H.A.V.E.N. at Home by Julianne Pearson

In the 1939 film entitled “The Wonderful World of Oz,” Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) says one of the most memorable quotes of all times.  Can you guess which one I’m speaking of?  Let me help you.  It’s towards the end of the movie.  Dorothy has on those shiny, sparkling red shoes, and she’s clicking her heels together three times, all the while repeating this famous phrase.  Can you hear the words…“There’s no place like home.  There’s no place like home.  There’s no place like home.” 

      Home can mean so many different things to so many people.  However, I believe there is one universal Truth that home should be – that is a “haven”.  What is a haven?  It is a place of refuge, protection from danger and trouble.  Every home should be a safe place for the development of every family gem.  In order for the individuals of your family to wholeheartedly believe that there’s no place like home, allow me to share with you how to establish that type of abode. 

      Are you ready to make your home sweet?  Let’s get started as you pause for personal reflection and consider the current condition of your home in the light of these five key principles to making your home a h.a.v.e.n.:

     1.  Strive to create an atmosphere conducive for healing.

Is your home a safe place for the individuals in your family to be naked and unashamed about their cares, concerns, and hurts?  Is it a place of encouragement, exhortation, and inspiration?  Begin by deciding and choosing to make the threshold of your house the line of demarcation from the outside hostile environments they enter into and deal with on a daily basis.  This will begin to foster a family mindset that states, “Everything will be alright as soon as I get home.”

     2.  Develop the skill of acute awareness.

Be purposeful in your desire to see healing take place in your home by being sensitive to the slightest changes in the temperature of your home environment as well as the dispositions of each individual who lives in your abode.  For some, this will take discipline and much effort because they have become self-concerned, self-focused, and self-absorbed.  Look beyond yourself and attempt to be sensitive to the needs of those living within your sphere.

3.      Strive to operate from a voluntary self-sacrificing perspective.

In order to effectively operate from a voluntary self-sacrificing perspective, one must adequately develop the skill of acute awareness which equips him/her to look, listen, and fill the voids or needs of the home as well as those you are privileged to live with.  When you have been given the privilege to see a need (for example, a sink full of dishes) and you have the capacity to fulfill (bring to a place of wholeness) that need, there is no need to wait for someone to ask you to help.  Roll up your sleeves and get to work!  This perspective gives you the wonderful opportunity to re-present the King, Who is Love!

4.      View every individual in your family from an eternal perspective.

           

God created everyone for a particular purpose.  And since the time each of us arrived on earth, God has been envisioning us from that eternal perspective.  This is exactly how we should see each other – from God’s vantage point.  Without having an eternal perspective, you can become discouraged, frustrated, and unnecessarily angry at the temporary condition of your loved one’s soul – mind, emotions, and behavior.  Therefore, embracing their eternal perspective endows you with the grace to endure the tumultuous snap shot of their lives while you’re expecting the joyful release of their entire movie. 

5.      Consider your home a network of exceptional people.

Since God is a God of Purpose, understand that you have been divinely connected to your family for an eternal purpose.  When you endeavor to create a home that is conducive for healing through acute awareness and everyone begins striving to operate from voluntary self-sacrificing and eternal perspectives, networking can begin.  This is where the enhancement of the individuals has provoked the advancement of the whole family by capitalizing on each others’ strengths while minimizing the exposure of individual weaknesses.  Therefore, the family team comes alive where together (unity) there is excellence; however, when a-part (dissension) yields mediocrity.

I am hopeful you are encouraged to establish a home sweet home by personally embracing and reflecting these five key principles to creating a h.a.v.e.n.  Please know that you are only able to give what you possess.  Therefore, begin by establishing your personal h.a.v.e.n. (within you) and live from the inside out!  From experience, it’s worth the discipline and all the effort.  Your home will be a place like no other.  You may be surprised that some may never desire to leave!

