The opportunity to teach fitness came unexpectedly over seven years ago. A younger and busier mom at the time, I started with 3 classes a week, each one leaving me anticipating the next. Today I still teach fitness, am up to 11 classes a week and still anticipate the enjoyment of every class. Where else can I show up, ... sense excitement and desire among people who actually follow my advice and DO what I say (a weary mom especially appreciates this), hear laughter as friends workout together, have a chance to teach, motivate and see people push through something difficult, hear so many thank yous everyday and then leave each time energized, encouraged and even paid to do what I love? Does it get any better? The opportunity fell into my lap after I decided to become certified in group fitness just for fun. Fast forward to today... in addition to teaching, I recently added a new aspect to my job... PERSONAL TRAINING.
What a joy it has been to meet with people one-on-one, giving them their own custom designed workout and motivating them to make fitness their new lifestyle and not just a hit or miss effort to lose a few pounds this summer. Encouraged to think long-term, people stuck in a sedentary lifestyle look up the road a few years and visualize themselves with more energy and less fatigue as they move through their day. They understand that what they do today WILL effect the qualtiy of their lives tomorrow. It's such a privelege to help them keep this vision in sight when they face obstacles or discouragement, reminding them the effects of a sedentary lifestyle didn't happen overnight and the benefits of an active lifestyle will take some time too... BUT the payoff for long haul consistency is GUARANTEED... they WILL see improvement... that's the way it works... give the human body what it needs and it will give an amazing return on the investment. In fact a WHOLE NEW BODY can be had in 2 years through perserverance and consistency! It's a change that happens on a cellular level from the inside out. Through exercise and treating your body right, old toxic cells are replaced by newer healthier cells, and over time a healthier and younger you will emerge.
Convincing people they can be younger next year is the greatest job I have been privelged to assume. Every time we meet is a chance to fill their minds with the myriad of reasons why they wouldn't want to give up and the limitless number of benefits that await them. Recently, one client came in so excited to see some definition in her biceps from all the bicep curls she has been doing this summer. She knows that building lean muscle will create a more efficient body that burns fat even as she sleeps. It's thoughts like these that keep her pushing through the last gruling set of muscle firing squats. I love seeing her work hard and noticing the determination in her face that refuses her any room for giving up. It makes my day every time!!!
We all can be younger next year if we allow exercise, nutrition and committment to replace our sedentary lifestyles... it's that simple... and if it's not that simple for you then maybe try a personal trainer who will help jump start your desire to exercise, motivate you to be consistent and will find it a joy to be there for you to assure you meet your fitness goals today and into tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Oh, Summer!
Summer's here, when the kids are enjoying leisurely mornings, offsetting the rest of the day so they find themselves eating breakfast at 11:00 and lunch at 3:00, everyone hanging with at least one friend if not two or three so that my house becomes a whirlwind of laughter, noise and activity, the boys rough housing, shooting hoops for hours then busting through the door with that lovely outdoorsey scent only a sweaty teenage boy can vent. They eat everything in sight, leaving a trail of mess behind them. The girls constantly giggle, listen to ipods and love trying new nail designs with neon colored nail polish. They all stay up late with no thought of waking to an obnoxious alarm clock the next day, they hang at the mall and everyone wants to go in ten different directions at the same time.
What is that? I'm OK with it really. It's Summer right? Kinda forget as an adult what it was like as a young person. Do you remember Summer as a young person?... Oh, to have that time of life back again... hanging with neighbor friends, riding bikes for hours, going to the park playing frisbee and looking for cute boys, walking to Dairy Queen and enjoying icecream without worry of belly bulge, blasting the music out my bedroom window as we sunbathed on the roof or swam in my back yard pool all day... I even remember thinking to myself one Summer day as I splashed water on my sunkissed face while lounging on a raft in the pool and watching my dad rush off to work ... "I should really enjoy these days... when else in life will I have a chance to be so care free... it's sure to become more complicated when I get older and have a family and responsibilities." I was rather wise for my age, giving myself permission to be carefree, understanding summer is a unique time for a young person, to be embraced as a once in a lifetime opportunity to chill and enjoy before real life comes crashing in full force.
