Thoughts

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.“

Peace Pilgrim

Our thoughts can either progress us or tear us down. The way we think sometimes, and how it eventually manifests can be very destructive if we don't manage it with some serious prayer. 

Check your heart and see what kinds of adjustments that need to be made. 

Check your thoughts and make sure that resentment and/or bitterness has not set in.

Check your attitude because you do not want anger to grow. 

Check your words for these need to always be positively spoken.

You are the only one that has full control over your emotions, it's actions and its consequences.... 

Giving and giving big

“Helping, fixing and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul - Rachel Naomi Remen -

Serving others is something that the other person never forgets. And if you are the one receiving service, you certainly appreciate it just the same. 

When we serve others, we put our needs, our desires, our comforts aside and show them that they come first....and that says a lot about who you are as a person. It surely goes a long way too.

Service is a selfless devotion to another soul. It is something that we all need to practice more than once. When we give of our time and our resources, God in return, blesses us with more than we can imagine. 

Remember, it's the hand that stays open to give that remains open to receive. 

How are you positioned? 

Journey

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end - Ursula K. Le Guin

You know what you want

You begin to think of achieving it

You start on the road to getting there

And what you thought would be a smooth ride

Turns out to be a roller coaster

At least some parts of it

What do you do? 

Panic, retreat, compromise, neglect, or ignore? 

No, you stay focused

Keep your eye on the finish line 

But also stay on alert as the future is made out of today's work and efforts 

And as today can bring its challenges and distractions

Today can also bring its lessons and disciplines

This will help to form who you become, and mold you into how you grow as a mature adult.

Take advantage of today and don't take it for granted..

Our walk

“Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching - Thomas Jefferson

Every time we do something, we have to pursue it with the intention of giving it our all, actually giving it 100% and focused on finishing the job. 

Unbeknownst to us (sometimes), there are people around us daily that depend on us, or look up to us, or admire us that hope to be where we are today, someday. We may or may not know them but they are out there - at our schools, our jobs, our churches and in our lives. 

Yes, our lives are ours and ours alone to live but our footprints leave marks of roads traveled and whether you want to believe it or not, they are there to be followed....therefore, someone is going to walk in them. 

That, we need to always be aware of. 

Happy Monday! 

Pay it forward

“When you are kind to someone in trouble, you hope they'll remember and be kind to someone else. And it'll become like a wildfire." - Whoopi Goldberg

We have all had that moment when we least expected it, when we didn't expect anyone to notice, when we weren't sure someone was  paying attention.....when  someone took the time and did something nice for/to us. I bet it felt good...right?

It only makes the world a better place when we do the same for someone else. Remember, what goes around comes back around... It's called paying it forward. 

What and who is on your "nice" agenda today?  

Decisions, decisions

“The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it." - H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Ever being faced with a choice to make that can either make or break you? Ever being at a crossroad and you aren't sure which way to go? Ok...what about this...have you ever felt your life today is a result of that particular choice that you made yesterday, five years ago, five months ago? 

This isn't to put some more guilt-trip on you but to help bring to the surface what is really going on. You may or may not know why some things are happening to you. Or you may be in a place where you need to decide on something that will alter your life/lifestyle forever. 

The bottom line is that you know the truth and truly, it'll set you free. Choice for some of us is, do we pick the path that is good for now but really bad for us later? And for others, what's the difference right? 

Each one of us knows our situation, where we stand, what we want and who we want to be. If any of these motivations lead us to a better way, then that should be our choice. 

...you pick ;)

Sow to reap

Everything a man plants today; is a representation of tomorrow's harvest - unlisted

This applies to everything we do. Whatever choices we make today, we have to live with the consequences tomorrow. It's as simple as that! No surprises! 

Jobs, homes, school options, relationships, friendships....these are some things that should take a lot of thought, prayer and confidence BEFORE we make the move. They are pretty much life changing experiences that can either be good for you in the long run or totally bad for you and your future. 

Be wise about today, so tomorrow makes sense and still falls within the "plan".  

Appreciate

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.“

Jim Stovall -

We all have people around us that either do ministry with us, work with us, do projects with us, are a part of some kind of group with us or are in our lives one way or another. 

What we fail to do (sometimes) is really appreciate others for what they are doing to get the work moving along. We forget that each person plays an integral part and each skill makes the end result happen. 

It's important to do this often so the team knows that you care and you have them in mind.

