Abundantly Free

Transparency

zarahcochran — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:58:06 +0000

As an Interior Designer, I work with all different types of interior finishes. Earlier this week I was selecting a window film for a client… and chose one that is slightly transparent, yet still provides privacy. It has a really cool texture, but that’s besides the point.

This week, I had a particular moment where I felt the Lord asking me about my personal transparency. Transparency is really a cool concept to think about…. until the Lord twists it and it hurts. I starting thinking about how so many times as Christians we don’t do “transparency” very well. We put on this personality and appearance that everything is perfect, and we’re living the American Dream… whatever that is. Even we we try to be transparent… it’s like we still want that privacy. No one likes feeling vulnerable or like they’re on display. No one enjoys their “stuff” being on display… or heaven forbid someone thing less of you.

Today, I sense a major uprising of “little secrets”. Even in the church, so much is done in the dark and in the secret. What if everyone was truly exposed for their true self? What if each person no longer had one foot on each side of the fence? What if believers stopped putting on airs, really got to the heart of the issue, and recognized that we are nothing without Christ? What if we truly were imitators and loved each other with a godly passion? What if we were a real friend and no longer talked about each other in ways that are not uplifting? What if the Body of Christ was a true representation of our Savior?

It may seem odd, but so many things I do in the Design field have a correlation to something Spiritual. But this analogy of the window film is rocking my world. Believers are appearing like the window film I was talking about. We try to give the appearance that we are transparent… but we are still “private”. We hide behind this little mask.

What if we really lived as Christ? How would the world be impacted? What kind of change would we see? What would the world see? Jesus!

A Guarded Heart

zarahcochran — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:04:04 +0000

Last week I was in a conversation with a dear-heart friend of mine. As we were chatting over coffee [of course!], we were talking about being guarded, and that we respond in many situations by putting our guards up and not allowing people in. And almost before I really thought about it, I said “I wonder how many times I treat the Lord in the same guarded way.” Let me just tell you.. that’ll preach! Let me explain what I’m talking about. And since the Lord just loves making me use my own self as an illustration to break up any form of [false] security I think I have… here goes.

After believers have let you down, or exposed vulnerable places in your heart to others, it’s quite easy to put up a wall or barrier around your heart. It’s human nature to try to protect that which has been injured. It’s a natural reaction to put up walls around the very areas of our hearts that are most sensitive and raw. Over the past years, through many circumstances, heart-breaking relationships, betrayal and more… the walls to my heart have grown much thicker. The deepest places of my heart are not exposed until complete trust and confidence has been gained by a person. Many things stay at a surface level without going much deeper. New situations, new encounters, new friendships… these almost always result with putting my guard up. Or there’s always the opposite where someone spills their guts without really knowing if the person is trustworthy. Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong to be transparent and allow yourself to be vulnerable. We have to ask for the Lord’s wisdom to carefully walk this. But my own response… well, what I’m saying is that my human-response to put up my guard is a fleshly form of trying to play God. Not good.

When I put up my guard, I am relying on my own form of protection. I am playing the role of protector. I am playing God, in a sense, but not leaning into His role as my protector. I am self relying [and we all know that never works out well]. His truth says:

Psalm 91:1-2: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 28:7: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him”.

Psalm 27:1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

The Lord is our protector. He is our shield. If we fear man, fear rejection, fear betrayal, fear loss, or fear of an kind… this is not from the Lord. He is not fear. He is real, raw, transparent and truth. Living in fear, which in essence is what we’re doing when we’re trying to guard ourselves so tightly, is absolutely crippling. It cripples us from breaking through to freedom. It keeps us from truly living out in genuineness.

What if we as believers lived our lives raw and real? It makes me stop and ask what would that look like in my own life? Would I be more willing to put myself out there in a new place? Would I be willing to reach others wherever they are at? Would I love fully as the Lord desires? What if we stripped away all the facade, pretense and guard, and truly put ourselves out there without trying to hide all of our flaws? What if we exposed ourselves as who we really are… humanity in desperate need of our Creator? What if we lived our lives walking in the truth and realizing our potential in Christ?

