Are you ready for 2013?

 

Another year is coming to a close. I have to say that I’m not sad about that. This year has been filled with major hills and valleys. I’m so thankful though that even in the midst of the worst times this year; I never stopped speaking to God. Even when I was mad at Him because I didn’t understand what was happening.  He wasn’t giving me what I wanted when I wanted it. My spiritual growth this year has been quite exceptional. I had a lot of trials and tribulations and wanted to give up countless times. I’ve cried way more than my share of tears. Frustration, discouragement and not being patient held me back quite a bit. God has put many promises in me, some of them a few years ago, and some this year. Well the promises weren’t coming to fruition when I expected them too. So I would get upset and get completely discouraged. What I had to learn and I did the hard way, is that God’s promises are yes and amen, but also that His timing is perfect timing. If God puts a promise in you- He will not go back on His word. Numbers 23:19(NLT) says God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

The problem I had believed that the promises could actually come to pass. Did I trust God enough? The answer was no. I believed in Him and me, but I was having a problem fully trusting Him because it wasn’t happening when I wanted and how I wanted. I let myself believe that God wasn’t listening. Fast forward to now. I look back over the year and in every situation, where I doubted or questioned Hi, once I fully let go and trusted Him- he delivered. It wasn’t always what I wanted, but it was always what was best for me. Because I never quit talking to Him, the Holy Spirit led me and I’ve accomplished things that I didn’t think I could, and things are moving forward. 2013 is going to be an epic and exciting year and I can’t wait! I can’t thank God enough for not giving me everything the minute I asked. I wouldn’t be as strong as I am now. 

It's Christmas Time!!

The holidays are here once again! This is my favorite time of the year (and not just because my birthday is coming) J I love everything that the holidays are supposed to be. The family time, cooking, shopping, baking, even the decorating!  The past few years have been difficult for me at this time of year, being single and not always having the spirit. I did things for my kids and with my friends, but it wasn’t the same as when I was married. I think about the holidays when I was growing up and I have such great memories! I grew up in upstate NY and to say it was cold is an understatement! We had snowdrifts up to my waist. But as a kid of course I didn’t care about the cold. In fact I loved it!(unless I had to shovel…lol) My brother and I would stay outside as long as possible, making snow angels, attempting to build a snow forte, snow ball fights, and sledding. Frozen feet, and hands, didn’t make a bit of difference as long as we were having fun. It was so great! My mom and grandma would make all this awesome food from scratch and spent days in the kitchen getting ready. My mom would save bread forever for her homemade stuffing and I used to think she was so weird!! 

My parents also loved to decorate! Now I don’t mean Clarke Griswold decorating, but there were a lot of lights! As another season comes, I will try to make amazing memories for my children. I hope that when they grow up, they know that Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are not just about getting gifts, black Friday shopping, and eating until we can’t move. I want them to know that it’s about giving as well. She would also volunteer at shelters and food kitchens. I didn’t appreciate her sacrifice then, but I do now, and I try to instill it in my kids as well. Jesus Christ came to serve. Mark 10:45(NKJV) says  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Giving thanks to God every single day for all that we have and all that we’ve been through is very important to me. Giving our time, talent, and treasure is not just a statement. It’s a reality for us. Giving to people less fortunate than us is something that you can’t put a price on. Let’s all remember that serving is not just about once a year, but all year long.  

Charletta Adams is a life coach and public speaker. Her blog is regularly on www.thegodlife.net  and www.charlettaadams.blogspot.com

Surviving The Storm

Storms are a part of life. We all experience difficulties. How do you react to them? Do you trust God to get your through it? Do you want to go through life without any challenges? You can’t grow without challenges.  The storm is not what takes you out. It’s your reaction to the storm. Some people feel that once you become Christian, you never have issues and your life is a perfect dream come true. That of course is not reality at all. How can you learn to trust God and have faith in him if He gives you everything you want as soon as you ask for it? There’s a reason He doesn’t give you everything. It may not be good for you. It may be dangerous. He might be working some things out within you. If you can’t trust God to know what’s best for you, who can you trust? When I have an issue and I worry and get upset and anxious – I’m telling God that I don’t have enough faith in Him and his Word. That’s really not true, but when our emotions are involved we don’t think about that. All we care about is, I’m not getting what I want and I want it! He knows what’s best for you. Sometimes it’s so much easier to try and control the situation, but what we have to recognize is that God will never leave you or forsake you.  Can anyone else in your life make a promise like that?

