Month: July 2020

My Grace Filled, Self-Care Tips…Guilt Free

by simplybalancedLeave a Comment on My Grace Filled, Self-Care Tips…Guilt Free

“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” -Unknown

“Reading self-growth books is a super form of self-care.“-Giselle

Friends, I’m celebrating and enjoying guilt-free living these days. Guilt-free of what you might ask? Guilt-free from not having to have it all together, not being “the good girl” all the time, not doing the Christian life perfectly, and most importantly, embracing personal self-care without feeling selfish or vain.

I’m very thankful to ministries such as PastorJosephPrince.com for teaching his empowering message of the gift of Grace-God’s unmerited favor, which opened my eyes to the deception and lies I believed. I’m grateful to teachers like Joyce Meyer and authors like Emily P. Freeman, who also teach bold messages of Grace, which allow radical transformation and change to take place.

And finally, I’m very grateful to God’s Word for revealing to me the freedom of living by grace versus the bondage of living by the law-something that used to suffocate me before being freed from the “Good Girl Syndrome”.

I strongly recommend reading the book of Galatians since the theme is pursuing holiness…not in our strength but HIS-not by observing or obeying laws but by putting our trust solely in HIM. Only God, through HIS Spirit, gives us the ability to live the Christian life with joy. What a relief!!

I’ve put together 12 self-care tips that are easy to incorporate, along with Bible verses that correlate to each concept. Hope you enjoy them and practice them as much as I am-they’re a game-changer.  Enjoy the following tips- guilt-free: 🙂 

  • Pursuing A Purpose-Filled, Fulfilling Career-Consider a career change if unhappy, otherwise change your perspective. Colossians 3:23-24
  • Enjoying Satisfying Relationships-It’s not possible at all times, but peace with self is. Romans 12:18
  • Practicing A Consistent Faith Walk-Let’s not grow weary in our faith, but persevere to see results. Galatians 6:9
  • Authentic Self-Expression-Being transparent and authentic should not be modeled by others, but by what God’s Word says about it. James 3:17
  • Having Boundaries-Guarding our hearts protects us and allows others to respect our personal boundaries-what we allow, need, and desire. Proverbs 4:23
  • Work-Life Balance-God created us for balanced living. Too much work and little time off takes a toll on our spiritual, mental, and physical health. Psalm 127:2
  • Finding Time For Relaxation– Doing fun activities that relax us is crucial, but true chill can only come from the God of Rest. Psalm 46:10
  • Restful Sleep– Sleeping 8 plus (quality) hours repairs and restores our body, mind, and spirit. Psalm 4:8
  • Enjoy Times Of Play– Having childlike qualities, and embracing the simple things of life, is a joyful way to live. Matthew 18:3
  • Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods– When you bring God into your eating choices, everything in our lives is affected, including the emotional and spiritual areas. 1st Corinthians 10:31
  • Practice Enjoyable Exercise Routines– Find exercises that are truly enjoyable and “ALIGNED TO YOUR TASTE”-invigorating and relaxing for YOU. Practice them regularly, if not every day. 1st Corinthians 9:24
  • Regular Pampering-Schedule manicures, pedicures, hair appointments, facials, or whatever SELF-CARE activities you’d like to partake in for the next few weeks-you’ll feel like a new woman. Mark 12:31          

Let’s do this!!  With lots of LOVE, I’m here for you. Let me know how I can support you on your Grace-Filled journey!           

And The Greatest Of These…Is Love

by simplybalanced1 Comment on And The Greatest Of These…Is Love

Confession:

I don’t know about you, but my heart is not only broken but also very upset to see the hate, destruction, and division our country is facing…all of this along with a health pandemic.

This is very saddening to many who like me are idealists and constantly crave a state of utopia-a fairytale dream to some.

I’m the typical flower child-peacemaker at heart who tries to see the positive or wholesome side of everything I view or hear.

But as I’m becoming more aware of the physical, emotional, and civic upheaval our country is going through, I can feel my IDEALIST bubble ready to pop.

The reality is…there are civil groups and protestors out there that are not only expressing their disapproval of injustice but are using this platform to sound off their anger, fear, and unhappiness… with destruction, hate, and division. The truth is, that blaming others for our troubles is not only deceptive but it can lead to not accepting the part we play and learn from our mistakes .

The Good News:

There are more American citizens who are respectful, loving, tolerant, and peace loving than what the news mediums portray. I choose to listen to and read positive content which has been proven to be healthy for the mind, the body, and the spirit.

I have also chosen to manifest Love towards others, because I’ve embraced GOD’S GRACE into my heart. He’s my power source, my instigator of unity. Love, instead of hate, will always be the result of manifesting Grace to our neighbor.

1 John 4:20-21 says, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

How can God’s Grace show up during these challenging times when we are tempted to judge and find disgust with the doings of others? How can we fly above the hate and social disrespect of our times?

The answer is, we are to love the unlovable. It’s pretty easy to love those who speak well of us, those who love us, and those who respect us. Loving those who don’t deserve it can be hard. Only God’s Grace (unmerited favor) understood can help us love when it’s tough.

But what better example of the Grace of God bestowed on us by Jesus- He still offered mercy to the unlovable and hateful of His time, that after being excessively beaten, ridiculed, spit on, and ultimately crucified on the cross of Calvary, He still said, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what there are doing.” -Luke 23:34

Choosing the way of LOVE during these challenging times is not always easy, especially when the temptation to judge, criticize, and misunderstand other’s motives is so relevant. Let’s be the bigger person by being an example of God’s Grace within a crooked and perverse generation. Yes, we can still support just causes, voice our concerns, and communicate our Godly perspectives but never from a Pharisaic or legalistic point of view. Grace in the form of Mercy is the way.

So, how can we shower Mercy to those that don’t deserve it? We’ve all been bestowed with Grace from above by the Creator of LOVE. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, it says, “And now these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love; but the greatest of these is LOVE.” From God’s perspective, “Love covers a multitude of sins”. That’s what He did for us, so let’s shower it to others.

– LET’S CHOOSE THE WAY OF LOVE-

-GRACE IN TIMES OF SLACK-

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“Sluggards do not plow in season;

    so at harvest time they look but find nothing.”- Proverbs 20:4

I’m a woman in the middle of a passionate love affair with God’s Grace. But lately, more than ever,  I’ve been obsessing a lot about my issue with procrastination.  Probably because my blog posts are due on Tuesdays.  And here I sit, on another Tuesday morning, struggling with words that are already there.  And have always been there, but there seems to be a fear of releasing them somewhere deep within.

I’ve procrastinated to get these words onto a Word Doc. but know there’s an underlying fear. I somehow, deep down fear that sitting down to get them out would suddenly make them disappear. That is, my intentional message all forgotten.

Why the procrastination?  I’ve prayed about it on multiple occasions. Why am I having so much trouble writing about something that I’m so passionate about?  I can post about verses of the Bible and Wellness topics on Facebook, and also share what they mean personally.  And yet, when it comes time to sit down and write how His Grace can transform us, help us with our weaknesses, and most importantly sets us free from over functioning-I’ve hesitated. I don’t know where to start.

We all have things that we know we need to do…a creative project that has to be tackled. A project “so huge” that we just don’t know where to start. And we know that it’s too much for us to tackle it by ourselves.  So what do we do? We distract yourselves with television, social media, reading other writers’ blogs, puttering around the house, or online shopping. At least that’s what I do. Anything that will lead me away from facing the truth of my poor time management and procrastination.

A question that we usually have when we begin our faith walk is…Where do we start?  And the answer is…just start-begin anywhere-God will honor it. If my paralyzing phobia of sharing my heart applied to this scenario, then the knowledge of not knowing where to start isn’t really the root or the reason why I procrastinate. It really comes down to the fear of God not being there when I step out in faith. It’s not knowing that His Grace will be there to catch me when I plunge into the unknown. Ultimately, It’s not knowing that He’s does have the message that I need to deliver. But the good news is…He’s the messenger, not me.

What if the content I desire to share doesn’t come as easily as it does to a “successful blogger”? Slack can become a vicious cycle of self-sabotage. We don’t know where to start, so we put it off.  And we then take the easy way and make excuses as to why we haven’t.  Before we know it, we’ve missed the boat. Time flies and we’re now again in square one. The reality is, we really worry about not delivering our message effectively. And all this time, God has been waiting for us to take the plunge and jump. But what if we just sit still to hear God’s voice…His still small voice within.

From a positive perspective…How can this vicious cycle of poor time management, procrastination, and slack STOP? This is the place where God’s grace kicks in- if we allow it. Grace is the enablement of being equipped to do what doesn’t come naturally. It’s the supernatural power that manifests when we let go of our own strength, our own agenda, and put ourselves in the Hands of Him who has it all figured out.

It really comes down to our relationship with God and how much we trust Him working in us in the areas that have made us struggle. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to make the jump, knowing that He will catch me. The following are a few simple steps to take this journey of productivity and stop the SLACK:

  1. Acknowledge your fear. Let’s be sincere and face the true reason for the procrastination.
  2. Strengthen yourself with God’s truths of the Holy Spirit being your “Helper” in the midst of the challenges; seek out verses that quote the Holy Spirit being all that you need.
  3. Surrender to God your weaknesses and fears. Know that you’re powerless without His help.
  4. Begin seeing yourself as productive, organized, fearless, and intentional, because you are all that- in HIM.
  5. Begin living your new truths, knowing that you’re not alone in your process. You have a calling but He’s got the strategies and the enablement for your success.
  6. The Holy Spirit is your “Helper” …when you grow weak, stumble, or slack. He’ll always be there filling in for you. Our only role is to acknowledge His Presence in our time of need. Seek out the following verses on the person of the Holy Spirit…

In John 15:26 and John 16:7, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples. In these verses, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Comforter, Advocate, Helper, or Counselor depending on the Bible translation you are reading.

❤️ With much love and grace, I encourage you to take the plunge. We’re in this together!-Giselle