TRANSFORMED, from broken to beautiful
We all have them, those times of wandering in the wilderness. Dark times, silent times, dry times. Today I’m guest posting over at Faith ‘n Friends and sharing the positive aspects of those wilderness times we go through. I hope you’ll come on over for a read.
Link up here: Wilderness Musings
Blessings friends,
Perfectionism – Definition from Merriam-Webster:
The following is a list of things that the lie of perfectionism, or needing to appear perfect, suffers us to do:
UGH! Stop! Enough already, right?
The Bible (Matt. 5:48) says, “Be holy as I am holy.” What? How can we ever be as perfect as God? The Greek word – telios – mean to be completed, as we are in Christ. Situationally we are cleansed and made perfect through Christ’s death on the cross. Positionally, it is a process, this whole thing of “being transformed from glory to glory” (II Cor. 3:18).
Perfectionism can become overwhelming when any of the following are added into the mix of our perfect lives: major life changes, financial issues, the demands of work or school, family issues, relationship problems, health problems, and overbooked schedules.
We try and we fail. We become angry at ourselves for our failures (which stems from fear by the way). Anger turned inward becomes bitterness, resentment, anxiety, depression, and self-hatred. Ultimately, the stress caused by perfectionism can cause various emotional, behavioral and physical illnesses to manifest over time.
Perfectionism is a prison!
Perfectionism imprisons us - Christ sets us free. Click To Tweet
When we are trapped in the prison of perfectionism what are we to do?
Steps to overcoming Perfectionism:
If you are one who struggles with perfectionism please don’t wait to get the help you need. I’m certainly not PERFECT AT BEING IMPERFECT yet, because that too is a process, but the difference that a different attitude has made in my life and my marriage is remarkable. Life can be so full and so enjoyable when we are able to be real and lighten up on the expectations we place on ourselves. It is such freedom to finally rid yourself of those things that encumber you and weigh you down, to become the REAL you, the YOU that God created you to be.
God calls us to strive for excellence, not perfectionism. Click To Tweet
PRAYER: Forgive us Lord for believing the lie of perfectionism and for the pride that we’ve clung to in our quest to attain it. Thank you that you know every single imperfection and that you love us anyway – with a love that is everlasting. Thank you that when we humble ourselves before you and admit our failures you delight in restoring us. Help us Lord Jesus to CEASE STRIVING and KNOW that You are God over all our circumstances.
Blessings friends 😉
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
Let me entertain you, let me make you smile!
Okay, so I’m not going to do a few tricks like Gypsy Rose Lee but I will tell you the story of my yesterday . . . the day that nearly had me in tears. After that, I’ll give you a little tutorial for creating your own French Country Drop Cloth Tablecloth.
The day began with a flat – TOTALLY FLAT – tire, which I really had no time for. Next came the frantic text to the hubby who is working extremely long hours as the whole computer system at his work is changing and he barely has time to breathe let alone deal with the other stuff of life. Of course he called me back right away and assured me that all I had to do was call AAA and everything would be okay.
Next came the call to the lady at AAA who didn’t recognize my card number, or my name, or my husband’s name, and after doing some research informed me that my membership was never transferred over from Washington State. I told her that I knew that it had been transferred because I had already used AAA’s service for a tow to the shop when my old car broke down on the side of the highway. Of course, there was absolutely NO record of that occurrence.
Since I assured her that I had the card in my hand and that we had been members since 1994 she told me I could purchase a new plan and, for a same day fee, could “reinstate” our service and get the services of a tow truck. I somehow had the feeling that she didn’t believe me but . . . I was a desperate woman.
Then came the panic of looking in my wallet only to find that my Master Card was missing and being told by the AAA representative that she couldn’t accept anything but a card over the phone, followed by the whole process of making phone calls to places I might have left it, all the time knowing that I would have no way of driving to get it if someone had it, and finally looking in a place I would never put it, but where I obviously did put it, and the call back to get that silly AAA card “reinstated.”
Two hours later the tow truck driver arrived and put the spare on and I headed off to Firestone, where I’d already made an appointment for a new tire. Life is good.
