Motivation Monday- Purpose

Have you ever wondered what is YOUR purpose here on earth?

Why You exist?

Why you were made?

 PURPOSE : "the reason for which something exists or is done, made, or used."

I always knew that life is more the basketball, family, friends, my career

I knew that I God has called us to serve and love

I knew God has a purpose and a plan

It says in the bible "For I know the plans I have for you.." Jer. 29:11

But I had a hard time finding that plan for me

I had a hard time finding something I was passionate about

Seriously, I was lost

How do I find my purpose?

Fast forward 29 years, and lots of praying, self discovering, heart break, tears, anger and frustration and I am just now grasping that my purpose here on earth is not about me

Let me say that again, THIS LIFE IS NOT ABOUT ME

It is not about my family or friends

It is not about my career or even my wildest dreams or ambitions

(And I have BIG DREAMS!) 

If you want to know why you were placed on this planet

 you must begin with God

You and I were born by His purpose and for His purpose

"You were made by God and for God-and until you understand that, life will never make sense

It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny"

-Rick Warren

Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose

When we start looking outside ourselves

When we start living our life serving God by loving others

That is when we find our purpose

The easiest way for me to discover my purpose is to ASK GOD

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; 

knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7

This consisted of A LOT of praying for me

Praying for God to help me with my selfishness

Praying for God to show me how HE wants to use me

Praying that HE would guide me in the right direction 

Praying that HE would provide opportunities for me to serve

Praying for HIM to fire a passion in my heart

Last January 2012 and my roommate and I were talking about life

We both were in a rut in our careers and both felt we wanted more from life

This was the beginning of God tugging at my heart

This was when I knew I was created for more

My roommates mentor from high school sent her the prayer of Jabez that night:

"Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil." 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

I thought it couldn't hurt so I started praying that prayer everyday

Then that spring 2012 came

I was still in Seattle at this point working my athletics job at SPU 

I had been looking for ways for our athletes could get more involved in the community

I was searching for random charities and events that the SPU athletes could get involved with

I didn't even think about myself serving with them 

God had another idea...

I dont know why 

I don't remember how

But those charities were placed on my heart 

 I needed to contact them, so I did

I felt like my heart was going to burst with excitement

With purpose

With anxiety

With fear

All rolled into one!

That was the year I found one of my passions

I am head over heels in love with dedicating my life to helping children with pediatric cancer and illness

I know now that St. Jude and Make-A-Wish had been charities that were placed on my heart for a reason back in 2012 and that was just the beginning 

With Gods help I was able to get involved in Seattle 

St. Jude "Up ti Dawn" fundraiser 

St. Jude Half marathon in Nashville 

NEGU 5k in Cali

I long to help 

I long to provide

I long to serve

I am sure of it

You know those pictures of famous people going into children's hospitals or fulfilling a wish?

They can instantly make a child smile

 I dream of having that ability one day being able to make children smile instantly

Smiles of JOY

Feelings of HOPE

Sense of LOVE

Sharing FAITH

Can you imagine having that ability?! 

But right now I am doing my best to follow what God has placed in front of me, with the resources He has given me, and of course the passion He has placed in my heart

So whether I am organizing a toy drive, running a race, climbing stairs, organizing fundraisers

Whether I am in Seattle, ARIZONA or AFRICA 

I desire to spread more faith, hope, love and joy to those children who are in need

Is this my only purpose for my life?

I have other deep passions and big dreams

But what I do know God set my heart on fire two years ago for children

His children who are in need of HOPE

He broke my heart for what breaks His 

I am going to continue to ask God to show me

Use me for His Glory

AND guess what month is Childhood Cancer Awareness month?

September!

Which happens to be my birthday month 

Coincidence? 

Maybe another way God is reassuring me :) 

Jessie Rees Foundation 

St. Jude Up til Dawn

Make-A-Wish 

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Therefore, GO

"Therefore, GO"

A command from God that used to make my stomach turn

When I was growing up I told my mom

"God would never send me to Africa, right?"
Then my stomach would go into knots

And that point in my life, I thought God's commandment sent everyone to Africa

I know now that is NOT the case

However, deep down I think Africa came into my mind because I knew I was going one day
Which made me even more mad at Him!
Why would He send me somewhere I didn't WANT to go!

