Change

Season of Breakthroughs (Podcast #127 and transcript 8:46)

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When I was little, I didn’t find the story of the hare and the turtle interesting. The turtle sounded slow and boring to me. Only when I grew up did I realize that little story actually holds the secret of getting breakthroughs.

Transcript

Hi Everyone! Thank you for listening to the Sabbath Café Podcast. This is Michele. It’s so good to see you again. Lately I’ve noticed many breakthroughs in the areas I’ve been focusing on. Some I’ve been working on for months, and some I’ve been planning for years. It’s so exciting to see these changes happening, and I’ve been very encouraged. I wanted to come on this space to share some of that encouragement with all of you. And here’s my story

This season, there’s been a lot of changes. We moved into our house 5 years ago. We haven’t been able to really get things set up, and just 2 weeks ago, we finally rearranged and set up our living space. Which is amazing because we had all these ideas and plans through out the years, and just nothing clicked… we didn’t have that synergy moment. Finally… we were able to get this project done over a weekend!

And so it’s just amazing to me. That seem to sum up a lot what I’ve been going through in this season. It’s that there are quite a few things that I’ve been involved in where we’re making slow progress… like snail paced… one step at a time… one step at a time… and just not really seeing much result, And yet suddenly… like in the last month or two…we just saw a lot of things starting to shift… whether it’s with my husband’s work, or with my father’s health.

I think some of you who’s been following the podcast know that I was care-taking for my father for the last couple of months… so a lot of things just feel like that old adage, right? The hare and the turtle. The race between the hare and the turtle – and slow and steady wins the race. And I really felt like it just so exciting to see breakthroughs.

I was actually taking him to his chiropractor today, and I noticed his fingers are moving a little bit more. And it’s amazing because that’s what was affected. I don’t even think my dad saw that, but I saw that. And it so encouraged me that we’re going down the right path. It so encouraged me. And it just made the last 6 months of countless hours of chauffeuring, of driving… just so worth it. It’s interesting because this is the accumulation of all those times, all those little pieces, little steps we took towards that.

And it just reminds me… because the world we live now, we love instant downloads. I used to joke around that we are the “microwave generation.” I like my water heated up in 30 seconds rather than boiling on the stove for minutes, right? We can have things cooked in seconds… we have downloads in seconds, milliseconds. We like to have things instantaneously, but I realize that… if you want change that lasts… if you want significant breakthrough or shifts. Or if you want to learn a craft… most of the time, it takes a long time. It requires a process of small steps to get there. The process takes a while. But if you continue to take small steps, you will get there. You’re just have to keep going… even when you don’t see anything changing. Even when you don’t see any encouragement.

And even with my podcast it’s similar. Many of you just started to tune into me probably in the last 6 months or so… but I’ve been working on this podcast, I was just looking at it, for 3 years. it took me at least 2 years of making episodes until it hit a stride.

Also some of you know that I’m an artist. I found my old sketchbook. And I realized I started a sketch book as just a pure novice – having no skills, no lessons, nothing. My first step, first venture into this creative realm was 10 years ago. 10 years ago. And just looking through my sketch book it really reminded me how far I’ve come.

And so I’m just looking at all of these things today, it took me 10 years… of just this consistent…taking steps toward that one goal. Consistently just taking steps. I think if there’s one expectation I had of myself… it’s to continue to engage.

Begin again. I learned that great phrase – to begin again. That has just helped me tremendously in my journey. To begin again is an idea of where you just pick up where you left off and you just continue forward.  You allow yourself that grace to just continue forward. And what I find is that you remember a lot of these past skills. The work you put into it, it has created a certain pattern – an imprint in you, so that when we begin again and move forward, we’re not moving forward from scratch. Most of the time, it’s actually good, because you’re moving forward, you’re remembering those old skills, but there’s something that’s just a little bit different than before, because you’re different now. And that’s how I feel… is that I’m different, after those breaks, and so my creativity projects, my creation, and even my podcasts and things… they’ll take on a different spin. They’ll take on a different light. And then I kind of run with that. Slow and steady. Just keep taking the next step. Begin again and take the next step.

And so it’s been a wonderful breakthrough season for me. And I just want to encourage you if you’re also in that journey where you feel like you keep taking that thousand-step journey, and you don’t know where you’re going, and you’re in the middle? You’re in the “messy middle” as we like to call it. I just want to encourage you that you’re on the right path. You’re on the right track. You may not see anything happening, but remember that inspiration that got you started. And just take the next step. Keep walking through that next door that opens up. .

