fingerprints in your life, too! 

This is an extremely exciting week for me and a very important step in my journey! I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I am to learn more about blogging, YouTube channels, and building a platform! I AM PUMPED! It seriously BLOWS MY MIND how much God has provided thus far...and it all began when I said no to myself/my plans and yes to God/His plans! 

And guess what?

There is no place I'd rather be than smack dab in the middle of God's will, doing things His way and in His time...whatever gives Him the most glory!