It’s uncomfortable, and let’s just be real! We like walking the road that makes us look good. But what if we stripped away all the paint… and stopped hiding behind a mask… and were ok with who we are: as God made us? What would be seen… without our guard?

Sought out in love

zarahcochran — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:40:50 +0000

We all have different seasons in our lives. This season of my life seems to be centering around Love. Let me clarify before everyone get’s curious and starts putting words in my mouth that aren’t there. No… I’m not “in love”. God has been revealing to me how vast and complex His love is for each of us. And also different facets of love [if you're drawing a blank... you could break it down as romantic love, relational love and unconditional love]. The past few days He’s been blowing my mind with how He intentionally seeks us out and pursues us with an unmatchable love.

Being a female, I’m going to relate this more to the females. No offense to the men… I truly value your input in this!! As a female, we long to be loved with unwavering devotion. Let’s face it ladies and just admit it. We want to know that “our man” has eyes for us only, and is not off and pursuing the next-best-thing. I’ve been in that situation previously, and I can tell you that it stinks. We crave love. In fact, if we get downright honest there are probably times we’re addicted to love or the thought of it.

God loves us so deeply that He gave His perfect Son, who made His name known each moment, as our sacrifice for sin. He loves us like His perfect Son, Jesus Christ. You and I are loved that deeply. Can you just stop for a minute and let that reality sink in? He loves you like His Son! He doesn’t force His love on us, rather He pursues us with unwavering devotion. He romances us and knows just what makes our heart skip a beat. He longs for us, and desires our love and affection in return. His love will not fade over time. What an incredible picture of love!

We [ladies] love a good hero, and frankly its highly attractive… knowing we are protected, cared for and romanced. Why? Only the Lord knows why He made us that way I’m so grateful that despite terrible examples of relationships all around us, God role-models exactly what love is supposed to look like. Absolutely incredible. Not sure why this season is centering on love… but He is showing me so much. Perhaps I’ll share at some point

Learning to love,
Z

Face it: the heart of the matter

zarahcochran — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 03:38:05 +0000

If you think I’ve got it all together… I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t. The majority of the day-to-day situations that I’m in demand that I appear that way. Can we just be real for a minute? We all have needs in a big way. All of us need the Lord to step in and reign over our lives. When we attempt to do it ourselves… it’s a complete mess. Just face it: there is absolutely nothing we can do outside of sweet Jesus! I, just like many others, do not like walking in to a room where I may not know anyone. And no one likes being the “new kid” in town, or standing by yourself with no one to talk to. The first reaction is to run away or avoid those types of situations. But the reality is that almost everyday I walk into a location that I don’t know anyone, or realize that I am the “new” one, or have to be the one to initiate a conversation with a complete stranger. Two words come to mind: Dislike and awkward! Be that as it may, it still doesn’t take away the fact that this is life. How do we react to those situations?

How many days do you go through, that it just feels like you’re doing all you can to get to the end of the day… only to “lather, rinse, and repeat”? Call me crazy… but I don’t think that’s exactly the definition of Freedom. How often are we transparent about that? Do we take the time to have space and time to seek the Lord while allowing Him to press in and expose areas of our hearts that need an extreme heart makeover? Do we give the appearance that we’ve got it all together, when in reality that’s just a big, fat lie? Let’s face it. We all have needs. We all must acknowledge the areas that the Lord is trying to press in and expose. Sometimes He uses the most odd times and ways to do so, but nonetheless take time to recognize why you’re reacting the way you are, why your heart is responding in the way it is, and what is going on in your heart. How often do we take time to realize what is going on in our heart… and allow time to process? Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”

As a single female, the past and present years of my life basically demand that I be extremely independent. This can be good, and this can be bad. Good in a sense that I at least have some knowledge of how to run a home. Bad in that it’s extremely lonely, and to everyone else you appear to be self-sufficient when nothing feels further from the truth. I pay the bills, I file the taxes, I pay the doctor, I put gas in the car, I do all the shopping, I cook or eat out, I do all the traveling… and usually 97% of the time all this is done alone. Believe me, it gets old. But it’s a constant reminder that our Lord is constant… always near and present in my life. He’s always ready to spend time. How often do we take that time… and invite Him into the “mundane” details, including our Walmart trips?

