Make Yourself Amazing in April: Day 6

This catches us back up!

Since I'm posting back-to-back summaries tonight, I don't expect that anyone has completed the previous challenge! We'll revisit the challenges from Day 5 and Day 6 tomorrow.

Today's chapter is called Good Woman; Good Man.

Focus Verse: A good woman is hard to find (Proverbs 31:10a, The Message)

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Although Sarah and I have never met in person nor communicated in any way other than email, she and I share a trait (beyond being Christians!): we both got married "later" than others. I got married last year at age twenty-nine, and she was thirty-two when she got married. Because we share this trait, I know that she uttered the same words that I said many times: "a good man is hard to find!" However, when you do find that good man or woman, it completely knocks you off of your feet!

Sarah says that the word good is boring. It's true! Even the connotation of being a goody-good is so condescending! But, being good is not boring. After all, God is good, and we know that He isn't boring! Think about the things that you enjoy and think are good: music, art, etc. Do you find those things boring? Of course not!

Okay, so good isn't boring. Now, how can we be good?

It's actually pretty easy! As Sarah says, Jesus is all good, and since we live in Him, we are all good! Woo hoo! And, there's even more good news. Psalm 23:6 says that goodness will pursue you all the days of your life. So in addition to knowing how to be good, you'll also be pursued by good. Here's what Sarah says about this:

Goodness means the quality of being good. If goodness is pursuing you, that means that anything that has the quality of being good is chasing after you. Goodness is not only something you are, but it is the many things you can have. So stop running from goodness and allow it to capture you and shower upon you all the blessing it entails. You are so good.

Isn't that GREAT to hear before a Monday morning? =)

Today's challenge: Start thinking that goodness is after you and don't run from it. Let good things happen to you today (and beyond!).

Make Yourself Amazing in April: Day 5

Yesterday's challenge was to go through the Bible and look for practical life tools. Admittedly, I haven't done that yet, but if anyone got started with that challenge, I'd love to hear about it here or on my new Facebook page (facebook.com/ambercanread- still under construction!).

Today's chapter is called Speak Out for Justice

Focus Verse: Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute! (Proverbs 31:8-9, The Message)

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Today's chapter is about a topic that I haven't explored a lot, but every time I read about injustice, I get so stirred up that I want to immediately do something. Unfortunately, my own laziness and apathy usually gets in the way, and I quickly forget about my passion and move on to the next thing. I'm glad that Sarah has written about this topic as a step on the path of amazingness.

Sarah shared a verse (Job 5:16) about binding and gagging injustice in order to bring hope back into the world. Think about the concept of hope for a second. We are really quick to use the word hope for just about everything- "I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow," "I hope this movie is good," "I hope whoever wins this game." For some people, life isn't that easy. They hope for enough food to eat or enough water to drink or just to be able to survive another day. I'm not trying to be depressing, but if you are able to read this, then you should be doing something to correct these injustices. Sarah goes further to talk about a couple of injustices that she has seen firsthand and helped correct. The best part is that neither of them involved anything that would be too difficult for any one of us to do!

Much of the chapter talks about Saul's fight against injustice. I won't attempt to summarize it here since you all can pick up a copy of the Kindle edition for only $2.99. ;-)

Sarah talks about how she used to not be too stirred up by injustices due to her own selfishness. I think that's one of my problems too. I'm selfish, and I'm not 100% sure where to start to start balancing the scales. We don't have to overthink things though. Each of us can start small. Sarah suggests doing things like writing letters to the government or financially supporting programs that stop injustices.

It's no surprise that today's challenge involves figuring out ways to fight injustice. Think of a couple of ways that you can fight injustice, and we'll talk about them tomorrow!

Make Yourself Amazing in April: Day 4

I'm so glad I took an extra day to post this one! It is a great chapter, full of wisdom, and I would've done all of you (and myself) a major disservice had I just slapped something together late last night! The plan as of right now is to have two posts tomorrow so we can get back on track.

