Clear Mind, Peaceful Heart
How many times have you laid down to rest at night, snuggled into bed, and took a deep breath only not to be engulfed in sleep, but instead worry and anxiety? The things that you need to take care of come to mind, and your anxiety starts to keep you up at night. I think we’ve all been there if we are honest with ourselves and each other. What if you had an option when you go to bed at night instead of carrying the worries, stress, and anxiety with you? What if you revised your nighttime routine to include a book to try to clear your mind so that you can have a peaceful night’s sleep? If this is something that you are interested in, Lysa TerKeurst and Proverbs 31 Ministries have developed “Clear Mind, Peaceful Heart” which is a nightly devotional. Perhaps reading this before bed will enable you to sleep well in a world that is full of troubles and worry. There are so many beautiful words of wisdom in this devotional! Friend, I think you would benefit greatly!
We all know worrying won’t get us anywhere! Yet, we are all guilty of it. We know worrying about something beyond our control won’t do anything but harm us and our mental health. However, it’s human nature to want to “fix” that which is out of our power. Worry deprives us of sleep and fills us with anxiety. It’s so easy to say, “Turn all of your troubles over to God.” Yet, it is so hard to do, especially when your head hits the pillow at night!
Often I’ve worried about things that did not even come to pass. I robbed my present self and family members around me of the joy that I could have had that day when I was worried about something that “might” happen in the future. We can think about the worst-case scenarios in just about every situation worrying about the “what ifs.” Here’s a “what if” for you – what if we read the devotional, calmed our hearts, and said our prayers which allows us to release all of the troubles from our hearts to God above? Even if you fall asleep in the middle of your prayers afterward, don’t be filled with remorse or dread. Also, please don’t feel like you’re a failure because you couldn’t stay awake to finish your prayer. Instead, think of it as receiving God’s divine comfort. As a mother holds her newborn baby and rocks the baby to sleep, think of it as God holding you in His mighty arms lulling you into a peaceful sleep as you have cast all of your cares on him.
Now, I’m not saying it will happen instantaneously after reading a passage from this book. What I am hoping for, though, is that focusing on something other than your problems will help relieve your mind somewhat so you can drift off to sleep and stay asleep throughout the night instead of replaying any problem over in your head on repeat all night long.
Would you be willing to try it? What do you have to lose? NOTHING! You have everything to gain by picking up your copy of this devotional packed with wisdom from other Godly women (pssst, we made it easy – read more and order by clicking here). Then, incorporate this into your nighttime routine so you can rest peacefully! Let the words in this devotional and God almighty reassure you each night that you are so very loved and cared for. Allow yourself to feel safe in the Lord as if He is right there with you holding you and rocking you into a peaceful sleep.
Disclosure: Many thanks to Harper Collins Christian Publishing for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.
Unshakable Moxie
The “Unshakable Moxie” (presented by Our Daily Bread Ministries) really intrigued me as you don’t hear the term moxie very often. This series is about women who have struggled and overcome. It is about being real with what happens to us, but never losing faith. It is about resilience and trusting God the entire way through the trials and tribulations we face in this life. A woman of moxie has unshakable confidence and trust in God.
I was unsure what to expect when I thumbed through the beautiful hardcover Prayer Journal and flipped through the inspirational cards with the Bible verses and powerful quotes. I thought it was beautifully designed, and the information I was reading was very encouraging and uplifting. What I was not prepared for was scanning the QR code for the first video to reveal what could’ve been me telling my personal story. I could identify completely with one of the ladies when she started to reveal her story. When women are going through a hard time, it seems like we are the only ones in the world facing trouble. The truth is that we are not alone in this. Other women struggle just as we have, even if it’s not in the same fashion, they are struggling with something so very personal to them. They are afraid to open up and be vulnerable with others for fear of being hurt, or fear of people not understanding, and their feelings being invalidated. But there’s so much love and compassion and empathy and togetherness. When you find another lady who is willing to walk alongside you, admitting her struggles and vowing that neither of you will struggle alone from this point forward. Oh, to have such a friend! It’s hard to be that vulnerable when you open yourself up to another human being because oftentimes judgment follows, but there is such freedom in knowing that you don’t have to censor what you are saying to your friend and knowing that you are safe with them. It was so refreshing to listen as these ladies shared their hearts and were uplifted by the other. It was then that I knew six weeks would not be enough for this study. Yes, it is wonderful to share (be it with a friend or with a small group), but this has to go on beyond just the six-week series because the world needs more of this so that we all can be unshakable moxies.
