You're not the only mom that feels like screaming today.

You're not the only one holding back frustration's tears.

No, there are many whose gaze falls on cracker crumbs, unfolded clothes, crusty dishes, and needy little faces, feeling despair's crushing weight. "It's only getting worse," the voice inside tells them. "You're failing. There's no way off this life-sucking treadmill."

But you, my sister, are not past hope.

Your heart is still beating, your God is not dead. And though every cell of your body taunts "You're trapped... there's no undoing all this mess," freedom is possible.

You have a choice.

God wants you to dream and set goals.

His Spirit is ready to empower each tiny step you need to take.

So about choice...

You've chosen already today — perhaps you've procrastinated connecting with a friend, put off finding a babysitter, pushed the idea of exercise, a life-coaching or counseling appointment to the back of your mind, thinking you'll make a decision later.

But not choosing was a choice, wasn't it? Whether willfully or passively, you prioritized something else.

Guess what... God's giving you another chance! His mercies are new each morning. Today is another opportunity to really live. Will you step out in faith and make one of those life-giving choices you've been ignoring? You're the only one who can.

How about goals...?

Are you cringing? Terrified at the very thought? Are they yet another way to measure failure?

But what if you succeeded? What if this time you took the leap? If God calls you, can He not also empower you?

Write it down — that goal or dream that seems almost unimaginable.

Taste it, feel it, try it on for size.

Would it be worth being stretched? Could you handle some change in your life in order to see that goal become a reality? No, you can't keep doing the same thing today, this month, this year, and expect different results. But God would love to take you past the stagnancy of what "has always been" to the vast new fields of what really can be.

Go on. Get a pen and paper. Even writing your goal down increases your likelihood of following through by 42%!

Now about a one-degree change...

It's a principle frequently quoted — an airline flight path changed by one degree will take passengers to a dramatically different destination. Little changes lead to big results.

Few people can pull off monumental change overnight. But we're created to handle change by increments without too much fall-out. And over time, those tiny choices — one-degree changes — make a big difference.

Imagine saying "no" (such a life-changing word for overwhelmed moms) to one extra-curricular activity each week. Just one. Just enough to give you a few hours to breathe.

Or picture trading twenty minutes of evening Facebook time for a walk around the block with your husband or kids. It's not a gym membership or pricey family counseling, but it's a tiny thing that gets your blood pumping and encourages a little family interaction.

Over time, one-degree changes lead to refreshing new destinations.

It's a new year...

And maybe your resolutions have already come and go. But don't you dare let the enemy of your soul rob you of the life and joy your Heavenly Father wants to give you in the days ahead.

You are never completely trapped, my friend. No matter how long it's been this way, your God gives you a choice. He's right there, waiting to guide you on the adventure of 2015. Take His hand and be a part of something new.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. — Isaiah 43:19

Let me know how I can pray for you today or if I can help you dive deeper into your choices, goals, and changes through a free life-coaching consultation.

Blessings,

Jennifer