Arriving at Firestone I’m told they don’t have said tire in stock but can have it “in no time” so I sat down with my laptap to wait. A long wait. A longer wait. An excruciatingly long wait due to the fact that even though I had my laptop I didn’t have any reading glasses to see what I was reading, let alone writing! I’m pretty sure someone out there got a very strange message from me yesterday.
Now while this seems like a minor tale of distress compared things that others may be going through, it was just the last straw in a series of crazy things that have been happening in our lives lately. The tears wanted to come but they DID NOT. As I messaged a friend last night who asked if I was okay, ” I wanted to cry but I am woman, hear me roar!” One day I will surely laugh at this story 🙂
So this is my ruffled French country tablecloth made out of my favorite linen-look fabric ever, painter’s drop cloths. Let’s get started with a tutorial. I’ll keep it short and sweet.
I always begin by washing and drying my drop cloths on the highest setting to make sure there will be no shrinkage later.
I placed my drop cloth on top of my table and used a pen to outline the table top. This tablecloth is custom fit to my table with three leaves in place, which is the size I (almost) always leave it. Why am I telling you this? I guess as sort of a disclaimer because I’d hate for you to make this tablecloth and realize that you made it too small or too big for the size you would normally leave your table.
Next I cut 5/8″ away from my marking to allow for seam allowance.
After measuring the circumference, or outer boundary, of the table I doubled that distance and cut an 18″ wide strip of drop cloth (plus a little – for seam and hem) to the doubled length. My drop cloth wasn’t large enough to cut one piece that long so I did have to piece it together in a couple of places.
I then basted and gathered my long strip of drop cloth to make the ruffle, laid it on top of the fabric piece that I’d cut to size on the table and pinned it in place, right sides together.
After sewing it together with a sturdy double stitch the fit was perfect. I machine hemmed along the bottom edge.
Yes, it is kinda wrinkly and shabby looking but so am I and that’s my style 🙂
While I was at it I quickly whipped up a table runner from some great faux grain sack fabric I found online.
I bought quite a bit of it so maybe I’ll make some pillows, or some place mats, or who know what else. You can find a link to that source HERE, and if you aren’t close to a hardware store that carries these wonderful linen-look painter’s drop cloths I’ve shared that link HERE.
Please note that any purchases made through Amazon here on my site do not cost you more than shopping directly through Amazon but do credit me with a small commission to help keep the lights on here at OldThingsNew.
By the way, thanks for listening to my tale of woe today. As Mr. OTN always says, “Pain shared is pain lessened.”
Blessings friends,
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays,SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
I love the life I live! Who’d a thunk that my latter years would be filled with days to write and create; attend writer’s conferences; belong to writer’s groups; teach others from my own experience; and rub elbows with some of the most talented women I’ve ever known? Who’d a thunk that I’d get the opportunity to showcase the work of my friends right here on my own space in the blogosphere? Life is GOOD!
Today I want to share a book with you that I’m super excited about! I’m excited because it was written by one of my dearest friends, Debbie Kitterman. Debbie is an author, a speaker, the founder of the ministry Dare2Hear, and she and her husband John are Senior Pastors of Restoration Church in Lacey, Washington. Debbie is also a friend, a shopping buddy, an explorer of “unusual” places, a fellow “gourmet” as we search out the best places to eat, and a partner in crime as we weave our way through the maze of the web and conquer unknown technical territories!
Have you ever felt like God laid something on your heart that He wanted you to share with another person? Has that ever weighed so heavily upon you that you couldn’t rest until you had the opportunity to share it with that person? I’ve had that many times in my life but I could never put a name to it until more recent years. Prophecy.
When one thinks of prophecy one thinks of the the future and the foretelling of events yet to come. You know, Armageddon and the End Times. What we aren’t taught much about in the mainstream church is the spiritual gift of prophecy as it relates to forth-telling, or declaring revelation from God into individual lives. This is something I’ve learned about in recent years and, though I thought it weird when I started learning, I soon realized it is simply God speaking to us with words of affirmation, encouragement, even direction for our lives. Why wouldn’t a God who loves us want to speak personally to us? Why shouldn’t this be as normal a staple in our spiritual pantry as milk and eggs are in the kitchen pantry?
