Inspiration Archives - Page 5 of 5

God-propelled vs. Self-propelled

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Marianne Williamson

Every day…every moment of every day…we get to choose to be SELF-propelled or GOD-propelled. We can live solely on our own energy, patience and wisdom…or tap into God’s LIMITLESS energy, patience and wisdom.

As Christ-followers, we get access to the unlimited power of God!

Self- propelled

Self-propelled looks like:

Limited focus, energy, and strength.
Short-tempered and impatient.
Harsh words.
Frantic or angry.

God-propelled

God-propelled looks like what the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit. It means going about our day with LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self –control.

We can’t control what happens throughout the day:

Our kids will keep us up at night,
The baby will have a blow out at a totally inconvenient time and place,
Our kids will fight or they will break something…

We can’t control what happens, but we can control our response to what happens!

Tapping into the power source allows us to keep our joy in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Each day, each hour, each minute is an opportunity to chose either “Self-propelled” or “God-propelled.”

How do you stay God-propelled?

For ME, it means that I’m talking to my Father God throughout the day.

I usually start the day with a prayer before I get out of bed.

The prayer can be as simple as “HELP!”

I love this verse:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5

I ask for wisdom THROUGHOUT the day. Why not? Scripture encourages us to do that!!!

Also, this is my favorite book regarding prayer:

Each chapter contains a different topic and a prayer. It also includes Scripture verses regarding that topic.

Staying tapped in to God, or living “God-propelled” means that:

If I’m tired, I ask God for strength.
If I’m feeling angry, I ask for help and/or patience.
If I need to have a tough conversation, I ask God for wisdom.
It means I’m praying for people as they come up in my mind.
It means stopping to pray with my kids when they have a concern or when they get hurt.
It means pointing out where I see God throughout the day. Do you notice a beautiful flower, bird, sunset? An answered prayer? Talk about it!
It means asking my kids, husband, or someone else to forgive me when I mess up.
It means keeping a heart of thankfulness. “Thank you for food to feed my children.” “Thank you for a washing machine.” “Thank you for eyes to see my child play and ears to hear their laughter.”
It means open communication with God throughout the day.
It means taking time to read my Bible, to then think about it, and memorize specific verses.

Do I do ALL of this everyday? No!

Am I self-propelled at times! YES!

I, too, have to choose every day, each hour, and minute-by-minute, to be God-propelled and not self-propelled!

I encourage you to try ONE thing from the “God-propelled” list above and do it today.

Each day brings a new opportunity to give Him thanks and invite Him to empower us.

There’s a popular verse in the Bible that says:

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

I love this verse and say it often when I’m feeling weary…but I also want to point out that it doesn’t say that we are to do ALL THE THINGS ….sometimes we try to do too much and we are left feeling exhausted.

Seek God before you add another thing to your ‘to do’ list.

Being a parent is challenging. Marriage can be challenging. However, we DON’t have to do it in our own strength. Rely on God to make you the wife and parent He wants you to be…Give HIM your weaknesses and burdens and let Him carry those for you and then go about your day in peace and joy!

When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you. So I am very happy to brag about my weakness. Then Christ’s power can live in me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

If you have prayer requests … leave me a comment. I want to pray for you.

Let me leave you with this:

May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the POWER of the Holy Spirit!
Romans 15:13

Important Note: I am NOT a parenting/marriage expert. I am a guinea pig and mess up every single day (you can ask my husband). I’m on this journey right along with you. When I write about something, it’s NOT because I’ve mastered the topic but because this is what I’m learning. Thanks for joining me in the journey. Leave a comment and let me learn from you too!

March 22, 2019 By Kathryn

9 In Family/ Inspiration/ Minnesota/ Raising boys

My Interview with a Bully

One of my sons was getting bullied by another boy on his bus. It was happening regularly until our son told me and my husband. We didn’t know anything about the kid, but I did get his name from my son and emailed the principal to let her know what was happening. We also asked our son to talk to the bus driver.

