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New Year, New Perspective

Happy New Year! It’s been a while since we have been here, as far as blogs go, we’ve missed you and are so glad to be back. Our goal is to always encourage, inspire, and uplift the reader with the words spoken here. In a world that is full of chaos and disorder, this felt like the right time to post again.

I think we can all agree that last year was a life reset button. We were forced to spend time with and get to know ourselves whether we wanted to or not. We also got to see and know the world we live in more clearly than ever. Many things were brought to the surface and, let’s face it, they were pretty ugly.
So, I want to speak about perspective in this post because I understand that many of our perspectives were probably ruined over the past year. Maybe you view the world through a narrower or pessimistic lens at this point. Or maybe you have no interest in changing your perspective on the world because you feel like it’s a lost cause. Maybe you feel no matter what the only one who can fix it is God. (Which is true for the record.) However, there are things we can do to contribute to fixing it as well.

If we all believed that our lives had no impact on the world around us we would live in some kind of weird utopia. The world is full of successful people and people with platforms who believed and continue to believe they can make an impact, and so they have. Why should you be any different? You don’t need a label next to your name to be somebody. You are already somebody and you do impact the people and environment around you whether you know it or not.

With that being said, now that we acknowledge we are impactful people, I want to encourage you to shift your perspective. Not only about the world around you but about yourself as well.

Choose to shift your mindset to positive in all areas. If our perspective remains hopeful, pure, true, good, and faith driven we can change the entire world with just that alone. Do not underestimate the power of a good attitude. It changes the atmosphere, makes everyone’s day better (including your own), and spreads hope to those needing it. Shift your perspective. Choose to focus on the good. Do not waste your days getting swallowed up in the chaos of the world. Be the difference and walk forward into an unknown future with hope and joy, confident in Who holds it.
-Olivia

Philippians‬ ‭4:6-9‬ ‭NLT

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
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Hope for the Hopeless

Hope is seemingly something that the world is lacking majorly right now considering the circumstances. Sickness and disease is running our lives in some way, shape or form even if we are not among those who are sick. The numbers keep growing and so do the amount of deaths. It is easy to become focused on the statistics and to allow fear, doubt, worry, stress, frustration, anger, and whatever else to overtake us. I have found myself constantly battling these feelings and emotions. I think I have cried more over the past month than in my entire lifetime honestly. It’s not easy right now. Regardless, I feel the urge to speak a message of hope. I know that a day is coming, sooner than we think, where all of this sickness and disease will be put to an end and life will feel normal again.

The awesome thing about hope is that our hope is not found in the things of this world. It does not depend on our circumstances or what is going on around us. Instead, our hope is found in a person. Our hope is found in Jesus, who over two thousand years ago entered this world not to just live in it but to save it. Jesus is not just some historical bible character who came and went. He is life and the reason we breathe. He came to this earth as a savior to rescue us from sin and death, and he still does the exact same thing today. Without him we would be absolutely nothing.

Savior. That word is really resonating with me right now. Jesus SAVES. He was our savior then and he is still our savior now. Our hope was in him then and it still remains in him now. We can have hope and faith in him because we know that the major battle is already won, because that is what he did by dying on the cross and overcoming the grave, and the victory is ours because it was his first. With Jesus living inside of us we can know that evil cannot and will not win Every earthly thing must bow at the name of Jesus. When we can fully understand the power that is in the name of Jesus we will be able to see just how untouchable and powerful we now are. It’s because of that name and because Jesus is living inside of you. If you have no idea what I am talking about and have not made Jesus your Lord and Savior, but the idea of living a torment and worry free life sounds great to you, please reach out for clarity. That is what he has made available to us along with so many more good things.

All of this to say, during this time especially, put your hope in something that is eternal. Put your hope in something that is pure, good, true, holy, life giving, and so much more. Put your hope in Jesus Christ who already won the battle by dying and overcoming death for YOU, and who would do it all over again even if it was just for you because he loves you that much. Be encouraged by God’s word, promises, and truths and dwell on those. There will be a day soon where the bad news and statistics will be no more and we will see the light again… but I encourage you, choose to see it now. Choose to see the good now. Choose to see and represent Jesus now when the world needs him most. God’s people are literally crying out for Him, and this is our chance as believers in Christ to rise up and provide the hope that the world is searching for. It is already instilled in us because that is what the gospel brings. That is what we live out as Christ followers, so let’s rise to the occasion. There is still hope, joy, peace, rest, good news, and a promised future ahead of us. Choose hope. Keep your faith.

Worry Free

It’s much easier to say, “Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay!” when it’s not about you. I can’t be the only one who sometimes has more faith in other people’s situations than my own.

When I’m going through a tough life change it feels like a puncture wound in my universe that somehow creates a black hole vortex that wants to suck all of the other solidified parts of my life with it. Feels like my life is going to crumble and my foundation is going the drift away like sand beneath me.

It’s hard not to worry about things like money, relationships, wellbeing and such such. When one thing goes wrong sometimes it feels like it’s all going to fail.

There’s a bit in Matthew that echoes in my ears over and over…

“See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.”

It’s the only thing that brings me back into my true reality that everything will work itself out regardless.

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34 New International Version (NIV)

Our God is bigger than our big problems.

Even if I can’t find the level of worry free that looks like me frolicking through meadows of wildflowers with not a care in the world….

…. I hope I can completely find that quiet confidence of David. That same confidence that took down a Goliath-sized problem with a simple sling shot. That is my prayer for all of us this year. To find a new level of calmness, bravery, and quiet confidence that God is bigger than our big problems.

How high is the mountain you’ve climbed?

I have spent the past month on the beautiful island of Hawaii. I am on this journey of re-discovering myself. The older I get the more that I truly understand how important it is to love and celebrate yourself, but in order to understand that I had to climb come pretty tall mountains first. It feels as if I have gone through just about hell and back at certain parts of my life. Everyone feels and struggles differently, and everyone’s story is not the same. This year I turned 23, and on my birthday I found myself even getting emotional while reflecting on the journey that I have been on, but not because I was sad that I have gone through what I have, it was because I was proud of how far I have come. I am proud of myself. I am so much stronger than I give myself credit for, and being on this island (having to climb actual mountains) I have realized that I have an inner strength and determination that speaks volumes about me and who I have become. I am strong, and all the fear that I once faced has been removed by the grace of God. The more that I face and conquer these mountains the more immoveableand unshakeable I become. I remember being younger and praying so hard to be this type of person, but never believed it to be possible…well 12-year-old Olivia, look at you now. I know there is so much more to come too. God isn’t finished with me yet, and He’s not finished with you either.

That being said, I want to challenge you. I want you to reflect on your life. Think about the mountains you have climbed, the things you’ve been through, your testimonies, or whatever you want to call the tough moments you have faced. After you’ve taken a trip down memory lane thinkabout who you are now, but no negative thinking, I want you to draw on the positive things that make you, you. What have you overcome that you are proud of? It is time that we stop being so hard on ourselves and start lifting ourselves up in response to our victories. It is okay to admit being proud of and happy for yourself. It is healthy to love the you that you have and are becoming. Do not get so distracted by the busy-ness of life that you forget about you. You are important. You are valuable. Your story is yours for a reason. Give yourself the grace and love that you deserve. Face your mountains head on and conquer them in faith knowing that those mountains are going to shape and not break you. Be immoveable. Just a little faith is all it takes. Matthew 17:20

SELF LOVIN’

Recently I posted a picture on my Instagram page wearing a shirt that says, “self lovin’” (and no, this is not a shameless plug to get you to follow me on Instagram but if you’re interested you can follow your girl @oliviaflanagan.x lol). I hashtagged “more self love” and instead of writing a novel with my post, which I can be known for doing, I figured I would just write a blog about it instead.

Self love is something that I am a very strong advocate for. This is coming from the girl who never thought highly of herself or thought that she would be seen as beautiful, honestly. I mean my mom always told me but like…that’s her job right? But, I was about eighteen years old when the idea of self love and identity really struck me. I had always known that I am beautifully and wonderfully made, but it wasn’t until I literally started speaking that truth over myself that I honestly believed it. There came a point in time where I got tired of feeling like I wasn’t enough. I was tired of comparing myself to other people, wishing that I had a prettier nose, smile, face in general, body, or whatever it was that I would feel insecure about at the time. I walked around like I was confident, but I honestly was not. I am not sharing this to try to fish for compliments or receive any pity, but I am writing because I know that this is something real that a lot of young women (and even men) go through. I am here to say that you are 1,000 times enough, but you will only know that once you truly start to believe it.

