When you feel like your life is controlling you - then you know that things must change.  

Firstly, I am tired of being connected all the time.  Cell phones have made life easier in some aspects but far too difficult in others.

By being at your cell phones beckon call you are separating yourself from those around you.  The picture above is a clear explanation of that.  I would never want my family members to feel that way, but I know at times they do.  It is time to make change - here is what I have done to start making changes:

1. turn off notifications- get rid of the little red dot that is telling you that you need to check your phone right now.  Everything can be changed and modified in your settings, make time to implement these changes - you will be thankful.
2. put the phone down - when you get home from work have a place for your phone and leave it there.  This is your time to spend with your family - you do not work 24 hours a day - whatever it is, it can wait until morning.  Let your friends and family know that you are not checking your phone 24 hours a day, just because you receive a text message does not mean that you have to reply immediately.  
3. At night do not place your phone on your night stand.  Keep the temptation away.  Sleep is for rejuvenation and relaxation - that is not provided by your phone or any app.  Our family placed a table in the hallway which is our charging station, all our "stuff" is left there for the night.  It sets a good example when your devices are located on the table with the whole family.
4. When going out with friends leave your phone in your car or your purse.  Keep your focus on those that you are spending your time with, not the random people on Facebook.  Even if your phone is face down on the table, it is a distraction.  Put the darn thing away!
5. Speaking of Facebook- take a few minutes to go through your "friends" list and start deleting.  I took a look at my list and I started to be selective.  I found a portion of my "friends" never talked to me in real life when I saw them so I wasn't sure what relationship I was having with them so I had to delete.  I had a few "friends" that spent most of their time complaining,  why would I want it in my feed?  Which led me to ask, "What do I want to see in my feed?"  That led to going through groups and pages that I liked and I cleaned house on my Facebook page.  I only want to see things that are going to encourage and inspire me.  I refuse to invest any of the precious time I have on this earth filling myself with negativity.
6. Just because your phone rings does not mean that you have to answer.  A pet peeve of mine is people who chat on their phone while they are checking out at the grocery store.  I am really not interested in hearing your conversation and honestly - it is really rude.  

Not only are we making changes with how we interact with our phones but also that black rectangle in our living room.

A couple of years ago we built a house, it's not finished yet.  I am married to a contractor, it probably won't be finished when we celebrate our 50th anniversary.  😁  But that's okay because it is about the family that lives in it, not it's finishes.  When we were working with the engineers we designed a room around our TV.  We dedicated a room so that our family can sit around and be entertained by box on the wall.  Why did we choose to do this? 

Now we are seeing the err in our ways and we are making changes.  I have disconnect our cable, and honestly we do not miss it.  There are a couple of shows that we like to watch and we can catch them online and we have Netflix.  It is amazing to see how many other things that we can find to do now that we are not focused on that box on the wall and we are saving $100 a month!  Score!

Take time to figure out what this looks like in your life.  Where are you investing your time?

We spend so much of our life listening to what others are trying to tell us and teach us.  At age 5 we are sitting in class learning the basics, we continue on through grade after grade building on the basics.  Our parents help us to grow in character, our Church feeds into our spiritual life and the media we are constantly surrounded with gives us all kinds of messages.  With all this knowledge and input all around us sometimes it feels like our head may explode.

Over the past few years I have been trying to escape this life craziness and figure out what is important in my life.  I thought about the relationships in my life: my husband, my daughters, my extended family and my friends.  I thought about my Church, my involvement at my daughter’s school and my neighbourhood.  Just like most people, I have a lot going on; where do I put my focus?

The answer is so simple that often times we take it for granted.  The most important thing in our life needs to be our relationship with Christ.  Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it.  Depending how you look at it, it is pretty easy but in today’s society we really complicate it.

Imagine what life could look like if we put our relationship with Christ over everything else.  Life would be easy, not a care or worry in the world.  WRONG!

Once you give control over to Christ you never know what could happen.  He will choose to grow and develop your character when it may not be on your schedule.  Time is required to develop your relationship with your Creator.  Think about relationships in your own life, the people you know the best.  How did that happen?  By investing time to get to know the person.  The same is with Christ, you need to spend time with Him studying His Word, meditating on His Word, journaling about His Word, talking with other followers about His Word and choosing to be silent to hear that still small voice. (1 Kings 19:22)  Sounds pretty easy, right?

