Life by Design

THINKING of YOU!

Coming Soon: RAISING QUEENS SUMMIT!  AUGUST 25, 2012...SAVE THE DATE!!

 

Psalm 139:17 - 18 - How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Good morning! I'm back! After two weeks of illness it feels great to be able to return and churn out more inspiration. Thank you God!!

You know, there is nothing like being ill to slow you down, make you reassess your process and think about what you can do better. For sure, sickness is one way that God gets my attention! While I was down, I spent some time in the word and just found a jewel of a scripture that let me know that no matter what is going on with me, I am always on God's mind. Not only does He think of me constantly but He is always "Thinking of YOU" too!

 

Boy...when I was on my sick bed...I found myself repeatedly calling on Jesus' name as if He did not know it was His name! I was looking for relief from my ailments and I knew that God was the only one who could provide it. Somewhere in my distress, I ran across this scripture in Psalm 139:17-18, "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!"

 

Instantly, after reading that, a sense of calm came over me. Just to know that God is thinking about me all of the time. That means not one thing happens in our lives that He is not aware of and even more importantly there to see us through. Even at that very moment, He knew I was ill and was already working toward my recovery.

 

I don't know about you, but sometimes in my day to day journey, I proceed as if I have to live this life on my own; as if I must make all of the tough decisions, determine all of my moves and create all of my plans independently. However, this one passage tells us that we don't have to do it alone because God is thinking about us constantly. HE will help us along our journey if we remember to consult him because He is there with us all of the time.

 

Can you imagine that His thoughts toward you outnumber the sand! Well, how many is that? Innumerable! If we were to pick up a handful of sand, we could not even count the grains we are holding, much less the sand all around us. Yet, God thinks of us so much that his thoughts toward us out number them! In other words, HE is ALWAYS "Thinking of YOU!!!!"

 

The Psalm 139 chapter is one that you MUST keep in your arsenal. I won't list them all here, but it offers such gems that let us know that God knows our hearts (vs 1). He sees our every move (vs 3). We can never escape his presence (vs 7). We are fearfully and wonderfully made (vs 14). He knew every day of our lives before we even lived out one of them (vs 16). And that He will ultimately lead us in the path of everlasting life (vs 24)!

 

Wow...that gives me such comfort to know that a God who is so great is that concerned about me!

 

So, I'll just wrap it up by saying that it is early and the day is still young! If you have a moment, hop onto to Bible.com and read Psalm 139 for yourself. And remember, that whatever today happens to bring your way...God is always..."THINKING of YOU" and will "SEE YOU THROUGH!"

 

Glad to be back on this side of healthy!

 

Til Next Time,

 

Cynthia "Thinking of YOU too!" Newman
Make Life...Always Beautiful...Always by Design!

 

Still Spring Cleaning

Good Morning! I've been a little under the weather the last couple of days, but did not want to leave you void of your midweek inspiration. Since we've been talking about spring cleaning, I thought this would be a great piece to hold you over until my return! Time to pull some weeds in YOUR inner garden.

 

Happy Mother's Day!!

 

I Peter 3:3 What matters is not your outer appearance-the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes-but your inner disposition. 4 - Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.

Good Morning! I'm a Piece of Work! That's the title of Reverend Dr. Cynthia Hale's book and a fitting statement to begin today's post. I would have to say that applies to me. It actually applies to all of us, but you wouldn't know that unless you've walked though my "Inner Garden!"

If you've been with me for a while, then you know that I am the product of introspection. I regularly examine my strengths and flaws to determine how I can improve. After discussing some of my findings with a friend, she suggested that I read the book of first Peter. I am so glad that I rediscovered it at her recommendation.

Upon reading this third chapter of 1 Peter, I have been encouraged to look at myself from the inside out. Not that I am a bad person, but the truth is we can all get better. Only you know if "being a piece of work" describes the good or not so good personality traits you have. If you're at all like me, it could mean both, LOL! In other words, nobody knows you better than you. But really, no matter what your current condition, Ephesians 2:10 says, "God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do."