Today as I reminisce, I smile as I listen to the laughter, watch the horseplay and smell the effects of playing hard. When I start to feel stressed or frazzled due to their lack of structure I will remember it's ok to allow for some of that as long as they have some semblance of productivity in there somewhere. Which they do.... thank God. But for the majority of the summer I want them to be carefree kids, creating lasting, lifetime memories to tuck away as part of their journey before life launches them into the real world, when such long stretches of leisure are bound to slip away in exchange for new seasons of maturity and responsibility. Watching them enjoy their season of "young, wild, and free"reminds me to keep embracing my new seasons too, tucking away the unique blessings that come with each one, not rushing ahead trying to live in the next, but relishing the here and now. It's good to know that even though seasons may change, each one is uniquely loaded with surprises, goodness and this amazing thing called life.
What is that? I'm OK with it really. It's Summer right? Kinda forget as an adult what it was like as a young person. Do you remember Summer as a young person?... Oh, to have that time of life back again... hanging with neighbor friends, riding bikes for hours, going to the park playing frisbee and looking for cute boys, walking to Dairy Queen and enjoying icecream without worry of belly bulge, blasting the music out my bedroom window as we sunbathed on the roof or swam in my back yard pool all day... I even remember thinking to myself one Summer day as I splashed water on my sunkissed face while lounging on a raft in the pool and watching my dad rush off to work ... "I should really enjoy these days... when else in life will I have a chance to be so care free... it's sure to become more complicated when I get older and have a family and responsibilities." I was rather wise for my age, giving myself permission to be carefree, understanding summer is a unique time for a young person, to be embraced as a once in a lifetime opportunity to chill and enjoy before real life comes crashing in full force.
Today as I reminisce, I smile as I listen to the laughter, watch the horseplay and smell the effects of playing hard. When I start to feel stressed or frazzled due to their lack of structure I will remember it's ok to allow for some of that as long as they have some semblance of productivity in there somewhere. Which they do.... thank God. But for the majority of the summer I want them to be carefree kids, creating lasting, lifetime memories to tuck away as part of their journey before life launches them into the real world, when such long stretches of leisure are bound to slip away in exchange for new seasons of maturity and responsibility. Watching them enjoy their season of "young, wild, and free"reminds me to keep embracing my new seasons too, tucking away the unique blessings that come with each one, not rushing ahead trying to live in the next, but relishing the here and now. It's good to know that even though seasons may change, each one is uniquely loaded with surprises, goodness and this amazing thing called life.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
I am a ROCK...
I've been enjoying a great oldies station for the last few months and recently heard the Simon and Garfunkel classic... "I am a Rock." After bee-bopping through the song, and listening to the lyricks, I began to think... That's quite sad actually... Do people really resonate with such conclusions and why? Is there a hurt so deep that causes one to give up entirely, painfully convincing self that being alone is better, refusing to try again, concluding that they even distain anything resembling love or connection?
Listen to the lyrics... (you'll probably end up singing to yourself... great song dispite sad message!) -- OR listen to it... see link above.
A winter's day... in a deep and dark December. I am alone~ gazing from my window, to the streets below, on a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow... I am a rock... I am an island.
I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain, it's laughter and it's loving I distain... I am a rock, I am an island. Dont talk of love... well, I've heard the word before. It's sleeping in my memory. I won't disturb this slumber, of feeling I have died, if I never loved I never would have cried.... I am a rock, I am an island! I have my books... and my poetry to protect me. I am shielded in my armour, hiding in my room, I touch no one and no one touches me... I am a rock, I am an island... and a rock feels no pain... and an island never cries...
The song is powerful really... I wondered the writer's intent. Was it to mock such thoughts of isolation or does it really articulate the true feelings of some? Nontheless, it certainly can create a justification in any troubled, hurt and lonely heart to just give up. If one hurts, it's easy to listen to the song and fall into the temptation to sulk and resolve that... yeah... I am a rock... a strong unpenetrable rock... able to go it alone in life! "BUT WHAT A LIE..." I want to scream!!! Resolving to be "a lone tough guy" doesn't define what being a rock is at all. And who says crying and pain are bad and to be avoided at all costs?
