Another Opening
by Alyssa Avant on August 22, 2010
in Just Me
Welcome back!
Over the past few months, I’ve been back and forth on this thing, this calling in my life. I’ve stepped away from things I thought I was suppose to be doing. I’ve struggled with doing other things, just to make an income for myself and my family. I wonder over and over, do you do something because you can or do you do something because you should. How do you determine what it is that you’re suppose to be doing?
God has always been my guide, I have always wanted to follow his call on my life, but sometimes this life gets in the way and I get confused. Do you? Is it just me?
I need to make an income from my family. There are skills that I have that I feel that God has given me that I use daily to make an income for my family. In a way this satisfies a need. In another way, it leaves an opening. I feel called to ministry and at this time, the only ministry I feel that I have is to my own family. Is this bad, certainly not. Does it fulfill my calling, well it can, but I still feel an opening.
I guess I can’t explain it, I feel like there is so much being left undone. I want to finish seminary I have seven classes left. I have been working on this degree since 2003. I have felt called to seminary since age 14. There leaves another opening.
How do I fill the openings and still satisfy my responsibilities in life to myself, my family and my God?
Welcome to the Party
by Alyssa Avant on April 8, 2010
in Featured
Welcome! I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Party from 5 Minutes for Moms watch my intro vlog below.
More about me:
For 5 years I have had a ministry to girls and their moms, Beauty by Design Ministries, this started as a speaking ministry, warped into an online ministry that involved a lot of time weekly spent creating content for my site, but recently has returned to just a speaking ministry, as my focus needed to shift back to my family.
Besides ministry, I also do freelancing from home, writing and blogging, both of which I enjoy tremendously. My latest blogging project is a local online magazine / blog for the moms in my community, Delta Hills Moms. This change has allowed me to simplify my life and focus more on my family.
I am blessed with three beautiful children and and amazing husband. We as a family have a wonderful church family and great friends that are truly our extended family. We enjoy spending a ton of time with them on the weekends.
In addition, we have flesh & blood family that live close by as well that we love to be around. We live in a small but fabulous community where it is a joy to raise our children.
This is my “home on the web” and I hope you’ll stick around, read some posts, and share your thoughts with me.
If I were inviting you into my real “home” I’d pour you a Coke, slice you a piece of lemon pie and have you sit down, why not do so “virtually”? Y’all come back now, ya hear?
Oh…. I almost forgot today is my dear ole daddy’s REAL birthday! Why not let him think this party is for him? I love you Daddy! Happy Birthday and thank you for being a strong influence in my life and for making me the determined, strong woman I am today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!
Can you tell my Daddy Happy Birthday for me? If you know me, tell him what kind of job he did raising me …. if you don’t just give him a shout! Thank you!
Don’t forget to fan my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.
I’m Not Perfect
by Alyssa Avant on February 23, 2010
in Just Me, My Kids, My Marriage
I feel like everyone around me sees me as perfect, or at least they see me as always “striving” to be perfect. In all honesty that’s the way I’ve been living for too long. Striving … to be perfect . . to be what everyone else wants me to be, even what I thought I wanted to be, but not ever giving myself a chance or an opportunity to just be, to live, to breath.
My whole life I’ve been living up to perfectionist standards, but I am finally giving in and quitting that rat race. God has been speaking to me for a long time about giving up perfection. Unfortunately for me, I haven’t listened, at least not until now. I am officially quitting the rat race, no more chasing after too many things and never giving everything what it needs. No more sacrificing my family for my own desires, I am finally realizing what God desires most from me, and that is to just be.
Tears rolled down my face when I finally realized that what I need more than anything is to give in to God’s promptings to be – be a wife, be a mom, be me. That means I’m giving up some of what I feel called to, what I love, but I know it won’t be forever, but for a time it is going to be necessary. Because I love my husband and my children more than that. I’m giving up spending so much time pouring myself into Beauty by Design. I will still speak on occasion, but the blog, newsletter and products aren’t going to be what I pump myself into each day anymore.
As I’ve been seeking to find ministry to do and running myself ragged trying to do it, it’s been right under my fingertips all along and I have sadly been ignoring it too much of the time, or at least giving it my second best. Just recently, I told a lady in my church I could no longer serve in a position because I didn’t want to give it less than 100%, but I’ve been giving my family less than 100% of me for a long time. {gasp} Did I just say that? Yes I did because it is true.
No more. I have admitted my wrongs to my husband, I’ve admitted my wrongs to God and now I’m admitting my wrongs to you. First things must come first, I’m not perfect, but I am committing myself to God, to my husband and to my babies, fresh and new.
