Chiara Talluto

Author, Wife, Busy Mom, A Woman after God's Heart.

Tag: NewBeginnings

Prayers and Praises Request Box – New Beginnings in 2024

January 9, 2024 /

 

My new word for the 2024 year is Release. I don’t believe in resolutions but I find that a word of the year helps me to stay focused. I often remind myself to intentionally do THAT WORD which has come to my mind in the new year.

Release this year will be enlightening others about any wisdom that I’ve been learning and storing up. I may not know everything about everything, but I’ve been around a bit to come away with some knowledge and understanding. Plus, every opportunity is an opportunity to share, whether it’s my Bible study, faith testimonies, life hacks, teachable moments with my kids, etc. On the flipside, it’s releasing toxic relationships, releasing past failures. Releasing situations that I think I can do in my own strength when in reality, I can’t; instead, sending it up to God to fight my battles and making a way. TRUSTING HIM MORE.

Along with that, I’ll be habitually writing down my Prayers and Praises, and encouraging my husband and kids to do the same. As I told them, let’s try it, we have nothing to lose.

I pray continually, it’s the best conversation in my head, but writing prayers down and dropping them in a box THAT NO ONE WILL READ is freeing and encouraging. I won’t have to carry the burdens but rather let THEM go. And with praises, being in CONSTANT thankfulness for those nuggets of HALLELUJAH that the Lord sprinkles in my life.

As my teenage daughter has said for the coming year, “Continue, but DIFFERENTLY.”

That’s my approach this 2024. What’s yours?

Going for the Stretch in 2023

January 11, 2023 /

Dictionary.com defines “stretch” as:

  • to draw out or extend (oneself, a body, limbs, wings, etc.) to the full length or extent,
  • to hold out, reach forth, or extend.

The new 2023 year is here. Many have begun new regimens in the areas of eating healthy, exercising, mental reevaluations, new jobs, etc.

January is a great time to start anew. A clean slate. Each year, I come up with a word as a reminder to challenge myself in becoming a better “me”. For the last several years, I’ve started off with these words:

  1. Restart – 2020
  2. Reset – 2021
  3. Revive – 2022
  4. Stretch – 2023

I was on an “R” streak for the last three years, and this year, that all changed. The one word that has been creeping into my mind is “Stretch”.

I’ve been growing and nurturing myself in many areas of my life: my health, my writings, my family, my relationships, and most importantly, my faith in Jesus Christ. I don’t know what God has planned for me, but if it includes the word, Stretch, hmmm… well, I better get flexible very, very soon because I have an inkling that the Lord is leading me on a journey where all these facets will be tested.

This brings me to this revelation I discovered in the Bible, specifically, in Mathew 13: 1-8 and 18-23 as it relates to human inclination and learning the truth about themselves. Let me share the scriptural content below and then I’ll explain and tie everything together.

The Parable of the Sower

13 “On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

 

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

My Take…

Though this is a biblical parable about a sower and the seed. A lot can be said about how people react, work through, or persevere when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, making life changes, starting something different, etc. Jesus uses the sower as Himself/God, and the seed as representative of God’s Word, But, it can also apply to learning, truth, wisdom, influence, etc. People generally fall into four categories when receiving these nuggets:

  1. People hear what they’re supposed to do, but often don’t understand it, are unable to apply it, often question it, and therefore discard it on the wayside.
  2. People hear what they’re supposed to do in “stony” places. These people are the ones who receive info with joy and start strong in their endeavors. Like those who start a new healthy diet in January. They’re excited about it for a while, but as soon as something goes wrong or it’s not working, they stumble and then quit because they have no depth in their being to fight through it.
  3. People who hear amongst the thorns. These folks are confident and are working on their talents, but soon the cares of the world take over, and their love for worldly things and pleasures choke them out, and they stop.
  4. People receive and hear on good ground. They’re the ones who will bear good fruit. Why? Because they accept it, apply it, and produce good in the world. They have a strong foundation, use discernment, and serve others using their gifts and talents.

Which category do you fall in?

And so, as I journey this year, “stretching” myself in various life situations and circumstances, I’m going to keep this Biblical parable in mind encouraging me to create a stronger soil, so that when the Sower throws me seeds, I can plant them, and they can multiply. I hope you do the same.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Mathew 13: 9

I pray you too can be blessed to stretch and soar beyond your understanding. Do you have a word for the year? If so, comment below. I’d love to learn your thoughts.

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy!

 

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mathew+13%3A+1-8&version=NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mathew+13%3A+18-23&version=NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mathew+13%3A+9&version=NKJV

 

 

The In-Between of All Things

December 29, 2022 /

In life, you have a beginning, an end, and an in-between. We spend most of our natural existence in the “in-between”. What you do with that time is up to you. God gives you free will and choices that you can make any time you want.

