“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why“.
Mark Twain
“At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.” Daniel 9:23 ESV
You are greatly loved. Though this passage was written about Daniel, it’s true for us too. So many think that God is on His throne looking to and fro of whom He can punish, no my friends, that’s the devil.
God is right there with you. Waiting for you to do life WITH Him. Everything He created, including you, He created with a healthy, loving, joyful relationship in mind, with YOU. I assure you that regardless of what you have done, forgiveness and a new start, He would gladly give.
I know this because I read where He joyfully laid down His life for all, even the ones that would reject Him, to make forgiveness a viable option for our sinful man. God is not mad at you. God is madly in love with you. He created you to be in relationship with you. The healthiest, safest relationship available to all who would receive it. Will you receive it?
I pray that anyone reading this, encounters the living God today. In all His fullness. That this encounter leads them to repentance. That today is the day of their salvation. That they understand the vision of eternity in mind. We will all face eternity one day but we will all not end up in the same place. Lord enlighten the eyes of their hearts so that see the one true God that you are. No decision is still a decision. Choose this day who you will serve, God or the devil. For me and my house, we will choose God.
I love everything about it. From the moment I wake up, until the final prayer, to the lazy Sunday afternoon with family and friends. It never gets mundane or forgotten. I plan and await its coming every Monday. I love Sundays.
The gift of rest that Sundays allow are much needed in our world of constant noise, chaos and devices. But Sundays, say, “You can keep going in all of that, or sit with me and recharge, rest, and build relationships, with the ones you love. It’s a gift, not just another day, to fill up with tasks and todo lists.”
I get to open this gift, of Sundays, every week. I get to go to Church and surround myself with the presence of God and people that believe God too. Sundays, the gift that keeps on giving all throughout the week. Just when I think the week will consume me with all its demands, there is Sunday, waiting like a peaceful stream, behind a log cabin in the woods. Thank God, for Sundays.
Finding balance in an overwhelming schedule is challenging. However, I have found that being successful in the process comes down to these three things, boundaries, commitment and priorities. Out of these three things I utilize techniques, within the process, to stay balanced, effective and efficient with my time, energy and resources.
Boundaries are used in many ways to protect as well as provide a separation between what is allowed in our lives and what is not allowed in our lives. A well thought out boundary will keep wandering things from showing up in our plans. Boundaries also have a door, which is the flexible portion of our day. Through this door we can put out things that aren’t working and welcome in help to get things done more efficiently and often times, quicker. Boundaries protect from distractions and the unexpected things that pop up in life.
Which leads us to the next thing, to maintain balance, is commitment to the goal. Whatever isn’t part of the goal has to be considered a hindrance to end result and must wait until after the goal is met. Commitment to yourself, your family and your work will develop our next technique.
Prioritizing, is probably one of the hardest for me because I often think everything is a priority. As if I’m some kind of super human that can get everything done, never say no to volunteering and always being available for every human in my life. In order for me to prioritize I go through this thought process:
1. Does this take away from my needed downtime?
2. Does this sacrifice time with my family?
3. Does this give me energy or does it drain me of energy?
4. Does it maintain the balance I am fighting for or will it cause imbalance?
Allow me to put this in perspective. If I’ve scheduled some down and an alert pops up or someone asks me to run an errand or really any plethora of things the people we love asks us to do, it’s important to give myself that time. Otherwise, I become rundown, burnt out and sometimes even sick from not taking rest when I need it and when I schedule it.
When something or someone takes time away from my family specifically, mealtimes, bedtime, before school time or vacation time; I actually get offended. I already have to divide my work life from my family life, there is no make up time for supporting my husband at his office event, helping my kids through every stage of childhood, listening to them, going to their events, volunteering at their school and taking them to birthday parties. Truly consider how short 18 years is and you’ll learn to prioritize, real quick.
Never do anything that pulls more energy than it gives. That’s it. That’s the self-guided rule for prioritizing, and when to say yes or no.
That last one is tricky. Some things will cause imbalance but they’re one time, never to happen again, events. If they give you more energy than they take, then be flexible and enjoy it.
At the end of the day, it comes down to this, decide how your day is going to go. It’s your God-given day, treat it like a gift because tomorrow is not promised.
My career path has been a twist and turn of events, changing the course when necessary and adjusting the course as needed. As a young girl, I always loved writing but my career path was limited due to our financial situation.
I chose the career of beauty and fashion through becoming a stylist. 25 years of provision, memories and on-the-job training to hone my entrepreneurial skills.
Then, I fell two-stories and broke my back. This, tragically brought my career to an abrupt end. Which I really could’ve used while I was going through my divorce.
I dabbled in the hospitality business for about five years. I loved the people but the rest of it was a whole lot of work with very little compensation for the work.
