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Why You Shouldn’t Give Up

In this life, it can be easy to lose hope.

You may not be where you want to be career-wise.

You may not have that perfect relationship that you desire.

You may not have reached the goal just yet.

But as I said in a previous post, there is power in one.

There is one person out there counting on you to keep going.

Someone is watching your story and feeling inspired.

People you don’t even know have you on their mind.

God has placed you there.

You just have to keep going to see God’s plan come to fruition.

Check out what Paul writes about perseverance in Philippians Chapter 3.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.
Philippians 3:13-15 NLT

You see, Paul kept the end in mind. He never dwelled on where he was and how miserable his situation was.

He was in a dire situation; but because of his obedience to pen this letter, many years later, we can meditate on this letter and be inspired.

He focused on the future.

Now on a personal note, content creation is hard.

There are many times where I feel like giving up.

But I am learning that this content is bigger than me.

It is not even about me.

It is so important to think about those after us who may happen to stumble upon our words, videos, or podcasts and muster the strength to keep going.

So, whether you are a content creator like me, or you work in another field, remember the power of one.

Someone out there needs you to keep going.

We just never know whose life we may impact when we don’t give up.

The Importance of Silence

In this loud, chaotic world that we live in, it is so important to take advantage of the opportunity to be silent.

Every day, my personal goal is 10 minutes of silence.

The reason why I value this silence so much is because I know the rest of the day is going to be loud.

The silence is important for my sanity.

The silence allows me to sit with my thoughts and just simply be.

In the silence, I also take the opportunity to breathe deeply as many times as I can during the 10 minutes.

As a recovering perfectionist and an avid to-do list maker, I am learning that silence is not the enemy.

In fact, I can be friends with silence.

There is a misconception that your brain will somehow go blank and quiet down when you sit still and be silent.

I quickly got over that notion.

It hindered me from the ultimate purpose I was trying to achieve.

You see, it is not like your brain is a liquidation sale where all thoughts must go.

You learn to acknowledge the thoughts and realize that they are simply that.

You learn that even though your mind is racing, it doesn’t have to control you.

Make a choice to simply breathe and relax.

For those 10 minutes, the chores, the to-do list, and the notifications can wait.

The world will be alright.

You will be alright.

Daily Prompt Question

What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

Hey yall. This was such a fun question that I could not resist answering.

Bible: I need to have it close to remind me of God’s promises daily.
Water bottle: I have to stay hydrated. It really does make a difference in how you feel on a daily basis.
Phone, laptop, tablet: (It is a 3-way tie) Can’t do content without those right?

PS: Here’s Some Exciting News!

I was featured on a podcast! Please check out this amazing interview I did with Life Coach Ms. Starr on YouTube. We had a great discussion of the Fruits of the Spirit. Click here to watch it!

Are You Looking for A New Book to Read During Quiet Time?

Well, look no further. Check out the latest episode of my podcast where I spill the tea on the books that are blessing me in my quiet time. Click here to listen!

Thank you in advance for the support! I hope these episodes bless you!

3 Psalms to Live By

Psalms.

This is a book of the bible that contains some of the most beautiful prayers ever written.

Sometimes, we don’t know what to pray.

These three psalms are great to pray when you are at a loss for words.

What stands out to me in this verse is the word morning.

There is so much hope in that one word.

It implies that we will hold on until the morning.

We will make it through the dark night.

We know where to put our trust and we are leaning on God completely.

Bottom Line?

When times get tough, we have to learn to rehearse what we know about God’s character.

God’s love is unfailing, He is trustworthy, and we can count on Him to lead us throughout our lives.

Now this prayer is special.

David prayed this prayer of repentance after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan about committing adultery with Bathsheba. (Read the entire story in 2nd Samuel Chapters 11-12)

I love this prayer because it shows David’s humility and acknowledges God’s authority and ability to create and renew us.

We simply cannot do this on our own.

We need God to intervene and cause us to have a pure heart and an unwavering, devoted spirit.

The word that sticks out in this prayer is confident.

It means that the psalmist trusts God.

When trust is present, praise is possible.

As the saying goes, worship and worry cannot coexist.

When we learn to trust God no matter what our circumstances look like, we can have a posture and a lifestyle of praise.

Now, in no way am I implying that trusting God to be all that we need Him to be is easy.

There are some really rough days.

