The Emotional Christmas Hangover

THE EMOTIONAL CHRISTMAS HANGOVER

The house is empty, the silence is deafening, and the emotional roller coaster had begun.  The emotional hangover sets in.  As the last of my children pulled out of the driveway last night, the feelings and emotions overwhelm me like most mothers bidding farewell after the holidays.

The start of the holidays was full of bumps, struggles, and difficulties navigating the changes required to take an emotional and physical "time out".  Time out from situations that cause stress, anxiety, and take away the joy of celebrating relationships.  The way it happened, the hurt feelings, the intensity of decisions, all dumped themselves in the middle of the kitchen at the table.  What resulted was an amazing act of a gracious Father, whose heart is to heal. I learned that it is acceptable to take an emotional "time out". The process was less than ideal, and darn if Satan didn't just vomit in the middle, but......God showed up.  Big time.  Holidays bathed in prayer, sinners bathed in grace, and Christmas bathed in Jesus, allowed a miraculous transformation from hurt to HIM.

Satan loves to try to steal away God's thunder in our thoughts.  Our thoughts rule our emotions, actions, and reactions and can build or destroy our relationships.  Eight billion people exist on our planet, with eight billion combinations of DNA, producing over eight billion experiences, perspectives, lives filled with eight billion opinions. Why on earth do we expect everyone to always see things through our eyes, agree with our perspectives, and react the same?  Life experiences combined with DNA predispositions, brain development altered by trauma, parenting, relationships, explain why we struggle to understand each other.

This holiday, as I sat in the tub, I contemplated everything.  Everything from failures as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and member of my community, and how I wish I knew then what I know now.  How the brain is affected by chronic stress, and the development process has been a powerful study!!!! The negative thought patterns, traumatic sympathetic brain responses, and the physiological effects that drive our lives, is what drives my passion to become a brain specific life coach. Our brains are plastic!  We can change our thoughts, which changes our brain's wiring, changing our health, and allows us to live a full, productive, change the world LIFE!  To not just live, but thrive in relationships, work, spirituality, and live out a passion filled, God purposed life.  I just couldn't understand, WHY IS NO ONE SHARING THIS INFORMATION!  IT IS LIFE CHANGING!!!  Then God said, THAT IS WHAT I AM ASKING YOU TO DO! People need to know! Share what I have shared with you!

The light bulb moment happened as my son and I shared lunch at the burger place around the corner.  The collision of his chiropractic focus and mine, almost brought me to my knees.  My son will begin March 1st serving the people of Little Rock, AR at his clinic called The Specific, specializing in a technique that will change people's lives.  His decision to pursue greatness, his passion to help and heal, to step out of the ordinary practice, and leave a legacy of love, and hope for those who have found no hope through traditional medicine, by studying this specific technique, sent chills down my spine!  I am pursuing the same!

The emotional high from the understanding of the purpose of every traveled road, painful event, traumatic experience, and career experiences leading to one final God driven destination! TO BRING HOPE AND HEALING, CHANGING LIVES FROM THE INSIDE OUT, to people who have found no relief, hope, change, or reconciliation through traditional counseling methods!  The emotional "time out" from the usual holiday expectations, concessions, and the pain resulting was all worth it! This allowed me time, to see without distraction, worship Him through my family, and see God's plan.

SO I SHOUT FROM THE MOUNTAINTOP, stepping out of the usual can help SAVE relationships.  It can allow us to see through different eyes, so that we can hear the voice of God during HIS HOLIDAY!

Now, THE EMOTIONAL HANGOVER, from the holidays, and the MEDICINE.  I am spending Christmas re-doing my presentations with a RENEWED VIGOR, a renewed passion, and renewed PURPOSE TO present hope and healing, to show how new technological advances in brain imaging show the interactions of our thoughts on body, mind, soul, and spirit, whether positively, or negatively.  The way we parent, actively affects children's brain development, NOT just academically, but physiologically...STOP!  Parents can create healthy brain development in their children, and learning how that is done is essential.

Henry Cloud, in his book, "Never Go Back", states that inner life creates outer successes.  The invisible life (inner thought life, spiritual life, physical health) creates the outer life.  Going through the same motions, listening to the same voices, reacting the same ways, accepting the same type of relationships, blaming others, circumstances, etc., will get you the same result.  Praying for change, having faith for change, believing change is possible isn't always enough.  You can pray for change in your marriage, relationships, or work, but then repeat patterns in our lives without evening knowing that the patterns are what are creating the problems. 

