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One of the greatest lies I have had to tackle within my heart is the lie that I was not worthy or had no value or was not lovable enough. I have come to discover that many people, both believers and non believers alike, also struggle with this lie.

I have also learned the importance of needing to understand our own worth and value, along with the need to truly love and accept ourselves. This video will help you embark on seeing how you loving yourself can impact your life and those around you immensely. I will continue to expound on this message in my shorts and a blogpost this week as well, so look for those.

Please know that you are valuable, lovable and worth dying for. Our Lord Jesus has already revealed to us our worth in His act of going on the cross for us. May your heart gain a real understanding of God’s immense love for you!

Last Fall I ran a half marathon.

It was hosted in a nearby town from where I live.

It wasn’t a highly advertised race, but because it was close to where I live and it was taking place at a time that I was wanting to run a half marathon, I signed up.

I trained well for this race, having already run a half marathon and a full marathon before years prior. The difference this time around, a part from being older now, was that I had recovered from a slight knee injury and fully made it through my healing journey with trauma therapy.

I ran stronger than I had ever run in my training. I felt calm. I felt ready to run this race.

Saturday morning of the race I felt excitement and some nerves. The weather was a nice cool temperature, but it was also drizzling with rain. Hopefully, there would not be any heavy showers or thunder and lightning.

My husband drove me to the race. He was more than willing to be my cheerleader for this event as he had been before. Upon arriving to the race, however, we quickly noticed not a lot of cars in the parking lot designated for the race.

I thought it might have been cancelled because of the weather.

Yet, there were a few participants walking around and some even warming up.

My husband and I walked up to the only table around and asked the ladies behind it if this was the right location for the half marathon along with the 5k, 10k and 15k. They responded with an affirmative. With not a lot of people around we then asked how many present were running the half marathon.

After a quick look at their list of participants they looked up and said, “One.” That was obliviously myself. Another lady had signed up but did not show for the race. The others we saw prepping for the race were signed up to run the other shorter distances.

We smiled and walked away from the sign in table. And after looking at my husband in surprise of this information, I quickly felt all the excitement drain from my body only to be replaced by nerves.

It ended up being a really good experience.

The few of us that were in the race encouraged one another each lap we took to get to the distance we had committed to run. I ran as strong as I would if others had been running the same half marathon with me, maybe even stronger knowing I was the only one running it. My husband cheered me on, the ladies who were at the table, now timing the runners, were at the finish line also cheering us on. And at one time, my husband had the joy of running a part of the race with me to encourage me on. As the time passed by that drizzly morning, each runner finished their own race and I was able to watch some of them walk towards their cars as they did. But I kept running.

Then I finished, finally coming in last and first for this half marathon.

It felt good. It felt strange. It was done.

The ladies told me since I came in first place that I could go online, fill out a quick form and ask for my first place metal. I finally did about a month after that event. My husband encouraged me to do so and feeling a bit silly, having been the only one to run my category, I completed the form.

My first place metal came to me in the mail. I won a half marathon!

That whole experience reminded me of the races we run in this life. Running after a reward promised us in Heaven, as Paul shares in the NT. And it can feel like we are a solo runner in our race at times. Others may have dropped out before it even began, while others have only committed to part of the race.

But if we have been trained by the Lord to run a harder race, to run it alone and to do so watching others finish early and walk away, we can trust that He remains on the sidelines continuing to cheer us on until we complete what we set out to do. And like my husband, it is never beneath our Lord to step in to run alongside of us for encouragement and strength as well.

The race is still worth running it even if you run it alone.

This has definitely been long overdue! I always wanted to provide you all a tour of our unconventional tiny home and today I get to do that.

Showing you our container home and some of the build of it as well. Make sure to watch all the way through.

And enjoy!

We are being tested within the trials we are faced with. These trials will provoke our flesh to want to take over, leaving behind the desire to honor and obey the Lord.

When you feel your flesh being provoked, recognize what is going on and understand the temptation before you.

Remaining still, remaining silent and choosing instead to either retreat or go and meet with the Lord will be a good response instead of giving in to what you feel you want to do.

We are forged in the fire of these trials and our hearts are being tested. That is their purpose.

And when our flesh surfaces a lie we believe, an impure motive we have or a need to act on our feelings instead of surrendering to the Lord, then we can take these things and lay them at the feet of the Lord.

Allow the Lord to prune you, to mold you and to reestablish you in Him.

Let the growth of your character take place.

Where you once responded hastily in the past, choose to move slower now. Where you allowed anything and whatever to leave your lips, choose to yield your tongue to the Spirit.

And meet with God daily.

Within the trial it becomes a process of taking one day at a time. And so choose each day to be committed to the righteous path the Lord sets before you.

Do not let yourself become overwhelmed, but focus on one step at a time through the fire. Lean into the Lord when it becomes hard and ask Him to protect you from the enemy and to deliver you from what the enemy tempts you with.

It is within these trials where our flesh becomes weak and we truly have to depend on the Lord to make it through.

But it is in the dependence of the Lord fully that our spirit is strengthened and we learn to live in alignment with His voice.

