A list of inspiration

Today I'm linking up with Gussy Sews for her monthly inspiration workshop!
Have you checked it out? If you haven't, I suggest you do!
Maybe you'll be inspired or find some blogs you just love! =)
Plus her blog is one of my favorites!

This months prompt is readers choice! So what inspires you?
There's so much that can inspire a person and we are all inspired by different things.
Look around your life, what inspires you on a daily basis? Is it your husband? Your children? God?
Look inside yourself, what deep inside you inspires you? Is it love? Is it Truth? Is it dreams? Passions?

Sometimes in life its hard to be inspired. Life is busy and full.
At times it doesn't feel like there is any time to be inspired!
But if we take a few moments, just a few, I'm sure we can find one thing (if not more) that inspires us!

A few things that inspire me:

^^^ picture taken by Nikki Wiarda^^^

My family.

There is no one in this world who inspires me more when it comes to passions and dreams than my husband. He's been flying for a couple years now and works so hard at it. He has gotten multiple licenses and is a flight instructor. It is his passion, his dream to one day fly for an airline. He's working towards that and never gives up! I have no doubt in my mind that one day it will be a reality for him. 

It really is inspiring to watch him dream of this because I've never seen someone work so hard at something! He also works his tail off to provide for us and that inspires me because his job isn't always easy, but he does it, to provide for us and so I can stay home with our children. Blessed by him, truly.

James doesn't know this (and he'll probably find out reading this ;) that he inspires me to think more about how I treat people and makes me realize that often that needs to be different. Often, I'm not the nicest to my husband. What wife is, all the time? What husband is all the time? What person is all the time? No one, but sometimes my words are pretty mean. In those instances where they aren't so nice, he makes me think about my attitude and how it needs to be changed. He makes me realize I should consider my words before I open my mouth. A hard lesson to learn most of the time! So even though I don't always enjoy this, thank you honey! Love you!

My children inspire me. Braden has since he was growing inside me and continues to on a daily basis.

Maeva, inspires now, even though she still has a few more days (11- oh my) of growing to do. They may not know it now, but one day I will tell them how they have inspired their mama. Inspired me to be more patient, to love more fully, to slow down daily, to thank God more, to be more thankful, to be a better parent, to be a better wife to their daddy.  

Excuse me while I cry now. Making this pregnant lady emotional! 

The word of God.

I've written about She Reads Truth a few times, but want to say more about it. Don't know what it is? You should definitely check it out because I promise you, you will not be disappointed, but uplifted and inspired! She Reads Truth is an online community of women who are reading the word together. We use the you version Bible app to go through devotionals together and share what we are learning via instagram by posting on twitter, on our blogs, or on the website. I really cannot tell you how much this has inspired me. I've written before that its been a long time since I've read the word of God on a daily basis, but really its deeper than that! I do not remember the last time I read the word this much because well, I've never read the word this much! I've never picked up my Bible pretty much on a daily basis and never felt accountability like this! It is amazing! 

Its one of the best things to go to the word of God every day. I find encouragement in the word. I find understanding, peace, love, hope. It helps my days go better and me feel better. I'm also more connected in my relationship with God then I have been in a while! I am so thankful for this and I find it pretty inspiring that all this started because two women knew that they needed to be in the word more, so they shared it and more and more women kept on joining! How awesome is that?

My own heart. 

At times I find inspiration when all is quiet in the world. When I'm lying in bed unable to sleep or while driving in the car, with the radio off, while the toddler sleeps. My dreams aren't necessarily gigantic, but they are mine and that's what matters. I dream about traveling to different places and seeing the world. I dream about going back to Hawaii because really, I fell in love with the beauty of it. I dream of living by the beach, of being able to go there whenever I want and looking out at the huge ocean God created.  I dream of becoming a photographer, of actually figuring out how to use my camera and being good at it. I dream about creativity - how I'd love to be able to draw or do graphic design. I dream about writing a book. So many dreams in my heart and the truth is, with time and patience a lot of them could probably come true! 

