I was on Pinterest (imagine that) today and realized that I have a lot of goals in my life and things I want to experience or do atleast once. I think they call this a "bucket list". So I decided I'd create my bucket list. It's fun because you realize some things you've already done and then things you can look forward to. I've accomplished a lot but like to list the things I want to do rather than what I've already done!
I encourage you to try this! They can be big or small things. My list will change here and there, I'm sure!
You can check out some ideas from Pinterest on my "Everyone needs a bucket list" board... http://pinterest.com/mandigraceb/everyone-needs-a-bucket-list/
Mandi's Bucket list...
■Have a son
□Learn to play an instrument
□Take Blaine on an amazing vacation
□Graduate college (i'd like to do this a couple times)
□Go to a Spa
■Jet ski like a wild woman
□Live in a different state
□Get through surgery
□Go to a wine tasting
□Learn French or Italian
□Decorate my own house
■Be someone's role model
□Visit the world's largest aquarium
□Get my scuba diving license
□Carry a conceiled weapon LEGALLY
■Walk well in heels
□Buy my own bad-a pistol
□See Adele perform live
■Donate my hair to locks of love
□Learn more about nutrition
□Get a tattoo
□Have a hedgehog as a pet AGAIN
□Own an iPhone 4S
■Own a collection of bras & panties from VS
□Own a salt water aquarium
□Have my own boutique in the city
□Learn to sew and make my own clothes
□Work at Disney as a Princess
□Tour Italy
■Fall in love
□Celebrate my birthday in Vegas
□Go on a road trip with friend or just Blaine
■Live without credit card debt
□Learn sign language
□Stay in a castle
□Own a nicer camera
□Grow my hair really long AGAIN
□Swim with dolphins
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
...it is time to move forward...
I used to wake up every morning worried about what was going to happen that day or how I was going to make things better. I'd spend the entire day trying to understand the "what" behind the "why" of the "where" I'm at in my life now. That becomes so exhausting and I've come to realize that there is absolutely nothing I can do besides give up all my fears, needs, wants, desires, worries and fears of every situation and fully rely on God.
Do not worry about tomorrow. (Matthew 6:34) I'm totally abandoning all to Him, everything that I have, every worry that I have confrontation with everyday, it's all His to deal with. (Matthew 11:30) My yoke is easy and my burden is light! That sounds much better than the headache I give myself everyday! I will no longer worry about what's going to happen now, 2 months, or 5 years because He knows the plans He has for me... prosperity, hope, and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) I'm giving it all to him so that I can MOVE FORWARD! If I hold on to my own desires, it doesn't give him much room to put His hands in and do the amazing things that He has planned for me. (2 Corinthians 1:20) I want to go all the way... letting it all go, burn the bridges, cut the rope, take a leap of faith, don't look back, just PRESS ON! Press on to the prize of knowing God. (2 Peter 1:2) You gotta move, one way or the other, forward or backward.
I will cling to Him, my best friend, the one that restores and makes all things new! He will do a work in my life because, unlike humans, he keeps his word and doesn't disappoint. As a matter of fact, he does above all that I can imagine! I'm ready for Him to get back to completing the work he began in me. (Phillipians 1:6) I don't want even one of my boney fingers on any aspect of my life. In the end, I will be beautiful and the pieces will be put together and the best part... He will get the glory! I'll be able to say this is where I was, this is where he's brought me, all credit is due to Him! (Revelation 4:11)
I can honestly say... my reliance and confidence are totally in Christ! No more looking back at the past or what could have been... only forward from here! I'm forgiven and loved by the greatest man in history! What more do I need? When I'm with my daddy... my innocence is restored! I am made new in Christ!
This isn't to say that I can just sit still and do nothing, becoming stagnant like motionless water. Definitely not.. it's time to MOVE! It just simply means that I can walk in the strength and my growing knowledge of God. I can rest in his arms when I am weak and weary. (Matthew 11:28) When I worry, I can hand it to Him and he makes the burden light. If I worry about what others say about me or if I'm truly forgiven, I can remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! (Romans 8:1) When I wish someone else would change, He can show me what I need to change about myself instead. When I wake up in the morning, I don't have to be overwhelmed with life but I can rejoice that my Daddy has everything under control. Most importantly, I can tell everyone about His love and what He has done for me! I can actually worship Him for who He is because I actually know more about who He is to me!! (1 John 4:16)
Matthew 6:34 - 34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Matthew 11:30 - 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jeremiah 29:11 - 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
2 Corinthians 1:20 - 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
2 Peter 1:2 - 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Phillipians 1:6 - 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Revelation 4:11 - 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Matthew 11:28 - 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Romans 8:1 - 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
1 John 4:16 - 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Trusting God
First, I would like to warn you that if you're reading this blog you will find that I try not to sugar coat things. If at any point you feel I'm being negative or that I have self-pity, I believe that you're reading into it the wrong way. Your input is always appreciated so feel free to say whatever you think fits. I want to attempt to express the struggles and concerns that I have in my own life with hope that someone else will realize that even though it may not be the same as my situation, they aren't alone in what they are going through. It's nice to know sometimes that you aren't alone.
