Happiness!

When You Are Truly Happy
He is Sufficient

My Mama says that no one can make you happy; you have to be happy with yourself. When I was a little girl looking for love and approval in all the wrong places, I had no clue what that meant. Honestly, it made me a little bit angry when she would say that.

As I grew older I looked for many things to make me happy. I just knew that when I could make my own choices, I would be happy. I was sure that when I had a job, that I would be happy. As an adult, I tried shopping, crafting (To the tune of an entire closet of unfinished craft ideas!), everything from selling cosmetics to candles, food, cigarettes and evenly cleaning! There wasn’t a self-help book, an internet study or a class that I could find true happiness in.

If that wasn’t enough, apparently like many women in the south, if I wasn’t happy, then no one else in my life could be happy either. They have a name down here for people like me….busy body! I, I, I, I….was a busy body!! Yes, you heard it here first….Kimberly Scott; CEO of Busy Body, Inc. The funny thing is that when I found true completeness in my life, I wasn’t concerned so much with the personal lives of others. I was quickly demoted (or promoted, depending on how you look at it!) from my CEO spot!

It took a while to get it, but God slowly (because I don’t catch on quickly) revealed to me that only true happiness can be found by seeking Him first. It’s pretty plain in His word in Luke, chapter 11; “For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

How many times have you knocked on the wrong door, seeking happiness? There never seems to be enough, does there? He is sufficient and plentiful. One of the great secrets to happiness is that if you aren’t finding it on Earth, look to the heavens. There you will find that little extra that you just can’t seem to get from any other source.

Unlike the closet in my house filled with all of the unfinished crafts (they love me at Michael’s!), your incomplete heart can be repaired and refilled with one knock on that door. Many of the incomplete crafts in that closet needing special equipment to complete, you only need one tool. The ultimate tool! Jesus Christ!

Growing Up in the South

"Calling" on Jesus

When you are born south of the Mason-Dixon Line, you tend to get a different perspective on life. Down here in Georgia we gaze from inside our little bubble and pretend that everyone in the world calls each other darlin’ and spends Sunday at Church, followed by a large Sunday dinner.

One of the first important lessons of my life was the admission to myself that everyone isn’t just like me and that is not only okay, is a good thing! God created each of us in His image, but as different as each snowflake! Oh snowflakes, now there is another Georgia type story I could tell ya, but I digress.

While working in Conference Calling in Atlanta, Georgia in my early 20s, I was fortunate to work with some fabulous people from throughout the world. Even over the phone, folks could tell that I was from Georgia and very often narrow it down right to an accent from the Atlanta area. It never failed that someone would have a very positive comment about my accent and it would begin a dialog of asking questions about the South and open me up to ask questions about their neck of the woods as well. In that short period of time I became ‘well traveled’ and developed a sensitivity about other cultures and really begin to see the world more like God sees it.

Up until that time, I tried very hard to hide my southern slang. I was a bit ashamed of this accent, but it was meeting and greeting people from other cultures and even other parts of the America and how they embraced and celebrated my tiny southern voice that assisted in the beginning of being “me”. The me that God created me to be.

On one particular occasion while training a new operator, she picked up the phone to dial an attendee on a conference call. She was brand new to the position and very nervous! Trying hard not to show her nerves, she sat straight up her chair, adjusted her headset and dialed the phone number, with all the confidence she could muster, she asked for Jesus Suarez and pronounced it EXACTLY the way it looked! (In the Hispanic culture it is phonetically, Hey-Zoos.) Right then and there I absolutely DIED laughing at the beauty of it all.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized something very important. Jesus is the very same, but very different for us all. He is even different depending on what is going on in your life at that very minute. He may be The Healer, The Counselor, The Mediator, The Great I Am, The Father, The Son or The Holy Spirit…should I go on? No matter how you say His name, it is clearly important to Him that we call Him, call Him often and call on Him without ceasing.

Hebrew 3:1 tells us “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus.

Change, change...or is it Chains??

Since my BF believes that writing again would be a great outlet for me....let's give it a shot! Let's face it, BFs usually have a way of helping you make the right choices for you life. Shonuff!!

I actually wrote this post a while back and never published it. Considering some things going on in my life at this moment, it works!

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Life would be so wilted and stale without a few changes every once in a while. I love it when I feel like I am in the control of the change, but let’s face it, I never am!

Being a fan of change, doesn’t always mean that you are the one to bring about change in your life. Can I get a little AMEN? In my life, God often causes me discomfort and it prompts me to move. Some of us will wallow in that discomfort until God has to create real pain in your life to get you to move your fanny. Well, not in my life and let me tell you why.

You have often heard that when God closes one door, he always opens another one, meaning that there is always something better awaiting you. But have you ever heard that it is hell in the hallway? Oh yeah! I can hear the Amen row now!

Boy it sure is uncomfortable waiting in the hallway isn’t it? I feel like I am wondering around there endlessly looking for love in all the wrong places, so to speak. When I am in the middle of the turmoil I tend to get all caught up in myself making the waiting period seem a whole lot tougher and longer than it probably is. I usually feel like there is no one else in the world that could be ‘suffering’ like I am and that there isn’t an arm in this world to hold on to.