During your emotional hangover, release the junk piled up in the corner from hurt feelings, negative comments, mean people, and medicate yourself at the foot of the cross.  Ask the Lord to fill you with His plan and purpose.  Take an "emotional time out"...ground yourself!

One exercise that helps many of my clients, is to set your phone to alert you every hour or two.  When it rings write down everything you are thinking, feeling, and doing at that moment. Then...look at the underlying theme.  Is it worry, fear, anxiety, anger, hurt, resentment, frustration?  Once you identify that source....the healing process can begin.  I have several exercises, and methods to make that happen, and then the brain rewiring will begin to reform circuits.  I would love to be a part of the healing, and can do that online, in person, or by phone. Whether you choose to stay the same, grow, or explode, the choice is yours.  Choose wisely.

Emotional hangovers are the perfect opportunity to search within your soul, and embrace the joy, blessings, and EXPERIENCE THE REAL YOU. Remember (where you were), Renew (your strength), and Redefine yourself(through brain rewiring, recovery, and renewed purpose), to not just live but THRIVE IN THE 100% REAL, AUTHENTIC, LIFE GOD INTENDED YOU TO LIVE. HE CREATED YOU PERFECTLY, PURPOSEFULLY, AND UNIQUELY. You are one of a kind for a REASON.

PERILOUS EVENTS=INFINITE BONDS Have you ever known people or have struggled with relationships that just seemed to stay so superficial, manipulative, or just plain frustrating. "I'm sorry" is never heard, felt or expressed. Why can't certain people love us unconditionally or act with gratitude, rejoice in our successes or help us up when we fall. Why do some have this huge capacity to love when others, well, let's just say...are missing the chip! I was reading one of my devotionals and a verse struck me right between the eyes! Luke 7:36-50 "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." I have to admit I scratched my head a few times and then it hit me! If you haven't read my Crocodile infested water story...this would be a good time to stop and read it....or just read any story of how people were saved in life altering rescue. I listened intently as people described how they were rescued and how they felt about their rescuers. Listen closely, the depth of their emotions are powerful, their appreciation and gratitude so deep and meaningful, and the bond between the rescued and rescuer so deep that many continue life time relationships. The bond that I have with the people who survived our sunken boat and the rangers who rescued us is so difficult to understand because I haven't spoken to them since the incident, but the bond is deep! Lives are altered, relationships cherished, the big issues of yesterday fade into the gift of the now and the giver of the gift. The gift of survival because someone cared enough to grab you from the grip of death..sacrificially gave up their safety and sometimes their life for yours. Which brought me again square in the face of the truth of my relationships. People who are forgiven little, love little. How do these relate? If you have ever been like me and thought I was beyond a misstep because I made great decisions, then fell flat on your face and hit concrete, your love for the people who picked you up and cleaned your wounds is so much deeper than before the fall. Your appreciation for their lack of judgment, condemnation, scolding brought you to a place of healing and depth of relationship you never had before. I turned a corner with Jesus when I realized that in my greatest failures He brought me His greatest forgiveness, which in turn opened up the floodgates of love for in my failure he sought me out, picked me up and loved me. How do you not have depth of love for someone who gave a perfect life up for me? Great failure brings great forgiveness, and a special bond of love so much deeper because of my experience. This brings me back to those difficult relationships. Many people such as narcissists, perpetual victim mentality people, martyr types or pharisees (those who have it all together), or unhealthy emotional people just don't need forgiveness much if at all because they don't, can't or refuse to want to see their failure as an opportunity for a greater love relationship with the greatest love of all...WHEN WE FAIL, WE ASK FOR FORGIVENESS, A DEEPER GRATITUDE EXISTS AND A DEEP LOVE BOND DEVELOPS SOMETIMES WITH THE ONE HURT, OTHER TIMES WITH THE ONE THAT LOVES US DEEPER THAN THE DEPTH OF OUR FAILURE. WE WALK WITH A NEW CONFIDENCE AND ASSURANCE.  People who cannot forgive...cannot love....they are polar opposites and cannot coexist..forgive...don't keep drinking the poison and expecting someone else to die.

