Mindset

A Fresh Perspective

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

Just as a heads up, I’m not sure if this post will be of interest to anyone else, but I just want to document as a reminder that God hears, listens, and speaks.

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, April was a really difficult month.  I had been struggling a lot from a situation that had left me blindsided and hurt (I realize I’m being cryptic about what actually happened, but it’s sensitive).  Thankfully between time, prayer, and a fresh perspective, I’ve finally been able to move forward.

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One morning I had gotten up expecting to have another really hard day.  As I walked out the door of my bedroom, the following verse sounded in my head loud and clear…

“This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”.  

As I slowly walked up the stairs I prayed “You’re right Lord, you did make this day and I will rejoice and be glad in it, regardless of how I feel.” I certainly didn’t want to be glad, but none the less, He did make this day and I could be thankful for life itself, regardless of my circumstances.  I took a shower and repeated the verse a couple more times, willing myself to have a better attitude about the day ahead.

As I continued getting ready for work I listened to the devotional on the YouVersion app. It was only about 2 minutes long but what was said was exactly everything I needed to hear. It was on Mathew 20:28:

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many”

It’s been a couple weeks since I listened to the devotional, but the point has stayed with me – it’s all about humility. In the big picture, our occupation, job status, title, etc. doesn’t matter. We are called to love others and to serve.

It was a lightbulb moment, a clear calling, and a good reminder of our purpose and the importance of humility.

Thankfully the past month is over, time has healed some of the hurt, and things have worked itself out, and through it all, God was right there.

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To all that are struggling, know you are loved and not alone.

Much love to you all,

Cami

5 Ways to Get Into the Holiday Spirit…Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

5 Ways To Get In The Holiday Spirit…Even When You Don’t Feel Like It.

I have been having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. I know I’m not alone here. For some this year has been extremely difficult in every way possible, and for that I am incredibly sorry and want to give you a virtual hug.

Even though things are weird this year I realized that it’s up to me to create my own happiness. All year I have fought through the “blah’s”. I refuse to allow Covid to take away my joy. Instead of focusing on what I can’t do, I’m choosing to focus on what I can do. Just because things are different doesn’t mean that it’s all bad. So, even though I haven’t been in the mood, here are 5 ways I’m getting myself into the holiday spirit.

1. Accept

First of all, it’s ok if we’re not feeling the Holiday spirit this year. Sometimes it makes it worse to ignore our feelings and pretend they aren’t there, when they very clearly are. Maybe you don’t feel like putting up Christmas lights – it’s ok. Maybe your family doesn’t have matching Christmas jammies – it’s ok (we never do!). Maybe you don’t want to bake Christmas cookies this year – it’s ok. Sometimes we just have to let go of the expectations and do what we can. I want to emphasize that last part “do what we can“. It will get better.

2. Turn Up That Music!

Sure, maybe I don’t feel like listening to music at the moment, but simply turning on the music and skipping songs until I find just the right one is exactly what I need. Bonus affect – turn on your Christmas tree lights. It definitely helps.

3. Make a Christmas/Winter Bucket List

I recently created a Fall Bucket List. I am often hesitant to do bucket lists for fear (for lack of a better word) that I will fail and not check anything off. However, the thing I’ve found about creating these lists is that it causes me to do SOMETHING, even if it’s just one or two items, instead of nothing at all. So, I keep making them!

I encourage you to get out a piece of paper and write down a minimum of 3 things you would like to do by the end of this month. It doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy, just something you think that would be fun. Ideas (which are also going on my list) would be to watch a certain holiday/Christmas movie, bake cookies – it can even be pre-made cookie dough if that seems too much, or drive around looking at Christmas lights. I don’t know about your city/town, but I’ve seen a lot more Christmas light displays this year!

4. Make a Thankful List

It’s easy to get caught up in things that are going on around you. When my feelings run away with me and I start feeling down, I like to make a list of things I’m thankful for and I start counting my blessings. I also do this when I’m feeling anxious. It really helps you see and appreciate what’s right in front of you and blessings you might not have really noticed before.

5. Read an Advent Devotional

I really enjoy Advent devotionals. It helps get my heart in the right place and helps me keep Jesus as the focus of the Christmas season. I’m reminded to calm my heart and mind and remember the reason why we celebrate.

If you download the YouVersion Bible app you can pick from a variety of plans. This is the one I am going through this season and I have really enjoyed it. There is an audio portion that gives it a special touch and I feel is really affective in calming and focusing my mind even more.

My favorite way to read my devotional is at night right before I go to bed with just the Christmas tree lights on.

I hope you know you’re not alone in this weird season of life and that maybe this list will help give you some ideas to still make it a special Christmas season.

Much Love,

Cami

P.S. I would love to know – what 3 things would you list on your holiday bucket list?

Life & Lemons

/ Cami Grace / 2 Comments

Financial instability, challenges within work, and life circumstances can be really hard to deal with.   

Certain situations have been personally rough, both at work and in my personal life.  For weeks, even months, I was waiting for these challenges in my life to get easier or to flat out go away.  Nothing catastrophic happened, just a lot of little things were adding up to make it really difficult to deal with.

Thinking it was just a phase, time kept passing and if it wasn’t one thing, it was another.  After a while it felt like I was carrying around one giant, heavy pit in my stomach. 

That’s when it hit me – I need to accept the fact that it’s not going to get easier.  I honestly don’t mean for that to sound negative – it’s just reality. 

Life is hard and that’s ok!

The fact I needed to change my mindset finally clicked. I needed to move beyond the simple fact that life is hard to the part where I say “that’s ok”.  It was time that I accepted it and stopped fighting.  

We are all dealt lemons in life that we don’t like.  I finally stopped whining and complaining about mine.  I looked at the different situations with fresh eyes and said “okay, what can I do with this” and then started taking action. 

Because I had been carrying that heavy pit for so long I had to do a mental inventory and pin point each topic on my heart and mind that was causing heaviness and/or pain and really examine it to find out the root problem and find a solution.    

I’ve been asking myself questions like:

  • Does this really matter?
  • Does this need to happen right now?
  • This is my current situation, so how can I make this work?

Some situations require different questions and sometimes it’s a matter of simply accepting “it is what is” and moving on. 

Praying and keeping close to God has helped me the most. I’ve reminded myself that God is good.  The situation might not be, but God is and He can be trusted with all of this.

There’s a saying that says God doesn’t give us more than we can handle – but that’s not true.  We are often given situations in life that we can’t handle and that’s why we need God so much in our life to lean on Him and let Him handle it.

I don’t know if this helps anyone by sharing any of this, or if you can relate, but this is just where I’m at in life with certain circumstances and it’s ok.  Life is a journey with ups and downs. 

I have so much to be thankful for and am so glad God knows the future and has a plan for my life.  When I keep Him in perspective, all things fall into place, even the ones that are still up in the air, and I can find it easier to rest.