Honestly, there isn’t an arm in this world, but there is a heavenly arm to lean on! Come on, let’s all singing together. “Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” Seriously, there is one thing that always makes me feel smaller and Him feel greater. Just one thing. Ready for it? Are you sure?? PRAISE! Praise Him with all of your heart, your soul and your mind and you will begin to feel His greatness and understand how sufficient His is. Only then can you begin to get clarity about when that next door of your life is going to open.

Praise comes in different forms. For me, being a singer, my favorite type of praise is music! I am going to take my own advise and try to get out of the hell of the hallway of suspension and find some praise music that will help me open the next door to new types of relationships and new experiences!!

Time flys

Time sure does fly when you are having fun! It has been almost a month since I have updated my blog. Yep, you guessed it! I was having fun!!

It has been a whirlwind of activity around here. We purchased an embroidery machine and as soon as it was out of the box, the orders started coming! I have monogramming or embroidery jobs several times a week now. God is good all the time!!

I also am working with a friend of my on a new deal that will CHANGE MY LIFE! Stay tuned...it's about to get good!

Leaders

I have had a lot of people in my life that have called themselves Leaders. Leaders in the Church, leaders in the community, leaders in business, leaders in education...you get the picture.

Many would argue the qualifications of a leader. Dedication, worth of respect, honesty and great communication skills are a few that come to mind. As I grow older, I am learning what it really takes to be a leader. This blogger is here to make a bold statement and shout out that it takes only ONE qualification to be a good leader! Have I peeked your interested yet?

The Beatles said it best....All you need is LOVE. Yes, LOVE is all you need. Who is the author of love? Our Father and King...Jesus Christ! There is no other topic discussed more in His book than love! Christ was bold to even say that the GREATEST commandment is love!

If love is the focus of your life than it dictates your actions and choices bringing them all to the center of what true leadership really looks like. Putting others before yourself and focusing on how you can love them! When you truly love someone you have a laser eye on how your own actions have a personal consequences on the ones that you have been called to lead.

My personal message to those in our world that proclaim themselves leaders. Please take a moment each and every day to ask yourself these questions....

• Are the statements I am making with the way that I choose to live giving a message of love for the ones around me?
• Are the words that I choose coming from the central focus of love?
• Are the decisions I am making going to have loving consequences on the futures of the people in my follow.

Anyone have any other questions that you believe leaders should ask themselves on a daily basis?

The Leader of all Leaders in my life is Jesus Christ and ask we should all be striving to be more Christ like, then maybe our Leaders need to take His book and use it as an instructional manual for how to lead a flock. WOW...what a fabulous world it would be if our instruction manual was always the Word?!

God Unfolding Plans in Life

It is funny how different people tick. I am a person that likes change, but I don't often go out and seek it. God has been very clear about my life and what types of careers I am to have. He has through His clear actions in life, made sure that I know exactly where my priorities of God, then Family...then my job are.

With that said, it is my husband that has the true career and my career is taking care of him and rising our family. With homeschooling our kids being the priority at home. I have had several jobs over the last 15 years, but I haven't had a career and honestly, I am good with that!

The funny thing is that although I have never had a career, I have always enjoyed the jobs that God has placed in my path and I am always ready to move when He needs me to. But I only move when things get hurtful. God knows me well! He knows that my heart is very tender and I trust easily and hurt badly.

That is exactly the situation that I am in now. I am hurting...just hurt! My dreams of the future with my current job are very quickly crashing down around me. Promises of someone that I thought to be a true mentor (and mentoring to her at the same time) is no longer. The future of making real change in this work to help kids...isn't going to be. Being a important part of the lives of teens and molding them into what God intends for them to be, not going to happen like we thought it would.

But...a whole new horizon is in my sights! God always has plans to prosper us and never to harm us! Although the pain is real...it isn't harmful because my Father promised me it wouldn't be!

My business is blooming into a booming future for me and my family. God knows the deepest desires of our hearts and my truly has always been being home with my girls. My 18 year old daughter is now working full-time and is in an apprenticeship programs learning to do hair. Her life is full and she is growing up fast, but still loves it that I am home when she gets home.

So...hurt can be good if you know where to put it and in my life it is a sign that God is about to start performing miracles in my life!

Better than I expected!

It isn't often in life when you looks so forward to something and it turns out better than you expected!

Off the top of my head I can think of twice that this has happened to me.

First....when I went to Graceland two years ago. ALL my life I wanted to go and see the place where the King lived. When I say all my life, I really mean all of my life! Finally, in 2007 my dream came true and honestly I cried through most of the tour because it was so fabulous!

Secondly....Thursday, April 23 when I picked up my new Babylock Ellure Plus Embroidery Machine. OMG! Can I tell you that this is the most awesome piece of technology that I have ever had my hands on?!? I am so blessed to now have two of the Cadillac's of machines in my house....two Babylocks!

I have already monogrammed everything in my house that I can get my hands on and I have created a digital logo for my company as well. It's good! It is so good!!!