The impact of your thoughts

I recently attended an event over the weekend called "Wait, did you hear what God said about you?" by Jenny Dunkin and Shelley Haisman. In this episode, I share my notes from the event and how the teachings personally impacted me.

Correction: I was calling what I meant to be the Miraculous Medal the magnificent medal this whole episode - practicing humility by keeping it a part of the episode bc that's kinda embarrassing hahaha

Jenny and Shelley's Website: https://abundantlyfavored.com/

(00:00) Talking about my new Miraculous Medal bracelet

(07:50) A little about the event and my mental health as of late

(11:41) What God says about you

(15:02) Our thoughts impact our actions 

(18:10) Flipping negative thoughts into positive thoughts

(21:02) What does God's voice sounds like?

(26:18) Going in fully with God rather than partially

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Okay. Test. Hello, everybody. As you can see if you're watching, as you can see, I'm recording at a totally different time. Um, it's like evening into night right now, and honestly, I'm like kind of liking it. I don't know. I mean, literally, I just pushed play, but anyways, I don't know. I just feel like the evenings are just like very low pressure for me, and I think that might just be um just like the season that I'm in right now with not having a super strict schedule, with you know, things with the business as that's all getting started. So yeah, yeah, I don't know. Maybe this will be a new thing, maybe not. I don't know. As you guys know, I'm kind of like all over the place. But um, anyways, so I wanted to first talk to you guys about this bracelet that I got. Um, so I got this bracelet, I just got it on Saturday in the mail. Um, and it's a magnificent metal bracelet. And I have like heard of the magnificent metal before. Um, but I never really knew like what it was. I just knew like I had seen girls at church before, or even like back in Virginia, like girls wearing them and talking about them and stuff, but I like didn't actually know what it was. But anyways, so I recently saw it was either on Instagram or or TikTok, I can't remember. Um, but I looked or it came up on my feed, and it was saying to like look up um like the feast day that's on your birthday, because like nothing is just like random to God. And I was like, okay, let me just like see what mine is. And mine was the feast day of the magnificent medal. I guess that would be, or it was just like the magnificent medal is celebrated on that day. I guess that would be a feast day then. I don't know. You guys know I'm still learning all this stuff. Um, but anyways, the event associated with my because usually with feast days, it's like celebrating a saint. So I thought it was gonna be a person, but it was like the feast day of the magnificent medal. So just celebrating the magnificent medal. Um, so I was like, okay, well, I have to get one now, but I still didn't know what it was. So uh before I ordered it, I did some researching and figuring out what it was. And oh, I can't remember the name of the saint, but it was a it's a uh Mary apparition. So Mary had appeared to this nun. Gosh, I wish I could remember her name. Um anyways, so she appeared to this nun, and um I think it was twice. Once was like in May. I can't remember what happened in May. And then again was on my birthday when she appeared um like the image on the medal, and then instructed the nun to put the image on a medal. So this medal is known to give graces and um miracles. So it's not like, and when I say that, the belief isn't like it's like this, you know, like magic bracelet or magic metal type thing. It's more just like if you have faith in God and that God also, like Mary is also a way to get closer to God, um, then it can give these really big graces and just really bless your life. But, anyways, so the image on the metal is I can't remember. Mine's also really small because I got it in a bracelet. Um, there's a saying around it, but what it is is it's a picture of Mary. I believe she has the 12 stars above her head, like they talk about in Revelation, and the moon, or no, not the moon under her feet in this one. I think it's um the world, I believe, under her feet. And then um there's like she has her hands out, and there's these rays of light coming out of her hands, and what these um like rays of light are are graces that are given to us. And then when she appeared to this nun, there were like dull spots, or like it looked like graces that were dull, and Mary told her that that was because of people just not asking for them, and that we're allowed to ask for graces and blessings, and that God has just so much to give, but we just don't go to him and ask him, and he wants us to. He's a father who wants to take care of his children, and then on the back, there's a picture of there's more stars on here. What do you think? 1212 again, and I think that might be to represent like the disciples. Don't quote me on this stuff, this is very new to me. Um, but then there's also an M for Mary with a cross through it to just represent like the connectedness of Mary and Jesus, and how without Mary's yes, like Jesus wouldn't have been able to come to the world to literally save us. And then under the picture of that cross with the M, there's a picture of the sacred heart. So the hate sacred heart is an image of Jesus' heart. And then I get I think the other one is just, I don't know if there's like an official name for it. I'm sure there isn't, I can't remember. Um is Mary's heart. So there's just like so much meaning, even just in this metal, just through like the images and and then with our faith as well. Um, but yeah, I don't know. I thought it was pretty cool. It's like, dang, a Mary apparition on my birthday. Like, I don't know. I was like, wow, that's like pretty big. Um, so yeah, I ended up getting one, and yeah, I'm just excited about it. It's kind of like a comfort. Um, I've noticed myself just kind of like holding the medal every so