Soon after, I was volunteering at my son’s school.

My role that day was to interview students for an upcoming field trip to BizTown. BizTown is a place run by Junior Achievement where the kids spend a day working a job, earning money, buying their own lunch – basically acting like a grown up! The kids are excited about it, but they have to first go through an INTERVIEW process to determine if they are “qualified” for the job they are applying for at BizTown.

I looked at the list of the children I was assigned to interview, and I recognized the first name – it’s the kid who bullied my son. I could not wait to see this kid.

As he struts in to the conference room, the first thing I notice is that he’s probably the biggest, toughest looking kid in school.

I reach out my hand and introduce myself. He hears my name and realizes that I’m the mom of the kid he’s been teasing. He gives me a soft hand shake and responds with a quiet, “Nice to meet you.”

Mama Bear thoughts roll through my head like, “I’m going to make this interview SO HARD for him.” And “I want to ask him why he thinks it’s okay to bully smaller kids.”

But in my heart, I know that hurt people, hurt people. I want to find out what’s happening in his world that’s causing his pain.

I see on his “application” that he wants to work for a specific company and I ask him why. He lets me know its because his mom works for that company.

“What does your mom do there?” I ask.

“Well, I’m not really sure because she has a new job. Her boss was mean to her at her old job.”

“That’s hard,” I respond empathetically. “Have you ever had someone be mean to you?”

“Yeah….” he says slowly and stops for a moment.

Tears fill his eyes as he says: “Kids say things that hit me where it hurts.”

And then tears start rolling down his cheeks.

Here is the biggest, toughest kid in school crying.

My heart immediately breaks for him. I find some tissues and tell him that I’m sorry that is happening to him. I ask if he has anyone to talk to about this. (I’m supposed to keep this interview to 5 minutes and I’ve only asked the first question. I have many more questions to ask and a line of other students sitting in the hallway outside the door, waiting.)

“Yeah,” he replies, “I have people to talk to because my dad died a year ago and so I have a counselor and we talk about stuff.”

‘Wait, WHAT!? Your DAD died?!’ I think to myself… Oh my goodness! This young kid has been through so much.

Again, I tell him that I’m so sorry. I wish we didn’t have to go on with the interview but I use it as time to really get to know him. I find out that:

He doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.
He’s a ‘latch-key’ kid. He gets off the bus and goes home and hangs out by himself until his mom gets home from work.
He just got a cell phone and loves talking to people on the phone.

“Well,” I replied, “if you wanted to share your number with my son, we could keep in touch with you. You are welcome to walk over to our home whenever you’d like to hang out with our family.” (I know the street he lives on is close to ours because my son pointed out where he gets on the bus.)

His face lights up with a smile, “I’d like that!”

We end the interview on a good note and he leaves smiling.

When my son got home that afternoon he says, “The weirdest thing happened on the bus today. You remember that kid who was always mean to me? Today he asked if we could sit together and he gave me his number.”

“Wow, that’s awesome!” I respond…. “Let’s call and invite him over.”

What started with bullying and then a 5-minute interview, has led to a friendship.

I realized that I would not have gotten to really know this kid if he hadn’t been a bully to my son.

Our pain revealed another person’s pain.

Our hurts make us more sensitive to other people’s hurt!

If you have a child who’s being bullied, don’t hesitate to let someone know. First, commend your child for telling you, then get a teacher, bus driver or principal involved. And WHENEVER possible, try to get to know the BULLY, there’s probably something missing in his life and perhaps YOU can help!

Update: This happened several years ago, and the relationship has changed 180 degrees. Since that ‘interview,’ our family has gotten to know this child and his mom. My husband and sons have played lots of football and basketball games with him at the park. He gets the biggest smile whenever he sees me or anyone in our family. One conversation changed the trajectory of the relationship and I’m so grateful.

Click here to read some ways to react and respond to a bully.