You may be wondering how on earth these things are related? Well, in my mind they are connected. No matter where we are in life, what our season encompasses… we’re all in need of a Saviour. Each one of us have needs, we all have hurts, we all have good days and bad days… and in this society, heaven knows that we’re busy. But in the midst of all that, we have a Father who wants to be a intricate part of each of those moments. He wants to give us HIS strength to step into difficult situations. He wants to USE us as a reflection of His light. He wants us to RECOGNIZE that we don’t have it all together, and that every breath is a gift from Him. He wants us to take TIME to step away and listen to His quiet whispers to our heart.

The heart of the matter is just that. We don’t have it all together. So let’s just face it, and let Him do what He needs to do in our lives. Let us shine for you, Jesus! Amidst it all!

In need of a power boost…

zarahcochran — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:37:58 +0000

The morning, I was reminded of some extreme times of strengthening. What I mean is this: when the Lord really had to step in to strengthen me to be able to continue on. Why do I bring this up? As I was reading in 1 Samuel, in chapter 30, verse 6… David was really distressed. His family [and more!] was taken from him. But the last line of the verse says “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” In a not-so-subtle way, the Lord reminded me of the times I didn’t I had the strength to stand, the strength to get through a heartbreak, or to overcome the hurt and allow myself to be put in a position that could ultimately, once again, result in being hurt. The heart is a fragile thing! But God is so tender, and His love for me and you is overwhelming. In one of David’s darkest times, he found strength in the Lord.

I was reminded that in any season, whatever it looks like, God is still God. He is trustworthy. His plans and will for us is good. He pursues us with an everlasting and unconditional love. He strengthens us with his matchless power. Even in the most extreme and hard situations, His strength is enough! His strength is enough to pick you up off the floor and set you on your feet again. His strength is enough to make you take that first step towards obedience, no matter how hard. His strength is enough to make you be real, and not hide behind a wall of self-defense in an effort to not be hurt again. His strength is enough! That’s just it: He is enough!

My heart cries out today for His strength. Not just for myself… but for you as well! Let’s live and walk and breathe in His amazing strength

Zarah

Commissioning…

zarahcochran — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 17:31:17 +0000

This past weekend was the Beth Moore Simulcast for “So long Insecurity“. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. My plate has been very full for the past couple of weeks, since moving back to Tennessee, starting a new job, etc. I wanted to share this commissioning statement from Beth Moore… as an encouragement to each one of you today. Let’s choose to live today!

My Dear Sister
If Christ is Your Savior
You are the dwelling place
Of His own Spirit
You have it IN YOU
to be secure.
Every day of your life
You have a choice to make
You can live in your old defeat
Or you can turn from your unbelief
And choose life
Make up your mind
To put off the old you
And put on the new you.
Never, ever, ever forget
That the Lord is your security.
He will keep your foot
From being caught in a trap.
He will take care of you
To your very last breath.
Now, leave this place
And go out into the world
And act like a person
Who knows she’s dearly loved.
You were born to be exceptional.
So, Girlfriend, go forth
And walk worthy of your calling.
You are clothed in strength and dignity!
Now unto Him
Who can keep you from falling
Be glory and majesty
Power and authority
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Now and forever more
Amen.
So Long, Insecurity! – Beth Moore

Freshness

zarahcochran — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:38:19 +0000

Flowers on the terrace at the Ringling Art Museum

I have to admit… I’m one of those that so love the freshness in the air after a hard rain [as I'm writing this, I'm sitting by an open window enjoying the crisp, fresh air from the rain a few minutes ago]. There is something about freshness that inspires me, excites me and entices me.

Fresh food

Fresh coffee

Fresh growth [spring time!]

Fresh snow

Fresh perspective

Freshly clean [cars, babies, showers, interiors, etc]

Fresh word from the Lord

Does freshness appeal to you? What do you love about it? What fills up your senses and brings delight to your day

For the love of Starbucks!

zarahcochran — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:46:56 +0000

enjoying a good cup of coffee while watching Nik Wallenda walk the tightrope!