Charletta Adams is a writer and Professional  Life Coach. She posts blogs on www.thegodlife.net

Are you up for the challenge?

Okay…. so God had put a promise in you and it’s an amazing promise that will lead you to your destiny. Here’s the thing. You’ve prayed about it and God answered, He said its coming and you need to wait. So, you wait, and wait, and wait some more and nothing happens. So you start to doubt the promise. You doubt if you really heard from God. You doubt if He actually put that in you. You question everything. You want to give up because you’re tired, you’re weary and you don’t want to wait anymore. Your patience is at its end. Your faith is being challenged. What do you do? Do you give up or keep fighting? It will depend on who you allow access to your heart and mind. If you allow Satan in and allow your flesh to keep that doubt and expand to where you have a difficult time trusting God and his promises- You Lose.

Here’s the great news. If you allow God complete access and let Him be in control. Guess what? You WIN!! Jeremiah 29:11 says “ For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV) It takes a lot of focus to be patient and wait on God. For me, it takes a lot of prayer, worship and reflection. When I look back over my life and there have been times when I didn’t think I’d make it. God showed up and He was there.  I trust God.  I believe He knows what’s best for me and He wants to bring me to my destiny. So, even though I’ve wanted to quit a hundred times, I’m not quitting – EVER!!! Because trust me, my destiny is worth waiting for. Is yours?     

When life throws you a curveball.

Sometimes things happen in our lives that seem as if they are completely out of left field. An unexpected bill, a relative needs a place to stay, or a change with your career that affects your life are all situations that are not planned for. So how do you react when life throws you curve balls? The key is to not let the dark moment define who you are. A great friend once told me that dark moments don’t define you. They are what you experience, not who you are. I absolutely love that!! When he sent that to me, he said God was telling him I needed to hear it. Lately I find myself reading it or thinking about it every day. Thank the Lord that He knows me better than I know myself.

I’m currently in a left field situation. I recently ruptured my Achilles tendon and I had to have surgery. Really? I honestly thought I just pulled something and would have a 2-4 week recovery period. Wrong!!  Surgery was not even on my mind when the doctor said it.  Then he started explaining everything and he told me the recovery time is 6 months to a year!!! What?!!  My first thought was uh…no. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m an athlete. Softball, running, racquetball, and I even played in a kickball league this year….lol.  What can I say? I’m still a bit of a tomboy under this girlie girl exterior. :) So anyway, when my surgeon said no running for at least 6 months… I freaked out. Are you kidding me?  That was not in the plan!! I was planning on running in a ½ marathon in September and a 5k in October not to mention toning up and losing some weight. Now what? I had surgery on Friday and I can’t leave the house for 2 weeks until my doctor’s appointment. Foot elevated above my nose as much as possible and absolutely no walking on the foot for at least 10 days. Bathroom and that’s it. As I’m reading the instructions, my heart is sinking with every word!! I can’t do this I was thinking. I can’t just lay in the house and do nothing!! I was already thinking about the tons of things I needed to do. I was about to seriously panic. Of course I calmed down and thought things through and I have amazing friends who have offered and have completely stepped up when I needed help. I didn’t want to burden anyone with my issues. For some reason I have a hard time accepting help. I know I can’t do it all on my own, but sometimes I let my pride get in the way. This time, I had to humble myself and accept the help being offered. I can’t even get up and go to the bathroom without help.  The pain at times has been completely unbearable, but I’m focusing on the positive. I have more time to write and focus on building my businesses, and taking caring of things that I usually have to put on the wayside during my normal schedule because it’s so crazy. I’m not looking at this as a setback. I’m looking at it as just a hurdle that I will leap over on my way to reaching my destiny.  

What is your inspiration?

Inspiration-It’s such a great thing! When I think about people who have inspired me, man that is a long list!! What is inspiration to you? For me, I am inspired when I see someone overcoming something huge, accomplishing things that to me are incredibly difficult, making sacrifices, and not quitting, even when it seems impossible. The Olympics are here, and the stories of inspiration are many and they are all amazing! The things some of these athletes overcome just to participate are so great! Talk about making sacrifices and working hard. These athletes train for years!! They overcome the odds and they don’t quit or give up. What an honor it is for them to be able to represent their country in the greatest sporting event in the world!!

