The Past

Hey Hey!

 Just sitting in my room.

 TV is on something, but couldn't tell you what. 

All the Kids are sleeping. 

Corey is at Praise and Worship rehearsal! 

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS>>

This means that I AM ALONE!! This does not happen often. So, what should I do? My brain can't help but think. The past few months there has been so much change in my life. All of it for the better. I have never been so happy as I am now. But with all growth comes some struggle. Unfortunately, I have been forced to open doors of my past and expunge the lies that was created from it. This process has been a blessing in that it shows me just how far I have come. However, my A.D.H.D. brain will not stop there. I have gone on to ponder on this place of existence, the Past! 

Most of these thoughts have only brought questions. It is so abnormal to look back on your life and really feel as though you have lived two. What part of what is behind you do you bring forward? Where do you draw the line between lessons learned and being a slave to your mistakes? 

I have found peace that I have been forgiven for my Sins. The past is no more in the eyes of my God. However, humanity isn't always as kind. Few people believe in true maturation and change. I used to be the person. I was very judgmental of people who professed to had changed. How must we respond to these people? As a follower of God, who strives only to serve Him, how are we to respond to those who only for reason of our past, judge the change within us? 

And-there are others' past. The past of those whom have entered into our lives. In the midst of all the blessing they may bring, how do you handle the lives they have lived? I do not mean one of sin, or their ability to move on. I genuinely am searching for the ability to not compare myself, or lives to the remnants of another. 

Conclusion: Choose Wisely who  you share intimate moments with. And I do not just mean sexual ones. I mean life events. Things that can never be replaced. I can only conclude the BEST way to deal with the past is contemplate your future. One of the biggest realizations I have come to recently is how important the decisions I made either for an escape or just being stubborn, were. 

Make memories with those you love and those who love you. Invest in those who will invest in you. Realize there are SEASONS in your life. Very few people you come into contact with will remain with you forever. Appreciate the ones who do, and learn from the ones who don't. 

Above all, Lean on YOUR creator! Search his word. Accept Him as your Savior, and Take everything to Him. He will always be with you. He will never hold something you did two years ago against you. He will guide your life in the way HE has planned for you. And it will be BETTER than anything you have Ever known. My wish for you is all these. That you also may find yourself alone, reveling in the blessings He has given you. 

And with that MY HUBBY is HOME :) 

Good Night :) 

Find your Purpose then Loose Yourself

Hello again! It has been a minute since my last blog! First, I hope you are all well and enjoying blessings daily. While doing some preparation today, I ran across some material and did some thinking...result

NEW BLOG POST! 

Hope you Enjoy!

I feel so blessed to witness God working every day I awaken. It is amazing the things that have been opened to me since embracing the freedom only my Creator can give. Recently, Pastor Jason has began leading our church in a message on Legacy. With the passion I carry for leadership, I am ULTRA excited about this series. I literally count down to Sunday. This, partnered today with my passion, as I was asked to do some leadership training again. Oh, how I miss leadership training. 

While I was doing some research to prepare for the next couple of weeks in secular business, I was revived. I could feel the energy in my hands as I wrote agendas for the training, set goals on what we wanted to accomplish, identified obstacles we may encounter. Even thinking about it, I get butterflies. However, today was different. While preparing the training today, I noticed that I pulled quite a bit of the information from notes I had written in church on Sunday! And that my friends, is the conception of this blog!

Tonight, I want to pose to you a challenge.

 It's not directly from me. It is found within the depths of all of you. It most definitely was in me. It is the motivation to move forward. It is the question that keeps us up at night. It is the quest that often times is never finished. In it's absence, it is the cause of harmful choices. It is the challenge to:

 Find Your Purpose

We have heard of this. It is nothing new. However, I promise you the challenge does not end there. I also challenge you to:

Loose Yourself

 We are all created with Purpose. We were deliberately created. We are not the result of some random explosion. We were made by a divine Creator and Savior, and He has distinct plans for you! (Jeremiah: 29:11)

I know what you are thinking. "Ok, if I was created with a purpose, how do I find it?" 

What are you Passionate about? 

Passion is the great energizer. Most often in life, passion links with Purpose. Passion always stands out and sets you apart from the crowd. Passion breeds hope. When things seem impossible, it is the very core of what will keep you going. We were never promised living out our purpose will be easy. Eventually you will need the energy produced to take the extra step, step out of your comfort zone, walk deeper into the ocean. 

What are you Good at? 

What are your strengths? What Gifts do you have? God gave you gifts. When you find them, you will be good at them. You will be energized by them. You will have the Opportunity to use them, and create the capacity to develop them. 

This reminds me of something I teach leaders regarding Positioning people. It is called the Quadrant of Doing Theory. This theory encourages people to find their quadrant of doing, which is made up of what one likes to do and what he/she is good at. This is success. 

When I think of success and finding purpose, I can't help but then to ask myself, "What is the difference between success and significance?"  Honestly, there was once a time when I didn't feel there was a difference. But today it was so clearly revealed to me.

Success adds Value to Ones Self, Significance adds Value to Others.

There are very few people I have came across in my life that get this part right. My mother in law, Janet McMullen, is one of these people. She is the professor that will never retire. The one whose job is so much more than the courses she teaches. She found her purpose, and lost herself. Spending many times investing in her students, praying with them, teaching them. Living with a hotline to Heaven. Praying for others daily. 

When your purpose becomes bigger than you, you lose yourself. We often begin because we want to make a difference. If you then strive to make a difference doing something that makes a difference beyond you, you are beginning to lose yourself. Even more maturing to making a difference doing something that makes a difference beyond yourself with other people who make a difference. You are becoming significant.

Jesus tells us in Mark 8: 34-35 "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life would lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." If you are bigger than your purpose you have a career, however when your purpose becomes bigger than you, you have a calling. Imagine putting your purpose to work with people that has eternal factors involved. This my friends, is a whole other level of living. 

That is all my friends- I wish you all blessing and love. 

--Everytime you put ALL of you into someone else, something bigger, EVERYTHING changes.--

-Ashleigh Mc