Why We Should "Honor the Space"

"Honor the space between no longer and not yet." 

- Nancy Levin

Here is an actual excerpt from my personal journal:

"You really gotta wake up and be excited about life. And if you aren't, then you need to figure out a way to get yourself to that point. That means everyday choosing to make the choice. The conscious effort to not give in to that inner naysayer. Procrastination, fear, insecurities, just plain laziness. You gotta get up, show up and fight that fight." 

I really took a big leap of faith in finally making the choice to get out of a situation and living space that wasn't conducive to my soul's well-being. Where I was and the environment I was in was so toxic for me as I was drowning in anger, doubt and low confidence. I was at an ultimate breaking point where I couldn't neglect the things I loved anymore.

Two months ago I left that situation. It was drastic. It was dramatic. It was scary. I had no idea what to do next.

I am making new realizations daily that are helping me to cope with everything going on. It really is a big mess in my head. . . I know I am in the thick of it. That it will pass and time moves on. I'll be able to look back and know that this tough time proved to be a turning point in my story. The close of yet another chapter in my life but I am ready to embark on the new journey that is meant to be for me. For me to be healthy and finally be able to serve my God the way I long to. . . I've definitely lived a habit of neglecting my heart for too long. . .

The quote above really speaks to me lately. What does it mean to honor the space? Just like a sunrise, the darkness is now gone and the light reveals the brand new day. Taking the time to just sit in the sunrise and take in the beautiful colors and the quietness as the world wakes up.

This past Sunday had a message that applied a lot to what the quote speaks about. I took notes based on what the pastor had said were the steps you take once God has cleared the fog and you gear up to walk in faith into that space that was once fogged up.

Humility. Alignment. Invitation. Strength.

Humility

Accepting you are broken. Putting yourself before God as your Savior.

Alignment

As you lay a broken mess, that is the fresh start you need to really change your life. Set a plan in motion to learn how to live. To live a more Godly life. What tools do you need? Who should you be spending time with and not spending time with? Make the necessary changes to get the journey moving toward where you are meant to be.

Invitation

Open your heart. Give it to God. Let Go and Let God. It's FAITH time!

Strength

Prayer. Constant and transparent prayer. God will give you the strength you need.

That space between NO LONGER and NOT YET is a special time because the molding is happening. The strength is growing and faith is moving into your heart. It is a time to appreciate and be excited about!

That is all I have to say about that. I am a really big mess right now but I'm ready to do this! June is ME month!

I will share a lot more on The STRONG Life Facebook Page so be sure to like it to get inspired with me!

Be a Display of Splendor: A Mission Statement

I spent my holiday season a bit on a break just to get my mind right and get ready for this new year. I spent my whole New Year's day reading and getting inspired and I made a few plans that I am excited about which of course I will be blogging about.

I had looked back at my 2014 year and thought initially that it was a quiet year in that I didn't progress anywhere in my life. But that just isn't true at all because wherever I felt I had remained stagnant, God has been using to help shape me! I truly believe that I had made no progress in my journey last year because it was my choice to live in negative thoughts and maintain negative habits. Now, this year I have the chance to make a new choice to let the lessons I learned last year shape me and propel me into a positive year. 

On New Year's day, someone posted this scripture on Facebook and then it was the quote of the day on my phone's Bible app widget:

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” ~ Isaiah 43:19

I was moved by the appropriateness of that passage for a new year that I didn't stop there . . . 

I then opened my devotional Bible to the book of Isaiah, read the intro, read that passage, read that chapter, then moved to the next day's devotional after that passage which then brought me to Isaiah 61 appropriately titled "The Year of the Lord’s Favor" which pretty much is like a mission statement for 2015. I decided to rewrite it as a mission statement by changing a few words . . . 

“ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news . . . He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom . . . and release from darkness . . . to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve . . . to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair. [I] will be called [an oak] of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” ~Isaiah 61:1-3

I have lived for years wanting to use my platform to inspire and help others. I want to use this statement to remind myself always that God has a plan for me but he can't use me until I make my lessons into productive actions. 

I have been planted so that I could use my life as a display of splendor. That is pretty powerful. So, I probably should be doing right things to be a better display. I am not meant to be a display of negativity. I am meant to display HIS splendor.

Okay, 2015, The Year of the Lord's Favor. . . I am ready. 

I feel a series comin' that will break down that passage. Get inspired with me and LIKE The STRONG Life on Facebook. 

What are your goals for this year? What will you do to live in God's favor?

~Melina

Our Thoughts To Our Destiny

It is beach day today! Yes I must apologize to those of you living north of South Florida but we are still warm here and I am loving it! It truly is a blessing that my parents moved down here when they did because had I been back in Oklahoma after my husband and I splitting, left to deal with the winter that always depresses me, I don't know if I would be able to stand it. Although, God has been doing a great job making me be able to stand it right now. It hasn't been the greatest of times lately, and yesterday I was feeling very blue but being at the beach will help. Anywhere where you can just be, sit in peace, close your eyes and feel lucky to be alive. . . now that is a little piece of heaven. :-)

Before moving down here I went to the library to check out a specific book, but on the way to that book another book caught my eye, I checked it out and it ended up being all the words I needed to hear. I swear that it was God making me grab that book so that through the words, He could speak to me to answer all my prayers, fears and cries to Him. That book was called Deal With It: You Cannot Conquer What You Will Not Confront by Paula White and I recommend it not only for the many passages and quotes you will want to write down (like I did) but also because she has a wonderful way of telling the stories of women in the Bible to apply the lessons to our own lives. I am hoping to buy it and own it but until I get a paycheck, the quotes I wrote in my journal will have to do.

