Distractions are described as thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else or an extreme agitation of the mind or emotions. For the past few weeks my attention has been directed away from writing and my mind and emotions have gotten the best of me. I have struggled with what to do, what to say, should I take this chance, should I do this instead. It’s been a whirl wind for me. I knew this distraction was coming, but I didn’t prepare for it. That being said….I have been very conflicted.

But all distractions aren’t bad. Some times we just need to “get away”. And that is exactly what I did. GIRLS TRIP!!!! First, let me tell you that this trip wasn’t planned for me. It was actually a trip for my best friend to celebrate her birthday. And what perfect timing God has. HIS perfect timing of bringing my bestie into the world. HIS perfect timing of a much needed trip we all needed to celebrate life and to just get away of the hustle and bustle of life. My bestie, two other amazing ladies and I jetted out of town to Gatlinburg, TN.

I don’t travel much but I love it. My favorite part is the car ride there and home. It’s a great time to bond and chance to get closer to your already close friends. We talked a lot and mostly about relationships. I mean…what’s a girls trip without a little talk about guys…right! Our conversation went from guy talk to…God to…are we really being intentional with what we are asking for. That really hit me hard. I was like please explain. Of course…I am certain that I want what I am asking for. Then…I was asked do I really believe I will receive those things. Ummm…No, I don’t really think I will. I want them…but I have been waiting so long for the desires of my heart. It hasn’t come yet so…I just assume it never will. I was then asked….Kelly, how do you expect to receive a gift if you can’t trust God to give you the desires he placed in your heart. WOW!!! That was the most powerful thing anyone has ever said to me. It was that conversation…that changed me. Being a new writer, I was challenged to write a vocation to God. I needed to declare my true intentions to HIM. It was just what I needed to change my mindset for our trip. I finally had a plan and some answers as to what I needed to do. It was emotional, and like always, your friends know just what to do. My bestie reached for my hand, as a tear slide down my face and we all sat in silence for a while. It was the perfect start to a perfect weekend.

A girls trip filled with laughter and love. Inside jokes that only we will get. A little too much to drink and dancing the night away. Celebrating life. Deep conversations and prayers answered. A bond made that can never be broken. Memories that will never be forgotten. A GET AWAY that changed my life! Thank you ladies for the weekend of the year. You have no idea what your friendships mean to me.

And yes! If you are wondering….I did write my vocation to God. It was freeing and the most releasing form of promise I have ever made to God. I’ll keep you posted.

F-E-A-R Forget Everything And Run.

Does fear keep you from your purpose? Your goals? I let fear stop me. I have great ideas. Like writing, starting a relationship, or simply teaching new staff at work how to become a better coach…and fear creeps in like a bug through a crack in the wall and ahhhhh! I start to think of all the things that can go wrong. Will anyone read what I write? Relationships are hard. Am I a good enough leader to help others? It starts with one question and spirals down from there. Sound familiar? Or am I the only one that does that. I can be my own worst enemy.

F-E-A-R Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real.

But what am I really afraid of? I’m afraid of the answers. The outcome. The disappointment. The rejection. You see, when I don’t know the answer…I do nothing. When I know what the answer might be, but it’s not the one I want…I don’t ask. When I might be stepping out of my comfort zone…I push the task away until I have to meet the deadline. I let fear stop me from what might be some of the most amazing experiences of my life. I get mad because, I don’t know what to do. Is the fear something I am wanting or something God is wanting me to do?

F-E-A-R Face Everything And Rise

How do I face my fear? I reach out to friends and family for advice, but mostly…God! I hit my knees, pray, cry, and sometimes scream at HIM. I receive silence at first and the waiting makes it more difficult. I’m currently in the waiting stage for an answer. I know in time I will get the answer. I just take a leap of faith and know that God is in control. How am I so sure of that? I can look back on my life and see how God has walked beside me in my life. HE has helped me through more than one break-up, that I thought I’d never get over. HE gave me enough strength to get over the loss of my first dog. HE gives me the best support system that any girl could ask for. I have so many friends and family that would do anything for me. And on my toughest days…the days…I just want my mom…the mile stones…when you just wish she was here…HE reminds me of my story. My story…to walk with others who have had loss, to help daddy’s with daughters. HE reminds me that I have two choices…to be bitter or to Face Everything And Rise! I choose to RISE and face my fears. With a the faith of a mustard seed, I have conquered many fears. Big or small here are a few…

1. I looked at the 4 inch balance beam, held my breath and made a backhand-spring.
2. I bought my first car, not really knowing if I could handle a payment. God always provided and now it’s paid off.
3. I moved to Nashville, not knowing anyone. I now have the best friends ever.
4. I miss my mom everyday, but God keeps waking me up and I keep trying.

Take a chance. Have a little faith. Don’t worry. Jump in head first. Take the first step to the greatest experiences of your life. Every little thing will be alright.

Maybe…just maybe, I’ll get my answer soon, or the courage to face my current fear. Is it something I just want, or is the Holy Spirit asking me to step out of my comfort zone. Only time will tell. I’ll keep you in the loop.

What chances do you want to take to conquer your fear?

What is your purpose? Do you know what your purpose is? I think we all get to a point in life and ask, why am I here? I know I have. I wondered for years…what am I good at, do I have any talents, what am I suppose to do in this world. I so badly wanted someone to just give me all the answers. So what do I do. I go to my friends and family and just ask. Of course they don’t have the answers I am looking for. But what exactly am I looking for. I don’t know, I just want someone to tell me what to do. How can I expect answers to questions, I’m so uncertain about. Why do I go to people, when I know the only one that can answer such a strong question about life is God. For years, I prayed about my purpose. Most days, I received silence. Most days, I wondered if I was listening, did I miss his message, God…are you there, did you hear me, how do I know when I have the answer. I realized I wasn’t even sure how to hear God. I changed my prayers to…God help me to know how to hear you. That prayer got answered quickly. Now, I know God talks to me through people, songs and movies. And my answer comes in threes. Meaning…I get the same message from God three times. Once I knew how to hear God, my life starting making more sense.

My purpose is writing. I have known this for a long time. Possibly my whole life. It’s easy now to look back and see how God was hinting to me everyday what my purpose was. I just needed to know how to listen first. And listening has always been a struggle for me. Just ask my daddy. Ha! I have always enjoyed putting my thoughts down on paper. I journaled a lot as a child. I wrote some not so nice letters to others (that never got mailed on purpose) because putting my words on paper helped me to process hurt or pain. Once I knew I wanted to write I still put it aside. I didn’t know how to “write.” I didn’t know what to write about. I still wasn’t sure if that is exactly what I was supposed to do. I knew writing was in my heart and I knew God put that there. That was sign number one. Sign number two came from a movie…Sister Act 2. This movie was released in 1993. A year after my mother passed away. Watch below.

It was this scene that put my brain to work. What did I think about everyday? Was it writing? And soon I found myself waking up thinking about writing. But I was only eleven, I didn’t have a clue what to write about. Again, I dropped it and pushed it to aside for many years. My third sign came about 5 years ago, when I was asked by a friend, what would I do if I could do anything. I simply said…I’d write a book. They were surprised, and had no idea that I had always wanted write. It was then, that I really started to pray about writing.

And two years ago I woke up one day….and I knew. I wanted to write about being raised by my daddy. I wasn’t really sure what specifically to write about and my first process started with an outline. I did a lot of research on how to write. An outline was the best way to get started. I had lots of topics but never really sat down to actually write. I was just stuck and a book didn’t feel write. A year later, I finally made the commitment to start blogging. I did more research, gave myself a deadline and here I am.

It only took 36 years to follow God and find my purpose. I am still not a great writer and I still have a lot to learn. And let me tell you…writing is hard. It may be one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I have even been know to skip a week or two. That brings me to the point of this message. Distractions. I had a lot of distractions in my life to hold me back from writing. I had a few distractions the past few weeks that have kept me from posting. My brain has been fogged with dilemmas, and hard choices. With the help of a few friends, God and lots of prayer…struggling and not knowing what to write about last week. I have decided to write about distractions. Distractions are a reality of life, no matter what the distractions is. Sometimes it’s Satan trying to get between you and your purpose but other times it’s God testing you to make sure your priorities are in the right place. For the next few weeks, we will talk about the different distractions life brings. I may even let you in on what’s kept me from writing lately!

What is your purpose? What do you think about everyday?