God Completes What He Starts

I struggle with bouts of insomnia when I'm under high levels of stress. Anxiety keeps me wide awake with the wheels churning in my brain for hours on end. It's exhausting.

Last night was one of those nights. I was beaten down from a long and frustrating week, exhausted mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

For the first time since starting my business I asked God to take it away. No more. I have no more to give. No more hope left. It's just too hard and I have no more fight left in me. I don't know what God saw in me when he called me to do this? 

Then this morning, I open my Bible app and this verse pops up:

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus" 

Philippians 1:6

And just like that God gives me a little bit more strength. A glimmer of hope is restored. I remember that it's ok that I don't have it all together. It's ok because it's about me. It's about God, and the work he is doing in me, and through me, and that God alone will bring this to completion.

So what is my job in all of this? It's my job to step out of the boat. It's NOT my job to figure out how in the world I'm supposed to walk on the water. Just step out of the boat. No matter how scary, how impossible, how ridiculous it may seem. No matter how inferior I feel. 

Step out of the boat and trust that God will complete the work he has started in me.

Wishing you all health, hope, & happiness
Abby

August's Oil of the Month is On Guard

It's time to say no to the products we are currently using to clean our homes. Instead of making things more clean, these products are making people more sick, and poisoning our children and pets. 

A great place to start is with On Guard. It's an all natural essential oil known for it's strong ability to kill harmful bacteria, mold, and viruses. This oil can be diffused into the air to improve the overall air quality and wellness of your home. It can also be used to clean and purify household surfaces.

The unique thing about On Guard, is that it is completely safe, and can be used as a form of preventative medicine against colds and flus. Therefore, it is completely safe to your body, but lethal to harmful bacteria. Unlike our standard chemical cleaners that are proving more and more to be lethal to both harmful bacteria and humans. 

If you're worried about the "convenience factor," thinking that making your own natural cleaners will take too much time, think again. On Guard is so easy to use! There are a couple of different ways you can use it:

1. You can diffuse it into the air. You can either set the bottle out on the counter for 25-40 minutes a day, with the top off. You can also buy a diffuser, and put a few drops of On Guard into the diffuser, so that the oil is sprayed into the air. 
2. You can add a few drops onto a damp washcloth and then go to town cleaning your kitchen, bathroom, floor, tables, etc. No other products are needed. This oil is strong and effective against bacteria, mold, and viruses, so there is no need to saturate a towel. Simply add a few drops. It can't get easier than this!
3. During cold and flu season, administer a drop or two to door handles, remote controls, kids toys, cell phones, and anything else that collects germs. This is a safer, but equally effective alternative to using bleach. 
4. Use it to stimulate your immune system. Combine 1 drop of On Guard per 15 drops of coconut oil into a bottle. Mix well. Massage the mixture into your throat, stomach, bottom of feet, and under the arms. This will help to prevent colds and flus by stimulating your immune system. (I know this isn't a "natural cleaner" but this info is important! Who doesn't want a natural remedy for fighting colds?)

If you are interested in purchasing On Guard for yourself, you can order it here: www.mydoterra.com/abbyshroka 

Click on "shop for products" in the top right hand corner.
After entering the country of shipping, click on "oil blends" to find On Guard.

In case you need any more motivation to toss out the standard cleaning products and start using natural ones, here are a few scary statistics about the popular household cleaners you are storing under your kitchen sink.

• Over 100 chemicals commonly found in homes have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities.
• The average American uses about 25 gallons of toxic, hazardous chemical product per year, in their home.
• The toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution.
• Only 1% of toxins are required to be listed on labels, because companies classify their formulas as "trade secrets."

If you are interested in purchasing On Guard for yourself, you can order it here: www.mydoterra.com/abbyshroka 

- Click on "shop for products" in the top right hand corner.
- After entering the country of shipping, click on "oil blends" to find On Guard.
- Enjoy peace of mind, knowing your family is no longer digesting those harmful chemicals you used to spray on your kitchen table and bathroom counters.
- Happy cleaning!

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

If you missed last month's essential oil, click here, to read all about Lemon Oil and how I use it to clean my kitchen counters.

Jesus

I'm in that place where I can't pray. I try, but I just can't. All I can do is say the name "Jesus." It comes out in moans. It comes through tears. It comes in whispers that only I can hear. It comes with begging and pleading. Emotions too raw to name are attached to His name.

If you've never been in this place, I pray you never will be. If you have, then you know how much it hurts. This is one of those times where you need those prayer warriors in your life. You need others to cover you because you can't muster the words yourself.