I wanted to share this one today, I thought Sundays would be good for sharing inspirational quotes or scripture to start the week off with.

I dabbled a bit on positive thinking at the end of last week and this quote definitely shows why it is important to expel negativity from our minds:

I don't know about you but when I fight to keep my mind on the positive, that is when I find God speaking to me the most. I can't sit here and say that I don't ever get clouded with negative thoughts, it is something I struggle with, I'm sure we all do. But if you are conscious about a negative thought when it comes to you, confront it. Tell it that you will not keep it and then give it God. I find the more I confront my negative thoughts the more it becomes habit. I find my mind starting to recite positive quotes I remember or thinking, "It will be okay, it will be okay, it will be okay" Anything that wards off negativity, I find that it becomes habit. It is kind of funny because I am starting to feel my mind be split with the positive, strong part trying to reassure the negative, weary part.

Notice I say reassure and not suppress or get rid of. I believe all parts of us good or bad are who we are and we can't be ashamed of any part but rather embrace all those parts, take care of those parts and be at peace with those parts. So that negative nancy in your mind just needs to be reassured that you can do this! Why? Because through God, all things are possible!

If you haven't seen my 10-11-12 Challenge you should check it out and use it to jump start you mind on thinking about positive things. If you have a blog, I encourage you to write your own 10-11-12 post and share with me in the comments below or on The STRONG Life's Facebook Page.

How do you practice positive thinking?

You Can't Win Them All

I am having a poop day today. I know my comeback is in September, but I just have to blog today. I just have to share my feelings!

I feel like my body is to the point where drastic changes aren't going to be met unless I do more intense training more often and be more strict on my diet as far as getting more clean and more colorful. Things I haven't really been good at doing.

I have had improvement though in the way that my clothes fit and the strength gains in the gym. And even last week I even lost 2 pounds! While I'm beginning to let go of the scale as a motivator, it still feels good since I still have unwanted body fat on my legs and hips. Last week I took on a couple of gym classes and a couple extra cardio sessions. I also woke up early and got stuff done! I felt on top of the world!

However, in life, with the highs come the lows. This week has been a huge low. I have felt so void of energy, not in the mood to do anything, hardly eating or over eating, missed cardio sessions, a skipped class, and no studying at all! And it is only Wednesday! Today I even woke up at 1pm and was really mad at myself.

Then as I sat on my couch in the dark, fighting to make myself get up and putting myself down for not doing anything, I told myself, "Hey, it's okay! You can't win them all!"

You can't win them all. But that doesn't mean you have lost. It doesn't mean that it is all over. It only means that you are human!

I took a look back at last week when I felt so accomplished. I took a look back at the past year and the strides I have made in my body and overall fitness. I am proud of myself for not ever giving up. So what I am having a lazy day, heck a lazy week even! I get to have those days because I work hard!

Could it be that a poop day that makes us feel like a failure is really just a necessary refresh button? It isn't like I woke up Monday morning saying, "I'm gonna suck this week" did I? No. Not at all. I'm no failure at all. I just can't win them all! So it is okay.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. So what this week sucks? So what I ate way too many salty chips yesterday? I may not win everyday, or every week. But I'M GOING TO WIN THIS RACE!

So the next time you feel like poop and get mad at yourself for messing up or being lazy, tell yourself, "I can't win them all! Give me a break!" Then let yourself have the break without feeling guilty.

I will not feel guilty. I AM a winner.

Now that this is off my chest, how do you handle your poop days? What pep talks do you give yourself to get back on track? Feel free to comment here or on The STRONG Life's Facebook Page. Bring on the motivation!

"She is clothed in Strength" Printable & Pep Talk

It's Friday! While I love the weekend because we usually go to the beach or do something water related, I fear it because I can't resist the beer on the beach, the cocktail at the bar, and the pizza that everyone else is eating. It is a struggle that I am sick of! All week I do great, eat as best I can, workout everyday, but the weekend comes and I reverse all of my hard work. What is with me?!

It's laziness on my part. Giving in to the temptations of food and drinks. It's just easier to give in and say well there is always tomorrow, right?

No way!

It has to stop. At some point you have to tell yourself, "I have a goal and I'm gonna get there! I'll be darned if I'm the one stopping me!"

Which brings me to a line of scripture that has spoken to me for so long, and has been the inspiration for why I started this blog. It is a reminder of who I want to be, what I want to live for.

I will try to post every week an inspirational quote or scripture to get you going and keep motivated. You never know when some simple words can move you! Sometimes it can be stuff I have pinned on Pinterest that get me going or printable versions of quotes I have loved over the years or my own words that you can download and hang on your bulletin board or put in a frame. :-)


Get your free download of this print from my Scribd account. This version is a PDF and it doesn't have the url on the image. :-)

Here is to living the STRONG life!

Be sure to Like The Strong Life on Facebook for more on Fitness, Love and Faith!