I have a confession to make, and I might as well get this over with. I love Starbucks. For those that know me… this is a big shock, huh? I have joked around saying that Gary Chapman’s Five love languages is incorrect. There are actually six love languages… and my main one is Starbucks.

I can think of so many people that would probably agree with me on this theory. In fact, it’s slowly becoming more of a fact than theory. Don’t you love a good thing when you see it?!?!

At one point, I had filled out a Starbucks application for employment. Despite the fact that they never called me back, I still support Starbucks. On the application it asked “What do you like about coffee.” I actually wished they would have asked “What do you like about Starbucks. Until college, I actually hated the smell and taste of coffee. And then there was that blissful day… when I met Starbucks. Now, before you start getting all weirded out on me… let me explain.

I am a Shaper of Environments. I’m all about the space, design, layout, function and experience. It’s just who I am. For me, Starbucks is about all of these elements… terrific environment. It’s also a social thing. I’ve had many friendships grow strong over a good cup of Starbucks. I know when I enter Starbucks, there is a level of consistency and quality. I love this! Each place is unique yet similar. I know each Barista has been trained [in the free-standing Starbucks... not the target, kroger, etc ones. This is important to know!]. So in case of a beverage gone awry, I can take it back to the counter and ask them to fix it… which they will gladly do! Talk about excellent Customer Service. I’ve always said that a company is only as strong as it’s customer service.

I also love that you can customize your beverage. A creative at heart… I love to customize and tweak. Starbucks let’s me do it. It’s also really fun to ask the Barista’s what they suggest. It gives alot of insight into their personal style. When a Barista looks at me and suggests a standard, dull beverage… I know I better take it easy on them for the day. But, if I visit the Starbucks near my old office [Papermill/Kingston Pike], I can throw anything at the Barista’s and they’ll suggest other ways to customize it as well. The short story is: They are amazing Baristas! Basically, they are the best store I’ve ever been in. And… I’ve been in quite a few to say the least.

So why did I take the time to write this? Because it’s fun, lighthearted, and we all need a little bit of that in our lives. Also… I’m always asked to give beverage advice, which I will gladly do so today. But I’d like to hear from you! What’s your favorite beverage, experience, or part of the Starbucks experience? For the love of Starbucks… I want to know

Enjoy! I’m heading out the door to go get some work done at Starbucks. By the way, get a gift card and register it… and you get rewards, free WiFi and a good experience to go with it!!

Beverages I suggest:

[for more info go to Starbuck's site and check out the drinks]

Hot: Caramel Machiatto

Frapp: Peppermint Mocha, affogato style

Hot or Iced: Peppermint Mocha

Iced: Passion Tea with lemonade & classic syrup

Hot: Caffe Americano, steamed half & half, classic syrup

Iced: Caffe Americano, half & half, classic syrup

Hot: Caffe Latte with 1-2 pumps of classic syrup

Hot: Green Tea with lemonade

Frapp: Strawberries & Creme [my original Starbucks love!]

Smoothie: Strawberry vivanno

Hot or Iced: Chai Tea Latte

Hit me with inspiration

zarahcochran — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:00:38 +0000

Method is much, Technique is much, but Inspiration is even more. -Benjamin Cardozo

I discovered this quote yesterday, and immediately put it to use in my journal [which, by the way, started taking a new shape last night!]. Sadly, Cardozo left his faith and professed to be agnostic. So did he really get his own words? I’m thinking… no.

An Interior Designer by degree, a creative by design… creativity is my life. Take it away, and watch me wither away. During a conversation with my good friend Katie, we were discussing how when your job is based upon your creativity it can be really difficult. I look around and see Professionals in the field not taking time to get away, relax and refresh. How can we create on demand if we ourselves are not inspired? We cannot pour out what we have not poured in.

What inspires you? Different music, food, environments, lighting, magazines, visuals, nature, coffee, people, accessories, etc? For me, when I don’t have the time to pour into myself and surround myself with things that can inspire me… my creativity get’s stagnant.

