Conditions. We all have them.

My terms. My requirements.

God, I will do this for you, but not this.

God, do this for me but please don’t do this.

God, I will serve you here but not here.

God, I will stop this sin but not this one.

God, I will forgive this person but not this one.

God, ask me to do this but not this.

Oh, Daisy. I couldn’t see that placing conditions on God was a lack of faith. I was essentially saying, “I don’t trust you with my well-being.”

I know. It took me many years to figure out what true, unconditional love meant. God always knew. He always loved me unconditionally – in spite of the conditions I was placing on Him.

The more I dug into His word, the more I aligned myself with Him, the more I worshipped Him, the more I saw what true love meant – and the walls came crashing down.

No more terms.

No more requirements.

No more barriers.

No more walls.

Just love.

Pure, unconditional love.

And when that happens, when you get to that point, get ready. Get ready for the best relationship you will ever have. Get ready to be showered in love every minute of every day.

Get ready. Let God love you. On His terms – not yours.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16

Holy moly, y’all.

I knicked the top of my pinky finger. Like the skin is peeled completely off of it. TMI – I know. I am not trying to be a crybaby, but it for real hurts.

Normally I wouldn’t write or even talk about something so minor, but I got to thinking – is it minor?

Every move I’ve made the last two days is a constant reminder that something’s not quite right with my body. Every single time my pinky comes into contact with something else, throbbing pain shoots up my entire arm.

This tiny, insignificant knick is seriously affecting my every move. Isn’t that just like sin? What we think is the smallest of all iniquities can seriously affect our every move – whether we believe it or not.

We have to be on guard, guys. We have to protect ourselves from anything that could cause us harm – no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

A tiny knick could lead to a serious infection of the soul, the mind, or the heart. A tiny knick can leave you in pain from the time you wake up till the time you go to sleep.

Protect yourself. Be on guard. Don’t think that something is too small to change how you’re functioning on a day to day basis.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:12 (ESV)

We are all essentially one episode away from being a full-blown Fixer Upper.

We’re rusty. Falling apart. We are misaligned, uneven, displaced, and oftentimes separated. The lack of a good foundation has cracks creeping up from the floor to the ceiling.

What’s going to happen when a torrential downpour hits? What’s going to happen when the wind blows a little harder than it normally does?

It’s time to renovate our souls, y’all. We need to be filled in and lifted up. We need to strategize and prioritize.

I know of a carpenter that specializes in restoring souls, and I’ve got Him on speed-dial. He’s good at what He does. The best.

I can give you this guarantee, when He’s done repairing and refurbishing you from the inside out, you will be sturdier than ever before. You will be able to withstand the storms of life because of the solid foundation He has provided you with. You may bend, but you will never break.

The blueprints are ready; you just need to sign on that dotted line.

It’s Demo Day, y’all!

“24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.” Matthew 7:24-25 (NLT)

If you’re smack dab in the middle of what seems to be a hopeless situation – you best bet that the devil is on the prowl.

Don’t you believe that nonsense. Nothing is impossible with God. He says it time and time again throughout His word. Miracle after miracle He shows His mighty power.

Don’t you believe the lie that a situation is hopeless. Pray like you’ve never prayed before. Step up, step out, and be bold.

My God parted the Red Sea.

He gave Lazarus life again.

He gave a blind man vision.

He gave Rahab a second chance.

My God rolled the stone away.

My God cares about you, and He cares about me. That’s why I’m so adamant about the power of prayer and aligning my every thought with His word.

Claim God’s miracle and don’t let any thing change your mind. Doubt is a coward, and he loves company. Don’t invite him for a cup of coffee. He doesn’t deserve a place at your table.

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4

Y’all know what’s easy? Giving a compliment.

Y’all know what’s powerful? Giving a compliment.

One little compliment can change someone’s day. Someone’s week. Someone’s life.

So why not? Why not potentially change the path of someone’s life? Why not lift someone up out of the pit that they are submerged deep within? If God has given each one of us individually that much power, why are we not utilizing it?

Speak words of love.

Speak words of hope.

Speak words of peace.

Words of grace.

Words of mercy.

Speak life-changing, soul-cleansing, faith-filled words of affirmation.

Why not?

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

This morning I’m sitting here apologizing to God for a pity party I’ve been throwing in my mind.

Full blown pity party, y’all. Streamers, cake, punch – the whole shebang.

The thing is – stuff happens. Humans happen. Life happens. I’ve got to get better at handling the stuff.

Whatever situation you’ve currently found yourself in – Jesus has been there. He knows exactly how you are feeling.

However.

The question to ask yourself is how did Jesus handle these situations? How did He make it through?

He leaned on God.

He believed God’s promises.

He believed in God’s goodness.

He cried.

He prayed.

He moved on.

He kept doing God’s will.

It’s hard, y’all. It’s really hard. But we have a savior that knows exactly how we feel. We have a savior that actually went through more in 33 years than we could ever imagine.

Look to Him. Cling to Him. Let Him dictate how you respond to trials and unexpected situations.

If we’re gonna throw a shindig in our mind, throw one for Jesus. A daily celebration of resurrection and life and blessings.

Now that’s a party.

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!” Philippians 4:4 (MSG)

Dear Frantic Mommas,

The countdown to the first day is approaching like a rocket ship. The question lurking at the back of all of our minds – are we ready?

The house isn’t organized. Lunches aren’t bought. Kids have been staying up until midnight for three months. Lord, help us all.

Let’s get it together as much as possible, but let’s enjoy this rocket ship of a ride. Let’s try to not let our frantic, OCD tendencies take precedence over what’s really going on right now.

And what’s really going on is that we’ve raised these amazing, little creatures that are about to take on their world. They are game-changers, rule-breakers, friend-makers, and out-of-the-box-thinkers. These little creatures are our future. Let’s watch them in awe as they grow and change and become and lead.

Let’s watch them grow.

Let’s watch them go.

And don’t let the “stuff” ruin this amazing, beautiful ride – for any of y’all.

“Train up a child in the way he should go,

[a]And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

We are all works in progress.

And that’s ok. Because if we are works in progress that means we are working on progressing. We are trying.

The thing is, we have to align our minds and our hearts with God and His word. If we don’t, how could we ever know what to work on? How could we ever possibly know what we need to do to become who He needs us to be?

It’s gonna be hard, guys. Everyday we have to seek, reach, study, and control our human flesh. That’s ok. When we start becoming who God is asking us to be – confidence comes. Joy comes. Peace comes.

The work is worth it.

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18

Today’s verse of the day:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

Stronghold – a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack.

Y’all, I had something else written for today. I even had the cute little picture made up already.

However.

This verse. This verse is a solid foundation for us to stand upon when we are literally shaking from the inside out.

Fear is real, and fear is strong. I battled fear for years, and I’m not immune to it now. But, the closer I draw to God the more He takes over my mind and heart. The closer I draw to God, the more I am filled with His truths – not the world’s truths.

The world’s truths aren’t truths at all. The world’s truths are straight up lies designed to make us feel weak, diminished, crazy, inferior, and in a constant state of fearfulness.

If you’re battling fear today, start filling your mind and soul with God’s truths. Post verses all over your house. Memorize them. Repeat them. Believe them. Cling to God.

Let me tell y’all what I see a lot of.

Shame.

Within myself and within others. Shame that holds us captive. Shame that locks us down and locks us up. Shame that embeds itself deep down in the core of who we think we are.

We’re not good enough.

We’re not smart enough.

We’re not funny enough.

We’re not tough enough.

We’re just not enough.

Guess what – that’s true. We are not enough. We never will be. But we have a God living inside of us that is more than enough.

We have a God living inside of us that is strong when we are so very weak. He is smart. He is kind. He is compassionate. He is tough. He is sympathetic. He is honest. He is loyal. He is selfless. He is slow to anger. He is a leader. He is a friend.

He is everything I’m not, and He is living in my heart.

He is.

Let Him be enough today.

“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)