Two years ago, I could not comprehend that our God is loving and compassionate

I could not comprehend that He would never force us to do anything 

He would change our hearts to eventually see that His plans are better

Which is exactly what He did with my heart 

From Enumclaw, WA

To Addis ababa, Ethiopia 

I still cant quite comprehend what is about to happen the next ten days
I do know we will be visiting a few charities that are doing amazing things
I know we will be immersed in the Ethiopian culture
... the bad, beautiful and the brokenness

I know I will see things that will break my heart 

I know there will be times I wont know what to do or say

There will be things I wont ever understand

But I also know I will see His beauty

 I will see His love shining through others 

I will see things that fill my heart with joy 

I know God will be present in everything 

All our donations are packed, my carry-on and airport outfit laid out
It still doesn't seem real
I am not anxious yet not quite perfect peace
But I am rested
I am being restored
I know I am changing for His purpose

I never thought I would get to this spot in my life where traveling would be my passion

Traveling to see Gods love in the world's brokenness

Traveling to see Gods beauty through His people

Traveling to experience rich culture, extreme poverty & extreme JOY despite poverty

My prayer is that I will forever be changed from these experiences

"A man's steps are directed by the Lord. 

How then can anyone understand his own way." 

Proverbs 20:24 

 I don't fully understand why this trip just yet, but I know there is a reason

Tonight I sit outside my parents house in small town USA Enumclaw, WA

Tomorrow I will be across the world to Ethiopia

Only God 

--------------- 

My blessing is this. 

I know a God who loves the unlovable. 

I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. 

I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. 

And I know a God who has planted this same power within me. 

Within all of us.

And for this blessing, may our response always be, "Use me."

- Scott Dannemiller 

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A Night in Paris (or Italy)

Ok, ok, not really in actual Paris, France

Bu with the smell, music and lighting it seemed like we were!

 

Through my job at Seattle Pacific, I meet a lot of students

(one of the best things about my job by far!)

 

Christa, has been a student-worker, turned great friend over the past couple years

She was with me from the beginning when my passion started with childrens charities

She was there with me to visit Memphis for a St. Jude event

She was there when we pulled off the 2nd highest fundrasier in the region for St. Jude

She was there for me when I needed someone to fill in for an athletic event

She has been there for me almost all of my time at SPU

And this past summer I was able to be there for her when she married the man of her dreams

She is just one of many examples of student-workers turning into great relationships

 

On top of being a student and a wife, Christa is an excellent cook!

From someone who can barley boil an egg without complications

I jumped on this opportunity when she asked me to comeover and cook!
Yes, please share with me some of your cooking wisdom

 

So one night last week we opened a bottle of Pellegrino and made gnocchi

(Dont worry, I didnt know what it was either)

 

 

A Night in Paris (or Italy)

 

Cooking by Christa

Photos and taste tester by Jessie

 

Love the white lights she added!

Pandora station "Cafe Paris"

 

 

Christa and her husband Jeffrey

 

 

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WILW- AdvoCare style

Happy Wednesday!
 

This week's What I  Love Wednesday I am doing an AdvoCare theme

No secret that I am passionate about AdvoCare 

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you can see my passion has only grown

The supplements have changed my life and the income has increased my dreams

-------------------  

5 Reasons (out 6216355) Why I LOVE AdvoCare This Week 

1) Spark

You guys this stuff has changed my life! 

When my friend told me I had to give up coffee for the 24 Day Challenge I thought - no way! 

I loved my coffee. BUT since my first Spark over a year ago, I have not had one cup of coffee! 

Spark gives me 3-5 hours of lasting energy, 21 vitamins & minerals AND its is  SO good! 

This is the best selling product by AdvoCare for a reason! 

Fruit Punch is my favorite but you can check here for other yummy flavors! 

2)  Oasis

Stressed? No problem! 

Oasis contains a combination of super fruits known for their antioxidants that 

helps your body adapt to physical and other sources of stress. 

Work has been a little stressful this week so Oasis has been my nighttime comfort

I have been drinking it extra hot before bedtime to wind down..

...and good night! 