Don’t lose yourself in this trial. Remain in Him and trust that He is walking alongside of you each step of the way.

a chat with Amanda…

Seasonal depression impacts a lot of people, but could there be other factors making individuals feel worse than they need to? In this video, I will be exploring what we can look at and assess in regards to our feeling down and blue.

I have noticed patterns in my own life that triggers my mood and pulls me towards feeling depressed. And because I am aware of these patterns, things that work against my mental health, I know what to do to safeguard against being triggered again.

I really hope this video brings insight to your struggle and helps you discover the patterns in your own life that work against you. And may you be encouraged to make choices that will help you in the long run. Blessings!

As you take steps towards choosing the lifestyle you want to live, preparing yourself for a new year to come, take time to ask the Lord to help you become more self-aware.

Being aware of your own issues and weaknesses will help you overcome stepping into the role of becoming your own worst enemy as you take steps forward.

It’s a process and growth journey, but the Lord will be our help as we faithfully trust Him to show us what we need to know and do in order to overcome the obstacles we create for ourselves.

Who we surround ourselves with is important.

I am talking about our inner circle. We eventually become like those we spend the most time with. Even those people who believe that they are being a good influence on others, will themselves be influenced by those they often come in contact with. It is in our human nature to behave this way.

If your inner circle consists of individuals who are cynical, negative and fall into the belief that we are who we are and we do not need to change or grow, then that will impact how you think and believe as well.

If you want change and growth in your own personal life, surround yourself with people that want the same for themselves. You can find accountability with others that are seeking accountability for themselves as well. And along with accountability, you find great encouragement and support.

A lot of us gauge where we should be in our lives by comparing and observing the lives around us. This can positively compel some of us to go after meaningful and life impacting ambitions and changes.

While for others, this can provide the excuses and justifications our brains are looking for to remain as we are if those we are observing have have become stagnant and have little growth.

A lot of people allow their circumstances to dictate how they live their lives, rather than taking responsibility for their choices. Life pulls them along and they only have energy and strength to survive.

However, when we begin to be smart with our choices and learn that what we do today impacts our tomorrow, then we find ourselves in the drivers seat leading our life rather than being thrashed around by it.

We still can not control what happens to us, but we can learn how to control how we respond and how to meet each wave head on.

Choose your inner circle wisely and watch the rest unfold in your life.

This is growth and maturity.

In pursuing after the right habits you want to build into your life in order to reach the lifestyle vision you have in your heart, ask yourself what choices you make for yourself, or that you desire to make for yourself, that you are most proud of.

Choices that you are proud of are the ones that deep within you you know are the best to make on a consistent basis. And if that is so, those are the habits you should focus on building into your life.

Choices that you are not proud of, your bad habits, are of course what you want pulled out of your life. However, in order to stop doing the things you don’t want to do, you need to mentally replace them with choices that are good for you.

For example, if you are trying to stop wasting your time scrolling through social media, find a new hobby or habit to focus on in order to replace your unwanted habit.  Then work to build that new habit into your brain where your brain responds positively to the new habit and loses its taste for the bad habit.

Building the right habits into your life is something that does not come easily, but it is something that you can work towards with one habit at a time. Set your mind as if training for a marathon rather than a short race with this. Allow yourself time to work on one habit at a time. Develop a timeframe that is practical and that will train your brain to seek out the healthy dopamine from your smarter choices.

You want to get to a place where you feel proud of the choices you make every single day.  And at the end of the day, when you lie your head on your pillow, you can find rest more easily because you know the choices you have made for that day are truly expressing the person you know you are within.

As we come to the holidays and closer to ending out the year of 2024, I wanted to share the habits I picked up this year (or re-picked up) and how I was able to be the most productive I have ever been in my life with the things I WANTED to be productive in.

I am sharing this with you to encourage and motivate you to continue to wrap up your year well, but to also begin thinking about what you want to focus on in the new year and after all the craziness of the holidays.

I have found that giving myself time to sit and think about the changes I want to make in my life really is not time wasted. It is difficult for many of us to find that time within these next two months, but if you can carve that time out it will be a gift you can give yourself for Christmas!

There will be trials we must walk through and endure in this life. We cannot sidestep them or run the other way, we must bravely take them on.

We don’t do this alone, however.

We reach for God’s hand and allow Him to lead us through.

We will feel pressed in on all sides, but still we are not alone.

The pressing in will begin to surface what has been hidden in our hearts. It will expose lies and beliefs not true to our own awareness that have been harboring unaware within.

But the Lord has seen these lies and has desired for them to become uncovered. And in His faithfulness and goodness, He has allowed our individual trials to bring us revelation of what needs to be changed within.

Our beliefs and truths shape our thinking and emotions. And our choices are made out of those convictions.

If we keep on living out of hidden false beliefs and lies, then we will continue to make poor choices and remain stuck when we are supposed to be maturing and growing.

The next struggle or trial you walk through, still yourself for a moment to hear what lies are coming to the surface of your heart.

Let them be exposed.

Write them out and then ask the Lord to show you the truth, His truth, that counteracts and stamps out those misconceptions.

And begin the habit of meditating on these truths, choosing to allow them to override what used to keep you in place and stagnant.

Let your trials be used by God to set you more and more free from deception and false beliefs.