No doubt, relationships can be painful at times but being relational defines what it means to be human. If we are created in God's image we are relational beings. To isolate seems not an option. God perfectly relates in his existence as the Trinity... the Father, Son and Holy Spirit experiencing perfect fellowship together. God also, through His Son, died a grusome death to not only make possible a relationship with us but also to scream out to his creation what lengths he will go to for the sake of relationship and the incredible value he places on community and connections. It's as if he is trying to communicate that we can be sure if He, being God and all, experienced pain when reaching out to us in love, that we too can count on some possible pain as we reach out in love to others.
God communicates through his action-driven love that love is worth everything we might give up for it... even life itself. No room for giving up. Do you agree? Jeus gave up his life for it. There is Scripture that says... YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE! WOW!!! Interesting thought. God said LOVE IS THE GREATEST thing we can spend our time doing this side of heaven... a worthy investment! The hard part is there may not be any immediate return on the investment. In fact there might even be loss. Love may not be returned to us when we give it out. It involves that risk every time. The loss can sometimes cause us to close down, stop trying, forget that love is about giving regardless of what is returned... thus the song.
How can we keep loving when the object of our love is causing pain-- or how do we risk loving again when rejected? Without God we can't. No one has experienced rejection more than God. He saw our need and loved us, stepped in to take upon himself our need for healing and yet he is rejected by us over and over again. But he continues to give freely. Does God experience painful emotion in his relationship with us? I think so! Thank goodness he didn't decide to become a rock or an island because of the pain, shutting himself away from us, concluding it just wasn't worth it, changing his perfect character quality of perserverance, forgiveness and long suffering. No, He just keeps at it doing what comes naturally for him. Love defines his nature, and love's nature is to GIVE... God so LOVED...that He GAVE! It almost sounds a little nuts. Give without getting anything back and then just keep giving? That's how I believe I understand God's love-- Is that accurate?
So what about us then? Should we be willing to go out on a limb for the sake of love, regardless of the pain associated with taking risks and possibly being rejected? Or is it better to self-protect? Is self-protection really protection at all or is it self-destruction? How do we embrace Scripture like John 16:33? "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world!" Doesn't it seem if we rest in truth like that it opens the possibility to go out on a limb and face the risk of rejection? It's almost as if God designed our lives to include pain and suffering, along with his guarantee of being an anchor to our soul as we pass through deepest depair. Naturally it feels more logical to be drawn to smooth sailing but what might happen if we choose to sail against the tide of all that comes natural and take chances in the raging water of risk taking, knowing all along there is a strong anchor to steady us, to ground us, to keep us strong enough to weather the storm?
Relationships, like the effects of fuel, empower the quality of life, bringing refreshment where there is a stale exsistence. I hear God asking... "Will you love people for me? I need you to love them for me... get past the surface and be gut-wrenchingly real, realness that frees people to feel safe, safety that soothes, heals and creates a ripple effect that extends beyond your sphere of influence. Let love define you and release limitless possibilities to usher in everything beautiful and purposeful. I CAN USE LOVE. Love is the greatest, remember?"
Why would anyone want to be a Rock or an Island selfishly keeping to self when we can be an unstoppable force of love in the hands of God???
Can I love that way?
Listen to the lyrics... (you'll probably end up singing to yourself... great song dispite sad message!) -- OR listen to it... see link above.
A winter's day... in a deep and dark December. I am alone~ gazing from my window, to the streets below, on a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow... I am a rock... I am an island.
I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain, it's laughter and it's loving I distain... I am a rock, I am an island. Dont talk of love... well, I've heard the word before. It's sleeping in my memory. I won't disturb this slumber, of feeling I have died, if I never loved I never would have cried.... I am a rock, I am an island! I have my books... and my poetry to protect me. I am shielded in my armour, hiding in my room, I touch no one and no one touches me... I am a rock, I am an island... and a rock feels no pain... and an island never cries...