There is a verse in the new testament that says "when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit intercedes with groans that words cannot express."I'm so very thankful for this verse. Whoever wrote that verse was clearly in that place of muttering the name of Jesus over and over again on their knees. I'm so thankful for the Spirit inside of me. I'm so thankful for a God that can read my heart and understand every feeling, even when I can't express them, and don't understand them.

For months I have been begging God for deliverance. Asking him to intervene, to change our circumstances, to rescue us, to restore us. I have been asking earnestly for Him to show me what we are doing wrong. Search my heart! Tell me what we are doing that is preventing a swift deliverance? What is preventing your blessing. We have tried to do God's will. We have tried and tried. Now it's beyond just "tried." We have persevered with God's will. And still nothing.

Big. Fat. Silence.

Where are you God? Why have you turned away from us? Why have you hidden your face from us? Why have you allowed Satan to have us? Please, we are begging you, HEAR OUR PRAYERS!

And then, I got a call from my Nana. One of the most Godly women in my life. She told me this beautiful story. A miracle of God. She told me that when she heard about this miracle, she told her friend "isn't that so wonderful that God heard our prayers?" And then her friend responds, "God ALWAYS hears our prayers, He just doesn't always act in the way we ask Him to."

Wow. How true is that? God always hears our prayers. Always. He is hearing every prayer I am crying. Even the ones that my Spirit is crying because I can't even speak them myself. I don't know why He isn't acting. I probably will never know. But I know He hears. I know He cares. I know my deliverance is coming. Because I know who my God is.

The KtKronicles

I wanted to take a minute to introduce a new blog that I'm following called "The KtKronicles." I love this blog because it is authentic and real, it's grace filled, and it gets to the heart of the matter right away. No surfacey stuff at all. She gets raw and real in her relationship with Jesus, and leaves me inspired to keep pressing on through another day with HOPE.

Most of all, she is relatable, through her joys and her struggles. I can see myself in each blog.

If you're currently in a "valley" of life, filled with hopelessness and despair, read Katy's most recent blog "365 Days." She talks about how God has taken her OUT of that place. She shows us that God really does keep his promises, He actually does provide in amazing ways when we need them most, and that the valley does come to an end. You can read it here.

Katy is a mom of 4, a writer, a Holy Yoga lover (seriously who isn't?), and a "wife in limbo" as she calls it. She also makes awesome all natural products like laundry detergent and facial cleansers. If you're looking to exchange those chemical cleaners in your home for some all natural ones, check out her stuff.

Visit her blog here, and take a read. I promise you won't regret it!

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

July's "Oil of the Month" is ... Lemon

More than 7 million accidental poisonings occur each year from chemicals found in kitchen cleaners, with more than 75% involving children under the age of 6!

- The Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

Over 100 chemicals commonly found in homes have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities.

Housewives have a 55% high risk of getting cancer than do women working outside the home due to the amount of exposure to the products they use on a daily basis.

A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds at home, according the U.S. Poison Control Centers.

The average American uses about 25 gallons of toxic, hazardous chemical product per year, in their home.

The toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution.

Only 1% of toxins are required to be listed on labels, because companies classify their formulas as "trade secrets."

If you haven't considered switching over to natural cleaners before, I hope you will consider it now, after reading the above statistics. These statistics are real, they are scary, and they will only continue to rise with each passing year as we become more dependent on these convenient, store bought cleaners. You don't have to rush over to your cabinets and start throwing out every cleaner in sight. Start easy and small, and slowly transition your house over to all natural cleaners. That way, you won't get overwhelmed and give up. Start with the essential oil known as Lemon Oil.

Lemon Oil is one of my favorite oils because it smells Ah-May-Zing!! Seriously I can't get enough of it. I love cleaning my kitchen with my homemade natural cleaner and having the entire house fill with the odor of Lemon Oil. Lemon Oil is a natural antiseptic, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, astringent. These properties make it the perfect natural cleaner for your house.

This Lemon Oil is extracted directly from real lemons, without the use of chemicals and toxins. This Lemon Oil is also known for it's medicinal properties that date all the way back to Christopher Columbus. Back in those days, Lemon Oil was used to fight food poisoning, malaria, typhoid epidemics, scurvy, and postpartum depression. Today, the French medical community still uses Lemon Oil to treat various infections. Needless to say, this Oil is safe to use in your home.

I don't use any chemical cleansers in my kitchen anymore. The only thing I use to clean my kitchen is a dishrag and Lemon Oil. I lightly wet the dishrag, and then I add a drop or two of Lemon Oil to the rag and wipe down my counters, clean my microwave, or wash out my sink. I also have a spray bottle with a mixture of water and Lemon Oil. I use this to spray my counters to wipe them down. Either method works great, it just depends on what is convenient for me at the time.

