I’ve learned to try not to cling too tightly to the plan but to still hang on to the goal. Clinging to the plan as though it’s the only lifeline to achieving the goal can have dire consequences. We can get so caught up in working the plan that we fail to see the need for change or we don’t consider that an unexpected opportunity could be instrumental in reaching the destination.
At the root of this planning desire is my need to feel in control, and more specifically, the need to control the unknown.
Sooner or later, we all realize we can’t control everything or everyone. Loosening the reins a bit will allow space in the plan for unexpected divinity.
Make a plan, but let the road take you where it leads.
day 3
conformity
IS NOT NECESSARY
We live in a world that constantly pressures us into conforming to someone else’s idea of who we’re supposed to be. It’s chronic fatigue for the identity.
Everywhere you turn, you’ll find messages trying to convince you that your version of you just isn’t right. Too skinny, too fat, too loud, too shy. . . .
The culprit isn’t just pop culture and the degradation of society as a whole, it’s something much closer.
Sometimes the pressure comes from a working mom reassuring herself and the decisions she’s made by judging the stay-at-home mom or the stay-at-home mom belittling the working mother’s choices. As women, we can be each other’s worst enemy.
It doesn’t have to be this way. People should cheer each other on, not participate in the world’s mass push to turn us into online avatars. You haven’t come this far in life by being somebody else. All your achievements, happy moments, and loving relationships are a byproduct of who YOU are. If you were to succumb to the pressure to conform, you would miss out on the awesome identity God has given you. He made you the you that you are because he knew what it would take to get you there. If he wanted you to be like Sally, he would have made you like her with all her desires and talents.
But in his infinite wisdom he knew the world would need someone like you with all of your unique ideas and abilities.
day 4
BE PREPARED
FOR A LITTLE RESISTANCE
ALONG THE WAY
I’ve never met anyone who accomplished anything worthwhile who didn’t encounter some resistance along the way. It’s inevitable.
Any noteworthy endeavor you set out to achieve is going to hit a few bumps. Nothing seems to go completely as planned, and you’ll find yourself dealing with problems you didn’t know you had.
That’s okay. Don’t be derailed by it. It’s part of the process.
The old saying is true: It may not be easy, but it will be worth it.
If accomplishing big things were easy, everyone would do it. It seems as though we’ve become convinced the easy path is the right path.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Not everything you are called to do will be easy. In fact, taking the right path is often harder. But don’t worry, you can do hard things. It’s a lie to believe you can’t.
For me, being a wife and mother are a huge part of my purpose, but it certainly has not been the easiest task. With all the uncertainty of raising my children and building my marriage, it is by doing these acts that I have grown the most. Yes, some days (and years!) were hard, and at times, I felt like I wasn’t enough, but I grew in those days. I became stronger and more confident. I learned more about myself through those holy callings.
That’s a mighty task, but you’re capable.
IF
ACCOMPLISHING
BIG THINGS
WERE EASY,
EVERYONE WOULD
DO IT.
WORDS TO BE BRAVE BY
day 5
DON’T
DIMINISH
YOURSELF TO
EASE THE
INSECURITY
OF OTHERS.
DON’T WASTE
ANOTHER
PRECIOUS
MINUTE OF YOUR
LIFE REJECTING
YOURSELF.
day 6
SHE WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND
You know who. That girl in the mirror. The one in the reflection staring back at you. She really wants to be your friend. Will you accept her?
You will have many relationships throughout this life: friends, family, coworkers. But the person you have the closest, most intimate relationship with is yourself.
If you are like me, then you’ve wrestled with the image of the girl in the mirror. Judging her, rejecting her for all different reasons. Her nose is too big, her hair is too frizzy, and this and that and so on.
If you can get past what you think she should be and see her for who she really is, you will be able to really appreciate all she has to offer. Her kindness, her sense of humor, her loyalty to her family and friends, those things say so much more about a person than the size of her nose or hips.
She wants to be your friend, and she’s crying out for you to embrace her. Accept her. Make peace with her.
Don’t waste another precious minute rejecting yourself.
OPPORTUNITIES
COME TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY WALKING TOWARD THEIR GOALS.
day 7
TAKE ACTION
EVEN IF IT’S SMALL
Actions are what separate those who live a life of purpose from those who sit it out, wondering why they never found fulfillment. So many wonderful people with amazing gifts and ideas never act on them. Those gifts go unexpressed.
There is no “someday” when it comes to action. Why not now? Why not start today? You don’t have to wait until everything is perfect; it never will be. Do something now that will set you on your course. It doesn’t matter how small the step is. A person can