Category: Life

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Bitter or Better

by Heather Guest DawkinsLeave a Comment on Bitter or Better
Bitter or Better

•Moment of transparency•

There are many areas in life that I could apply this verse to. Many areas where I need to apply this verse. Here is what I’ve learned and finding this verse is a result of looking for an answer in His Word.

In life there are seasons and not just seasons of people. There are people that come and go and seasons that are high and low. There are people who stay. There are those who hurt us and who we hurt. Some accidentally, some on purpose. You learn that you can only fix you and you can only change your heart.

There are those who are like sandpaper and those who we mesh with. But we don’t get to choose who we should be kind hearted to… even when they hurt us. Then there are those who are oblivious to the fact that they pour salt in our wounds over and over. But we can’t live in a bitter state and rise above at the same time.

Bitter or Better. I remember Granny Shiver saying: “You can let it make you bitter or better.” when sharing about life issues. It’s always stuck with me. In the back of my mind. And praise God that His Word is always available to me. When I want to wallow and try to figure out why… I can just turn to the Word and find “why not” or why to not wallow in my feelings. Sometimes it takes longer than others. Sometimes it’s my last resort instead of first instinct. That’s real life.

There’s more to this thought of mine that I’ll be sharing here on my blog. Until then, maybe you needed this reminder, too.

People will let us down, but God NEVER will. Grace. He gives it to us abundantly.

The seasons and people in our life can grow us, if we choose to let them make us better and not bitter. I’m working on becoming better. It’s only possible with God.

Seeking Him,

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To The Little Girl

by Heather Guest DawkinsLeave a Comment on To The Little Girl

To the little girl in the photo:

Life will give you many twists and turns. The ride will sometimes be smooth and other times will be bumpy. You will face things that you never expected. You’ll learn that not everyone is who they appear. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll scream. You’ll stand up and stand firm. You will make mistakes. Lots of them. You’ll be shown mercy. Lots of it. God will be the one constant. He will be the only ONE who will never let you down. He’s the only ONE capable of that for anyone. You will face fears and you’ll face things that some will never know about. You’ll love big. You will be blessed so much. God will give you so many gifts. Life will reveal things that you never imagined. You will realize again and again that you are never the ONE that is in control. You will have moments of frustration. You will experience depression and anxiety. You will think it’s a secret to keep. You will speak up and be transparent. You will realize that life throws the twists and turns and that sometimes you will struggle. You’ll speak up and be bold. You will share pieces of your testimony at the right times. The times that God leads you to do so. You’ll share your struggles because you know the things you experience can help someone else. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll soar. You’ll fly. You will struggle with the deep thoughts and you’ll keep sharing. This is why you are here. Little girl. You keep going. Keep striving. Keep leaning. Keep standing. Your FATHER is always by your side.

Love,

Me

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Life On Mission

by Heather Guest Dawkins5 Comments on Life On Mission

 

      Longing For Home

 

  When on a mission trip in Nola.. I loved it but longed for home. Now that I’m home, I long to be back on mission. Somewhere. I think of the people there every single day. I am a foreigner now when I’m not doing missions.

My home and heart for missions have coincided and it’s like longing for heaven. 

 

  
This world is not my home.. I’m just passing through. And I now long to be on mission and that’s where I feel at home while I’m here, in transition, waiting to pass through to my real home. Heaven.

I feel closer to my true home, Heaven, when I’m actively serving. 

 

  
 Whether it’s using a weed eater or picking up  trash.Whether it’s leading a Dstudy or just taking the time to listen and counsel. That’s missions. That’s my home away from home.
   {Where’s your home away from home?}


    I’ve realized that I can live life every single day on mission. No, really, I can. You can too.
  There have been times in my life that I felt dead. Those were times when I was living life my way. You know what I mean? You get me?



  {Ever wonder why you feel dead? Maybe that’s why.}
  
I feel the most alive when I’m serving or active in missions. Makes sense. Jesus… JESUS came to serve and not to be served. If Jesus came to serve, and He did, then it makes perfect sense that I would feel closest to HIM while serving.
 Living life on mission can be as simple as visiting a loved one who is sad or fixing up a building for a mission project. 
Life on mission will look different for each one of us.
 Life on mission is life on purpose. Life with HIS purpose in mind. Eternal purpose. 

   REFLECTION

~ Do I feel empty?
 
