Eyes Up Here

D-Viners,

Like millions of other Americans, I watched President Barak Obama's farewell speech last night. It stirred me in many ways. 

I reflected on the memories of that EPIC January day in 2008 when I proudly witnessed our first African-American president take the Oath of Office. Then again, when he swept the 2012 elections and earned a second term. 

I recalled the times I questioned his methods when it came to something new, like the legalization of gay marriage and the mandatory participation in Obamacare. (By the way, I'm so grateful for Obamacare. It has turned out to be a total blessing to me and my family!)

The numerous times I saw President Obama with his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, and for the first time, it didn't seem like some perfectly manufactured image of a public figure and his family.

But overall, one singular theme struck a chord with me throughout President Obama's speech.

Keep your standards and your expectations high.

Yes, this is true as it pertains to our social and political climate, but it begins in a personal place. Having a mindset that simply refuses to sink to a certain level. Not getting wrapped up in petty, arbitrary, pointless battles about things that have no long-term value or positive impact.

In his speech last night, President Obama referred to connecting with something greater than yourself and not allowing fear or apathy to discourage you from getting in the fight.

That's where I am today and going forward.

I'm going to keep my eyes looking first to my God, without whom I can do nothing. Then to my future, which is bold and bright and full of potential and possibilities just waiting to unfold.

So join me, won't you? 

I know there's a lot going on right now, and it can be very tempting to get caught up in complaining and worrying. But I urge you to take a moment to reset your focus. 

Stop talking so much about what's going wrong. Look for what's going right and be thankful for it. Don't worry about what you don't know or what you don't have. Look at what you do know and what you do have already and know that when God breathes on your little, it is destined to become much!

Thanks, Barak and Michelle, for your service, your example, and most of all, for reminding us that we are MORE than what we have become.

You Can Win With What You Have Left

It's wintertime - the season when all that was once green and growing goes cold and dormant. To the naked eye, it's not a pretty picture.

Is that how you're feeling as 2015 draws to a close? Has this been a barren year for you?

Well, I bring you good news! You may be at the end of another calendar year, but that doesn't mean that you aren't on the verge of a personal revolution. That's right! And I don't mean a comeback of epic proportions either (although that would be a righteous surprise too). I mean an awakening in your soul, a shifting in your perspective and your level of expectation that will slowly but surely propel you forward. It can happen, even if you don't think you've got everything it takes to make it happen.

Let me paint a picture for you...

When I was a little girl, I remember going with my mother to the home of one of our elderly church ladies. She was hosting a quilting circle with some of her friends. At the time, I didn't realize what a time-honored tradition this was among our African-American ancestors, but I soon found out.

I can still remember them laughing and chatting away as they leisurely took what looked to me like old raggedy scraps of fabric and effortlessly sewed them into colorful patterns. It took them weeks to finish, and I wasn't there to witness all of their labor. But I can tell you that when they were done, that quilt was fit to be displayed at The Louvre!

Who would have thought that all those little scraps scattered around the floor would eventually yield such an amazingly beautiful and purposeful thing?

Maybe 2015 may have drained a lot out of you. You may feel like you're running on empty right now; like you're left with scraps. 

photo credit: www.absolutelysmall.com

But God looks at your scraps and sees this:

photo credit: www.weallsew.com

That's because He knows the awesome things He can do through your faith. So don't focus on what you don't have. When you do, it makes you blind to your potential and robs you of your promise. Smile over your scraps, girl! They're going to make for a great story someday.

Remember the Old Testament story about the widow who was facing a critical debt situation and had only one vial of oil left in her house? (2 Kings 4:1-7) Go back and check it out. You'll see that it wasn't about what she had. It was about what she was willing to DO with what she had.

So, I ask you, are you willing to use what you've got left?

"Because little becomes much as you place it in the Master's hand." ~ from the song, Ordinary People by Danniebelle Hall

Until next week, Overcomers...