Celebrate YOU: Feeding your Soul

Today we’re picking up in our Celebrate YOU series and talking about ‘feeding your soul’.  I’m sure you’ve heard the term ‘quiet time’ thrown around in one way or another.  In my opinion, this is the most vital step in celebrating YOURSELF.  Giving yourself some time alone with your maker each morning is just good for you. It kicks off your day on the right foot, and I don’t know about you, but whenever I have quiet time I just feel better.

Listen, I am almost constantly talking to God. Constantly.  Whether I’m driving down the road or asking for patience while my three year old is screaming because he refuses to eat his dinner.  I just have to. It keeps me sane.  I know that I’m completely far from perfect (because if I was, I wouldn't need quiet time!), and that I need to pray.

But I do think it’s important to set aside some time, an hour, a minute, whatever you can, to spend some time completely devoted to the Lord.  So here’s what my quiet time looks like…

I pray.

Where I come from, prayer is not something that has to be perfect.  There’s no right prayer or wrong prayer.  There’s no magical words that I have to say to ensure that God is listening.  It’s just talking.  Telling Him what’s on my heart.  Tell him my concerns and my desires.  Just pouring everything I have on to him.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2

“Pray continually;” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

That last one is my favorite.  “Pray continually”. That’s it.  It doesn’t say how to pray, it doesn’t say what to pray, it just says to pray and pray continually.

I really really encourage you to pray!

I journal.

I have 2 journals.  One is just notes that I take from what I’ve read or what verse is speaking to my heart.  Sometimes it’s scribbled and a mess of thoughts, and sometimes it looks like this…

I’m always so intrigued by the thoughts that enter my head when I’m trying to make a perfect ‘L’ with a pretty colored pen.  It’s said that we should meditate on scripture, and I’ve found that this is a good way for me to meditate on each word.  My thoughts slow down, and I am concentrating on what I’m writing.  Things seem to pop in my head that I didn’t know were there. I know it sounds silly, but it works for me! 

My other journal is a simple legal pad that I call my ‘thankful’ journal. Each day I make myself write down 5 things that I’m currently thankful for and 5 things that are on my heart (prayers).  Notice I said make.  Sometimes it’s just one of those doom and gloom days, and I don’t feel like being thankful for anything.  I’ve realized that if I can just start my day off by looking at the bigger picture, it tends to bring me up on those down days.

You always have somethingS to be thankful for.  Always, always, always.

Sometimes my ‘I am thankful for’s are big.  Like good doctor’s visits, and a sorority sister getting her new pair of long awaited lungs.  And sometimes they’re just really simple things.  Like nice people to work with, or a great conversation with a friend.

There’s always something to be thankful for.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 118:1

Then there’s my 5 prayers.  Sometimes those prayers are deep, and urgent, and somewhat scary.  And sometimes they’re just prayers that my son has a good day at preschool, or that I have a safe road trip out of town.

There’s always something or someone to pray for.

The coolest part is looking back on this journal and seeing what I had prayed for, and how God answered my prayer. 

Remember:  God will ALWAYS answer your prayers.  They just might not be the answer you were wanting.

I read the Bible and books by Christian authors.

Usually I do this simultaneously.  I’ll start out by reading my book or devotion and then study the scriptures that were used in my readings.  

Currently I am reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and His Princess by Sheri Rose.  I’ve got my eye on ‘Bringing Up Boys’ by Dr. James Dobson and plan to read that next. I really encourage you to find a devotion or book.  

These books are definitely not a substitute for the Bible, but it is nice to read others Christian perspectives on what life can throw at you.

Here are a few devotions that we have read or are currently reading that we think you might enjoy…

1. His Princess:  Love Letters from your King by Sheri Rose

2. Crazy Love by Francis Chan

3. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

4.  Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I really really encourage you to take some time for YOU for your SOUL, the most important part of you, and start your day off with the Lord.  Whether it be an hour or a few minutes, just kick off your day by spending time with God.  It will start your day off on the right foot and your time with the Lord will last throughout the day.

“Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

Psst… Both of the 5x7 printables can be found on our google docs site, in case you’re interested ;) just click on the prints to be redirected.

Keep Celebrating,

Celebrate YOU: Having 'You Time'

Around here, we like to celebrate.  Birthdays, holidays, engagements, 'Hey! You woke up today and put two feet on the floor' days... Every day, to us, is a day to celebrate because everyday is a gift from the Lord, and, well, gifts are worth celebrating!

But one thing I think we as women forget to do from time to time is to take a step back and just celebrate OURSELVES. 

Let's face it, I'm sure the last thing on your mind as you're crawling into bed at night is 'Did I take care of myself today?' 

It's only natural that in whatever walk of life that you're in right now, whether it be a new mom, new wife, college student, or a newbie at your job, that we think of others.  We're women, that's what we do... We like to nurture others (Which the Bible totally says we should do, so hey, we are AWESOME! Give yourself a pat on the back!). 

