Thankful

I was feeling a little emotional one morning very recently thinking about the freedom I have in my life right now.. How drastically different my day to day routine is from last year.

👗 I don't go TO work anymore, so I no longer dress up or put on makeup unless it's the weekend.

🚗 I go days at a time without leaving the house or driving my car.

⏰ I don't set an alarm clock unless I have appointment or DECIDE to get up early to work.

For most of us young folk nowadays.. That's kind of crazy, right??

While it's been a HUGE mental transition, it's been the biggest blessing!!

I ❤ spending each day with my fur babes.

I ❤ being able to greet my hubby when he comes home from work.

I ❤ that I have fewer selfish focuses everyday when trying to 'get ready for work'.. Aka brush my teeth and walk to the office.

Guys...

📍I haven't had to take a sick day or juggled paid time off since this summer.

📍I haven't missed out on one important family moment.

📍I get to live.my.life.by.design...

Who WOULDN'T want to work towards that?!

So later on that same day, the emotion continued when Hubby walked in my office and called me his sugar momma & congratulated me and my team on our accomplishments 🙈🍦


You'd giggle, but it actually got me a bit choked up... Coming home to work a non traditional business wasn't something widely celebrated or understood last summer.. So having the ONE person who's opinion matters, who's also my constant cheerleader, acknowledge that it's paying of makes me SO proud!

👉We're giving freely of our time and resources.. Sponsoring a boy in Haiti, volunteering and participating in local ministry opportunities.

👉We're spoiling each other a bit for Christmas..

👈We're making BIG life plans that make me nauseous, scared and excited all at once.

And it's in part because of my business with Beachbody.

For a long time, I was the only thing in my way.. And I just wish I had started his journey sooner. So friends.... MOVE OVER and take your life by the reigns. Use the gifts and talents God has given you to make a difference in people's lives and change.your.circumstances.

If you need me, I'll be over here counting my blessings and thanking Jesus 😊
If🙌

To learn more about what I do as a health & wellness coach, email me at lindseykollar@yahoo.com or fill out this application here.

Transformation Tuesday: A Picture of Surrender

I get a little emotional looking at these photos that were both taken RIGHT before our 2nd and 3rd deployments. I changed so much between these two distinct times in my life- as a woman and a wife.

Let me take you back to November of 2012, to the photo on the left. I was barely 22, Nate was newly 30. We had been married a little over two years and had spent probably close to 11+ months of it apart. I was working in a position that was I wasn't passionate about, felt like I had no clue about what I would do with my life long-term, was TOTALLY insecure about my body that was about 20 pounds heavier than it is now, frustrated in my marriage because of our inconsistencies in communication/arguments about family, stressed about finances & really just didn't feel like myself. There, OF COURSE, were lots of happy moments sprinkled in here and there, but it was certainly a time during which I felt very insecure. I can tell you for certain that the majority of our issues came from a lack of surrender to the Lord and poor priorities.

Flash forward to November of 2014. I'm 24, Nate is 32. We're married a little over 4 years and still by no means marital experts. By GOD was working in our lives.. both together and separately. We were involved in our church, we were making steps towards healthier relationships, we established boundaries with our families, we had clear financial vision for our future, I found one of my PASSIONS by joining Beachbody, I created a healthy lifestyle and got my sexy back losing 3 pant sizes, I felt more confident intimately with my husband-- I felt renewed. We still weren't communication experts, in fact we had a small argument on the way to take those photos (HA- keeping it real),  BUT we were LEARNING how to resolve things quickly and that pursuing peace was better than being right.

Each year, we face new challenges.. I'm actually writing this blog now as a BALL of stress while having to remind myself to trust in the Lord's faithfulness. And each year, we have more triumphs. Our marriage is such a joy in my life- it CHALLENGES me to be a kinder person, a more forgiving partner, a stronger woman, a more compassionate friend, an increasingly faithful christian.. always learning, growing and changing. 

My #transformationtuesday isn't because of anything Nate or I were able to do solely on our own. It's because we finally trusted Jesus with our wants, needs and desires. We submitted to His will and surrendered ourselves to be used according to His purpose. 

You will find the most beautiful transformation when you ask Jesus to lead you.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

creating an empire starts with dreams

It's funny because when I started this blog, I thought I'd be writing about Beachbody ALL the time and the business I am learning to build. But the is my first post.. Why? Well, I primarily share about my business on Facebook amongst people that I know.. Sharing this part of my life on a pubic blog is kind of a different ball game.

But I've been at this now for about 8 months now, and besides Jesus, I don't know that I've ever TRULY believed in anything more.. This is what I was made for. This doesn't mean beachbody necessarily.. This means the opportunity I have SEIZED. Please let me explain..

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I know a lot of you either still don't get it or wonder but don't want to ask me..

"Why did you join beachbody? It's just fitness.. It's probably not a long term opportunity.. You might get tired of it.."

I could tell you all day long that this is a genius business model (it is).. and that the battle to end the trend of obesity has only just begun (it has). I could tell you I wanted to get the best shape of my life (I do).. but is that REALLY what lights a fire in me to create success every day??? It only scratches the SURFACE, my friends...