often. But anyways, I just wanted to share that with you guys because that came in the mail and it's just been kind of cool. But yeah, so this weekend, um, I went to a half day retreat with um an organization called Young Catholic Professionals. And they are there's like a bunch of them in major cities all over the US. Um, so this one was obviously the Chicago one that I went to, but um they like hold all different events and like social events and retreats and learning opportunities, service opportunities, just like so many different things. And um also like support in regards to like networking and career stuff. Like it's just a a place for Catholic young adults to get together and have community. But, anyways, so they had a retreat, a half day retreat, um, on Saturday. And I just wanted to share with you guys some of the things that I learned at the retreat this weekend or like things that I just really needed to hear. And then um, yeah, something that was like a confirmation and from God. Um, but yeah, it honestly was just really good that I went to this because um this past week, I'd say hmm the past like week to week and a half, I've been like freaking out about just my financial situation. Um and it's like sometimes I feel okay and like I'm really trusting God, and then other times I'm like freaking out and letting fear take over, and like the past like week, week and a half before this event, I was really just like sitting in fear and like then sitting and obsessing and looping and ruminating on it, but yeah, so it was really good for me to go to this event. So I would it was getting to the point where I was just like so anxious and so on high alert that I just like kind of had to like step away from God for a second. It was like, okay, I know you're still here, but I like I know I mentioned having to do this before. Um, and it was like, okay, I know you're still here, but like I can't hear you, I can't feel you. And it was like I was like still going to him, but I was also like feeling so anxious when I would go to him because I was trying to hear and feel him so hard that I just had to be like, okay, I'm just gonna step away. I know you're here, I know you're with me, but like I'm just gonna do some other things like right now. Um like, for example, like play Animal Crossing, like purposefully being like, God, I know you're with me, but I'm gonna play Animal Crossing right now. It's just like I just honestly needed a distraction. Like, I just sitting and praying and just trying to go to God was just like not helping me in that moment. Um, and that was like for a few days, and I was like really down about it, and like even on Thursdays, I usually go to adoration. Like this past Thursday, I didn't go because like that is just such a time where I hear the hear the Lord so clearly and just feel him so much and his presence and his love. But I was like, God, I just I I don't have the energy to go to even try to discern right now because my anxiety was so high about everything that I was just like, I know I'm just gonna go in there stressed out about like, is this you actually you or not? So yeah, like last week I was just feeling like a not great and out of routine. Um, but yeah, so I went to this event on Saturday. The name of the event was Wait, did you hear what God said about you? And honestly, when I signed up for this event a few weeks ago, like the name of it was a big reason why I signed up because I've really been, I I've really been just meditating on like, okay, what does God say about me? Like, and just trying to go deeper into my identity as a daughter of Christ and what that means. Um, and it's like, yes, I know what the Bible like says about identity, but I just like it's like I was just circling back and revisiting it and like trying to go on a deeper level with that, if that makes sense. Um yeah, so I just wanted to go through and share some of the takeaways from um the retreat. So I just wanted to share some of the key takeaways for me um from the event and just the ones that I just really needed to hear. And also like the timing of it. What did wait, did you hear what God said about you? Like that was just like exactly what I needed, especially like what was happening days before, just in my emotional and spiritual life. Um, so let's see. Also, isn't this if you can see, isn't this little notebook so cute? I didn't, they gave it to us there. Um, I like didn't even think to like bring a notebook or anything like that, and thankfully they had these there. Um, and these little they had these little mini pens too. But, anyways, so they started off with some Bible verses just talking about our identity in Christ and what God says about us. And the two that stuck out to me were Esther 4.14, which says, Perhaps you were created for such a time as this. And then the second one was Romans 5.8, which says, But God shows his love for us in that we were still sinners. Christ died for us. So I really underlined still sinners, because just with my anxiety and OCB, and then not being able to like hear and feel God, like then I was like, I was just like, it was just going down this big like rabbit hole of like, well, what does it even mean to be your child? Like, have I been doing all the right things? Blah blah blah blah blah. Like just very hectic. Um, it was like I was like, I was literally forgetting my identity in Christ, is what was happening. Um, but anyways, so I just had to remember, like, he did this for us and died for us out of his love when we were just a mess. And yeah, and it's I mean, that's still like that, you know, like we don't have to clean ourselves up before we go to him, and um yeah, he always just meets us where we're at. And then they also um had a picture of this diagram, it's like this circle, and then it starts with thoughts, which then turn into beliefs, which then shape your decisions and then shape your direction. So I'll I'll talk about an example that um they gave. So say you start with the thought, the job market makes it impossible to get a job. The