March 2, 2019 By Kathryn

3 In Faith/ Family/ Inspiration/ Motherhood/ Raising boys

Do this ONE THING to change the future!

We are ALWAYS looking for ” things” to improve our children’s lives:

💥A new toy ….

💥Education …

💥Sports …

💥Hobbies …

What about nurturing the INSIDE of your child? Our lives are formed with WORDS!😍

Words Kill, Words Give Life. They are either poison or fruit. You choose.
King Solomon

Before your kids leave for school, or before they go to bed, are prime opportunities to speak LIFE over them! To declare TRUTH for their future.

Positive Affirmations build your character and attitude. Affirmations retrain your inner dialogue (self talk) to help build your faith and joy. Your words are seeds that grow and shape your world.

Below is the declaration we’ve created for our family .. feel free to copy or adapt and use for your family – or yourself!

Share this with a parent, grandparent, and any person who could benefit from speaking these words over themselves and their children each day!

February 19, 2019 By Kathryn

5 In Faith/ Inspiration/ Motherhood/ Moving/ My Journey

5 ways to Cure a Lonely Heart

Feeling lonely?

I am too.

Though we are the most interconnected generation of all time, we are the loneliest generation as well.

We have hundreds, maybe thousands of ‘friends’ on social media, but rarely spend time with people one-on-one, eye-to-eye, really getting to KNOW each other.

This pandemic’s made it worse! We are currently asked to STAY HOME and STAY APART.

We may text and comment on pictures, but rarely have a heartfelt, deep, face-to-face conversation. And when was the last time you HUGGED someone (besides your children)?

After moving to Minnesota, I’d been feeling lonely. My loneliness was causing me to be on social media MORE, but that pseudo-connection left me feeling emptier and lonelier.

We now live in a world that makes it possible to live void of human contact. We can live a virtual life. VIRTUAL connections are not a SOUL connection.

The same technology that promises to help us be more connected than ever is – in some ways – making people more disconnected that ever.

My loneliness caused me to spend the day in tears. I had left all my friends 3 years ago when we moved from the Chicago area to Colorado. Then I left all my new Colorado friends to pursue an adventure in Minnesota. (Click here to read about it)

My husband saw me and listened to my sadness … then encouraged me to do a few things that he thought might help. (Husbands love to FIX things.) At first, I didn’t want him to FIX it…I just wanted to FEEL it. Then, I slowly acted on his suggestions and it really DID help! If you find yourself feeling lonely, these ideas might help you too:

Reach out to old friends.

I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to catch up with people who know you and love you. Do it. Call an old friend today.

It’s important to choose a handful of friends that are “lifers” … friends that you want to stay connected with for life. Those are the friends you need to continue to check-in on and reach out to.

Call one (or five) old friends and tell them you are LONELY! Letting someone know how you feel invites them to encourage you, pray for you, check in on you, and spend time with you.

I was feeling sad that very few friends had reached out to me, then I began to realize I had not reached out to anyone either. I have one friend who lost her father, another friend just went through a divorce, another friend moved across the country. I had not reached out to ANY of them!!!!

Wow, I was throwing myself a pity party, then realized I was not doing what I wanted others to do for me!

2. Reach out to new friends.

I had very few people in this new state that even knew my name. But the few that knew me, I contacted. One was my neighbor…we just sat on each other’s porches and talked while our kids played. I invited the one other lady I knew out to dinner. It was refreshing to chat with other ladies and begin to build friendships.

When we sow genuine seeds of friendship – love, encouragement, time, and affirmation – we WILL reap a harvest of good friends.

3. Get outside

Get OUT of your house!

Take a walk, soak in the fresh air.

BONUS: PEOPLE are outside!

This might sound silly, but I intentionally went on walks and bike rides with my kids around my new neighborhood JUST to meet our neighbors and find potential friends.

My first good friend in Colorado was someone I met at the playground when our kids were playing together.

So…get outside!

