Tag: God

Time

It is amazing how fast the last 7+ months have gone.

While I was having knee surgery, leaving a job of almost 17 years to start a travel business, spending the summer with my daughter so she didn’t have to go to summer camps every week, and generally feeling semi-retired; I realized one thing:

Time never stops and it will go on without you.

I hate the saying that time heals all wounds. That is a lie. Time does not heal.

Over time, you either do the things that will bring you to wholeness and healing, or you don’t. You may choose to bury your feelings or just react to whatever is going on today. You might just let life pass you by while you exist.

How do you spend your time? Do you use it, or do you lose it?

In a lot of ways, the last 7 months has been a huge success. I stepped out in faith to leave a very good paying job to work from home in a travel business while taking over some of the duties around the house to support our family. I am actively engaged in a new profession, have grown closer to my daughter at a very impressionable age, and helped my wife feel confident in being able to step into a career advancement that she would never have considered if things had remained the same.

In a lot of ways, the last 7 months have been a huge failure. I have neglected pouring into other people what I know they need through this blog, delayed writing a book that can help so many people, and not taken full advantage of opportunities to maximize the best use of the freedom I have had to do all that God has called me to do.

Now what? Maybe you feel the same way about your recent past.

The last thing any of us need to do is to dwell on the negative, the part of the past that has only produced worry, pain, loss, and discouragement. Just like our bodies, aging every day whether we like it or not, time keeps moving.

So what should I do with the negative? Learn from it and MOVE ON!! Realize the errors you made and do not repeat them. Don’t sit with those things that only want to remind you of your short-comings and where you missed it. You are stronger than that!! Just know that it is your daily choice to live with the problems of the past. There may still be consequences to deal with, but you can move through them with the help of God and others.

I have realized that the greatest step in faith I have ever taken since becoming a Christian, was during the last 7 months. I have grown closer to my wife and family while at the same time learning life lessons that I only dreamed would come years later.

Have I made the best use of my time the last 7 months? Yes and no.

If I had to do it all over again, would I change any of it? Yes and no.

Those are discussions that could go on forever……and I don’t have the time…;)

The question for you today is this— What are you going to do at this moment in time? It really is that simple. Good or bad, invest or waste?

What you do now will have more to say about your future than all the moments in the past. You cannot create your future today if you are making your today the past.If you choose to relive the past, get ready to relive the pain, regret, and heartache.

 

Take the precious time you have today to do whatever it takes to move on from your past.

TIME. Don’t give it away. Take it, and make it work for you. This very moment is already gone. Another one is here.

What are you going to do at THIS moment in time?

 

0

Uninspired

UninspiredWhy am I awake at 2:30 in the morning? And why am I compelled to write a blogpost?

Actually, like a lot of folks dealing with divorce, we all go through times we feel like we need to do something, but have no idea what to do. Ever been there? Are you still there?

What is funny is that I really am uninspired to write tonight, but yet I feel like I need to.

I believe it is that part of me that knows that I just need to start and God will do the rest.

Some of the greatest times in my life have always been when I just feel like I need to do something but have no clue why or what to do. That blows every purpose-driven message you have ever heard out the window, right?

Do we really have to be inspired to do what we need to do? In most of times, yes. Sometimes, no.

What inspires you? Is it the look on your child’s face as they sleep in the middle of the night? Is it a sunrise or sunset? Is it a song, sermon, or a saying?

Whatever it is, you may not have it but a few times in your life; the ah-ha moment.

Now, what do you do when you don’t feel inspired? Isn’t that most of your life? Who really will admit they are inspired to work some days? How about mowing the lawn or doing laundry? Anyone???

It seems like for me that I need to let God direct me in those moments and times when inspiration is nowhere to be found. We all have things that we need to do, but that ‘push’ just doesn’t come.

In times like these, we need something to hold on to that will draw us into what God has for us.

For me, that is music. I just need to put on the headphones, find that song or artist that feels good, and enjoy it. There is something about music that just goes beyond your mind and settles in your heart and soul.

Another thing that helps is to change things up, get out of the routine. Right now, I am using my wife’s chair in order to get a different perspective. Not that the heat and massaging don’t help, but it is getting out of the norm of sitting in my own chair. Sometimes I will just go sit out in our sunroom, open the windows, and listen to the hum of the air conditioner drown out the birds chirping while having a coffee and enjoy my daughter watching the same episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants over and over and over……….

I guess the title is a little misleading because I have become inspired to write this post.

Of course, the chair and a middle-of-the-night quiet house can help inspire, what has truly inspired me is something that I cherish and value.