One of my goals along this journey is to continue to cultivate that "inner beauty" that Peter talks about. By that, I mean I want to strengthen those attributes noted in our reference chapter. Here's just a sampling:

I Peter 3:8 Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless-that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Wow...that's powerful that Peter tells us that our disposition (inner beauty) is way more important than what we look like on the outside. But how many of us spend as much time or money grooming our inner selves as we do buying makeup, getting our hair done or shopping for clothes and shoes?

Here is what I mean. I feel like I know you, my reading audience. Yet, I realize that many of us have never met! If we have met, then you know that on any day, you will find me vibrant, expressive, talking fast and walking sure-footed. However, if you hang around me long enough you will notice that I can also be a perfectionist, impatient, quick-witted and prone to worry if I don't keep my mind elevated. I know....I am outing myself again. But that's okay...my life happens to be the text book from which I teach.

So, when I read I Peter 3:1-12, I am instantly convicted. In fact, if you are at all interested in enhancing your inner beauty, I challenge you to read the entire passage in the Eugene Peterson's Message Bible. It really has me working on me. I am working on pulling the weeds from my inner garden, and planting the right kind of seeds so that my garden will yield a harvest of beauty. I have decided that it is not enough to "act" like a Christian, I must be one! And it starts from the inside out!

Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Cultivating My Inner Garden" Newman
Make Life...Always Beautiful...Always by Design!

Comment at www.lifebydesign.typepad.com

ATTACKING ANXIETY

 

Good Morning! I have a special treat for you today!  While on my weekly Partnership call for Primerica, one of my friends and colleagues, Zoe' Singleton, gave an awesome bit of inspiration to ponder. I loved it so well, that I asked her if I could post it as this week's blog.

 

Being human, none of us can get out of this world without a little anxiety hanging over our heads about something! Thanks Zoe' for giving us some tools to attack it! Enjoy!

 

ATTACKING ANXIETY!

 

Philippians 1:6 (KJV) - "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"

 

Anxiety is a truth for many of us. We sometimes find ourselves looking at our lives and our surroundings, feeling under accomplished or anxious about what we think should be happening according to our plan or timeline. Anxiety is an obstacle that must be overcome in order for us to experience life the way God intended. He gives us the tools we need to free ourselves.

 

The scripture, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6 KJV) gives us permission to be free of anxiety and doubt. Every purpose that God has for us WILL be fulfilled. This scripture gives us the permission to attack our anxiety.

 

In order to effectively attack our anxiety, there are 3 areas we must address and manage:

 

1. Our Assumptions- Many times we get caught up in the fact that things are not happening the way we expected... "I'm supposed to be ___by now". (You fill in

the blank), "He or she did ___, I should too". All of our wonderings and doubts are based on assumptions.

 

However, Isaiah 55:8 (KJV) says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." He has the play book! We don't have a clue, so stop assuming.

 

2. Our Assurance- Many of us profess unwavering faith in God, but do our actions always reflect that profession? Doubting self and becoming victims to anxiety is a sign of faithlessness.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) says - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end". Do you really believe that God knows what He's doing?

 

3. Our Activity- God makes us responsible for one thing, our actions...not His results. He holds us accountable to acting within His will. Beyond that, it'sHis business to figure out how our lives will unfold. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". (Matthew 6:33 KJV) Just make sure that all your efforts go toward putting Him first.

 

If you control these three things, your Assumptions, Assurance and Activity, the completed picture is His assignment and He WILL finish it...on time!

 

 

Thanks Zoe'!!!

 

Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Attacking my A's" Newman

Living Life ...by Design!

TRIPLE D

Ephesians 5: 15 - 17 - So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

 

 

Good Morning! By good, I really mean great! After all, Jordan is sleeping 6 - 8 hours a night and Jesus still reigns on the throne! Who could ask for more?

 

After I wrote last week's post, I thought about how many areas of our lives there are that can stand some purging. Most of us, me included, probably start from the outside- in, cleaning things like our closets, windows, etc. But I think we can benefit from an internal spring cleaning as well. One of the key areas that we can clean up is our time, which brings me to today's post. I call it "TRIPLE D."

 

People often ask me how I get so much done. Now that Jordan is here, I don't get nearly as much done professionally as I did before. But I am learning how to avoid being too hard on myself, as well as, to set the right expectations with those that I work with so that I can maintain both my sanity and integrity. My "Triple D" system is helping me do that. By now, I know that you are saying..."What is TRIPLE D?"