© 2011 Julianne Pearson

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Celebrating My Champions by Julianne Pearson

A few days before Father’s Day 2010, my husband and I were having a heart to heart talk with our children.  Because of our commitment to healing the repetitive dysfunctional behaviors of our ancestors, my husband and I are quite naked and unashamed with them at times – to their chagrin.  However, like any natural hurt or wound, in order for it to heal properly eventually the Band-Aid has to be removed so that air can get to it.  Likewise, the spiritual hurts and wounds of our past must be aired constructively so that the proper healing can take place.

Therefore on this particular Father’s Day, it was Al’s opportunity to receive another level of healing through the power of confession.  As he poured out his heart, my heart actually began to ache in compassion for him like never before.  However, the interesting thing is, Al being naked and unashamed actually gave me a greater appreciation for all the challenges my own father had encountered, survived, and transitioned from this life in the process of conquering.

According to most relationship specialists, it is said that the fellowship (quality of a relationship) a daughter has with her father will be indicative to the fellowship she will have with her husband.  In essence, the qualities and characteristics of her father are an indication of the qualities and characteristics of the individual she chooses to date and eventually marry.  Although there are always exceptions to the rule, this is a prevailing premise.  Naturally, I followed the rule and married someone similar to my dad.

Yes, like any other human being, my father had some frailties and deficiencies; and so does my husband.  However on this particular day, God gave me an opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for one profound quality both of them share – Champion!

I define a champion as one who is a visionary and missionary who is accustomed to rising to the top – eventually!  Let me explain.  A visionary is an individual that has the ability to envision beyond their past disappointments and their present view.  However, a missionary is an individual that possesses the capacity to put into action or make a life-mission of what they envision.  Although many people visualize experiencing more, fewer people possess the missionary spirit to do something about what they envision.  In my opinion, those that forcefully advance with steps of faith to experience what they envision regardless of their past experiences and present circumstances are true Champions!

Similar to my dad, Al has been training to be someone neither one of them had the pleasure of experiencing as a child – an interactive father.  I say training because failure – in Al’s mind just like my dad – is not even an option.  Al is determined to be more, and therefore he continually strives to do more.   Subsequently, Al’s decision (mind-determination) and choices (faith in action) to persevere has broken a destructive family pattern, doing what was initially difficult until it became easy. 

Therefore, today I honor the Champions in my life – my dad and my husband.  Why don’t you join me?  If you have a true Champion in your life – a visionary and missionary – celebrate their efforts to be more which has empowered them to do more than what was done for them.  It is no easy feat!  And yet they have persevered, making their ceiling their children’s floor!  I promise you…because of this Championing spirit, Heaven rejoices!

© 2011 Julianne Pearson

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Do You Have H.E.A.R.T.? by Julianne Pearson

I’m sure like me you have heard players on a basketball court or football field yell passionately at a teammate who is messing up.  They yell out, “Man, put your heart into it!” or “You’re acting like you don’t have heart!”  In essence, the individual is being told that they don’t have what it takes to do what needs to be done.  Plain and simple, it appears that the player lacks the ability to produce in their position at a level that is necessary for the team to win.

       As I was preparing for a meeting one morning, this particular phrase rang in my spirit:    Do I have H.E.A.R.T.?  Do I have what it takes to produce in the position that I have been assigned at the level that will put the team in a position to win?  Let me tell you, I did not just limit this word “team” to my professional/business life.  My mind was given the freedom to ask the question, “Do I have H.E.A.R.T. in reference to every team assignment?”  There’s the husband/wife team, the family team, the church team, the friend team, etc. just to name a few (Believe me, there are more!).  Now I’m sure you can imagine how deep this one question penetrated my soul.  It was time for some self-inspection.

       By now you may have realized that I am not speaking about the muscle in the middle of our chests that rhythmically pumps blood throughout our bodies, keeping us alive.  You see, though all of us have a heart, we don’t all have H.E.A.R.T  Let me explain…

      Historically speaking, the heart was considered to be the “seat of the soul.”  Our soul is comprised of three entities:  (1) our MIND or the way we think; (2) our EMOTIONS or the way we feel; and (3) our WILL or the decisions and choices we make.  Therefore, our thinking patterns (mind) and the way we feel about people, situations, and circumstances (emotions) influence the decisions (will) we make, which ultimately determines the life we live.

