Abide with me, fast falls the eventide
The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide
When other helpers fail and comforts flee
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me
Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away
Change and decay in all around I see
O Thou who changest not, abide with me
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness
Where is death's sting?
Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee
In life, in death, o Lord, abide with me
Abide with me, abide with me
Think about those words for just a minute. So powerful. The last few years have certainly been overwhelming and dark. But God, our unchanging God, is the constant source of peace and joy that we can always look to. He is the true source of joy that all of us are searching for.
When life seems too much to bear, when life feels heavy and burdens seem unending, God is there with open arms ready to receive us. He won't force himself upon us, but he is always ready and willing to be there for us when we reach out to him. He will truly abide with us. One of the definitions of abide is to accept or act in accordance with. When we accept God into our lives and live according to His commandments he will be with us. He will truly abide with us.
I've been asked why I choose to believe in a God who lets bad things happen? Why do I choose to live a strict life full of rules and commandments? My answer is this, I want God to abide with me. I want to have his love in my life. I want to feel like a warm blanket of comfort is surrounding me. I have felt this warmth. I have felt His love and nothing compares. The blessings I can get from keeping the commandments far outweigh what others may think I'm missing out on. I may not get to see all the fruit of my labors in this life. I am far from perfect and need the atonement in my life every single day, but I choose to keep fighting. Satan's attacks will not stop. He wants us to be miserable like he is. We have more power than him. I know in the end, good will triumph over evil. One day Christ will come again and when that day comes I hope I can stand by him in gratitude and with a feeling of belonging. I want to belong on his team. I want to abide with him and have him abide with me! I have seen too many miracles, too many tender mercies, too many wrong things made right because of the Savior that I cannot stand with him.
Blessings,
Let me set the stage for you: We were staying in a travel trailer that my Grandma has on her property. This trailer kinda has a funky smell and it isn't used very often so it's dusty.
I had been telling my Husband that I wouldn't want to live in a trailer. That it would be incredibly hard and I honestly wouldn't like it. The bathroom is small, the oven is smaller than a regular oven, basically everything is small. The whole thing shakes when someone moves, the toilets are hard to flush, and the kids can't run around like they want to. There are many reasons, but I personally wouldn’t enjoy it with 5 children. I know there are nice ones out there, but this particular one wasn't very nice.
Just after I got done talking about it with my husband my daughter walks up to me and says, "Mom, this trailer would be like a mansion to a homeless person." I responded, "Yes, you are probably right." It was like God himself came down and smacked me upside the head to remind me how blessed I am.
Her comment left me pondering how ungrateful I probably sounded. How blessed I am and how I need to recognize the little things I take for granted every day. It also made me not want to complain about my circumstances. I thought about how it would feel to be homeless and how it would feel to not know where the next meal for our family would come from.
Her comment has stayed with me all week. What words of wisdom from my beautiful, caring, and wise 7 year old.
This has led me to think about some thoughts that have had a powerful effect on how much gratitude I feel in my life. Maybe some of these will resonate with you today and help you recognize how blessed you are.
Did you once pray for the things you have now?
Most likely someone else wishes they had what you had.
If you don't have to worry about buying the basic necessities of life you are lucky.
If you don't have to worry about where you're next meal will come from you are extremely fortunate. (41 million Americans will wonder where their next meal will come from)
If you have indoor plumbing you are better off than 60% of the world
If you don't live in extreme poverty you are better off then 9.2% of the world. (About 42 million people in the US live in poverty which is about 7.5% of the population of the US)
If you have the ability to read this you are extremely blessed to have an education and an electronic device.
There are many many others but these ones should get you thinking about each person who lives on this planet and how much you have been blessed with. It can be a mind blowing experience.
Have a Blessed Day,
Christy and the family
]]>Today we decided to do something a little different. We have decided to share with all of you one of the most important pages of our February edition of our Christ-Centered gratitude journal. February brings Valentines Day, a day we think about love and relationships. What about the relationship we have with our Savior? How do you feel his love in your life. I believe our next journal will be really fun to explore how you feel God's love. Read the following excerpt taken from the journal below:
The Names of Christ
God loves us perfectly, he knows exactly who we are and what we struggle with. He knows how to succor us and how to lift us. He knows what we need before we ask for it and he wants us to seek Him and to trust Him.
Jesus Christ our Savior was sent to this earth by his loving Father as a gift to each of us. Heavenly Father was willing to sacrifice his only begotten son so that we can have a chance of returning back to him. Jesus Christ was willing and he offered to do it out of his love and compassion for all of us. His gift to us is the greatest gift we will ever receive.
Because God loves us he has given us many things. Some of those things include commandments, the ability to make
covenants, families, friends, scriptures, miracles, and so much more. In this journal we will explore different things that help us to see the love of God in our lives and to feel of the tender mercies that he shows to us, especially in our times of need.
For this journal I decided reach out to you to find out how each of you feel the love of God in your life. I surveyed many of you through social media in various ways and asked how you feel God's love in your lives. Asking this question has been really rewarding and fun. I loved hearing how you all feel God's love in your lives. There were many who said that they just can't narrow it down. Others said they don't thank there Heavenly Father enough for all the ways he shows them that he loves them daily. Each of the questions in this journal have been inspired by all of the answers I received.
