“For several minutes, we both sat silently watching the gulls soar overhead, listening to the surf break on the beach. Then Jones began to gather the empty cans and place them in the plastic bag. Standing, he extended his hand and helped me to my feet. ‘Incidentally,’ he said with a smile, ‘you ate sardines and Vienna sausages in the sand. I dined on surf and turf with an ocean view.’ He slapped me on the back. ‘It’s all about perspective.’”

The text above is an excerpt from one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read: “The Noticer” by best-selling author and corporate speaker Andy Andrews.

The main character in the novel, Jones (the Noticer), is based on a man Andrews met when he was a homeless 23-year-old, living under a pier on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. His real name was indeed Jones and he really called himself a Noticer. According to Andrews, Jones is one of the main reasons he no longer sleeps under a pier.

The Noticer’s objective throughout the book is to show everyone he encounters how gratitude is a matter of perspective. Filled with stories of people who had lost hope and found themselves stuck in self-deprecating, destructive behaviors, this part-fiction, part-memoir masterpiece has become one of my favorite gift items for loved ones and friends.

The above passage in particular, plays in my mind every time I find my emotions stuck in the dooming thought patterns that difficult circumstances can bring.

As part of his homeless dinner, Andrews shared canned tuna and sausages with Jones while sitting on the beach sand. While Andrews saw it as a poor man’s meal, the Noticer delighted himself by choosing to see the meal as a feast fit for a king, simply by focusing on the beauty of the environment and gratitude for God’s provision.

The Noticer was determined to live a life of thanksgiving, regardless of his circumstances, and he made it his mission to help people see the hidden blessings in life’s hard spots.

I believe this mindset is crucial for an abundant, victorious life.

Andy Andrews is not alone in the list of successful people who learned to press on through seemingly forsaken circumstances by maintaining a positive outlook in life, while often leaning on God for strength and hope.

History is filled with amazing characters, who came out of the poorest, most difficult environments, only to rise to stardom, wealth and influence.

The bible itself is filled with misfits, weak and failing men and women, who were successful in their calling, and eventually became giants of faith. They did so because they chose not to focus on their weaknesses and hardships, but rather, believed that God’s omnipotent hand was in their trials, molding and strengthening them for a purpose. Their faith acted as a key to unleash Heaven’s bountiful blessings, and I am convinced that the only reason they received them is because they chose to look at their circumstances through God’s viewpoint.

When asked to list the things that make us grateful this Thanksgiving season, our natural tendency is to name only the seemingly good things in our lives.

But what if we choose to become Noticers, thus changing our perspective in every single circumstance we are facing, even the hardest? What if we choose to see a “surf and turf meal with an ocean view” even when all we have is canned tuna and sausage, while sitting in the sand? Could it be that noticing the blessings and thanking God in the hardest situations is the key to change our future?

Noticing the blessings & thanking God in hard situations can be the key to change our future
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This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, November 26.

The post Sometimes Gratitude Is Changing Perspective {Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

The king continued walking through his garden, dismayed by its desolate state, when he came across a small violet. Its tiny frame was beautifully bright and full of life. The king told the small flower: “You look radiant! You don’t seem to be the least disheartened about the misery and discouragement around you.” The violet replied: “No, I am not. I know I’m small, yet, I imagine that if you wanted an oak tree or a pine tree where I am, you would have planted one. Since I know you wanted a violet, I am determined to be the very best violet I can be.”

This allegory gives me pause. It makes me think of how much time and energy we waste wishing for something we cannot attain, or striving to be someone we were never meant to be. We hear stories of beautiful women who submit themselves to excruciatingly painful procedures to change their body’s shape. We watch as people’s faces become deformed because they cannot accept aging as a natural process of life. We hear about young teenagers who starve themselves in an attempt to look like celebrities and models on magazines. We witness preachers striving to copy famous preachers, parents pushing their kids to the extremes of competition, and employees begrudging their peers for being promoted. Envy and jealousy sear in a society that insists on believing that the grass is always greener on the other side.

I can’t help but imagine God as the king in the story, sadly walking through his garden and watching his plants become gloomy and lifeless where he planted them. He watches as we sneer at his provision and his unique design for each of our lives, and as his work becomes repetitious and dull, rather than vibrantly unique.