The Bible is also filled with epic words of inspiration from the ultimate inspirer - God. He shows us in the Bible that you can be in the worst possible situation and it’s not the end. It’s not over – God can bring you out of a fiery pit, out of the lion’s den, out of prison and do amazing things! If that doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will.

How's your story going to end?

Everyone has a story…. My Pastor preached on this, and it moved me so much I had to write about it. He said that there is power in your story. It made me think of my story and the ups and downs, and how much I’ve been through. We all want to share the good parts, and maybe a little of the bad parts, but no one wants to share the REALLY bad stuff that we’re ashamed to speak of out loud even to our closest friends and family. I decided to share a bit of my story.

I’ll start with what the plan was supposed to be. Go to college, start a public relations firm, be a millionaire before I was 30, all while getting married and having kids(I wanted to be done having kids before I was 30 as well), and have the perfect life. No issues of course. Well, of course life is not perfect and it’s not always what we anticipate. This is not the whole story…but you'll get the picture.

Here’s what actually happened. I went to college for a couple years until my parents couldn’t afford it anymore, I moved back home and got a job. Got engaged to my high school sweetheart, we got married by a judge. I had my daughter at 23 and we were separated by our first anniversary. Um…. That was not the plan! Life was supposed to be great after getting married. What was happening? We reconciled and bought a house and had 2 more babies. Life was getting back on track. Or so I thought.  We had another major issue that almost cost us everything. But we were both raised Catholic and you don’t get divorced, so I stayed. I was too embarrassed to share my story with anyone so I was miserable all by myself. I kept it all inside and tried to deal the best I could. When I look back at what I went through it was truly by the grace of God and a miracle that I’m here today. We ended up deciding to move to Nashville to attempt to “escape” the issues and we did for a little while, but the issues came back. So after 17 years of marriage and 24 years of being together, I ended it. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. Telling my children that everything they’ve ever known was no more was more devastating than I can ever describe. I had literally spent over half of my life with this man, and it was over. So here I was 38 years old, and a single mom of 3. No public relations firm, no millionaire, and no husband. That was not the plan!! To say I was terrified was an understatement. I had made so many mistakes!! The biggest mistake I made was not being in church anymore. I had gone a few times with friends, but I was in such a bad place that I didn’t even feel right being in church. So I stopped going. That was a big mistake. Instead of running from God I should have been running to Him. Eventually I went back to church, and honestly I was just going through the motions. I did not have a true relationship with God. Then I visited the church I currently attend. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today if I had not gone to this church. I developed a true relationship with God. His grace, mercy and love have completely saved me. He’s helped me heal, and be able to begin again. Learning to let God be the author and not try and write my own story was another struggle. Eventually I did and He’s not done writing…. But the pen is in his hand.

Is God in control?

Life happens…. Every single day. There are things that we do automatically without even thinking about it. Other things we sit and ponder and think about constantly. Events happen in our lives and we accept without question. Some events happen and we question God and wonder why this happened to us. Why didn’t I get the job, or the promotion, or the relationship didn’t work, or something happens in your health. When you get a headache do you question why? Do you question why you got stopped at a red light when you’re in a hurry? No… we except these things as being part of life and we keep going. But when it comes to something that we really want or desire….. If God doesn’t answer us the moment we ask for it we get discouraged and start questioning everything. Why do we do that?  In my own personal experience, I’m able to let God handle so many things in my life, but when it came to one Promise that he put in me, I had the hardest time accepting that I could not control it and I needed to let go and let God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says to Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight. I read this scripture all the time. It’s on my wall at work. I believe God and I trust in Him, but I had a serious issue with this one promise. One Sunday while I was waiting on my kids to serve at church I went to my truck and just cried. I even cried about other people’s issues, I cried for what I have and the fact that I couldn’t control my emotions at the time. I cried for this promise and why it seems to be taking forever to be brought to me. I felt totally alone and like I had no one. I know none of this is true. I prayed and cried for almost an hour. I felt so drained and tired after. I don’t even know what I prayed for. I just remember talking to God and still not feeling at peace. I don’t like that feeling. Later on while waiting on my daughter I went to the lake and wrote in my journal. As I wrote, I started getting this feeling that something serious was about to change. Something big was going to happen. It happened on Monday. I had a huge epiphany…. I was talking to a friend about my night and he brought something to my attention that made me think.  He said that I trust God and I believe Him in my head, but my heart didn’t believe that God could make it happen, I was completely taken aback by that statement. I was a bit upset by it as well. I thought that can’t be true…. I believe in Him and His promises, He’s already answered so many of my prayers. When I thought about it later, I realized he was absolutely right. If I trusted and believed God completely I wouldn’t be stressing like this over a situation that I have no control over. God put this promise in me and He did it for a reason. He will make it happen when the time is right. My pastor says that God is never late, but He’s always last minute…l get it!! So for me the woman who is used to being in control, I had to come to terms with the fact that if I want my life to be what God intends it to be, I had to completely let go and let God be in control. When I did I felt a peace that I can’t describe. Let God be God and be in control, it will be the best thing you’ve ever done.    