If you find yourself struggling to truly love and see yourself the way that God sees you I want to share with you what helped me to be able to see myself differently. On a couple different accounts I have shared my testimony, which if you’ve never heard it it is basically that I was once this super scared girl who dealt with anxiety and panic attacks who never thought she would be healed but once she accepted her healing and chose to believe healing was hers, she overcame. I mention this part of my life because it has everything to do with who I am today and why I am able to see myself the way I do now. I have overcome this and much more in my short 22 years of life, and I am prepared for whatever else I might face causing me to have to overcome again. The point is, I once saw and believed myself to be this scared and insecure little girl but because I CHOSE healing, I chose to overcome, and I chose Jesus above anything else my vision was changed. Along with that I had a lot of self image issues, and still do on and off to this day, but when I choose Jesus I am choosing to see myself for who I truly am. God doesn’t create junk and He most certainly does not make mistakes. If Song of Solomon 4:7 says, “you are altogether beautiful my darling, there is no flaw in you,” then there is no flaw in me! If Psalm 139:14 says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, then I am! The Bible is pretty black and white here people, it’s not really up for debate. You are what God says you are. Love the skin you’re in. Love the way that God made you and confidently walk in truth knowing that He does not make mistakes. Beauty is confidence. Love the way that you smile, love the way that you talk, the way that you walk, the way that you dance, sing, laugh, the cheesy jokes you make because whatever it is that makes you you is a beautiful thing. Enjoy being you…because there’s no one else that can be you, and that alone makes you pretty great.

Olivia

Beaten by Brokenness

The past couple months have been heartbreakingly disappointing for me. It has been difficult to write. Heck, it’s been hard just to breathe or get out of bed in the morning. My hope for a thriving relationship bruised. Me feeling like a human yo-yo. The emotions of my day inconsistent and unsteady. A personal, spiritual, emotional warfare within me.

Being in a place of depression or sadness is definitely not a place Christians like to dwell. Many Christians sometimes feel ashamed to not fully exude joy, feel full of wonderment about the goodness of God, or being 100% present to contribute to the kingdom. I know at least, sometimes I do. We’re supposed to be filled with the joy of the Lord, right? Many of us feel shame that we try to hide when we aren’t doing okay. Sometimes even worse, isolate ourselves from those who speak truth into us, hoping that people won’t realize we aren’t perfect Christians.

If anything we are tested and tried even more so for being Christ followers. There’s nothing that threatens the enemy more than you realizing your God designed destiny, or for you to be thriving in your walk with Jesus. The enemy will use the weak spots in our hearts, regret, shame, and failure to try to break down the truth of God that you are fully loved, fully known, and fully redeemed.

Before rededicating my life it looked a lot like the story about the woman at the well in John 4. During verse 13-14 Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

I realized I’d been digging my own well hoping that one day if I tried hard enough that it would be full of water, praying that Jesus would fill it. Making life choices out of my own will and praying God would bring me my ideal outcome.

Just like the woman at the well, Jesus assured me that the water from my own well will not satisfy. I would thirst again failed relationship after failed relationship. The love and fullness I needed wasn’t going to come from a man, nor my purpose, nor my destiny. I would always still be thirsty again. They would eventually let me down. I’d never fully be satisfied if I was putting my insecurities into a relationship and expecting that to fix them or make me feel important, loved, seen, appreciated, complete…

Jesus gives the Samaritan woman the desire she is searching for. After her encounter with Jesus the Bible says in verses 28-30, “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.”

This woman is not saying that Jesus is a creepy mind reader, she is saying, “I finally found the man who KNOWS me fully, who understands! I don’t have to explain my heart, he knows it. He is love.” She found the source of love and fulfillment she had been searching for in her past five husbands!

Notice back in verse 28 it says she left her water jar. She left HER vessel to BECOME Jesus’s vessel, full of His living water. She shared her new found joy and satisfaction with the people around her. Jesus was more important than what she had before.

During these times of hardship it’s challenging to tap into this living water. To me, at times Jesus’s vessel in me can feel pretty dry or stale. This is often for lack of motivation or time restriction during a stressful period. I would be lying if I said my pre-dedicated mindset of relationships didn’t sometimes leak into my current life. It’s the lie of the enemy that anything but Jesus’s love fully can leave us feeling satisfied or complete. No love on earth could be as perfect and sweet as our heavenly one.

I think this is the perfect opportunity to place myself in the woman’s shoes and remember what Jesus says. He promises His well doesn’t run out, so we have to be willing to go to the source. Back to the well, to be filled again. And again. And again. No matter what season we are in. I struggle to not be discouraged by the inconsistency of joy in my life. Everyone has ups and downs, cycles, and sometimes rollercoaster rides. I am comforted by God’s counter move to my disappointment. He points me towards Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

The time to dance, laugh, sing, and be joyful again will return soon. Surely the mountain tops wouldn’t be as special without the valleys.

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Danielle

Photo by Daniel Tagjord

Song of the Week: Psalm 139 (Far Too Wonderful) by Shane & Shane