I have been listening to an audio version of the book of Acts.  The beginnings of the early church are so exciting for me.  To see the leading of God in people’s lives, the choice to be obedient and the miracles that happened in the lives of believers.  The apostles did not have an easy time but they remained steady in what they were required to do.  Personally, I believe that, that is only possible when you have your priorities right.  Your relationship with Christ is above all else and believe it or not, everything will feel like it is falling into place.  

Things in life may not always turn out the way that we want or how we expect but what is necessary for God’s plan. 
  
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 

Psalm 139 is an important chapter to me.  On those days when you are feeling a little low, I reach for my Bible and find my place there.

I always knew about the “path” that I am continually trying to locate and stay on.  But telling me where to stop and rest was something I don’t ever remember reading or learning before. 

If I had to pin point my location on the path I would say that I am at a resting place.  I have tried fighting against this rest stop.  I can see the road ahead of me and I want to keep moving and reach for the goals that God has me striving for.

The more I fought the harder God tried to hold me in the resting place.  Why would I want to fight rest?  Looking back on the last two years I am asking myself a lot of questions.  Currently I am enjoying the rest.  I now know that this is a time of “being still” and taking time to study and prepare for what God has next.  I am enjoying it and treasuring this time that I get to spend with my Lord.  I am learning and growing tremendously; I have learned to be thankful for this time. 

The question arises again.  Why did I fight this?  Why did it have to come to the point of health issues and job loss for me to give in and give myself over to a period of rest.

As a society we are driven to succeed.  A period of rest could look like laziness and lack of dedication to the calling that God has placed on your life.  I was enjoying what I was doing for God, why would I want to stop?  I was helping people-- encouraging people to live their lives with and on purpose.  I won a National award for my book-- why would I want to stop when everyone was asking when my next book is coming out?

Now that I have chosen to stop and rest I have a clearer vision of what God has in store.  It is bigger and greater than anything that I was striving for when I was fighting the rest, and something I would have never seen if I didn’t have this time of rest.

Every moment you know where I am and why I am there.  May I continue to be obedient and trust that you know the path better than I may think I do.

Life is full of different seasons.  It seems that you just get used to the one that you are in and then a new season knocks on your door and your life feels like it has been turned upside down.

I am so glad that God never changes - that He is the same today, yesterday and forever.  He is a constant companion no matter what season I am or how out of balance my life feels.

Over the last six months I have seen a lot of change.  What used to scare me now excites me because I know that I am not in control.  That sounds odd doesn't it?  When you give up control and give God control life is so much sweeter.  

I am tired of being stressed and anxious, there is really no need.  God's plan is better than my biggest and wildest dreams.  I choose to rest in Him and let my life take flight in His will.

Psalm 139 is a special chapter to me.  It is one that I often turn to if I am having one of those "bad self-esteem" days.  Psalm 139:3 is a good reminder for me.

“You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.”

I always knew about the “path” that I am continually trying to locate and stay on.  But telling me where to stop and rest was something I don’t ever remember reading or learning before. 

If I had to pin point my location on the path right now I would say that I am at a resting place.  I have tried fighting against this rest stop.  I can see the road ahead of me and I want to keep moving and reach for the goals that God has me striving for.

The more I fight the harder God tries to hold me in the resting place.  Why would I want to fight rest?  Looking back on the last few years I am asking myself a lot of questions.  Currently I am enjoying the rest.  I now know that this is a time of “being still” and taking time to study and prepare for what God has next.  I am enjoying it and treasuring this time that I get to spend with my Lord and my family.  I am learning and growing tremendously; I have learned to be thankful for this time. 

The question arises again.  Why did I fight this?  

As a society we are driven to succeed.  A period of rest could look like laziness and lack of dedication to the calling that God has placed on your life.  I was enjoying what I was doing for God, why would I want to stop?  I was helping people-- encouraging people to live their lives with and on purpose.  I won a National award for my book-- why would I want to stop when everyone was asking when my next book is coming out?

