Tag: self care

Posted in Moments and Musings

Commit. Align. Establish.

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Proverbs 16:3
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”

There are two powerful words in this verse: commit and establish.
To commit means “to carry into action deliberately.”
To establish means “to institute permanently by enactment or agreement.”

In other words, commit is an action word. It requires intention. God isn’t asking us to drift through life hoping things fall into place—He’s asking us to deliberately include Him in what we do. When our plans align with His Word, He honors that alignment by establishing them—making them steady, secure, and lasting.

Several years ago, I was in a relationship with a man who openly admitted he had a difficult relationship with God. He had walked through deep pain, and that pain had shaken his belief in God’s love. On the surface, everything looked solid. We planned to get married. He loved my kids, I loved his, and he was even willing to have my mom live with us after the wedding.

But one day, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper,
“Are you ever going to include Me in this?”

And I knew exactly why I hadn’t.
My honest answer to God was, “No… because I already know what You’re going to say.”
I knew I was unequally matched. I knew the compromises I had made in my heart. I knew this relationship wasn’t built on the foundation God desired for me.

God didn’t argue.
He didn’t force.
He simply waited—like the gentleman He is.

While He waited, He gently reminded me again and again:
“My plans are higher. My ways are better.”

And as time went on, the relationship started to fray. Things that once felt certain began to unravel. Eventually, I went to God and said,
“I yield, Father. I commit this relationship to You. Direct me. I want to please You more than I want to please myself.”

I prayed for myself, for him, for our children, and for healing where it was needed. And then I ended the relationship.

The moment I did, I felt shackles fall.
The enemy lost.
God spared me from what would have surely become another heartbreak—and possibly another divorce.

Friends, when we align our lives and our plans with the Word of God, the hardest part is already done. God honors His Word. When we commit our plans to Him, He begins to shape, strengthen, and establish them. He opens paths where there were none. He gives wisdom and ideas. He provides for what He Himself has approved—because ultimately, they become His plans too.

If you want to know God’s plans for your life, look to His Word. The Bible isn’t just a love story—it’s a blueprint. A guide. A light that never fails.

So let me ask you:
What plans are you making for your life right now?
 Have you included God in those plans?
 And can I pray with you today?

Prayer:
 “Heavenly Father, thank You for the good, hopeful plans You have made for me. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds me that Your plans are not for my harm but for my future and my hope. As I align my steps with Your Word, I thank You that You are establishing my plans and causing them to succeed. Give me continued wisdom, clarity, and a heart that stays sensitive to Your guidance. Let Your Word remain a constant light to my path. I thank You for all of this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Posted in Moments and Musings

Welcome, 2024!

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Happy 2024!

I don’t know about you but 2024 sure looks different than what I thought it would look like when I was a kid. I remember sitting in my classroom, drawing pictures of flying cars and robots doing laundry. We may not be there just yet but we are in this primitive form of Star Trek era with watches that make calls for us and phones that connect us globally. But one thing hasn’t changed – New Year’s resolutions.

Personally, I don’t like making resolutions. They’re nothing more than broken promises made to myself. So I don’t do that. Change, however, is a different matter. And this year, I’m going to try to be a woman of change. (insert diabolical laugh here)

So, 2024, let’s get after it! Here’s my list. Let’s see if anything sounds familiar to you (or maybe inspirational?)

  • Eat better – I mean, who doesn’t have this as a goal. In fact, this is a lifelong goal of mine. The quest to change my eating habits – eat more veggies, less carbs, less sweets, lather, rinse, repeat. But still, I have to put it on the list since I’m sincerely wanting to make better choices. And I’d like to do more research to be more intentional about my food choices.
  • Move more – Another goal that’s sure to make everyone’s list. However, I’m going to leave this open-ended. The idea is to move more but not necessarily set time limits, number of days, etc…just get up and move. Walk. Dance. Run. Stretch.
  • Pray/Bible study – I’ve never been consist with either, to be honest. I mean, I talk with God a lot so that part is ok (could be better, though). The Bible study is a hit or miss and I have plenty devotionals. Hopefully, this year is the year I make it through at least one. (I’ll let you know.)
  • Spend less – So, let’s talk about this one. I don’t live an expensive life. I live in a small apartment. Utilities are pared down as much as I can. I don’t work outside of the home so I don’t need work clothes and I have stuff for church. But I do like to buy yarn for crochet projects and embroidery stuff. I have whole roomful! So I’m making the decision not buy anything more until I use up what I already have. I also need to spend less on eating out. I have budgeted a healthy amount for groceries but sometimes, laziness and boredom drive me out of the house for food unnecessarily. I plan on changing that and being more intentional with my money and be more intentional about saving.
  • Create more – I don’t know how creative I’ll be with crochet. Not sure I know how. But I do want to learn to draw and create my own embroidery designs. I want to be fearless. I want to create and see where it takes me.
  • Call people – I’m so bad at this but I want to get better. I’m more comfortable with texting or using apps to connect with people but it’s not always best. I need to pick up the phone and call more. Bottom line.

Now for some real talk – change takes time. I plan on giving myself some grace when I fail, and there will be times of failures, set-backs, etc. But I think it’s time I finally let myself off the hook for being one of the most imperfect people on the planet. (I know that comes as a shock to those of you who know me personally.)

What changes are you looking to make in 2024? Drop a line in the comments and let me know!

Photo by Walls.io on Unsplash

Posted in Moments and Musings

Refilling The Glass

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Bishop’s Wife. There’s a scene – my mom’s favorite – where Cary Grant’s character, Dudley, counsels Professor Wutheridge (played by Monty Woolley). They’re drinking wine and Wutheridge goes to refill Dudley’s glass (and his own) only to find it already full. During the scene, we see Dudley waive his finger in the background using his angel abilities to refill not only their glasses but the bottle as well.

I was thinking about this on my morning walk with Percy as I saying my ‘good mornings’ to God. (I don’t have super wordy prayers with God anymore unless I’m led by the Spirit. But I do like to have real conversations with Him during the day.) So there I was, walking and thinking about how this is a brand new day and a lovely morning when suddenly, a quote from Anne of Green Gables popped into my head-

“Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

And I felt a sense of relief and peace. If you’re a Failed Perfectionist, like I am, you’ll know what I’m talking about here. It’s refreshing to learn you get a horde of brand new chances each morning. After all, we probably fell asleep the previous night after using some distraction to keep our brains from highlighting for us all the ways we failed. So waking up to a brand new day feeling like the white board has been wiped clean is pretty important. Then this verse popped into my brain from Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22-23 (ESV):

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

God’s mercy is new every morning. Every morning, there is a fresh batch of undeserved favor available. Without fail.

For someone who is serially hard on herself, I decided to let this run around my brain for a while. I felt the Holy Spirit showing me that, just like Dudley refilled Prof. Wutheridge’s glass over and over, God’s mercy and grace is replenished for us continually. Grace, favor, mercy, love – they never run out. Every time we use a supply of any of these, God instantly refills. And He never waits for morning to do it, either.

I know this might sound simple and contrite to some but God knows me and He knows how I think. I feel like He gives me these examples so my very process-driven brain can fully grasp what his Word is saying is to me. He knows I’m a visual learner and need things to be drilled down for me. He’s aware that lack of understand leads to frustration which leads to giving up.

He knows us perfectionists so well!

Think about this as you go into your weekend. Think about this as you wake up tomorrow morning. There’s brand new, shiny, unused mercy ready for you and it is more than enough for your day. It will never run out. It will never grow stale. You will never reach the bottom of the glass or the bottle. They will always be refilled.

He is a God of more than enough.