What if you woke up tomorrow morning with only the things you thanked God for today?

I first posted this on April 19, 2012 on my Christ-following Minimalist blog. My writing has changed, my life has changed, but these fundemental truths stay the same.

As I continue my walk on this journey into minimalism, I still need these gentle reminders that God provides for my every need.

Do you?

💖

My aunt attended church on Sunday, and the priest asked the congregation:

What if you woke up tomorrow morning with only the things you thanked God for today?

Think about it. It sure made me think. Have I been grateful for the gifts God has given me? Or, do I go through life like the spoiled little brat I never intended to be?

Our Father gives us everything. As a fellow blogger commented on this blog earlier this week:

From My Lenten Challenge…still Lenten Challenging

Let them [your books] go. You have not needed them for the past 40 days, you are not going to need them. And if you do…He will provide them again.
m. (m. writes at amomentinmyday.com)

He will provide them again. I am so thankful for that. Our Father never let’s us be in want. He provides everything we need with abundance. Not always what we want, but always everything we need. As Psalm 23:1 states:

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

As a shepherd provides for his sheep, so our Lord provides for His.

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? ~Matthew 6:26

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ~Matthew 7:11

Our God loves us. He wants us to trust. Trust Him with every ounce of our beings. Are you trusting in God today? If you’re not sure, ask our Father to show you. He will let you know kindly and with His great love.

Soak in His love today and be thankful of the things He has given you.

With much love and thanks to God and you,

~Chelle

P.S. If you’d like to follow my minimalism-influenced journey, I post regularly on Instagram at @cf_minimalist and on my writing account at @dmmwrites.

I see you… Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to YOU, the…

Bio Moms 

Adoptive Moms

Soon-to-be Moms

Someday Moms

Praying-for-babies Moms

Not-able-to-be Moms

Don’t-wanna-be-a-mom-but-love-other-people’s-kids Moms

Fur Baby Moms

Dad’s who are great moms, too. (I see you, single Dads.🙋‍♀️)

Have a blessed and joy-filled day today.

I love you.

~Chelle 💖
Dawn Michelle Michals
 

To Being Famous

For years I struggled.

My writing was going nowhere. My singing and song writing was–well, let’s just face it–a hobby.

All I wanted in life was to be famous. Do you? I know…I know…

It sounds petty and diva. But, I’m being truthful here.

I wanted the whole world to know my name. For the spotlight. For the fame.

I’d wanted it since I was a little girl filling notebooks with song lyrics, going to college for a music degree, and buying a sound system (Thanks, Mom!) so I could get out there and live my dream.

But, you know what?

Nothing. Happened.

Have you ever felt the disappointment of a dream that won’t come true?

Yeah, me too.

And, it doesn’t feel so pretty does it?

It’s raw and humiliating and…UGH! And, you find yourself avoiding extended family at holidays because they frankly know just the right words to make you go cry in the bathroom before dessert.

I wanted my dream.

Then one day, I read this scripture…

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
~Proverbs 16:3 NRSV
https://bible.com/bible/2016/pro.16.3.NRSV

My wheels were spinning with no traction.

I’d work all day with nothing to show for it but frustration and wasted time.

Everything was going nowhere.

Until that day…

When a friend at a writer’s retreat gave each of us this scripture packaged in a little red plastic frame for us to remember.

Now, I’m not saying everything is perfect, and I am by no means famous…yet! But, I am on my way. At least to what God has for me. And, I feel His traction.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,
Ephesians 3:20 NRSV
https://bible.com/bible/2016/eph.3.20.NRSV

“Far more than all we can ask or imagine…”

So, God, what you’re saying is that You, the divine creator of the universe, can do way more, think way higher, do things way cooler than my feeble little imagination has ever thought about?

For me?

Really?

So, these desires I have had from childhood are only the beginning?

Yes! Yes, they are!

God has you and has had a plan for you from the start. He placed you in “such a time as this” for His exact reason. You matter.

And, your dreams matter. He placed them in you for a reason–not to torture and frustrate you–but to build up the person He needs you to be.

Live your dreams. No matter how crazy they may seem to you, your friends or your family. Commit them to Christ today. And, see what happens.

Whatever Happens.

Do you ever do things you wished you hadn’t?

Like yell at your kid then find out they weren’t doing what you yelled at them about?

Or, talk bad about a friend who wronged you but then it turned out to be a total misunderstanding?

In other words…

You were completely…

absolutely…

wrong. 🤦‍♀️

We’ve all been there. At least I’m hoping I’m not the only one. So, how to do we deal with it?

How do you deal with being absolutely, positively wrong?

First, apologize. To your kid. To your friend. To your self. Because no one can beat yourself up like own self.

Then, we read Philippians 1:27…

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel
Philippians 1:27 NIV
https://philippians.bible/philippians-1-27

Okay. So after we hit ourselves in the forehead like one of my fave emojis —-> 🤦‍♀️

Now, let’s get past the initial headache and focus on what God has for us in this scripture.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Be the person God created you to be, not the person society has made you. If you don’t know who this is — and a lot of us don’t — ask God. He will tell you. He created you. HE knows the plans He has for you. Plans of hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Now, being a joint heir in Christ, let’s ask ourselves…

What would Jesus do?

(Bustin’ out my WWJD bracelet, from…what year was that??? The 90s???)

Jesus did it so we can do it too. It says in God’s word that Jesus went through all of the same trials and tribulations that we do. He knows tiredness, hunger and anger yet He did not sin. Ever.

I know that’s a lot to live up to. But it is what we should strive for — to live as Christ. We can do this. Christ came to set the example.

Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.

As a parent, the one thing that melts my heart and makes me wanna give myself a high-five is when my beautiful and not-so-well-behaved daughter does the right thing when she doesn’t think I’m looking.

How great it that?

When everything I’m attempting to do as a parent seems to be working even if only for a split second. *Insert me relaxing on the couch for a moment.*

Do you think God feels that for us to? After all of His teaching and instruction, the countless Bible studies, devotionals and Christian memes, do you think He leans back in His throne, hands behind His head and says, “By George! I think she’s got it!”?

When we “stand firm in one spirit” and do what Christ has taught us to do.

When we relax and no longer have to think about what the right thing to do is. We just do it.

THAT is what we strive for.

And, yes! There will be times when we yell at our kids, when words fly out of our mouths in traffic, and when we do something totally unbecoming to a son or daughter of the Most High God.

But, you know what?

He knows that!

And, He still forgives us every time.

Walk in His love and strive for your best. Don’t over think it. Because, the more you draw closer to Him, the easier it will all become.

Keep going.

For the Bible tells me so.

Yes, I know.

Countless memes are surfacing about how “essential” each one of us are. But, you know what?

It’s true. The Word of God says just how important each one us are is. We are each created to do great things. We are each here for a bigger reason. We are each uniquely created by God.

No one is a mistake.

Have a blessed day today!

~Chelle

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, 25that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.