Charletta Adams is a life coach and public speaker. Her blog is regularly on www.thegodlife.net 

Prospering Where You’re Planted

How are you? Really…. Are you happy, sad, mad, discouraged, blessed and highly favored? Have you  been waiting on a promise to come to pass and are you keeping “busy” in the mean time? Waiting on the “magic” moment where everything in your life falls into place and your life is perfect is difficult to reach if you’re just sitting around waiting for it to come to you. Prospering where you’re planted means that no matter what season your life is in, you need to do your best right now. Doing your best where you are will show God that you’re ready to move to the next level He has for you. One thing I find myself doing is focusing on the next step before I complete the current step. Maximizing the potential of your current situation is huge.

Whatever area of your life you are struggling….. your career, health, relationships, finances. If you go through life saying “when I” instead of “I am” you won’t make it. If you want a different career, ask yourself- what do I want to do and what will it take for me to get there? Whatever it is- don’t wait! Do it right now.  God put amazing promises in me in regards to my career. I have to admit…. I’m so excited about it!! But I also know that I have to do my part or God will not allow me to prosper fully. Are you struggling financially? This one is important to me. For me it meant re-evaluating my budget and cutting out the unnecessary spending and being okay where I am. I also had to recognize that my goals and where I want to go are more important than the temporary gratification of eating out or buying new shoes…lol… yeah I said it. If your health is a struggle – unless it’s a medical issue- you really can make positive changes. For me I’m finally starting to see the prosperity in this area. My self-esteem took a serious hit and I desperately needed to see a change in the way I viewed myself. I set a goal of running a ½ marathon in December. Up to this point, I’ve only done 5k’s. This goal is so challenging for me because while I’m training, I’m also trying to lose some weight and tone up. So far it’s working. J As for the relationship area… this is where I struggle daily. Yes…. I said every single day. I’ve been single for a while now. I’ve had the opportunity to date, but I haven’t. God put a promise in me about my future husband and He told me to wait. Me? The most impatient woman on earth?! You want me to wait for my Mr. Right? What? I can assure you- Charletta was NOT happy to hear that. My patience has been tested more than I ever thought possible. But, I’m not settling for less than who God has for me.  I have cried to God and told him I didn’t want to wait for my Mr. Right. He’s not ready and it doesn’t seem like he ever will be. I felt like it was my time and I was ready- the issue here- I thought I was ready. God didn’t say I was ready. That was 6 months ago. So while I’m waiting on God – I’m focusing on other things in my life and guess what? Those areas are prospering. I even re-vamped my master plan! Now when Mr. Right shows up, I’m a better woman and that will help my relationship.

If I had not decided to be happy and grateful where I am right now, I would have been stuck for who knows how long. If you’re not grateful for what you have, you won’t appreciate what’s coming. Make sure your heart and mind are planted in the Word of God. Seek Him, trust Him, and obey Him, and everything you do will prosper.  I was thinking that I was all good and that I needed to wait on God- the reality was He was waiting on me.

Charletta Adams is a life coach and public speaker. Her blog is regularly on http://www.thegodlife.net/

Is fear holding you back?

What strikes fear in you? Is it scary movies, bugs, snakes, losing someone or something? Or more importantly is it your dream? Fear can be a powerful enemy. Fear causes us to think and do things that we would normally never consider doing. Fear can be paralyzing. There is a healthy and normal amount of fear. I’m afraid of bugs and rodents…..However if you let fear control you, it can be extremely detrimental to your life.  I’ve also had the “wrong” kind of fear. Fear of failure in my businesses, my relationships, and as a mom. Those fears have, in the past caused me to not want to reach for certain goals and plans that I have for my life.  