Day 3's challenge was to see if there's anything in our lives that we should avoid or that's becoming an addiction. I know that I'm not alone in saying that I have a borderline addiction to social media and the Internet in general. It's usually the first thing I think about doing once I'm awake and kicking in the mornings. It also definitely takes away from my relationship with Jesus. I haven't started to make a plan to get rid of it, but I think knowing you have a problem is the first step, right? ;-)

Today's chapter is called Know Right from Wrong for the Sake of Others

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Focus Verse: Leaders can't afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine and swilling beer, lest, hung over, they don't know right from wrong, and the people who depend on them are hurt. (Proverbs 31:4-5, The Message)

Knowing right from wrong shouldn't be difficult. We know that we shouldn't steal, cheat, lie, or any number of other things that "bad people" do. But what about those tricky little "gray areas" that cause you to question yourself? What do you do when the line between right and wrong is blurry?

If you're working on becoming amazing (which I hope you are since you're reading this!), then the first thing you need to know is that you have to know right from wrong, not for your sake, but for others, according to Bathsheba in Proverbs. Sarah puts it succinctly: "Life was never about doing what was right for you, but it is about doing what is right for others."

This is where the difference between telling little white lies to appease people and telling the truth comes into play. Sarah uses an example of when a friend asks if a dress makes her butt look big. The "nice" thing to do is to lie, but telling the truth is right for her sake. My mom and I have a straightforward relationship where we know if we ask a question like that, we will get the truth. I value that honesty and appreciate that my mom can tell me the truth in a nice way. Wouldn't you rather be surrounded by people who can tell you the truth in a loving way than people who will lie just to keep you happy? If the example of clothes making your figure look bad doesn't really mean anything to you, take it up a notch. What if you were around people who lied to you about liking a significant other who treated you poorly? When I was in college, I dated a guy who wasn't the best for me. I had good friends who constantly told me that he wasn't someone I needed to be with, but it made me mad, and I didn't listen. Looking bad, I'm glad that they were able to do that because so few people are that bold.

Keep in mind, if you want people to tell you the truth, you have to remember not to overreact when they do, if they truly have your best interests at heart. You also have to tell the truth yourself. It's not a one way street! You have to be gentle and use grace, but you'll find that your relationships are so much better when you don't have to worry about lying to one another just to keep each other happy!

Phew, that was kind of a tangent. Let's get back to the chapter!

When you decide that you want to live out a life that shows people the difference between wrong and right, you have to know how to do that. Some may think that knowing that difference is instinctual, but those instincts had to come from somewhere. Children don't know the difference between wrong and right unless they are taught by adults (and even some adults don't really know!). Where do we learn these things?

....

...

...

(I wanted to give you time to guess)

From the Bible!

That answer shouldn't have been a surprise to you if you've been following along with this series so far! =)

For those of you who haven't read a lot of the Bible, you might think it's an old, outdated rule book. While it is old and there are rules, as Sarah points out, it's really the story of God choosing to love the world. How does love relate to right and wrong? As Sarah says in the chapter, love acts with others in mind, so walking in love means living right because that encourages others to live right. In other words, if God is love, and we walk in love, then we're walking with God and living in the right way. Does that make sense? Don't take the word walk literally here either. Sarah showed us in this chapter that the word walk has a modern translation of "lifestyle". Still confused? Galatians 5:16 puts it this way:

But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the (Holy) Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit); then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh... (The Amplified Bible)

Our flesh is weak. It wants whatever is comfortable, even if that's not the right thing. Average settles for comfort, while amazing strives for correct.

The easiest way to think about this is to think of the Bible as our guidebook that will help us to live the right kind of lifestyle. Sarah talks about how her dog doesn't struggle to walk on the path that's laid before her, just as we shouldn't struggle to walk down the path that's laid before us by God. Love that idea! She also busts the misconception that being a Christian must be hard and boring. That's great news for all of the sour Christians out there! ;-)

Alright, we know where to find our guidelines for right and wrong, but how do we know whether or not we're following those guidelines and living the lifestyle that God has set out before us? The Bible talks about that too!