YOU!!

What inspires me more than anything is knowing that there are people that need encouragement or just a simple message of hope. What inspires me is knowing that we relate on a level that some people cannot fathom, and we hope they never have to experience divorce. What inspires me is knowing that you care enough to read and comment and share with myself and others about your life and thoughts.

Knowing that tomorrow is a day that has never happened before and never will again, kind of blows my mind. And you choose to be a part of mine.

So, THANK YOU for inspiring me!!!

Feel free to let me know what inspires you. I would love to know.

Be blessed!!

0

Hope

Some days, no matter what is going on, you just need to know that there is hope. Hope in something. Anything, that will help with what you are feeling.

This new song and lyric video may just be the one thing that will get you through today. It was done by an American Idol alum, Danny Gokey. He has also written a book by the same title. Check out the information on Danny and his upcoming new album and book at www.dannygokey.com

I love this song so much, I may make it the official song of Divorce to Healing Ministry.

Proverbs 23:18 (NASB)

18 Surely there is a future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

Be blessed!!

0

WHAT? YOU QUIT?

Ok. Time to get real. As far as resolutions go, approximately 609,234,127 of them have been broken and we are only 13 days into the new year. Now what?

It may not what you want to hear, but why did you give up? Have you stopped to think about it?

If you ask me why I quit something, it is because of a lack of discipline in my life, pain that I was not wanting to to deal with and it was easier to not continue, or circumstances beyond my control. Let’s talk about each one.

Lack of discipline in my life is probably one of my greatest regrets. It has caused me to lose so much time, money, and joy in my life. I look back on my life and I can remember over and over about all the ideas I have had and all of the things I have started, and never finished. A while back, I realized something about myself. I am a great starter. I am not a finisher. And I hate that about myself.

I have finished a lot of things, including projects at work and certain things that did not take much time or effort. But it is the things that meant the most to me, the things I had a dream and a passion for that I just let die. Business ideas, inventions, music, and even friendships. In a nutshell, I was afraid to fail, and in my fear, I failed.

Over the last few months, I have resolved to change that about me. This blog is a part of that. The first blog I started, includes 1 post. This blog is different. I feel a closeness to what I am writing about and it is deep inside of me to be able to help others through a severely difficult time in there lives. As just a guy who has been where you are/have been, know that it is your desire to heal and seek help that is driving me to be disciplined to add content and words that will encourage and bring hope. Thanks for helping me help you.

Pain in my life is something that is hard to talk about. There is a lot of things I will never share with anyone other than God. I have chosen to share the most painful things with my wife and they will stay there. Just know that pain is just that, hurt.

The pain that I experienced caused me to shrink back and not strive to heal. I wasted so many tears and so much time just letting the pain be, or shoving it down inside of me. It was not healthy and it just prolonged my healing.

I know it hurts. Whatever you are feeling, let yourself feel it. Deal with it. Get whatever help you need. Take it to God and lay it at His feet. Don’t give up, just give it to Him. He is the only one who knows the depth of your pain and can give you the healing you so desperately need.

Circumstances in my life caused me to have to react in ways that I absolutely did not want to. I did not choose to be divorced. I chose to remain faithful and do whatever I could to remain married. My circumstances at times told me what I would do and I had no choice. It is still amazing to me what happened and that God did not allow things to work out. Twice.

First, it is not God’s fault. It is called free will and I was on the receiving end of two relationships that included someone else who chose to walk away. With that, they dictated how things would end. No amount of praying to God or desire on my part changed my circumstances. How I dealt with them, WAS my choice.

When it comes to someone’s free will, you can only do so much to influence it. There comes that moment when you have to realize that you never have nor will you ever make someone else love you. It is a choice if that other person wants to love you.

Can you imagine how God feels when someone chooses not to love Him? God created everything and gave His one & only Son, Jesus, as the greatest sacrifice of love for every person who has ever been born or will ever be born. Yet, people choose not to love Him.

Realizing that you are in control of your free will and your own choices, why would you ever give up? Why would you let circumstances or someone else dictate to you how to live the rest of your life?

You are a once-in-a-lifetime creation that God made for a purpose. What someone else thinks about you or says about you, does not need to control you. You could not control if they loved you, don’t let what is in the past to control you now.

Take a few minutes and really think about why you might have given up to this point and realize this: You have not given up if you choose to take just one more step.

Maybe that step is just turning your emotions and the pain over to God and asking Him to take it from you. Even if you do not feel different, know that your feelings will follow your decisions. Stand firm in your decision to take another step forward and to move on from it, your feelings will eventually follow.