       The heart is also symbolic of the “center and core of a thing.”  For example, hearts of romaine are the centers of romaine lettuce.  Likewise, it can be deduced that your heart is the center or core of who you are.

      With all of the above in mind, just as I had to take time for personal reflection that morning, I extend to you the same opportunity.  Do You Have H.E.A.R.T.?

       H = HOPE

      American Heritage Dictionary defines hope as “a wish or desire for something with expectation of its fulfillment.”  Hope is very necessary because faith is dependent upon the presence of hope (Hebrews 11:1); however, just having hope or a desire is not enough.  As an individual once stated, “Hope is not a plan.”  Therefore, we need more than just hope.  We need to have an…

      E = Expectation

      Remember the definition of hope is “a wish or desire for something with expectation of its fulfillment” {emphasis}.  Therefore, we all should have an expectation that our hope or desires will be fulfilled.  This expectation can be established through the devising of a plan or an outline that will layout how our hope (desires) can become a reality.  One very familiar acronym for plan is…

      P = Proactively

      L = Look to

      A = Act

      N = NOW!

      In layman’s terms, we should proactively look at what must be accomplished and then what goals should be set – short-term and long-term – that can ensure that our hope (desires) will be a reality in our lives.

      The building of a home does not begin without a plan or blueprint (expectation) of the home.  Yet unfortunately, often times we attempt to build something without writing the vision.  As my husband and business partner Al often says, “You must inspect what you expect.”  Therefore, without a written plan, it is difficult to expect or determine whether you are on track or not.  Hold up.  Wait a minute.  My apologies, I moved ahead of myself, because we need to take…

      A = Action

      Most of us operate as if just having a plan or outline is enough. Wrong!  We must apply action (discipline) to the plan for our desires to become a reality.  Having a cake recipe on a piece of paper is just a plan until we get all of the ingredients out and begin working the recipe so the desire of eating a delicious cake can become a reality to our taste buds.  Therefore, in order for a plan to be successful, it must jump from the pages into live performance and that is the responsibility of the builder – YOU!  No one is going to believe in your vision until you believe in your own vision enough to put it in to action yourself.

      I’ve heard some great ideas with great potential and that is exactly where they remained – in the state of potentiality never being given the opportunity of becoming a reality.  Why?  Unfortunately, some visionaries have enough vision to perform the lip service and not enough impetus to take the action (discipline) necessary for the manifestation of the plan.

      It’s time to start putting our action where our mouth is; but, we must understand that sometimes thing’s don’t always go as planned.  There are times our actions don’t produce the results we expected, at least not as quickly as we would like.  When this happens, we must equip ourselves with what I call the “twins of H.E.A.R.T.”:

      R = Resilience and

      T = Tenacity

      Resilience is the ability to “bounce back into shape.”  Regardless of how many times we make unwise choices or how many hindrances and obstacles come into our paths, resilience equips us with the capacity to get back up and keep acting on the plan we have established to accomplish our goals.  Resilience also provides us with the wisdom to know when our plans might need to be adjusted so that our expectations can be reached.  One definition of insanity is “doing the same things over and over again while expecting different results.”  If our plans are not yielding the results we desire, maybe it’s time to tweak our plans and make some adjustments.  However, we must never give up!  This leads us to tenacity.

      Most of us have heard the terminology of “bulldog tenacity.”  When a bulldog gets its teeth into something, it holds on for dear life.  Well, that is exactly what is required for us to have H.E.A.R.T.  NEVER EVER GIVE UP!  Once we have a hope (desire) within, an expectation (plan), and have applied action so the desire may become a reality, we must be fortified within that we will be resilient and tenacious – regardless!  Remember, anything worth having is worth the fight.

     

Now, I ask you the question again, “Do you have H.E.A.R.T.?”  Remember, this is something no one can give to you.  It’s all in you!

© 2011 Julianne Pearson

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