Breakthrough are breakthroughs because they’re unexpected. They’re the suddenlies. But you won’t see it until the breakthroughs are right in front of you… which is like a split second. But breakthroughs happen because of a consistent journey… because of that slow and steady journey. All we have to do is to re-engage with the process. Re-engage with the process and take that next step. Keep taking that next step. And if you don’t know how, just begin again!

Eventually, you will see that breakthrough around the corner. Even if you feel like it’s the messy middle. I just want to encourage you… whatever journey you are on… If you felt discouraged, it’s okay. Take a break, take care of yourself, and then begin again

This is the season for me to see a lot of different breakthroughs. And I’ve been so encouraged, and I wanted to pass that encouragement to you. Keep going, keep walking. It’s okay if you’re in the messy middle. And slow and steady, you will win that race.

God bless you, thank you for listening to Sabbath Café, and we will see you next time.

Changing seasons and finding closure (Podcast #126 and transcript 6:31)

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I just finished a pretty busy season recently, and took a journaling break. What I discovered was unexpected, but exactly what I needed to finally have closure. Here’s my story.

Download the bonus guided journal worksheetDownload

Transcript

Hi everyone welcome to the Sabbath cafe podcast.  I hope you’re doing well.  

The last couple of months really felt like they flew by for me because since January I started helping out my parents. I helped them with some part time care-taking and I also drove them to their physical therapy appointments.     

Also, my husband started a new job.  And to make things work, we had to really make sure that we’re on a strict schedule so I can help with my parents and still make sure my family’s needs are met.  And that turned out to be a lot of work for me.  Thankfully, the therapy program finished recently and so my schedule is more flexible now. 

And just reaching this milestone and seeing how my parent’s condition have improved, I was so encouraged. Now you’d think that this would mean my stress level would come down.  But for some reason, my emotions were still wound up really tight.  And so I realized that I probably need to sit down and unwind my thoughts.  So one afternoon, I had some time, and I decided to journal.

And journaling is my go to tool to try and process my thoughts anytime I feel like I have a lot of emotions jumbled together or I feel like my thoughts are going way too fast and I’m not quite sure how to change or shift them… I would purposely spend some time journaling. All I’m doing is just to write out my internal thoughts on paper.  And then, when I’m able to see what my real concerns and perhaps even uncover underlying fears,  then I’m able to actually deal with these issues and move forward.  

And what’s interesting was that as I was writing down my thoughts, I started to see how much of my heart and my thoughts still revolved around my parents and my caretaking role. I discovered that emotionally, I wasn’t quite ready to let go yet. 

Actually, their recovery process is only about half finished.  But, over and over again, I sense the Holy Spirit speaking to me that this is a good time for me to take a step back.  And God reminded me about the things I’ve put on hold, and that includes my own family’s needs. And even though I am still helping out with my parents,  it’s actually a good time for me to shift my focus back to my own life and continue down my path.  

And I find myself asking… “But they’re still in the middle of this healing journey.  If I let go, then who will help them?”  And that’s when God reminded me about what things looked like back in January… and it was pretty difficult.  And to see how far we’ve come, and how much things have improved. It just really hit me how faithful God has been through the whole process.  He was  the one who started us down this path of healing.  He was the one who took care of my family, and answered my prayers. And that He will be faithful even in the next season.  And it’s time now for me to let go of the responsibilities I took up in the last season, and to entrust my family to God so I can start my new season too.

After I had processed though these thoughts with God, I felt much more at Peace.  Even though my family’s healing process is not finished yet, I feel much more ready to release them into God’s hands.  In a sense, through this time of journaling and reflection, God was teaching me how to have closure.  Even when my emotions may not be ready to let go, but when I took the time to reflect and think back on this last six months, and how faithful God has been.  I was more ready to trust God with all of the questions I still had. 

After I went though this exercise, it really helped with my attitude. I find myself having an easier time trusting God about my family, and becoming more excited to see what new things God has in store for me. 

Often, we’d go through life changes without spending time to reflect on what happened before or to dialog with God about any questions we still have.  Even if we move into the next season, these lingering thoughts may open doors to doubts or regrets in the future. I’m grateful that God didn’t ignore any of my concerns and He helped me work though them, so I can be at peace moving forward.  

If there are any questions or thoughts from your past that often pop up, I would encourage you to not ignore those thoughts and to dialog with God about them.  Maybe you can find closure and peace in those areas too.   

And to help with that process, I’ve created a guided journal PDF.  You can find the PDF and transcript for this podcast at www.sabbathcafeblog.com.  

Thank you so much for listening and we’ll see you next time!             

Podcast #123 – Small Steps Lead To Big Changes (5:26)

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I’ve been watching lots of 15 second mini videos lately. It’s easy to forget how much time it actually takes to bake a cake or cook a meal. Real life moves at a much slower pace. The road to success often starts with small and ordinary steps and takes much longer than 15 seconds.

