No, Say No.

I have toddlers and one of their favorite words happens to be "NO." For the longest time, BJ and I would intentionally not use the word "NO" every time we had to tell them-well, 'no.' We would use phrases like, "would you please stop or, I don't want you to do that." Little by little, we had to start using the word "NO," especially when they would put their finger in a light socket or attempt to shave their face with daddy's electric razor. (I'm not kidding)

No.

The girls are allowed to say no. They have feelings and sometimes they don't want what we are offering them or asking them to do. However, we are trying to guide them and explain to them when it's appropriate to say no. An example of when the girls are not allowed to say no is when they are being told to do something. Whenever they do, we gently say, "don't say no- you need to honor what mommy is saying." So, the girls have now adopted the saying, "NO say NO" and have really started using it when we tell them no.

No.

They are definitely still learning and so are we! This morning, while getting ready for my day, I overheard Kennedi telling Brooklyn, "NO say NO." It made me chuckle. In that moment I had a BLOG moment. I quickly ran through the areas in my life where I felt God was telling me, "Sarah, NO say NO."

I thought I'd share them with you.

NO say NO when you are given an opportunity to be KIND.

NO say NO  when you are given an opportunity to be PATIENT.

NO say NO when you are given an opportunity to see the glass half FULL.

 

 

Every week I highlight a TRUTH about you, your life, or about a situation you may be facing and then I DARE you to believe it.

Here is this week's TRUTH or DARE.

 

 

 

TRUTH: "NO say NO!" Kennedi & Brooklyn Johnson

 

DARE:  Respond to someone with kindness, be patient with your sitaution, and resolve that no matter what it looks like, it's going to work our for your good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1. 89 To Go.

This morning I woke up early and went for a run. It felt good- not when my alarm clock went off, of course, but it did feel good when I felt the sun kiss my face and the fresh air enter my lungs. It was a new day and I was ready to see all that this day had for me.

Alarm Clock.

Waking up and going for a run is no foreign thing for me, in fact it has always been a big part of my life. I have never been the 'personal trainer' looking kind of girl, but I have always taken good care of my health. This past year I ran a half marathon, something that I wanted to accomplish in 2012. But today was different- that half marathon (In November) was truly the last time I went for a run/exercised.

A Million Excuses.

I can come up with a million excuses as to why it has not been a part of my daily routine, but the truth is is that I have not been living a balanced life. Since November, when I ran my half marathon a lot has changed. We moved 3,000 miles to a new city, I went back to work full time(after being home with the girls for almost two years), and we started making huge steps in our church planting efforts.

Mind. Body. Soul.

My physical health as not been the only thing that has suffered, my spiritual, mental and emotional health has suffered as well. I believe when our physical beings are not working at its best, all other areas of life lack as well.

Blog Moment.

I have not had some spiritual awakening or anything of the sort, but what I did have a few weeks ago while beating myself up about everything I wasn't doing, was a BLOG moment.

I have had BLOG moments since my last post, but just like everything else, my BLOG has been put on the back burner, being left for "tomorrow's to do list." I have never been someone who waits until 'tomorrow' to do anything-instead I have always been a person who does things in the now!

Blah. Blah. Blah.

This, going about my days, hoping that everything I needed to do/wanted to do in one day would just happen was getting old very quickly. As I laid in my bed going over a list of things that I needed to do the next day, I remembered a quote my 4th grade teacher told me once, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Action Plan.

I had been secretly hoping my days would be longer or that I would have some crazy motivation at 10pm at night to workout out for the past few months, instead of coming up with an action plan.So, instead of doing something, I did nothing. Not because I didn't want to, but I didn't know where to start.

Stuck In A Rut.

I have always handled change pretty well. Most of you know that I am someone who loves adventure, so change just comes with the territory. This move has been different. Every detail about this move and this new life here in South Florida has been the very DIFFERENT than what I thought it would be. There have been great moments, tough moments & moments of disappointment. We all go through these moments, it is a part of life.

What I noticed most, was that anytime you and I begin a new thing, step out into the unkown it is going to come with challenges, feelings of uncertainty and hard times. When we allow these things to overwhelm us, we will become stuck- going through our days, making a minimal impact in the world around us.

Re Adjust.

This past weekend I sat down and looked at my life & all of my responsibilities. I put together an action plan that consisted of everything from working out to resting! What has worked for me in the past, didn't necessarily mean it was going to work for me in this season.This is what I came up with.

 FIRST: I had to stop feeling guilty for the days that I didn't accomplish all that I set out to do.

SECOND: I resolved that God knows ALL that I have to do in a single day and that I could not do this on my own. That He is not number one in my life, but instead the very CENTER of who I am-making everything I do better!

THIRD: I had to resolve that it is OK to schedule time for me, with no babies, husband, dog, social media etc- That when I schedule time for me, everything else will then benefit.

Today, I started DAY 1 of my 90 Challenge. I am excited and expectant.

Have you recently started a new routine and finding it hard to stick to? Or have you been finding yourself unmotivated? I want you to be encouraged today! Stop feeling guilty and reject the idea that it is too late to start working towards your goals. Everyday I will post a little nugget from my day, good or bad! I would like you to join in on the fun and start something you have been wanting to do today! There's a lot of life to live and you and I need to get out there and start doing!

Every week I highlight a TRUTH about you, your life, or about a situation you may be facing and then I DARE you to believe it.

Here is this week's TRUTH or DARE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRUTH: "Try and fail, but don't fail to try." -unknown

DARE: Try something today!