You never know what a little push in the right direction or a little encouragement can do for someone when they most need it.... 

They'll thank you for it later :)

Learning

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.“

James Joyce (1882-1941);

We all make them...mistakes that is.....but what do we do while in the mistake, or after the mistake? 

A mistake is a result of a decision that we mis-take and have to experience. Every general experience is not a mistake but every mistake is certainly an experience to learn from. 

Your integrity and character is challenged by these choices that we make. However, don't beat yourself up forever. After each mistake, it is important that you learn from the experience, figure out where it went wrong and not repeat it again. If you are in  one now, figure out an exit plan and do all of the above.

Growing pains... 

Love

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.“

Bible -

We will never be able to comprehend the measure of love that a Father has shown to his children. Giving your life just to save others is the highest demonstration of unconditional love. It is in the same love that we are living in, breathing in, and forgiven in. 

So, no matter how sad your days get, no matter how bad the day was, no matter how lonely you may feel, or how hurt you have become, no matter how unloved you feel, or how unappreciated you think you are, no matter how resentful your heart feels, or how damaged your trust is.....know that there is one God (your Heavenly Father), that is always there to wrap His loving arms around you; and there is one Lord (Jesus), that identifies with your pain and is praying for and with you; and finally there is a Holy Spirit (the great Comforter), that is ever present to heal your wounded heart and give you everlasting peace.

Believing in this is your key to joy and happiness.

Think on these things....

Reflection

“The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.“

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983);

Bottom line: however way you are feeling is a reflection of how you treat others around you. If you aren't feeling loved and appreciated, it can be very difficult to appreciate someone else (this is very common in women, unfortunately). And if your day isn't going as smooth as you would like, you'll find that everything around you will seem to work your nerves and if you don't check your attitude, you'll be grumpy too! 

If and when this happens to you..... What do you do?    

Stop (immediately), sit back (and hold off from doing anything else), reflect (on your day, and how it all started), and if you can - start over! 

Living

“My whole life I've been telling myself, 'don't be afraid'. And it is only now that I'm realizing how ridiculous that is. Don't be afraid is like saying, 'don't move out of the way when someone tries to punch you' or 'don't flinch at the heat of fire' or 'don't blink'. Don't be human. I'm afraid and you're afraid and we're all always going to be afraid, because that's the point. What I should be telling myself is 'be afraid, but do it anyway'. Live anyway.“

Unknown -

There are some things that you just have to go for right away, no matter how scary it seems. But you have to be able to know the difference between "if I don't do it now, have I failed?" or "if I don't do it now, have I lost it forever?" 

Knowing when to move forward or back up and wait is maturity. The fear of jumping in can still be there in both instances but don't let it make you decide on an opportunity at the wrong time. 

I heard someone say - "think twice and cut once; meaning, don't try to fix one problem and create several more". 

Selah (i.e. meditate) 

Direction

“If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favorable to him."

Seneca (4-65);

Knowing where you are going is important for your state of mind and your navigation process. 

First decide where / what it's going to be, then align your daily actions towards the plan, be open to learning from mistakes along the way, be cautious of naysayers, resist all distractions, and stay in the intended lane.

There is nothing more satisfying than reaching the end and knowing that not only do you have what you always wanted, but you actually had full control, accompanied with wisdom and you played  a huge part in the process.

Being smart really pays off... ;)

How to grow ....

“The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.“

Morris Adler (1870-1937);

The key is "continue". As you pass through life with the many responsibilities that you'll acquire, remember to stop - meet people, learn about them, stimulate your senses, listen to their upbringing, talk about yours, see beyond where they see things, open your heart to learn from them, receive blessings, receive favor, give back in return, pay it forward, pray for those people who have wronged you, seriously.... And then do it again and again and again.... 

We do this for our growth .... 

Values and you

"When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier." - Roy Disney 

This is very true..... Every decision we make is hovered by our values, morals, beliefs etc. 

When they are good decisions, your spirit feels well because things are aligned right. When they are bad decisions, your inner man is a bit disappointed but the flesh is satisfied. 

Be cautious of the decisions we make....each choice can either grow us up. make us stronger-in faith and emotionally; or it could set us back a few more strongholds. 

It's your life...yes...use it as you see fit :)  

Character

“Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open.“

Elmer G. Letterman 

The charm, first impression and nice smile will get you in the right job, right relationship. But your attitude, perception, integrity and character will either keep you or throw you out of a good deal.. 