Runaway Bride=Vomiting Groom

Yep, I know it sounds like the perfect love story...ok, not really, but it is my story. I was visiting with a long time friend and we were discussing the wedding story that made headlines...my wedding story. If you have seen me on the talk show circuit, understand, this was before the talk shows were turned into incest stories and whose your mama stories. This story hit Cosmo, Golf Digest, National Inquirer (hilarious) and several major talk show and magazine headlines and how it came about what quite funny. My cousin worked at a very large mall in Houston and there was a woman who had written a book called, "There is no such thing as a perfect wedding." Sitting on her book signing table was a placecard that read 'Tell me your best wedding story." My cousin shared mine. Next day I received a call from a major talk show and I hung up 3 times before calling back and realizing someone found my story of interest. Within 2 days I was on a flight to New York to share on National Television my story. I was 22 at the time, engaged for a year to one of the funniest people I had met in college, a brit. He was incredibly charming with wit and intelligence. I fell in love, got engaged, traveled and met the parents, and planned my perfect wedding. He and I were graduating from University of Texas - go horns! - and planning the wedding that would take place on graduation weekend, the trip to England to live, and finishing moving arrangements. The Wedding: The plan was to be at the church for pictures before the ceremony and then we would have the ceremony and the reception afterwards. Everyone arrived, but no groom or groomsmen. Back in the day...dinosaur age, we had no cell phones or I probably would have said many things that day which a nice woman wouldn't say. We went ahead and had pictures with my family. I went into the back room and waited for word that my groom had arrived. Several minutes later my mother came in with a very strange look on her face and announced he was here. I asked if everything was ok and with a quick response of "yes", I was ushered into the church to prepare for my entrance. Walked with emotion down the aisle to see my red-faced groom (had to be so nervous) waiting for his beloved bride. I knelt down with him and took a good look at him. Yep, you guessed it he was completely inebriated! After shock and disbelief, I became downright angry. Are you kidding me??? My aunt got up and was singing a song so carefully chosen for the moment and the next thing I knew my groom was attempting to sing along. I pinched him, squeezed flesh until it had to have been bruised and threatened many unspeakable things to convince him to be quiet,however, nothing seem to silence him. He just kept saying "don't get mad" and attempted to echo the song. Needless to say, as the vows approached it became clearly evident and decided this was NOT happening today!!! A meeting was requested and I watched in horror as the familiar roll of the throat started in this huge body next to me. I pushed his head away and the expulsion of vomit began and continued relentlessly. The groomsmen and bridesmaids jumped back to avoid the splash on the marble altar. Shock and awe really doesn't adequately describe the scene. I attempted to depart and my dress was stuck under his knees, so I tugged and was finally released to run behind the altar to the dressing room. While asking my mother to get the dress off of me, I heard a huge bang. I was told he tried to get up and fell onto the altar. The priest so delicately announced that "weddings do not always turn out the way they should." Hmmm...interesting choice of words. He did announce, "oh, but by the way, you can help yourself to the food in the reception hall." After all, it was paid for and hate to have all of that go to waste. The Aftermath: Of course, there was more to the story...my groom and groomsmen brought a young lady in the limosine from the "topless" bar around the corner because "gee wiz, she had never been to a nice wedding"...my aunts locked her in a room with her wine bottle for the ceremony. Since the groomsmen have national recognition, I will refrain from naming names. After all, that was 25 years ago. If they want to own up...they can. My groom ended up in the emergency room and was in grave danger as he had alcohol poisoning. I was given a sleeping pill and woke up the next morning to the news that he was in hospital. I had fully intended to send him there anyway! We parted ways, needless to say. Ok, embarrassing to admit, but we got engaged 2 more times. I called it off a week before and again 2 months before another possible event. Smart move...no regrets. The Bonus: I received invitations to appear on several television shows in several different locations and was even given a trip to Hawaii. The Video: I guess I could post the video if I could figure out how to upload a VHS on YouTube. I will have to work on that!