It’s not that we shouldn’t strive to become better. I am certainly not against all plastic surgery, seeking better job opportunities or admiring those who are great examples of leadership for the work of the kingdom. We should indeed look at successful people and appreciate their unique virtues and, whenever their success is more than skin deep, even look up to them as great examples to follow. But the issue becomes when we are so engrossed comparing ourselves to others and desiring their shade of glory, that we forget that God has a unique plan for each one of us, and that our job is to be the very best we can be, wherever he plants us.

It’s true — the happiest, most successful and fulfilled human beings are those who embrace their uniqueness, play on their strengths and find contentment wherever God places them. Whether as a mighty oak tree or a small violet planted on the corner of the garden, their secret is accepting themselves and their place of service with grateful hearts, remembering that if and when God wants them to bear fruit elsewhere, he will make provision to move them to a broader field.

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. Her book, “Twelve Inches: Bridging the
Gap Between What You Know About God and How You Feel,” is available on Kindle, at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and other retailers. Visit her website at www.soaringwithhim.com Email: pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com

The post Comparison – Joy and Purpose Killer {Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

As I prayed for each of them, it dawned on me — I was once more able to share my story with someone and bring insight and hope to their circumstances. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of thankfulness in my heart. Once again, I found meaning and purpose for the trial I faced years ago.

If we were to be truthful about our prayer lives, I believe most of us would agree that it is mostly centered on our needs, or the needs of those we love. As people of faith, it is only natural that we cry out to God for help in times of trouble. We should do so, indeed. However, when the answer doesn’t come, or when tragedy seems to become the ultimate answer, we find ourselves questioning the truthfulness about God’s unfailing goodness, mercy and love.

In the midst of our storm, as our prayers go unanswered and troubles weigh us down, God’s voice seems to be silent. His love, cold. We shake our heads in disbelief, as we watch the innocent die, or disease take over faithful, godly people.

“Why, God? Why?” we ask.

I’m here to offer a different perspective today. What if we changed the grid by which we sift our lives? What if we were able to distance ourselves from the small sphere of our current reality, and were able to sift our circumstance through the grid of eternity and God’s plan for the people we encounter throughout life’s journey? What if our temporary affliction is indeed producing for us an eternal fruit that far outweighs our troubles today?

What if you could look into your future and realize that, just as it happened to me this week, you will one day be able to strengthen, uplift, equip and encourage someone, just because they will face what you are facing today? In other words, what if your trial is absolutely, undoubtedly, not about you?

It’s a true and proven fact that the best mentors are those who have journeyed through the roads less traveled. People of effective influence are those who face tough challenges and burdens, pressing on through their hardest circumstances, limping through each obstacle in order to cross the finish line. This realization doesn’t change the nature and hardship of our problems, but it can certainly bring perspective and change how we pray. Because if we say that we truly trust God and want him to use us to further his kingdom, then it would do us good to accept the burdens he places in our hands, understanding that they are but tools used to sharpen us and make us the person he chose to fulfill a specific role in his master plan.

Whether our sphere of influence will be limited to the people that live under our roof, or our voices are destined to be heard in the four corners of the world, there is a purpose for each dark valley we cross. As one standing on the other side of many trials, witnessing the countless times I’ve been able to reach out and touch someone’s life because of the lessons learned in each valley, I realize: It was never about me, anyway.

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. Her book, “Twelve Inches: Bridging the Gap Between What You Know About God and How You Feel,” is available on Kindle, at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and other retailers. Visit her website at www.soaringwithhim.com Email: pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com

The post What if the Trial You Face Isn’t About You? {Atlanta Journal Constitution Column} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

His procrastination, however, proved to be his doom. When Washington reached Trenton, Rall and many of his soldiers were killed, and the remaining soldiers were captured. The letter was found unopened in Colonel Rall’s pocket after his death. Nolbert Quayle later said, “Only a few minutes’ delay cost him his life, his honor, and the liberty of his soldiers. Earth’s history is strewn with the wrecks of half-finished plans and unexecuted resolutions. ‘Tomorrow’ is the excuse of the lazy and refuge of the incompetent.”

The words may be harsh, but the principle behind them make me shudder. Truth be told, most of us often can be found guilty of waiting for tomorrow to do that which should be done today. And although procrastination on small tasks may not always affect the outcome of history, the effect in an individual’s life can never be fully evaluated. That truth receives an even deeper dimension when we procrastinate taking one small step toward obeying something we know God wants us to do.

