It's never not Now. Inspired moments.

Quoting myself from an Instagram post,

"

"It's never not now". So well said.

I always picture a timeline... and when we're running through life, not focused on the "now", each missed moment is the breadth of a thread... but when we are completely present in that moment, it becomes infinitely broader, more colourful, denser, it even smells and tastes better, and intuition, and other senses are invited in... that's the picture in my head, but my Goodness, he said it well.

" --

Crystal-Marie Sealy, @Successiory on Instagram

I keep meaning to draw that visual - it's so beautiful in my mind - maybe I'll update this post when I finally do create it. 

Inspired by this image: 

Truly, how much freedom will you find if you lived just right now. Sure, plan and reflect, but spend most of your time in the now - what would that do for you? 

Food for thought.

In love and light, 

Crystal-Marie S.

#BePresent #LiveInTheNow #TakeTheTime #MakeTheTime #ThingsTakeTheTimeTheyTake #SlowDown #InTheMoment #Successiory #CrystalMarieSealy #ThisTimeAndSpace

A More Conscious Pace

First Place. No Time for Second

I'm not sure what your daily grind is like,

but for so many of us it's become so routine that we don't think about why we do what we do anymore. Now, many of us just seem to think about how quickly we can get it done so we can

move on to the rest of our checklists.

That, or we get lost in huge projects we know we're good at

to avoid thinking

about the things we know we need to address. I do both, but when I'm getting from point A to point B, I'm so irritated by the 'wasted' time it takes to get there that I see nothing else as I whiz by others (cars, pedestrians) to be 'first'. First? Yes, first - up the stairs, at the stop light, crossing the street.

"What? Stopping to smell what roses?!"

Getting Past First Place. Wait, What?

I don't know how your mind maps this,

but my rationale is that I want to complete my 'urgent' checklist, so that I'll have no distractions when I get to my 'important' checklist. There are a lot of important aspects of my life that get 'left behind' because I have to put out all of these fires - family, health, bathroom breaks, drinking water (! really?!) - because I'm

chasing this mythical version of 'complete'... perfection.

I've always been introspective,

but adulthood left only those few moments before bed to make that happen.

Well, so I thought.

Lately, on my journey of the discovery of 'self-care', I began to rediscover my love of nature and the joy of stopping to see what's happening in 'this moment' - not 10 years down the road. I also discovered that I was raised with this sense of

"if you're not rushing you're wasting time"

and, worse,

"everyone's time is more important that yours. Your needs, schedule, can wait"

. Is this just me, or can you relate to this?

2014 to now has been a period of learning

'the other side' of me. No, Trinis. Not my 'vex' side. The side of me that's not 'all business', task-oriented, performance-driven, but the side that's loving, patient, compassionate, empowering and enthusiastic. I no longer make apologies for getting excited, for not remaining stoic. Life is too short.

You want to stay happy? Find joy in small things.

 Stop 'saying' it; do it. I mean really drink that Kool Aid! It takes a lot of energy to change a habit; even more to stay aware enough to change a mindset. It's even draining, but I truly believe it's worth it.

Become Aware. Changing Mindsets and Habits

Have you figured out how to do that?

It's great to talk about putting the energy into changing your mindset to change your habits, but you want to

put your energy into the best way to do that.

I don't have the answer. As a work in progress, I'm learning what works for me and what doesn't. I suspect there may be no magic formula. This means you'll have to

make time to get to know you

:

• What does it take to heighten your awareness? What makes you stop running to look around?

• What drives your habit of running the 'rat race', everyday, all the time? Can you identify it?

• Is it discomfort with quiet time, empty moments, being 'unproductive'? Fear of not getting 'it' done?

I believe even the questions you'll have to ask yourself may be unique to you. What are they

?

Conscious Pace

Conscious Pace

is the term I've coined for moving, working, operating at a pace where you are conscious of why you're doing what you're doing.

A pace that allows you to be present in the moment,

whether you're doing something or simply being. A pace that allows you to be present, with your actual senses, without thinking of how it should be or what's missing; simply taking in the moment. Experiencing, subconsciously memorizing, feeling, being, in that moment.