 

Whenever I feel myself overwhelmed, or if I think that I need to reassess my time, I take inventory of all of my activities. Then I ask myself these three questions:

 

1. What do I have to DO myself?
2. What can I DELEGATE?
3. What can I DELETE?

 

To make this system work, it is really important that you make a list of every role in your life.

 

For example, I am a wife, mother, Financial Representative, Author, Speaker, etc. Each of these roles has its own set of duties. For each one, I must assess, whether I should be working in this area right now, or if there are parts of the role (or even the role itself) that I should let go.

 

1. Let's talk about DO... As you assess your roles, ask yourself, "What must be done by me?" For example, I must be a wife to Eric and now, a mother to Jordan. I don't think either of them would let me find a surrogate, nor would I want to. Since these are things that I must do myself, they must stay on my list.

 

2. What can you DELEGATE?- Even as a wife and mother, there are things that I can get assistance with so that I don't have to do it all myself. Let's take house work as an example. Do you have children to whom you can delegate? Can you afford a cleaning lady help lighten the load, even if only periodically. Don't get caught up on the expense of it, there are tons of teens looking for summer income who would love to assist you. The key in your delegation efforts is to BE RESOURCEFUL and Think OUTSIDE the BOX!

 

3. Lastly, what can you DELETE? - I think that this may be where a lot of us get stuck because we allow ourselves to feel obligated to activities even when they may not be the best use of our time. Ask yourself; are there organizations that I am involved in that I can eliminate? Am I overtaxing myself by being in too many ministries? Am I involved in so many special projects at work that I can't get my job done? Look to delete the kind of things that are "nice to do", but really don't have to done at all.

 

Ephesians 5:17 says "Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." Over the past few years, I have streamlined my activities to only those things that feed my passion, which in turn keeps me energized to do more!

 

The bomb huh??? There is more, that I can teach you about my "TRIPLE D" system! But you have to get the "Life by Design" Devotional for that!! (LOLOLOL)

 

Yes, spring clean your closet, but also purge your time, relationships, habits and ultimately your life! Just like the results of pruning a tree, you will see that life blossom!

 

Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Pruning and Purging!" Newman

Living Life ...by Design!

GET RID OF IT!

 

Luke 12:15 - Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 

Good morning! It is an absolutely beautiful spring day in Indianapolis! It's the perfect time for some spring cleaning. That is how I spent my weekend, getting rid of the old to make way for the new.

 

Since my friend, Esther, has the gift for organizing and is incredibly stylish, I asked her if she would help me clean out my closet so that I could make room for other things to ultimately make room for my greater blessing, Jordan.

 

Once she got over her shock for the amount of stuff that I had, she did what a true friend would. She took off those high heels and hopped to it. We went through things, item by item, shoes, purses, bags and lots of mail. We didn't even have time to get to the clothes! As she asked what I'd like to keep and what I'd like to get rid of, needless to say that I wanted to keep most of it! Isn't that how we are? We don't want to get rid of the crud in our lives; we just want to rearrange it!!

 

At one point, I left the room to check on Jordan, and when I had returned, to my horror (LOL), she had amassed a pile of over 20 pair of shoes that I should discard!! After a brief moment of therapy in discussing why they should go...it suddenly hit me that this would be the essence of today's post. Esther had to tell me a whole bunch of times...GET RID OF IT!

 

I realized in that moment how much I hold on to things. And...how much holding to things can hold you back!

 

I learned some valuable lessons in this little episode because the reality is that we all have some things that need to be purged from our lives!

 

1. The first lesson is that though getting rid of things may be the goal, it is still hard to do. Don't be hesitant to get a friend or even professional assistance to get you through your purging process.
2. Just like my shoes, sometimes we hold to things are familiar and comfortable, like old relationships and old habits. Remember that growth/progress can only happen when we are willing to step out of the familiar to get to new, uncharted waters.
3. When we fail to get rid of things we fail to make room in our lives for a fresher, greater blessing. My pastor says...you must "release to increase!"
4. My mother says that a cluttered home often represents a person's cluttered mind or emotions. In other words, the clutter outside is really a manifestation of some deeper issue that needs to be handled inside.

