Tag: Relationships

The Gift of Vunerability

Bob Marley Live Love
Reflection has this way of sneaking up on you at the most unexpected times, and sometimes reflection comes in the form of a gift from another’s thoughts that reveal a part of you you didn’t even know you needed to feel. Over time, I’ve learned that vulnerability is the cornerstone of a any relationship worth having, and finding someone who makes you feel that you can be vulnerable is something to be treasured. Bob Marley’s quote below is timeless, beautiful and nothing short of the truth. Enjoy
Peace, Love & Sunshine -Chelsea

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”
― Bob Marley

LOOK OF THE DAY 9.27.2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Sunset1 Chelsea Coffey LOTD 9.27.13 2 Chelsea Coffey LOTD 9.27.13 3 Chelsea Coffey LOTD 9.27.13 4 Chelsea Coffey LOTD 9.27.13

God has a special way of delivering us out of situations. Last week I finally had the opportunity to go to another one of my church’s connect groups. Our most recent series at church was called Simplify. We had just come out of an absolutely life changing  series called Love, Sex and Dating.  It challenged me to look at myself and relationships in a completely new way and revolutionized my level of dedication to committing to a track that would best position me to show the Lord how dedicated I am to walking in His will –annnd hopefully meet an amazing man who would become my husband some day haha

That night, I was pleasantly surprised when we started talking about King David’s relationship with God. King David’s story is one of my all time favorites, but his life is also one of the most dramatic  tales. To say the least,  I was curious to see how King David would fit into the idea of simplifying. Within no time it was all very clear. Our group leader did a fantastic job of conveying how God’s grace is a gift. He then went on to share specific examples of how we can’t earn grace through works. I especially appreciated the mention that so many of our relationships are works based. “She did this for me, so I should probably go ahead and do this for her.” “He came to this, so I should make sure I make it to that.” I could give a million examples of times those situations come up, and I am so grateful that I was able to receive that message because it made me question if that was an underlying expectation in my heart when it came to my relationships.

For me, it was the perfect compliment to the Love, Sex and Dating series. I took a note of the following quote: Whatever your strongest relationship is, so is your identity.  As a Christian, I have set up parameters when dating to do my best to avoid any relationship from ever creating a disconnect with those closest to me –most significantly, my relationship with God. Faithfully, this is where I believe grace comes in. God has a panoramic view of our lives and I passionately believe that He answers prayer. So He hears my countless prayers as I ask Him to guide my path, bless my future husband, prepare my future husband for greatness, show us favor, etc. As I sit here going through the motions of embarking on a fresh start, I consider it such a blessing that my faith is anchored in Him and not man. God doesn’t get confused in His emotions, He isn’t torn about His intentions towards us and most importantly He is who He says He is.

If there’s ever been a time for me to be grateful for the aforementioned quote it’s now.  Even when my wonderful amazing husband comes along, I have to stand on the unwavering foundation that my identity rests in God’s eternal faithfulness.  The song below is one of my all time favorite praise songs, and literally exemplifies my continual desire to grow closer to Him.

I hope this is encouraging to whoever reads this. Have a great week!

Peace, Love & Sunshine -Chelsea

Song of the Day: A Closer Walk – Fred Hammond

youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut3jTIS1Jgk

 

Commitments Shape Your Life

Commitments Shape Your Life

My wonderful father shared the devotional below with my family via email. The following quote really moved me, “Tell me what you’re committed to and I’ll tell you what you’ll be in twenty years. We become whatever we’re committed to.” Life is a funny thing to say the least, and as I look back over the last year I see how the commitments I’ve made are shaping my future. Sometimes the biggest lessons stem from a loss and manifest into wonderful blessings once you decide what really matters and choose the life you will live.

God blessed me with a vision to get clothing to underprivileged children and that epiphany blossomed into Mia’s Closet.  Mia’s Closet has experienced exponential growth, and we have provided over a thousand children with clothing, mentors and sports activities over the last  year. I have finally realized my goal of working as an image and personal branding consultant, and I have been an all around better family member and friend. None of these things happened over night. It was a conscious decision to take control over the things I have control of and run with it!



