What Does Your Something Better Look Like?
I remember dead ends. Choices that left me stuck in unhealthy repeat scenarios. Dreaming of a “something better” but believing it would never happen.
Maybe it was a vicious cycle somehow holding me prisoner.
Or maybe it was the enemy working against me.
Or maybe …
It was the lure of the comfortable that lies in the midst of dysfunction.
Maybe.
Just maybe.
It was all three.
And those were difficult thoughts to face.
But facing the difficult is the first step to change.
Facing the difficult allows stepping up and stepping out. Leaving the past where it belongs and using it as a stepping stone to writing a story of healing and triumph.
Facing the difficult is where we give Jesus room to step in.
Facing the difficult is where we we give Jesus room to step in #somethingbetterseries #hope #somethingbetter Share on X
“I called out your name, O God, called from the bottom of the pit. You listened when I called out, ‘Don’t shut your ears! Get me out of here! Save me!’ You came close when I called out. You said, ‘It’s going to be all right.’ –Lamentations 3:55-57 MSG
You’ve been there, too, right? In fact, you may just be there now.
Stuck? Right where the enemy wants to keep you? Letting your dream of something better wither and die?
I remember the hopelessness of living life stuck. Allowing pain, hurt, and dysfunction the power to cycle round and round again. It’s not a place where anyone wants to languish. And if you are there now, I pray it is a place from which you will soon be free. Free to live your something better.
That something better God has for you!
So friends, look for it! Find it. What is your something better? Grab hold of it. Toss to the side the “stuff” that holds you back. Say no to whatever is stealing your power.
Because there is no freedom in a dead end. Freedom lies on the open roads designed by a God who longs to witness your walk of victory!
I believe in you. And more importantly, the God of the Universe believes in you. He has your back and will fight for you if you take those steps to step up and step out. He wants that something better for you.
You’ve heard a piece of my story before. I chose men that needed fixing. I needed to be needed. But it walked me into a deep pit where I sat stuck and believed my something better was forever lost.
But because of God, nothing is forever lost.
But because of God, nothing is forever lost. #somethingbetter #hope #series #guest writers Share on X
I did my part. Stepping up and stepping out. Even if it was just one itty bitty step at a time. Then God stepped in and did the miraculous. He grabbed hold of my hand pulling me out of my pit and giving me more than I ever dreamed possible. Who I was then and who I am now are worlds apart, but it all started with steps.
Move from where you are to where you want to be with these 5 steps! #getunstuck #hope #somethingbetter Share on X5 Steps Toward Reaching Your Something Better
Define your “something better” and give a vision to it.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plansfor good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. –Jeremiah 29:11-12 NLT
Determine the choices needed to get to that “something better”
Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God. – Lamentations 3:40 MSG
Ask these questions:
What is holding me back?
What is the worst thing that could happen if I choose to walk away from it?
And what is the best thing that could happen if I choose to walk away from it?
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. –James 1:22-25 NLT
Find a safe person with whom you can be transparent about your dream for a “something better”. Ask that person to hold you accountable to stepping up and out.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. –James 5:16 ESV
Be honest with yourself. Call weaknesses for what they are and then make steps to grow. Whether seeking professional counseling or engaging in self-help books or programs, take the step.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. –Proverbs 19:20-21 ESV
Alone, these steps are positive and can make a difference. Seeking answers in prayer is what will usher in the miraculous.
My story is just one in a multitude of victorious true stories. And I know my story of abuse and divorce will only touch some of your hearts and encourage you to have hope. That is why I am creating this series titled
The Something Better Series
6 weeks of story and strategy for leaving behind the chains of life. Of stepping up and stepping out toward something better. Stories of hope and encouragement to believe we can move from where we are to where we want to be.
Next week, my friend Deb Wolf from Counting My Blessings is sharing her story of getting unstuck from a long season of grief. Come back for “How to Get Unstuck with Grace and Patience”. Your heart will be filled. I promise!
Heavenly Father, You are the creator of masterpieces. You create our stories – our lives. You write a plan for a something so good we cannot even fathom it. But Lord, we get confused and fall prey to the enemy’s tactics. We fall into sin and into brokenness. And somewhere in there we miss the fact that You have a good good plan. I ask You, Lord, to give vision of that something better to each precious reader who comes here today. Pour Your vision, Your strength, Your courage, and Your wisdom into their hearts, souls, and minds. Let the overflow of their lives be a witness to Your power to take us from stuck to victorious. Let the stories that are shared here bear witness to the miraculous available in You alone. In Your precious Name I pray. Amen.
Week
2 – Getting Unstuck with Grace and Patience
3 – Leaving the Lies of Shame Behind
4 – When Your Something Better Is the Thing You Fear the Most
5 – Choosing Joy When Everything Falls Apart
6 – When Forgiving Yourself Isn’t Easy
And don’t forget to come back Monday for #MomentsofHope! My heart skips a little beat when I open that page and see the hope of Jesus splattered everywhere! ♥
If you are new here or just haven’t gotten around to subscribing to LoriSchumaker.com, would you consider it?