You know, sometimes we hold on to things because we are just plain old selfish. It reminds of the parable of rich fool who had an abundance of crops (Luke 12:13-21). However, when asked if he should give some away, he said...nope...I'll just build bigger barns! That night his life was taken and he could no longer use any of it!! Jesus opened that parable by saying, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 

It is this reply that allowed me to make the decision to give away those things that Esther had so easily purged from my closet. Side Note: Isn't it amazing how outsiders can often see what you need to get rid of so much faster that you can!

 

By the end of our evening, we piled up tons of shoes and boots, countless bags, hair supplies and other items to be donated to charity, as well as threw away two big bags of trash. Esther put back on her high heels and left me with a clean closet and an uncluttered mind!

 

I hope that my adventure in spring cleaning will help you do a little purging of your own!

 

'Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Free and Clear of Clutter!" Newman

Living Life ...by Design!

The GIVER's Point of View!

SAVE THE DATE: The Raising Queens Summit - August 25, 2012

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. That whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

 

Good morning! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

 

You know, motherhood has added a new dimension to my life that has caused me to change my perspective on just about everything! For the first time this year, I saw Easter in a totally different light.

 

In the past, I always looked at Easter purely from the receiver's point of view. By that I mean, that Easter has always been a time to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made for me and the gratitude I feel for being the benefactor of salvation. I am always appreciative of the grace I received at the expense of Christ. I know that as Christians we all are. But now that I am a mother, for the first time, I viewed Easter from "The GIVER's point of view!"

 

It's one thing to be the recipient of something that doesn't cost you anything; but to be the giver of something that cost you everything...now that's a different story! What must it be like for God for to give His son Jesus, perfect, without blame or fault, sinless... for a corrupt world full of sinners like me? It gives new meaning to John 3:16!

 

What must it be like to be Jesus...being beaten, bleeding and dying for things that He personally would never do and taking punishment for sins yet to be committed? It makes Romans 2:8 "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." all the more powerful!

 

But then again, what must it be like to be like to be Mary; having to watch the son the she gave birth to hanging on a cross???

 

As I look at Jordan and think about how long I waited for him, prayed for him, and now to finally have him in my hands, it is virtually unfathomable to think that I would have to willingly give him up in such a brutal manner. Thankfully, because God, Jesus and Mary made their sacrifices...I won't have to!

 

Even as I think of the writing of Raising Queens, I told my mother's story from the perspective of all that I received from her. Motherhood has made me realize the sacrifices that she and every mother gives for the benefit of their children.

 

I don't think that I have anything more profound to say, or any clever close today except that, because of motherhood I can see more clearly how profound God's love really is. No matter what I give for my child, it can never compare to what God gave for His!

 

'Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Seeing from a Different Point of View!" Newman

Living Life ...by Design!

Live Long and Prosper!

 

SAVE THE DATE: The Raising Queens Summit - August 25, 2012

 

Psalm 34:12-14 - Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

 

Good morning! Did you miss me? Last week, Motherhood and Mr. Tired caught up with me and I needed to take a break!

 

Today's post was inspired by a weekly conference call that I attend with some of my Primerica Partners. Primarily, the Partners are the spouses of Primerica representatives who work with our mates to build a successful business. We conference every Sunday evening to keep each other inspired and encouraged as we share ideas for growth. It was on this call that I discovered a nugget in the word that I may have long overlooked; how to "Live Long and Prosper!"

 

I believe that if you asked most people, they would say that they want a long and prosperous life. Of course, all of us would have to define what both longevity and prosperity mean to us, but it's probably fair to say that we're all going for those two things.

 

Psalm 34:12 -14, gives us the biblical formula for achieving long life and prosperity and it is quite different from how the world might tell us we achieve these very same things. So here are King David's tips for living well. What's so awesome is that everywhere you look in the bible you can find another scripture that confirms his plan. Just for kicks I put in a little LBD translation as well.

 

Psalm 34:12-14 says, "Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?

1. Then keep your tongue from speaking evil - "Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21) and "You shall have what you say" (Mark 11:23) (Speak good things instead.)
2. And your lips from telling lies! - "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45) (Keep your heart pure!)
3. Turn away from evil - For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. (Psalm 37:9) (Don't be a troublemaker or your life will be shortened!)
4. And do good. - Do unto other as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31) (Always look for what is good and do that.)
5. Search for peace, and work to maintain it - Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14) (Don't be the problem, be the solution!)