I believe one of the reasons we fail to obey God promptly on small things is that we don’t usually realize that he has
to lay small foundations before revealing to us the big picture of what he has in store for us. He gives us a simple direction, and waits for our obedience before revealing the next step. In our pride or honest ignorance, we may think that small steps may not be important enough, and that waiting to take them should not affect the outcome of God’s plan for our lives. However, we must remember that God seeks a relationship of trust from us, and therefore the tiniest step of obedience can be used as a key element to unlock  our future.

I think about my personal experience, and how I procrastinated to obey God on a seemingly small directive for my life. For years, I lived in a spiritual limbo, caught in the busyness of religion instead of in the fullness of a personal relationship with the Father. I tried to fill my spiritual life with religious routines and check boxes, altogether ignoring some quite simple directions I received from him. Incapable of seeing the big picture, I deemed safe to procrastinate in taking small steps, often excusing my disobedience: “I will do this when I understand it better.” Or, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

In the meantime, tomorrow turned into a week, a month, a couple of years. As I look back and realize the wasted time, I can only conceptualize the difference that prompt obedience would have made. I will never know for sure. And although I am grateful for a God of grace and second chances, I really do not wish to gamble with my destiny anymore, as Rall once did. Life and death may not always be at stake, but God’s best usually is.

Today, when he shows me what I need to do, I try my best to take the smallest of steps right away, even though I oftentimes don’t understand it. Because I’ve lived long enough to know that a small step toward God may just be the difference between mediocrity or success, joy or defeat.

 Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. Her first book, “Twelve Inches: Bridging the Gap Between What You Know About God and How You Feel,” is now available on Kindle, and paperback at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and other retailers. Visit her blog to read her devotionals at www.soaringwithhim.com or email her atpholbrook@soaringwithhim.com .

The post Procrastination: Delaying God’s Best {Atlanta Journal Constitutional Column} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

These words accompanied the most compelling four-minute video that I have watched in a long, long time. The production, posted on the internet to introduce our Solar System to elementary students, showed videos and still pictures of our galaxy that made my heart skip a beat.  The music was moving. The words, gripping. My younger daughter sat on my lap, eyes fixed on the video. My eyes filled with tears – God’s magnificence can become overwhelming when you see the universe from the lenses of a potent telescope. I was reminded of the perfection of it all, as celestial bodies hang perfectly in space, separated not an inch farther than necessary in order to keep our Solar System balanced for the sustenance of life in our planet. Many people become more skeptical when contemplating the stars. I personally become ever more convinced that there has to be a God who designed it all.

As I pondered about the vastness of creation, images of things that are currently happening in this tiny, blue planet of ours started running across my mind. The horror of ISIS across the sea… senseless riots in our own backyard… the Supreme Court ruling on the redefinition of marriage. We live in a world that is permeated with anger, lust and selfishness. We think our own troubles to be the center of the universe, whereas in truth, even every major issue that this world is currently facing pales in contrast with the magnitude of the God who created it all.  Life is but a vapor and yet, we stubbornly make it all about us, our agendas, our ideologies, instead of thinking about what God would have us do.  Many don’t ever stop to think that it may just be true that one day we will all stand before the one who created the stars, placing us, by design, on this earth to accomplish his plan. That day could even be today. I don’t know about you, but I tremble at the thought. I tremble at the thought that every action and everything I have ever stood for or against will be accounted for. I tremble at the thought that there is a higher plan, a higher purpose in life than just my daily routines, my concerns and cares. I tremble at the thought that God has placed me in this tiny planet with a specific purpose in mind and that I may just miss it if I get so engrossed with my own agenda that I fail to seek him. Do you ever think about that?

I believe we all should. Because as we look at the vastness and perfection of our universe, we must be confronted with the fact that, if it was indeed created, there is a God who is so perfect and particular, that he doesn’t want us to treat our lives and society as another cosmic accident. He created life in an orderly fashion and he does care about how we live it.  What if he does have a blueprint for us to follow? What if there is right and wrong and one day he will hold us accountable for our actions? Would that change the way you see life and everything you believe in?

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. You can now pre-buy her first book, “12 Inches – Bridging the Gap between What You Know and How You Feel About God” at Barnes & Nobles on line and Amazon. Visit her blog to read her devotionals at www.soaringwithhim.com or email her at pholbrook@soaringwithhim.com

The post What If God Has a Blueprint for Us? (Weekend Column for the AJC) appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.