Creating gratitude journals has had me asking myself why do I keep creating more and more Christ-centered gratitude journals? The answer came pretty quickly, true joy comes from the Savior, Jesus Christ and His gospel. His light is what shines as a beacon of hope to a world where confusion, contention and uncertainty runs rampant. Through Him all things are possible. Through Him peace and joy are capable and available to us.
So why gratitude? Gratitude changes your perspective of life. It can shift your focus from lack to abundance, it can help you wake up each morning thinking about the positive things in your life that come because of the Savior. It can help you remember when everything in life seems bleak there is always something to be grateful for, there is always something worth fighting for.
Sister Susan H. Porter said, “God’s love is not found in the circumstances of our lives but in His presence in our lives.” In Ephesians 5:20 it says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.” There are at least 50 references just in the Bible that talk about giving thanks to God. God wants us to thank him in all things because with Him that all things are possible.
If we want to feel God's love more in our lives I believe it starts with us. It starts with seeing the things he has already done for us. Then it takes consistent effort to learn of Him, to listen to His words, and then to act. In D&C 19:23 it says, "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." Sometimes walking means enduring pain, still moving forward when someone we loves passes on, still showing up for the people you love when you're hurting inside, working hard when you feel like giving up, and so many other things. When things feel bleak and the world seem to be too hard to handle having the faith to keep on going will carry us through. God's hands are always stretched forth. All wrong will be made right. God knows best what we need and if we will trust Him and move forward with faith we will find the peace we are searching for.
Blessings,
"This is so delicious, Mom, tank yoo so muc for buying this yogurt, it's delicious!" said my two year old as she is jumping up and down in the middle of my kitchen. Her precious little reaction melted my Mom heart and I was incredibly grateful we bought them for her. I was so grateful that my daughter was eating. You see, it's been 1 solid week since she hasn't been sick with a terrible stomach bug. She would seem to get better and then, bam! it would hit again. After 1 week she's still not back to normal, but at least she's feeling better. Seeing her eat and enjoy what she was eating was an amazing sight.
I picked up a tube of sausage off the shelf in the store and pretended to throw it at my husband. I knew he wasn't paying attention, so I didn't actually throw it, but I sure made him flinch. Then once I got his attention I actually threw it to him. As I was walking to get something else a lady I passed chuckled and we both had a good laugh about how I made my husband flinch.
Weee, my daughter says as she's flying through the air on a zipline at the park. Her face was the face of pure joy. She was happy and nothing in the world mattered in that moment than what she was doing. She wasn't thinking about the clothes she didn't put away that I had asked her to. She wasn't thinking about how just a few minutes earlier she was fighting with her sisters. She was just entranced in the moment and life was joyous.
I believe these are the moments that make life joyful. These are the moments that make practicing gratitude so beautiful. These are the moments that help us remember the beautiful moments that make life worth living. The thing about these moments is that you can either take in those moments and really soak up all the goodness of those moments or you can brush them off and those moments will mean little to nothing to you. They will come and go so fast that you will miss the beauty that is all around you. Taking time to actually see those beautiful moments for what they are will change your perspective on life. They will slowly train your brain to see more and more good. To see what matters most.
What moments have you had today, or over the past few days, that brought a smile to your face? Take a second to think back. Did you miss anything? Maybe take some time to record them in a journal. They may be small and seem insignificant, but if you practice paying attention to those moment and soak them it will slowly make a difference on how you see life and those around you.
I like to use my journal to think about these experiences because when I pay attention they are always there. Focusing on the good will bring more goodness into your life. I hope that over the next few days you will catch those moments and really soak up all the goodness that is available in those moments.
Have you been seeing things on social media, google, amazon, or any other platforms you are on that you really wish the ads would just stop popping up about? There is a way to change it and I don't think it will take you much time, but when you know the secret it can be so helpful!
Social Media and Google know what you've searched for and they know what you like so they will keep sending you stuff you search for. The algorithm is very smart. You can use this to your benefit and have it show you what you want to see, and it will continue to send you more information about the types of things that you interact with. But, if you have a particular thing you don't want to see and it keeps popping up you may not know how to get rid of it.
You have the power to change that algorithm any time you want. For instance, say you are looking up something about Christmas pajamas, pretty soon Amazon will show you ads on the side of your screen with other pajamas, Instagram and Facebook and other such platforms will also start shifting to show you different types of pajamas. If you click on a site to look at their pajamas you will soon start seeing their ads to try and get you to buy from them. This is important because this means you can choose to teach the algorithm something different. If you have a favorite speaker look up information about that speaker and you will get more content with that speaker. If you want to see more positive things, find positive people and like and comment on the things that bring you joy. You will soon find that you will see more positive information.
Likewise, use these tactics with your kids. If they have social media, look up positive messages or feeds so they see the good in the world. Encourage them to find positive examples to follow. Help them to see that they are enough! You have the power to mold them into an upstanding citizen of the community.
