As of lately my brain is scattered. Like, thought process is all over the place.

I’m trying to write. I’m trying to study. I’m trying to research, and I can’t for the life of me focus. In the midst of the chaos, I can hear God whispering, “Chill out, girl. Be still.”

That’s hard y’all.

It’s hard to sit still – to feel still – when the pace of this world is flying by you ninety to nothing. It’s hard to stop your brain when you have a checklist of things you want to do a mile and half long.

It’s hard to chill when you’re excited or nervous or impatient – or just a woman period in this play by play Facebooking, Instagramming world.

If we truly want to slow our roll we’ve got to:

Say no to our thoughts

Say no to our phone

Say no to our schedule

And we’ve got to do all those things on purpose.

Find a quiet place.

Get still.

Be still.

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6

A broken world. A broken system.

Sometimes it’s just too much. Sometimes it’s just not fair.

We question.

We get mad.

We cry out.

We can’t fix it.

The truth of the matter is that we live in a broken, fallen world. Therefore, unfair situations are going to arise. It’s inevitable.

But we can pray.

We can hope.

We can cry.

We can be a shoulder to lean on.

We can love.

We can try to make changes.

And we can choose to keep our joy even in the midst of unfair circumstances. Even when it’s hard. Even when we don’t want to.

“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3

Some emotions that I’ve experienced throughout my short 37 years here on Earth are so raw and so real that I can’t even write about them. There’s no way.

Some hurts that linger, some embarrassing, are so painful that I wouldn’t even dare tell my closest friends.

But I can tell my Jesus. I can expose my heart to Him – lay it all on the line.

And He loves me.

And He comforts me.

And he wraps His arms around me.

And He holds me.

Y’all, if you have a deep hurt today, one you’ve held onto for way too long, start giving it to God. Piece by piece. Hurt by hurt.

It’s a process – no doubt. The pain will always be a part of your story, but with faithful prayer and praise there will come a point where it no longer dictates every minute of every day.

Give God the pieces. He’s waiting.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” 1 Peter 5:6-7

Sometimes we just need to:

Pause.

Pray.

& Ponder.

We need to ask ourself the question where can I make the biggest impact for God’s Kingdom today? Where do you want me to go, God? What do you need me to do?

Sometimes we need to pause and listen for God’s answer. It’s not about what we want. It’s about what God needs.

Today is about what I can do for God’s Kingdom, not what I can do for myself.

“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

Alexa, turn my mom, wife, everyday life brain off so I can sleep.

Didn’t work. So there I was. Wide awake. For hours.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. When I finally fell asleep and the always went off, I reverted back to old habits and hit snooze. And hit snooze. And hit snooze again. I made the choice to sleep until the very last second instead of waking up early and spending time with God.

And it showed all day long.

It’s funny how quickly we forget what we know to be true when we allow outside factors to creep in. Waking up early and spending time with God doesn’t mean less sleep. Waking up early and spending time with God means more energy for the day. More focus. More peace.

Today I challenge you to set aside time for God for five days in a row.

Just Him and you.

No outside noise.

All your focus on Him.

He deserves it.

He longs for it.

And we need it, too.

Make time for God.

I promise that you will see a huge change in every aspect of your attitude and daily ins and outs.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

⁃ Psalm 91:1

A store. A home. A restaurant. A ball game. An event. The road. All environments. All chances to make a positive impact.

Negativity breeds negativity, and even the most positive person in the world isn’t immune.

Unless.

Unless that person is also prayed up and strategically ready for battle.

Without Christ, even the most positive person in the world is no match for another human-being doused in a negative nature.

Without an awareness of your surroundings and daily prayer driven by focus and intentionality, anyone can easily slip into a slump of skepticism.

Don’t let a negative person or environment dictate who you are in Christ. Let who you are in Christ dictate the negative environment.

Something I’ve learned the hard way is that I can’t just put on my positive pants and expect everything to be ok. I’ve got to step into my praying pants and hike those bad boys up.

“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

No matter how bleak or awful the situation that you face today is, please remember this:

I have a book that specifically says God wins.

I have a book that says evil won’t prevail.

I have a book that’s says light overcomes darkness.

I have a love letter written by the King of Kings that says He will wipe away every tear.

I believe that. I cling to that. My hope is in that.

Don’t let an evil world rob you of the hope and confidence that comes with being a child of God.

Keep doing good.

Keep loving your neighbor.

Keep loving your everyone.

Keep praying.

Keep going.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21

Bitter. Party for one.

Been there. Done that. It’s an awful place to be.

Sometimes life comes at us out of nowhere. Bad times – bad things – can roll in quicker than a Texas thunderstorm in the middle of July.

Unexpected. Loud. Messy. Destructive.

We’ve got to be ready, y’all. We’ve got to be ready to combat the bad times with the sound doctrine of a very good Father.

We are all going to get down in the dumps, but we do not have to stay there.

We don’t have to brew.

We don’t have to stew.

And we certainly don’t have to ferment.

Instead we can choose to rise up, roll out, and revel in the promises of our one true King.

Next time bitter invites you to a party, chunk that invite into the closest trash can and set it on fire.

“Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.” Isaiah 38:17

I don’t have it all together. Not even close. I bet you don’t either, and that’s a good thing. People need to know that about us.

Let’s be real. Be raw. Be open to sharing your hope in the middle of your hectic.

Someone is watching you. Someone that’s going through something hard. They need to hear that you’ve been there and done that. They need to know that they will survive whatever they are in the midst of, too.

They will survive because you survived. They need to know that yes it’s hard, but with God living within their heart they can overcome hard.

They can overcome:

Tired

Stressed

Overwhelmed

Overworked

Underpaid

Grief

Anxiety

Depression

Addiction

They can.

You can.

We can.

Because God can.

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,” 2 Timothy 1:8

Not smart enough.

Not pretty enough.

Not strong enough.

Not brave enough.

Not rich enough.

Not eloquent enough.

Just not enough.

Good.

Those are the world’s standards – not God’s. If you are God’s girl, you are always enough – because His power is living within your heart and soul like a mighty, rushing river. Let Him rise up within you today.

Maybe you are shy – God’s not.

Maybe you are weak – God’s not.

Maybe you can’t speak up – God can.

Maybe you don’t have the finances – God does.

What is your maybe? Fill in the blank, but then rest assured that it’s ok. Whatever your “blank” is, whatever the area is that you feel less than in – it’s going to be ok.

It’s going to be ok because at the end of your blank you are always able to add:

God’s not.

God can.

God does.

God will.

Don’t ever doubt what God can and will do through little ol’ you. Just read up on [King] David – a little shepherd boy with a huge heart for God. Whatever you’re lacking – God’s got you if you’ve got Him.

“6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have [a]refused him. For[b] the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:6-7