Since it’s winter in Minnesota and harder to be outside…I’ve found places to go INSIDE! The library, classes at the gym, my church, and a Bible study.

I was actually writing this post from the cafe inside my local gym. As I’m typing, a lady from my church recognizes me and says hello. We talk for a few minutes and she asks me what I’m writing about. I was so embarrassed to answer honestly, but took a deep breath and said: Loneliness. She then INVITES me to her house. This is exactly what I needed and would not have had happened if I’d stayed inside – wallowing in loneliness.

Movement creates opportunity!

Get out of your house. Smile. Be friendly. Stop and chat with people.

4. Start a Gratitude List

Start writing a list of things you are grateful for. I’m currently writing a list of 1000 things for which I’m thankful based on the book One Thousand Gifts gifts.

If you look for the good, you WILL find it!

When I began to focus on the things I DO have rather than what I don’t, my attitude began to change. My shift in perspective caused my heart to mend.

5. Connect with your Heavenly Father.

We are never really alone. Our Heavenly Father is always ready and willing to spend time with us, comfort us and heal our wounded hearts. It’s easy to forget that God is with us all day long…ready to listen and connect. He’s the one Friend that will never leave or disappoint us.

…But I am always with you.
You have held my hand. Psalm 73:23

…You can be sure that I will be with you always… Matthew 28:20

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18

So don’t worry, because I am with you.
Don’t be afraid, because I am your God.
I will make you strong and will help you.
I will support you with my right hand…Isaiah 41:10

The closer we get to God, the fuller our hearts will be and the less lonely we will feel. However, it’s okay to ask Him to provide us with strong friendships! He’s the one who said:

“It’s not good for man to be alone!” (Genesis 2:18)

If you’ve moved recently, I wrote a post called “LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE” with some similar but additional ideas and encouragement. You can click here to read it.

If you are feeling lonely, call me or send me an email! I’d be happy to chat with you!

If you’ve found something that has helped you overcome loneliness… leave me a comment!

For an awesome, encouraging book, check out: You are Never Alone by Max Lucado.

January 19, 2019 By Kathryn

2 In Faith/ Family/ Inspiration/ Motherhood/ Raising boys

How to Find Joy in the Mess of Motherhood

As a mother, I’ve experienced the incredible joy and fulfillment of raising children, but also the intense challenges and stress that come with it. I try to keep the house picked up, but sometimes it feels like a hurricane has swept through. Breakfast dishes pile up, spills happen, and my sons love to make forts out of all our pillows and blankets. In those moments, I feel overwhelmed.

Some thoughts that run through my head are:

I’ll never have a clean house.
I’m depressed.
I can’t do this.

I give myself about 60 seconds to think this way, then I purposefully stop myself. When I choose to think different thoughts, my mood immediately changes.

I’ve learned that I have a choice in how I respond to the thoughts. I choose to focus on gratitude and joy instead of stress and negativity.

When I start to feel down, here are two things I’ve found that are helpful.

Scripture:

“I can’t do this” is replaced with: “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
“I am depressed” is replaced with “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 ESV).

Gratitude:

Replace “I’ll never have a clean house!” with this thought: I have young children, but I will eventually have a clean house again and may even miss their messes. Messes means life is happening here.
Replace “Look at the messy kitchen!” with this thought: My children aren’t hungry. They have food to eat.
Replace “The living room is a mess!” with this though: My children are creative. They are playing together.

Feeling stressed is a choice. Joy and gratitude are choices too.

I’m choosing joy one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time.

Motherhood is a journey that requires us to let go of our own desires and priorities and focus on our children. It’s a tough but rewarding path, and we can choose to find joy even in the midst of messes and chaos.

If you’re struggling to find joy and gratitude as a mother, I encourage you to ask God for help. You can also start a gratitude journal and write down five things you’re thankful for each day. And don’t forget to involve your children in household chores! Even young children can help pick up toys or set the table, and older children can do more advanced tasks like laundry and cooking.