Some people may think this is scary, and I guess it can be, but it can also be really cool. Personally, I decided that I wanted to follow all the leaders from our church on social media that I looked up to and who I love seeing content from. When I did this, it shifted my feed to more positivity and I now can go onto social media and see way more things that uplift and edify.
The last thing I will mention is that if you have a habit you don't love, and it's hard to avoid that habit when you are on social media, maybe try and search and look up all the things that could help you with that habit and you will find so much good information. You will find the good in the world, and the people who are fighting just like you are.
I hope this information was helpful to you in some way, or maybe reminded you that you do have more control over what you see on the internet than you think you do!
Blessings,
Christy and the family
P.S. Don't forget today is the last chance to subscribe AND still get the January edition of the subscription. Order Today!
P.S.S. Don't forget you can save 20% off your entire order with code CHRISTMAS20.
]]>Hey there friend!
Do you like to have things just right? Do you enjoy cleanliness and order? Is there something you have been working on that never seems to be good enough and you find yourself redoing it over and over again because it's hard for you to feel satisfied?
If this is you, I want to offer a few things that may help free up some of the burdens you are feeling. This idea isn't massive but it could free your brain of much unnecessary worry.
It may be helpful before you start a project to decide beforehand what is good enough for completing a project. Then when you get to that point, stop. Don't try to go back over it a million times thinking it will get better if you just keep fixing it. Many times when we try and redo things our first draft is actually better.
It also may be a good idea to lean towards the side of simplest is best. When you start a project instead of trying to make it as elaborate as possible instead choose to do what is good enough and then move on. Most of the time the simplest thing is just as good, if not better than, the most elaborate thing you can think of. It may also help save you some time, energy, and brainpower.
I hope some of these suggestions may be helpful to you. Give them a try and see how you feel.
Blessings,
Christy and the Family
P.S. This is the last chance to get a Nativity in 12 Days advent set before it starts. The 12 days starts on Monday next week. If you order today we will get it shipped out today! And save $10 on it with the code CHRISTMAS10!
First can we just address that it's December!!! So crazy!
Blessings,
Christy and the family
P.S. Don't forget to submit your selfies to be entered to win 100 days of gratitude journal! Send them to support@jackzeeplace.com to enter!
Have you heard about our Nativity in 12 Days kits?
Today I want to dig a little deeper into why we make them, how we came up with the idea, and why we feel everyone should have one in their homes.
Every year for Christmas our family tries to do service for another family or two in need. My Husband grew up doing the 12 Days of Christmas for another family which basically means every day for the 12 Days leading up to Christmas they would drop something off on a doorstep and then knock and run trying to not get caught. I remember our family doing this a couple times as well but often finding something to give for 12 days seemed too much.
One year we went to the store to find something to give to another family and I felt that giving them a nativity set over 12 Days would be really fun. We searched different stores and found a set that had 12 pieces and then took one piece to them each night, usually with an extra goodie of some sort.
The following year I created Jackzeeplace and while trying to decide what to put in my shop I decided to create my own nativity set. One that had 12 pieces where the giver could give 1 piece every day to the recipient, already prepackaged and ready to go saving a ton of time. (Or give the set all together and the family could use it however they wanted.)
We also wanted to add the opportunity for valuable discussion as a family for each piece so we created a booklet with a scripture and discussion questions/topics. On top of that, the QR code on the back links to music/songs that add to each day. These moments may not go picture perfect but they are invaluable to teaching about the Savior and his birth and you never know what will stick with your kids.
No nativity set is complete without some animals or a stable. These pieces were difficult to find to match the rest of the nativity so we asked my cousin to help us custom design the lamb, ox and engrave a custom stable with her laser machine. They really bring an elegant beauty to the set but are robust enough to withstand kids playing with them.
Our main motivation in creating this product was so that we could help people feel the light of Christ in their lives. Christ's life and mission changed the course of history. Because of Him we get the opportunity to return to live with our Heavenly Father. Because of Him peace and comfort are available any time we ask. Because of Him we get to repent and start over as many times as it takes. So many people are looking for that peace and hope. The last few years have been hard for all of us. Giving people a gift that could help them draw closer to their Savior through a kids friendly nativity set could be life changing. We never know the good that can come through our efforts.
Blessings,
Christy and the family
P.S. We've discounted the nativity sets by 30% for today only! Plus, get $10 off your entire order when you spend at least $40!!! Use code 10OFF40. Get one for your family and one to give away today! You can't beat this deal.
]]>I'm glad to see you back Friend!
I want to let you in on a little secret. I still suffer with anxiety. I use the word "suffer" loosely though because in reality I know have a little bit different of an opinion about what anxiety means in my life. I now know that anxiety is not there to cripple me and to make me scared. It is there to remind me about something that has happened that caused a not so nice emotion in the past. It's a reminder that something in the past didn't feel so great and our bodies and brains don't want to feel those emotions again. Our brains tell our bodies, "oh no, this doesn't seem like it's going to be good."