Essentially, David is telling us that the key to long life and prosperity is living a righteous life. And not necessarily going for fame, fortune or recognition as the world might tell us! It doesn't mean that we do everything right. That's impossible,

because we are imperfect beings and we mess up. Instead it means that we strive to live a right life and treat others well. All throughout the Bible in general and Psalms in particular, we are told that the righteous inherit the earth and the evil doers will be cut off!

 

In other words...if you follow these points for right living, no matter what it looks like today, both long life and prosperity are yours! Now that something to shout about!

 

I challenge you to assess yourself daily on how you are doing with these five points! Since I had this "aha" moment, its got me monitoring myself for certain! So for all of my Trekkies, from one Vulcan to another...watch your words, do good, seek peace and....Live Long and Prosper!

 

'Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Trekking to the Good Life!" Newman

Living Life ...by Design!

Don't Worry About It!

Matthew 6:34 - Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Good morning! Well...it could be afternoon by now but I am determined to get today's word out!! I almost didn't get it done but God still works miracles (i.e. Jordan took a nap!) Since I only have a few minutes, let's jump "write" in! Today's message is simple and succinct. Whatever is troubling you...DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!

You know, worry is the kind of thing that can just creep up on you. Periodically, worry manages to creep back into my life unannounced and ready to pounce! If I am not careful, I will find myself totally focused on life's issues and way off focus from God who controls them!!

As much as I LOVE being home with Jordan, I tell you...I still find myself worried about things that I should be doing. Yes... I know, I wrote "Just...Be...Still" and I am doing that. But what makes LIFE BY DESIGN so powerful is that I am willing to expose where I am on any one day. I believe that sharing life's experiences is what helps us all to grow. It also allows both me and you to see that God can use anybody, even with all our shortcomings. At the same time, it allows me to watch His hand unfold in my life even as I write to you.

One of the primary ways that Satan gets off of our game is by getting us to focus on what does not matter and stressing about things that we can do nothing about.

How do I get over it? Well, unfortunately, I don't know if I will ever get over it but for certain I have learned how to manage it. It's like the thorn that Paul had in his side. God may not take it away but "His grace is sufficient for me." (2 Cor. 12:9)

I often remind myself that worry is really a lack of confidence in God. It is a failure to trust God and moreover an indication that I have not relinquished control of my life to Him. Ouch! Now that's deep! But that is what we do when we worry. We allow Satan to make us think that we are the end of and be all of our own lives as opposed to realizing that while we have responsibility for ourselves, ultimately, Sovereign God controls it all.

If you are worried about ANYTHING stop right now and read Matthew 6:25 - 34. It really puts to bed any need that we have to worry...EVER!!! I'll paraphrase one of my favorite parts of that passage (vs. 32) "Worrying is what the heathens do...your heavenly father knows what you have need of, even before you ask him!" To better state it, as my husband regularly reminds me ...you worrying about is NOT going to change it, so do what you can and move on!

When you see my husband, will you thank him keeping me grounded! I sure thank God for sending him to me. And whatever it is that may be plaguing you today...DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!!

'Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Not worried about a thing!" Newman

Living Life ...by Design!

I Will Never Leave You

Hebrews 13:5b – For he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you.

 

Good morning LBD family! Today’s message will have to be a quick one.  

All I can say is WHEW!!!!  (LOL…that’s a Raising Queens Mama-ism!) I never knew motherhood would be so challenging! I have done lots of things in my life, worked the assembly line in factory, mail handler at the post office, and other jobs but I must say that being a mother is by far the most challenging of them all.

Today’s post comes in the form of a story. I have been really tired the last few days. So much so that I felt my body aching. This was an indicator that I really needed to get some rest. Baby Jordan is five weeks old now and the love of Eric’s and my life.  We don’t want to do much of anything now that takes us away from him too long.  I am so glad that God gave us the baby at a time where my husband and I don’t have to compete for each other’s attention.  But of course, being five weeks old, he is not yet sleeping through the night.  He is a joy to be around and has a pleasant little personality until night fall comes and he doesn’t want to go to sleep and /or he has gas! Then it is on!