Days when it feels like there is radio silence.

Days when the tears are abundant, and my hope is depleted.

But what I am saying is that seeing things from God’s perspective helps a lot.

You see, what I cherish about the psalms we find in God’s Word is that the people who wrote them were honest and vulnerable with God.

Not every last one is filled with happy sentiments.

They kept it all the way real.

They brought all of their feelings to Him.

The good.

The bad.

And everything in between.

God wants us to do the same.

When it is most tempting to turn inward and fall into a pit of despair, look upward and talk to your Heavenly Father.

He really does care.

3 Great Women in Bible History

In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to write about women in bible history.

There are so many women that I could pick from, but here are three that always stand out to me.

Esther:

Fun fact: She is also known as Hadassah, a Hebrew name that means myrtle, and Esther is a Persian name that means star. –NLT Study Bible Footnotes

Esther’s story can be found in the book of Esther in the bible.

She was a Jewish woman who was raised by her cousin Mordecai.

In the course of time, she caught the attention of King Xerxes of Persia, and became the new queen.

She heard that there was a plot to kill the king from her cousin Mordecai and she told the king about it.

As a result, she curried favor with him when it was time for her to save her people from Haman’s evil plot against them.

Now the part I love about this story is that when she found out Haman’s plan, she did not immediately panic.

Her first thought was to tell her people to fast and pray for three days. She did the same.

I also love her bravery. In those days, no one was allowed to go see the king without being summoned.

It could prove to be a fatal choice.

Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.
Esther 4:16 NLT

With this knowledge in mind, she still chose to go ahead and do so anyway.

For that, I will always love her story.

Mary (Jesus’s Mother):

Picture for a second being a young girl and the angel of the Lord comes to you and says you will conceive a baby.

Keep in mind that you are a virgin. Humanly speaking, this seems impossible.

Then on top of that, the angel says that the baby will be Jesus Christ, the savior of the world!

What would your response be?

Mary’s response is so inspiring when it comes to believing and surrendering to God’s will.

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38 NLT

There must have been so many thoughts racing through her mind.

What would Joseph, the man she was supposed to marry think?

What would the people in her neighborhood think of her?

How would she take care of this child when she was still so young herself?

But despite her questions, she carried on. She knew whose she was.

She was so brave when she gave birth to Jesus in a barn.

Then her and Joseph had to leave their home due to Herod’s plan to kill all boys under 2.

He was jealous and felt threatened by Jesus’s presence.

Think about the fear she must have felt knowing someone was looking for her son to kill him.

She knew who her child was destined to be. She knew what his purpose was.

Now consider this: having a 12-year-old who was wise enough to seek out teachers to listen to in the Temple.

As he grew older, there was a lot about him that she would never understand.

There were painful moments like watching him be crucified.

But then there were beautiful moments when Jesus told John to take care of her as his own mother.

I love how she loved Jesus. I love how faithful she was to him.

Hannah:

Hannah was a woman who loved God deeply.

She desired to have children but for a long time, she was barren.

She prayed and prayed for a child of her own.

It must have been so painful to watch her husband’s other wife Peninnah not only have children but tease her for being barren.

Can you imagine your husband and everyone else in your life not understanding and validating your feelings?

But God is always watching.

God is always concerned.

The Lord answered her prayer.

Now, this wasn’t just any prayer.

This woman prayed a selfless, sacrificial prayer.

Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime…
1st Samuel 1:10-11 NLT

It must have been so hard to want a child so badly and then make that vow.

Somehow, this woman knew that God’s will was more important than what she wanted.

Her son ended up being a prophet, priest, and leader who anointed kings like Saul & David.

Surely that was worth the sacrifice, right?

These women were ordinary, but they believed in and served an extraordinary God.

The choices they had to make could not have been the easiest.

But with the strength of God, they were able to choose the right path.

When I want to complain about hard things, I can think back on the stories of these women and many more throughout the Word of God.

Thank God for that.

3 Life Hacks for Better Portion Control

Food.

We all love it right?

Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

It would be awesome if we could all eat as much as we want and not gain a pound.

Unfortunately, we have to watch our portions so we can have the energy to live our best lives.

Without further ado, here are 3 life hacks that will help you win the battle with portion control:

#1: Buy individual packages of foods you like:

For instance, if you like pie, don’t buy the whole pie from the bakery at the store.

