Hope – Page 8 – Melissa Schlies

Spring Cleaning In January

In early December, Tony and I did all the things most people do around Christmas. We picked out our tree then spent an evening decorating it, with Christmas carols playing in the background. We laid our nativity out on the top of our bookshelf. We gift shopped—mostly online. We made our travel plans to Wisconsin to see Tony’s family. And then, we started gutting our apartment. No, we didn’t move. Nor did the time of year make any sense, but as I like to call it, “The Urge to Purge,” crept up on us until we could no longer ignore [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-10T20:26:06+00:00January 21st, 2019|Categories: Change, Courage, Faith, Hope, Marriage, perseverance, Preparation|1 Comment

Starting the Year Less Than 100%

Confession: January is one of the hardest months for me to institute change in my life. Part of the reason why, is a lifestyle choice. Well, kind of a lifestyle choice. Let me explain. For almost fifteen years now, I have lived away from family. Then, I married someone who also moved away from where he grew up, This means that every Christmas, I travel. During the time of the year where I am most likely to eat foods I know weaken my body, and to fill my schedule limiting time for rest, I get on an airplane with a [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-10T16:41:44+00:00January 14th, 2019|Categories: Balance, Calling, Change, Character, Courage, Failure, Fear, Health, Hope, perseverance, Success|5 Comments

Learn: Anything Can Happen in 2019

Eight years ago this month, a school bus hit the back of my car. Now, before you start picturing a school bus full of screaming kids, a distraught bus driver, and me on the side of the road with a wrecked car—let me tell you, it wasn’t like that. But, my car was wrecked. That morning, on a sunny day in the middle of January, I went to work as I always did. I parked my car in the spot I always parked. Then I walked into work thinking about the meetings I had that day. About an hour later, [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-03-09T15:20:41+00:00January 10th, 2019|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, Faith, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Story, Uncategorized|Comments Off

He Always Comes

One of my favorite books growing up was The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. Early in the story, one of the main characters, Lucy, finds herself in a magical, snow-covered land. The first creature she meets there is Mr. Tumnus who is half man, half faun. Though she is taken back by his appearance, he is very kind and they soon become friends. Mr. Tumnus tells Lucy that she is in Narnia. The reason it is so cold there, he explains, is because a witch has cast a spell causing it to always be winter [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-12-04T12:55:34+00:00December 3rd, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Faith, Hope, perseverance, Uncategorized|3 Comments

When God Says No

Have you ever wanted something so badly, but it didn’t come? Have you ever prayed a prayer that rose from so deep in your soul, it felt as if your whole body prayed it? And then, God was silent. Or worse the door you were sure He was going to open wide, seemed to slam in your face. Without warning or a reason you could see, you were sent reeling. Like asking your best friend to be there for a big life moment, you asked God to be there for you, and He didn’t show up. It almost feels like [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-11-05T15:29:33+00:00November 26th, 2018|Categories: Faith, Hope, perseverance, Rejection, Saying No, Uncategorized, Waiting|2 Comments

The Hardest No

“…The very things you think you need most desperately are the things that can transform you the most profoundly when you do finally decide to release them.” —Shauna Niequist Sometimes, the hardest no’s in our lives are the ones we have to tell ourselves. They’re the ones that often begin with a whisper, “I am not going to have dessert this week.” “I am only going to have one drink.” Only they’re ignored when the stress gets too much, or everyone else is having another. We don’t listen to the whisper, so we say it a little louder to ourselves. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-11-19T12:18:46+00:00November 19th, 2018|Categories: Balance, Courage, discipline, Failure, Health, Hope, Making Decisions, perseverance, Saying No, Uncategorized|1 Comment

No Is Not An Answer

On my journey to live out my calling, I have received a lot more no’s than yeses. I was reminded of this recently, when I started reading through one of my journals from the year after I graduated college. At the time, I was working at a bookstore in Boston, and sending my resume out to almost any youth ministry job posted online that I could find. In a journal entry from February, a full nine months after graduation, I wrote about receiving a letter from a church saying they were going with a more qualified candidate. A letter—Do you [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-11-12T13:33:48+00:00November 12th, 2018|Categories: Acceptance, Calling, Character, Courage, Hope, Identity, perseverance, Success, Uncategorized|Comments Off

The Hero’s Journey

Ever notice that many of our favorite books-turned-movies all follow the same formula? Katniss, Harry Potter, Frodo—the story is always the same. Sure their lives and situations look different, but their journeys, not so much. At their core, each of these stories is about a normal, seemingly everyday person faced with an impossible quest. But why are we so enamored by them when we aren’t faced with the arena, becoming a wizard, or the daunting task of destroying an evil ring before it destroys us? What about the hero’s journey speaks to you and me? All this month, we have [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-10-18T18:45:26+00:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Acceptance, Calling, Character, Courage, Failure, Fear, Health, Hope, Mental Health, perseverance, Success, Uncategorized, Waiting|3 Comments

Calling: Do We Only Get One?

Do you remember when you were a kid and your parents told you, you could pick one treat off the dessert tray at a party? The choice wasn’t always obvious. Sure, if Aunt Ida’s chocolate chip cookies were burnt, while Uncle Larry brought cupcakes from the bakery down the street—it might have been easy. But, usually, if you were a sugar fiend like me, it was a hard decision. Choosing between two good things is always tough. In some cases, it’s the most difficult type of decision. Because choosing one means not choosing the other. And the fear of missing [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-10-27T01:32:29+00:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Balance, Calling, Courage, FOMO, Hope, Success, Uncategorized|4 Comments

What is Your Why

When I was seventeen, I remember praying and asking God to use me for good in this world. I wanted my life to count. But I had no idea how. I didn’t fully know or understand my strengths or my weaknesses. And unlike so many of my fellow overachieving friends, I didn’t have a plan for my life. College was mere months away, and I had no clue what to major in. I wanted to do something that mattered, but I felt lost. I share this today, because on some level, I believe you can relate. I believe we all [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-10-03T18:59:22+00:00October 8th, 2018|Categories: Calling, Change, Courage, Hope, Life Coaching, Purpose, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Spring Cleaning In January

Starting the Year Less Than 100%

Learn: Anything Can Happen in 2019

He Always Comes

When God Says No

The Hardest No

No Is Not An Answer

The Hero’s Journey

Calling: Do We Only Get One?

What is Your Why

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