Ashley Spence is one of the bravest women I have ever met. She had just begun her sophomore year at Arizona State when the unthinkable happened. Ashley was the victim of a home invasion, enduring an assault which lasted for several hours. Afterwards she ran away to California to heal. Unknown to Ashley, her attacker lived a few blocks away from her. Seven years after her attack , a DNA match happened. Her life was once again turned upside down , but it put her on the path to lead the DNA Justice Project. Click on the link to hear her inspiring story and how this horrific event helped her find her true calling …
Tag Archives: #hope
P. U. S. H.
Many people push themselves to the point of exhaustion. They never take an opportunity to rest. They feel like they must go it alone. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We have an invisible helper. His name is God. We are instructed to come to Him when we are weary. But do we? I’m guilty of going it alone, thinking that I and I alone can solve whatever I’m working on. This couldn’t be further from the truth, either.
Perhaps we should slow down a little and ask God for guidance. He will answer.
And remember to P. U. S. H.: Pray Until Something Happens…
Trophies
We revere our trophies, don’t we? We have old sports trophies, trophy wives and husbands, and my least favorite: participation trophies!
Trophies are a representation of an accomplishment or achievement. We like to be recognized for what we are doing in our lives. And that’s a good thing.
The greatest trophy we can earn is not a physical trophy at all. It is doing what God put us on the planet to do. When the day comes and I face my Creator, I want His praise. That’s the trophy I’m striving for…
Teachers
Do you remember who your favorite teacher was? Why were they your favorite?
We all have memories of people who have made a difference in our lives. Perhaps it was a teacher or mentor. Think about why they are important in your mind. Meditate on how they made you feel. Then go do that for someone else.
We are all teachers sometimes. Teach others well…
Unseen
There is much more going on than we can see. The spiritual world is a different dimension. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t make it less real.
The Bible encourages us to keep our eyes on “things that are unseen.” Those things are eternal. Every challenge we face in our lives is a spiritual battle. Again, we don’t see it but God sends His angels to thwart our invisible enemy. Take solace in the fact that the Creator of the Universe is on our side, not the other. Therefore we are assured of victory if we just keep going.
Seeing the world through a different lens puts it in perspective. It doesn’t take away pain and struggle. But it gives us hope…
Growing
Do you ever feel stagnant in your life, feel like you are simply going through the motions? We all go through periods where we are “coasting.”
Work on yourself. It’s difficult, I know, but you gotta strive to be mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually fit. Read books by great philosophers. Exercise. Seek out a solid psychotherapist to help you heal. And read and study The Bible. Make time for your own personal growth.
And remember, if you are comfortable, you aren’t growing. Growth only comes from the discomfort zone…
Pledges
A pledge is a “solemn oath or vow” to something. Pledges are to be taken seriously.
In school we recited The Pledge of Allegiance every morning. I’m not sure if we really knew the full meaning of what we were saying. After all, we were just children. As I grew into adulthood I took the pledge very seriously. We should love our country and our flag.
Before making a pledge, I encourage you to consider if you can fully uphold your vow. Other people will hold us accountable, but we should be accountable to ourselves and our words above all else…
Beliefs
We all have our own unique set of beliefs. But do you ever question your beliefs?
Our beliefs evolve as we age and grow. Many of us believed in Santa Claus until we didn’t. (Actually, I still believe in Santa and always will). Maybe we believed things we knew weren’t true, but refused to give in to disbelief. Maybe we believed in people who let us down.
There is one set of truth that never wavers: God’s truth. If it was true 1000 years ago, it’s still true today. What God says goes. He cannot lie. He can’t even stretch the truth. You can believe what He says.
Let’s base our belief system on the Word of God. We may not always understand it, but our lack of understanding doesn’t make it less true…
Charlatans
Our society is full of charlatans. They are everywhere, promising everything from timeless aging to quick wealth. They are liars who play on people’s insecurities.
Do you want to age beautifully? Exercise. Hard. Do you want to build wealth? Live within your resources and save money. These methods work while the charlatans fraudulently steal your time and money.
Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is…
Cause and Effect
We make choices in life. Some are routine choices like the way we drive to work. Other choices we are faced with might be new and different. These are the ones that make the brain come alive.
It’s important to take time to think about the choices we make, especially the ones that are out of the ordinary. Every action has consequences. We don’t have the ability to fully predict the outcome, but we can possibly get kinda close. We know that if we eat junk food and never exercise, we are going to gain weight. Simple, right?
We can direct our lives in the right direction if we consider the consequences of our decisions. We have choices…
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