You might have thought you gave up, but just reading this far, you have shown that you are still doing something to heal. You are still moving. It may not feel like it, but you are.

Psalms 23:4 (NASB) says “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me…”

What is the part of the verse that describes what we should do?

WALK THROUGH. We are moving and we are going through it. It doesn’t say, “While you sit and hurt in the lowest valley, know that God is feeling sorry for you…” Not a chance. I am sure God cries and hurts when you do, but He wants you to move and not stay where you are.

And isn’t that what you want too?

Don’t give up.

You have no idea how great your tomorrow will be if you stay stuck in yesterday.

0

I Want to #$%@!$# SCREAM!!!!

Ok. Before I blow my witness, I should just gather my thoughts. Calm down, mister……

I am PISSED!!!

MAN, why does this happen?!?!?

I received a text today from a very close friend in my life. They told me that they found out what caused their co-worker to go to the hospital with chest pains on New Year’s Eve. You wanna know why?

They moved out this last weekend. They are now separated from their spouse.

&#$&!%$!@^&!@

I have no idea what kind of situation is going on. I only know of this person because it is a co-worker of my close friend and they found out the news.

I don’t know if there was infidelity. I don’t know how long they have been struggling. I don’t know if abuse was involved.

Will I seem insensitive if I say “I DON”T CARE WHY!!!!!!”?

This just has to stop. Am I the only person who thinks that people just take others and relationships for granted? NONSENSE!!!!!

OK, back to reality…. Serenity now…..Serenity now……

I am sorry. I must now know that the thing I am most passionate about in life is not making more money, reaching new levels of success in my career, or becoming famous.

I have a heart for those that have to deal with separation and divorce. And it sucks. It really does.

It sucks that I cannot help people before it happens. Of course, I would if I could. Or can I.

Maybe I am just a bleeding-heart with no real answers that just feels bad for people. Maybe I think I can help but I really can’t. Maybe because I am not educated in whatever brain science they teach in college and have a piece of paper on the wall, I am helpless to help those that are helpless.

I call BS on that!!!

I have been there and done that, TWICE!!! I have felt the pain, that stabbing in the gut, back, head, heart, and every other part of me. I know what it is like to hurt. I know what is like to love someone and have them just crap on your marriage.

I know even more after today that I need to find a way to be a practical and effective help to those that desire help. I know people would get help, if they actually want it and choose to value their relationship.

If you happen to be looking at this blog and have not yet, but are deciding if you need to get separated or a divorce, let me help you. Let others help you. Reach out to those who will tell you the hard truth, not just what you want to hear. Find someone that you can trust to give you life-changing advice that will save you from one of the most painful and hardest things you you can experience. Take time to think things through and get help. Don’t go it alone.

As a Christian, the ONLY way I could make it through was to let God take over my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I did everything in my natural strength to save my marriages. It didn’t work.

I can tell you and my wife will tell you too, my ex-spouses screwed up. I am a great guy who needed some time to learn how to be a husband, friend, and lover. I needed to learn to communicate and not just listen. I had things to improve, but in this microwave world of ‘you are not my soul mate and it’s been 5 days or 5 weeks or even 5 months’, it was convenient for them to just jump ship.

I am not perfect. I have never claimed to be and I know more and more each day that I never will be perfect.

That is not a reason to give up on a relationship.

(climbing down from my 100ft high soapbox)

Thanks for letting me rant. I just needed to vent. It really has helped me to see that I must do all I can to help those that want and need the help that I can give.

I will have some more blog posts coming soon. Hopefully, you will get something that you can use to help in your own journey.

Be blessed!!

0

Who Needs a Hug?

baby hug photo: Step5.jpg

No matter what you are going through or how you are feeling at this moment, could you use a hug?

Even though you are just reading this on a screen and you may be all by yourself, lonely, depressed, or just needing someone to encourage you….here is a virtual hug for you.

Take a deep breathe, close your eyes, and hug yourself.

Know that you may not be with another person right now, but you are never alone. Someone else somewhere else is going through the same things you are going through and are there with you, just in a different place.

You may be lonely, but you have someone thinking about you, wondering how you are doing, praying for you. It may be a friend or a family member. It may be someone you don’t even know that is just knowing you are struggling. You have someone somewhere that cares.

God is always near. He will hold you in His arms. When you need a hug, just reach out to Him. He will comfort and hold you.

Be blessed!!