In this book, Milk, Eggs, Prophecy, Debbie gives us a down-to-earth, simple explanation of the “radically ordinary nature of prophecy” and why it is important to the church today. What I like about the book is that she takes it a step further by explaining that we don’t need to run to those with “prophetic giftings” to hear from God but how God can, and wants to, speak directly to each and every one of His followers. That’s MY kinda’ God!
What I LOVE about this book is it’s readability in that the teaching on prophecy is balanced with stories from Debbie’s personal life and her own journey as she explored this gifting that God has given her. If you’ve always been curious about the spiritual gift of prophecy, this is a great place to start . . . AND . . . as a Valentine’s Day gift of LOVE to you, Debbie’s book is FREE on Kindle throughout the Valentine’s Day weekend (midnight Friday through midnight Sunday)! Simply click on the PICTURE below to be directed to Amazon and start reading today.
Now can I ask you a favor? If you choose to read this book would you then follow up by going to Amazon to give it your highest and best review? And don’t forget to Tweet about it! That would be a wonderful Valentine gift of love to our dear Debbie!
Happy Valentine’s Day friends!
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
“What’s that thing?,” my hubby asked, with a nod toward the kitchen table.
I’ll have to admit that my thrift store globe looked kinda strange with a fresh coat of chalkboard paint. Like one of those rubber kickballs we had in elementary school, only black.
“I’m working on a Valentine’s Day project,” I replied.
“You’re something else,” he said while making his exit with a shake of his head.
What is “something else?” Do I take that in a good way or in a bad way? A criticism or a compliment? A comment like that could have, at one time, sparked any variety of response from me!
Marriage, even good marriages, can be so hard.
Maybe you, like me, have experienced either internal or external stressors that build to the point of making you feel like you’re going to break and you end up taking it out on the one who knows and loves you best. There may be words, tears, stoney looks, and silence. Put two strong willed people together and there can be a huge impasse.
Over the course of our marriage we’ve been through many ups and downs, and since we’ve come out much stronger, we love sharing our experience, strength, and hope with others. When you put yourself in a position of teaching others though, they tend to look up to you and see only the success. What they may not see is the hard work, sacrifice, late nights, tears, adversity, doubts, disappointments, courage, determination, risk, failure, persistence, change, struggles, and prayer . . . LOTS and LOTS of prayer . . .
...and the work continues . . . because the marriage relationship is never static. Click To Tweet
When I was thinking about what to write on this Valentine’s Day globe I thought of all kinds of romantic verses I might use. Then I remembered John 3:16 in the Bible, which represents to me, God’s ultimate Valentine to us, Jesus.
When we – my husband and I – were mired in our stubborn, ugly, selfish ways, Jesus is the One who came to lift us from our life of bondage and set us free to live life to the fullest in Him.
Sometimes even now, when pressures build, it takes deliberately recalling just how deeply stuck-in-the-muck we were and reflecting on God’s amazing grace toward us, to extend grace toward one another.
Remembering renews our faith in God’s power to restore and gives us much needed strength to move through the mires of this complicated life.
Along this path there will come those things that hurt us, but in order to remain in right relationship with God and each other we make the choice to forgive. That releases God to work in our hearts to heal the hurts and will ultimately grow our love even stronger.
Sometimes walking through the hard times in marriage is a fairly simple stroll, side-by-side, spurred on by belief in the commitment we’ve made to one another. Sometimes the walk is more difficult, two people clinging tightly to one another as they sludge on through together. Sometimes it is one pulling the other with all his or her might to bring them both through to firm ground on the other side.
We are lucky (though I know it’s more than luck), that it isn’t just the two of us, but that we also have God on our side.
“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Eccl. 4:12 NLT
That’s the reason this Valentine’s Day post is for my two Valentines, my husband and God, because we wouldn’t be a WE without Him.
Moving on to another conversation a few days later:
Mr. OTN: Did you see that I tried to call you earlier?
Me: Yes, I’m sorry I missed your call. What did you need?
Mr. OTN: I was on my way to work and I was simply overcome by how much I love you. It brought tears to my eyes and I wanted to tell you.
Amazing love, amazing grace, amazing work of the Lord in our lives.
Click on the link to download this Free Printable: ForGodSoLoved
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY DEAR FRIENDS AND GOD’S RICHEST BLESSINGS TO YOU,
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
