Tara Powell Ministries

CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Tara Powell

Choosing your battles is a phrase you commonly hear as advice for raising kids. It is good advice for all things in life. If you give energy and focus to each thing with which you disagree, you will be on a fast track to depletion. What deserves your best today? What is worth spending “fight” on? Your sanity is worth letting some things go.

Joy is not given, it is earned. Joy happens when we trust God to do His job and we can move out of His way. Our job is to trust and obey. Joy will rise as peace is found. Peace is letting go of menial things that will not matter. Ask yourself, will this matter in ten years? Can I walk away from this? If the answer is yes, walk away.

If you oversee an event or project, there will be many things from big to little that need to be done. If you micromanage you will make everyone miserable including yourself. If you let go of details that will not change the overall goal, you can focus on the big pieces that are at the core. In ten years will anyone remember if the table cloths were red or blue. NO. They will remember the cause and what was accomplished.

Limit the things that you must accomplish alone. Then rate the importance of all things that will need done. Appoint dependable people and then let go. This can be applied to a lot of areas in our life. From work to relationships. Let go of the dirty towels that fall one foot from the laundry hamper. Focus on date nights. In ten years, the laundry will not hold you together. Investing time in your marriage will matter.

HOLDING IT ALL TOGETHER

Posted on April 16, 2021 by admin

The shifts are long with small breaks in between. The workday consists of being behind all day trying to get a head. The problems never rest. The needs never fully resolved. When you leave can you leave it all behind?

Many days I left work with a flood of things I wanted to do and never found time for. I realize that it is impossible to do my job perfectly. Yet, I wanted more. Did I do anything well today? Or did I quickly put out fires never getting to what I hoped I could accomplish. The meaningful things. The type of rare moments that remind of your why. Why you do what you do.

How long can I keep this going? I hear ya. I have been there. Healthcare is a crazy beast the rewards are there but far and few between. Sometimes you think maybe I need to just get a similar occupation.

It is so important that you find a way to keep in perspective the difference you make. Your job is crucial. You are the right person for the job. A hard job.

Find small ways to get a clear head. Carry a small note pad in your pocket. Jot down good moments. Patient appreciation.
Jot down positive affirmations or scripture to read in tough times.
Separate yourself from work environment during breaks. Step outside. Sit in car. Go for a walk.
Find a support system at work you can share rough times with. Someone who gets it.
Keep your day off as a day off. Spend time for yourself and your family

HOW CAN I FIND PEACE?

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Tara Powell

Are you seeking peace in your life? Tired of the chaos? Peace is the epitome of a hope in one’s life. Peace cannot be manufactured or bought. Peace is obtained. Obtained unlike other achievements. The harder you try for peace the further away it becomes.

Peace is obtained through our relationship with Jesus. Jesus becomes our peace. As we trust and obey, we let go of chaos and quit trying to figure out things for ourselves. We lose our grip on what we fooled ourselves that we controlled. Being out of control doesn’t have to be negative. It can be the freedom you seek.

You do not have to figure it out. You can relax, shut off the world’s noise and put your trust in the one who has always been in control. Let go. Let loose. Trust Jesus. There and only there, you will find peace.

HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Tara Powell

Matthew 22:39, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The great paradox of this passage is we must first love ourselves to love others. How do you love yourself and not be prideful? Is it a fine line? I do not think so. When you share with someone you love that they have value, you tell them how much you love them. Your hope is that your love for them will be enough to help them love themselves. Love at its best is God’s love for us. He loves us first. We use that as our foundation.

What is commonly used as the greatest expression of love? “I would die for you.” Jesus did that. You cannot be loved more. Remember that when you consider if you are enough. He already said you were.

Get to know yourself. What do you like? Be kind to yourself. Be your best friend. Give space for what you love and what helps you be your best. Exercise to feel good. Do your hobbies. Take the trip. Eat the cookie.

Give your emotions importance. Be in tune with what you feel. Allow those feelings, give them a name. Take time to work through your pain and heal.

Spend time with those who love and support who you are – Jesus being your main man. Talk to Him. Read the Bible, His love letter to you. Let Him take care of you.

Get rest. There is always a “to do” list. Value yourself enough to rest. Not only is it important to your overall health. God put it in His top ten, the commandments.

Loving yourself is taking care of yourself. Pride is putting yourself first and giving yourself all the credit.

HOW TO PRAY

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Tara Powell

Prayer is the most powerful tool you have in your arsenal. Regardless of ability, every human can pray. That is a remarkable truth. Prayer is the communication you have with God. Prayer can be a two-way conversation. Do you question if you are doing it right? How do you start if you never have? This post is for you.

Be yourself. God knows your voice. He wants to hear from you. Just like you desire to hear from those you care about. You know if they are putting on a front.
Prayer can be done many ways. You can pray when you feel like it. Pray daily at a certain time. Pray in your mind, outloud or with others. Prayer can be long, short or in between. Just start talking.
Start the prayer the way that feels comfortable to you. For example, “Dear Jesus”, “Heavenly Father” or “God.”
Remember He just desires to spend time with you and hear your heart.

HOW TO WIN AT LIFE

Posted on March 19, 2021March 17, 2021 by admin

Do you ask yourself, “Is this it?”

Our life reflects our hopes and dreams mixed with a huge dose of reality. Does your life reflect your hopes and dreams? If not, it should. As young teens our hearts are full of hopes and dreams. It might not be realistic, but it can be beautiful.

Along the way, bills, sickness, and death intrude. Soon we lose the part of ourselves that dreams. Do not give up all hope of having a life you want. It is never too late to rewrite the second half of the book.

Here are some tips for turning your reality into your dreams.