0

5 Divorce Resolutions for 2014

2014 New Year

So many times when a new year comes around, we have a positive outlook and are excited for what lies ahead. Maybe this isn’t the start for you. Here are some suggestions to help you along your journey.

Resolve to give thanks for what you have

You are still here. You are still breathing. You may thought you have lost everything, but take a few minutes and write down all that you still have (family, friends, children, job, home, etc). It may not be what you were expecting or wanted, but some people would trade their lives for yours right now. How many things can you come up with? Write them down and look at them daily. Add to them as you think of more.

Resolve to think about and help others

Yes, you are still hurting and need healing, but so do so many others. By taking your eyes off of yourself from time to time will not only be a blessing to others, but you will heal in the process. Nothing helps a hurting heart more than allowing it to pour love out to those that need a helping hand (especially your children, if you have them).

Resolve to take care of yourself

Start making healthier decisions in your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life. You are not good for anyone else let alone yourself if you are sick, depressed, and bitter. Join a group or gym to get some exercise. Join a recovery group to work through the emotions you are dealing with so that you can move on. Read and study the Bible and books that speak life into your soul. It really does help.

Resolve to forgive

Choose to take the path of forgiveness instead of the path of bitterness. Holding onto painful thoughts and events from the past only imprison you, not the other person. I have heard that to forgive is to give up hope on a better past. Think about it. You can’t change the past, but you can change the present and the future. Let that dead past stay in the ground. You have a life to live. Go for it.

Resolve to take it one day at a time

Realize that every day you have a choice to make it a good day by the attitude you embrace. The sun will come up again and you can have a better tomorrow if you make today better. Today is your day. It is waiting for you to live it. Grab it and ride it.

I know you can have a great year. Do it by making today the day you resolve to be a better you!!

0

Moving On

 

There comes a time when you realize the next step is to move on. As painful and hurtful of a season in your life that moving on is, change is inevitable sometimes.

I remember when I was at the lowest point in my life, the moment I realized that my marriage was in serious trouble. It was not over yet, but something inside of me told me,”Get ready to change.”.

I needed to talk to the pastor & asst. pastor at my church. It was a smaller church, yet full of loving people that cared deeply for me in my pain. I opened up and just poured out my heart to these men and shared things I had held on to for far too long. It was like pulling out the barb of a stingray from my heart, one that creates a puncture wound going in, but pulled out it rips a huge hole.

God gave me a statement in that time that I hold onto until this very day. In one moment, I felt a peace that is beyond words. It was straight from the heart of God to start the healing process in my heart, even though I was only separated at the time.

“Jesus and I are movin’ on.”

Words that penetrated deep into my soul. It was a statement that told me, God was with me. He was never going to leave me. He would never forsake me.

I realized that at any moment when I felt down or depressed, I could hold on to the words that God gave me. They were, and still are, a lifeline.

There are times in your life that people will let you down. They will not be there for you when you need them. Sometimes, that is the best thing for you, even though you think they should be there for you. But Jesus is always there.

The words include the word ‘and’. That means I need to be with Jesus. I know he never leaves me, but it means I need to be in a lifetime, life-changing relationship with Him to benefit from the peace He wants to pour out.

Movin’ on means that we are not staying in the pain and struggle we are in right now. I does not mean there will not be new struggles and troubles in the future, but it gets me looking forward toward the future and letting go of the past.

The past is just that, past you.

Did you ever think about why God put our eyes on the front of our head and not on the back? I believe it is because he does not wanting us to dwell on our past but to look forward towards what lies ahead.

When you realize that when change is coming and it needs to happen, hold on to something strong. Something that will not let you down.

And make sure you rent the moving truck with “Mom’s Attic” in the front. You always have more to move than you realize. 🙂

2

Starting Over

Where do I begin? Is there anything left? Where is God in all of this?

Sound familiar? These are some of the exact questions that people have when needing to recover from a divorce.

I have a hard time telling people what to do. It’s hard enough to be a dad and tell my daughter she needs to go to bed when she doesn’t want to or my son that he needs to take care of things before the last-minute. Maybe it is just my way of allowing people to learn, or maybe it is just me wimping out on my responsibility as a dad. I need to work on that.

But,  do you REALLY want someone to tell you what to do? Do you REALLY trust the advice you are getting is in your best interest? How do you know?

Ok, here is where the rubber meets the road. Are you ready? What I am going to tell you is going to be something that most people will never tell you. It is groundbreaking information that will work 100% of the time, if you follow the directions. The problem is most people either never receive the advice with a willing spirit to change or they attempt it for a while and then think the advice has to be wrong so they just go it alone.

