That was the great advice from Chadd Wright on the Rich Roll Podcast. And helping me to be in this endeavor is God. My faith in Him has strengthened my spirit. This is my prayer for us all:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ (God) may dwell in your hearts through faith.” – Ephesians 3:16-17
Honestly, listening to Chadd speak about his strong faith in God encouraged me! I related so much with him, especially when he spoke about running and his faith when I write so much about how running has helped me get closer to God. No shame in my game, on my daily run, there is a tree that I put both hands on and say to Him, “We’re together, we’re together, we’re together.” LIFE GETS HARD, and it’s my reminder that no matter what comes at me, I know that I’m rolling with God. I just show up doing my best in every moment, KNOWING He is behind the scenes helping me with the more difficult parts. That’s faith!
And I want you guys here with Chadd and me, with a strong FAITH in God. His invisible Presence is ALWAYS with us. It’s just for us to invite Him into every moment, no matter what we’re doing, seeking His wisdom, strength, and love.
Just this morning, everything I’ve done so far, I’ve felt God nudging me to do it. Like I had a nice drive with Julie to get her some Starbucks coffee and give her a quick driving lesson. I ended up kissing her and saying thank you because I enjoy our conversations so much. They’re sacred, and I always feel so motivated to be better. Our fierce babes’ alliance remains strong, my sweetie!
And can you believe God said the same thing to me recently? That He would be tempted to thank me for remembering Him. God, now I get it! (HUGE SMILE) Would you give God the honor and joy to be an intimate part of your life? He’s patiently waiting on your invitation. Say this prayer with me, ‘God, I want a closer walk with You! Amen. Trust me, He will thank you too! Wink! Wink!
That’s how I’m feeling today! I’m going through life knowing God is with me! In the 1,000 decisions I make every day, I’m learning to feel Him in my spirit, nudging and directing me as to what He would have me to do, what He would have me to say, and where He would have me to go. So, I don’t want to feel this close to Him by myself, I want you getting in on this love, wisdom, approval, and guidance that’s available to all of us.
He’s pretty talkative once you learn His voice. Like some months ago, hubby and I were in a dark space and I had a weird dream. I dreamt that I was feeling like a new love. The kind of love I first felt for my husband when we first met. The giddy type of love where we’ll call each other right back kind of love if we spoke on the phone. I freaked out like it was a nightmare – that hubs and I were going to split up! But after a few days of panic, God put it in my spirit, ‘Nik, that’s you and your husband!’ Can you believe that dream has come true? I honestly feel so blessed to have such a great husband who has been more than I can ever imagine or expect. We’re in the US right now, and to see him put so much love into our family, really blows me away. Thanks, boo! Ride or die chick forever!
But the real deal of what happened last year is that my identity was too much tied to being his wife. When I felt that was possibly being taken away from me, I was completely crushed. But God stood with me, and He taught me that my identity should not be tied to anyone, it should be tied to Him FIRST AND FOREMOST – GOD’S GIRL!!!. I don’t even wear a wedding band because every time I would try, I would feel irritated by it in my spirit. God wants to be our first love!!!
With His love, we can then live life from His perspective. Knowing He is with us and by our side, guiding, protecting, advising and LOVING us, we can seek to put Him first in our actions and decisions. God, what would You have me to do here? That’s how He beautifully guides us on the path to the best life. I’m so grateful that He kept me on track last year. He said to stay on the high road with Him, being the faithful, loyal, dependable, going the extra mile person for Him, and it’s paid off big time! I’m blessed!!!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
“JUST FEELING SO TIRED AND EMOTIONALLY DRAINED”
That was a message from a friend today. She said initially she didn’t want to hear my positive advice, and I completely get it.I do the same with God – God, I don’t want to hear from You! I want to be mad, mean, angry, and upset! But thank God for GROWTH and maturity. Now I’m RUNNING to hear what God has to say because He honestly leads me on the best paths. Here’s an old post to explain more:
‘THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING!’ I complained to God. It’s an ongoing issue that has become my cross, and He is helping me to carry it joyfully (most of the time!). I love that I can go to Him in all my terrible moments and look at things from His Almighty perspective. He had me reread this prayer:
”O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I WILL NOT DWELL ON THE UNPLEASANT THINGS OF LIFE. “
And speaking of being FULL of anxiety, that was me yesterday, and I immediately RAN to Him AGAIN. I reread some old posts, including my fav lately:
“Come to me all you who labor and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, here you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
She (a priest) called our attention to the image of the yoke, a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals such as oxen are joined at the heads or necks for working together. She said she could imagine Jesus (God) already wearing the yoke and inviting us to let Him be our Partner as we bear our burdens together with Him. She said when things get harder (and they will get harder) Jesus (God) would not let his side of the yoke go.
I loved this part so much that I listened to it repeatedly, imagining God and I clasped together with this piece of wood holding our heads together. I especially loved it because now I’m WISELY learning to let God lead the direction we go in, on a moment by moment basis. It’s not always easy, and at times it takes serious DISCIPLINE not to be the crazy, drama Nik who wants to make an appearance. But God’s ways always lead me to make the utmost best decisions no matter the tough situation. I never regret following His leading, even when He takes me out of my comfort zone on some treacherous paths.”