The song is powerful really... I wondered the writer's intent. Was it to mock such thoughts of isolation or does it really articulate the true feelings of some? Nontheless, it certainly can create a justification in any troubled, hurt and lonely heart to just give up. If one hurts, it's easy to listen to the song and fall into the temptation to sulk and resolve that... yeah... I am a rock... a strong unpenetrable rock... able to go it alone in life! "BUT WHAT A LIE..." I want to scream!!! Resolving to be "a lone tough guy" doesn't define what being a rock is at all. And who says crying and pain are bad and to be avoided at all costs?
No doubt, relationships can be painful at times but being relational defines what it means to be human. If we are created in God's image we are relational beings. To isolate seems not an option. God perfectly relates in his existence as the Trinity... the Father, Son and Holy Spirit experiencing perfect fellowship together. God also, through His Son, died a grusome death to not only make possible a relationship with us but also to scream out to his creation what lengths he will go to for the sake of relationship and the incredible value he places on community and connections. It's as if he is trying to communicate that we can be sure if He, being God and all, experienced pain when reaching out to us in love, that we too can count on some possible pain as we reach out in love to others.
God communicates through his action-driven love that love is worth everything we might give up for it... even life itself. No room for giving up. Do you agree? Jeus gave up his life for it. There is Scripture that says... YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE! WOW!!! Interesting thought. God said LOVE IS THE GREATEST thing we can spend our time doing this side of heaven... a worthy investment! The hard part is there may not be any immediate return on the investment. In fact there might even be loss. Love may not be returned to us when we give it out. It involves that risk every time. The loss can sometimes cause us to close down, stop trying, forget that love is about giving regardless of what is returned... thus the song.
How can we keep loving when the object of our love is causing pain-- or how do we risk loving again when rejected? Without God we can't. No one has experienced rejection more than God. He saw our need and loved us, stepped in to take upon himself our need for healing and yet he is rejected by us over and over again. But he continues to give freely. Does God experience painful emotion in his relationship with us? I think so! Thank goodness he didn't decide to become a rock or an island because of the pain, shutting himself away from us, concluding it just wasn't worth it, changing his perfect character quality of perserverance, forgiveness and long suffering. No, He just keeps at it doing what comes naturally for him. Love defines his nature, and love's nature is to GIVE... God so LOVED...that He GAVE! It almost sounds a little nuts. Give without getting anything back and then just keep giving? That's how I believe I understand God's love-- Is that accurate?
So what about us then? Should we be willing to go out on a limb for the sake of love, regardless of the pain associated with taking risks and possibly being rejected? Or is it better to self-protect? Is self-protection really protection at all or is it self-destruction? How do we embrace Scripture like John 16:33? "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world!" Doesn't it seem if we rest in truth like that it opens the possibility to go out on a limb and face the risk of rejection? It's almost as if God designed our lives to include pain and suffering, along with his guarantee of being an anchor to our soul as we pass through deepest depair. Naturally it feels more logical to be drawn to smooth sailing but what might happen if we choose to sail against the tide of all that comes natural and take chances in the raging water of risk taking, knowing all along there is a strong anchor to steady us, to ground us, to keep us strong enough to weather the storm?
Relationships, like the effects of fuel, empower the quality of life, bringing refreshment where there is a stale exsistence. I hear God asking... "Will you love people for me? I need you to love them for me... get past the surface and be gut-wrenchingly real, realness that frees people to feel safe, safety that soothes, heals and creates a ripple effect that extends beyond your sphere of influence. Let love define you and release limitless possibilities to usher in everything beautiful and purposeful. I CAN USE LOVE. Love is the greatest, remember?"
Why would anyone want to be a Rock or an Island selfishly keeping to self when we can be an unstoppable force of love in the hands of God???
Can I love that way?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Just ask... and see what happens
Could it be the only thing separating you from
something good happening is a simple question?
I recently read a good article about this very topic a few weeks back while waiting for my son to finish a haircut appointment. It intrigued me because I am the type that would rather go without than take a risk and actually ask someone for something. This article challenged readers to think about throwing requests out there instead of cowering and missing out. What's the WORST that can happen... you get a no... that's not so bad really when considering what you might gain as a result of asking.