There's much more I could write about when it comes to inspiration in my life, but I'm not trying to write a book here! ;) So tell me, what inspires you?

Our mistakes do not define us

I've written in multiple times already and I probably will write it again, but being apart of She Reads Truth has been one of the best things for my walk with God. Its so nice to fill myself up with the word of God a daily basis and be uplifted by it! I love the accountability in it even if it is just over the internet and I also love the conviction that I get from reading the word of God. 

I love that fact that pretty much every day I read my devotional (Living the Surrendered Life) I am convicted about something. The other day the devotional was about judgment. It said that often we judge people on their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intentions. WOW! So true and so unfair! It's so easy for us to judge, even though we really have no right to. I know I feel pretty awful when I feel judged, so why would I want to make others feel that way?

Just today I felt judged by someone in my family. I don't write a lot on here about mistakes I've made... I've shared some, but I think its okay to not go into huge detail about all the mistakes because honestly, there are some I don't like to think about and some I don't like to share. I think, also, that sometimes when sharing things, the devil can use that to attack you. I share the things I feel God is telling me to and leave out the rest, here on the blog. But I'll share this mistakes with you because really it isn't the worst one I've made.... somedays I wouldn't even call it a mistake. 

I chose to go to a Christian college, which I think, was the right thing for me. I didn't make the best choices there. I made some pretty honking big mistakes in college, but others, not even knowing those mistakes, have made me feel bad about that. I chose to go there because that's where I thought God wanted me to go, where He urged me to go. However, sometimes, when I look back on it, I think I should have gone elsewhere... not only because I wouldn't have made those mistakes elsewhere (or maybe I would have -- WHO KNOWS!) but also because the education, I feel I got there, didn't do much for me. I also, looking back on things now, wish I'd chosen a different major. That last part is what came up in conversation. Sort of. The family member had told me that another family member was going to go to a different college because she wanted to take a different path (when it came to her major). I said that it was good she figured that out now. My family member responded with, "You could have made different choices, but you would have felt like a failure." 

I greatly dislike the judgement I felt in that comment. I know they didn't necessarily mean it that way, but the words just tore me down. I've dealt with my past and moved on from a lot of it, but when things like that are said, I really feel punched in the stomach and just bad about myself. I feel like I have to explain things, but I know these things are all lies! The lies are the reason I wrote this post.

Judgments hurt. They do not build people up, but they tear them down. There, is no good in them, not when, its not our place. I am not my past choices. I am not my mistakes. I know that and I have to rest in that. I know a lot of people feel judged because, well, the truth is...there is a lot of

judgement, but know that the only judgement that matters is from God. Also, know that you are not your mistakes, you are not your past. What matters most in life is God and being His child.

You ARE THAT, so rest in it. Do not rest in the thoughts of others because time and time again that will hurt, but if you rest in His truth, there is mercy, forgiveness and so much love.

That is what I'm reminding myself of right now. I'm also reminding myself, that for me, this has taught me something... that I don't want to be judgmental. I don't want to judge the people I am close to. I don't want to judge my husband or my children. I don't want to judge my friends or even people I don't know. I just want to love and be merciful. Lord, I ask You to help me with that and remind me to love, on a daily basis. Amen. 

On My Struggle with Being Content

This blog is a place where I want to be real and more open,
which involves sharing my struggles.
Some of them are bigger than others.
The one, I have on my heart right now, may seem small to some,
but what it can do in one's life, is big.

Its about being content. Or, actually it's more about, being discontent.
Last night as I was catching up on the Bible study I'm doing as part of She Reads Truth,
I read about being content. 
It was one of those moments where I was reading the word of God
and I KNEW that He was speaking to me. 
Those moments are hard, but good.
I knew he was saying "Kassie, be content, you have no reason not to be."

He's right. I have no reason to be discontent. 

There will probably always be things I want and things I think I need. 