Making the natural cleaning spray is easy. Fill a spray bottle 3/4 of the way with water, then add drops of Lemon Oil. Start with ten drops and then test the spray by smelling it. As long as you can smell the refreshing odor of the lemon, it will work to clean your counter tops just fine. For a stronger smell, you can always add more drops of Lemon Oil.

I really want to encourage you to start using Lemon Oil as a way to clean your house. Especially if you have small children and pets, don't let them become one of the statistics above!

If you are interested in purchasing Lemon Oil for yourself, you can order it here: www.mydoterra.com/abbyshroka  
Click on "shop for products" in the top right hand corner.
After entering the country of shipping, click on "single oils" to find Lemon Oil.

For those of you who are interested in all natural cleaning supplies, next month, I will be featuring another oil that I use for cleaning around my house. Subscribe to this blog to make sure you don't miss it!

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

If you missed last month's essential oil, click here, to read all about Oregano Oil and how it works to boost your immune system.

Wait On Your Health With Passion

"Wait passionately for God; don't leave the path." Psalm 37:34 (msg)

Have you ever noticed that people don't last long on a new diet or exercise routine? Maybe you're one of those people. Take heart because you aren't alone! It is hard to find the time and make the necessary sacrifices to eat right and exercise. Especially when you aren't getting the results you want.

When you first start exercising and changing your diet over to a more healthy lifestyle, you're going to be doing a lot of waiting. Weight doesn't just melt off. It took months, and maybe even years, to put that weight on, so why should it take only days or weeks to take it off? It doesn't work that way! The same goes for reversing disease. Years of bad choices gave you diabetes and high cholesterol. Reversing that damage won't come easy.


The key is to wait with passion! In Psalm 37:34 it says to "Wait passionately for God, don't leave the path." What does it mean to wait passionately? I know what it means to wait negatively; to complain and worry while I wait. To lose hope and fall into despair. Feeling like there is no hope, this is when most people give up and quit their diet and stop exercising. Waiting is no joke! It can be hard. It can be frustrating. But know this: when you play by God's rules, and follow his will for your life, and for your health, you're going to be waiting.

Not only will you be waiting on God some point, but there is always a purpose in the waiting. Always. That is why God calls us to wait PASSIONATELY. He doesn't want us to just sit down, twiddle our thumbs, and complain while we wait for Him to work. He wants us to be learning and growing while we wait. He uses waiting to test our faith. He uses waiting to prepare us for what is ahead. He wants us to get all we can out of the waiting time.

How do you wait passionately when the weight just won't come off, when you aren't seeing any results? In the second half of our verse, God gives us the answer: "don't leave the path." In other words,  don't give up! God desires for us to remain in him through out the entire process. Involve him in your new diet and exercise routine. Ask Him to help you succeed every single day.

What are you waiting on right now? We are all waiting on God for something. 

Are you learning all you can about healthy eating while you wait?
Are you passionately remaining in God through this time of waiting?
Are you allowing God to prepare you, teach you, and train you, or have you sat back and given up? Have you slowly started to leave the path of a regular exercise routine?

What are you waiting on right now? 

Are you waiting with passion? Are you waiting in the middle of the path?

Waiting with Confident Expectation

"But those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength," 
Isaiah 40:31a

I have yet to meet a person that truly enjoys waiting. There is a reason why it costs more to skip to the front of the line at an amusement park, why the early release of a popular movie sells out so quickly, and why people like to drive fast cars. Waiting stinks. It's not for the faint of heart.

In the Bible, the word "hope" and the word "wait" are sometimes used interchangeably. Depending on the translation of the Bible that you are familiar with, you may know a verse to have the word "hope" in it, while another translation has the word "wait." An example of this is in Isaiah 40:31a.  Many people know this verse to say: "But those who HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength," while many others know it to say: "But those who WAIT in the Lord will renew their strength."

This used to baffle me, because when I think of waiting, it is definitely not combined with positive emotions. When I'm waiting, I'm anxious, nervous, impatient, analyzing, and calculating. None of these emotions equate to hope.

In Hebrew (the language of the old testament), the word "hope," means to look ahead in confident expectation. The words "look ahead" and "expectation" do give us a sense of waiting, so it does make sense that these words are related. Instead of waiting in panic, and agitation, we should be waiting in confident expectation because of the promises we have from our God.

Our God promises to "Work all things out for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28

Our God promises that "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can conceive, the things that God has in store for those who love him," 2 Corinthians 2:9

Our God promises "For I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future," Jeremiah 29:11

With promises like these, we have every reason to hope in The Lord with confident expectation!

So let me ask you; what are you waiting on? We are all waiting on something. Are you waiting with hope, or with anxiety? Are you waiting with confidence, or with calculated stress? Are you waiting with expectation, or with despair?

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby