1 Timothy, Chapter 2

Today, I wanted to highlight the shift in me over time from being a “Verse 9 Woman” — to one of Verse 10. And in saying that, I will mention again how I USED to look and value and create GOALS in my life … to a place and space where I see them all in a “NEW light.”

Like, back in the day, I used to be the woman who definitely cared a whole whack about what she did or, dare I say, “got done” — look at me, busy, busy little bee! — AND what she wore. Because, as I said before, THOSE were key VALUES to make me “valuable” to … well, I may have said “to myself,” but really it was for everyone else. (Does anyone else remember the weeks of studying our “self-worth” we did after last summer?? They SO impacted this girl’s world!).

BUT your brain can only choose to “care about” those things for so long until you realize your body is moving on: it will sag, shake, jiggle, wiggle, and then you have to make a decision about just “why and what” you will be living for.

And GOD certainly didn’t just let me move through this without a bit of HIS “input.” 🙂 Oh my and oh yes! 🙂 The verses, speakers, lessons, people and music HE sent my way all kept saying over…and over…and over again; “Girl, you’ve got to CHOOSE whose VALUES you are going to listen to”. Yours (and what you THINK is best for you) or MINE (which I have had written out for thousands of years for millions of women, and, well, they just ‘MAY’ be the better option for everyone in the end).” 🙂

Yes, thank the Lord, I finally chose to no longer define myself by what I’ve “adorned” myself with (verse 9), but what “good deeds” I could fill myself with (verse 10). And the first FULFILLING “good deeds” step was to get GOD’s definitions happening in my head — and then into my heart.

I know I have referenced a workshop I put on a few years ago. And by doing so, I found it was the BEST way to remove those old bogus beliefs from my soul. Yup, it laid out, worked out and helped ME walk out as I “talked God’s Truths” out with another woman. ‘Cause here is a TRUTH —  if you teach it to someone else, it really forces YOU to get it FULLY through YOUR HEAD TOO. 😉 Just a side FYI. 😉

And so, “THE Best Rest Workshop” was created!!! A whole program about pacing, properties and PEACE. It became interesting to me to note how years ago I would have defined the word “HAPPY” as — OK, here comes full openness and honesty — being pretty and being busy. But what I began to “learn” (verse 11) through LIFE with the LORD is those old beliefs were just not TRUE. (HE taught that one to me. Has HE taught it to you??) 😉

And through HIS teaching me, I began to SEE where I needed to be a TRUE HEART-SMART GIRL.

Yup, my “happy goals” were no longer about my body; they became about my SOUL and its steady GROWTH.

And those HEART-SMART GOALS went like this:

S- SPIRITUAL GOALS: choosing to grow in the value of Godliness (verse 2)

M- MENTAL GOALS: choosing HIS written command over Carol’s wants

A- ACTION GOALS: choosing to create space for HIS ACTIONS, which for me personally was in the form of Actionable REST, learning to pause, pray, STOP and rest (even when my to-do list said otherwise)

R- RELATIONAL GOALS: choosing to remove unhealthy relationships, beliefs and building into the ones GOD called me to (in the order HE values!)

T- THANKFULNESS and TEACHING GOALS.

And, YES!! There is it, the letter “T” at the end — and the BIG tie-in to Timothy today! How when we grow and become GOD-GIRLS first, we do get to be SAVED (verse 4), but also we begin to SEE the things we can BE thankful for that maybe we didn’t even SEE before (verse 1). But second — and here is my FAVORITE piece and part — we get to then “TEACH others” the TRUTH of what we have learned in our HEART.

Oh, I love how super-duper simple GOD’s wonderful “WORK and WORDS” are! You don’t have to dress up your IMPACT. You don’t have to have fancy words. You don’t even have to have them all spell-checked correctly. (How many typos can YOU find here today?? LOL!)

Nope, you only need to share HIS truths YOUR way — by being 100% fully open, honest and authentic with others. HE will fill the rest in. You just REST in the FACT that being in a relationship with HIM first and foremost WILL IMPACT YOU to grow into (verse 2) a quiet, peaceful, GODLY WOMAN.

Funny. “Happiness” before was how I looked and what I did on the outside. And now for myself, and everyone else I chat with in my office, the definition of “happy” comes down to contentment, quiet, calm and PEACE (verse 2). Hmm, it’s like GOD was right, and right all along. 🙂 

Thanks for walking through today’s writing with me, team, and I will SEE you back here again soon. 😉

Carol 🙂