But with some training and some skills you can learn to stop the anxiety before it becomes too overwhelming and turns into a panic attack. I've learned that our bodies have an anxiety pattern and we can learn to stop it at the beginning and tell our brains that we are safe and that we don't need protection from those experiences that trigger it.
Currently I do not teach any classes on this specific thing, but I have a friend who does. She has a page that is called Anxiouslyengaged and if you are looking for someone to help you through your anxiety and to teach you about it go check her out.
One of the tools I learned from her was gratitude. Gratitude helped me shift my focus from almost constantly talking negatively to myself to learning to live in the moment and to see the good that is available to us in all the moments of life! Is gratitude the only tool I use, no, no it's not, but it is a tool that has helped me and thousands of others shift their focus from lacking to abundance. To see life through a different lens and to find the good instead of always wishing for the next best, greatest thing...
So why at the beginning of this post did I tell you that I still suffer? Because I truly don't think anxiety will ever really go away for me, and I'm not sure it really is supposed to go away. I know how to stop my body from going to the extreme but those feelings have a purpose, they are a protection and a guiding light in our lives. They help us to not go into situations that may be too much and that may feel too overwhelming. I used to be extremely scared of my anxiety, it used to feel so big that if I actually felt it, I might pop. I would run, hide, distract myself, anything I could do to push out those feelings. Now I know how to work through them, how to let myself feel more and how to embrace that while my emotions are crazy big they give me a perspective on life that many may not have.
If you suffer and it seems super overwhelming and crazy hard, I urge you to get some help. It's okay if you need some guidance to help you on your journey. Life is complicated, hard and messy sometimes but it can also teach us lessons that can lead us on a path we never expected. Sometimes those paths are so much more meaningful than we ever thought possible. I'm so grateful that I've been, and continue to be, on a journey that has led to doors I never thought possible.
With the holidays right around the corner remember that we have some amazing gratitude journals that we believe anyone could benefit from. Give the gift to others that would help them feel more joy, peace, love, and more hope!
Blessings,
Christy and the family
P.S. You can save 15% off our Christ-Centered Gratitude Journals through tomorrow with code NOV15.
]]>
Hi Friend! We're so glad you're here.
As we head into one of the busiest times of the year, we are faced with a range of emotions. Hopefully you will feel joy and happiness throughout the holiday season. But other emotions are possible. So what do we do when we find ourselves faced with feelings we don't like, with drama we don't want, and with the unexpected arguments that may arise?
God Bless,
Christy and the family
P.S. You can save 25% off our Nativity Sets this week with the code NOV25. But if you share our shop on social media and tag @jackzeeplace, we'll give you you're own personal code to get 40% off! Check it out here.
]]>Hey friend!
Many of you have been around a while and may have heard the story behind Jackzeeplace, others of you may be new and I'd love to share with you my gratitude journey and what led me to create our gratitude journals.
My husband and I have 5 children. Since I was a little girl I've always wanted to be a mom and I knew I would have a bigger family, at least that is what I hoped. When my 1st daughter ended up being delivered via c-section I was worried it would limit how many children I was able to have. Through much determination on my part, along with prayers, supportive doctors, and my husband's support, I was able to deliver the other 4 children naturally without the need for surgery.
Yet, after each of my children was born, I struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety. During a time that I felt should be joyous was so defeating. I felt so alone, afraid, and overwhelmed. After I had my 3rd baby, I went into my darkest moments of my life. A little backstory first: while pregnant with my 3rd baby there was a suicidal death in my family, I was moving halfway across the US to a town I knew no one and to a culture I wasn't familiar with. After she was born, I didn't want to be left alone, I was afraid of everything, and I felt worthless. I went to a counselor and was able to see that my thoughts were terrible. This was the first step on my journey of understanding my thoughts and how to deal with negative emotions. In preparation for my 5th baby, and to get an edge on the ensuing postpartum depression I would experience, I took a class on anxiety. It was in that class where I participated in a gratitude challenge, the one that would change my life. You see, even though I had been working on my thoughts and trying my best to understand them and control them, I still wasn't sure how to deal with or handle negative thoughts very well. As I wrote gratitude every single day I realized that I could change my negative thoughts to thoughts of gratitude. GAME CHANGER! I recognized that even among so much craziness, busy children, and a messy house there was always something I could find to be grateful for. During moments of overwhelm, fear, and anxiety I could look around me and find things to be grateful for, which helped me change my thoughts.
As I sit here writing this story, my 3 youngest girls are playing together and the love they have for each other is priceless. Allowing myself to see and feel those moments is pure joy!
This is why I created a gratitude journal and used the format of daily prompts. I want you to be able to reach outside yourself and see the good that is there. I wanted you to read a question about something you probably weren't thinking about that day and see that there are so many people and things in your community that help enrich your life.
When I was highly focused on all my troubles, feelings of overwhelm, fear, and doubt, I couldn't see the very things that were right in front of me that I could be grateful for.
I believe that everyone should have a daily practice of gratitude. If you are having a hard time thinking about something other than the same 5 things you say in your prayers every day, our journals will help you think outside that box. The questions keep you wondering what tomorrow will bring, they are simple to answer, and it only takes a few minutes.