While it is a great idea to always be yourself; it's also imperative that you hold back some and not give everything the first time or even at once! 

It's good to adjust your approach, depending on what you are going for (and then slowly expose who you are and how it can be beneficial to your season).

Basically be you, but give a little at a time :)

Motivation

“You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction.“

George Horace Lorimer (1899-1937);

With the right motivation, anything is attainable and possible. 

Let's hope and pray that each goal in mind is positive and not negative.  Everything we set our hearts to will surely come to pass. On the other hand, if you don't start off with your focus in the right place, you are most likely NOT to reach your goal for the day! 

You better believe that distractions are eager to sway you off a bit; and set you back some.... Be cautious of those... Be smart about escaping them too... 

In the end,  there is something gratifying about laying your head at night; and knowing that you did all that you set out to do. And if you didn't get to it all, there is a plan for tomorrow. 

Let each day count with its own assignment and let each assignment arrive at its specific destination. 

You can do it! 

Woman

“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”- Eleanor Roosevelt

I have always loved this quote!!! Happy Mother's Day to you all - yes to you non- mothers too! 

Being a woman, period, is a tough job! 

Much respect to you! 

You

"As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around."

Oprah Winfrey

The decisions we make, hopefully come from a place of knowing what's best for us. If you struggle with your identity; you'll find that your decisions and actions are always surrounded by other people's perception, their happiness, their needs and their conditions. 

If this is regular for you, it's unfortunate because you may find that you are unhappy often, satisfied momentarily until reality hits again, constantly trying to please people, always living up to others' expectations & standards.....etc. 

Knowing who you are eliminates all that.... You make fewer mistakes; and when you do, the guilt isn't so strong. 

Determine in your heart from here on out how you will approach life. Before any decision is made, seek counsel, think of yourself, your now, your future, your long term goals, your desires, your place of security, your needs etc; and if your next move is going to add to and benefit you (not just for now) but for the future as well....then by all means, make it! 

It's important to have a plan and weigh out all the scenarios; so you aren't spending time later doing damage control. 

Growing pains.... 

Praying??

“Passively listening to gossip or negative talk is implied agreement.“

Scott Hardy (born 1959);

We have all been there....at least once....

Where we spend time talking about someone and how terrible their situation is, and how we cannot believe what's happening to them is really happening, and what's worse is they are letting it happen, and how bad someone else is behaving, and why they are doing this and doing that....

While we say we are praying about it, we really aren't. Nowhere in the conversation do we take control and put a stop to the negative talk. On the contrary, we keep the fuel going.

Not to say that our intentions didn't start off right.... But we get caught up!

If we say "ok, let's stop talking negatively, and let's pray. And if we can't pray right now about this, then please don't include me in the negative talking"

See what that does for the conversation...

May sound extreme but if we are going to get better at this, then we have to get better at it :)

We are growing up ....

Promises

“Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.“

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975);

The worlds is full of girls and boys that their parents made promises to them but never kept. The world is also full of adults that make promises to each other but really never meet up to their end of the bargain. 

This can really do some major damage to a persons emotions. However, it doesn't matter what age you are; a promise is a promise. Once you make it, and articulate it, you are obligated to make it happen - its all in your worlds and in your hands.

Don't waste words just so you can get beyond the moment. Don't lie to your children just so they can like you right now. Don't say things to your fiends if you know you aren't capable of accomplishing it.

Remember that your words are a representation of your character. Play it right... 

Strength

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.“

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900);

Not only is each day a blessing; it's also full of challenges that we are faced with. Question is: can we overcome them or do they just take us over altogether?  

As a believer in Christ, I stand in the promise that each test is an opportunity to grow. I can either choose to learn from it (victory) or allow it to wear me down (defeat). It's definitely not easy but the daily choice is up to me. 

Know that each roadblock you come to will only take you where you lead it. If you look at it as a death sentence, then that's what it's going to be. If you look at it with the lens of growth, the end result will work in your favor.

The important thing is knowing what you are facing, deciding how you are going to tackle it, walking that decision out, and trusting that God will see you through it. 

No test is permanent but the results can be depending on what you do in between. 

Hang in there or regroup....

Friends

A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow - William Shakespeare

Friends like this are rare and situations like this happen a whole lot. Everyone has moments where they are low and need a friend for support. As the friend, your role is to give the truth, yes; but also knowing when to "zip it" and listen. A listening ear is very hard to find.