God is real, and you’ve just got to have faith that his favor is working through you! Putting all personal ambitions aside, the most important commitment I made this year was devoted to my spiritual walk. About a year and a half ago, my dad told me, “I don’t care what church you go to, but you have to go somewhere. The Lord deserves your devotion and you need to fellowship with other believers.”  All I could do is say, “Ok” because I knew he was right. So I started praying about it -really hard- and the Lord answered my prayers in a bigger and better way than I could have ever imagined! I found The429! The ironic thing is that I have a friend from my parent’s church who had been inviting me for about a year, and I never got around to going…little did I know! I’ve finally found a church home that operates on a level like I’ve never seen before. Pastor Jeremy Foster delivers a message backed by scripture (and he’s so, so funny!), praise and worship is awesome and the members are sold out on serving the community!  

Chose to commit to the people, relationships and goals that add value to your life.  God is all about ordering our steps. He will even send us someone to help us get there. You just have to be ready and willing. Step out on faith and meet Him halfway! Your blessing is on the horizon!

Enjoy!

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You don’t have to understand all the implications of your decision when you choose to follow Jesus. You simply need to respond to his invitation, to make a commitment to follow Christ. Your commitments shape you life more than anything else. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. Tell me what you’re committed to and I’ll tell you what you’ll be in twenty years. We become whatever we’re committed to. It is at this very point of commitment that most people miss God’s purpose for their lives. Many are afraid to commit to anything and just drift through life. Others make half-hearted commitments to competing values, which lead to frustration and mediocrity. Others make a full commitment to worldly goals, such as becoming wealthy or famous, and end up disappointed and bitter. Every choice has eternal consequences so you need to choose wisely: “Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living!” (2 Peter 3:11 LB) Christlikeness comes from making Christlike commitments.

The Unhealthy Relationship in Disguise

I came across the article below, and I’m pretty excited to share it with our Coffey Break readers. Yes, your relationship may be as beautiful as that warm feeling that comes over you when you think about your significant other, but sometimes, that beautiful relationship is really mediocre at best disguising itself as something more appealing.

Here’s why this article is interesting; what about those who are in a relationship, things have become less rosy and doubt has begun to creep in? It’s interesting because the term “gut feeling” couldn’t be more literal in my life. Anytime I’m upset it goes directly to my stomach; which sucks because it’s almost embarrassing how excited I get about food… I’m still trying to wrap my head around an efficient way to explain and identify the “unhealthy relationship”. I will say this, if you are wired the way I am, you’re stomach has already told you all you need to know. I think the author of the article does a fantastic job at helping one walk through scenarios and see things for what they are.

My humble advice to anyone questioning their relationship is to make a list. This has been my mom’s default advice time and time again to logically sort through a very emotional process. Weigh the good against the bad and then read the article below.

-Chelsea

It’s Not You, It’s Me….Hmm Actually It’s YOU!

By BellaNaija.com

You are wondering what the title is all about.

Well, let me explain.
Over a week ago, I was reading an article in the UK Daily Mail and the story was about a 40-something year old woman who had been in a relationship for seven years. She described her relationship as stable and loving. She also explained that she and her partner were both financially successful.
When she turned 42, she began yearning for a child. She discussed it with her partner and he didn’t seem too keen.
In her words, ‘My partner insisted he did not want children. Because he was so adamant, I smothered the feelings that were beginning to eat away at me from the inside’
Long story short, he eventually left her.
Years later, in her late 40s, she was miraculously blessed with a child (with her new partner) and then she found out that her ex-partner now also had a child.
In her words, ‘When I heard my ex was going to be a father – yes, the one who swore he did not want children – I would have had to repress a strong urge to rush over and axe him to death had I not had Deia (her daughter) by then’

In other words, it was clear that her partner knew she was not the one and did not want a permanent attachment, in this case – a child. If he hadn’t left, she would have clung on to the seemingly ‘stable’ relationship and just withered away. He would have eventually moved on and as she said, the outcome would have been very different. Perhaps even a headline on the nightly news…

It got me thinking. I’m sure you all know the concept of ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’. However, I feel as though that focuses on people who have just met or have been in short term relationships.

How about those in long term relationships. I hear of scenarios all the time that makes me just wonder. Sometimes maybe your partner is telling you something. It might be hard to hear but these clear signs point to the fact that YOU are just not the one.

All real stories…

Continue reading the scenarios at the original article: It’s Not Me, It’s You