Through this process, I have learned a lot of things. First and foremost I used to think my thoughts were too scary to feel alone. Like if I allowed myself to focus on them alone, I would do something I would regret or it would be too much. I would be afraid that people would judge me for being someone I wasn't and no one would understand that I didn't ask to have negative/destructive thoughts. I didn't want them, they just seemed to show up unannounced. It is true that in certain circumstances, your journey needs to include a trusted friend, a counselor, or life coach. I have used all 3 of these at different times for different reasons.
My journey is not over, and I still deal with anxiety, but I have way more tools now than I used to. I could probably write an entire book about the things I've learned and the tools that have helped me but for now, I will just end with this.
I would urge anyone who wants to find more joy and fulfillment in life to try practicing gratitude every day. If it isn't one of our journals then at least take time everyday to think about what it is you're grateful for. Learn to look for the good in life, because what we focus on we get more of and we attract what we focus on.
Sincerely,
Christy and the family
P.S. Save 20% today on the *Christ-Centered or 100 Days of Gratitude journals. Use coupon code JACKZEEPLACE20
*Only good on non-subscriptions products
Hi Friend,
Each week we send these emails and put them on our blog and each week I try to think about what it is I can share that will be helpful to you in some way. I hope that what I share is what God wants me to share. I hope that it lifts you up and strengthens you.
I have found when dealing with anxiety, I have to find ways to help myself get through tough times. I have to get up and fight when everything around me is saying I'm not good enough, it's not worth it. I am here to testify that it is worth it. It is worth every single effort we put into all we do.
This past Sunday my grandpa died from this terrible disease in the hospital and my grandma was able to be there just before he passed. It was a beautiful experience to be on a zoom call with his kids and grandkids. I'm so very grateful my grandma was able to be there to help him go calmly and to let him know it was okay to go. Seeing the love they share is indescribable in words. I'm sure she will miss him but she kept telling him to "go say hi to your dad". You see, his dad died when he was 2 years old so he doesn't remember much about him. What a joyous reunion I'm sure they are having along with his mother, in laws, and so many others.
Today I took time to reflect on what it means to live a life of peace and hope, to live a life full of goodness and strength, and I believe my grandpa lived a beautiful life. He served wherever he could and he worked hard. I believe that through serving others and finding joy within his family, his life was rich and full. He loved to share his testimony of the Savior. He loved to feel peace and to know that it would all be worth it in the end. I believe he really searched for the good in life. Whenever we were together we would sing and he would bear his testimony. He wanted us to know that he knew that God was his Father, that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, and that his family meant the world to him.
Today as I write this I can't stop but think that I want to serve the way he served, I want to love as he loved, and I want to give as he gave. I hope that you don't mind me sharing a couple stories with you about my Grandpa. Just a few months ago on the 4th of July my Grandpa was fast asleep but felt like he needed to get up and go outside late at night. He had been praying to listen to the spirit better and this was an opportunity to listen. As he was outside on his back porch he saw the man next door shoot off a firework and it hit these bamboo bushes in his yard that just happened to be right by the RV that my parents were sleeping in. The bushes were going up in flames quickly and he ran to grab the hose. His hose wasn't working so the neighbor quickly threw his over the fence and my Grandpa proceeded to drench the fire out. It was a true miracle that he was there at that moment when it happened so he could quickly do something about it. If he wouldn't have put that fire out those bushes would have most likely caught the RV that my Parents were sleeping in on fire. It was a very scary thought for sure. I think the best part about that story is that my parents slept through all of it. They didn't find out until the next day what happened.
This past summer Anna got to go to the temple for the first time and since my Grandpa was around I called him and asked if he wanted to go with us to help with the baptisms. (For those who don't know in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we believe in being baptized for those who have already passed on through proxy.) He was able to come that day and help and it was a sweet tender experience for me and I believe our daughter.
Last but not least I have to tell you all about my grandpa's bus. My grandpa was a pretty stubborn man and when he got it in his mind that he was going to do something, he found a way. When I was young, we traveled to California to go to Disneyland with a bunch of us cousins and he drove through California in that bus. You better believe he got inches from some of those cars but he never once seemed like he didn't have everything under control. I mean he may have been irritated at the choices of other cars but he made it work. We also took that bus to Utah and on other little family trips.
Life is hard, people. It just is. Sometimes we like to sugar coat things and say everything is wonderful and we should always just look for the good because we can always find the good. If you know me or have been reading my emails long enough you know that is true. There is always good to be seen. I believe God is in the tiny details of our lives and I believe that we can always see something to be grateful for. Yet, I also have to remember that we will not get through life without pain, suffering, sorrow, loss, anger, fear, or any other negative emotion we can come up with. They will happen, it's part of the plan. Some days it just hurts and some days it's just hard. That doesn't have to mean that every day will be hard. There is hope and there is peace to be found through it all. (If you don't feel much hope and you are having a hard time ever finding peace then you may want to talk to a doctor. There is no shame in this. If you need help, get it!). But through the day-to-day, I believe it's important to know that we will experience both. Experiencing both doesn't make us a bad person, it just makes us human. Every single person experiences all the feelings! I've had my fair share of trials and I know they aren't over yet. Now when those trials come and they seem too big and scary I'm able to look at the big picture easier and to see that there is so much goodness to be had still. There is still so much light and peace!
