Just be you!

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I have never really been out to a please people, but really more after about the age of 24-now as I have chosen to focus on deeper goals and things that really matter.


I have seen it through my eyes based on the lives of others that it is true that people will forget the 10 million good things you have done and fault you for the one. People will always be people whether there is fault to find or not.  And beyond that, I am no dummy to realize that it would not be any different for me under the right circumstances.
So I just choose to love as God has loved me but I am very careful to those who I surround myself with. Honestly, I rather have a small circle of real people than a huge circle of phony ones.

It is even more evident in today's world of social media where people will blast someone on a viral post. They will comment, "I would never do that." They are stupid. I always knew they were A, B, and C back then." All in the while I'm thinking, 'Be quiet you didn't know nothing'.

We take so much time bashing people instead of trying to lift them up that it is ridiculous.
We live in a world of hypocrites who believe others can't fall in the midst of their own struggles.

But the question is:

What would your viral story look like if it was exposed? or
What would your life have looked like if you weren't rescued by grace?

I want you to remember today that people don't define your story. You have the choice of how you handle things and where you put your choices.  You can either live a life of wisdom or defeat.

I am grateful that I have allowed God to define my story even though I haven't always done it right and will continue to make some mistakes.

Artist Tauren Hills says it best when he says,

 "On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the One who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes
To the One who sees me there

When I'm standing on the mountain
I didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley
I know I am not alone!"

God is always with me. He doesn't leave me alone in the valley, but at the mountain tops I shouldn't forget how I got there. My life is not defined by the riches or lack of. I am the hands and feet of a God who truly loves all of us.

So if we are not the voice and hands of compassion then who will be. 

You are not alone!

I work part time at a tutoring center outside my regular teaching job. For some reason that day, the students on my schedule were late showing up for their session. My coworker next to me asked if I wanted to start a session with one of her students.

I responded with a "yes" and jokingly said, " I am lonely over here." The little girl she had chosen hurried over. I had worked with her before and she was very quiet and kind. As small and cute as she was...she peered over her pink glasses, looked at me with a serious,concerned look, and begin to speak.... She said, "You don't say that. No, don't you feel that way. You are never alone. God is always with you. I know because I accepted Jesus Christ into my life and I know."

My coworker next to me and I were like "Wow" in astonishment as she had said it with great conviction, compassion, and force. I stated,         " You are right. I am never alone. You go girl."

I had to pause and think...

What about those moments we feel lonely and incomplete? What about those moments of solitude when we feel like God has forgotten about us?
It is human nature to feel lonely, but when I remember that I am not really alone then it does something to my demeanor. My head is no longer hung down, but raised up in knowing that God will never leave us despite challenges or imperfections.

Those words speak to me. "You are not alone. God is with you."

I do have moments where I feel lonely, but it is okay because I know God has so much more for me and he does for you too.

Thank you Lord for reminding me today that I am never alone.

Spoken Word: Time

“We don’t have enough time.” Baby, my God is in control of time.

His love is divine.  Mentally stimulating, intellectually giving, and a love that keeps forgiving.

He is the beginning and the ending. So you can’t continue sinning. 

 Expecting a new beginning because if we trust him.

I promise you we will come out winning.

You keep doing it the same and expecting different results.  When God is saying I want to turn around your faults.

He says...Seek me, that is all you have to do and I will blow your mind for my miracles are true. 

So this time around, we are doing it the right way.

Now if you got what it takes then stay. I would hate to see you go, but my salvation is more important so I just had to let you know.

I guarantee you it won’t be without a fight, but it will be worth it and it will be more than just for tonight because of the promises God has made we’ll be in eternal light.

A Wound to Heal: Blog Post 50

A Wound to Heal

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Life can be tough sometimes and full of unexpected disappointments. We live in a society where many people lose their drive to live and passion to move forward. 

I was talking to a friend who was going through. She had just gotten out of a broken relationship and she was telling me about how broken her heart was like someone had just stabbed her in it. The unexpected deceit was causing her to break, but she knew she had to be strong for her children.  

I hear these stories so often of broken men and women.

Well, how do you heal the wounds and scars of a broken heart? 

