Today I’m excited to introduce you to Debbie Giese. Debbie is an author, blogger and speaker, and she is an inspiration to me in ways she probably doesn’t even know. God strategically placed Debbie in my life to push me outside my comfort zone and teach me that reaching my dreams is possible. I hope you enjoy her words of wisdom as much as I do.

KE: Tell me about yourself

DG: I love to create. Whether it is mixing paints for a decorative piece, stringing words together until they fit, or sifting through ingredients in my cupboard for the perfect meal, I enjoy watching something disjointed come together.

KE: How do you define strength and what does it look like in your life?

DG: Strength, to me, speaks of inner resilience. A determination to JUST DO IT, especially when fear or even common sense say not to. I have a poster that says “You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when you’re done.” That’s strength to me.

KE: As you know, strong faith is the focus of my ministry. But it can be hard to maintain a strong faith when life gets real messy. What do you do to keep your relationship with Jesus as strong as possible?

DG: I don’t always remember to pray as often as I feel like I should; it’s one of those disciplines that I wish I were better at. My faith in the goodness of God and His sovereignty means that while I don’t always have joy when life gets messy, I trust that He is still at the wheel. I don’t want Him for my co-pilot, I want Him to drive. Some seasons have me stomping the imaginary gas pedal or brake, but I KNOW that God is always at work and that this all ends well.

KE: Managing a household is hard. Whether you work, stay home, are single, married or have 8 kids; women often feel like they are just surviving each day. What advice would you give to women to help them strengthen their family?

DG: As a former director of a mom’s ministry, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I don’t have great answers for this. But, with my oldest being 28 and my youngest being 9, I’ve learned a few things: No season lasts forever, not the bad ones or the good ones. It really does go fast. Respect and love your husband. Don’t blame him for things that aren’t his fault just because you’re crabby. Own what you need to and apologize. And, if you can figure out how, plan your meals each week. The day just seems to go better if you know what’s for dinner.

KE: Depending on your definition of strength, “strong body” can mean something different to everyone. What healthy habits do you incorporate into your daily schedule to help keep your body strong?

DG: I feel like I’m going into middle aged puberty. In a recent health screening, I found out that I have lots of room for improvement. Getting healthy is suddenly not about looking good, but about making sure I take care of the only body I have. In light of this, I am cutting out white sugar (not militantly, just avoiding candy and the George Webb’s sugar canister next to my coffee pot), avoiding white flour to the best of my ability, and increasing whole foods and cleaner eating. None of it is brain surgery, but it’s taken on new meaning for me.

KE: What do you feel is the difference between relying on your own strength and relying on God’s strength?

DG: My own strength runs out. I don’t love the world around me well on my own strength. I need to consciously invite the Lord into every situation. And ironically, it’s the times that I think I have it all figured out that I usually wind up needing Him most. Those are the times I run out of steam. God doesn’t want me to show Him how I can handle everything; that’s the biggest deception the enemy gets us with, that we don’t need God. He wants to shower me with His strength and goodness so I can be a blessing to the world around me through Him, to glorify Him, not myself.

KE: Would you mind sharing something you have struggled with and telling us how you used God’s strength to get you through?

DG: Pride. The Lord has been humbling me over the last ten years, and I rather enjoy it. I’m learning that I am a small part of a big kingdom and that we all have a role to play. No role is more important that any other, and we are all necessary. I tend to find myself in charge of things because I’m organized and sort of bossy 🙂 but I’m not the most important person in the room.

KE: If you could share one message with every woman who is willing to listen, what would it be?

DG: I would look her in the eye and tell her that she matters. And that God is relevant. He is not a “get out of hell free” card. He is life, today.

KE: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

DG: My life has shifted directions in the last year. I don’t have a specific ministry or cause, but I strive to be light in the real world, and to be real in church world. I want people to see Jesus through me, wherever I am. I have a website at www.debbie-giese.com with years and years of posts, but it’s a little dusty these days. I may write another book, because I don’t want to get to heaven and see the shelf of books I was supposed to write because I was afraid or lazy. My mission continues to be the tagline on my business cards, revealing the hope of Christ in every day life.

Thanks for joining us this week. I have been continuously blessed by learning about how God works in women’s lives. If you know someone willing to be featured on a Strong Women Wednesday blog, please contact me at kristen@kristenekiss.com.

In His Strength,