Remember, joy is a choice, and it’s one we have to make every day. Let’s choose wisely and embrace the challenges and joys of motherhood together.

Thanks for reading! If you found this post helpful, please consider subscribing for more tips and encouragement.

Want more on Motherhood?

Read this:

Finding Peace of Mind: Advice for Anxious Moms

October 25, 2018 By Kathryn

0 In Inspiration/ Marriage

6 simple ways to encourage your spouse

“Encourage one another…build each other up…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Ted and I have celebrated over 20 years of marriage! Wow!

I remember SO clearly how absolutely excited I was to become Mrs. Ted Egly. I would talk endlessly, to anyone who would listen, about this amazing man. While we were dating, I would happily tell Ted how GOOD he looked, how well he spoke, how kind he was, how hard he worked, and what a great writer I thought he was.

Somehow, after getting married, I began to take things for granted instead of showing gratitude. It was easier to mention something that Ted was doing wrong, rather than tell him what he’s doing RIGHT! So, this post is for ME as much as it is for you. I needed a reminder to encourage my husband…and I thought maybe you could use one too.

It takes intentionality to pay attention to the good. However, if we LOOK for good we will FIND it. And the more we notice today, the more we will see tomorrow.

So, whether you’ve been married 20 years or 20 days, here are six simple ways to encourage your spouse!

1. Send a quick text

“I love you … thank you for working so hard for your family!”

2. Make a list

Make a list of the reasons you love your spouse – then share the list with them! I wrote a list here and shared it with Ted and with all of you!

3. Send a love letter or a card

Put in on their dest or mail to their work.

4. Leave a sticky note

Write a word of love or encouragement and put it in his car, on his computer or in his lunch bag.

5. Say THANK YOU!

Did your spouse do something that shouldn’t require a thanks? Thank them anyway! Everyone likes appreciation! I gladly accept a thanks for doing laundry or cooking dinner. So, thank your spouse for mowing, taking out the trash, or fixing something around the house.

6. Speak well of your spouse in front of others!

Highlight something your husband has done well. It means so much for you to praise them in front of others. And by the way, this also makes YOU look good. When you are talking about what an amazing guy your husband is, others see that you made a good choice for marrying such an upstanding guy!

If you are having a hard time being “thankful” for your spouse…speak to them as if they are the person you WANT them to be. Jesus called Peter a “rock” even though he was about to deny even knowing him. Jesus saw in Peter what he would become. We can do for our spouse what Jesus did for Peter, and what Jesus does for us, as well!

One last note – the BEST time to do this is when you are mad at your spouse. If you are in the middle of a disagreement…take a minute to reflect on what you love about the person you married. It takes the ‘sting’ out of the argument and reminds you that YOU ARE ON THE SAME TEAM!

Words of encouragement have power. The power to build, strengthen, heal and inspire!

Encourage your spouse today!

Love, Kathryn

Two phenomenal marriage books I would recommend are:

Both give practical advice for strengthening and improving any marriage.

Thank you for reading and please consider subscribing!

October 22, 2018 By Kathryn

9 In Colorado/ Faith/ Finding our place/ Inspiration/ My Journey

All of My Feelings were Hurting!

Recently in the middle of the bedtime craziness, my youngest son Luke cried out:

ALL OF MY FEELINGS ARE HURTING!!!!

I tried not to laugh and was able to comfort him that night with a hug.

However, his words stuck with me because throughout the last couple of months, I completely understood what he was talking about:

ALL of MY feelings were hurting! I was feeling sad, mad, worried, anxious, and fearful.

Sad that I have to say goodbye to people and a place I love
Mad that a job was moving us to Minnesota
Worried that we wouldn’t sell our Colorado home or find the right house to purchase in Minnesota
Anxious about all of the changes and everything that I needed to do to move across the country
Fearful of the unknowns

Then I read Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud. It was full of truth and ENCOURAGEMENT and was the exact book I needed during this transition! He put into words everything I needed to hear. I didn’t know if it was okay that ALL of my feelings were hurting. People move EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. NBD!