Many try to find their own remedies by covering it up with drugs, new broken relationships, revenge, or other temporary fixes. You CAN'T cover up a wound with dirt and expect it to be healed. 

I begin to think of the things we do when other parts of our bodies are scarred, broken, and wounded.

       1)  We go to the doctor. 

      

     The doctor is the specialist who knows how to treat things with specialty. He has the authority to prescribe the medication we need or perform the procedures to start the healing process. So when your heart needs healing then contact Doctor Jesus. His prescription of love is written in his word. He is your source of healing and provider. So take your issues, problems, and lay them at his feet. He will clean your broken wound and start the healing process.

      2)   Keep the wound clean. 

      

    We must care for it by keeping it away from negative sources whether it is negative people, self-doubt, and unnecessary stress. Those are what I call bad germs. We may be surrounded by them, but to keep the wound covered until it properly heals is the best thing.

     3)  It takes time. 

        

    Last, it takes time for any wound to heal. Some may take longer than others depending on how deep the cut or if the bone is broken. With proper care, it will heal. It is just like if you have a broken foot or arm. If you try to do too much prematurely then the results can be even more detrimental and extend the time of the healing process. Allow time for your heart to heal.

Your heart is precious so guard it. So to that lost brother or sister who feels like their heart will never feel whole again, don’t give up. Give your heart time and continue to live. Your purpose is awaiting you and boy does it look great!

True comes from within!

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30 NIV)

I am reminded of the beauty that God has placed inside of me every day.

When we understand our worth, we are more likely to act on it. 

Often times we let our circumstances, emotions, and people dictate who we are.

But I am reminded through the word of God that true beauty comes from within.

It grows from within a seed needing the light to grow.

So don’t let anything block that light from which your heart desires. Keep sincerely giving and choosing the path that encompasses the true beauty of serving God. 

Small Seed of Faith Blooms into Trust

Small Seed of Faith Blooms into Trust

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." ~Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

Is faith and trust the same? Can I have faith without trust? Can I have trust without faith?

Faith is a noun. I can believe all I want, but when I fully trust God is when I chose to put that faith into action. I know that God can do, but I also have trust God will do it. It starts with faith that turns into full trust that soon releases into full surrender. When I fully surrender, then I can receive all that God promised me in his word.

Just listen, I am trying to tell you something...

Listen, I am trying to tell you something...

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. ~Proverbs 10:17 (NIV)

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. ~ James 1:19 (NIV)

If you would just listen, I am trying to tell you something…

That message you heard so many times as an impatient child as a parent tried to instruct you to do something.

As a teacher, I have discovered that there is always that one child who won’t let you finish the directions.  This is the child who interrupts you in the middle of your sentence just as you were about to get to that part of the instructions.

This is the same child who never reads the directions either. When you ask them to read the directions back to you then they go…ohhhhh I get it.

As an adult, you think well I was just about to get to that if you would just wait and listen. Trust me, I am going to give you all the instructions that you need and check for clarification.

I thought, well do we sometimes do this to God. God has given us the instructions that we need. He has given us the word of God. We often neglect to read the directions because we are lazy, too tired, or too busy. We ask God for clarification and help but then we don’t stop long enough to hear God’s answer. 

We interrupt him in our need to have to know all the answers. We interrupt God in worry of not understanding. We interrupt God in the lack of faith that he will provide us with the answers that we need. We interrupt God in the lack of trust of our own insecurities.

As patient as God is…I wonder if thinks just as a teacher, adult, or leader thinks….Listen, I am trying to tell you something if you would just listen.

If you would have just listened then I could have avoided you from unnecessary woes.

If you would have just listened then I could have avoided you from unnecessary worry and stress.

I thought if only we even as adults would slow down and listen.  We would be less stressed and able to receive joy.  Listening is something we need to be quick to do because if we don’t listen then we can’t grab further understanding.

So today, I stop and say the words of Yolanda Adams, “Sight beyond what I see, you know what’s best for me.  Prepare my heart, prepare my mind. For whatever comes, I am going to be ready.”

But if I am going to be ready then that means I have stop, listen, wait, and let you be in control Lord.