Big "Buts" in the Bible

Please don't panic as I know this may cause momentary stress thinking I am degrading or at worse, blaspheming the bible. Hang with me! As God does so magnificently reveal truths to me, I am constantly amazed by the way he teaches me using simple silly words. I have giggled and laughed out loud reading my bible on the long bus ride daily to my downtown job. I find myself trying to control the all out belly laugh kind of experience as I sit next to very serious, very tired, professionals. None of them would be the least bit amused by me hysterically laughing while they are attempting to sleep for the 45 minute ride. But nonetheless, I absolutely laugh out loud (at home and in safe company) at the funny ways The Lord shares His heart, this time using "but". As I was reading the familiar story of David and Goliath, I was falling into that ever familiar pattern of saying to God, "Yeah, yeah, I know this story....blah, blah, sling shot blah...I get it." Then...I was struck between the eyes with a word used quite frequently..."but". I shrug, giggle a little, and then I read on. God revealed the power of the "but"!!! Oh, my goodness, how did I miss this before! "But" is a three letter word that changes EVERYTHING!! It is the emphasis on the impossible, improbable, unlikely, and dramatic contrast! In other words, "but" says STOP...THINGS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE, BE REVEALED, CATAPULTED to a new level. In 1 Samuel 17:32 David just approached Saul after his older brother overhears David asking what he will receive if he kills this very large, scary, loud Philistine named Goliath. Oh, I am sure this scenario is played out in households of boys every day. "Who do you think you are coming in here and playing big shot?" (Older brother trying to be big and bad). Saul (King) tries to remind David he is a boy and "hello?" SMALL, not to mention wanting to fight someone very experienced and very large. BUT WAIT... NEXT WORD....BUT...David said to Saul I have killed a lion, bear and did I mention that Goliath has defied the army of the living God, "and God that delivered me from them, will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine". HUGE word...BUT....game changer. BUT is the red light that causes you to stop and say, BUT WHAT? David not only kills Goliath, but carries his head around town. I'd say that is an "OH MY" kind of BUT. Now, I continued to read thinking, BUT what next? Sure enough, BUT reappeared several times...with such repetition I was again searching for the significance...and God did not disappoint. 1Sam 18..all over the place, God used BUT to emphasize HIS glory..V. 15 "When Saul saw how successful he (David) was he was afraid of him...BUT...all Israel and Judah loved David..." But after But...significance...man BUT God, fear BUT faith, force BUT power. Over and over God shows that regardless of the circumstances, size of the enemy, intent of evil men, God rules, reigns and has the final word on the matter..BUT..GOD! Whatever the intent of the man the size of the army, the power or position of the attacker, over and over God reveals the BUT! His will is answered behind the BUT! I love it! I love the fact that three letters told the story...three letters that usually mean something different. In a coaching session, the coach told me people use "but" to say, "Forget what I just said this is what I mean" Example: I love you, BUT....I was going to do this...BUT.. How like God to do the opposite..to enhance His story with 3 simple letters.... B-U-T. I take pride in my "but" in a new and meaningful way...BIBLE BIG BUTS...Reading on..Thanks, God for showing me the power of small details in life that have magnificent meaning.

Playing Church and Missing God

I remember the day the gavel hit and I was declared divorced. A slew of emotions hit and this was something I chose for reasons I won't bore you with here. I recall walking out of the courthouse with a sense of relief that healing could now begin. But the story really starts before that...in the experience with playing church. I am sure I was not alone sitting in the pews Sunday after Sunday suffering a lonely stale death with the happy face play church kind of look. You know the one I am sure...the conversations start with: "How are you? Nice to see you." Noone really wants to know how you are, but I responded equally with a very dishonest, "Great, and how are you?" I really didnt want to know any more than others wanted to know the sorted details of the hell I was living or the hell I was feeling. So we all just put the mask on and play church. I remember wondering how many people felt like I did. Felt that this was nothing more than a painful event that drove me further into isolation and sadness. I didn't dare confide in anyone in my Sunday school class who turned their backs when I walked in. I figured was probably because my son won out a spot on the baseball field over theirs and all the buddies gang up and turn their backs too. Or..the gossip called "Prayer requests" that were discussed over coffee to get details and share opinions on why this would happen...what they did to deserve this...how they must not have cared enough...you have heard it before I am sure. I remember thinking myself, "I may be in hell...but at least I am not divorced." I counseled with the pastor who did his best, but failed to really address the issues that he was untrained to handle and unable to fully comprehend. "Divorce was not an option" and I left feeling more helpless and hopeless than ever. Many people seek help, but can't find it in the one place you should be able to be fully you, fully honest, fully revealed and fully helped and healed. Why can't we? When as the paster of Springcreek Community Church in Garland, TX so perfectly asked, "When did the church become the least safe place to be real?" His church is real and many others are too. Divorced doesn't mean discarded, declined, de-valued. To think that the reformed alcoholic, addict or adulterer can find acceptance in change and even be given a place of leadership, but NOT the divorced is quite incredible. Several organizations who call themselves the church or biblically based organizations and bible studies decided that DIVORCED EQUALS DISQUALIFIED. I remember a national bible study organization disqualified my best friend (the most Godly woman I have ever known) from leadership because her husband left her and her 3 children and she was divorced, however, the towns meanest, biggest gossip who destroyed more people with her tongue than Atilla the Hun was embraced because she wasn't. I say this not to start a bitter war of words, but to point out the silliness of our human condition, our complete inability to just listen to the words of a loving, forgiving God. He is soooo not about us playing "I have it all together and you need to be like me." Jesus is about healing the sick and comforting the broken hearted. The actions described above must grieve him because it is why people are more welcome in the bars than in the church, find honest friendships not in the church, but with real people struggling with real problems. My mission and many others is to debunk the idea that Christians are sinless, uncaring, unaccepting, judgement driven people. My hearts cry is for those who are in despair and want "The Real Jesus" to meet Him. The REAL JESUS. Jesus didn't judge anyone....why do we? So wrong, so typical...so like us. But please know this is NOT from God. This is NOT the heart of JESUS!!!! I AM SO THANKFUL THAT HE IS LOVING FORGIVING AND WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN OUR HEARTS AND TO BELIEVE IN HIM. The Jesus I know is the best friend, kindest heart and most real person I know. Divorce does not mean disqualified to HIM....His love is the same regardless of our legal condition. So I am NOT playing Church...and my church is REAL and people are changed,and experience real true friendship and joy. I invite you to explore the possibilities that maybe Jesus is there waiting for an opportunity to blow your mind with his love and goodness...just a thought...So, if you have stayed away from God and His church believing that ALL Christians are judgmental, hypocrites, mean, give God another opportunity. Rest can be found in a loving caring church home with Christians who reflect the characteristics of Christ. Thank you to Rick Warren, Steven Curtis Chapman and others who have Lived Out Loud with such a powerful example of what grace, mercy and strength from a living Lord can do. You are Jesus in skin.