It got me thinking. Why don't I ask more often? Fear? A little uncomfortable? Too much trouble? What might happen if I did? I decided to try it out the next day by leaving a comment on my favorite author's blog post. I had the opportunity to meet her several weeks back at a Heart's at Home Conference. I served as her personal assistant and enjoyed some good conversations with her in between her speaking times. It was just a simple question that I aksed her ...but decided to ask if she might visit my blog sometime. It was bold for me but I did it! ...and guess what? SHE SAID YES! It was just a little experiment for me and something I did to grow out of my comfort zone just a little bit more.
My plan is to keep on the asking track to open the way for a little more adventure in life.... to see what happens! The Bible says... "You have not because you ASK not." "ASK and you will receive." Before I begin my adventure in more asking I especially plan to ASK GOD about the things on my heart first. It starts there doesn't it? Laying it all out there for Him, asking Him for what I really need. Asking for wisdom about my asking. Asking Him what I might ask the people around me to help set me up to accomplish more good. Asking just for the sake of asking to find out what happens next is pointless, but asking for things because we have first brought the ideas to God and feel a draw or pull that asking question "X" "Y" or "Z" might be next on the agenda of adventure... that's more purposeful. I believe God honors that kind of asking.
I have a new bold question brewing in my heart. I hope to gear it toward a personal trainer I see almost everyday. I don't currently know her, but she works everyday at Gold's Gym (did I mention I am working there now?...very fun!) For some reason I am drawn to her. She is always working with clients and seems like she really knows her stuff. It turns out she has been a personal trainer for 20 years! I watched her through a glass window separating the pool area from the hallway one day. She was so into her client and I could see the client was really into what she was saying too. Of the little I know of her I admire her so much and would love to sit in on one of her training sessions someday to learn from her. Can you guess my next adventure question? I am praying about when and how to ask her. I have such a long way to go to become an experienced personal trainer and I want to start by observing her. I'm lucky there are so many amazing personal trainers at Gold's. They mean business! They are tough and I can see they are helping people make lasting changes in their lives.
What about you? Are you an asker? Do you go for it and throw your requests out there? If not, what might happen if you tried it? My plan is to ask God first and then keep weaving possible questions around God-given life dreams and goals... and see what happens!
For your adventure keep this great promise in mind too... rely on it!
Ephesians 3:20
"He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us."
Donna :O)
Monday, March 29, 2010
A Healing Touch
Looking at my calendar this week I can hardly wait for Thursday to arrive. In big red letters I notice...
Although massage services deplete what little I carry in my wallet, I am convinced the benefits of an occassional massage far outweigh the cost in the long run. The gains physically and mentally add years to life. How so?...
In our stress filled lives, there is no doubt touch is one of the most pleasurable ways to relax our hardened muscles and tense, worrried minds and allow the flow of life to course through our body again. When muscles are relaxed all our physical processes show improvement and work more efficiently so that we even clarify our perspective... On the other hand tense muscles and sluggish lymphatic systems can cloud perception and create a less than accurate perspective on life.
Massage can also...
*Normalize blood pressure.
*Reduce the output of adrenline.
*Assist to slow down rapid breathing.
*Relax the nervous system.
*Bring clarity for rational decision making and...
*Bring out healthier glowing skin.
"1:00... MASSAGE APPOINTMENT."
WooOOo-HooOOoo! I'd forgot I made the appointment and now it's just a few days away.Although massage services deplete what little I carry in my wallet, I am convinced the benefits of an occassional massage far outweigh the cost in the long run. The gains physically and mentally add years to life. How so?...
In our stress filled lives, there is no doubt touch is one of the most pleasurable ways to relax our hardened muscles and tense, worrried minds and allow the flow of life to course through our body again. When muscles are relaxed all our physical processes show improvement and work more efficiently so that we even clarify our perspective... On the other hand tense muscles and sluggish lymphatic systems can cloud perception and create a less than accurate perspective on life.