Are you going to God in your sad, frustrating, painful, anxious, and other awful moments? Let’s bear all our burdens with Him.
TODAY, I RAN SIX MILES IN TWO HOURS UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS OF OUR HOUSE!!! I’m working on a better me, baby! The goal was to get rid of the old Nik and my constant sad and hurtful thoughts, and for a happier and more focused person to emerge. And so far, I think it did the trick! I’ve learned that if I don’t control my thoughts, they will take control of me. Let me tell you, the quality of our thoughts WILL determine the quality of your life!
The run was fantastic! I did another one of my Coach Andy Nike Run Club runs and heard the incredible story of his guest athlete, Lopez Lomong, from being kidnapped in Sudan as a six-year-old kid by rebel soldiers to being an Olympic athlete representing the United States years later.
But, in between listening to his story, I pretty much played one song repeatedly, ‘Let Me Be The One To Love You,’ (William Singe’s version) imagining God singing these lyrics to me:
“You should let Me love you
Let me be the One to
Give you everything you want and need
Ooh baby good love and protection
Make Me your selection
Show you the way love’s supposed to be
Baby love you”
After hearing that one song so many times I said, “God, You got it! I will let You be the One to love me!” Phew! So when the depressing thoughts and reminders come up again about some hurts and disappointments from the past, I can now say, “Go away!!! God’s girl here!” and I can instead focus on God’s love and be happy, keeping no more records of wrongs (from others or ourselves!!!).
On Saturday, I was asking Him to help me wrap my head around a situation and He answered me. As I was in one part of our bedroom reading my meditation book, my son, Joshie, was asking my husband a question and at the very same time I read the word “SUPPORT,” my husband was responding to our son with the exact word. LIKE PERFECTLY TIMED!!! Of course, I took this as another one of my God winks when out of the blue, everything lines up STRANGELY TOO PERFECTLY, with an important message from God for all of us:
“Of Bearing the Defects of Others
But now God has disposed things that we may learn to bear one another’s burdens; for there is no one without defects, no one without burdens, no one sufficient for himself, no one wise enough for himself, but we must SUPPORT one another, comfort one another, assist, instruct and admonish one another.” – Imitation of Christ
Can we do that for Him? Honestly, that’s what I took from that conversation from Lopez today, how everywhere he went, he considered everyone family the way he was SUPPORTED through his horrific journey. My fav were the boys who helped him to escape the rebel camp who he called his angels. They knew his older brother and immediately when he was brought there, they met him and said something like, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you. We’re family.” And they did.
I believe we’re not the human race; we’re the human family! Let’s go the extra mile in loving, supporting, assisting, instructing, and admonishing one another. God is our BOSS, and our reward is with Him. And let Him be the one to love us! His love is more than enough! Wink! Wink!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
“WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?” (REPOST)
I questioned my daughters yesterday after they called, asking if they could go for a run in a nearby park. I wasn’t expecting this response (I paraphrase here): “Mom, you were the one who kept saying, “Let’s do hard things!” You’re so brave. You’re fearless! We see you running through bushes, over snakes, doing challenging things. We’re following you.” Wow! And that confirmed my change of perspective on this rough year!
Earlier that day, I felt God speaking to me through a “Suckcess Run” with Coach Bennet of the Nike Running Club. He talked about perspectives and how we can look at our failures from a different angle. So, here I’ve been thinking what a mess up I’ve been this year of what felt like a million falls, and thanks to Coach Bennet, I flipped it, feeling God had this to say, ‘Wow, Nik, you did some hard things for Me. You’re my little superhero. You might have fallen, but you were resilient, you kept getting back up. And you kept focused on building a closer relationship with Me. Great job! We have a lot to celebrate here!”
Then hearing my daughters remind me that they were watching their momma take on this challenging year was the icing on the cake. Not only did they see me, but I also shared with you guys how God would show up in every one of those falls to let me know He was with me.
And that’s the best perspective change ever. Knowing God is with you in the good times and the hard times. He has your back no matter how many times you fall and fail, and He loves you unconditionally no matter how many times you mess up. This year also importantly taught me that this is what He expects us to do for others – love unconditionally.
I love how God uses my husband to teach me all these love lessons to pass on to you guys. I told him today that all I know and all I need to know is that he is the best husband in the world. We may have our dark nights, but we rise up again with the hope that our best days are still ahead of us. We remain loyal to each other no matter what we go through. In fact, these difficult times seem to bring us even closer together. Go figure! Like we can go through the toughest times, survive, and recommit to getting even better TOGETHER! God’s ways are not our ordinary human ways; they’re so much better!
Are you getting CLOSER to Him? Say this prayer with me, ‘God, I want a closer walk with You.’ Then start having alone times seeking Him and asking Him to be a part of the 1,000 decisions you make every day, seeking to make Him happy. I promise you, the best life is close to God!!!
