Have you ever wondered what this world would be like if we were all positive? Why is it that it seems more normal to be negative than positive? For example, everyday our day starts off with thoughts - check it out and see if they are positive or negative. That will say a lot about who you are and how you see life. Crazy thought, huh? Or, what do you say to yourself when you look in the mirror? I know that for years, I would look in the mirror and say, "Why is your rear as wide as the mirror? That kind of rhymes. lol!! Oh, here's one, "What is happening to my neck, it's starting to sag and I'm only in my 30's!!" I now know why my grandma wore scarfs all the time in her later years...because the neck gives away your age more than your face does so when she would wear a pretty scarf, you were drawn to her gorgeous face. Even at the age of 88, when she went to be with Jesus, she was gorgeous!!
So, why must we tear ourselves down all the time? Not believe in ourselves and in our God potential? If we really say life is about choices, then if we choose to walk out life with a negative attitude, then it's because it's a choice that we have made. Think about this: If you were put in a cell for a week, all you had was a window with bars on it looking outside. Would you look through those bars and look at the dirty ground and wonder why life must be so miserable, why did this have to happen to you or would you look through the bars and look up and out and see the celebration of life, the sun shining in the day, the stars twinkling in the night around you?
Life is all about how you choose to live and SEE it. A question I get asked a lot is this: How do you stay so happy? Because I choose to live life this happy. I have had my 'cell-like' moments in life. Life hasn't always been fair to me, dreams I've had have fallen apart, my rear is still as wide as my mirror, I have been hurt by people I have loved deeply....but when I really 'see' my life, I see beauty, I see potential, I see new dreams yet to be lived, I see an AMAZING husband that loves me deeper than any love I've ever known, I see children that bring me overwhelming joy. If you have Christ, then no matter where you are in life, you HAVE LIFE - a life that is waiting to be lived with positive thoughts, words that will not tear you down, words that believe in your God potential, words that say "Today is a beautiful day, no matter what!"
"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." Phil. 4:8 (MSG)
Change your world by the power of how you think!
Through Christ, there's NOTHING I cannot do,
Tracee
Monday, August 23, 2010
Up, Up, Up!
I have the song, 'Up' by Shania Twain going on in my head. It's been years since I've heard it but i think I'm going to find it and blare it on the sound system this week. The chorus, or what I can remember, goes, "Up, up, up, can only go up from here." After having a 103 fever last week for 3 days and feeling miserable, I figure - this week will definitely be better than last weeks! lol!
So, I started off today making a list of to-do's. My first thought was, "Well, I have to play catch-up from being sick last week." (yes, I do talk to myself...haha) But, I immediately kicked that thought out of my brain as I began to feel smoke bursting from my ears and the top of my head come open (I watched way too many cartoons as a child!) because if I even begin to think of the word 'catch-up' you can forget me ever really catching up on my to-do list EVER!! Just to name a few like weeding, cleaning out the garage, painting the back deck, organizing closets, and that's just to name a few household items on my list not to mention Girls Ministry, Youth, and Worship projects!! So, I will take on what I can today and whatever doesn't get done, well, that's what tomorrow is for, right? lol!! Another day to mark a few off the list, and yes, add a few that I forgot.
So, today - I will celebrate this beautiful life He's given me, I'm not going to put my make-up on, do my hair, I will hang around the house in my sweats and t-shirt, I will be thrilled to mark off a few items off my to-do list, I can't wait to breathe the air my kids are breathing, to hear about their day at school, I will fix a fantab meal of fajitas and watch my husband goo goo and gaga over my homemade tortillas, and I will end my day knowing that whatever didn't get done today will happily greet me in the morning without fail. lol!!
"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him!.....Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down." Phil. 4 (parts of Ch. 4 in The Message)
Now go have some fun!!