Crocs, Sunken Boat, Pregnant Woman, Getting Real

We view life through such a filter of experience, emotions, and just stiff-necked opinions. Status quo is only interrupted through a life changing experience like crocodiles, sunken boats, and a pregnant woman. Yep, I was the pregnant woman. The adventure started well enough with a hard headed decision that I would accompany my ex-husband on an Australian fishing trip and not wait to meet later. Of course, I asked about the accommodations and was assured this was a "Sheraton" type place with a swimming pool. After flying into Darwin, Australia and driving down an isolated dirt road to the outback for 3 hours I quickly discovered that "Sheraton" was not even Super 8. The Australian men pulled our car up to a fishing camp with trailers, open air community showers and toilets. The only other women there, well, were definitely not Texas big hair blonde women and I will leave it at that. Meals were served on a specific schedule and in a screened tent, the room was a bed, the temperature 112 degrees, no air and the pool was a hole in the ground with a plastic liner. The minute the fishermen jumped in, the surface was covered with a film of nastiness. Horse flies could be ridden and bats were 3 foot people who slept during the day upside down in the trees. Truly it was a beautiful place where horses ran free and snakes and spiders bite you and you die. I decided to embrace the adventure anyway. The night before the fishing tournament (Baramundi Classic) we were instructed about the do's and don'ts for the area. The big NO NO, do not get in or near water and if a crocodile starts heading to your boat...LEAVE! The rangers placed a skull of a croc on the table and it nearly broke the table. Salt water crocs are huge and very aggressive. I know that sounds like a "duh" but if you saw the way men fish, you would understand. Get in a great spot and good luck coaxing them away even if the croc demands the territory. I saw a couple of crocodiles on the first morning of the tournament, enjoyed the thousands of cockateels in the trees, but after 112 degrees on water you can't touch, I was determined to lay by the pool and read. Read I did. I read every single book in the shelf that week, especially the ones on crocodiles, how they attack, how to survive an attack, how many people (Americans) they have eaten, how dangerous and aggressive. Loved this part...the natives cross the rivers in a big line to appear to be a big animal to crocs..guess who they put at the end of this long line...women...so they will get attacked first. I am told that men are quite important to the culture. Right? Ok...that is enough of the background..on the last night of the tournament, Wide World of Australia was going to film the capture and tagging of a crocodile. The six camera crew were discussing the filming and I said I wanted to go and watch. My ex-husband said to reconsider, but I was dead determined to see this first hand. The rangers were in the small boat ahead and the film crew and we were in the 21-person flat bottom boat behind them. It was pitch black night and we were all joking about how we would walk on water if the boat sunk. hahaha...so the rangers took off with the sport personality to capture the croc. I watched in awe as the rangers used the spot light to locate the red eyes...they would quietly stop the engine, glide and and hang over the front of the boat, reach in and attempt to grab the croc...first time a miss..you could hear the other crocodiles rush into the water with a crashing sound. . Pretty impressive power. Finally, the rangers grabbed a small croc, dragged it into the boat, turned around and were headed to shore. Big high fives with the crew in our boat for a successful shoot and we turned our boat around and heard a thud, next thing I knew water was filling in the boat...the next few minutes were slow motion...bottom line the boat sunk..everyone fell in...someone landed on me and was using me as a life preserver...I eventually made it to the surface exhausted from the weight of shoes, clothes and a 6 month pregnancy. I made it over to the upturned boat and the commotion was overwhelming..then Chris Makepeace made it clear that we are bait the longer we flail in the water. The men put me on the bottom of the upturned boat so I could lay on it and in that moment, I called out to God. Being the good Catholic girl I tried to remember all the prayers I was taught, but I have to tell you in that moment...NOTHING MATTERED BUT HOW I stood before