Welcome to the Sabbath Cafe Podcast. This is episode 123: Small steps lead to big changes 

When I was younger, I used to want to do “big and great things” that can influence a lot of people. But as I get older, I’m learning that in order to do the “big things”, I need to start taking small steps because it’s these small steps that will help build up the skills and experiences that I need to eventually tackle something bigger and more significant.  

I lived next to a piano teacher when I grew up.  Everyday, I’d listen to the beautiful piano music that flowed out of her house.  And after a lot of begging, my mom finally agreed to let me take piano lessons.  However, when I started taking piano lessons, it was nothing like the beautiful music I’ve heard her play… Instead, I was only doing beginner exercises that sounded a lot like chopsticks, and I felt like I was fighting with my small and stiff fingers all the time. 

Like everyone who’s ever learned an instrument can tell you, these early lessons are repetitive and very easy.  But, even though these basic exercises feels simple and maybe a bit boring, it’s actually very important to practice them every day, and do them correctly.  Because they build muscle memory and muscle strength that your fingers need to play the piano well. And eventually, one small exercise after another, I could finally play those beautiful and sophisticated piano pieces like my teacher.   

Now a days, we’re so used to seeing a project competed in 15 second videos that we tend for forget that real learning takes time. And real change takes time too. And the process of learning and doing the work often don’t come with the “instant gratifications” that we get from scrolling on our phones. But, when we are persistent, and we continue to take small steps in the right direction. and that we take the time to do work of learning and growing, we get the ultimate satisfaction of finally having real and meaningful growth, and accomplish changes that will last. 

I recently found my old sketch book. To be honest, the pictures looked like kindergarten art projects. Back then, I was simply curious about drawing and sketching, and I made all sorts of mistakes. But when I looked through the pages, it was amazing to see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve grown in the last 10 years. When I started, I had never imagined that my skills can grow to where they are today.   And all I did was simply to keep drawing, keep sketching, and keep creating. Some of my sketches went straight to the waste basket, and a few eventually made it into art shows.  Now looking back, I can see that I learned something from every project whether they looked good or not. Every project taught me something, and they all helped me get to where I am today. 

And I seem to follow the same learning process in the other areas of my life too… When I was working through my anxiety issues, I also started with simple daily habits that eventually helped me to manage my anxiety much better.  

And through these things, I’ve learned the value of making small changes, and the value of doing the little things consistently. These little steps is what it takes for me to accomplish the final goal.  I’ve learned not to despise my small beginnings, and to be patient with the process even when I don’t see the results yet.  

Maybe you also feel discouraged about some of your projects, but don’t give up.  Be persistent and do the next thing.  Our journeys are all different.  Take your next step, and do it well.  Before you know it, you too will reach your destination.  Real learning and real change takes time. Don’t despise these small beginnings because small beginnings can and will lead to big changes. 

And that’s it for this episode.  Did anything specific come to mind as you were listening to today’s podcast?  What are some small steps you can maybe take in those areas?  I hope you can take a few minutes and just write them down.    

Thank you so much for listening, and I hope today’s podcast has encouraged you.  Have a wonderful week, and we’ll see you next  time. 

Podcast #122- Turning A Problem Into An Upgrade (5:20)

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Whether it’s a hotel room or a plane seat, I love getting upgrades. Wouldn’t it be great if life is full of upgrades? Here is my recent “upgrade” story.

Ever since the pandemic, I often hear about shortages of many things.  I’m glad that I haven’t ran out of toilet paper.  I’ve always been able to find exactly what we needed when we needed it. However, recently, I did run into my own “empty shelf” experience. 

One weekend, I needed to get a health supplement for my husband. It’s a natural remedy that works really well for his  medical condition. I used to get them from my local grocery store. But when I got there, what I saw was the dreaded empty shelf.  In fact, it’s not just an inventory issue.  It looked like the store simply stopped carrying it.  It was really frustrating because I had a hard time finding it before.  And now, it seems like the only store that was carrying it is not an option anymore. And I have to start the search all over again. 

And of course my first reaction was panic. It was Sunday morning and we really needed it.  And when my only option didn’t pan out, I felt frustrated.  When I run into an problem, I often feel panic and my mind just blanks out.  Frustration and panic aren’t very helpful emotions.  They make me feel like I want to curl up into a ball and just hide in a corner… which doesn’t help at all to solve the problem. 

