Chelsea Crockett - Above All Else: 60 Devotions for Young Women

ZONDERVAN

Above All Else

Copyright 2019 by Beauty Licious, Inc.

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Hardcover ISBN 978-0-310-76726-8

Ebook ISBN 978-0-310-76730-5

Epub Edition August 2019 9780310767305

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

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This book is dedicated to those who

believe their best days are ahead

while walking with the Lord.

Ebook Instructions

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

CONTENTS

I dont know about you, but I can get wrapped up in a lot of things that really dont matter. As an achiever, I struggle with overworking myself, worrying about how a project will get done, or even what others think of my performance.

While theres nothing wrong with being a hard worker, Ive learned how unhealthy it can become when my focus gets caught up in things I cant take with me. When I dont take time to rest, when I put my work above all else, it reveals what I truly believe: that my performance, achievements, and work are what sustains me. I begin to rely on and prioritize the sense of accomplishment more than I rely on God in my life. That is an exhausting way to live. Its funny because I know it can be so easy to list out our priorities. Maybe your priorities look a little like this:

FAITH | FAMILY | FRIENDS | FITNESS

Okay, perhaps youve never done the alliteration thing like I did heremy list when I first learned how to make a Facebook profile. At the time, I thought it was pretty clever.

Though at this season in my life, Id have to add another category: Work. (Unfortunately, that W really throws off the alliteration.) So heres my final, ideal list of priorities:

FAITH | FAMILY | FRIENDS | FITNESS AND WORK

Look at that list. It looks good, doesnt it? Makes complete sense, right? And in theory, it all looks great. But heres the thing about priorities: theyre not meant to be listed, theyre meant to be lived.

In other words, my ideal listand your listcan look absolutely perfect on paper and be an absolute mess in practice.

When my focus on work, achievement, or the way I look or am perceived begins to take over, the way Im actually investing my time, talent, energy, and resources does not add up to the way my list is laid out. Instead, my priorities begin to look more like:

WORK AND FITNESS | FAMILY | FRIENDS | FAITH

More often than not, what Id like to SAY is my top priority gets put on the back burner day after day. No wonder I get anxious.

Sister, maybe work isnt whats hindering you, but something else is. Something you get so obsessed with and overwhelmed by that your priorities get all out of whack if youre not careful. Maybe, like me, what you achieve each day can begin to be placed above all else in your life. Or perhaps your boyfriend begins to sit above all else in your life. Or social media, or money, or how your hair looks, or if you have a thigh gap, or whatever you spend so much energy focusing on.

I dont know what issue has taken over your top spot, but no matter what it is, if you find you have a hard time actually living out the order you list your priorities, Chelsea Crocketts book wont only challenge you as you read, it will walk with you as you learn to actually put what matters most Above All Else.

Jordan Lee Dooley

F or years, Ive wanted my friends, family, and everyone, really, to know God loves us deeply and wants to spend time with us. He desires to be with us much like we love spending time with the ones who make us happy. I was in high school when God first spoke to me about spending time with him. As I was praying that day, I heard his still, small voice say, This is what I love, Chelsea. I love when you hang out with me. And yall, I broke (not literally, but I sobbed hysterically). The way I approached my relationship with God was entirely different after that moment. My mindset shifted again when I was about eighteen years old. Until then, I hadnt recognized I didnt have to work my way to the Lords love. Id believed the lie that God wouldnt love me or want to be in a relationship with me unless I was good enough for him. The culture we live in sometimes promotes the falsehood we must prove were worth spending time withthat we have to be kind enough, or beautiful enough, or smart enough for people to like us. Yet God, in his boundless love, is chasing after us in our weakness.

The Lord adores spending time with you. As much as we put pressure on ourselves to read, pray, and worship so we can check them off our mental to-do list, God delights in spending real, quality time with us. After these turning points in my life, God met me in ways I never dreamt. But one of the most transformative ways hes changed me is through his Word. The Bible has shaped the way I view and treat others because of Gods mercy and the love he shows throughout time. The Word of God is so much more powerful than Id given it credit for in the past. I used to glance at my Bible from across my room and want nothing to do with it. I found it boring, confusing, and, if Im honest, uncomfortably convicting. There were times when I knew if I opened the pages of his Word, Gods Holy Spirit would move me toward his heart, and that meant I would be encouraged to leave my selfish desires behind. But let me just tell you, friend, I am so glad his Word showed me that the more times I read it and apply what he says, the more I change for the better! I live for a purpose greater than myself and this world.

Ive created this book to help you discover that, above all else, God wants a close and continuing relationship with each and every one of us. In Above All Else, we will be focusing on many situations, relationships, or transitional times in our lives by looking to Scripture as our guide. Each day, youll be challenged to dive deeper on your own through writing, prayer, or reading to help you continue to grow in your faith. When interacting with this devotional, give yourself permission to ask questions about your faith, dig into the lies you may have believed at one point in your life, and allow Jesus to intervene in your story and speak his truth. The Bible is meant for all of us, and its purpose is to help us identify the voice of God in our lives. Im so excited youve chosen to embark on this 60-day journey, and please know I am praying for growth, inspiration, and new beginnings for you.