Tracee
So, I started off today making a list of to-do's. My first thought was, "Well, I have to play catch-up from being sick last week." (yes, I do talk to myself...haha) But, I immediately kicked that thought out of my brain as I began to feel smoke bursting from my ears and the top of my head come open (I watched way too many cartoons as a child!) because if I even begin to think of the word 'catch-up' you can forget me ever really catching up on my to-do list EVER!! Just to name a few like weeding, cleaning out the garage, painting the back deck, organizing closets, and that's just to name a few household items on my list not to mention Girls Ministry, Youth, and Worship projects!! So, I will take on what I can today and whatever doesn't get done, well, that's what tomorrow is for, right? lol!! Another day to mark a few off the list, and yes, add a few that I forgot.
So, today - I will celebrate this beautiful life He's given me, I'm not going to put my make-up on, do my hair, I will hang around the house in my sweats and t-shirt, I will be thrilled to mark off a few items off my to-do list, I can't wait to breathe the air my kids are breathing, to hear about their day at school, I will fix a fantab meal of fajitas and watch my husband goo goo and gaga over my homemade tortillas, and I will end my day knowing that whatever didn't get done today will happily greet me in the morning without fail. lol!!
"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him!.....Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down." Phil. 4 (parts of Ch. 4 in The Message)
Now go have some fun!!
Tracee
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Where are your eyes focused?
There is one thing I promise to do in this joyblog and that is to always be real, honest and simply - me. The one thing that frustrates me in this life is how we can play the silly game of thinking, "Well, she never goes through any struggles or hard days, her life is perfect." That, my gorgeous friend, is a major lie of the enemy because each and every one of us, whether we are Lisa Bevere, Joyce Meyers, or just me, Tracee Davidson, have our good days, our bad days, our enemy warfare days and days that we are laughing our heads off. We are human - and yes, I'm so going to go there - we all sit on the same toilet, doing the same thing. lol!!
So, where on earth am I going today - raise your hand if you never get stressed out! Okay, I see that none of you did, so we have all been in the same exact boat. I am no expert at walking out crazy life circumstances and always walking on the water. Yes, I have sunk many many times and that is so not cool cuz it takes me a good 45 minutes just to blow dry my hair after it gets wet. That's a stress in itself. lol!! But, I want to share a few little thoughts that I'm doing in my own life at this very moment, actually - I've only broken my toe, had my laptop crash and lost everything, came down with an upper respiratory infection that lasted 5 weeks, then went back down with another illness with fever this week, had to cancel some events, and am trying to re-create everything that was on my laptop for the coming 2 months of calendar events on my agenda! Stressed, me? lol!!! Soooo, I want to pass a few things I do onto you as well cuz that's what friends are for - to walk through life together. (beware, this will not be a short blog...ha!)
1. Keep your eyes focused on.....(drum roll) GOD! That is the first and foremost important thing that will NEVER fail you. Focus, focus, focus. Man, that's not always easy to do because our problem is: we keep our eyes focused on the problem instead of the solution. God has the answer to the solution, so stay FOCUSED on Him. (As I am re-reading this I just had to laugh because I so have a problem with say, I'm cleaning the kitchen, so I head downstairs to grab some kitchen towels out of the dryer to dry the dishes and then next thing you know, I'm cleaning the laundry room.....lol!!!!)
2. Keep your eyes focused on.....HIS WORD! Back in the day, sounds like I should be talking 1800's dialogue here....but don't worry, I won't! lol! I can recall a MAJOR stressful time in my life when we came back from missions in 2002. I won't go into all the details of that story here but I had never experienced stress like I did then. I was to the point that had it not been for God's Word, I know I would've broken down with some panic attacks. Everytime I felt that anxiety rising up within me, and trust me, it's not like I invited 'it' to appear, I would immediately grab my Bible and begin to read His word. It NEVER failed, God always took over my anxiety with floods of peace. This wasn't like a 2 minute reading...it was more like 20-30 minutes, sometimes an hour. I had key scriptures or verses that were speaking loudly to me during that time so I would turn to them and read them over and over and over again until God would literally begin to flood my heart and calm my spirit...it was through that, that I would regain my focus - in our weakness HE is strong!! He really is!!
