 I was thinking this morning about all the things I wanted and needed to do and began to get a little overwhelmed. I was trying to decide what to do first. This is not the first time I have found myself in this situation and what generally happens is that I end up stuck or procrastinating – and nothing gets done.
Instead of falling into the same hole, I asked myself to prioritize my list. What is it that is most important – what is that regardless of desire – I should do first. The cloud began to lift and I began to put things in order. It reminded me that this is an exercise as old as time. As I child I was often told to do my homework before I could play, or to eat my vegetables before I could have dessert. In a sense I was being told my homework and my vegetables had priority over play and dessert. That if I did my homework, I could play and if I ate my vegetables I could have dessert. Our Lord believes in order and priority as well. He has told us that we should prioritize Him and His kingdom over everything else. And if we do that – all the things that we need will be given to us. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you..” Matthew 6:33 If we prioritize Him first – the rest will follow. We must put first things first. Praise God for All That He Has Done Blessings – Janice
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I am a fairly new gardener. I have maintained our lawn for years, but last year I started planting flowers and plants, as well as vegetables. It has been exciting to see the things that I planted, grow, mature and in some cases bear fruit. I have been particularly excited about a group of salvia that I planted last year. It was exciting to see them grow and bloom this year, and to watch both bees and hummingbirds enjoy their flowers.
I read that it is important to “cut back” the salvia every summer, which will allow it to come back stronger and more vibrant. I hesitated doing this, because the flowers were so pretty and I enjoyed watching the bees and hummingbirds. One day last week I was admiring the plants and noticed that they were beginning to fade a little, and began to think I should heed the advice. Earlier this week, I “cut back” all the beautiful salvias and now everything looks so barren. I comforted myself, the bees that were milling around, that the plants will be back stronger and more stunning. As I was cutting back the plants, I was thinking about how necessary it is for Christians to be “cut back” or pruned. The Lord tells us in John 15:1-2 (KJV): I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Although my salvia was still beautiful, it was necessary for me to cut them back (a.k.a prune) them. Although Christians may be bearing fruit, it is necessary that we are cut back/pruned. While it was difficult for me to cut back the salvia, and things look a little barren now, I know that in a few months they will return stronger. While it may be difficult to endure pruning as a Christian, we are promised that we will be made stronger and able to bear more fruit in the end. To God be the glory for all that He has done. Blessings – Janice  As a young person, beginning around 14 years old, I remember catching myself in a mirror and spending time just staring at myself. I would stare at myself, looking behind my eyes – and asking myself “Who are you?” I would look deeply; however, it was as if I was looking into an abyss – there was nothing there. I would become so frightening that I would have to look away. I look back now and it is not surprising that it was frightening to be in this world and not have an answer to the very profound question of “Who are you?” A couple of days ago I found myself standing there staring at myself and peering deeply behind my eyes and not blinking or becoming overwhelmed. Rather, 40 years later, I found myself probing deeper, asking myself “How did you get here?” “Where do you want to go from here?” “How can you do better?” I had an answer to each of those questions. I have been wondering about what caused the difference. Obviously, a lot has happened in 40 years, but the most significant change is that I became a Christian when I was 18 years old. When you know:
You cease to be frightened and can move with purpose and power. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 Glory To God For All That He Has Done Blessings - Janice  I have worked with basically the same group of people for nearly 30 years. In that time my co-workers have gotten to know me, my character, and my values. Because they know me, I generally don’t question how I am being received or perceived.
I recently started in a new position, working with several new individuals. I found myself wondering how I’m being received and/or perceived by this new group of people. In the last three months, I’ve been asking my new co-workers their thoughts on my behavior and/or words. Their responses have been positive, and they’ve ascribe the best intentions to my actions. This fact started me wondering why I’ve been so concerned and reflective. I realized that my involvement with new people was causing me to evaluate myself. God tells us that we should: Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. (II Corinthians 13:5-6 KJV). While it turns out that I didn’t need to worry about how I was being received by my new co-workers, I am thankful that it caused me to take time to examine my words and actions. Glory To God For All That He Has Done Blessings – Janice  I was just at the retirement celebration for a co-worker and friend that I have known for almost 30 years. During her celebration, individuals consistently commented on her strong work ethic, her commitment to the work, and her willingness to train or mentor team members. When my co-worker spoke she talked about how much she cared about the work that she did, and how at times she may have been tough, but it was because she was focused on the children and families that were impacted by the work. She said she never forgot that her work impacted the neediest of the needy.
I have always known my co-worker to be a hard worker, but the word passionate came to mind after hearing her speak. Passion has many definitions and references, including the Crucifixion of Christ - but the one I want to highlight involves an intense, driving or overmastering feeling or conviction; or a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. In my co-worker’s case, she had a strong devotion to her work and to the children and families impacted. This passion had her:
How beautiful it will be, that at the end of all days, to be known as a passionate person for Christ. To God Be The Glory For All That He Has Done Blessings - Janice  I have always been excited to see the New Year, because it symbolized a fresh start. I feel that every day that the Lord allows us to wake is a new, fresh day to begin – but there is something different about the start of a New Year.
As I think about the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, I have spent quite a bit of time in the past few days looking back at the accomplishments, the misses, and simply the year that was 2018, and am simply humbled by God’s love and concern. I end 2018 having had so many of my prayers and heart’s desires answered. I have tried to figure out a way to scream about how God has shaped my year, while not making it about me, but all about Him. I am still grappling with how to share all that He has done, because I know that it is my Testimony. In the interim I simple remain humble. There are several scriptures that highlight the need to be, and the benefit of being humble. One of my favorites is below: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (I Peter 5:5-6) I look forward to sharing my testimony, but in the meantime I wish each of you a Happy New Year, full of God’s love and protection. Glory To God For All That He Has Done Blessings – Janice I have been thinking about this term for the last several weeks, and how if fits in a Christian’s walk. I was trying to determine how a Christian should carry themselves in the midst of being blessed. It was clear to me that Christians are always called to walk humbly, but how is that done while at the same time providing their testimony of praise? The term Humble Boldness came to mind.
I was speaking to someone last week about how I feel like I am losing some parts of myself and how difficult and somewhat melancholy I am finding the process. I spoke about how the longer you are a Christian the more and more you strive, and are desirous, to develop the characteristics and mannerisms of Christ. You desire that development because not only are you so very thankful for how and the many ways that God has demonstrated His love and concern for you; but also because you love Him and simply want to be like Him.
 The famous reason your parents would give you for why you couldn’t do something – “because I said so.” I can so clearly remember an instance when I asked my Mom if I could spend the night with a friend. Upon hearing her “no,” I asked her why not and was told “because I said so.” I simply could not understand. It wasn’t a school night, I was not under restriction (punishment), my friend lived downstairs. There was simply no reason why I shouldn’t be allowed to spend the night, and my Mom knew it too, which was why she didn’t have a reason – and gave the ole’ “because I said so” line. All kids knew that when their parents responded “because I said so,” it meant they didn’t have a legitimate reason, and that they were simply being mean.
As an adult, we now understand that our parents were not being mean, and that their “because I said so” response held a wealth of reasons that we simply were not mature enough to understand. We now know that they had our best interest and well-being in mind. Their “no” was not meant to hurt us, but rather to protect us, guide us, grow us, and direct us. So it is with God. When we are met with a “no” and just simply don’t understand, we can be assured that God has reasons, and that we simply may not be spiritually mature enough to understand. His “no” is not to hurt us, but is to protect us, guide us, grow us, and/or direct us. We can have complete confidence in the fact that He loves us, and has our best interest and well-being at the center of all of His actions. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Glory To God For All That He Has Done Blessings – Janice The Next Step Christian Coaching  [Reposted From February 1, 2016] Have you ever been unsure of what you should do next? You've heard God's voice and you want to be obedient. You hesitant because you can only see the next step and not the full path. It is a human desire to know where we are going before we begin to move. How often do we utilize our GPS or MapQuest before we begin a journey? We do this for many reasons, not the least of which is our desire not to become lost. Anxious, confused, and angry are a few of the emotions that we may experience when we are lost - and an overall lack of control. It is when we overlay these human emotions on our spiritual walk that we struggle. When I would find myself in this situation, my Dad would often say "...just take the next step Janice, and God will direct you to the step after that..." It is truly a faith walk! Will you be a little nervous and anxious as you step forward? Possibly - likely, but the point is that in spite of those feelings you still take the next step! Blessings To You - Janice Caldwell |
Janice CaldwellProfessional Certified Coach, ICF Archives
August 2026
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