But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence)... (Galatians 5:22-23, The Amplified Bible)

Did those verses make anyone pause a little bit? They definitely made me a little uncomfortable because I know that I haven't been bearing too much fruit lately! The good news is that no one is perfect, and once we acknowledge and confess our slip ups, God forgives us, we can forgive ourselves, and move on. Phew!! Also, Sarah points out something that I've never really thought of. We were born to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit easily, so don't think of being kind or patient as something to struggle with, but relax into it and find those traits becoming part of your normal makeup and behavior.

One last thing for you to keep in mind is that if all of this overwhelms you or is new to you, or even if you just need a refresher on how to get started living the right kind of life, then remember that Jesus gave us one simple commandment: Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). If you do those two things, then you're well on your way to becoming amazing!

Today's challenge: Pick up the Bible and go in search of practical life tools that you can build a good lifestyle on. When you find them, make a note of it, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you do it! If you don't know where to start, try using the keyword search feature on a website like biblegateway.com, which will help you find verses related to the topic you want to learn more about.

Make Yourself Amazing in April: Slight Delay

Today completely got away from me! I started working on today's entry around 30 minutes ago, but I've only typed a couple of sentences and can't seem to get focused enough to really dig into Chapter 4. I plan to do three posts between tomorrow and Sunday that way we can stay on track to finish by the end of April. Just wanted to give a quick update and apologize. I definitely am not being too amazing tonight!

Make Yourself Amazing in April: Day 3

Yesterday's short term challenge was to think of a few ways that you can be more dedicated to Christ. I'm taking a class on prosperity and stewardship at church on Thursday nights, and the pastor talked a little bit about Luke 16:10, which basically says if you're faithful in little things, you can be trusted to be faithful with big things. I tied that into the idea of being more dedicated to Christ and being trustworthy and responsible. If I can't be dedicated to the little things, like staying on task at work or making sure our budget is balanced, then Jesus can't and won't trust me to be dedicated to bigger things, like a better job or more money. So, that's how I'm going to be more dedicated; I'm going to work on being faithful in the little so I can honor Him and be entrusted with more. I haven't thought about my long-term challenge yet, so I need to get on that!

Today's chapter is called Avoiding the Shipwreck.

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Focus Verse: Don't dissipate your virility on fortune-hunting women, promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders. Leaders can't afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine and swilling beer, lest, hung over, they don't know right from wrong, and the people who depend on them are hurt. Use wine and beer only as sedatives, to kill the pain and dull the ache of the terminally ill, for whom life is a living death. (Proverbs 31:3-7, The Message). 

What does Bathsheba mean by "shipwreck[ing] leaders." Unless you're a sea captain reading this on the satellite Internet on your boat, then you probably aren't worrying about literal shipwrecks.

(I really wanted to make a landlubbers joke here, but my brain just wouldn't work. Insert your own joke...).

A shipwreck, plain and simple, is a mistake. One way to avoid shipwrecks or making mistakes is to have a life-long attitude of learning. As a librarian, I fully support this idea, especially because it's Biblical! Sarah uses an example of getting ready to buy a car and ignoring the warnings of friends who have made the mistake of buying a particular model that's terrible. Since you didn't learn from their mistakes, you make your own mistake and end up with a shipwreck of a car.

Okay, maybe I didn't put that as eloquently as Sarah did in the chapter (this is why you should buy the book and why I shouldn't write late at night!, but you can see where she was going with that, right?

Shipwrecks cost time, energy, money, and resources. But, if you listen to those who have already wrecked, you can save time, energy, money, and resources. I don't know a single person who would rather waste those things instead of listening to someone with wisdom and experience! If you don't have anyone in your life that you can get advice from, remember that the Bible is full of practical advice that can help you stay the course.

Another way to avoid shipwrecks is to avoid addictions. Bathsheba warns her son against promiscuous women and alcohol, which could both be considered addictions. No one intends to become addicted to anything, but as Sarah says, sin is addictive from the first moment. She talks about praying for what she wants to be addicted to- Jesus- instead of praying against addictions like chocolate or drugs. Her reasoning is that what she prays for becomes a focus, so she wants to focus on the right things. This is brilliant! This goes back to chapter 1 and the idea of keeping good things in your mind instead of negative junk. If you're currently experiencing an addiction, even one as seemingly harmless as playing a game on your phone, then try praying for an addiction to Jesus and see if that changes your prayer life and your viewpoint!