Get to know yourself. What are the dreams that still deep-down burn within you? Ask yourself what would you do if you knew you would not fail?
Your goals should reflect your dreams. Live to make yourself proud.
What is your bucket list? What will you regret not doing?
Spend time with Jesus. Seek His will for your life. You will be your most fulfilled by being right smack dab in His will.
Put feet to the ground and make it happen. If you are scared, then you are on the right track. Your dreams should scare you…if they don’t, your dreams aren’t big enough.
Do not be afraid to fail. Mistakes are part of the journey.

MAKE TIME FOR JESUS

Posted on March 12, 2021 by admin

You will never regret time spent with the Lord. How do you make it happen? Start with your current schedule. What is your best time of day? For me, it is in the morning when I have coffee. In years past I have attempted other times. For example, at night after my children were in bed, I tend to zone out and drift off.

Put guilt aside. Take the negative away and just make it happen. If it happens, it is a success. Five minutes is better than not at all. There are days I only have five minutes, other days I can sit for an hour.

What does time with Jesus look like? Time focused on your relationship with Christ. Bible reading for one will grow your relationship with Christ. A scripture a day can change your life. Do what you will stick with. Open the Bible and read. A daily devotion is a good tool. Phone apps allow you to read wherever you are. My husband has a devotion in his car and reads before he walks into work.

Prayer is essential to your relationship with Jesus. He wants to hear from you as much and as often as you can. I prefer a more natural approach instead of regimented. I pray many times a day. They are short, sometimes just a few words. If someone asks for prayer, I pray with them on the spot or as I walk away. I pray a lot in the shower or the car. At night when I am drifting off, I am usually praying. The point being just make it happen when it works.

Quiet time. It might surprise you that being quiet can accomplish so much. The world is noisy. Taking time to shut out the noise and concentrate on Jesus. “Be still and know I am God,” Psalms 46:10. Cutting out the noise you can hear from the Lord.

Meditation is a good tool. I caution you to focus on scripture on music connected to Christian work. Meditation is used by other religious practices. Each person may have a different idea of what meditation is. Find a scripture that you want to focus on. Recite it and repeat as you concentrate on the words and their meaning.

MYTHS ON PRAYERS

Posted on March 5, 2021 by admin

MYTHS ON PRAYER

Prayer is a privilege we have and a promise that God is listening. We pray because we have a relationship with God or desire one. It would be impossible to have a relationship with anyone without some sort of communication. Prayer is our direct line to One who loves us most. Below is a list of myths that prohibit our feelings towards prayer.

If you do not say in “Jesus Name” it will not count. Psalms 145:19

God does not play games with us. If you call out, He is faithful to listen.

Only devout Christians have a direct line to God.

Even the person who is saying His name for the first time will be heard and loved. Luke 15:4

It is wrong to ask for prayer for myself. Mark 14:32

You are withholding the greatest gift you have. Pray for yourself often. Express all your needs. God wants to hear from you. Jesus prayed for himself.It is disrespectful to fall asleep while praying. You may fall asleep because you feel safe.

THE COMPLICATED FAMILY

Posted on February 26, 2021 by admin

THE COMPLICATED FAMILY

Do you wonder how your family got so dysfunctional? Being in the midst you see all the things wrong with your family. We expect more from people who love us than those from the outside world. Our loved ones are the ones who can leave lasting scars. What if you had it all wrong? Is your family unique or is this just the way families are?

I understand the heartache of familiar fire. The words carry a sharper sting when it’s one we expect to protect us. I would love to open your eyes to the families of some of our saints in Scripture. If nothing else but to say, “you’re not alone.”

Let us start at the beginning. Genesis 4:1-18 tells the story of brotherly love, or I mean brotherly jealousy that led to death. Cain murdered his own brother jealous that God paid more attention to his sacrificial offering, holding the title of the first murder.

Abraham and Sarah were in their golden years and still without children. Sarah was beyond childbearing years. Genesis 16:1-16, 21:8-21 shares the account of Sarah’s plan to fulfill God’s promise of a child to the couple. Just a heads up, God never needs our help. Abraham agreed to Sarah’s scheme of having a child with their maid servant, Hagar. Guess what, it was messy and caused a lot of undue pain on everyone involved.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah can be found in Genesis 19:30-38, Lot’s two virgin daughters who feared they would never have a chance to have children, got their father drunk and had relations with him.

These stories are just tipping the iceberg of crazy family stuff in the Bible. The conclusion is we all have crazy somewhere in the family. The family is not the issue. Families are made of humans prone to sin. That is the problem and there is no way around that. What is a Bible-loving girl to do? Love like Jesus. Accept the family you have and love them. Create good boundaries for yourself. Do not let others hurt you. You need to make the best choices for you. Because someone is family, it means you’re connected forever by DNA, it does not give them a right to control or damage our world.

THE GOOD MOM

Posted on February 19, 2021February 18, 2021 by admin

All mothers are striving to be a “good mom.” What is the true definition? I would say if you asked a hundred women you would get a hundred answers. What if being a good mom is being the best version of yourself. The recipe of being a good mom is 50% putting your kids first and 50% making sure you are on the top of your list. How does that make sense? We have been taught it’s 100% of putting kids first. Hear me out.

Putting your children first may be important when they are little, but as they grow we become their example. Our children will take in far more of what we show them than what we tell them. Do you respect yourself? If you want your children to follow their dreams and respect their own boundaries, then show them what that looks like.

Do not be afraid to show them your weakness or your sin. Some of the best conversations with my children have been sharing my mess ups. They feel close to you as you reveal your weakness. What they will see is you are human. You get life is hard and perfection is not the goal.

Bring them in on your growth. As you develop and mature, share what you have learned and what is important to you. As our children grow into adults, they can be great teachers themselves. You do not have to have all the answers.

Inspire your grown children by living your best life.