Author: Dru Ealons

Grateful for the FIRE!!!

Published on by Dru EalonsLeave a comment

Fire Pic

In life we will inevitably go through difficult times like a divorce, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, sickness, legal issues, tough time during marriage, infertility and so many other trials we could name. However, as we go through those trying times, or what we are calling the FIRE, you are being refined. It is a preparation for the greater that is to come. Those impurities of self doubt, broken hearts, fear, brokenness…are being burned away. Just like like the refinement of gold process. The metal goes through the FIRE to remove impurities to come out GOLD….this gold after its refinement process is worth a LOT! The purer, the more refined the gold is the greater the worth! Glory!!!

Every trial, every negative situation, not only does God mean it for your good, you are coming out better, stronger, wiser…purer and more refined! Your value increases and you are better prepared for your GREATER!

So today, and every day, don’t forget to Bless God for the FIRE! It will be difficult and it isn’t always easy to think about your increased value and how much better you will be after you go through. However, do your best to be intentional in writing down what impurities will be burned away as you go through! Because in the end your value will increase and you will come out GOLD!!!

5 Keys to Focus on #LivingLifeGratefully

Published on by Dru EalonsLeave a comment

Living Life GratefulHave you ever been working on a project, reading a book, writing, etc and then all of sudden mess up something? It is in that moment you’ve lost your focus…you became distracted. Either social media, phone calls, or thoughts, something has pulled your focus away and while you may still be doing what you were distracted from, your mind isn’t focused on it…therefore a mistake may occur.

While on this journey of #LivingLifeGratefully, you must focus on all the positive things in your daily life. Bad things will happen, people will say awful things to you or make you feel bad…sometimes that person that makes you feel bad is you. Those negative thoughts that have been planted may raise its ugly head reminding you of some mistake or imperfection. It is during those times we suggest you do the following:

1) Have a scripture that feeds your spirit positively. ex: Psalms 139:14  –  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well or 1 John 4:4b because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

2) Create and keep near post it notes with positive feedback or quotes. We call them #gratefulnotes

3) Call upon those positive friends/family members that never fail to give you an encouraging word.

4) Focus on all of the great things that are in your life and in every situation.

5) Pray and spend time with God.

For some of us it is easy to focus on the aforementioned items and/or any positive things in our lives. But for others it is a fight. We want to encourage you to fight on.  We are right along side you…fighting with you! This journey of #LivingLifeGratefully isn’t easy, but it is so worth it. God wants us to have a life filled with His Peace and His Joy. He told us in His Word that this wouldn’t be easy, but that His yoke is easy and His burdens are light. We are to trust Him to deal with the negative things in our lives. But we must also be actively focusing on the positive things in our lives to achieve the goal of #LivingLifeGratefully! You deserve a life filled with unspeakable joy and it is our hope that you believe that you deserve it!

There are so many more items we could have shared, but we want to hear from our Team Grateful community! What are some of the things you do to focus on the positive? Or, let us know if you need prayer and/or help in this area. We will pray with and for you.  We are believing God for His very best for you and know that you have the tools to handle it…for you are Fearfully and Wonderfully made by God!

Self Love – Day of Love

Published on by Dru EalonsLeave a comment

Self LoveMany people around the world, especially couples, celebrate this Day of Love or Valentine’s Day! One of the best ways to #LivingLifeGratefully is to love and see yourself as God sees and loves you! He loves us with a forgiving, graceful and merciful heart.

When we are at our best or at our worst, when we get it right or mess it all up…He Still LOVES us unconditionally!  Imagine if you loved yourself the same way.  The liberty in loving yourself through all of the good and the bad can bring a ton of freedom from negative thoughts or self doubt.  Everyday would be like walking on Cloud 9.  Your perspective on life would be viewed differently.  You will have more compassion for others.  In fact, loving yourself unconditionally opens up your heart to love others the same.  You will attract the very same energy back to you…unconditional love!

Today, take a moment to love on you. Self love is essential to self care, it is not selfish. Self love is actually the best thing you can do not only for yourself but every one that comes into your life! You deserve to unconditionally love yourself!  So, start today by looking in the mirror and say “I love you unconditionally, with all of your faults and with all of your positives, you are still worthy of my love”.   And watch how much joy and gratitude will invade your spirit!  Happy Love Day!

#RidiculousFaith – The Woman w/The Issue of Blood!

Published on by Dru EalonsLeave a comment

Ridiculous Faith

One of the things I’ve learned on this journey of #LivingLifeGratefully is that allowing God to have His way brings peace and excitement all rolled up beautifully together!  So, when He spoke to my spirit and nudged me to share and remind us of the woman with the issue of blood and her  #RidiculousFaith , I obediently said oh yes!

Every time I think about the woman with the issue of blood, my heart is overwhelmed with empathetic pain and joy!  It’s an interesting mix of feelings, however the thought she lived with continuous bleeding and no doctor could help, brings so much sadness to me.  She was desperate for help and no longer wanted to live in shame, isolation or sadness.  But when she heard about Jesus {GLORY, I had to shout!}, even though she had been secluded because of her issue, even though she knew large crowds would be there and they would likely ridicule and shame her because of her issue, her faith told her that if she put aside those feelings and could just get to Jesus, He could heal her and her misery would be over!  My God!!!