Can shipwrecks ever be a good thing? Surprisingly, yes! Sarah says that a true pioneer will make many mistakes, but they will be mistakes no one has made before. Sometimes you have to get a little off course and messed up before God can step in and navigate you back to smooth sailing. Shipwrecks can teach you perseverance also. After the first time you get battered and beaten down, you'll realize that it's not so bad and be less hesitant to fail or make mistakes. Plus, you don't want to live with the constant fear that your failures and mistakes are going to break you. Sarah ended the chapter with these two lines: "If you live on the edge, shipwrecks and failure are sure to come your way for a season. Push past it; your dreams will come." In other words, strap on your lifejacket and get ready for the ride of your life!

Today's challenge: Do a little soul-searching. Is there anything in life that you should avoid? Anything that is starting to become a bit of an addiction? Make steps to rid yourself of it today! As Sarah said, amazing people are in control of their lives and their problems. Oh man. This one is good but tough!

Make Yourself Amazing in April: Day 2

Before I start today, there are two quick notes that I want to make about yesterday's post:

1. I forgot to give attribution credit to the picture I used. That's been fixed on the post.

2. Sarah includes a verse at the beginning of each chapter, so I want to make sure I include that. It's also been added to the post. I'm going to call those Focus Verses and will make sure to have them in each posting.

I guess my brain was so full of April Fools' yesterday that I forgot those details!

How did everyone do with the negative thoughts challenge? I had three negative thoughts before I even left the house this morning! It was kind of sobering today to realize just how many negative thoughts crossed my mind. It was also so easy to get mired down in the negative once I allowed myself to entertain a negative thought. I'll definitely be paying more attention to the thoughts I have and not letting myself dwell on the negative. I lost count around 11 today, so hopefully some of you did better than me!

Today's chapter is called A Dedicated Life

Focus Verse: Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God! (Proverbs 31:2b, The Message)

Gulp. This one is a tough one for me. Maybe even tougher than wrangling all of my negative thoughts! Sarah starts this chapter with the story of a woman she met who, along with her husband, dedicated her life to helping war-torn women in Africa. From there, Sarah transitions into talking about some of the most dedicated people in the Bible- the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers never left their job and spent all day and all night around the house of God. Can you imagine being that dedicated to a job? Obviously, I don't have that kind of dedication because I barely even want to spend an extra minute there most of the time, much less all day and all night!

Sarah connects success and dedication, which is interesting because I don't think I've ever looked at it that way. What she says is true though. Those who are successful are dedicated to something that they love, and the more they love it, the more dedicated they are.

Another trait of those who are dedicated is guarding what is sacred, whether it is sacred to them or to others. There are so many things that can be considered sacred to people. For me, my beliefs, family, and close friends are sacred. I'm dedicated to those things, and if anything or anyone tries to break me from those, then I reevaluate my relationship with that thing or person.

Trust and responsibility are also traits of dedicated people. Those who are dedicated will be seen as trustworthy and responsible. I can see this relationship because I've had times where I struggle being either of these things, and it's usually because I'm not truly dedicated to a particular thing. For example, when I was working on contributing a chapter to a book, I was really flaky, missed deadlines, and did an all-around poor job on it. Now I can see that I wasn't really dedicated to it. I was roped into writing it because they had a space to fill, and it wasn't a priority or sacred to me, so I was irresponsible and just did the bare minimum. Of course, that's not the right attitude to have, but if you find yourself abandoning responsibilities or being untrustworthy about something, then check to see if you're really dedicated to it.

A fifth trait of dedicated people is that they will do whatever needs to be done. Yep, I didn't display this trait at all in my previous example! I also have found myself not displaying this trait at work, which makes me realize that I need to rededicate myself to my career (but I'm still not spending the night there!).

A final trait of dedicated people is that they get to give. As Sarah says, when you live a dedicated life, you will give to others in a variety of ways. You may even get to give someone a better life! How is that for amazing?!?