Surely, there are times when you must tell it like it is, give the advice that they don't want to hear, help them make it through a season, support financially, hear what they have to say whether you like what you hear or not, stand your ground, be the voice of reason etc....but remember that for someone to call you a friend is a honor and privilege. Trust me, real good long-lasting friends don't come easy.

AND really, no one needs to befriend you ....but if you are given the opportunity, please use it kindly and treat the bond with respect.

Have a great day!

Truth and lies

When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn't ― Jodi Picoult

And the same goes if you turn the statement the other way around. It doesn't matter how many people reject you for your uniqueness, the one person who values you is like a fuel to your existence. And if you aren't self-confident, you'll find yourself keeping that one positive person at arms length just so you can draw something special from them about you as needed.

It's important to love, value and respect yourself. God knew about you before He made you; therefore, there is nothing wrong with you or off about you.

Quit focusing on others' opinions about you and rest in God's definition of who you are.

Settle

The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for - Maureen Dowd

Settling into a situation isn't always a blindsided moment. Meaning, you are - most of the time - well aware of what you are doing. Sometimes it's settling for a job that you know you are overqualified for but you need it anyway. Or it could be a marriage that you know isn't going to work but you are desperate to be in that status. Or it could be a decision between you and another and you go for the "now" feeling and settle for a compromising situation. Whatever it is, if you didn't know before making the decision to settle, you know now - now that the settling is done.

Everytime you compromise, you get a lesser dose of what you signed up for. You know why? Because the reality of it all is right before you. So, you give yourself up to a situation which you should have been treated better....and since you certainly don't feel better after its said and done, you are really back to square one (on the inside) with a lot more baggage BUT on the outside, you are good!

Until you cut that habit loose, you'll be playing this game all your life. Question is....what's the situation worth?

Selah (meditate)

Trust

Trust isn’t something that is just given to you, it definitely must be earned. Trust in others as well as trust in yourself is something you must consciously do.
Once trust is lost, it’s very difficult to get it back.

It's like when people say "I didn't lie about everything" or "it's just a little lie, no big deal"!
Yes it is a big deal. A half truth is practically a whole lie. It doesn't matter how many fractions of what may seem like you are actually delivering the truth, everything you say in that many words is still a lie.

Do not be that person that cannot be trusted AND do not fall into trap of someone who can't ever deliver the truth.

Lies and distrust lead you in the path of never being a reliable person.

Lets change some things folks!

Love

Any woman can fool a man if she wants to and if he's in love with her.
- Julie Hintz

Interesting article:

There are times in our lives when we perceive love negatively. After a breakup, during fights, we are so vulnerable, that we refuse to picture our lives without the one person who means the world to us.
It's in times like these that we make irrational decisions that may or may not affect us later in the future.

Then again, there are times when someone loves us so much, we feel guilty for not being able to return the love that is normally expected. And its at these times, we give off our love (overtime) - to help the other person compensate for their feelings (out of obligation).

Whatsoever you sow, you shall reap. Relationships weigh much and it's imperative that the decisions we make in them are decisions that we are willing to hold as actions.

Happy Friday!

Who am I?

We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live - unknown

Life happens everyday and what we do with it is the most important responsibility you hold as a human being.

For me, my choices are grounded and found in the realization that my Creator made and fashioned me for greatness. In everything I say, think or do, I submit it and place it at the will of God. I know that my steps are ordered by Him; therefore fretting is hard, uncertainty doesn't stay here long, strength comes to me easy from on high, and conviction is nigh.

This is not to say that I am perfect; but I am striving with diligence towards it. The choices I make are wrapped around this 24/7.

It would be different if I didn't know my worth and what I am made of; but since I do, I make mental, emotional, verbal, physical and psychological choices with a sense of that understanding.

I pray the same for you :)

Happy Thursday good people!

Worry or not?

Worrying is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but doesn't really get you anywhere - unknown

Worrying is not only terrible but also an exhausting way of spending your precious time - especially if there isn't anything you can do to change a situation.

If things are not going the way you hoped or they should; that's the time to pray more and worry less. Getting stressed over it isn't helpful, it'll get you sick too.

Find a way to rest your weary soul in God's loving arms and let Him carry the weight of your burden.
Now, there's a much better place to lay your thoughts on.

Be free from worry....