Do you have a trusted friend like this? Someone you can confide in? We may know a lot of people, but we don’t let a lot of people into our hearts to see the deep dark secrets we carry so close to us. What if we were transparent with others and allowed others to help us through what we’re facing? If you are blessed to have other godly women in your life, consider sharing this series with them. You can go through it together one-on-one, or if you are part of a large church congregation, get a small group going using the videos and all the tools they equip you with within this six-session women’s Bible Study. Together you will strengthen and develop your resilient faith.
The Unshakable Moxie invites you to discover what it means to live a life of resilient faith in this episodic video series. You will learn from remarkable women who trust God — yes, even through the lowest valley!
Watch the series by clicking here. Better yet, order your copy today by clicking here! You can select the full series, or you may also purchase items separately.
Many thanks to Our Daily Bread Ministries for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.
Be Present
We all have a list a mile-long of things we need to do. We may also allow ourselves to be consumed by things of the past or worrying about the future. However, instead of being distracted by these things, let’s focus on the here and now. Be present. It doesn’t sound hard until your mind is racing in a million different directions. It becomes difficult, then, to quiet the noise of the “what ifs” or even the “shoulda, coulda, woulda” that tries to take over at times. We have to practice being mindful and being present in the here and now.
This past week, my husband and I took a trip to sunny Florida. For close to a year, I’ve been reading about Anna Maria Island and how beautiful the sugar sand is supposed to be against the Carribean-like waters of the Gulf Coast. Knowing I will be setting out on a new adventure in my career this coming week, I took the opportunity to celebrate the new and exciting things happening in my life. We took a semi-spontaneous trip (we made sure to book an Airbnb before departure) to explore the island before school is out for the summer and before Florida heats up like an oven at 450 degrees!
As we traveled, I received a troubling phone call. Great! Just what I needed to zap the joy and. happiness right out of me as I set out on vacation. Boy, I’m telling you. The enemy tries hard. Do not let him win!
And so, I didn’t.
I was determined to still enjoy this vacation!
It took a lot to reign my thoughts in on several occasions while on this trip. However, dwelling on something I cannot change will only keep my head and heart in an uproar. I had to quiet these thoughts and focus on awareness and enjoying the here and now. These moments won’t come again. Once we live them, they are gone forever, never to return. We can fill these moments with dread, worry, and ruminating over things we cannot change, OR we can take deep breaths focusing on being mindful and bringing our thoughts back to the beauty that surrounds us as we make memories together.
So, we packed up the little hardtop convertible Volvo complete with beach chairs, umbrella, sunscreen, and cooler and headed to the beach! We did just like we did in Hawaii a few years ago and explored several beaches to find our favorite one. Bean Point was our favorite spot to see the sun setting. It is literally the endpoint on the island. While it’s not safe to be in the water due to the rip currents there, it is a gorgeous place to sit on the beach to watch the sun slowly drop on the horizon until it is seemingly swallowed up by the sea.
On this particular day, we woke up to rain. Not just rain. Thunderstorms with a tornado warning in Florida. Oh boy. My dad (oh how I love my parents) even called that morning to prepare us, just in case we hadn’t been watching the weather report. Thankfully, though, the weather wasn’t as severe as we were afraid we were in for, and the rain stopped but was still cloudy as we made our way onto the soft white sand. We had this need to dig our toes in the sand and be “grounded.” We walked along the shore looking for beautiful shells and sand dollars, when suddenly the sun appeared! It peeked out from behind some clouds that were rolling away, and we experienced being sun-kissed for the most perfect 45 minutes! The sun reflecting off of the water revealed its sea foam green and emerald colors. Ah, this is what people were raving about. While not quite like the Caribbean, it still helped restore my soul! I found myself strolling along listening to the waves crashing in and taking pictures of the beautiful colors in the sky silencing the inner turmoil. I was finally present in that moment. No worries, no cares, no troubles rushing in, no thoughts racing and tormenting me. Complete and total peace washed over me like the ocean water rushing to the shore and soaking the powdery sand.
I left the beach that night refreshed and reassured of the beauty that surrounds me in God’s amazing world. Just as things looked cloudy and bleak as I started my day, God reassured my heart and soul with the way things turned around. Still desiring to see the shore, I took off for the beach even when the weather didn’t look promising at first. I would have missed such a blessing had we decided to just call it a rain-day and stay indoors. God revealed such beauty when the clouds rolled away and the sun appeared painting the sky as only He can do. He will do this in your life, too! Don’t give up. Give him a chance to show you that things won’t always be dreary, dark, and bleak. Sunshine awaits!
Be present, yes, and give all of your troubles and worries to Him.
I do not doubt that the prayers of my parents helped calm my troubled heart while on this trip as well. There’s nothing like praying parents, and I’m so thankful for mine!