If you really want to know what to do, here it is:

1) Pray

2) Seek God

3) Turn away from the wrong things

Simple as that. If you truly want the recovery and peace that will last and sustain you as you heal, you need help from above. Only God can heal a broken heart.

Praying to God, no matter what the prayer sounds like to start, opens the communication to Him. It brings forth an openness for change in you, which is what is needed to heal.

I can remember times of just screaming and yelling at God. Every part of me wanted to vent my frustration and pain while pushing the blame onto someone or something else. I wanted them to feel pain like I felt and it really didn’t matter what I said. It just felt good to say it. Praying for justice took on a whole new meaning, meaning it would make me feel better. but eventually, God changed my heart.

He caused me to start praying that I would be all He had for me to be, no matter what happened. I knew that the future held so much more pain, but I knew that deep down, God loved me with a love that no human can have. It help the healing process to start. And it will help you.

Seeking God is just that, looking for Him. Looking for Him in everything, not just a pretty sunrise, your child’s face, or a song that moves you. It is something that should happen daily and be sincere in knowing Him, not finding verses to curse your ex-spouse with (I’m sorry, but I am guilty in doing that for a while). Building a relationship with God, founded on the written word of God (bible), is what will sustain you for the long road ahead as well as setting you up for peace and wisdom to handle what is coming next.

Turning away from the wrong things should be obvious, and for most people, it is. We tell ourselves that we will change our behavior, but it seems like it just will not happen. It takes a decision and the fortitude to manage that decision from this day forward.

What kind of behavior do you need to change? Hopefully, you already know. Most people know where they need to make changes because they have told their spouse things like, “Oh, I can quit drinking or doing drugs if it means you will give me another chance” or “You keep telling me to do (x,y,z) and I don’t think I need to change. It is you who needs to change”. Well, for just a moment, think about it. What behavior did your spouse say caused problems? Start with that. Through more prayer & relationship with God, you will get direction in how you need to change and grow so that you can become the person you need to be.

The points above come from 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says “then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and PRAY and SEEK my face and TURN from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

If you want your land(heart) restored, you need to PRAY, SEEK, and TURN to God.

It is the only way to a true, lasting, and complete healing.

Or, you can keep doing what got you here in the first place……It is your choice.

In my own strength, I failed.

I will take the Creator of it all, the One who loves me and gives me my every breath. My faith and trust is in the One who knows how to heal the broken heart.

He can and will, if you let Him.

0

Dying To Live

The phrase ‘Dying to Live” is one that is confusing to some people. You might think, “How can I live if I die?”. Simple, but not easy.

The phrase has come to mean, you need to let those things that are dead (ie, marriage, relationships, friendships, your past) be as if they are buried in the ground, never to return. Only then can you really get on with living the life you have to live. Dying to live.

I saw a friend of mine post this video a few days ago. The reason I checked it out was because I used to listen to Creed almost nonstop for a year, getting to know the songs intimately. Scott Stapp (lead singer) has such a distinct voice and he sang with such passion. The words were definitely right down my alley, since I had become a Christian & could tell they were Godly lyrics, even if the band refused to classify themselves as a Christian band. I just needed to check out the video.

I could not believe how inspirational and comforting of a song it is. The lyrics were on the video so I could follow along and it just spoke to me heart.

I would ask you, if you did not take the time to check out the full video, please do it. Pay attention to the words as the music plays. It speaks life.

After a little YouTubing, I ran across another video about how he was struggling with alcohol and other vises as the band was growing apart. He talks candidly about how dark those times were and that he experienced a divorce and a near-death 40 foot fall. He realized he had to die (almost physically, yet totally to his own self) to live. Check it out here, if you like.

It is through the struggles in life that we find out what is really worth living for. Our children, family, friends, and those near and dear to us love us like none other, except God.

Jesus died for you and me so that we could live. He knew life is a struggle, but He provided the way to peace and new life in God.

“I had to go hell to find my Heaven, 40 feet I had to fall from grace. Everything’s so clear when you’ve got one foot in the grave.”

Who has been there? I know I have. I remember wishing I would just die, knowing that I would see Jesus right away, but He had other plans for me. He had a purpose through my pain & experience. He knew that at some point, you would need this encouragement. My pain was to help you.

It took me a long time to figure that out, but I now know that things will come clear, if you just die to yourself and your past, and choose.to live.

My pastor said one Sunday that “Forgiveness is hold out no hope for a better past.”. The past is gone. You can learn from it, but you cannot change it. Let it die.

And my friend, now LIVE!!!

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