Sherah

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” (James 14:1) Have you ever had that person in your life that was willing to have the hard conversations with you? Someone filled with wisdom gained from their own story and struggles. When I prayed for someone to share experiences about accountability one person came to mind. She has overcome many trials and obstacles, walked through the rocky ravines and waterfalls of life, she has called me out in my own nonsense, and she even gets paid to hold people accountable. If you have not met her, I would like to introduce you to Grand Island’s own Health Coach celebrity, Angie Rose. Angie and I go back many years and as I shared with her during our conversation, she played an instrumental role in my own personal growth. When I asked Angie about accountability, she reflected 20 to 30 years back, “Accountability was not something I was good at especially in my addiction; I did whatever I wanted, however I wanted, and never thought about the consequence.” It was not until Angie rededicated her life to Christ that she learned that life is just hard; in her addiction she didn’t have to think about stuff, but after being set free she was able to start facing life’s challenges. Early in her Christian Walk, Angie recognized that her actions came with consequences, “I needed to learn to be accountable,” She said. As she came to better understand this, she learned that she had the opportunity to change outcomes for good which is exactly what she does, not just for herself, but for others who seek her professional guidance. But before she got here, Angie had to go through her own story of growth and accountability. Amidst her addiction and in her early days of recovery, Angie opened-up about a struggle that hindered her accountability. “I felt like a victim, everything was always happening to me,” She explained that she had not yet learned how to take authority over her situations and responsibility for her actions; she didn’t know how to change her trajectory. “I know people who lived that mentality their whole life, they are just not accountable to anything, their own actions or their own word and they are a victim always.” This brought me back to a time that she called me out for this exact thing, it was a pivotal moment in my life as I began to realize that no one else was to blame for my struggles.   While Angie has always been a strong woman; in her addiction she was a strong and rebellious woman, not strong and accountable. When she began to study scripture, she learned that we can all be overcomers, and we all play a part in our choices, a role in our destiny. “That’s when I began working on my own weight, my own issues, and my own addiction.” This is when she learned to live. With few people to teach her accountability she learned to lean on God; His words to her were, “I’m your accountability partner, I am the person you can be accountable to. I’m going to listen, but I’m going to speak as well.” While God placed people to help guide Angie, He also put her in a place of trial and error. “I believe God did that on purpose and I’m okay with that because now I teach other people about accountability all the time, it is part of my business, that’s why people pay me.” But before she could teach accountability, Angie had to walk it, “the only way to get it is to do it and make mistakes and remain committed.” Angie commits to whatever she is going after: change, healing, growth, whatever God puts on her heart. “I post about intentionality all the time because we have a choice on the direction our life goes, it really is about intention.” A reminder from my last post that accountability, consistency, and intentionality live together.  “I am going to intentionally do the things that I’m not feeling like because a feeling is fickle. Feelings come and go quickly.” Our feelings can change in a flash, triggered by a phone call or text, altered by something on TV or Social media. If we make a commitment to anyone even ourselves it does not matter how we are feeling, we should do it anyway. “I’m going to do what’s right because its right and because it’s going to get me from point A to B to Z.” As I reflect on these words, I am reminded that I too will give an account to God for my life, and I am challenged me to identify what commitments my actions demonstrate and what commitments I want to demonstrate. I encourage you to do the same and hope that you will share what God reveals to you. Next week we will continue this conversation with Angie as she shares about the little things that can lead our lives astray.

Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matthew 23:26, NKJV Last week I left with the promise of a deeper dive, this is still my intention, but I do not know where to start. My last post felt forced, and I was not entirely happy with it; there was more to say, but I could not unjumble my thoughts. As I write about being consistent, accountable, and intentional, I struggle with the layers of shame, bad habits, and self-destructive patterns to whittle through, but God. The other morning, God reminded me to take my time in the strangest of ways. It was during my prayer and reflection after reading my morning devotion that I started thinking about the dark film often left inside my coffee mug coming out of the dishwasher. As I thought about running a sponge or scrub brush inside the mug first, I realized that my mind had wandered off, or had it? Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees when He told them to clean the inside of the cup. In this metaphorical demonstration, Jesus was not only addressing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, with their high expectations and focus on appearances. He was pointing out that they did not take their time. They may have known scripture, but they did not take the time to understand it. If they had, they would have recognized Jesus and glorified Him rather than condemning Him. I too need to take time, time to clean the inside of the cup, time to memorize scripture, time to hear the Holy Spirit speak. In this microwave culture of instant gratification, we want instant change. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart,” (Galatians 6:9). Change takes time, bad habits are created over time, and it takes time to undo and unlearn them as we build stronger, better habits. Consistency is where I am at with these habits, pushing through and moving forward even when my writing is not up to par. I was frustrated and struggling when I was building this site, I still do not know how to add the subscribe button. Thankfully, Scott reminded me that I needed to start somewhere, he shared how Youtubers often start with poor quality videos, but through patient endurance, the quality improves. So, as I remain consistent, I hope to look back a year from now and see the growth in the quality of my posts and in the engagement of my readers. This will not happen without accountability, it is just too easy to say, “I tried,” “I’m done,” “it’s too hard.” While I have felt this way often, accountability does not make provisions to throw in the towel. It drives us to keep going through the hills and valleys. Again, I am reminded of my conversation with Jenny and how we like the Pharisees put too many expectations on ourselves. We may need to start slow; the important thing is that we start. Intentionality brings it altogether as we purpose in our hearts to not go through the motions of life but put thought and prayer into every word we say, every choice we make, and every action we take. To follow through even when we don’t feel like it, always working toward the next right choice. These characteristics live together, they mesh and overlap, you cannot achieve one without another. Each of these traits plays a role in memorizing scripture, just as scripture plays a role in developing these traits. “Therefore, you shall lay up these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes,” (Deuteronomy 11:18.) Scripture is where character development was created, it is the handbook for life. As I clean the inside of the cup, I will strive to be consistent, attain accountability, live intentionally, and memorize scripture – I know that over time my resolve will strengthen, and these practices will grow into the essence of who I am. If it feels like you have been going through the motions of life start small. What is one habit you can change today? Or one bible verse you can memorize? I hope you will share both your successes and struggles so that we can celebrate together and lift one another up in prayer and encouragement. God bless you, my friends!

Hello my friends! As I embark on this new journey, I am already seeing a difference in how I feel, in both my productivity and decision making. Slowly, I am finding habits and creating space in my life to follow the dreams that God has imbedded in my heart. Consistency must start somewhere, why not here? The long-standing joke between my husband and I is that the only thing I am consistent at is being inconsistent, and tears spring to my eyes in deep emotion as God reveals that this is not only untrue, but words are powerful. Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36 – 37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Our words breathe life into our thoughts; when I confess that I am inconsistent in all things, then I will not try to be consistent in anything. Friends, this is a tactic from the enemy to hinder us. It may start small and innocent like this joke with my husband, but easily spins out of control, reminding me to be intentional with my words. As I purpose in my heart to be intentionally consistent, God reveals the areas of my life where I have successfully reached this target. Daily I read my bible and spend time in prayer before God. My dogs are walked on a regular basis throughout the year: winter, spring, summer, or fall. Church attendance is not an option and my relationships with my children and husband hold a high priority in my life. While I still have lots of room for improvement, reflecting on these few serves as a reminder that being consistent is about making choices. Consistency is not, however, doing the same things day in and day out, building mundane routines. According to Merriam-Webster, being consistent is: “marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity: free from variation or contradiction.” In other words, consistency means being there when I said I would be there, finishing what I said I would finish, living with integrity. As Jenny shared, “consistent people are reliable people.” Consistent people do not need to justify their actions or lack thereof. Justification is another area that has held me back: “I don’t feel well,” “I’m too tired,” “I forgot,” “I was too busy,” and the list continues. Another reminder to be careful with my words. Jesus warns against this type of reasoning in Luke 14, the parable of the great supper. A rich ruler invites the guests to dinner, but they all have excuses not to go. In the end, they missed an opportunity. God does not want us to miss opportunities. He may convict our hearts, but He also fights the battle with us and for us! What a beautiful revelation, we are not alone in this. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” (James 4:7). God warned Cain in Genesis 4:7 to rule over sin, if this was not possible, God would not have declared it. Through Christ all things are possible. As I strive toward these convictions, I must put excuses to death and walk with consistent and intentional accountability. Next week we will dig a little deeper. Thank you for taking the time to read this post, it is my hope that you find it easy to read, relatable, and inspiring.  Please share your comments, questions, and ideas. God bless you!

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,” (Colossians 3:23) Last week I shared from my heart some struggles, goals, dreams, and plans as I invited you and others along for the journey. A journey that overlaps characteristics I am striving toward and habits I am changing. Today as we begin processing the first phrase in BALM, Bee consistent, we will take a glimpse of a conversation I had with my dear sweet cousin, Jenny Champion of consistency! 😉(pun intended) Throughout her adult life, I have watched Jenny live consistent in how she works, consistent in how she parents, consistent in bible studies she hosts, workouts she led, and family gatherings she organized. Her yes is yes, and her no is no. She never leaves room for interpretation, you always know where you stand with her, but above all Jenny truly demonstrates what it means to be salt and light of the world, she doesn’t just talk about Jesus, she lives for Jesus. “It is how I live life, it is who God created me to be, It is who I am.” While Jenny shared that consistency has always been a part of her life, a God given strength, she also revealed a time in her life when she was not dependable. She was not walking with Jesus and had lost those characteristics that make her so unique and special. In the chaos, her own mother hardly recognized her; but God still gave her grace through her younger two children who do not recall this time in her life. Jenny shared that she could not get out of her chaos until she submitted to Jesus. “When I started my women’s bible study, that’s when I started being intentional about being consistent.” As she referred to making “intentional” her focus word for the year.  Jenny also read something on a group page she had joined about being consistent so that people can depend on you, this stuck with her as she began leading both women’s bible studies and workout classes. This led to us to the topic of living intentionally in other areas of our lives. How easy it is to tell someone you will pray for them but forget later. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pray right there? Are we reading our scripture daily or is it hit and miss? Jenny tells us, “Studying the word daily is so important, after you do it consistently, it becomes first priority and everything else comes second.” We joked about telling our kids they would have to wait to go to the ER for a broken arm until after we read the bible. But in all seriousness, we both agreed that life feels dysfunctional without the word. For those of you who are struggling in this area, “It is not too late until you are in the grave” Jenny shared as she talked about people putting too much expectation on themselves and I am reminded how often I overcomplicate life, trying to make too many changes at once. If you have not been reading your bible consistently, reading it in a year is a lofty goal, maybe start with reading five minutes a day instead. As Jenny puts it, “Find a way to build a habit.” When I asked Jenny about accountability, she shared how important it is to find what works. “What keeps you accountable?” She asks. Jenny finds accountability through her discipleship ministry and social media platforms; she reads the word daily on social media, but this would overwhelm me. She also sends a daily text to a woman in her discipleship class as a reminder to read the bible. While the text has worked beautifully for this woman, Jenny admits that is would be less likely to work for her. As intentional and consistent time in the Word lead to memorizing scripture, Jenny and I wrapped up our discussion.   With the word sealed on our hearts and minds, we are better prepared to give Jesus our best. “When I think about doing my best, I always try to go back to how we are always supposed to be working for the Lord, everything we do is supposed to be for the Lord.”  Back to setting small attainable goals toward growth. “It should be our goal as Christians to do everything according to Christ,” Jenny continued to explain that if we are really doing that, we need to figure out what the word is saying and how it is telling us to live our lives. Are you living your best life for Jesus? Please leave your comments, questions, and feedback as I encourage you to engage throughout this journey.

Hello friends, I have missed you! I have missed writing! Somehow, six weeks turned into six months; that was not my intention and I wish that I could share that I spent it all praying, fasting, walking obediently in the word of God, but that simply is not true. I have struggled to stay motivated, to keep my commitments, to just live life. Most people do not see the struggle inside, but I feel it daily. When last I wrote to you, I was working toward stillness, this practice has improved during my morning prayer time, but it has not been great in my daily life. How often my mind wonders when someone is speaking to me, or I turn to TV and food rather than silence before God. I argue with my husband instead of thinking through the real issue or I just make excuses for why something did not get done. Even as I write this I am struggling. “I don’t want to write, I don’t want to get my house back in order or organize my life.” I do truly want these things, but I am fighting the flesh, and it has won so often these past months, past years even that the battle is tough. As I have always told my children, “Nothing good ever comes easily,” and I am ready to fight the good fight with Jesus at my side. I am done waiting for tomorrow, waiting until I feel better, waiting until I am motivated. If I continue to wait – tomorrow may never come, I may never feel better, and motivation may never last. Thankfully, I do not have to do it alone. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” (Phillipians 4:13). Of my own will and strength, I cannot do it, but I serve the God who can! Over these past weeks, I have pondered how achieve and maintain change, without getting to ambitious I have listed some steps. Be consistent: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9) Jenny Champion – confirmed Attain accountability: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) Angie Rose Live intentionally: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) Rosemary Osborne Memorize Scripture: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Angie Franks Did you notice the acronym, BALM? One definition for this word from Merriam-Webster is “an aromatic preparation (such as a healing ointment)”. Sometimes we have to endure the pain before the balm can soothe. This is where I am at right, enduring the pain, but knowing that peace is near. We read in Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning,” (NLT). Perhaps, you are having an inner struggle as well, or maybe life is just hard right now and you need encouragement to keep moving. Wont you join me through this journey. Through the next few weeks, I will be unpacking the steps one at a time, with the help of people who demonstrate each of these each of these characteristics well!     4 min read