Go to the snack section and get the individual pies.

#2: When you go out, share an appetizer with someone:

I don’t know if you have been out to a restaurant lately, but those appetizer servings are generous enough to share.

This way, you get to nibble on something while you wait for your main entree, and you won’t be too full to enjoy it.

#3: If you can’t get your hands on a snack size, get yourself a dish or plate and take out what you want:

Now I know you are probably saying, if I can do that, then I am not struggling.

However, over time you begin to have more self-control, and this is easier to do.

I can tell you from experience that I used to struggle with eating a portion

from a bag of chips, candy, or even frozen food.

Mozzarella sticks are my weakness. Shh. Don’t tell anybody.

What changed?

My taste buds and my desire for more energy and wellness.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am human and still have moments of weakness at times.

But for the most part, I have had success with this method.

I sincerely hope these life hacks add some value to your daily life. Peace& Blessings until next time.

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One Workout to Do When You Feel Overwhelmed

Have you been feeling overwhelmed lately?

Do you feel like you don’t have the time or the energy to work out in this season of your life?

Well don’t sweat it. (No pun intended.)

When you feel unmotivated and low on energy, just do yoga for 10 minutes.

It is such an awesome pick-me-up.

There are three things about yoga that make it a great lazy-day workout:

#1: You get to lay on a mat:

Now you do have to move some if you want results. However, the best part is how it all ends.

You simply lay there. And do nothing.

Who doesn’t love a moment of stillness?

#2: Breathing is so soothing to your nervous system:

Sometimes taking a few minutes to breathe is all you need to re-center yourself and feel calmer for the rest of the day.

If you stress a lot, it is so good to take time and breathe even if you can’t get to the yoga mat.

#3: It gets your blood flowing without too much intensity:

There is nothing like yoga to help your circulation and the gentle movement makes you feel like you have done something good for your body without exerting yourself too much.

So friends, the next time you feel stressed out and don’t feel like doing some crazy intense cardio workout, get your mat out and get your stretch on.

The Power of One

Have you ever felt like you could be more productive during the day?

If you are anything like me, you make this long list and try to accomplish all of it by the end of the day.

Let me guess, you couldn’t get it all done either right?

Not to worry friend, we are in the same boat.

However, I have a solution that you might not be expecting.

Do less.

Yeah, you read that right.

Do less.

Being productive doesn’t mean you have to burn yourself out and somehow squeeze 25 hours’ worth of work into 24.

So, here’s what you and I are going to do.

We are going to set one goal for the day.

Then do that one thing.

This way you don’t end the day disappointed.

Besides, it is way better to have one crucial item off of your to-do list than none at all right?

So, Let’s do the best we can to stick to this plan for all of 2023 and beyond.

Stress and burn-out is not our portion. In Jesus’ Name,

AMEN.

Happy Black History Month!

Black History Month.

28 short days could never be enough to showcase, celebrate, and embody all that we are as black people.

Yes, February is reserved for us to celebrate our accomplishments and history.

But you see, we cannot be contained to just one month.

We indeed make history all year long.

As a people, we have been through so much.

Pain.

Injustice.

Abuse.

Discrimination.

Hatred without cause.

Yet, in the illustrious words of Maya Angelou, one of the greatest poets of all time,

“We still rise”.

Despite everything that has transpired,

We are still resilient.

We are still blessed.

We still keep walking.

We still keep fighting for our rights.

We still love so deeply.

We still show kindness.

We still show up for life.

We still show up for our communities.

We still take care of our families.

We still triumph despite massive opposition and adversity.

We still have hope.

Thanks be to God for our strength.

Thanks be to God for everything that makes us so beautiful.

Thanks be to God for sustaining and blessing us.

Thanks be to God that we are still pioneering and breaking records.

Thanks be to God that we are courageous.

It is so important to celebrate all the ways that we win and reflect on how we can do better and progress in life as a people.

To the ancestors, I salute you. Without your sacrifice, none of us would even be here today to celebrate our history, our heritage, our existence, our significance. You paved the way so we could walk in it. Help us to not lose sight of who we are and our capacity to be great and do great things. There are so many of you who fought for our rights and used your platform to advance our cause as a people. The beauty is that all of you did it your own way. You all made a difference. You were the example and representation that we all needed to see. Thank you.