To make changes in our life, we have to make intentional choices to move from where we are to where we want to be. Consistently filling our lives with positive life-giving content is one such step in the right direction. I’d like to help you with those steps and lead you toward the life you were designed to live! After subscribing, you’ll get access to my resource-filled Library of Hope, so watch for the password to unlock that private page!
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What an encouraging word, Lori!
I love the 5 steps to get to your something better.
Sharing this one all around~
Blessings,
Melanie
Thanks, Mel! I am praying these 5 steps help those seeking! Thank you so much for sharing!
Looking forward to some good “pit-filling,” “unsticking” days ahead, Lori! Thankful for your spirit of collaboration! Deb W. is such a blessing.
Thanks, Michele! She sure is!
Hi Lori,
You have a gentle way of conveying real Truth. And truth is sometimes hard to confront, difficult to face, but grace is there for the taking, when those steps of surrender, feel downright frightful. But perhaps, walking away from that “stuff”, might be the very thing that puts us running again.
Thanks Lori for your encouragement!
This was me 30 some years ago. Afraid, disheveled, lost and not knowing if and when I could begin to feel “unstuck.” Such encouraging words here. I pray many who seek this week will be lead here to read and feel hope. Thank you for being a part of Party at My Place and sharing your words.
I am praising God for getting you unstuck all those years ago, Michelle! Thank you for your prayers. It is exactly the desire of my heart! And thank you for hosting Party at My Place each week!
This is so encouraging, Lori. I love the thought of using the past as a “stepping stone to writing a story of healing and triumph.” This part of your prayer identifies with the longing I have in my heart – “Let the overflow of their lives be a witness to Your power to take us from stuck to victorious.” Thank you. I’m looking forward to stories of leaving behind the chains. Blessings and hugs to you!
Amen, Trudy! I am going to keep praying and I am claiming, in the name of Jesus, that freedom for you! The freedom where the longing is now a reality!
Love you!
Absolutely loved this! There was a time in my life I thought that things would never change for me. Sometimes I still have a few circumstances here and there where I still feel stuck. So much hope is available to us if we will hang on and keep stepping on the next stone. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Mindy, Thank you for sharing a bit of your story. I truly think we all, at some point, find ourselves in a place of being stuck. It’s in those places we realize how we need so much more than we can do or give ourselves. We need Jesus. I would love to hear more of your story sometime! Thank you, friend, for joining in here and being such an hope-filled part of this community!
I love this, Lori! It’s so encouraging that God is always calling us to something better and empowering us to reach beyond our wildest imaginations to His best for us. Thanks for spreading hope all around.
Thank you, Carlie!
All it takes is one little step and God can do the rest; a statement I heard while growing up. I’m thankful He can manage our situations if we just grab hold of His hand. Thank you for linking up with Thankful Thursdays.
What wise words you heard growing up, Lori! Which explains why you are such a treasure now!
Sounds like a very inspirational series, Lori. And I am facing one of these moments in my walk with God–knowing that to step out in faith means receiving something better but is still so very scary! So I’m listening to your words and being encouraged today by your message–God’s message through you, my friend!
Thanks, Beth! Just know I am praying for you as you face these moments. You are an incredible lady and know beyond the shadow of a doubt, God is using this new something to bring so much glory to His Kingdom!
Hugs,
Lori
This is beautiful, Lori. Makes me really think what my something better look like. If I don’t like some things in my life right now and want to make it better, what will it look like?
Beautiful. Have a great week ahead!
Lux, I am so thankful God has you thinking. I pray the stories that are coming will give you hope and inspire you with direction. In the meantime, I am praying for you. If there is anything for which I can pray specifically, I’d be honored. I’m just an email away:-)
Looks like a great series, Lori. 🙂 Thank you for these words of truth this morning. Great to be your linkup buddy at Winter’s place this morning. Look forward to reading more of your series. ((grace upon grace))
Thanks for joining me, Brenda! I love Winter’s place and look forward to knowing you better!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Lori, I love your 5 steps. Looking forward to this series. Yay!
Thanks, Lyli! I’m praying God will use it to help point others toward Him and to finding their Something Better!
Very cool series! Will be back : )
Thanks, Bethany! I look forward to connecting with you!
Far more times than I care to admit, I have been ‘stuck.’ I sat in the cul-de-sac without seeing that there was a way out. But, God did bring me through and, eventually, out of those places. Before I knew the Lord, I would do everything possible to get out myself and figured I had done that job. I look back now and realize that God was with me and wanted me near. I know He is the One Who made the way for me. Thanks for this encouraging post, reminding me that He is my answer in all things. And all things are possible with God.
Thank you, Linda, for sharing a part of your story! I love hearing the testimonies of those who have experienced God’s redemption! I’m so thankful you reached up to Him and let Him pull you out of the stuck and into your something better!
I love this Lori, my fellow Freedom Fighter! I will be sharing today.
Thanks for linking up with Grace and Truth.