Sometimes it takes everything I have to remember to take some time for myself that day.  But one thing I've noticed since starting to do so is how much more put together I feel throughout the day. How much more I can hear my own thoughts.  

That's what 'Celebrate You' is about.  In the next few weeks, we'll unpack the idea of what it takes to actually celebrate yourself.  We'll talk about...

1.  Having 'You Time'

Setting time aside each day to devote to spending time with yourself and no one else.

2.  Feeding Your Soul

Having quiet time for prayer and devotion

3.  Pampering Yourself

Investing time into things that you enjoy

These are the three things that I, personally, have found that helps me really channel my inner "me".  Sometimes I think we're all so busy in life getting to know our surroundings as well as other people that we forget that we actually need to get to know ourselves!
So let's jump right in, shall we?  Let's talk about

You time, in my opinion, is a completely essential part in taking care of yourself.  It keeps us focused and, well, sane.  And by taking care of yourself I don't mean your health or your appearance..

 I mean taking.care.of.yourself.

Look at it this way.

I have a 3 year old.  I take care of him.  Yes, I make sure I take him to doctor's appointments and give him baths every night, but I also spend time getting to know him (he changes EVERY DAY!), learning what interests him, and genuinely LOVING him.  I take care of him by meeting both his physical needs as well as his emotional needs

Are you treating yourself the same way I treat my son?  Do you actually take time to get to know yourself?  Do you spend time doing things that genuinely interest you?  Do you love on yourself?

I know I'm guilty of putting myself last on the list.

So 'You Time'... What does that look like?

Here are three characteristics that I believe your 'You Time' should possess...

1. You time = ALONE time

I hope this one goes without saying but it's kind of hard to be focusing on yourself with other people around.  Pick a time or place during the day that you know you can be in peace.  A great example of this is my mom's 'you time'.  Every Saturday and Sunday my mom sits out on her back porch (given the weather's nice enough) and has her coffee and breakfast.  My dad is a HUGE landscaping guru and my mom always says that she enjoys this time to herself in the mornings to observe her backyard and all of the hard work my dad's put into it.  She says this is a great way for her to remind herself of her blessings.

2.  'You Time' is enjoyable

Also, hopefully, another given, but you should always enjoy what you're doing during your 'You Time'.  One thing that comes to mind that I personally don't think is a great idea to spend your deemed 'You Time' is hitting the gym.  Remember what we're doing here.  We're CELEBRATING ourselves.  I don't know about you, but when I'm at the gym, I'm doing anything but celebrating.  This is a time to take a load off and relax! 

One person that I know for an absolute fact that enjoys his 'You Time' is my daddy.  Like I said earlier, that man has a green thumb.  He could probably make a silk plant come to life if he really wanted to.  He just loves to be outside and messing around in his yard. Like l.o.v.e.s. it. Ever heard of seasonal depression? You can thank my dad for that.  He invented it.  If it's too cold to be outside with his plants (and trust me, that's got to be pretty darn cold) he is just not a happy camper.  He'd probably never tell me this, but I think him being in the yard is a sort of therapy for him, and that's really what this is all about.

3.  You time is consistent

This one's the kicker, my friend.  'You Time' should be consistent.  Make it a point to schedule your 'You Time'.  Not down to the minute but at least set aside either an hour each day, or each week to have your 'You Time'. Why?  Because it's going to give you something to look forward to.

Listen, my 'You Time' is always in the evenings before I go to bed.  About an hour before I call it a night, I wash my face, get in my pjs, and do a bedtime yoga sequence via Youtube (you can find the sequence HERE and thank me later!).  I am the type of person that goes to bed at 10 only to have my mind start to slow down at 12:30, but ever since I incorporated my 'You Time' bedtime yoga, it has helped TREMENDOUSLY!

Trust me, when all I can hear is my 3-year-old screaming for french fries and Sesame Street, knowing that in just about an hour I'm going to 'check out' to the rest of the world keeps me going.  There are days that I'm wishing for it at 8 am and days I'm wishing for it at 8 pm, and then there's extra special days when it just sneaks up on me like a pleasant surprise, but regardless it's something I can anchor to.

When Emily M. and I lived together in college, I always noticed Emily would go for a walk around the same time each day (given the weather permitted it).  I never outright asked her why she was taking those walks until one day she mentioned that she walked so that she could clear her mind.

Don't we all need that?
To just let go of what's going on?  Just for an hour?
That's what YOU TIME is for!

 I really hope you'll start brainstorming and getting in the mind set of how you can start giving yourself some 'You Time'.  Already have a 'You Time'?  We'd love to hear it.. It might just be what someone else needs to hear!

Keep Celebrating!