Take Care,
Christy and the family
P.S. Check out our journal bundle options this week. Option #1: Affirmation Journal Bundle; Option #2: Gratitude Parent/child Bundle
Hey there Friend,
Do you have a hard time saying no? Maybe you don't want to disappoint people or make them feel unloved. Sometimes when we say no we feel like we are missing out on something or that we won't ever get another opportunity to do the thing we are asked to do.
Yet, one of my favorite sayings goes like this, when we say yes to something we are saying no to something else. If you are always saying yes to everyone else and their needs then you are saying no to yourself, maybe your family, or maybe other things. Every day we have decisions to make. Some are harder than others but nonetheless we all have decisions. Not making a decision is actually making a decision.
When I think about those concepts I realize that learning to make decisions is one the most powerful tools we have as humans. One of the greatest gifts we've received is the gift to choose for ourselves. Many times in my life I've worried so much about making the right decision that ultimately I didn't make a choice and someone else made it for me.
Sometimes it feels like tug-o-war. We want to pull with all our might but sometimes the other team pulls harder and we fall down. We are going to have times when our pulling (aka decision making) means we win and make a good choice. Sometimes though the other side pulls harder and we get knocked down. I believe that making decisions quickly and then holding on with all our might is our best possibility of a good outcome.
We won't always make the best decisions in life, but we can make sure to pick ourselves up and keep trying. Get back on that rope and hold on for dear life knowing that eventually you will have enough people on your team to make it worth your effort.
I believe that setting clear boundaries is one way to help with decision making. When we set boundaries we have a better idea when to say no. Another tool I feel is important is knowing how and what to schedule our time with. If we schedule the most important things in our lives then we know when we can say yes or no because we do know what we have time for.
Remember saying yes to something means your saying no to something else, maybe a multitude of things. When we plan our life and set boundaries it will make decision making easier and more effective. It will always take away some of the guilt you may feel from saying no.
Take Care,
Christy and the family
P.S. Say yes to yourself by developing an attitude of gratitude with our Christ Centered Gratitude journal subscription. Today is the last day to receive the October edition from our subscription option. Click here to check it out.
Hey there {{ first_name|default:'' }},
With the time in history, we live in there is so much noise all around us. A study done in 2020 at studyfinds.com says, "All together, Americans are spending a whopping 17 hours and nine minutes looking at digital devices each day, according to the study. Over a full year, that adds up to just over 6,259 hours of total screen time." Is this serving us well?
Hey there Friend,
So, I have this friend on Instagram that I follow who did something that I will never forget. It was unexpected and it was life-changing for pretty much anyone involved. One day out of the blue in her stories she put a question box up that said. "Do you have a bible in your home?" She had a lot more people say no than she thought she would. So she then asked "If you don't have a bible in your home would you like one?" The response was overwhelming with about 1000 people saying they didn't have a bible but would like one. She felt inspired to give them all a bible for free. She and her husband had decided somehow, they weren't sure how, but somehow they were going to give away those bibles. She had many people reach out and ask how they could help. She decided to open up her venmo to let people send her money to help cover the cost of these bibles. I still remember seeing her stories where she cried tears of joy in so much gratitude that others would feel inspired to give money so that these 1000+ people could have a bible in their homes. She got enough money to cover the cost of the bibles and to help pay to ship them to these people's homes. She got in contact with the company from who she wanted to get the Bibles from and together they found a way to get all of them shipped and into the homes of all those people.
I don't know about you but this story was very touching to me. Not only did people help pay for the bibles but they helped bring Christ into those homes! I believe the outreach of this experience will be felt for many years to come. The unity in coming together for one goal and one purpose was truly tremendous.
Now we may not have a big Instagram following to be able to accomplish something of this magnitude, but maybe there are other ways we can be united as families, communities, and the list goes on. Maybe there is a neighbor we can get to know and help in times of need? Maybe there is a way you can help in your local school, or maybe there is a way you can become more unified in your own home. We have a family motto in our family that we started saying every morning and it's been fun to see the kids get excited about it.
In our mortal journey, we never know the lifelong effects of our choices, but I guarantee others will notice. Your actions may be subtle but they can be powerful. I love what Theodore Roosevelet said, "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care." I believe people will remember the kind things we do. They do make a difference and they do help bring unity and love to our communities.
Take Care,
Christy and the family
P.S. Don't forget about our Kids Gratitude Journal Sale going on right now. Use the code KIDS20 to get 20% off your kids journal now!
Hey there Friend,
Do you feel like you're on the cusp of making your next move? Or maybe you're so stuck you just don't know where to go? Well sometimes we get stagnant and just a need a little push. We need a fresh idea to give us a new perspective.