Well just a couple of nights ago, the tiredness really set in. Having been in the process of getting him to go to sleep for the previous 3 hours, I decided to lay him down one last time and escape to our second bedroom to try to get some uninterrupted sleep.  I figured I would let his daddy try the next round of getting him to asleep should he awaken again. Just as I laid my head on the pillow I heard him cry.  This cry was the kind that would make any parent jump to check on their child. I knew his stomach must be hurting.  So, as tired as I was, I put my need for rest on hold, jumped up and ran to his aide. Yep, he was crying every time he passed gas…colic!

As he was being held by his father (who is just FANTASTIC with him…that’s a post all by itself) we both knew that what he needed at that moment was his mother’s love.

I gently took him in my arms, cradled his little head in my chest, rubbed his back and rocked him to sleep. As I did so, I heard these words from Hebrews 13:5b “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” It was as if God was showing me what is like to love your child as he loves us. And that, my friends is the lesson of today’s post, from God’s word to your heart.

I am sure that there are plenty of times when we make God tired, we don’t do what He says, we go our own way, or He just gets tired of us making the same wrong moves over and over. But God is so faithful, that just when He should have enough, He still hears us when we cry! And gently tells us, “I will never leave your nor forsake you.”

Then, like Jordan, he allows us to fall asleep safe in his arms to arise to a new day and another chance to get it right!

 

Til next time,

Cynthia “Never Forsaken” Newman

Living Life...By Design!

Just...Be...Still!

Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

 

Joyful Wednesday! Hope all is well today. As we speak, I write today's post with my son (that sounds sooo great!) fully fed, asleep and safely tucked on my chest listening to my heart beat. What a gift from God!

 

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that due to receiving Jordan in such short notice, I had 24 hours to process emotionally what most mothers have nine months to digest. Well, those very emotions are what have prompted today's post.

 

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a woman on the move! I am a wife, full time business-woman, writer, speaker, workshop facilitator and all around active person. Having all of those roles requires me to function at a fast pace. But when the all important role of motherhood was added to my name, I had to slow my roll! In fact, I had to "Be Still!" and that is a new world for me.

 

Sometimes, I catch myself looking at Jordan, and it is surreal to see my long awaited, answered prayer in my arms. I absolutely love caring for him, no sleep, colic and all. But a few days ago, I found myself scrambling to reconcile this slower pace with all of the activity I had going on just a few weeks ago. It left me feeling overwhelmed because I just wasn't getting enough done. Then, a few minutes later, while at the kitchen sink, I heard a small, peaceful voice say, "Be still and know that I am God."

 

As one who is constantly pushing, it was a great release to hear the Holy Spirit say it is time to settle myself, allow my husband to be my husband and God to be God. They are both well equipped to handle their ordained roles in my life!

 

We have worked hard for many years to afford the opportunity for me to stay home with Jordan for a while. In fact, I can probably count the times on one hand that I have spent more than a week off from our office in the last decade. Yet, it is still challenging to slow my pace, and better yet, to Be Still all together. But that is what motherhood requires. For me to temporarily, put all else on hold, still myself and be a mother. In other words, as the old folks used to say..."sit down somewhere!!!" LOL

 

So I pose this question to you as I have recently had to pose to myself...if we are always busy doing, when do we have time to just BE? I believe that allowing these times of "stillness" can bring great revelation to who we are and better yet, who God wants us to be. Only you know when those times occur in your life. But when they do, you have to listen!

 

In fact, once I allowed myself to settle in, I began to immediately see new inspiration (cnewinspiration) from the Lord.

 

One of the best pieces of advice I have received was from a friend who gave me permission to "Take the "S" (as in Superwoman) off of my chest" and be okay with not getting some things done. Yes, I am planning the next Raising Queens Summit (August 25, 2012), thinking through my next book and talking with our Primerica team regularly. However, I am learning to do so with a new consciousness and clear priorities.

 

I am quickly coming to the reality that the most important thing I can do in the next few weeks is to BE STILL and BE Jordan's mommy!

 

'Til Next Time,

Cynthia "Still Elated!" Newman

Living Life ...by Design!