belief is I will not be able to get a job. Then, because you believe that, you're just you make the decision of you don't really apply, you don't really network, you don't really update your resume, and then your direction is no movement with getting a new job. So that's an example of like negative thinking. And then here's the example they gave for positive. So the thought is even though the job market is tough, God has a plan, which then turns into the belief of God will put me where he wants me. Your decision is then you're active and applying and networking and updating your resume and just being proactive. And then the direction is you're exactly you're put exactly where God wants you. But it just shows that we are in control of our thoughts and the pattern in which we speak to ourselves, whether that's negative or positive. And that was just like really something that I needed to hear, especially as someone with OCD, because the thoughts that come into my head just feel so real, and then they just feel like truth. And I'm like, okay, well, if that if that was a thought, then that's truth. Um but yeah, and then they had also said repetition makes the thought feel true. So if I'm repeating these negative thoughts with OCD, it's gonna feel then more and more and more true. Um but yeah, oh, another thing they said was most thoughts are automatic. So we can choose, okay, do we want the thoughts that we are having to be positive or negative? And usually, most of the time, the thoughts just in our sinful nature that we have are gonna lean towards negative, but that's why we need to lean on what God says and what he says about us and what he teaches and the way that we should live our lives, um, that that becomes our automatic and that's not to say like negative thoughts are never gonna come, because that's just not true because we live in a fallen world, but it like which one rules your life, the positive or the negative. Oh, something that they did that was also really helpful that I think is really gonna help me personally too, is something that they taught called flip the script. And um they had some examples. So it's having a negative thought, but then turning it into a positive one. So these are some examples that they gave. Negative thought is I should be further along, but we can twist that. Oh, I don't want to say twist, that makes it sound negative. Turn that into a positive thought if my journey is not meant to look like anyone else's. Another example negative thought, I'm too broken for God to use. Positive thought, I am God's beloved child, and He is already using me in this season. Negative thought. I have always been this way. Positive thought. I'm growing into who I'm meant to be. So we then made our own little personal scripts to flip. I'll share some of them with you. They're personal, so I'll share some of them with you, um, just based on like what you guys know about my life and the things that I've been going through. But um my negative thought, especially like the past, like I was saying, a week, week and a half. I don't know enough to run a business and I can't do it. Positive thought. I am learning as I go, and I can do it. I have God on my side. Negative thought. I'm not a good speech therapist because I don't always see progress. Positive thought. I'm a good speech therapist, and I'm not the only factor when it comes to patient outcomes. Negative thought. OCD controls my thoughts, positive thought. Even though I have OCD, I'm in control of my thoughts. Negative thought. My OCD thoughts are true. Positive thought. My OCD thoughts are just thoughts. Sorry, I was like, okay, I'm saying the word thought a lot. Anyways, um, okay, so that was like the first half of the day. Was just kind of like, okay, what's our identity? Who does God say we are? How can we flip our negative thinking into positive? And then the second half of the day was really focusing on hearing God's voice. So here are notes from that that I took. We are all being called to something, and you can hear God's voice when you have a relationship with him. That second one was something that I really needed to hear because, like I was saying, I was really struggling to hear his voice, and like I was like so anxious and overwhelmed that I couldn't even discern. It just, ugh. It just when I when I get in these OCD loops and rumination, it's just like my mind just doesn't shut up. And it's just like I feel like it's really hard to get it to shut up. It didn't mean I can't hear God's voice. It just means I was going through a tough period. And it doesn't mean I'm not in a relationship with him anymore. It just means I was going through a tough period for a few days. Um Then they also gave a little chart saying like what God's voice sounds like versus what fear sounds like. Because that's either what drives us. God's voice or fear. So God's voice is calm, steady, and invitational. And then fear is urgent, pressure, or confusing. Fear pushes you, but God invites you. Um, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't move quickly sometimes. And the first thing that popped into my head with that was my whole move out here to Chicago was things moved really quick quickly with that, with you know, me quitting my job, finding an apartment, actually getting out here. But like I could tell that that was being all directed by God because like I it didn't feel like it was like, oh, I have to get here by this time, and blah blah blah blah blah, and I don't know what to do. Like it also doesn't mean fear was eliminated completely. I mean, of course, doing something like that was kind of scary, but the feeling that was more in control of that whole situation and what was guiding that was um just more of like a that calm and the steadiness, and just like this fee, this gut feeling of knowing. This gut feeling of knowing that that's what the Lord was calling me to. Ooh, okay. This is when things really started to like hit home for me, like given my situation. Um, so they were then talking about like, okay, so once