a HOLY God. I bargained, I strained to remember my training, but the truth is...I wanted time. Time to get right with God, to have my baby, but mostly, for a second chance. A chance to live the kind of life I knew would please God. The sin from my life overshadowed me and I cried out...Lord, give me a second chance. I don't believe anyone was especially pleased with my rantings, but I did not care. All the issues I thought were so important an hour before melted into this moment of survival. This moment of decision. I was saved at 15, but I was not prepared for this moment of truth. End of story...we had to swim to shore, the only shore that didn't have red eyes layered that we could see. It was a risk, but staying and waiting to be eaten was not an option. I of course, stayed in the middle of the line and wasn't anywhere near the end of our line to swim to shore. We made it after climbing through vines, mangroves, and the slimy bottom of the river...I saw snakes in every shadow and spiders seem to crawl on my skin constantly as I was swatting and slapping at myself. Quite a neurotic picture of health. We hugged each other and then realized we were in the middle of the outback on an island, in a buffalo wallow in the pitch black night, and the rangers were no where to be seen. They had taken off and never looked back. Finally, after hearing the roaring of the search boat, a brave New Guinea soul crawled through the mangroves to signal our location..we ferried back to shore and night terrors took the place of sleep. The miracle of our survival was posted in the paper as well as an evaluation stating the near impossible odds of surviving in the waters where crocodiles in mating season were nested, hungry, and especially aggressive. We made headlines and were interviewed about the miraculous survival. (People don't bother with life jackets because they would rather drown than hang around to be torn apart as dinner delicacy). Trauma and tragedy change you forever. Whatever that near escape or moment comes, we are never the same. It doesn't matter in that moment who likes you, who hates you, who annoys you, it just doesn't matter. What matters is who you are in the presence of God. Who you really are. We play church and miss the grace of God, the moment by moment realization that He is there, He loves us, cares and is waiting for an opportunity to show His glory. He showed His glory in one gigantic way...one incredible moment of grace...why...because I matter to Him. May you find that moment with HIM where you see what He sees...experience what He is and come out so grateful and thankful for the life that He gives, that the rest...just stinking doesn't matter. I fully believe in a moment of survival, there are no differences among us...the walls between us fall and God rushes in supernaturally...looking for our heart.

The 2x4 vs. the whisper

How interesting that we all seem to want change. Change in direction-career, relationships, family dynamics, friends, or location...or just plain change! I was listening to an interview with a teacher and I immediately reflected on my days teaching high school students. Coaching students through some of the most difficult times in their lives brought back a reality...we all want the same things. We think external change will solve the problem. Change relationships, change jobs, change money habits, change something and then we will be comfortable. Maybe, just maybe we are not supposed to be comfortable. Growth happens in discomfort. I was reflecting on how many times God created discomfort to push me on to the next level of growth. He whispered my name and called me to move, but much like my normal response..I ignore...I need confirmation...until finally the 2x4 across my head calling my name through circumstance catapults me out of my comfort zone. I cry with such vigor and scream at the pain until I stop, drop and listen. I listen to the direction from the one who created me, knows me, and knows my future. He is calling me and is calling you to greatness. If we coast down the mountain side we don't develop the muscles necessary to climb up the other side and a sunset gains its beauty from the clouds. A perfect sunset does not have the same colors of brilliance as the one with clouds. Clouds are the part of the sunset that take beauty to a whole new level. I am learning to embrace the clouds..to stop and appreciate the growth opportunities that hurt for a season, but if I allow will reflect the brilliance of God, my creator. Pain with purpose.