Focus

Colossians 3:2-3

2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

As I stress about wedding planning and spending money, it's important to remember that the things that go into a wedding are not very important. Yeah, if we are throwing a party, we need to have certain things to make a nice occasion but the most important component of the wedding is the love between my fiance and I and the example of faith we set during and after the wedding.

So, while my mind is occupied by dinnerware, catering, flowers, decorations, etc, I must consciously decide to spend time focusing on God, faithful pursuits and nurturing the spiritual component of my relationship with Joe, something we are not very good at. But the second verse here reminds us that our selves, the selves that fail miserably at every single thing possible, are dead. They are dead, but being alive in Christ means having the strength to love, conquer, succeed, be at peace. And when we focus on earthly things, we are focusing on the dead part of our selves. When we focus on heavenly things, we focus on Christ-given life, glorifying God as we do, and that is our purpose on earth.

My affirmation today, which is carried over from last night:

I am grateful for all that I have in life, thanks be to God.

Verse and Affirmation

The verse I have chosen for today comes from Colossians 1:9-12

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. (NIV)

Sometimes, as we get busy with our day-to-day activities, we forget that we have people praying for us. Some of these people we know and some we do not know. God's love extends to all and as Christians we are called by Christ to pray for fellow believers, those we know and those we do not know.

Christians all across the world experience different kinds of suffering and success and as they pray for fellow Christians, we must be reminded to pray for them too. Not only will our prayers lift up others, but we will be uplifted through their prayers too, and that little boost can be all that we and someone else needs to make it through the day.


Today's affirmation is by Louise L Hay

I release the need for struggle and suffering.

Sometimes we are so hard on ourselves, and repeatedly beating ourselves up creates an atmosphere of despair and anger. We don't need to do that. We do not need to allow struggle and suffering to take over our day. God has redeemed and forgiven us and it's ok to repent, acknowledge our shortcoming or our struggle, and forgive ourselves and move on. Call on God to help you release the need for struggle and suffering.

Remember this: I deserve every happiness, and I create my life free of hardship and suffering. I am truly blessed. I stand tall and proud of who I am and all that I have and will achieve.*


*From Treasure Yourself, by Miranda Kerr, page 130.

2012 | 2013

I want to bid 2012 a proper farewell. I'm glad to leave it behind and see what 2013 will bring.

2012 was a strange year.
The majority of the time, I felt pretty down, if not down, then at least somewhere in the middle.

The downers:
- My working environment really wears on me mentally.
- Long distance wears on Joe & I emotionally.
- I learned both grandmothers' cancers had returned, and my mom's mom isn't going to survive this time around.
- I've struggled with body image and weight.
- My parents and I had some pretty decent spats.
- Money has been tight. Really, really tight.
- I have been unsure about what I want to do with my life/career next.
- My younger brother got booted from NROTC & had to drop out of school.

But, my highs were really high:
- Joe & I took a great trip to Hawaii in May.
- We canoed 20 miles in 100 degree heat and had a great time.
- We went to WI over Labor Day and he got to know some of my other family members better.
- I went to Nashville to visit one of my best friends.
- Another best friend got engaged and asked me to be a bridesmaid.
- I went to DC with my family to see my mom, older brother and future sister-in-law run the Marine Corps 10k.
- Joe & I ran the Color Run in Cincinnati and had a blast.
- Joe & I backpacked and camped in Red River Gorge, in the most amazing weather ever.
- Joe & I got engaged! Finally! And wedding planning has been good so far!
- My older brother & his girlfriend finally got engaged!
- My parents got a new puppy, which I got to play with during my week-long stay in WI over Christmas.
- My dying grandmother got to see me in my wedding dress, with her jewelry on. It was so special.
- My parents got to take a trip to Scotland. And they brought back a plethora of wonderful goods for us kiddos.
- A very blessed Christmas and New Years with my family and Joe.

What do I have to look forward to in 2013?
- My wedding!
- My brother's wedding!
- Three friends' weddings!
- A honeymoon...
- A trip w/ my younger brother before he goes to basic?
- Moving to a new city and moving in with Joe.
- Making & keeping resolutions.
- Leaving my job and pursuing something new!
- Other things I don't know yet!

Here's to 2013, may it be better than 2012 for everyone!