When was the last time you slowed down

enough for that to happen? You won't capture every moment, but if you start doing that for 2 minutes a week and work your way up in intervals, you should journal the experience. Your heart races less, you breathe more deeply (you're aware of your breathing), your shoulders relax. It's amazing.

Holding Space

Holding Space

is a new concept for me, in terms of words, but it was definitely

the missing link to so many explanations,

in my mind. Holding space - for yourself or for others - means you're

'leaving the door open'.

This can be in the context of a conversation, relationship, experience, moment, that you know is incomplete but

that can't be completed at this point in time.

The reasons you can't complete 'it' can be infinite,

but some examples could be - can't explain, not ready yet, fear, hurt, venue, present company.

A very common reason

is that you know you need to choose your words/make your decision carefully, but feel that time is running out and the very act of 'rushing' to form the idea, means anxiety has demolished the structure of your thoughts. So,

you 'hold space' for yourself, or for the person

who needs to be able to come back to it. You hold space for many reasons because you:

• Love that person and, yes, yourself

• Empathize and know it's important

• Honour, value, that person, even if you can't understand

• Honour, value, yourself enough to be patient with yourself until you 'figure "it" out'

These are just a few, but I think the greatest reason is love.

Caution: Get to know yourself, your boundaries, before you go off holding space for everyone.

You can spread yourself too thin - this has dire health impacts, waste child-bearing years in a relationship that's going nowhere, enable self-destructive habits in loved ones or stay in toxic friendships or jobs, holding space without knowing your boundaries. I wrote

this post on setting clear boundaries

earlier. I've since grown in my perspectives, but you'll get the gist of the message here. Be wise, but be gentle with yourself.

I hope this has helped you

to take a step back from the busy-ness of life to love yourself a bit and 'smell the roses', so to speak. I'd love to get your insights on what's worked in the past, and what's working for you now, in learning to

'live in the present'.

Thank you for reading. You can also find me at 

@cmaries08

. Have a great week!

What Do Your Words Create

We've been taught 

"

Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a destiny

"

. I suspect that this proverb is found in teachings across cultures globally. The point is, like it or not, 

we're not on autopilot.

 If we want change, 

we have to change our minds.

Renew Your Mind.

Thoughts & Feelings

Medicine, science and your own experience (even if you've ignored it) have all made it clear that 

your thoughts can heal or harm your physical body.

 Thinking about things that 

we fear will happen,

 for example, creates feelings of 

anxiety, anger, despair, self-doubt, depression and negative stress.

 These cause heart failure, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and more debilitating unmentionables, which over time become chronic ailments. "The power of life and death lie in the tongue..." (

Proverbs 18:21 ESV

). If we already know all of this, 

why have we done nothing to change it?

Thinking about positive things, things that 

we want to happen,

 our past miracles or good things that are happening at the moment, literally bring healing. The bible says that testimony builds faith. Faith brings joy. Your own testimony enhances the faith of others, yes, but it builds your faith as well. On a 'practical' level, if you will, when you feel joy, 

you breathe deeper, your muscles relax, you have an involuntary smile and your heartbeat is less erratic.

 All of this sends more oxygen to your brain, fosters cell repair, releases endorphins (that creates a 'happy loop') and reduces the stress on your heart, respectively. In miraculous terms, have you met a cancer survivor or someone whose tumor just disappeared? I have - 

it rocked my world.

What do you want?

 Restored health? Love? Financial freedom? More consistent inner peace? More supportive community? Why not 

start thinking about what you want,

 instead of what you don't want? I'd never thought of it that way, but I heard this guy, Greg Braden, say 

"Who taught us to think about what we don't want instead of what we want?!"

 It was suddenly so obvious what needed to change. Perhaps we won't track all our thoughts, but we can all stop to acknowledge how we feel, how we're breathing. Feelings tell you where your thoughts (conscious or subconscious) might be. 

Let's start there.

Emotions versus Feelings

Let's make this a bit easier.

 At any given moment, we're dealing with a myriad of feelings. It's no wonder so many of us ignore our feelings! At the base of it all, however, our feelings are fed by one of 

two emotions - 

Love or Fear.