She arrives to the area where Jesus is and there is indeed a HUGE crowd.  All trying to get something from Him. My holy imagination shares with me that I’m sure she was mocked as she made her way to Jesus by all of those that saw her.  The crowd was so overwhelmingly large, but her faith would not let her be denied her healing.  So she pressed her way. Crawled on the ground through the crowd.  She was at everyone’s feet, beneath people but she kept her eyes on Jesus.  I can imagine her saying “if I can just get to Jesus” as she pressed her way.  Then it hit her, since the crowd was so large, she may not get to ask Jesus for her healing, but her #ridiculousfaith told her that if I could just touch Him, his clothes or anything touching Him, I WILL BE HEALED!

How crazy did she look crawling on the ground to get a healing that I’m sure others didn’t think she could get or deserve?! But her faith told her that Jesus can do it, if she could get to Him.  In fact, her faith said He didn’t even have to acknowledge or see her, but that if she touched Him and believed in His healing power and that He is the Son of God she will be healed! She didn’t care what others said about her. She didn’t care if folks stepped on her. She didn’t care at all how she looked! She just wanted to get to Jesus, touch Him and be Healed! My God, that’s #RidiculousFaith

On your faith journey, Do you care what people think about you? Your issues? How has your #RidiculousFaith brought about blessings from God and simultaneously ridicule from others?

#LivingLifeGratefully is about not allowing what others think about you dictate what you think of yourself.

God Continues to see the Best In Me! #SoGrateful

Published on by Dru EalonsLeave a comment

“He saw the best in me. When every else around could only see the worse in me” ~ Marvin Sapp, The Best in Me

This song always touches the depth of my spirit.  While I try every day to be the very best God has called me to be, sometimes I fail.  And in spite of my failures, He still sees the best in me.  He has continuously blessed me, even when I feel I haven’t always deserved it.  So today and every day, I’m grateful that He always sees the best in me and He blesses me with His unmerited favor, grace and mercy daily.  What an inexplicable feeling!  #TeamGrateful

Originally posted August 1, 2015 at www.druealons.com.

cross
cross vintage background

Appreciate the Little Things

Published on by Dru EalonsLeave a comment

Yesterday morning I woke up with an overflowing grateful heart determined to focus on the little things, or better the “little” blessings.  As I’m writing this, I am laughing to myself that I have the audacity to size up any blessings that God bestows upon me.  However, I recognize that is how the world operates, we measure things.  More on that in another post.

At any rate, I excitedly posted to Facebook with the proclamation of God’s goodness and how He blessed me with clarity of mind.  The ability to see what I need to accomplish that day as it relates to my consulting business and my personal brand.  I raved about about those crucial, yet “little” steps that helped me accomplish the goal I had set for the day.

And then, someone posted in the comments, Congratulations!  Wow!  I know you are thinking, what’s the big deal.  Well in that instance, right after I proclaimed the goodness of God for clarity of mind, I also thought why is this person congratulating me for the small steps that I just posted.  The it hit me. I was too focused on what I consider the bigger blessing, clarity of my mind, and not recognizing that each step that was revealed to me and the fact that I completed each one of them, is worth a congratulatory recognition or better an opportunity to praise God.

The steps (little things, little blessings) that were revealed to me through clarity of mind (big blessing) were just as important to give God glory.  In life’s journey, we should take time to appreciate the little things because they make the big things possible or are a result of the bigger blessing that God has for you.  When we appreciate the little things, it is much easier to live life gratefully.  And if we are ever challenged or reach a stumbling block, those little blessings can be a greater blessing to help you overcome anything that is thrown your way.  #TeamGrateful

Originally posted April 9, 2015 on www.druealons.com.

Grateful for my Facial Lines

Published on by Dru EalonsLeave a comment

I’m sure you are thinking this title is crazy.  Who in their right mind, especially a woman, would be thankful for the lines, creases or wrinkles on their face?

For me it is quite simple.  Each and every line under my eyes, on the sides of my mouth and the creases in my forehead represents every laugh, smile and joyous occasion and experience in my life.  They are the evidence of a great life!  Sure, I’ve had my share of low points and disappointments in the 42 years of my life, but have refused to allow them to consume me.
I remember back in 2015 there was a story about a woman who made a conscious decision not to smile and to control the muscles in her face for 40 years because she wanted to have beauty in her old age.  To her, beauty was void of wrinkles or any lines on her face.   That is an amazing amount of focus and quite impressive.  While that was the route she chose to preserve her outward beauty, and she does look great, I couldn’t imagine my life devoid of laughter, smiles or any other outward expression of joy!

file_000-1I’m not saying the aforementioned woman didn’t have a great life, I’m sure it was for her.  I am saying it is very important to embrace your inner joy with an outward expression because the “beauty marks” they leave can be a constant reminder to appreciate the God given joyous moments in your life.  In order to live life gratefully, we have to focus on the positive daily.  Not only must we focus on the positive, we must vigorously seek the positive in every situation, even the bad ones.

I could be sad that I have the wrinkles, creases and lines on my face, but I chose to see the positive.  For me, it’s not a sign of getting older, it is sign of the goodness of God in my life.  Every day when I look in the mirror, I see joy reflecting back at me. I see God’s twins, Grace and Mercy, permeating through each line.  It is all perspective.  Today, I ask that you focus on the positive in everything that comes your way. The good, the bad and the ugly.  There is always an opportunity to see the positive, if you are intentional about it.

Remember: “ALL things work together for the good of them that love the Lord and ARE called according to HIS purpose”. Allow Romans 8:28 to serve as a reminder, that God will always work it out for our good.  If you stay focused on your divine purpose and be intentional about seeking positivity, you are on the right road to living life gratefully.  In the meantime, I’m embracing the beauty my facial lines represent.  What are you grateful for today?  #TeamGrateful #LivingLifeGratefully