I refuse defeat and to push through rejection on a daily basis because I chose back in August and I CHOOSE again every single day to pursue my dreams...

Before I became a coach and started my business, I don't think anyone had ever asked me what those were.. I don't think I could have even voiced them to you clearly. Not anymore.. I have a clear VISION and am creating the path to get there one day at a time.

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I dream to provide financial security so that Nate can choose what he would like to do one day after his military career ends.

I dream to leave a legacy behind of serving others with heart and helping change peoples lives from the inside out.

I dream of being present with my nuggets one day that might actually have hands and feet.. and NOT stressing about choosing family or a career.

I dream of a mobile business providing a freedom of TIME... creating a life by design that allows us to not only explore our world, but also be available to our family and friends during important life moments.

I dream of giving back in abundance to not only the Lord, but our community, friends and family... to be a channel or blessing, rather than a reservoir.

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I don't care that I'm busy and sacrifice things and time now.. I CHOOSE to live unlike everyone else now, so that one day I CAN like unlike everyone else.

God, grant me perseverance, diligence, humility and resiliency to create a business that honors you, serves others and allows Nate and I to create our life by design.

I have NO degree and NO special qualifications. I have BIG ole dreams and a whole LOT of hustle.. I will learn through failure and pass along my knowledge to my team. This is what being an entrepreneur is.. and I accept the challenge.

Lindsey Grace

Broken Bread and Poured Out Wine: a life of sacrifice and stewardship

During my quite time of devotion and biblestudy, I have felt the Lord speaking to me overwhelmingly on my life being a reflection of "broken bread and poured out wine."

It seems that no matter what the subject of my study is lately, it all comes back to this concept. So what does broken bread and poured out wine even mean? ...

One of the most celebrated observances in the history of Christian faith is called "Passover." During the Passover, Christians were to partake a meal, not simply out of ceremonial obligation or religious recognition, but out of a desire to acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice of our Savior.

In Matthew 26 or Mark 14, you can read that Jesus actually partook in this meal with His disciples the night of His betrayal, leading ultimately to His death on the cross as documented in scripture. During New Testament times, the Passover commemorated the death of Jesus Christ as a sacrifice and atonement for our sins. The meal consisted of broken bread and poured out wine; these two elements represented Jesus' broken body and His life blood offering as a new covenant.

During Old Testament times, before the coming of Jesus, Christians had to regularly make living sacrifices with their finest live stock as an atonement for their sins [Exodus 12, along with other references]. These sacrificial animals, seen as something being without blemish, were put to death as a offering to the Lord because of sin-filled lives.

When God decided to send Jesus, he sent Him into the world as a perfect lamb.. a blemish-free sacrifice that would take on ALL of the disgusting, shameful sins of men- past, present and future. By Jesus being broken and poured out before the father, He essentially paid the ultimate price that would cleanse us from our sins so we could be reconciled into relationship with our perfect heavenly Father.  A free relationship providing an eternal life of forgiveness and love for ALL who chose to accept it. That was it.. His one-time sacrifice became a new covenant.

Wow, right?

His Body like broken bread for us.

His blood like poured out wine.

Out of no selfish motive. With no cost of repayment. With no strings attached. With no risk of loss. 

Eternal life. That simple. Because Jesus, sent to earth as a man and yet still fully God, was sacrificed on our behalf.. willingly.

This blows my mind. Do we sacrifice anything in our life without an expectation of return? Without strings attached or any selfish/ulterior motives? No. Because we are not perfect. We might be good people, but our hearts are flawed and tainted by sin.

Even though I have requested and accepted God's forgiveness of my short comings and have entered into the development of a personal relationship with my heavenly father, I do NOT always live in reflection of this on a daily basis.

Not our of choice, but imperfect human nature. If I lived a perfect life, what would my need for Jesus be? But boy do I need Jesus. Because of my relationship with Him, I know that my soul will spend eternity in the glorious presence of the Lord.

My job as a Christian though is the concept of "paying it forward" on earth. Using my life as a living sacrifice that bring honor to the one who saved me. To use my daily breath and actions as broken bread and poured out wine to serve God's purpose..

The life I am living is no longer my own.. Although it truly never was mine, it is now surrendered willingly to Him. God allows me to be a steward of the life He has given me to live.. a GOOD steward. Stewardship is the concept of caring for the property of another. Caring for my body, my mind, my spirit.

If God truly is the master and creator of all, then He "owns" so much more than our bodies and has ultimately given us ALL of our blessings. You may work hard for your successes, but you would have never been placed in your current circumstances (body, marriage, etc) if God didn't allow it. Therefore, delight in what He has given you stewardship over, but remember to honor Him through all aspects of your life.

Life your life as broken bread and poured out wine. Make a regular effort to reflect selflessness and submission. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His love for you will endure FOREVER.

More to come later, but let this simmer..

In love and humility,

Linz

[[for more on the passover symbols of bread and wine, check out this link. great read!]]