3) Healthy Lifestyle

Yes, AdvoCare has over 70 products

Yes, AdvoCare has world-class endorsers, doctors and a sports advisory

Yes, AdvoCare products are safe for ALL NCAA, Pro and Olympian athletes

But it is SO much more than all those reasons

Even as a NCAA student-athlete I never knew how to eat clean

I didn't know how to fuel my body correctly

I drank Rockstar at halftime for goodness sake- YUK!

After I graduated I was lost on what to do and discouraged!

Thankfully, AdvoCare does more than sell products to achieve goals

It teaches how to properly eat right to sustain a healthy and balance lifestyle 

Finally, I learned how to eat right

I learned how to fuel my body correctly to optimize my workouts

A healthy lifetime habit

4) Amazing New Friends

AdvoCare is all about relationships

Finding what the goals and desires of the ones you are helping

You get rewarded in this company for helping others win- so cool!

Through this philosophy I have made many new friends along the way

I have an amazing team I am coaching to achieve their fitness goals & financial dreams 

5) I get to dream BIG!

I was SO passionate about what these products were doing in my life I had to share it with my friends and family and because AdvoCare can only be purchased through a distributor, the business of AdvoCare kinda just fell into my lap 

I saw the business potential right away!

The founder of AdvoCare wanted a company that ordinary people could achieve extraordinary salaries

I am on my way to make-up my salary at SPU by THIS summer! 

That is only a year and a half of working 3-5 hours/wk  

I never set out to be a "vitamin" distributor

I did set out to impact people and I am doing that daily

You know what  else AdvoCare has done for me?

I got permission to DREAM BIG

My first paycheck was $150

Now, I am on my way to becoming debt free 

I will pay cash for my mission trip to Africa

I can give more than I ever thought possible to charities

 I would love to share more!

Jessiechristensen11@gmail.com

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Falling for Fall

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile.” 

It is funny because I never considered myself as a runner but I keep signing up for races!

I will be running run/walk in the Seattle Half December 1st

Yes, that is less than two months to train

I dont know about you but getting up early in the morning to run is hard

Need me to get up early for Starbucks or a Seahawks game? Easy

However, knowing I have a small amount of time ot train I knew I had to get this run in

Not only do you always feel better afterward, it was a beautiful Seattle fall morning

I know I say this all the time but Seattle is the most beautiful city in the fall

view along the greenlake path this morning

Around my neighborhood

I could walk around these streets for hours and just daydream

 What is your favorie thing about fall?

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What I am Lovin' Wednesday

Today was a pretty exhausting day

Rushing from meetings and bombarded with details about this week

I was drained of my strength

BUT 

Just when I thought this day was a bust and I was going to give myself a pity party

I was able to get away after work for a bit to workout with a friend I have not seen in awhile

We met at Queen Anne track and had a great workout but more importantly a great conversation

You know that feeling when you leave from a visit with a friend and you are just encouraged and filled up? It is no wonder we are called to be in fellowship with believers

He provided the right time for my friend to meet me to workout

He provided the sunshine an crisp, fall air

He provided fellowship and great conversation 

Our dreams He has placed on our hearts 

He provided everything I needed today

For the first time in a long time I am at peace 

About work

My life

Where God is taking me and molding me

I see it daily in the small things

For once I see Gods hand on my life

Everyday I wake up with expectation that He will show up

Take my hand to lead

Take my anxiety and stress away

Give me the strength when I feel weak

Give me wisdom when I am without words

And guess what?

He provides 

Every.Single.Day 

Other things I am loving this week!

Makes my heart happy

There are a million reasons why I love AdvoCare but receiving a texts like these is an amazing feeling!

As you know September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

To be the change you want to see in the world, you don't have to be strong. 

You don't have to be to wealthy. You don't have to be influential. 

You just have to be COMMITTED.

I am committed to bringing faith, hope and love to children all around the world

#bigdreams #yesiboughtthesweatshirt

"Wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope, I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning."

Psalm 130:5-6 

Lastly, I am loving my parents!

They have been dreaming about traveling together for awhile and they finally left today for Ireland!

It is bittersweet for my siblings and myself because as much as we are so happy for them, it is going to be so hard not being able to talk to them for 10 days! 

Yes, I am extremely blessed and talk to my parents almost daily

I am just so excited for them and praying for safe and exciting travels 

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