3. Surround yourself with close friends. If you are married, this will include your husband but also close girlfriends. God has truly blessed me these past 5 years with some of the closest friends I have ever had. The kind that you can 100% be yourself, hold each other up, be REAL together, and also speak things into each other. Knowing that you are not walking alone, but are surrounded in support, prayer and loads of love will get you through whatever your life brings your way. If you do not have this kind of friendship circle, ask the Lord for it. God is a God that will give you the desires of your heart. Never forget, the first gift of friendship is to be a friend yourself....it will flow from there.
So, I leave you with a verse that one of my inner circle friends sent me today because she know's that I have had a crazy last 5 weeks that has caused me to have moments of crying, pulling my hair out but also, I have had many God joy moments and found oppurtunities to laugh my head off....knowing that she loves me and is praying for me and surrounding me helps me to know, I will get through this - between God, my amazing husband, and my dynamic friends....this too shall pass.
Psalm 27 (MSG)
Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, Those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool. I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet. That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down. I'm headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof! Already I'm singing God-songs; I'm making music to God. Listen, God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs: "Be good to me! Answer me!"
When my heart whispered, "Seek God," my whole being replied, "I'm seeking him!"
Don't hide from me now! You've always been right there for me; don't turn your back on me now. Don't throw me out, don't abandon me; you've always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in. Point me down your highway, God; direct me along a well-lighted street; show my enemies whose side you're on. Don't throw me to the dogs, those liars who are out to get me, filling the air with their threats. I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God.
Together, we will help each NOT pull our hair out!!
Tracee
So, where on earth am I going today - raise your hand if you never get stressed out! Okay, I see that none of you did, so we have all been in the same exact boat. I am no expert at walking out crazy life circumstances and always walking on the water. Yes, I have sunk many many times and that is so not cool cuz it takes me a good 45 minutes just to blow dry my hair after it gets wet. That's a stress in itself. lol!! But, I want to share a few little thoughts that I'm doing in my own life at this very moment, actually - I've only broken my toe, had my laptop crash and lost everything, came down with an upper respiratory infection that lasted 5 weeks, then went back down with another illness with fever this week, had to cancel some events, and am trying to re-create everything that was on my laptop for the coming 2 months of calendar events on my agenda! Stressed, me? lol!!! Soooo, I want to pass a few things I do onto you as well cuz that's what friends are for - to walk through life together. (beware, this will not be a short blog...ha!)
1. Keep your eyes focused on.....(drum roll) GOD! That is the first and foremost important thing that will NEVER fail you. Focus, focus, focus. Man, that's not always easy to do because our problem is: we keep our eyes focused on the problem instead of the solution. God has the answer to the solution, so stay FOCUSED on Him. (As I am re-reading this I just had to laugh because I so have a problem with say, I'm cleaning the kitchen, so I head downstairs to grab some kitchen towels out of the dryer to dry the dishes and then next thing you know, I'm cleaning the laundry room.....lol!!!!)
2. Keep your eyes focused on.....HIS WORD! Back in the day, sounds like I should be talking 1800's dialogue here....but don't worry, I won't! lol! I can recall a MAJOR stressful time in my life when we came back from missions in 2002. I won't go into all the details of that story here but I had never experienced stress like I did then. I was to the point that had it not been for God's Word, I know I would've broken down with some panic attacks. Everytime I felt that anxiety rising up within me, and trust me, it's not like I invited 'it' to appear, I would immediately grab my Bible and begin to read His word. It NEVER failed, God always took over my anxiety with floods of peace. This wasn't like a 2 minute reading...it was more like 20-30 minutes, sometimes an hour. I had key scriptures or verses that were speaking loudly to me during that time so I would turn to them and read them over and over and over again until God would literally begin to flood my heart and calm my spirit...it was through that, that I would regain my focus - in our weakness HE is strong!! He really is!!
3. Surround yourself with close friends. If you are married, this will include your husband but also close girlfriends. God has truly blessed me these past 5 years with some of the closest friends I have ever had. The kind that you can 100% be yourself, hold each other up, be REAL together, and also speak things into each other. Knowing that you are not walking alone, but are surrounded in support, prayer and loads of love will get you through whatever your life brings your way. If you do not have this kind of friendship circle, ask the Lord for it. God is a God that will give you the desires of your heart. Never forget, the first gift of friendship is to be a friend yourself....it will flow from there.
So, I leave you with a verse that one of my inner circle friends sent me today because she know's that I have had a crazy last 5 weeks that has caused me to have moments of crying, pulling my hair out but also, I have had many God joy moments and found oppurtunities to laugh my head off....knowing that she loves me and is praying for me and surrounding me helps me to know, I will get through this - between God, my amazing husband, and my dynamic friends....this too shall pass.
Psalm 27 (MSG)
Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, Those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool. I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet. That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down. I'm headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof! Already I'm singing God-songs; I'm making music to God. Listen, God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs: "Be good to me! Answer me!"
When my heart whispered, "Seek God," my whole being replied, "I'm seeking him!"
Don't hide from me now! You've always been right there for me; don't turn your back on me now. Don't throw me out, don't abandon me; you've always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in. Point me down your highway, God; direct me along a well-lighted street; show my enemies whose side you're on. Don't throw me to the dogs, those liars who are out to get me, filling the air with their threats. I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God.
Together, we will help each NOT pull our hair out!!
Tracee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Don't Forget - Wear the Right 'Clothing'
As hard as it is to imagine, it's back-to-school time around our household. I can't even get my head around the fact that my children's summer vacation is already over. I spent their first day of school living in my car, going here, there and everywhere, getting last minute supplies they need, or shorts for band, and lunch snacks and I am sure there will be even more trips this week for the 'oops, I forgot to tell you I need...." lol!!
So, I found myself having a hard time going to sleep last night and couldn't figure out why...and then I had that V8 moment and realized that I was taking on the stress of this new season which was causing me to not get the much rest I need so I can ensure I don't get more grey hairs on my head before they are really due. lol!!
So, that has led me to this verse - an inspiration to be careful what 'wardrobe' I choose to wear every day. I am determined that I be a mom that stays calm, doesn't get huffy, or react out of the craziness of a school year schedule including everything that is on my agenda with my music and other ministries I'm involved in.
I have always asked myself this question through the years, "Would I like having me for a mom?" I want my children to grow up and have amazing memories, looking back and seeing lots of laughter, joy and loads of love - cuz - WHEN MOMMMY IS HAPPY, EVERYBODY IS HAPPY. :)
Here's your inspiration for the day:
Colossians 3:12-14 (The Message)
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Enjoy, take it one day at a time and breathe in EVERY single moment of mommyhood!!
Smiles,
Tracee
So, I found myself having a hard time going to sleep last night and couldn't figure out why...and then I had that V8 moment and realized that I was taking on the stress of this new season which was causing me to not get the much rest I need so I can ensure I don't get more grey hairs on my head before they are really due. lol!!
So, that has led me to this verse - an inspiration to be careful what 'wardrobe' I choose to wear every day. I am determined that I be a mom that stays calm, doesn't get huffy, or react out of the craziness of a school year schedule including everything that is on my agenda with my music and other ministries I'm involved in.
I have always asked myself this question through the years, "Would I like having me for a mom?" I want my children to grow up and have amazing memories, looking back and seeing lots of laughter, joy and loads of love - cuz - WHEN MOMMMY IS HAPPY, EVERYBODY IS HAPPY. :)
Here's your inspiration for the day:
Colossians 3:12-14 (The Message)
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Enjoy, take it one day at a time and breathe in EVERY single moment of mommyhood!!
Smiles,
Tracee
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