LeeAnn G Taylor - Embracing the Mosaic Life

Trusting our broken pieces to the Ultimate Artist

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Healing Your Spiritual Root System

July 16, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

She cries out, uncomfortable and sad as she rubs her face back and forth on the crib mattress. My baby girl is sick.

girlie

This “summer fever virus” her brother shared has traveled to her eyes and she’s miserable. The thing is, a few days ago, I didn’t realize she was so sick. Oh yes, I knew she had a virus, but we’d called the nurse and gotten the okay to ride it out since there were no other symptoms.

In time though, the blocked tear duct she’d struggled with earlier in the week became inflamed and infected, leading to one feverish, sick baby.

It wasn’t until I realized how sick she actually was that we were able to tend to her and acquire the medication she needed to get well.

Isn’t it the same with us as adults sometimes?

We go through our daily routines, knowing we have sin-that-so-easily-entangles-us in our lives but not truly realizing the impact and the depth of the bondage we’re in. We don’t realize our souls are sick so we don’t seek Christ’s grace, forgiveness, and freedom – the medicine we need for healing.

For me, one turning point came 18 months ago in the form of a God-Centered Mom podcast episode. The host {Heather} interviewed Francie Winslow and through her words, I finally began to grasp the truth of one of my sins {my pride, taking the form of perfectionism} and the freedom from this “good girl” sin available through Christ.

I started using Francie’s method of healing my spiritual root system:

  • recognize something’s wrong
  • admit it’s wrong and repenting
  • renounce the lie I’ve believed
  • replace it with truth
  • accept forgiveness
  • and rejoice in the newfound freedom

healingspiritualroot

I encourage you to save the image above to your phone’s photo roll or print it out to refer back to it. It’s time for us to embrace the freedom Christ came to share!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1a #bgbg2

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What’s one action you’ve taken {or you’re going to take} to feed your soul and heal your spiritual root system? Share in the comments and let’s encourage one another!


Sharing with the Five Minute Friday community. This week’s prompt was “free” – I started writing and just couldn’t stop at 5 minutes. Glad there’s grace for that! 

Finding God in the Seeking {Worship Wednesday}

February 24, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Finding God in the Seeking

Are there days you question everything? Well, maybe not everything, but do you question whether or not you have any idea what you’re doing at this thing called life?

Oh wait, maybe that IS questioning everything…

Well, that’s me sometimes. So many questions swirl around in my head. At times the doubts become a tornado of thoughts that spin completely out of control. And I wonder.

Am I a good enough wife?

Am I a good enough parent?

Am I a good enough daughter/sister?

Am I a good enough friend/coworker?

My husband says I can be overly critical of myself. In reflecting on his observation, I’m learning I have a tendency to set expectations that are too high for myself. I doubt my own ability to become the best version of myself I’ve created in my mind. I forget on a regular basis to give myself grace.

In reality, I think what’s really happening is I’m trying to rely on myself.

In the past I’ve felt that somehow I should have already “arrived” at the strong relationship with God I’m seeking. I should already know the perfect thing to say to my 2 year old in the middle of the fifth tantrum of the day that will point him to Jesus. I should already know how to be the thoughtful and generous friend I desire to be. I should already have the perfect morning quiet time I’ve imagined a hundred times in my head.

I should, I should, I should.

All the expectations I have of myself can be crippling!

I know dwelling on “shoulds” and my own doubts is not particularly beneficial nor productive. Instead of focusing on the destination (the “I’ve arrived!” moments), I’m learning to find God in the seeking. 

Sometimes we find God where we least expect him, in the middle of our seeking.

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And so, instead of looking toward myself for the answers when I feel like I just don’t measure up to my own unattainable standards, I’m looking to the Truth instead.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ~ Jeremiah 29:13

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ~ Matthew 7:7-12

I read these words and my soul feels a little more rest, just a little more at peace. The answer is right in front of me. I just need to know Him.

I’m learning that it’s a process. I need to keep on asking and seeking before I will find what I’m looking for.

And as I continue to feast on the bread of Truth, I will find Him in the seeking.

It is my prayer for you that you too find God in the seeking. I pray that together we learn to lay down our self-reliant, self-sufficient mindsets and remember who gives us life and breath to begin with. May today’s Worship Wednesday song remind us of how desperately we all need Him.

Oh How I Need You

Lord I find You in the seeking
Lord I find You in the doubt
And to know You is to love You
And to know so little else

I need You
Oh how I need You
Oh how I need You
Oh how I need You

Lord I find You in the morning
Lord I seek You everyday
Let my life be for Your glory
Woven in your threads of grace

Light glorious light
I will go where You shine
Break the dawn
Crack the skies
Make the way bright before me

Performed by All Sons and Daughters.

How To Embrace Life Like a Child

July 18, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

She stoops, intent on finding just the right treasure to share with me. Her tiny frame all but disappears against the green grass.

green grass

She is my oldest, my first born, my precious child.