Today's Wednesday Wisdom is to give you ideas of where you can get that fresh idea from. Zach and I want to share a few personal development books that we have loved reading or can't wait to read. These books are amazing and often we found gems that truly changed the way we saw the world around us. As I implied before, we have read most of these but a few we are still waiting to read or listen to.
#1 - Essentialism by Greg McKeown - I love this book! I love how the author approaches life and thinks about things in terms of what is important and what's not. I love how he talks about if you can focus on one thing and work hard on that one thing you will get much further than focusing on a million things all at once. (Top Recommendation by Christy and Zach)
#2 - Effortless by Greg McKeown - This book is the sequel to Essentialism. It is amazing!!! It redefines what is really important and what is worth our time and effort. Even when we cut our lives down to the essential things, as he talks about in Essentialism, it can be really important to learn to make some things effortless so that whatever we need to devote our time and attention to becomes easier.
#3 - Daring Greatly by Brene Brown - I loved this book so much I never wanted to put it down. I would say the main point of this book is to help the reader understand shame. Why we have shame, where it shows up in our life and how men and women both deal with shame for different reasons. This was a big eye opener to me, not only to help me understand myself but to understand others and be more sympathetic to them.
#4 - Will Power Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy - We often think that if we have enough willpower we can change anything about ourselves. That's not true. You only have enough willpower to set in motion new habits but in order to do that, you have to change the environment around you. (Highly Recommended by Zach)
#5 - The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins - Mel Robbins came up with a 5 second rule where she believes 5 seconds is all you need to train your brain to think differently and to change your life.
#5 - High-Performance Habits by Brendon Bruchard - I haven't been able to read this one yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. This book talks about how he studied the habit of some of the most successful people in the world and then compiled those habits into a book so others can know what it takes to be successful. I have listened to Brendon speak and he is a powerhouse!
#6 - Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown - In this book Brene talks about belonging. She talks about how all of us want to belong, yet many of us don't feel the sense of belonging that we want to feel. She takes you on a journey of understanding we must belong to ourselves before we will ever feel like we belong anywhere else.
#7 - Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis - It has been a little while since I read this but I would say that this book helps you realize you are in control of your life.
#8 - Believe It by Jamie Kern Lima - I love Jamie! I love her heart, her determination and her resilience. This woman went through years of pushing and being told no, to even being told people wouldn't buy makeup from someone like her because of the way she looks. She set out to shift the culture of the beauty world and made a huge splash along the way. She is an incredible soul and her book does not disappoint.
If you have any other suggestions for us we would love to hear them! We are always looking for books that are uplifting and help us become better. Reply to this email if you have any suggestions.
Take Care,
Christy and the family
P.S. Don't forget about our Kids Gratitude Journal Sale going on right now. Use the code KIDS20 to get 20% off your kids journal now!
Have you ever been really worried or scared about something, but once it actually happens it's not as bad as you thought it would be? I've been there. I may have mentioned this trick before, but with school starting and a lot of changes happening in this world I thought that you might want to review this concept. It is one simple word that can really make a difference and can shift your perspective.
Hey there Friend,
The Olympic's only come every 4 years. These athletes work most of their lives for those few minutes of glory. Training for these events is no small undertaking. Some come dead last, some only get 4th, just outside of metal contention, and some get the gold. Would it be devastating to get last, or even 4th place? To some maybe, but for others 4th place may seem like an amazing feat! What about those who come dead last? Do those athletes deserve recognition and praise? I think so! They made it to the olympics! They trained, worked hard and made it!
This last weekend we went to the beach. We had a ton of fun, got sunburns and so many other adventures. Today I want to share a lesson I learned from the beach. So the ocean goes through cycles of high tide then slowly back to low tide and then back to high tide and on and on. When high tide comes in many times shells and other such creatures get carried to shore and get stuck in the rocks or sand so they don't go back out into the ocean.
With the extended family we came with, everyone left either Saturday night or packed up Sunday morning and headed out. Our family packed up and then headed down to the beach for one last walk along the beach. High tide had passed and we were able to look for what the tide had brought in. This beach is not known to have a lot of shells, I’m not sure if it’s because so many people visit the beach or what but as we searched we found quite a few broken pieces of shells and a few really cool half shells.
If we wouldn’t have taken the time to go back down and search for them we would have missed them. Some of you would have been okay missing those shells. Some of you might think getting home was more important than looking for shells. Others of you may say that’s cool, if I knew there were shells I would have wanted to look for them too.
In life I believe we all are looking for something specific. It can take patience to wait till after high tide to find those treasures. You may get a little wet, you may have to wash your feet off again so you don’t have a bunch of sand in your shoes. You may have to delay getting home so that you can take time to find those shells. For our family, it was worth it. The kids started off the trip home having had some exercise, having the peace of the ocean, and they got to explore and use their imaginations to find fun things. It was like a treasure hunt and they were loving every second of it.
Is there something in your life that you are looking for but you aren’t sure where to find it, or when to find it? I believe one of those things we are all searching for is peace and little nuggets of truth. One of the ways I’ve been able to find peace is through gratitude. When I choose to wake up early, and somewhat go on a detour from what I need to accomplish that day, to write in my gratitude journal my day goes so much smoother. I am able to see the hand of God in my life and I’m able to find the little shells of joy that I wouldn’t have been able to find if I hadn’t taken that little extra time to write them down.