And then I read:

“When you don’t feel your feelings, you remained tethered to them in some way” Dr. Henry Cloud.

This gave me the freedom to FEEL all of the feelings, to process them, write about them, talk about them, cry over them and pray about them. I also allowed others to pray for me, hug me, remind me of God’s truth and encourage me.

“To the degree we were invested in something that’s ending, we will have to work the grief through our system in order to be ready for whatever is next…

“When you feel grief, you are saying: I am looking this reality right in the face and dealing with it. Grief also means I am getting ready for what is next, because I am saying goodbye to it.” Dr. Henry Cloud

I said Good-bye.

After processing all of the feelings, I said goodbye. Goodbye to the sadness, anger, worry, anxiety and fear. I also said goodbye to the priceless Colorado adventure and looked back with gratitude!

Then I said Hello!

Feeling the feelings and processing them allowed the closure I needed to end that glorious chapter and to say hello to a NEW one! New friends, new opportunities, new memories and experiences.

I will take my memories, my friendships, and what I’ve learned and build on that in our new place. I will discover new things and develop new relationships.

Treat endings with respect.

“Look at the experience, break it apart. What was good about it? What did I learn? What skills did I attain? New knowledge? Take all of that and make it a part of you. It becomes part of who you are. You are now smarter and wiser for having that experience.”

“Face your grief, work through it and let it equip you will make for a good necessary ending.” Dr. Cloud

Thank you Dr. Henry Cloud! I LOVED your book (especially Chapter 12 – Embrace the Grief: The Importance of Metabolizing Necessary Endings!) It said everything I needed as I ended one chapter to begin a new one.

If you are about to have an “ending” of some sort (or know you NEED to end something) – I highly recommend you get this book!!! And maybe start with Chapter 12.

(Affilate Link)

Have you read this book? If so, did you like it too? Leave a comment!

July 29, 2018 By Kathryn

2 In Book Review/ Faith/ Family/ Inspiration

Before you quit, read this!

Do you feel Overwhelmed? Exhausted? Are you ready to quit?

Faith does not look at the FACTS and say “Well, I might as well give up.” Faith looks at circumstances that have “impossible” written all over them and then listens to what heaven is saying. In heaven, you will never hear God say, “You should quit. This is impossible.”

Scripture is clear that faith has nothing to do with what we feel or see. We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7

If you listen, you will hear God telling you that He is on your side, he is FIGHTING FOR YOU, that with Him you are more than a conqueror!

Determine today, as a person of FAITH, to move your eyes off your situation and open your ears to God’s voice.

When you are in crisis, God is not. When you are in depression, God is not. When you are lost, God is not. When you want to quit, God will not. God has not vanished. Just because you may not understand the path you are traveling doesn’t mean God is not leading you! Choose to trust Him.

Choose to believe:

He will comfort you in all your troubles. Ps 23:4

God will meet all your needs (Phil 4:19)

He will turn your darkness into light and make straight your crooked path (Is 30:5)

Joy comes in the morning (Ps 30:5)

God will not forsake you (Ps 9:10)

When Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor) was training to be Navy seal he noticed that men around him were quitting, giving up and not fulfilling their dream to be a Seal! These men were STRONG, some stronger than Marcus. Though they had physical strength, they didn’t have the mental strength. When you make up your mind that you are not going to quit, the battle is WON! There comes a time in every marriage, family or situation when it’s easier to quit than endure. Decide now that you WILL NOT QUIT!

I am never going to quit loving.

I am never going to quit serving.

I am never going to quit forgiving.

I am never going to quit praying.

I am never going to quit believing.

I am never going to quit being kind.

Inspiration came from the book “Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt” by Jentezen Franklin.

Click here to read “Rediscovering Joy: A Journey of Self-Reflection, Resilience and Faith”

Books are affiliate links.

July 20, 2018 By Kathryn

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