 Fear is the opposite of Love.

 Courage is merely a manifestation of love - ask most parents. Every feeling we have is rooted in fear or love. Now, it won't always be obvious what you're afraid of, or what you love, that's driving the feeling. You know, however, that negative feelings are driven by 

fear, which holds you back,

 and that positive feelings are driven by 

love, which empowers you.

 If you can believe that, which would you choose?

Positive feelings create positive outcomes because 

we attract what we think about.

 It may be draining to 

"hold every thought captive"

(

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 ESV

) for examination, but 

you are almost always aware of how you feel

 - good or bad - even if you can't place a finger on how or why. If the cause of your 'bad' feeling is coming from within, then assess what thought(s) contributed to that, make it a positive thought. Look at "I hope I'm not late" as "everything is running smoothly so I'll be on time".

Note:

this does not advise that you are governed by your feelings, merely that you use it as it was designed to be used - as an indicator that something is amiss, or that all is well.

Food for thought:

 Wars are borne of fear. Courage, as an element of Love, seeks to protect, defend. Love in all its elements (generosity, kindness, hope) finds a place for all.

[

Side bar:

 I believe in intuition, so if you're feeling 'bad', look around first to make sure there are no threats. The threat doesn't have to be obvious. If your gut says move, then move. Regardless of how rude it may seem. Move.]

Decisions & Commitment

Globally, spiritual movements teach 

"be specific when you ask"

; "no one who is double-minded receives from the Lord...ask and you shall receive"; "believe and then receive (stay open to) what you've asked for"

 and 

"if you can imagine it, you can have it";

 believe and you can receive 

"immeasurably more than you can imagine".

The point is, if you are to ask, believe and receive (

Matthew 7:7-8 ESV

), you have to first 

decide on what you're asking for

 before you can see it (

James 1:6-8 ESV

). Trust that God orders your steps, particularly as you trust Him, in stepping out in faith, rather than fearing what can go wrong if you get what you want. If you make your decision from a place of love, true love, then you've automatically infused that decision with self-care while being considerate of those impacted by that decision. 

Ask, commit to that specific "ask",

 expect to receive it, then release it to God and go on living.

"No", "Don't" and Your Ask Words

"Ask" essentially means praying.

 The challenge is for us, as Christians, to get to the stage where we understand what God means when Jesus says "ask boldly". We must stop 'begging' in prayer, and walk as empowered sons and daughters in Christ. Once you decide to ask boldly, focus on positive words. Truly,

ask for what you want;

not for what you don't want. Asking for what you don't want brings to mind... what you don't want... and all the feelings that come with thoughts of what you don't want. It takes energy (brain space) away from thoughts of what you do want and the feelings that those thoughts come with. 

Mother Teresa said she will not attend an "anti-war" rally, but she'd love to attend a "peace" rally.

 Are you getting the picture? 

"No"

 and 

"don't"

 have no weight in our brains other that to 

produce negative feelings.

 Those words do not eliminate what follows, they merely attach a feeling to them. 

What are your "ask" words?

 Instead of "I don't want debt" or "I'm not in debt", perhaps say "I have a lot of money" or "I'm always in the black".

Note:

It is not a sin to want wealth to overflow when it is overflowing for God's glory. Money is only a problem if it replaces God in your life.

The present tense

 also helps when you're asking. 

"I will"

 often, keeps us in the 

"one day in the future"

 frame of mind. That perspective doesn't drive us to get up and get, because 

it's not a priority.

Speaking as though it already is,

 puts us in a place to 

expect, act, believe and receive, now.

 We start preparing to receive it. 

What will you do with it? Where will you put it? When will you have time to enjoy it?

 We are conditioned to think that doing that means we're lying to ourselves; we're not. You want it and you're going to make it happen. Full-stop. Infuse it with love, and see what happens. (P.S. It helps to be persistent.)