Now that I have chosen to stop and rest I have a clearer vision of what God has in store.  It is bigger and greater than anything that I was striving for when I was fighting the rest and something I would have never seen if I did not have this time of rest.

Every moment you know where I am and why I am there.  May I continue to be obedient and trust that you know the path better than I may think I do.

I love my Bible. I love to just sit and hug it sometimes. Does that sound a little strange to you? Try it. Go and grab your Bible, dust it off if you have to and give it a tight squeeze. 

I love to sit in a quiet place, close my eyes, hug my Bible, take a few deep breaths inhale…..….exhale……… and just be still. Can you feel it? That overwhelming sense that you are not alone. That the One who created you, the One who loves you and needs you is eagerly waiting to spend time with you.

I have to be honest with you, I stopped reading my Bible years ago. Reading it was doing nothing for me. One day while I was visiting with a friend I told her my problem with my Bible. She told me what I was doing wrong, the problem was not my Bible, it was me. You’re not supposed to read your Bible you are supposed to study your Bible. Oh, I get it. If I am serious about my faith and understanding what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ I need to study God’s word.

As I began to study amazing things began to happen. I saw passages in the Bible in ways that I never understood before. Things I had learned over and over again in Sunday school and youth now took on new meaning and I began to understand how these things that happened so long ago are applicable to my life right now.

Are you up for a little Bible trivia? 

1. What is the longest chapter in the Bible? Psalms 119. 
   
2. What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Psalms 117. 
   
3. Do you know what the middle verse of the entire Bible is? Psalms 118:8 which reads, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.” (NLT)
   

Wow, did that verse ever speak to me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord—it is better to escape, find cover, shelter or sanctuary in the Lord. Then to put your trust, confidence, hope or faith in people.

How often I found myself dealing with something and the first thing I would do, is to run to one of my friends. But what does that verse tell us? The best place to go would be where we can find shelter, at the feet of our Lord. It’s a hard thing to do. People are tangible, they are right there in front of you, you can ask them questions and you can clearly hear their response. You know what? That can happen in your relationship with Christ as well!

As you begin to study His word - Joshua 1:8 and hide it in your heart- Psalm 119:11, you are developing your relationship with Him- 2 John 1:9. As that relationship blossoms you will be able to understand scripture more clearly- Matthew 13:12 and be able to hear His “still small voice”- 1 Kings 19:12.

How does that sound? Does it sound a little overwhelming? I know sometimes when I look at my Bible it just seems so big. I am not sure what I want to read or what God wants me to read. I get so overwhelmed that I just put it down and do something else. If you look at the last paragraph I listed five scriptures. That is a great place to start!

Take time to apply it to your life: Here is your challenge. Begin to study those five verses. How do you study? Let’s use Joshua 1:8 as our example. I begin by learning about the book. In my Bible and the beginning of each book it gives you a synopsis of that book.  I start by learning who wrote it, when it was written and what the main theme of the book is. So now I know all about the book of Joshua. With that information in my head I would then read the whole chapter. So in this example I would read Joshua chapter one. I want to find out what is happening, why was this verse written and who is the author writing it to.

Why is this important or necessary? Let’s take for example that you found a note on the floor at school. You glace at the letter and half way through you see your name and it says, “Cj just makes me sick I am going to have to tell her I what I think.” Your first reaction? “Oh ya, I will tell you what I think!” You feel your body getting hot and you need somewhere to sit down. Your head is spinning with all kinds of thoughts, “Who would say that about me?” You look to see who wrote it- “What! I thought she was my friend!” Who did she write it to? Your friend in drama class? What is going on here? You begin to read the whole letter from the beginning; soon the understanding begins to unfold. Your friend began the letter by writing about this and that; then she began talking about your performance in the recent school play. The two girls were complimenting you on the great job that you did and that they should encourage you in your acting and singing abilities. Once you took the time to read the full letter, you understood that you made your friend sick with envy.

Do you see how your understanding can get confused if you don’t take the time to get the full story. The same goes with scripture. In order to understand what you believe in you have look at the big picture. Reading a verse here and there gives you very limited knowledge of scripture and who God is.

I want to leave you one more verse to study and meditate on: