by Coach Tina | Dec 18, 2015 | Focus, Growth
As the year comes to a close, everyone is talking about how 2016 is going to be “their year”. Like 2015 wasn’t??? Did you suddenly vanish for the 353 days that have already expired in 2015? “Your year”” Every year is your year. Yes, there may have been some difficult moments. Yes, there may have been times you wish you could erase from your memory bank. But …. 2015 was definitely “your year”!
Those hurdles helped you see just how high you could jump. Those struggles helped you learn to never stop praying. Those tears taught you to appreciate the smiles. Those fights reminded you there was something worth fighting for. That loss taught you to never take tomorrow for granted. If everything had gone according to plan you would have never learned to make adjustments and ultimately never improved. So 2015 was “your year”. You’ve grown a lot and you have some more growing to do. BUT before this year ends, you MUST do this—PRESS!
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
HUH??? What are you talking about Tina? I think the message bible explains it best. Check this out… I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. vs 12-14
You MUST press. You must keep running towards the goal. You cannot turn back now. You’ve come too far! You’ve accomplished too much! You’ve learned too much! You’ve seen too much! Keep going. The only way to go through is to PRESS!
P – Pursue YOUR Dreams – not the dreams of others!
R – Resist Drama – It will look for you, turn your back and RUN!
E – NO more excuses! – Do it NOW! Tomorrow is not promised.
S – Set Boundaries – Did you know that “NO” is a full sentence?
S – Be Very Selective – If it don’t work for you, don’t do it!
Until Next Time,
Tina
by Coach Tina | Sep 24, 2015 | Focus, Growth
It’s just not fair!!! When I was 9 years old my father died of a massive heart attack. I remember being so mad and I remained that way for years. You see my dad was my best friend. I could talk to him about anything. We had this routine where we would go to the store purchase our favorite snack items, climb up into our favorite tree, and enjoy our purchases and a long conversation about everything and anything. So when he died, I was mad. I was hurt and I declared this just “IS NOT FAIR!!!” I wanted my dad back. I wanted my friend back.
This week our family experienced a loss that opened up old wounds for some of us. I heard someone say “no one should have to deal with this (pain)”. I completely understood what she meant. Death can be hard and the pain of losing someone you love has a tendency to hurt down to the core. It’s an indescribable ache. It’s a hurt that only “It’s just not fair” can sum up.
However, there will be things that happen in our lives that just don’t make sense to us, but we have to believe that God will never make a mistake. We have to rest in the fac
t that God loves us and knows not only what the future holds but what we have to go through in order to be prepared for it. When we go through those moments of misunderstanding or feeling as if life has mistreated us, we have a choice – turn from the only one that can help or run to HIM!!
I know you are saying, “Okay, I understand all of that but how do I do that?” How do I run to God? How do I get through this pain? The Bible gives specific instructions for us to follow: It says “Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you” 1 Peter 5”7. It also says “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28.
We run to God by remembering:
- God cares for you even down to the last detail. James 5:11 Focus your attention on Him and His Love. Even when it’s hard. Even you don’t want to. FOCUS!!!!
- God promises to never leave you and He’s always near. Deuteronomy 31:6 Cry out to Him. Be honest with Him. Tell Him that it hurts. Tell Him that you need Him to help you with this pain.
- God will comfort you if you allow Him. Isaiah 49:13. Allow Him to comfort you. Remember He knows everything about you. He created you. He knows how to comfort you. He knows how to love on you. And most importantly He wants to do those things just because He loves you.
For me to say that I don’t miss my dad would be a lie. For me to say “I don’t feel like life is unfair sometimes” would be a lie. For me to say that I don’t understand the pain associated with loss, hurt and mistreatment would be a bigger lie. But I am living evidence that God can heal the hurt. I know that God is concerned with every hurt I feel and He’s able to comfort it. I know that He sees and captures every tear that falls down my cheek. Even though the pain may not go completely away – God has a way of making it tolerable and bringing you out stronger because of it. Remember although you may experience pain, God is never the cause of your pain. So during those times when life seem “unfair”, instead of running from God try running to Him. He is standing there wanting to wrap His arms around you and comfort you.
Until Next Time,
Tina
by Coach Tina | Jul 30, 2015 | Focus
Storms of life will come! While in the mist of them it may seem like it will never end. The wind, the rain, the continued turmoil, destruction all around but God!!
There have been many storms that have come through this area. Ones where the wind blew so hard that I was sure the house was going to come off of its foundation. The thunder was so loud that my body trembled from the sound. The lightening so bright if looked upon could blind you for a split moment. But after it was all over this amazing 
peace seemed to take over and all stood still in the calmness.
That’s the way life can do you. Everything seems to be in complete disarray. You feel tossed by circumstances, shakened by the loudness of all the issues and blinded by the things you see transpiring and it seems it will never end. But God!! He steps in and says Peace be still! And you realize that you are still standing and everything around you that really matters is still in place. It’s an overwhelming feeling of peace, of gratitude, of safety. It’s in that moment that you realize that there is safety in the arms of the Lord!
Regardless of what you go through in this life, regardless of how strong the winds may seem to blow, how bright the lightening, how loud the thunder stand firm on the word that God will never leave you nor forsake you! If He brings you to the storm He is faithful enough to bring you through it. The trials in life come to make you stronger.
I encourage you to go through your storm realizing that God has his loving arms around you and He will protect you. There is safety there. It may seem like the storm will never end but rest assured that God’s hands are upon you and He will not let anything happen to you! Some storms come through to destroy those things that could have destroyed you. So view them as necessary! Something that was bound to happen. Then sit back and count your blessings that you are still here to witness the calm after the storm! Until next time be blessed
by Coach Tina | Jul 29, 2015 | Focus
There are times when it seems that regardless what you do or what you say you just can’t get your point across. You find yourself frustrated because what’s in your head will not coming out of your mouth and your plan just won’t come together. You know those moments when you’ve planned and planned and it seems like something is always happening causing you to have to go back to the drawing board? Those times when it seems that NO ONE understands what you are going through. When it seemed that everyone was busy and just didn’t have time to do what you needed them to do?
I was there. I was looking for someone to just understand. Someone to help me put my thoughts together. Someone that would listen and not judge me. Someone that would help me get focused. I was tired of complaining about the same things and not knowing what to do to fix them. I was tired of going back and forth with my indecisiveness. Life was not suppose to be hard. I should be able to figure this out. I am an intelligent person. Why isn’t this working? Why can’t they just do it the way I’m telling them. Why can’t they just LISTEN to me!!! Why are they making this difficult?
Then it hit me one day…why didn’t I just listen. Was God trying to show me something in all this chaos? Was He using those individuals in my life to show me how I present myself to Him? Was He trying to get my attention? Was I was too busy for HIM? Was I the cause of all this turmoil and placing blame on everyone else? What was the real issue here?
So many times we get busy in the “everyday” matters of life that we lose track of those things that are really important. With all the tasks that need to be done, there just doesn’t seem like enough time in the day. Everyone needs your attention. Everyone needs your help. You need to plan this and work on that. Then frustration kicks in and you declare LIFE IS HARD!! Yes life can be difficult. Some of the situations in life can be hard to handle. But my dear “LIFE IS NOT HARD”. It’s just time to refocus and make a plan to get back on track. You’re trying to do everything, when you were not designed to do everything. You’re trying to handle everyone’s problems, fix everyone’s issue, and then manage your own life. That is not what you were created to do. Let’s walk together and tear down those walls of “needing to be everything for everyone” and make a plan to be what “you were created to be”.
Life is what you make it and we want to make it fun and productive. Are you ready?