In Closing

Once I committed to changing my thinking,

 all of 2014 was, to me, evidence that this is true. Essentially:

1. Stop! Stop the rat race, the "oh no" conversation and the "I really don't want" thoughts.

2. Breathe deeply. Choose not to rush and do just that for 2 minutes (the whole 2 minutes).

3. Dream. If 'reality' wasn't a ceiling, if no one could 'laugh'... What would you want? Expect it.

4. Feel. What would it feel like to have your dream life? What would you be able to do? See it.

5. Gratitude. Smile in gratitude for what you have now. Really feel it. Thank instead of Begging.

6. Plan. In that grateful mindset, what steps do you need to take to get to your dream? Write it.

7. Act. What steps can you take today? Take at least one step. Even if it's just to think positively. Start.

In all of this, 

start with your mind.

 Start everyday focused on 

1-3 good things

 in your life, 

1 dream

 and 

what those things make you feel.

 Hold on to that all day. 

What do your words create?

[Adapted from:

"Your Thoughts, Your Future."

at

protectyourdreams.blogspot.ca

]

God Is Pursuing You. Do You See? My Experience

Bless you, LORD, Your Majesty and Your Love. Thank you for always Loving me, and reminding me of that Love when the accuser comes after me and I hold hands in agreement with him, unknowingly. Thank You for never tiring of pursuing me!

Source:

lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.com/2014/08/god-is-pursuing-you-do-you-see-my.html

Today, LORD, for the first time in a while, I completely surrendered to You, again, and leaving that Church to find alone time with You, You Would Not Let My Spirits Sink! As only You can, LORD:

1. You gave me sunshine, in the midst of a freezing summer.

2. You gave me worship songs during Communion and at the end of service, despite my missing it at the beginning.

3. You gave me Communion and new insight into it's bonding power in You, LORD - into why we say "Grace before meals" - not just to Thank, buy to Invite You to join us! Thank You!

4. You sent me Scott to talk Entrepreneurship, when I thought he'd find me difficult.

5. You sent me www.MellowDeeCanada.com to say Hello and sing "Hallelujah", to remind me of Your omnipotence and unyielding grace.

6. You sent me Smart Set's very cool window display/creative advertising to make me smile and, in the midst of that

7. You sent three (3) 'clowns' who were trying to photo-bomb my Smart Set shot to make me laugh heartily (instead of my usual scowl in response).

8. You showed me the Bible verse (Psalm 34:4 ESV "I sought the LORD and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears") - on the subway.

Items 3-5 happened in the space of maybe 30 minutes! And I know that You simply changed my heart and opened my eyes! You are amazing!

Professional Artiste:

www.MellowDeeCanada.com

God, literally, even my mistakes, You've used for good, and my steps of faith, you have blessed.

Remove the fear that holds me hostage, LORD, and replace it with boldness to walk in the freedom You died to give me; that I might walk in the " flow" that is the Holy Spirit, free of the burden of circumstances, as only You can make possible. Let Your glory be seen in Every aspect of my being, even as You turn my flaws (in Your grace) to healing for others, and draw me into more Conscious Relationship with You.

Smart Set

, Eaton Centre - Jeans-in-a-Tube Display Campaign

I repent, as Your Love overflows in me, of my blindness and my unbelief, and Thank You for the simple yet unimaginably Powerful, gift of Your Presence. I revere You now, and always, LORD Jesus Christ, God My Father, Holy Spirit, and Thank You for being the wind that makes me, Your Eagle, soar for Your glory.

I will be exactly who I am, fully, in each moment, conscious and aware, so that Your work may be done in me, and in those I encounter, in Truth, in Love and in Holiness, so that we will all experience Freedom on You.

Starting Today. Love You, God! Amen.

How has God hugged

You,

today?

Following God & Loving Others

On April 14th, 2014, I wrote

"

Letting Go - Serving God Not Mankind

"

because I'd realized that I'd gotten stuck in making sure everyone is happy. There's a difference, however, between being responsible in your treatment of others and being responsible for the happiness of others.

Source:http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/06/following-god-loving-others.html

Yesterday, I posted something on Facebook (I tend to post only encouragement, so this was rare):

"

I fell for that age-old trick. No more. I will not compromise. My ability to do what is right is not an affront to you. Be where you are, I will celebrate your successes, but don't ask me to be less so you can feel validated.