Like a book, there is a beginning. It has to captivate the reader so that they continue reading the story. The beginning is the hook, and it should be strong. The end is the culmination of the plot, coming full circle and it too, should leave readers wanting more, satisfied and fulfilled, or retrospective. As a writer, I love all those kinds of endings and I work really hard in trying to achieve them in my stories. Most of the work, however, is in the “middle”. That’s where the booklover stays the longest. Sustaining the tale, keeping the interest, working through tragedies and triumphs, and transporting the reader on an adventure with the characters of the story.

Getting back to real life, we’ve reached the end of 2022. The end of the year. Like its beginning, it either ends strong or flat. Every one of us has a story and though we may have similarities and coincidences, our individual journeys are just that, individual. The beginning and end are only a part of an entire year. Your in-between or middle will either propel you or cripple you in the coming new year.

What’s your in-between going to look like in 2023? Start making plans. It’s hours away.

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

 

References:

Photo by Jill Wellington: https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-new-year-text-3334355/

 

Commentary from a Mother’s Heart

August 18, 2021 /

Do you know the distance from your head to your heart is roughly 18 inches? Go ahead and try it, pull out a ruler. I’ll wait.

Standing on this pier taking this picture of my children, I can’t help feeling darkness descending on the morals and the values I’ve been teaching my kids to what they are learning out there. It’s like a slow lengthening.

The world is beautiful and chaotic I’ve been told. On most days, I believe it. Other days, when turning on the TV, reading stuff online, I shake my head and raise my fist to the Heavens.

Sometimes the waters can be smooth like glass, and other times, waves can come, shaking one’s core beliefs. Calm waters can also be deceiving where one thinks everything is fine, but underneath there lies a dangerous current that’s rumbling.

There’s no doubt we are living on the edge these days. Kids especially, being pushed and pressured into so many different directions. Social media is the true culprit—addictive entertainment just finger taps away.

Watching my two daughters posing and staring off into the trees and bushes, I’m silently praying that their head and heart will always be aligned and that when the sparkling boats are coming by, they will know the difference between the right boat to get into and the one in which they should turn and walk away from.

Until then, I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I won’t stop in providing those nuggets of truth where I can.

Resetting the Restart

December 29, 2020 /

My word for the 2020 year was RESTART. Like a computer reboot, restart doesn’t change things on your computer, rather it restarts again from its original state.

Each time throughout the year that I had a setback of sorts, I’d whisper to myself to RESTART right from where I was. It’s like the saying that I thought was Biblical… “Come as you are,” when referring folks to go to church. What I found was it’s not  because that phrase is not directly mentioned anywhere in the Bible. 

Regardless, I like to believe that for anyone wanting to go to church but are afraid, to try it anyway and show up. The church is supposed to be a haven, right? The first place where one can find refuge and feel no judgment or pressure to be anybody else except themselves, and to get the help needed to change. Change is the keyword.

I recently heard this line from Christian artist, Mathew West.  A song titled: “Truth Be Told”. It goes like this… “There’s a sign on the door that says ‘come as you’, but I doubt it, cause if we lived like that was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded.” That solidified my thoughts. With most churches closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where does one go to be their true selves and get assistance to change? Hmm, that’s a heavy question for another post. Until then, watch the video.

So, being human and staying in my comfort zone, I continued to ponder the definition of RESTART.

Dictionary.com had this to say about…

Restart:

verb (riːˈstɑːt)

to start again

noun (ˈriːˌstɑːt)

  1. the act or an instance of starting again – the restart of the lap
  2. (as modifier)a restart device

That’s when the light bulb when off in my head. I realized I don’t just want to start again from where I’m at—the original state.  Rather, I want to restart with the intention of a different outcome. And so, I decided my new word for 2021 is going to be RESET.

Dictionary.com had this to say about…

Reset:

verb (used with object), re·set, re·set·ting.

To set again: to reset an alarm clock; to reset a broken bone.

To set, adjust, or fix in a new or different way: to reset priorities; to reset prices.

SEE MORE

verb (used without object), re·set, re·set·ting.

To become set again: The alarm bell resets automatically.

noun

An act or instance of setting again.

An act or instance of setting, adjusting, or fixing something in a new or different way: A reset of relations between the two countries may be impossible. Company executives recognized the need for a reset in their business. Something that is set again.

Back to the phrase: “Come as you are”. I also recognized for myself that I don’t want to be a “come as you are” person; instead, I want to be a “come as you hope to become” individual. It’s a personal affirmation to transform oneself however you choose to do so. I’d rather reset than restart because sometimes things can’t go back to their original state. If we think of it in computer terms, here is something else I found that puts it all together:

“…Restart/reboot vs reset, reset is different from reboot/restart. Reboot/restart doesn’t change things on your computer, while reset will change things in your computer. Resetting means erasing and restoring…”

If I learned anything from 2020, is that I want to grow at every given setback or challenge that comes swerving in my life. Cheers to a healthy and prosperous 2021, and your personal RESET journey.

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

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