Stress, in engineering terminology, is defined as "the deformation or change caused on a body by the internal forces that work on it." The same definition can obviously be applied to humans. Humans are rather like rubber bands, they can only be stretched so far before they snap.
We need the healing effects of relaxation, sometimes coming in the form of massage, to counteract the negative effects of life stress. Remember that stress whether it is good stress or bad effects the body in the same way and without setting yourself up with outlets for stress release, the negative effects will threaten your physical, emotional and mental wellness. The healing effects from touch are a gift from God and are one way to help allieviate the hard knocks of life and usher in a more peaceful existense.
A massage assists the mind/body connection to produce endorphins... the body's own natural pain relievers. A massages effects on the muscle are the most obvious physical benefit... especially after exercise. Have you ever experienced a condition called DOMS after exercise? It's known as DELAYED ONEST MUSCLE SORENESS and is that oh... so wonderful deep muscle pain we feel apporximately 24 hours later. The soreness comes from microtears in muscle tissue from the contracting and resisting work we experience during exercise. After exercise our muscles go through a process of repairing muscle fiber which also involves inflamation. Water build up puts pressure on sensitive pain receptors in muscle fibers and the massage process helps assist the movement of fluid through the body and relieves some of the pain associated with DOMS.
Massage benefits not only muscles but also bones. When muscles are tense they pull on bones and place them under pressure. The pulling muscle can cause less circulation to the bones because capillaries and veins are contracted. Our bodies need all the oxygen they can get so massage is a great way to help assist in delivering oxygen more effectively. Massage also aides in removing toxin build up in stiff joints caused from overwork and injury which if left untreated can lead to arthritis (number one debilating disease in USA). Massaging affected areas can bring relief and healing to those who suffer joint pain.Massage can also...
*Normalize blood pressure.
*Reduce the output of adrenline.
*Assist to slow down rapid breathing.
*Relax the nervous system.
*Bring clarity for rational decision making and...
*Bring out healthier glowing skin.
So does massage add years to life? ...absolutley and a resounding YES! In fact, massage is an ancient, centuries old, time-tested and true preventative approach to health and wellness (as evidenced by ancient Egypitan wall paintings etc...). With the development of synthetic medicine the western world became increasingly critical of healing methods such as massage and reflexology and other popular alternative therapeutic practices. No doubt, the medical world has come a very long way over the centuries and I totally respect and value the gains, however, tackling wellness using a "treat the symptom" approach without equally embracing preventative approaches is like playing russian roulette with your health. Why would anyone want to take chances with their most valuable possession when instead odds could be improved by taking a preventative approach (massage, stress relief exercises, reflexology, etc...) in combination with using "treat the symptom" medication when needed? Something to think about??? Be preventative! It's the future wave of tackling health and wellness!
Looking forward to THURSDAY 1:00!!!
Donna :O)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A Potent Call
Ever feel like you are spread too thin? You wonder if anything you do makes any difference because everything you do is done in such a rush to get to the next thing? You have no time to focus on doing any one thing very well because you are too exhausted trying to do it all. If you are like me I tend to easily fall into this pattern of living. No matter how much I try to reign it in I hear myself saying... "Oh sure I can do that," while in the back of my mind I'm thinking... "WHAT DID I JUST SAY?" I struggle to say that oh so simple word... "NO!"
I have heard many wise people speak a word about SIMPLICITY. Don't you just love the sound of that word? I long for the simple, unrushed, peaceful and refreshing benefits that would come from a life lived in simplicity. Sometimes I do walk in simple places but more often I stumble back into the complex chaotic life of frenzy. The temptation to add more and more to my life traps me every time. Our culture screams at us that a busy life is an important life. Even the church can subtly lure us into thinking a busy life is a godly life. Hardly true...
Someone once said... " YOU WILL MAKE THE GREATEST IMPACT IN YOUR LIFE BY BEING POTENT IN YOUR CALLING" Ohhh, I like that! Be Potent! The dictionary defines potent as having authority or influence, powerful, rich in a characteristic constituent. Being potent involves being single minded and intentional about one or two things not the five or six I often find myself trying to juggle. But how does one decide what those one or two things should be?
Someone else once said... "What is it that only YOU... Donna Wagner can do?" As I thought about it, only I can be wife to Rick... only I can be mother to my four children... only I can truly know what's inside that makes me tick. There is a passion God places deep in the fiber of our beings. Things we love to do that are energizing. We may have even dreamed of living out these passions as a child. Think for a while... as a child what did you pretend to be? I believe what we were naturally drawn to as children are clues to lead us into what we are designed as adults to pursue. Could it be God created us with a unique design to carry out a specific calling that he especially equipped us to do? I think so.
It's up to us however to search our hearts to find out what that deep seeded passion and calling is and then to set up our strong boundaries and focus in on being potent in that calling. We are potent when we say no to anything that does not line up with helping us successfully accomplish our unique calling. We say no to anything that would distract or steal away time that would have been spent investing in the call.
As I contnue to plug away at becoming more potent in my one or two areas I remind myself there is GRACE. Aren't you glad God sees us all as works in progress? We are on a journey and the journey takes us down a winding path of learning and becoming... sometimes failing, always being forgiven and as a result becoming stronger more beautiful and useful to Him. Do you know your process is sacred to God? He uses everything that happens to us for something good. I love that! He loves to see what we will learn along the way and he delights in our process. So get rid of the image of God who is impatiently wondering if we will ever arrive. We already have arrived through faith in His Son's work on our behalf... AMAZING!
I tried to stay potent and focused in this post by sticking to one topic... I kinda went off, but hopefully you get the drift... Give some grace... I'm still in process, right?
~Donna~
I have heard many wise people speak a word about SIMPLICITY. Don't you just love the sound of that word? I long for the simple, unrushed, peaceful and refreshing benefits that would come from a life lived in simplicity. Sometimes I do walk in simple places but more often I stumble back into the complex chaotic life of frenzy. The temptation to add more and more to my life traps me every time. Our culture screams at us that a busy life is an important life. Even the church can subtly lure us into thinking a busy life is a godly life. Hardly true...
Someone once said... " YOU WILL MAKE THE GREATEST IMPACT IN YOUR LIFE BY BEING POTENT IN YOUR CALLING" Ohhh, I like that! Be Potent! The dictionary defines potent as having authority or influence, powerful, rich in a characteristic constituent. Being potent involves being single minded and intentional about one or two things not the five or six I often find myself trying to juggle. But how does one decide what those one or two things should be?
Someone else once said... "What is it that only YOU... Donna Wagner can do?" As I thought about it, only I can be wife to Rick... only I can be mother to my four children... only I can truly know what's inside that makes me tick. There is a passion God places deep in the fiber of our beings. Things we love to do that are energizing. We may have even dreamed of living out these passions as a child. Think for a while... as a child what did you pretend to be? I believe what we were naturally drawn to as children are clues to lead us into what we are designed as adults to pursue. Could it be God created us with a unique design to carry out a specific calling that he especially equipped us to do? I think so.
It's up to us however to search our hearts to find out what that deep seeded passion and calling is and then to set up our strong boundaries and focus in on being potent in that calling. We are potent when we say no to anything that does not line up with helping us successfully accomplish our unique calling. We say no to anything that would distract or steal away time that would have been spent investing in the call.
As I contnue to plug away at becoming more potent in my one or two areas I remind myself there is GRACE. Aren't you glad God sees us all as works in progress? We are on a journey and the journey takes us down a winding path of learning and becoming... sometimes failing, always being forgiven and as a result becoming stronger more beautiful and useful to Him. Do you know your process is sacred to God? He uses everything that happens to us for something good. I love that! He loves to see what we will learn along the way and he delights in our process. So get rid of the image of God who is impatiently wondering if we will ever arrive. We already have arrived through faith in His Son's work on our behalf... AMAZING!
I tried to stay potent and focused in this post by sticking to one topic... I kinda went off, but hopefully you get the drift... Give some grace... I'm still in process, right?
~Donna~
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