"

I was having a rough day - a downward spiral in my mind of everything I've done wrong and how my mistakes may have made others' stumble. I sometimes think I'm alone in this, but yesterday, so many people related so strongly to this post, that I started to realize that this is an issue many others probably face. We have to find a way to stop. Happiness is not perfection; it is being in Christ.

Right now, thanks to my Church,

The Well on Bayview in Toronto, Ontario

, I'm doing the

Leadership Development Program, Level 1 (LDP1)

developed and delivered in Christ by the

Bethel Church in Redding California

. This month, we're building a

culture of Prophecy

into our lives, built on the foundation of God's Love - and never on condemnation. We meet monthly to share how the culture is showing up in our lives. Yesterday's session, which preceded that Facebook post, was really amazing. The whole meeting was about the myths that hold us back from speaking God's positive truth about people's lives into being, and it made us face a lot of our obstacles.

By the time I'd gotten home, however, I'd started to see how many people in my life I've fallen into "holding myself back" for, so they can feel better. Whether that's a sin they're still struggling with, that I don't struggle with anymore, or my drive and discipline around work and quality, that they either don't care about or haven't achieved yet.

The opposite is also true, though. There are things I still struggle with, that others have probably never struggled with, and they really look down their noses at me for it. Often, the same people I don't come down on for being weak in my strengths.

Yesterday afternoon, I felt like I was drowning. The burden of walking on eggshells:

holding myself back because of other people's need for validation, and

beating myself up because I make mistakes and I'm afraid I've corrupted others by sharing,

is simply too much. Recently, however, I've been repeatedly reminded that that is not my burden to carry. God gets my attention, however He does it (bless Him) and says

"stop! You answer to me. Not everyone's needs/expectations."

It's still hard to move that knowledge from my head to my heart, but I caution those of us who spend all of our time in community and carry this burden, that this is a big part of why we all need some time alone with God. Lately, I've been hearing a lot of teaching about "community in Christ", and that is very important, but the message on "personal time with Christ" has been dangerously silent.

For your sanity and your relationship with Christ, make the time to simply

sit with God and 'BE'.

Share all those those inner thoughts you have never shared with anyone, release all of those emotions you never release because they're "bad/wrong/evil/not self-controlled", in your moments alone with God. Only then, when these things are all brought into the light, that God can heal them in you. Community offers support, yes, but faith comes from your own personal

Love Encounter with God in Christ

.

Make the time.

If you're on Facebook, feel free to follow me on the

"Love covers All . God is Love" Facebook Page

,

for daily or at least weekly, encouragement. Bless you in the Love of Christ! Amen.

Your Love Encounter with God (Part 1)

Right now, thanks to my Church,

The Well on Bayview in Toronto, Ontario

, I'm doing the

Leadership Development Program, Level 1 (LDP1)

developed and delivered in Christ by the

Bethel Church in Redding California

. This month, we're building a

culture of Risk and Faith

into our lives. Today, I'm listening to Chris Gore's session, 

"Today is a Great Day for a Miracle"

. He really confirmed what God has been saying to me, and it’s given me the courage to share it with you in this 2-part series: 1 – Your Love Encounter, and 2 – Others’ Love Encounter through You.

What Keeps You Busy?

Part 1

of this blog post is focused on

Your Love Encounter with God.

We can't share an overflow of something that isn't in us. How many of us are caught up in the "action" of loving God? We’re

results-oriented

or

task-oriented

in our prayer lives – that is, if our tasks even give us time for prayer. I mean,

“the laborers are few and the harvest is plenty”

, and that’s our job – right? How satisfied would you be with a prayer life where you just had to spend time

saying "God, I Love You" and hearing that back?

Source: 

http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/05/your-love-encounter-with-god-part-1.html

Full Disclosure

This is the walk that God has called me to. I have spent my whole life in a

performance-based relationship

with my God in Christ, the Lover of my Soul in the Holy Spirit, my Redeemer. For the past

five (5) years,

however, God has been pulling out all the stops to try to get me to understand that (

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

I know it in my head, but when all around you (even at Church) the call is "Do", "Do", "Do",

that head knowledge is never translated to reality.

For the past 2-3 years,

however, My Beloved Father in heaven has begun to, in a number of ways,

tie my hands

so I would not be able to do anything.

Literally

 – anxiety attacks that made me unable to move even my tongue,

financially

 – where I have nothing to tithe or pay my bills,

emotionally

 – where I am unable to forgive or manage my anger or fear. My mind, naturally, ran to, "where have I sinned to cause this", but God reminded me that I had forgotten that I have to

put first things first

(

Matthew 6:33 ESV

).

Funny, even as I'm writing this, God is reminding me to put first things first, again – His Love. This is the

verse of the day

on BibleGateway.com (

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

)

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Love is the Gospel.

What is a Love Encounter with God?

It looks different for everyone.

When you wake up and God says quite simply

"I Love You",

and you hear it and feel it in your bones. When you walk down the street and God interrupts your thoughts with

a flower, a cloud shape, a smiling face

in a sea of serious ones - just to remind you that

He loves you "just because".

When in tough circumstances you're so filled with the certainty of His Love that you know in your every fiber that

"all is well".

You know that

you're walking in His Love – it's never just one (1) encounter.

That is what God wants from You – Love Relationship with Him. That's what He wants from everyone, and so that is what we're all called to share. Everything else will come after we know His Love.

Healing, encouragement, getting others to come to Christ, all those

results

are God's responsibility. Yours is to bring His Love to people, but

only once you know His Love,

yourself

.

We all know the

1 Corinthians 13

definition of Love, but

do you know verses 1-3

(

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV

)? No matter how much you

Do,

if you do not first overflow with Love,

whose work are you doing? Yours or God's?

My Prayer for You

I pray that you have a powerful encounter with God's Love today, all week, and that every void in your heart is filled with this Love, to overflow! This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our LORD, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

(See

Part 2

for Others' Love Encounter through You.)

Happy Mother's Day 2014

Happy Mother's Day

I do not live anywhere as near to my Mommy as I would like - yes, you saw it, I wrote

"Mommy",

I only have one, so I can use that word all I want - so this day is always a tough one for me. Only

mothers and daughters

understand the complexities of their relationship with each other;

the love is surpassed by nothing.

Thankful

I am grateful to my Mom for always being there. Even if not always in the ways that I want her to be, her love is the strongest magnet ever created, and

she can't help but be there.

If I wake up at 2:00AM with a bad dream, or a reeling mind, she will always call the next day to make sure that I'm okay.

Total ESP!

I'm a full ocean away!

I am so eternally grateful to God for the mother He has given me.

Thank you, LORD.

I pray that you all have a lot to be thankful for, today, because of your mom and the women in your lives who've stood as mothers with you.

Great Memories

My Mom's mom is not with us, and because she too was woven into the fabric of my being - and more so of my mother's being -

as one who also couldn't help but be there,

this is also a tough time for my Mom. It's great that my brother lives near, but to have a daughter far away and missing your Mom is not easy.

Too many of my friends are in this boat, today

- to you, I send my love as well, and lots of huge hugs - and I pray that you have a million great memories to hold on to, even in this moment, that make you smile.

In Christ

God has continued to demonstrate His unfailing, never-ending, unconditional Love for me throughout this year, and for that I'm grateful. One revelation I've had was of Christ's love and passion for women and all the ways He honored women. God Himself, in the Old Testament, even

demonstrated the value of a Mother's decisions, if we care to pay attention.

He's sooo drawn me into the knowledge of the importance of motherhood - to HIM. I have always told my mother what I'd like her to pray for, because

God always seems to listen to her more than to me. Lol.

My Mommy

As an information technology (IT) manager aware of security risks and privacy breaches with open source technology and other such dangers, my mother would not be pleased if I threw a picture of her up here. So, despite

my sudden urge to boast about her beauty and her passion for her children,

I must refrain...

...but she's awesome!!!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Make sure you show your appreciation year 'round.