I am who I am and I want to be real with the world and most importantly, myself. Being honest with yourself helps you to see things in your life for what they really are. Situations and circumstances in my life have brought me to the place that I am now. Sadly, a place of brokenness and discontentment with my relationship with God. I will never try to convince you that I have everything figured out. I'm working through these hard times and learning a lot of lessons through the challenges.
Nothing takes God by surprise, he knows the end from the beginning. He knew who my parents were going to be before he gave me to them. He knew when my first wreck was going to be. He knew who my bestest friend would be. He knew I was going to be pregnant at 18 years old. He knew that the greatest blessing of my life would come to me in a little boy named Blaine. He knew I would make the mistakes I have made. He knew what would come of those mistakes. Which brings me to what I want to say today...
God knows every moment of our lives before we even get to them. Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. He created us to be so much more than we can conjure up in our minds. Sometimes without being aware of it, I make decisions and choices that I think are what I WANT to do when I never let Him lead me to show me what I NEED to do. That has led me to a place of discontentment and confusion, which God is not the author of. So now I'm at a place of asking God for answers and trying to have clarity for the things in my heart and what to do with the situation I am presently in. "Why?" & "What?" have become common questions in my vocabulary to God. This brings frustration and more confusion the more I ask for answers and understanding.
Then I heard this - If you have to know the why behind everything and you're gonna spend you're life trying to figure everything out, you are never going to have contentment and satisfaction. You will never enter the rest of God because trust always requires having some unanswered questions in your life. I want to trade my questions for trust. Blessed are those that believe and still, yet, do not understand. Daniel 4:35 - None can stay His hand or say to him, "What are you doing?". This scripture states that we shouldn't question God on what he is doing. I believe we should trust his work instead of questioning the "what?" or "why?".
I would like to serve God with my heart, instead of my mind. My heart is the important thing to focus on. Heart being connected to God, when you speak to Him and have fellowship with Him, you speak from your heart instead of your mind. You don't serve God with your mind or by trying to figure Him out (that's exhausting). Serve Him with your heart and take authority over your mind. If it's in your heart and God has placed it in your heart, don't question Him with your mind.
I speak from a lot of areas in my life. This is just the study I've had today. Again, I don't have this figured out and I'm nobody to preach to you. I'm not 100% on this but I'm working on it. Remember, it is always best to study the word for yourself. These are just thoughts from my mind and what I've gathered so don't go off of what I say. Joyce Meyers put the seed in my ear and I studied from there. Find it out for yourself, you may find you enjoy the fellowship with God.
You can leave a comment if you have a google account. If not, feel free to message me on facebook or email me... mandigrace@yahoo.com
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2870344/mandi-grace?claim=ymc8zmr6xk7">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
I am who I am and I want to be real with the world and most importantly, myself. Being honest with yourself helps you to see things in your life for what they really are. Situations and circumstances in my life have brought me to the place that I am now. Sadly, a place of brokenness and discontentment with my relationship with God. I will never try to convince you that I have everything figured out. I'm working through these hard times and learning a lot of lessons through the challenges.
Nothing takes God by surprise, he knows the end from the beginning. He knew who my parents were going to be before he gave me to them. He knew when my first wreck was going to be. He knew who my bestest friend would be. He knew I was going to be pregnant at 18 years old. He knew that the greatest blessing of my life would come to me in a little boy named Blaine. He knew I would make the mistakes I have made. He knew what would come of those mistakes. Which brings me to what I want to say today...
God knows every moment of our lives before we even get to them. Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. He created us to be so much more than we can conjure up in our minds. Sometimes without being aware of it, I make decisions and choices that I think are what I WANT to do when I never let Him lead me to show me what I NEED to do. That has led me to a place of discontentment and confusion, which God is not the author of. So now I'm at a place of asking God for answers and trying to have clarity for the things in my heart and what to do with the situation I am presently in. "Why?" & "What?" have become common questions in my vocabulary to God. This brings frustration and more confusion the more I ask for answers and understanding.
Then I heard this - If you have to know the why behind everything and you're gonna spend you're life trying to figure everything out, you are never going to have contentment and satisfaction. You will never enter the rest of God because trust always requires having some unanswered questions in your life. I want to trade my questions for trust. Blessed are those that believe and still, yet, do not understand. Daniel 4:35 - None can stay His hand or say to him, "What are you doing?". This scripture states that we shouldn't question God on what he is doing. I believe we should trust his work instead of questioning the "what?" or "why?".
I would like to serve God with my heart, instead of my mind. My heart is the important thing to focus on. Heart being connected to God, when you speak to Him and have fellowship with Him, you speak from your heart instead of your mind. You don't serve God with your mind or by trying to figure Him out (that's exhausting). Serve Him with your heart and take authority over your mind. If it's in your heart and God has placed it in your heart, don't question Him with your mind.
I speak from a lot of areas in my life. This is just the study I've had today. Again, I don't have this figured out and I'm nobody to preach to you. I'm not 100% on this but I'm working on it. Remember, it is always best to study the word for yourself. These are just thoughts from my mind and what I've gathered so don't go off of what I say. Joyce Meyers put the seed in my ear and I studied from there. Find it out for yourself, you may find you enjoy the fellowship with God.
You can leave a comment if you have a google account. If not, feel free to message me on facebook or email me... mandigrace@yahoo.com
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2870344/mandi-grace?claim=ymc8zmr6xk7">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
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