There is a downside to dedication, though. If you're obsessively dedicated to something, then other areas will suffer. We all know or have known of someone who was so dedicated to his career that eventually his family fell apart because he didn't invest in them. Or, how about that girl who is so dedicated to her relationship that when it ends, she has nothing else because she's pushed everything else away? There's a difference between wise dedication and obsessive dedication.

However, there is one dedication that won't lead you astray: the dedication to Christ. Here's what Sarah had to say about being dedicated to Christ:

When you dedicate your life to serving the cause of Christ, you dedicate yourself to what Christ is dedicated to. Life works out wonderfully because Christ is dedicated to your success, your family, your marriage. You can be dedicated to everything you want and need to be when you dedicate your life to Him.

Today's challenge has two parts. The first part is to think of a few ways that you can be more dedicated to Christ and less dedicated to things that don't matter (like, ahem, staying caught up with your Facebook feed, Amber). The second part is more long-term, and we'll revisit it at the end of the month. Prove your dedication by taking responsibility, volunteering for jobs no one else wants, or figuring out how to guard what is sacred to you. I can't wait to hear what you guys do for this challenge!

 

Make Yourself Amazing in April: Day 1

Preface and Chapter 1: What are you thinking?

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Normally when I do book reviews or write about books, I don't usually focus too much on the Preface, but the author, Sarah Coleman, raises some great points here that I definitely didn't want to overlook!

She starts the Preface with saying that we were all born to be amazing and not average. This is so true! This hits hard also because I've been feeling pretty average and unamazing lately. Coleman's take is that our choices and what we do determine whether we become more amazing and how fast we accomplish it. So what is amazing? Or, rather, who is amazing? For Coleman, the Proverbs 31 woman sets the example for the potential that we all have locked inside of us. It's funny because when I was reading this, I instantly had the thought that the Proverbs 31 woman was really an army of women, but, unfortunately, it's just one woman! That's a tough pill to swallow when I'm planted on the couch, fighting with myself to get enough energy just to get up and shower. Oh, and men, don't run away too quickly. Coleman speculates that not only was Bathsheba telling her son the godly qualities to look for in a wife, but she was also telling him of the important qualities he should develop. So don't think you're getting off the hook that easily or that this book is only for the women in your life! With that in mind, let's move to Chapter 1: What Are You Thinking?

Focus Verse: Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of! (Proverbs 31:2, The Message)

There is amazing power in words and what the mind thinks. If you've heard something about yourself for your entire life, then chances are you have internalized that and believe it. It might be something good, like people telling you that you're funny. But, more often than not, it's something negative, like telling you that you can't do this or that. After you hear that for so long, you start thinking it. As Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." With that in mind (ha), it only makes sense that if you change your thoughts, you can change your life. Coleman says that the most powerful person is the one who controls his thoughts. Wouldn't you agree with that?

Our thoughts aren't the only ones that affect us; the way God thinks about us can also make a powerful impact on how we see ourselves. Coleman has great insights about God's perception of us. One of my favorite passages in this chapter comes towards the end:

When Father looks at you...He sees you already in the prosperous future He has planned. So stop looking with eyes of reality. Stop thinking of yourself as you are, and put your past failures behind you. God's reality is the future; see yourself there instead. 

Coleman ends each chapter with Thoughts To Ponder. I won't write the entire thought here, but one highlight was to stop negative thoughts as soon as you realize what you're doing and think positive instead. I'm going to add to her Thoughts and give you all a challenge: tomorrow, whenever you start to think a negative thought, make a mark somewhere and then immediately start thinking positive thoughts. At the end of the day, look and see how many negative thoughts you've had to fight off. I'm going to do it, and I'll share the results with you. Also, I know a couple of you have told me that you've bought the book and plan to follow along. I would love to hear insights from you! Sarah (it seems so funny to call her Coleman the entire time. Maybe I'll be less formal and stick with Sarah!) is going to stop by as much as she can, so if you have questions or thoughts, please share them here and hopefully she'll get to see them and respond!