That doesn't mean that I will always get those things 

and it definitely doesn't mean I can't be content while waiting! 

That's huge for me to realize! Sometimes I have to wait on things and be content with that. 

I don't want to get stuck on the list of things I want because then it's easy to be ungrateful.

That is not the type of person I want to be!
I want to be content. I want to be grateful. 

So, I'm going to work on that because really, I do have so much to be thankful for! 

I have a roof over my head.

There's plenty of food on my plate and clothes on my back.

I have a wonderful husband and son!

Our little girl is growing well and will be here soon!

I know a God who is good in all He does.

That is what I am grateful for today and I will rest in the contentment of those things!

Do you struggle with contentment?

How do you redirect your discontentment to contentment? 

Please tell me! Ideas are always nice! =)

Pieces

There has been a lot on my heart lately.
A lot of conviction, guilt, and yuck.
But there has also been good things like joy and happiness.
Today I woke up with a lot bothering me, so I thought I'd try to write a bit out, here.

One thing I've been struggling with for a bit is comparing myself to others.
I think thats something I've done every once in a while,
but right now it seems to be a pretty big deal, a daily thing.

I've been comparing my pregnancy body to other women's.
"She isn't as big as me."
"She is so tiny."
"She looks good."
The thing is this is my second pregnancy and I didn't really lose any weight until I got pregnant.
I knew I'd be be bigger because of those two things.
I also know though, that these negative, comparing thoughts, aren't right.

Some days I look at myself and think I'm not so big.
So what if I was? Every woman's pregnancy is different. Second pregnancies are different!
I do not look bad. Some days I may not feel the greatest about my outer appearance, but thankfully my husband thinks otherwise and tells me often. Thank you James!

Another area I've been comparing myself is in motherhood. I've been doubting myself.

I think maybe its part of our sweet little Maeva coming in 59 days 

and questioning whether I can be a mom of two! 

Which I know, by the way, that I can because God is making it happen

and He will not give me anything I cannot handle! 

Two babies to love and have... what a blessing!

Comparing myself in this area is really bothering my heart. 

I see or hear about a friends child do this or that

and then my mind automatically goes to, "well, how come Braden isn't doing that?" 

"Why isn't Braden saying any numbers or letters?"

"Why doesn't he play this way or that way?"
"Should he be doing that?"

The questions in my mind go on and on. It seems like I'm comparing my son AND I do not want to do that! Braden is his own person and he plays the way he wants. He is smart. He is learning. 

I find myself wondering if I'm doing enough with him. Enough reading? Playing enough? On and on it goes. The truth is no, in some areas I am not doing as much as I should be, but I am not an awful mother. I am a good mom. I do my best and I love him dearly. 

Comparing myself and my mothering to others has taught me a few things. 

Mostly, really, that it is a bad idea. It puts me in a bad mood and takes away joy.

I don't need to do it! It is not healthy!

God made me who He made me for a reason. I can be no one else and no one else can be me. 

He loves me for me. I need to rest in those things.

Help me to rest in those things, Lord. Give me peace. Help me to love.

One thing that I've been extremely thankful for is being apart of She Reads Truth. 

Getting into the word everyday has been so uplifting to me! 

So encouraging! Exactly what I've needed! 

I really can't explain how great it has been!

On my heart lately... 

(ever since I watched a video on youtube about hell) has been the question, "what is enough?" 

"Is it enough to just read His word? To pray?"

"Is it enough to be saved? And how do I know I really am?"

"Is this person in my life saved?"

"Is this person going to heaven or hell?"

A lot of questions that are overwhelming my heart and scaring me a bit too.

But I'm coming back to the verse in 2 Timothy. 

"The Lord KNOWS those who are His." 

He knows me. He knows that I am His. He knows about the people in my life too. 

I know that if I rest in His truth, in these words, they will help my heart.

That is what they do! 

What's on your heart? Anything been overwhelming it lately? 

P.S. Don't forget to check out my 100 followers giveaway below! It's a good one! =)