She’s my snuggle-bug, my sweet girl, the one who insists on living life right next to me.

Salem and mommy

Even in her youth, she sees beauty in the everyday and determines to share it.

Her offering today? A bunch of tiny purple blooms.

They’re not Pinterest perfect and this bouquet won’t ever show up in a Southern Living magazine, but it’s what she has to offer and she does it with such enthusiasm.

purple flower offering

Her purpose is to make me feel special, to show love with what she has, today, in the moment.

What if we did that as adults?

What if we looked around, embraced the gifts we were given and shared our lives, just where we are?

What if we took the opportunities presented and made the best of them? What if we did it now with what we have instead of waiting for the illusive perfect moment or situation?

Today’s challenge? Live life like a child.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. In other words, bloom where you’re planted.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Bloom where you’re planted.

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do what you can,  with what you have, where you are

 

How will you embrace the challenge today? Share in the comments and let’s encourage one another!

*This post is part of Lisa-Jo Baker’s 5 Minute Friday series, where she empowers bloggers to write for 5 minutes each Friday on a specific topic. Free writing. Writing just for the sheer joy of it. Today’s topic was “Bloom“. Also sharing with Essential Fridays, Faith Filled Friday, Fellowship Friday, Family Fun Fridays, The Missional Weekend, The Weekend Brew, and Taste and See.

Saying “YES” to God in the Middle of Our Mess {And a Giveaway}

May 2, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

The weather was beautiful, warm with the perfect spring breeze, and I muscled the Sit N Stand stroller to the front door to go pick up Salem from preschool. I noticed something unusual with our door and called my husband to inquire.

{Important side note: Our house is for sale and has been for many months. It’s only been shown once.}

It was only then he decided to tell me about the realtor who had called the day before at 3:05 wanting to show our house at 3:30 the same day. Both of us were at work.

Now you tell me…do you normally leave your house in “okay to be shown to a potential buyer” condition when you leave for work on a Wednesday morning? Ok, me neither.

I cringed to think about the laundry piled in baskets on the floor, our unmade bed, the towels on the bathroom counter, Salem’s bedroom littered with an array of random “treasures” and the pallet on the floor she’s been sleeping on for the last few nights to “campout”. It occurred to me there might have even been a wet diaper on my son’s changing table. {cringe}

living room mess - the mosaic life

“You have got to be kidding me!” went through my head, along with a variety of other comments I wanted to make to my husband, but refrained for the health of our marriage.

Some stranger just entered our house and viewed our mess in all of its imperfect glory. Not okay in my book.

Sure, we had friends over on Sunday night and the house was far from perfect – piles of winter clothes graced the hallway waiting to be stashed in the attic for next year. The kitchen floor would have seriously benefited from a broom in the capable hands of my husband, the resident sweeper, but who were we kidding? Between the two of our families, we have 3 kids under the age of 5 who were going to dump half of their food on the floor before we were finished with dinner anyway.

kitchen mess the mosaic life

 

When my friend Brittany called our house a “judgement free zone,” I knew I was on the right track. Sure, I like to tidy up before people come over, but even if there’s not time for that, our friends are welcome.

I’m learning to relax in the company of my closest friends and let them into my “mess”.

Ya’ll. This is new for me! I’ve spent years, years, making sure our house was just so before inviting people over. If it wasn’t for some reason, my stress level would go through the roof. But I’ve declared war on perfectionism, so not anymore!

I’ve learned that it’s building relationships that counts, not what my house looks like!

Lately I’ve embraced The Nester’s motto about our home: It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. And it’s true. I’m a recovering perfectionist and this is a struggle for me. My soul just feels more at peace when the dishes are done, the floor is swept, the counters are clear, and my bed is made. But what if I waited for everything to be just perfect to let people into our home, into our lives? Yep, it would never happen!

Yes, our mess drives me crazy sometimes but I have to be careful not to allow it to keep me from fostering and nurturing one of the most important things in our lives – loving people and sharing our lives with them.

But what if I waited until all the stars were aligned and everything in my life seemed perfectly ready for me to do what God is calling me to do?

I’d never make a difference. And my life would never shine His glory. And friends, Matthew 5:16 tells us that’s what it’s all about!

God wants you right in the middle of your mess because it's the perfect place for Him to shine.

Oh, what a tragedy to miss out on something as extraordinary as the ministry of Mercy House, a maternity home in Kenya providing alternative options for pregnant girls living in the streets of Kenya. Mercy House aids them in education, nutrition, housing, prenatal care, Bible study, counseling and job skills for sustainable living. Incredible!

No, that’s not what God is calling ME to say “YES” to, but it IS God’s dream for Kristen Welch and her family.

A self-described “ordinary” person with struggles, brokenness, fears, anxiety – the whole bit – Kristen did one thing differently than many of us. God asked her to use her ordinary life – mess and all – and turned her obedience – her “YES” – into something “extra”ordinary.