Circling back, I found myself at the keyboard, pouring my heart out to God, while I divorced the person who I once loved that became our worst nightmare. As I shared these daily thoughts with my social media audience, these writings started to engage others and help them through their struggles. Though all of our struggles were different, we all shared these common themes: a need for hope again, a place to process these trials through our faith and to stay the course until we were out of the storm, raging inside of us.
Beautifully Broken ministered to me while I was writing it through grief, tragedy after tragedy, financial devastation and the unknown.
The cover with the ceramic piece that represents the Japanese art of Kintsugi. This is the general concept of highlighting or emphasizing imperfections, visualizing mends and seams as an additive or an area to celebrate or focus on, rather than absence or missing pieces, according to Wikipedia.
I’m a momma to 4 beautiful daughters and Nana to 8 grandchildren. I started my writing journey, as an outlet, at the age of 9 when I lost my daddy to a careless murder. I have experienced a journey through life that has not been easy, to say the least. Yet each challenge became a breeding ground of opportunity to share my life’s testimony to God’s amazing grace; reflecting my freedom from the chains that bound me, my victory over unforgiveness, and the God-given ability to overcome many struggles, through the outlet of writing.
As a faith-based author my goal is transparency and intentionality to share my heart with purpose, and given the opportunity, to capture your heart, challenge your mind, and stir your emotions with each stroke of my pen.
My motivation behind the project?
To allow my journey to answer these questions about your journey:
1. Who is God to you?
2. Who are you to God?
3. Why does that matter?
I believe that if we can answer these questions with conviction and confidence, we can maintain our faith through the most diffficult of times.
My hope for the reader/audience?
My prayer is that at the end of this 40 day journey of devotions and journing, the reader would exchange the weight of their worries for the gift of salvation and freedom to clock into an eternal purpose. To allow their creator to repair the brokeness in their lives with His unconditional love.
How did writing this impact me?
This project started with my own difficult season that I was journaling through. I was reminded over and over again that God is cheering me on through all of life’s challenges. He can take what is broken and make it beautiful.
Beautifully Broken is a 40 day devotional that breaks down what we believe, the impact of sin, forgiveness, who God is to us, who we are to Him and why that matters.
Whether you’re new to the faith, struggling with your faith, in the middle of a difficult time or returning to your faith, this devotional will help you be more confident in what you believe and why.
If you would like to join my journey:
Email me at: kelliann@fromthedepthsofkell.com on how to receive a signed copy of Beautifully Broken
or
Click on this link to order from Amazon:
Beautifully Broken: Maintaining Faith During Difficult Times: 40 Day Devotional
I like uniquely designed things that enhance the positive attributes of my body shape, my personality and my style.
It’s not about whose label is on the inseam, it’s about how a piece of clothing, jewelry or cosmetic makes me feel when I wear said items.
So don’t try to brand me with someone else’s label. Just let me shine on in my own identity. (giggles a little) So I guess my favorite brand is me because I’m a one of a kind design.
Though life has brought about its various challenges, my faith and family gives me the inspiration and will to live.
There have been seasons in my life that I felt like my life was meaningless and a heavy weight on my shoulders. Not that I want to die or anything but simply that I want the situation or season to pass and pass quickly. Some of those seasons bring a lump to my throat and silent tears roll down my cheeks because the pain is not the kind that one just gets over.
My faith in a God of whom I’ve never seen helps me navigate through those tough seasons. Though not seen, He is ever present with me, from the mountain tops of celebrations to the valleys of despair, He has moved mountains and filled valleys with waves of living waters.
The tangible parts of my journey, the victories, the defeats are that though I may face these seasons alone, I am never lonely. My God is a lamp onto my feet and a light at my path. Though I may only be able to see the first feet or so that the light shines, it guides and directs me in a way that I can trust and believe.
List the people you admire and look to for advice…
I mainly pray for wisdom and direction from God. However, when I need a human, I go to my husband first, as he usually has the most insight in the situation because he’s going through it with me.
I have 3 adult children, all daughters, that are my best friends now. We often share with each other what’s happening and ask for feedback and lots of prayers for each other.
My sister, and a few friends, also pray for each other and offer feedback and support.
Not only do I admire each one them but I also respect them and appreciate how willing they are to listen and be there for me when I need them.
In my opinion, many Americans have never known what’s it’s like to not have the privilege of voting. Many, also, do not educate themselves well enough to vote. I’m amazed at how many people get and rely on social media memes to collect information or be influenced by how they vote.
I vote. I educate myself by reading each candidate’s website and by looking at their track record, if they have one. I vote based on my convictions, as well as, the impact of that political person’s worldview.
Free and fair elections are what guarantees our freedom to pursue happiness and participate in what’s known around the globe as, “The American Dream”.
Yes, I vote. It would go against my and my country’s interests, to not vote.
From the Depths of Kell 