Recently I have been dealing with a fear regarding a promise God has put in me. I’m going to be transparent for a minute…. The fear is that even though I know God put it in me, I questioned if the promise will come to fruition. Then I began to question if the promise was even from God. I prayed about it for over a week, without “hearing” from God. I was in a state of confusion and questioning God. I had already recognized that the promise was “on hold” but I had so much fear that I talked myself into believing that the promise was not from God and I was very close to giving it up. Then I heard from Him. He assured me that the promise is indeed from Him and even when I don’t see any progress, He’s always at work. I’ve tried to always turn to God when it gets difficult, but sometimes I feel like He doesn’t hear me (even though I know it’s not true).  Worry and fear can be a serious blessing blocker. Don’t let it stop you from reaching for the top.

I did a small survey of people’s fear and here are the top 3:

1. Tied for 1st is being alone and losing your health
2. Something devastating happening to kids/family
3. Rejection

Honestly, the answers did not surprise me. Worry and fear can even be the cause of health problems- emotionally and physically. As a nation, we are now more dependent on prescription drugs, alcohol and everything else to numb the fear, pain and guilt. We should be turning to God. Whatever it is; lay it at the altar. I know it’s a lot easier said than done. But we have to put our trust in Him. Deuteronomy 31:6 -Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.   

What's your vision?

By Charletta Adams- Professional Life Coach

When people ask if you have a vision, what usually pops in your mind? For me, it’s everything I want to accomplish in my life and what I think it will take to get there. Do you have a vision? Where do you see yourself at the end of this year? The next 5 years? Or even the next 10 years? The vision inside you is what can propel you to reach everything your heart desires! What’s keeping you from going for it? Is it fear, money, education or maybe connections with the right people? We all have obstacles that can hold us back if we let them. Here’s the key – IF YOU LET IT!! Don’t let anything or anyone keep you from reaching your destiny. Proverbs 29:18 says Without vision; People perish. That verse has stuck with me since I heard it and I refuse to let anything or anyone come between me and my vision.

It’s very easy to want to give up on your vision if you feel like it’s not happening the way you want, or if it doesn’t work the first time. But here’s the deal. If it didn’t work the first time, now you know what NOT to do.  Thomas Edison said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.  Just because it didn’t work the first time or even the first hundred times, keep at it!

 Think about this – Do you realize that it’s not just about you? Do you know how many people will be blessed if you reach YOUR vision? You give 40+ hours per week to someone else’s vision. How much time to you devote to your own?  What is it that you would do if you knew you couldn’t fail? You can make your dreams a reality. Don’t give up. Ever. It’s never too late. Colonel Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken at 65 after receiving his first social security check for $105. He wasn’t ready to retire or give up. So he didn’t. He went to several different people before he was finally given a chance and he succeeded!! If he can do it, you can.

Giving Back

Happy New Year! 2011 is behind us and it’s time to get ready for all the great things in 2012! This blog is a little different from my normal blogs. During this past holiday season while I was volunteering, I noticed how much the volunteers increased right before Thanksgiving and again right before Christmas. I think that’s wonderful! We see the Salvation Army with their bells and buckets as we walk out of the stores and pretty much everyone drops money in. Now let’s jump ahead a month. Those same people that you served during the holidays are still hungry. They’re still homeless and they still need our help. I need to apologize if I’m offending anyone. What I want you to recognize is helping during the holidays is great. The fact that you took time out of your busy schedule to give back is great! But….. don’t make it just about the holidays. Giving your time, your treasure, and yourself to help people in need is something that should be done all year long. I’m about to be completely transparent right now. My mom was an amazing woman. When I was a teenager- she gave herself to help people less fortunate. She volunteered at a local shelter. She cooked, cleaned, and did whatever they needed. She asked me to go. I didn’t. Being a typical selfish teenager, I thought I had better things to do. My mom didn’t force me to go. Sometimes I wish she had. I started volunteering at The Bridge Ministry almost 2 years ago. What an amazing experience it has been. The first few weeks I cried almost every Tuesday. I cried because it was heartbreaking and I cried because I saw people worshipping God and giving their lives to Him even in the worst situations. It humbled me more than I could have ever imagined. I decided to take my kids down there to volunteer so they could give back. Unlike me, my kids wanted to go, in fact they go whenever their schedule allows. I’m so grateful that they aren’t like I was.  Giving back doesn’t take that much time.  An hour or 2 once a week can make such a difference in someone’s life. Reach inside yourself and give back to our community. That’s why we’re here.