One step at a time, one prayer at a time, one “yes” at a time, God used Kristen’s life to change the world. She tells the story in her new book Rhinestone Jesus: Saying Yes to God When Sparkly Safe Faith is Not Enough.

Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch

Rhinestone Jesus is a peak into Kristen’s heart as she shares candidly how God turned her from a “good girl,” a teenager on fire for God but content to live a “safe” Christian life, into a woman broken through life’s challenges and unexpected experiences, now willing to say “yes” to God and trust Him in each moment, regardless of the outcome.

The book is a call to authenticity in the Christian walk. She challenges us to push through the fears of “what if” and instead to ask “what next God?” as we move forward one step at a time in faith.

Kristen shares her personal struggles in ministry, motherhood, and marriage and paints a picture of God’s incredible redemption through it all.

Not just a memoir, the book will walk you through your own journey of learning to say “yes” to God’s call by providing thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter that beg for reflection and action.

And for this recovering perfectionist momma, I love this quote from the book:

Saying yes isn’t really about doing it all, it’s about saying yes right where you are.”

That’s it. That’s the answer. I don’t have to get everything right, the stars don’t have to align, and my house doesn’t have to be spotless. I just have to say “yes” in the middle of my mess to whatever God puts in front of me today. One foot in front of the other. One step at a time, saying “yes” to living out my faith authentically.

yesinmymess

I am thrilled to have been part of Kristen’s launch team for her book and her publisher Tyndale House has given me a copy to review and a copy to give away to one of you! The giveaway will be open until May 8th and there are several ways to enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This post is part of Lisa-Jo Baker’s 5 Minute Friday series, where she empowers bloggers to write for 5 minutes each Friday on a specific topic. Free writing. Writing just for the sheer joy of it. Today’s topic was “Mess“. And NO, this definitely didn’t take me the prescribed 5 minutes…but my fellow Five Minute Friday gals encouraged me that there is grace in the mess and to post it anyway!  This post also contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.  Also sharing with Women of Worship, Fellowship Friday, Beauty Observed, and Sunday Stillness.

I Am Who HE Says I Am: Letting Go of Perfectionism

April 4, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

 

I lay in bed, my head tucked into the crook of my husband’s arm, tears escaping from my weary eyes. Attempts at explaining how I’m feeling to the one person in the world who cares about me more than any other fail me.

The words “I don’t know” escape my lips over and over and he holds me closer.

All this striving to do things right, to do the practical things necessary to grow in my faith, to really trust God in the hard moments, and I’m still feeling like it’s not enough.

And I realize, old habits die hard.

The cycle of perfectionism, of feeling I must give 100% to absolutely everything, fearing failure, and then still feeling like it’s not enough, after awhile stops me in my tracks, yet again. 

I Am Who He Says I Am: Letting Go of Perfectionism

photo credit: Daniela Vladimirova via photopin cc

It was just 5 short months ago after reading Emily Freeman’s book Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life that I started to realize the danger of constantly comparing my actual performance to this perfect version of me I had concocted in my mind.

“It’s time to read it again,” I said to my husband, after the tears had stopped; and he did what all good husbands do, listen.

Emily’s words, filled with the rawness of her story and God’s truth, broke open my heart and started the healing process.

I need the reminder again and again that I’m enough. That I’m pre-approved. That it’s God who picks up the pieces of my broken life and crafts them into a masterpiece, not me.

Sometimes the reminder comes in the form of God’s word. Ephesians tells us we are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ. I love the truth that HE has planned the good things we are going to do, not us.

It’s not up to me to work and strive for approval. Instead, it’s my job to lean in, to listen for God’s Spirit to lead me in the good things he has planned for me.

What freedom!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

Other times the reminder comes through sweet friends. Thank you Rebekah for putting words to my calling as a writer in a way that spoke directly to my heart and into my life as confirmation from God that yes, this is what He has for me in this season of my life. No more doubting, my words are making a difference and I will keep on.

Words of encouragement from a friend

And if God’s word on the page in black and white and a Christian sister’s encouragement isn’t enough, this week I listened to an interview with Jennifer Dukes Lee on the God-Centered Mom podcast talking about the release of her new book, Love Idol: Letting Go of Your Need for Approval and Seeing Yourself Through God’s Eyes.

Love Idol: Letting Go of Your Need for Approval-and Seeing Yourself through God's Eyes

So I’m starting to get the message.

I’m pre-approved.
Worth it.
Enough.
Made perfect in Christ.
God’s masterpiece.

It’s my job to offer up my broken pieces and His job to make the work of art.

It’s my job to offer up my broken pieces and His job to make the work of art.

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Oh friends, may we continue to grow together in this!

This post contains affiliate links that help support the site and our family as we seek to become financially free of debt {full disclosure}. 

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