Hello Again Friend,
Have you ever had something you feel you should do but you just keep putting it off because of fear and doubts? If I’m being honest, that has been me the last year. Choosing to continue with this business, working alongside the person I love the most in this world has had its many challenges. My husband’s love and patience have taught me so much and I couldn’t ever thank him enough for all he’s done. Yet, there has always been in the back of my mind this project I felt called to do but I didn’t feel like I had all the tools to do it. I also didn’t want to overwhelm myself by adding something else to the list of to-do’s until I was sure we were ready. I'm sure you can relate.
It's true I was waiting for everything to line up before it started, but I was also scared because I didn't know whether people would like me still for doing something so courageous. The back and forth was endless and my project sat on the back burner while I stewed over it. But it seemed all of my reasons for not starting were superficial: "Would others still like me?" "It's going to be so much work!" "I can't do all of these other things that are important too."
Truth be told, there were a lot of good excuses, but I wasn't looking at the benefits hard enough. I wasn't looking at what I would become by doing it. It's funny how we know certain decisions will help us grow more than others but we choose not to do them because they are hard. We know they will make us better people more than any other thing we could do, but we still choose not to do them. I am putting out a call to all of you. You know what you have been called to do. You've thought of that one thing that will help you be better. It's hard. It's time-consuming. It's worth it! Start right now to do something to accomplish it. Set up systems so that you won't fail, so that you won't quit. Have other people hold you responsible for it. You can do it because you are AMAZING!
So what is the project? Before I tell you that, I want to explain that God was shaping me to be able to learn what I needed to learn to make this project possible. I could have had someone else do it for me, but I knew that for what I felt inspired to do, I needed to learn new tools for myself. I also needed to be in the right frame of mind. I get anxious very quickly about learning things I don’t understand or that are super technical. I got through school so I could play sports. I honestly think sports helped me concentrate enough to pass. I had to learn how I learn and I had to learn to be patient with myself...okay, I may still be working on that part. It was hard for me to struggle through school and watch my siblings breeze through it (and some even ended up valedictorians, which made me feel even more inferior) so this was a big deal to me.
With choosing to put faith in my Savior and in my abilities and with hours of learning I decided it was finally time to create our very first Christ-Centered Gratitude Journal! We decided on a 30-day format because short-term goals are much more achievable and we wanted to create a new journal every month for the next year. Another benefit is you get exciting mail every month and you get to experience a new topic every month with new prompts and new themes.
The first theme we created is, “Finding Strength in Trials.” We are pretty excited about this topic because I'm pretty sure all of us have experienced some pretty significant trials. Having gone through these challenges can make us stronger but it can also feel overwhelming, lonely, and really weigh us down. When going through trials having something like this journal will draw you closer to your Savior and help you find more peace. I only take about 5 minutes each morning to write in mine, and when I do it makes a significant difference in my day.
I believe that this small investment can make a huge impact in your life. I have felt God's hand guiding me to do this project even if it didn’t come naturally to me. There have been many stumbling blocks. As much as I know Jesus Christ lives, I also know Satan is real and that he does everything in his power to prevent those things that will bring others unto Christ. We have felt him trying to break us down and trying to tear us apart. He is real, but so is God! We have more power than Satan, and we will win when we have God on our side.
Hello again friend,
You’ve had a fun day in the sun, yet when you are done you realize you didn’t add enough sunscreen and you have a sunburn. That was the case in our family this last weekend. Being married to a redhead, our kids get sunburned so much easier than I was used to growing up. We go through so much sunscreen.
When we get sunburned, the skin eventually starts to peel off, which is our body's way of getting rid of damaged skin. I thought it was really interesting that, per google, “all damaged cells are instructed to sacrifice themselves by repair mechanisms within these cells.”
Our bodies are very intricate and complex organisms that heal and replenish themselves very well. There are limits but overall our bodies are truly amazing! God created our bodies and all the tiny intricate details that come with having a body.
Just like our bodies need nourishment and the ability to heal so does our spirit. Our spirits are housed by our bodies and when our spirit is not well, oftentimes that leads to something in our bodies not being well. That is why at Jackzeeplace we tend to focus more on our spirit. We know that writing gratitude daily and seeing the hand of God in your life lifts your spirit. It helps you feel whole and at peace. When we are drowned in depression and/or anxiety, like I have experienced, it is really hard on our spirit.
For healing to occur sometimes it takes medication, sometimes it takes changing our thoughts, sometimes it takes being able to recognize the good that is already in front of us, sometimes exercise helps, and sometimes changing our diet helps as well. I could mention many other things that help people heal spiritually, but whatever it takes for you, I encourage you to think about how your spirit affects your body. I believe it is worth the effort it takes to let go of the things that aren’t serving your spirit and then let your spirit become whole again. Nothing, in my opinion, feels more glorious than having my soul feel whole.