I’ve recently gone through a period of time of dryness. What I love doing, what comes naturally to me… has been set aside for some time. Every time I would walk in Borders or Barnes & Noble, I would refrain from looking at Design magazines. I would tell myself that it was a waste of time to look at them because I’m not designing Interiors. I’m doing Graphics. So I would grab some Graphic magazines and try to dive in. The result? Sure, I liked some of the stuff. But did it get me excited and inspired? No.

My creativity and heart is worth taking time to cultivate. If I don’t take time to refresh, inspire and cultivate the creative in me… part of me feels dead. As I reemrge, I’m being more intentional. Taking time to browse magazines, look at really cool home accessories, read Design-related material. The result? The areas that feed into inspiration are definitely getting tickled! The excitement is building. Why? It’s just how I’m wired… and I love it. I love details, construction, problem solving, designing. Trying to suppress it doesn’t work. It produces frustration, unbalance and a bad result all around.

Knowing how we’re wired is a big deal. There are some areas that are intricate to my very being and how I’m created. When they are separated, repressed or disregarded the state of the heart get’s ugly.

I chose to be me. To realize that God created me uniquely and for a reason. We are all wired differently, and God did not design us to all look, act and be the same. I look around and see so many people trying to look like someone else, or I’ll hear someone say “I wish I was like _____”. When are we going to be content being who God made us, and celebrating how God made us… and live and thrive in it? Do we think that someone else’s gifts, abilities and such are better than ours? Basically, that’s looking God in the face and telling Him that He didn’t design you correctly… and that He missed a few details. I have to know who I am in Christ, who He is, and how He’s wired me. When I understand that and live in that… I will thrive.

Cardozo probably didn’t grasp the importance of his words, as a professed agnostic. He truly missed out by not recognizing and celebrating how God made us. God is our true source of creativity.

Today… hit me with inspiration. Because I want to thrive.

A life of balance | How’s your health?

zarahcochran — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:47:07 +0000

Wow. So it’s been awhile since I’ve written anything. It’s been an interesting season. The Lord has really been pressing in some specific things. One of these areas is on Balance. Over the past months, my health has been a major source of frustration. I’m used to dealing with allergies… but the past few months have been absolutely ridiculous. Talk about wanting to scream! As the Lord was opening my eyes to the balance required in basically everything… He also began showing me just how I am responsible to implement balance in my own life.

I began writing in my journal areas that require balance:

Once I stopped and looked at what I had written, I circled what I thought was priority. Spiritual. That’s when it struck me… all these areas were out of place. So I reformed the diagram:

The Lord began opening my eyes to how all the areas in our life feed into our Spiritual Health. Basically… it looks like this…

When we become Christians, our Spiritual life encompasses everything else. Work, play, relationships, etc. all feed into it. Do we try to put our Spiritual life into it’s own category, separate from the other areas of our lives? Or do we see the importance of the balance each area needs to feed into a healthy Spiritual life?

There is a big difference in the top two perspectives or scenarios. Do we value each of these categories in their rightful place, as they feed into our Spiritual life? How can we be Spiritually healthy if all these areas are unbalanced. Do we try to conquer one thing or area at a time… such as hit the gym hard, but we don’t have time to serve? Or we’re focused on our work to meet our goals, but let our diet slide? Each area of our life feeds or overlaps into another. Lack of rest affects work, which affects relationships, which affects play… and so on. Too much play and not enough work affects finances. We have to take all these areas in check, and put them in their correct place in our lives. Knowing how to take things into consideration, in each season of life, is critical for a balanced life.

Now, in case you think I have the magic-balance formula… you can guess again. I don’t. But I can tell you that the Lord has really made “Balance” the theme of my current season of life. It’s something He’s asking me to press into pretty hard. Do I like it? No. But, balance feeds into health. Not just physical health, but also Spiritual Health. My health depends upon balance. I love that while I’m looking around and seeing so many things that require balance [gravity, trees, mountains, etc], God Himself is balance. Jesus was an amazing picture of balance, in that He is both Spiritually deep while also be practical. I love this! In other words, He had a good dose of reality too. I like a good dose of Jesus… because it’s balance!!