Thankfully, I know my own tendencies well. I took a deep breath, and waited for all these feelings to pass.  Deep down, I knew God has a solution.  Even though I felt overwhelmed emotionally, they are just temporary.   And when I calmed down, God reminded me that we actually had another store really close by that offered more organic products.  Sure enough, a quick search confirmed it.  When I got to that store, there wasn’t just one item like my old store had. There was a whole isle full of organic supplements.  And many of these were even on sale!  I never have to worry about finding these again!  

Suddenly, I understood what this lesson was all about. I don’t know why, but when I run into problems, instead of asking for help, I tend to feel like I have to solve it all on my own.  And for a while now, God’s been reminding me to learn to ask Him for help.   But I’ve been hesitant because I don’t like to change the way I do things.  So I’ve been resisting him.  I know, right?  Why do we resist the goodness of God?  Well, change is inevitable in life.  And God’s solution often is so much better and easier than I could ever dream of. When I run into problems, He really is always my best bet. 

Walking with God isn’t just about changing the way I do things.  It’s often about changing the way I think about things. Over and over again, God reminds me that He is ready and willing to help me through any challenge.  If only I would invite Him into my situation, He is happy to work with me to resolve any problem I have.  And this “empty shelf” situation was yet another learning opportunity for me.  As soon as I asked God to show me what He has planned, I found an even better option.  God has upgraded my supplier situation.   And at the same time, He also upgraded my experience of Him as my provider. 

When we run into an obstacle, because of our own perception, we often only see the problem itself.  I’m starting to realize that what first looks like a “problem” often ends up being God’s way of showing me a different and better solution. The key is if I’m willing put aside my initial frustrations and my own perceptions and simply ask Him to show me what He sees instead. 

So what obstacles have you run into lately?  Maybe God also has a better solution waiting for you.  Let’s invite Him into your situation and see what upgrades He has in mind for you. 

Processing Through Anger

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This is a hard topic to write about because no one likes to face or think about our own anger or negativity.  I grew up around family members who had a tendency to have angry outbursts. Part of me still feels very traumatized by these episodes. Never did I think that I could also lose control like them. I understand that feeling angry itself is not a sin. Even Jesus was angry on many occasions. However, I am still responsible for my actions and words when I’m angry.  A while back, there were a few occasions where I lost control in anger and said some hurtful things to loved ones. Someone finally confronted me about my unacceptable behavior. It was then I had to acknowledge to myself about the deep frustrations I’ve been experiencing.

photo of bare tree under cloudy sky

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

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A Path To Peace

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I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned on managing anxiety. In the process, it became clear how deeply personal my journey has been. I wish there’s an “easy button” to banish anxiety for good, but that’s just not the case. However, changing my mindset and learning life skills in the right areas have helped me cope with stress much better. I know everyone has their unique set of challenges. All I can do is share my experiences in hope that it may be encouraging and helpful to those who may have similar struggles like me. Here, I will give a quick overview, highlighting the key elements that made major differences in my life. Eventually, I hope to discuss and explain these areas in more detail.

long-path-in-grass-picjumbo-com

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Thoughts about 2017

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The clock just struck midnight, and it is now officially the last day of 2017.  In the past, I took the last days of the year to meditate and think about the future directions.  This year, however, I’m doing something different.  I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed in the last twelve months.

2017B

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The Changing of Seasons

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Last week was the fall equinox, which marked the beginning of the fall season. The afternoon sun already started to take on an orange glow. I lived in the Pacific Northwest for a few years, and the seasonal changes there are especially prominent. As soon as October hits, all of the leaves turned into shades of red and started to fall.  There and then I understood why the fall season was aptly named “fall.” The aroma of apple cider and cinnamon filled the air. Pumpkins appeared on every porch. I loved how the seasons were so clearly defined. It gave me a clear message that summer was over. It’s time to enjoy the apple harvest and get ready for winter.

Similarly, we also have seasons in our spiritual lives. There are “spring” seasons where new relationships and opportunities blossom.  There are “winter” seasons where all outward growths seem to stop. However, even though we are very familiar with seasonal changes in the natural, most of us are not aware of how to adapt to the seasonal changes in the spiritual.

Leaves.Victor.Hanacek

Photo by picjumbo.com

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A Guilt-Free Resolution

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We always make new year’s resolutions in January… and about a few weeks into the year, that resolution resolve quickly turns into resolution guilt. Do I hear an amen out there? Unfortunately, I know that cycle only too well.  What if this year, we make new resolutions to not live in guilt nor be motivated by guilt anymore?  What if we decided to live guilt-free lifestyles? Continue reading →

Moving Break

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Back in January, I asked God what He had in store for me this year. And the theme He showed me was “Upgrade.” Sure enough, the last 8 months have been full of changes that turned out to be upgrades. Continue reading →