you identify God's voice and you feel those gentle nudges from him and that encouragement and be like, come on, you've got this, like we're gonna do this. Um something that the speakers said was, what is God asking me to say yes to that could change the trajectory of humanity, just like how Mary's yes did. Um, and just thinking about like how our response to what to God and what he has planned for us and for our lives, like just because he has a plan for us doesn't mean that it's necessarily gonna happen, because we also have to come hand in hand with him and be a part of that plan too. Um, because God never forces us into anything, but um, yeah, something else they said too that I needed to hear about the yeses. When you say yes to God, you rarely see the whole path, you just take the next faithful steps, and God opens the next door. So that was also something that I needed to hear too, because as you guys know, like things with my business have just been taking a little bit longer than I've anticipated. And I don't know, like career-wise and like financially, I just feel very like vulnerable. And especially like the longer time goes on. It's like, you know, when I first came out, I was like, yes, like I'm so excited to see what God does. And like my faith was like really strong, and it's almost like now that I the longer I've been out here, I don't want to say my faith is dwindling, but it it hasn't been as easy as I thought it was going to be. I thought like once I got got out here, everything was gonna be really smooth and like everything was going to fall into place like immediately, and um it hasn't. It's been a little bit harder. Um but yeah, yeah. Um, there was also a worksheet that they had us do in connection to the um talks that they gave. And I wanted to share with you guys um my answers to these questions and how it's been pertaining to my life and how I was really able to hear what God was trying to tell me at this event. Okay, actually, before I get to the worksheet, I want to give you guys some context and share one of the stories that really connected with me. Um so one of the speakers' daughters told her guest story, and her story was almost identical to mine. I mean, minus like the move, but really unhappy and burnt out at her typical like nine to five job. Um, and having doubts about going fully in with what the Lord was calling her to do, which was starting her own business. Um, and she was afraid of going fully in because of finances. But um, yeah, because she was saying that, you know, she was like, okay, well, do the business. Like, I want to go full time with the business, but like I'm I'm gonna have to start doing it part-time. And she was talking to someone else who was saying, like, if you need a sign from God, just go in fully, like this is it. And um, her story was like that for me, if that makes sense, because um, like this past week, like I panic applied to like 10 minimum wage jobs because I have been feeling like even though I'm okay, like it's I have God is providing for me right now through savings that I already had. And he, I know he is breaking the relationship that I have with money of like money being security, and he's definitely challenging that right now, but yeah, I was just getting so anxious where I was like, Well, I need to make money in the meantime because this is gonna be taking well, okay. So, what happened was the last step that I'm needing, which I thought was only gonna take a few days, I ended up calling them last week, and they were like, it could be six to eight more weeks, which means six to eight more weeks of like definitely no income. And I like freaked out and panicked and applied to a bunch of like minimum wage jobs just to be like, Well, I need something to hold me over, blah blah blah blah blah. And um yeah, so the speaker's daughter story just oh, it just really resonated with me. And it I could feel that the Lord was telling me through her story just to go fully in with him and trust him and that he is going to take care of me and he has a plan. And then the next question was where in your life do you feel like you're trying to control the outcome instead of just trusting God? And I said, finances with building my business. The next question is where do you feel like God might be inviting you to take the next step right now? And I wrote just live, because right now I can I have been starting to get so anxious about you know things with the business taking longer and just finances, like it's almost like I feel like I haven't really been able to enjoy my life to the capacity that God is wanting me to, and especially at this time. Um yeah, because yes, I am living my life and doing things, and that still is just in the back of my head of like, oh my gosh, or like if I spend a little bit of money, it's like I don't know if I can like should I do this? Is this a smart move? Blah blah blah. Like, it's just kind of like constantly in the back of my mind where I can feel him just being like, just I got you. Trust me, I want you to enjoy your life without worrying about it. And what does the Bible tell us? Not to worry and not to be afraid. Um, so the next question was what is one small yes you can say this week? And I said, not apply to any more jobs. And then the last question was, I feel like these last few were very connected. What would you do differently if you truly believed God already has equipped and supplied you for the season? And just through that question, I like really have underlined equipped and supplied that that is God telling me I have equipped you and I have supplied you, and there's nothing you need to do, just come to me. So that was a lot. Um, but yeah, it was just so things that I needed to hear, and the two sisters that were speaking were just like so filled with the spirit, like it was just it was so good, and the timing was just perfect. Um but I'll put their stuff in the description. Um but yeah. So that's all that I have got for today. But I will talk to you guys next week. Alright, love you. Bye.