~ Am I living life my way or HIS way?
 
~ Am I serving actively?
 
~ Am I being the hands and feet of Jesus right where I am at?
 
~ Am I ignoring a specific call that God has placed on my life? 


  While we are here, in our home away from home, we can make a difference. An ETERNAL difference. Choosing to live each day following hard after Jesus.
Life on mission.. Life with purpose. 

RELEVANT SCRIPTURE

John 12:26 ~ Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.


Matthew 20:28 ~ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.


Ephesians 6:7 ~ Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people

Until Next Time,

  

 

 

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The Beautiful Remembering Kind

by Heather Guest DawkinsLeave a Comment on The Beautiful Remembering Kind

“Leave behind footprints in concrete not footprints in sand that wash away…” ~Heather Dawkins

A thought that came to me the other day.

I was on the treadmill.

Provoking thoughts usually come to me at the strangest times. While mopping or vacuuming or exercising usually.

That might provide some insight into why there have been so few posts lately.. 💁😂

Anyways.. For some reason the poem about footprints in the sand came to mind. I immediately thought of my life & the footprints I am leaving. And just like that, The “footprints in concrete” thought appeared.

I think it’s because of the large amount of time I’ve spent reminiscing since my Daddy died. Replaying events over and over again. Thinking on those footprints he has left that are like concrete in my mind.

Footprints in the sand wash away. The footprints in concrete remain. Daddy left some beautiful concrete footprints.

Which led to me thinking on just what kind of footprint was I going to leave.

Some will be the sand kind. Some will be the concrete kind.
But will they be the beautiful remembering kind?

I’ve not lived a perfect life. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve failed. I’ve fallen.. But I have learned. Isn’t that the blessing?

Even the ugly footprints that we hope will wash away can be where the largest blessings emerge from. The blessings of lessons learned, growth, and hopefully maturity as well.

The concrete footprints are the legacy we leave behind. The lessons learned. The love we gave. The lives we touched along the way.

So I can’t help but wonder, just what kind of reminiscing will be done when my footprints in concrete are left behind.

Do you wonder about your legacy too?

We live here for such a brief moment in the whole scheme of things. Time is such a mystery. We toil and worry and rush around.. But in all the rush, are we doing what is lasting? Are we making lasting footprints? The kind that live on and on and on?

I want to leave behind footprints in concrete not footprints in sand that wash away.

The beautiful remembering kind.

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭26‬ KJV)

Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! (‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬ a ESV)

Until Next Time,

Heather

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BEAUTIFUL GRACE

by Heather Guest Dawkins1 Comment on BEAUTIFUL GRACE

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I lost it the other morning. Like from 0-60 in 5 seconds lost it. My poor husband was the victim.

He informed me of an important matter and I took it as one more thing added to my plate or stack of plates. They all came unbalanced and toppled to the floor.

I have 5 or 6 jobs and you have one!!! I don’t need one more thing to think about!

And like bullets being fired from a machine gun the words exploded.

And it felt GOOD!
For a minute.

He left for work. I kept folding the piled up laundry, planning out my homeschool day, thinking of the work that needed to be done and errands and talking to myself as I did:

I’m just not appreciated. My jobs don’t end. I’m not paid for my jobs. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…… (yeah, I know..insert eye roll here..me too) 

Then God…

Like almost immediately. HE gently nudged me.

I picked up my phone..
Called his cell. Thinking, well, this may not go well. But, I have to obey and apologize. Shame on me, I am so blessed.

He answered. I apologized and he offered grace.

 

Grace. Undeserved. Beautiful. Grace.

 

Just like Jesus. My husband just offered me grace. That is love. That is loving like Jesus.

Grace. Forgiveness. Undeserved. Yet freely given.

 RELEVANT SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 1:7 ~ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

Colossians 3:13 ~ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

REFLECTION

GRACE looks a whole lot like forgiveness.

How many times have I withheld grace when I should have offered it freely?

Do I extend grace just as God has extended HIS grace to me?

Until Next Time,

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Tuned Out and Tuned In

by Heather Guest DawkinsLeave a Comment on Tuned Out and Tuned In
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Quiet. Unsettling. Different. I like it.

One week into the social media break and it’s funny how it came after my 31 Days of Being Present in Real Life series. The one that I purposely did NOT complete. Yeah. God does have a sense of humor.

So, here I am. Learning things about myself. Listening so much more to God. The noise is tuned out much better now. More “spiritual whitespace”. And while I am on that subject, I read a book by Bonnie Gray called Finding Spiritual Whitespace a few weeks ago. AH-MAZING. She is a beautiful soul, I can tell by her comments and sweet replies to my comments..It’s so neat how this internet works isn’t it? You can reach through the world-wide web and virtually meet people..but, I am digressing. That book was written from the depths of her soul. She writes so poetically and beautiful and from her heart.

 

I am learning what my version of “spiritual whitespace” looks like in comparison to God’s idea for me. I do want GOD. I want HIM more than the way I used to make time for HIM. I want GOD more than that mindless scrolling through a newsfeed that really  isn’t “news”. I want GOD more than likes or comments or replies or fame or fortune or knowing what everybody is doing. I want GOD more than I want me and more than my idea of wanting God looks like. Then and only then can I be completely at peace.

A soul one with GOD, with nothing in between, is a soul at peace. 

I am learning that obedience truly does lead to blessing. Even when obedience means cutting away some good things in your life. Even when it means removing for a short time something that isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing..just a distracting thing. Because GOD said so.

I am learning that even though I do have a good time of study in the Bible and a quiet time every morning, that God still requires more.

Because my idea of what is enough really isn’t enough at all.

 

I can look back over the past year or so and see where God is working and moving in my life and the life of my family and I am so excited to see what is next! Maybe a little scared too if I am honest. Maybe anxious is a better word. I just feel it in my bones and I am ready and I can’t wait to see what all God shows me and speaks to me through this time with HIM. Sweet time with my Savior and Lord. Tuned in to HIM.

I believe when GOD speaks we better listen. When GOD commands we had better obey. And that….

When GOD whispers, if the noise is too loud, I can’t hear HIM.

 

 RELEVANT SCRIPTURE

James 1:22 (NLT) ~ But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Romans 2:13 (NLT) ~ For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.

 REFLECTION

~ Is it too loud for me to be able to even hear God? Too much noise?

~ Do I really WANT GOD or just my idea of what wanting God looks like?

~ Am I willing to focus more on God than on other stuff?

~ Is God calling me to fast anything in order to hear HIM more clearly?

 

Until Next Time,

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A Way of Life

by Heather Guest Dawkins3 Comments on A Way of Life

For the past two years I’ve done Thankful Thursdays here on the blog. I’ll be doing them again this year as well.

Thankfulness is a way of life.Being grateful is a choice and attitude. For Christians it’s a requirement as well.

Ephesians 5:20 ~ And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ~ Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

James 1:2,3 ~ Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

 

To give thanks in ALL circumstances. To count it all joy. To have an attitude of gratitude.

On November 1st I’m going begin the weekly Thankful Thursday posts. These weekly posts will supplement something that I try to do daily, a thankful list in my journal. These intentional practices help remind me to be thankful no matter what.

I also plan on making a Thankful Tree. The Thankful Tree will be a great way to include my husband and our daughters. I’m going to make one similar to  one that I saw on Pinterest. It’s the cutest thing!  {Branches from the yard, a mason jar filled with nuts, and pretty card stock for leaves.} 

My sis in law did a thankful tree last year and I just loved it! It was a great way to teach her children about giving thanks. (She’s a wonderful mommy) Discipling my niece and nephew every day. Being present with them and teaching them about Jesus.

Maybe you’ll join us on Thankful Thursdays or even with making your own Thankful Tree. Thanksgiving really shouldn’t just be a November thing. It’s a way of life.

There are so many cute ideas for trees on Pinterest. I have pinned a few on my HOLIDAYS board on my Pinterest page. I’ll share a picture of mine when I make it.

{New here? Lets’s be blog friends! Sign up here for email updates and/or Like my FB page. Still planning a giveaway on the FB page. Over halfway to the goal.}

Until Next Time,

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What are 3 things that you are thankful for this week? 

I am thankful for:

1) Thankful for each one of you! That you take the time to read these words that I share.

2) Thankful that Logan wanted to be homeschooled and wouldn’t give up until I said YES. She is now a college student at age 16 with 3 college core classes under her belt and signed up for 3 more next semester..FREE because of the Accel program. 

3) Thankful that I was able to take my Momma and daughters last week to North Ga. and spend time with family up there!